Fresh take on the YA sports novel-a team of field hockey players take on sexual assault AND the state championship! For once a girls' sport gets just as much action as if it were a novel featuring football or basketball and these girls are fierce. They also love parkour in their free time, adding to the sports coverage. But along with all that you get a powerful message about how to effect change for real-that using your voice is more effective than using your fists, that it takes unity and strength to amplify those voices. These young women make mistakes, and admit when they're wrong. A multi-racial, diverse group of characters and situations makes this book a winner.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Right out the gate, this book pulls you in. Emma Kress crafts an unflinching, full-bodied, emotional story of agency: over one's body, over one's safety, and over one's future. With the high impact sport of field hockey as a vehicle to bind this group of girls together, the reader will find not just one character, but multiple characters to connect to while exploring some of the very tough, but very real, situations within the pages of Dangerous Play.

I am not a big sports fan; I don't tend to watch sports and I only participated in the required gym activities. But I was instantly enamored with this focused and deadly (on-the-field) group of field hockey girls. Zoe is our narrator, the co-captain of the team, along with Ava. Together through the summer they tagged specific girls, including Zoe's best friend Liv and one of the "outsiders" of the school, Dylan, to train up in order to obtain one goal: win States. For the co-captains, and Zoe in particular, this win would set them on the path to win scholarships for college. So everything for them is on the line.

But then Zoe is sexually assaulted and everything changes for her, and the team.

Emma Kress explores the very real experience of a high school girl when it comes to having some sort of bad/horrible/violent sexual experience. The statistics on sexual assault, attempted rape, and rape are scary when you research it. And most of those statistics are directly about the female population, with higher statistics on trans youth. I guarantee that if you talk to a random group of women and girls, you will find that almost all of them have some sort of incident, no matter how "small" it may be.

Kress puts this reality to the forefront with deft hands, centering the conversation through Zoe and other members of her team. How it effects everything in someone's life, and becomes, as it did for Zoe, the "Before" and "After". And it is the "After" that is expanded upon. A focus on autonomy and agency, how much of the culture is perpetuated within our schools and our homes. How the intersection of race and socioeconomic status make assault more prevalent. This is the conversation that is both timely and needed.

But with this important reflection comes the authenticity of Zoe and her life. She loves field hockey, she loves her friends, and she loves her parents. All of these things are a deep part of her, and help her come to terms with what happened. There is laughter mixed with sorrow. There is happiness mixed with anger. And there is love mixed with hate. This group of girls will feel real because they are real. The reader will know or have known one of these girls. Zoe is an excellent spearhead to experience this story through, but the reader will also connect with the team as a whole.

An excellent book, a much needed book, and must buy book, Dangerous Play by Emma Kress is not one to be missed.

It's gonna take me some time to fully gather my thoughts about this one. Not because they're conflicted at all. No, because this dealt with so many important topics, and I'm not really sure how to tackle this review. Because yes, this showcased incredible friendships, a sweet romance, and the passion that goes into sports. I would love to rave about all of this. But it also tackled sexual assault, consent, and rape.

These topics made this so hard to read at times, but in a good way. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't right. Our characters didn't react in the best way, and the boys didn't learn or change. Nobody was in the right, which made this so beautiful. There was no magic word to fix anything, and no magic word to fix anyone. This felt real.

On top of that, I loved how this really focused on the friendship between Zoe and her team. They were all so supportive, and even when they didn't agree with each other, they were there for each other. On and off the field, they were there to help.

Speaking of sports, I loved the sports elements in this. As someone who plays a sport, it was so easy to immerse myself into their games. Every interaction felt so realistic. And by the end, I found myself cheering just as loud as Zoe for her team.

Although this book ended up being so far from what I was expecting, I loved it. It had its fluffy moments, it had its hard moments, but not once did it let up. This was an amazing book, and I'm so happy to have a copy of it on my shelves.

Thanks to Turn the Page Tours for providing a free copy

4 stars

Warning: the splashy, colorful cover of this book is not indicative of the actual content.

All right. I have a lot of complicated feelings about this book and even after sitting with them for a while in an attempt to write a coherent review, I am still struggling. So, here it goes.

I think that books that center experiences of sexual assault certainly have a place in YA literature since it is unfortunately something that many people will deal with in their lives. Where Kress really succeeds in Dangerous Play is evoking the incredibly complex emotional journey that Zoe goes through after her experience. You could completely understand the reasons why she reacted a certain way, even when you found yourself appalled by what was occurring.

