I love hockey, so this book interested me right from the description. It reminded me a bit of Fredrik Backman's book Beartown, though the writing style was quite different.

Michigan lives and breathes hockey. She plays in a team alongside her closest friends. Michigan is set on being scouted by colleges. However, due to a budget cut, Michigan's hockey team can no longer play, but the boys' can. She decides, against an enthusiastic group of boys, to play on their team. Although her skills are above a lot of the boys, she still gets treated as a 'girl player'. Michigan endures constant harassment from the team but doesn't want to come forward and jeopardise her spot on the team. How far will it go before she opens up?

This story was an empowering look at sports and the stigma around female athletes. It also had themes of the #MeToo movement, which helped incorporate a relatable and powerful message. It demonstrated the notion of victims having the potential for their future to be damaged by coming forward and talking about their experience, but the perpetrator not being held accountable or having any implications in their lives, despite their behaviour. It also illustrated the toxicity of the team, and how everyone saw what was happening but did nothing about it, or were too scared to.

I enjoyed the writing style and voice of our main character. This made the story interesting and easy to read. Once I started, I didn't want to stop.

The novel was thought-provoking and addictive read. I'd highly recommend this story to those looking for an empowering read. It has also been compared to Beartown by Fredrik Backman, which can give an insight into who may be interested in this story.

Michigan vs. the Boys by Carrie S. Allen is the story of Michigan Manning who lives for playing hockey. Due to budget cuts, her school does away with female hockey and male swimming teams. Michigan's family can not afford to put her in a private school or allow her to play in another town. Michigan makes up her mind to try out for the boys team, and makes it. This book is tough to read at times, because of the abuse Michigan endures to play. I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a difficult story to read at times, but I think it was incredibly well done. It broke my heart, but was empowering at the same time. I don't normally gravitate toward sports books, and I know nothing about hockey, but I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a story that you want to really become invested in.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.
I flew through this book in a day and a half! If I were to recommend this book to students, I would need to make sure they are going to feel comfortable reading about some of the topics present. I would only recommend this to older students (high school) and I would have a discussion on the topics that occur before suggesting a student read it. I would not have this book available in my classroom library because some of the book can be triggering.
I am glad that I was able to read this book after hearing mixed reviews. The high school girls hockey team is cut before the season starts due to lack of funding. The rest of Michigan's teammates are able to attend a different school to play hockey or decided to pursue a different sport. Michigan is determined to still play hockey. Thus, she decides to try out for the high school boy's hockey team.
This is a book that discusses abuse, perseverance, feeling brave enough to stand up for yourself, try new things even when people tell you that you will fail.
As I was reading this book, I got so upset that high school students can be so mean and hurtful and that the coaches were no better. I wanted to jump into the book and shake the coaches to make them see what was happening!

It's difficult to make a review for this book. The message behind the story is perfect but the story could be better.

Fantastic read about a female protagonist - the titular Michigan - who joins the boys team when her school defunds the girls' hockey team. The amount of sexism and harassment Michigan endures is painful, but she ultimately prevails in this strong novel about a young woman fighting for what she wants.

After seeing much praise, I decided it was something that I needed to read. It a great book on toxic masculinity and should be read by all. A well told story from a sports perspective that is much appreciated in these times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a perfect read for empowering women. Through much of this novel, I was angry and felt rage so strong for what Michigan had to overcome. There aren't very many books where you want to reach in and stand up for the character but this is one of them! The writing accurately portrays the struggle of maintaining a feminine identity while also being tough enough to hang with the boys even when we all know they take it too far. I couldn't put this down because I didn't want to come back into the real world angry; I wanted to see what Michigan's solutions would be to her harrowing obstacles and I was not disappointed! On top of all of this, I learned more about hockey and how empowering it was for Michigan. Although this book is focused on hockey, the author did a great job making the sport and its jargon accessible to the readers so they know or can easily figure out what's happening.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy of Michigan Vs the Boys by Carrie S. Allen.
There is a reason that this novel has more than 4 stars on Goodreads. It is an excellent depiction of what happens when a teenage girl tries to break through an important high school glass ceiling: boy’s sports. It is well written, has great dialogue and Michigan’s successes and failures are touching and relatable. I love that it doesn’t have an easy answers and that all the characters are complicated and feel authentic.
I highly recommend this one to anyone interested in reading about high school culture along with issues around bullying and hazing.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story. I am a huge fan of Beartown and this gave me the same kind of vibes but with a happier outcome. It was really hard to read at times but I think it’s also very important. Will pick up a physical copy and more from this author.

Honestly speaking, I felt this book was a little mediocre, it was good but did not hold my attention as much as i wanted it to.

This was a pretty good book. There were parts that seemed to drag and kind of pulled down my reading experience but it was an overall good book.

I really loved this book. Michigan Manning is a role model and a tough person. I think it was great to show how empowered women are but also shed light on the fact that some people can’t accept our strength. She stood up for what was right and did the right thing in the end.

Thank you to the publisher, Kids Can Press, for allowing me to read an eARC on Netgalley of this amazing book! Right from the beginning I was hooked on Michigan and her story. Being a girl who loves hockey myself, I love how much she persevered to make her dreams a reality and play the sport she loves. I am most definitely picking up a finished copy of this book!

LOVED this book!!!!

I absolutely loved and adored this book as well as the characters. Very well written, and kept me interested throughout the whole thing.

Loved this one! Great story of a small town with the challenges of school budget cuts. Michigan stands up for what she believes and breaks the gender barriers. She confronts the bullies and earns the respect of her team mates and her new boyfriend.

I am still very interested in reading MICHIGAN VS. THE BOYS. I wasn't able to finish by the archive date, but have since purchased a final copy. I will post my review with retailers and on Goodreads when I am done.

Michigan is a very strong protagonist that you are instantly hooked to and rooting for. This book seems destined to be in the hands of reluctant readers everywhere.

Wow. This was really hard hitting. It made me feel so many emotions. I enjoyed this so much. I normally dont read sporty books, but this was just amazing.