This, however, brings me to the really big issue that I had with this book. I was really put off by the gun violence and the discussion surrounding it that popped up in this book. I could clearly see why Kress included it and I am sure that my feelings of shock are what she meant to elicit, but it just really really really bothered me. I just felt like there were other ways to discuss and escalate the action in a way that would not have provided a whole separate trigger for the reader.

With all of that said, I am still giving this book 4 stars. Why, you may ask? Even with some personal issues that I had with this book, it is something that is going to stick with me for a while and have already prompted dialogue between me and my fellow readers. I think that this book, even with its flaws, does exactly what it sets out to do: spark discussion about how we view and combat sexual assault.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an ARC of this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

This book was absofockinglutely AMAZING!!! I am always afraid of giving anything away or somehow spoiling the books for you. So, I always like to just talk about how the books make me feel. And let me tell you...this book made me feel so much! I don't believe it would be possible to read this book and not fall in love with this group of girls! They are so strong! Several have a hard home life and things are not easy at school but they still excel! I cried at least half a dozen times while reading this! Seriously! This author really had me hooked!!! I even yelled "goal" twice! My husband may think I'm nuts now. I was listening to the audiobook while reading along. I loved it! I think it made the book even better. The narrator was great!!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars from me! You all need to read this book! Seriously! Just go buy it now!!!

Zoe Alamandar has one goal: win the State Field Hockey Championships and earn a scholarship that will get her the hell out of Central New York. She and her co-captain Ava Cervantes have assembled a fierce team of dedicated girls who will work hard and play by the rules.

But after Zoe is sexually assaulted at a party, she finds a new goal: make sure no girl feels unsafe again. Zoe and her teammates decide to stop playing by the rules and take justice into their own hands. Soon, their suburban town has a team of superheroes meting out punishments, but one night of vigilantism may cost Zoe her team, the championship, her scholarship, and her future.

Dangerous Play is a powerful and extremely evocative novel that tackles rape culture, harassment, and sexism. This is the type of book you just want to press into everyone’s hands and get them to read immediately.

Kress fills this book to the brim with emotional intensity and devastation. Female rage is on full display here, with a range of reactions across the team. There’s this sense of complete devastation for the reader with scenes where each member of the team discloses their own experiences with rape culture. I loved how Kress fully delves into these intense and complex emotions, ensuring that every reaction is treated as being valid. This leads to a really interesting discussion around justice versus vigilante actions, where if someone is really protecting people or just seeking their own vengeance. Kress opens an intriguing moral dialogue here, asking to what extent someone will mask their own pain with the pain of others. It also questions what happens when these actions may have gone too far, with an intersectional discussion about the justice system and who is more likely to be left with the blame. The book ultimately changes gear and leads to an exploration of activism in other forms. Primarily, the team utilises the power of their own voices and experiences. That bravery is excellent to see, though Kress doesn’t shy away from showing the vulnerability and fractured feelings around these actions. It is brave, but it also should not be necessary. The experiences shared in the book are all too familiar and the culture described permeates every aspect of the book.

That being said, the primary focus of this book is not dismantling rape culture. This book is mainly about female solidarity and the team is a brilliant example of this. Zoe’s team is the most heart-warming found family, who are all there for each other no matter what. They’re all such funny, warm, and extremely memorable characters that just jump off the page and into your heart. Zoe herself is an incredible protagonist. She is complex and definitely not perfect, but as captain, she is the heart and soul of the team. Though she may not always see it, she affects every single one of them in so many ways and it is her perseverance and drive that really helps them along. At the same time, she’s dealing with her own problems in terms of her family. Her laser focus is both a help and a hindrance, affecting her ability to see how other people around her are feeling. The gradual shift in her character arc and her growth was so good to see. Every person in the team brings their own magic and talents, giving the book that kind of fuzzy glow for your heart. They’re all such believable, authentic teenage characters and they share those sorts of moments together, like late night film marathons at sleepovers.

I also really enjoyed the detailed presentation of their training, which really showed off their commitment. The match scenes were so fun to read and you got pulled into the spirit of it all. Sports are not often explored in YA, so it was a refreshing change to see real heart and passion for the sport from the characters. It has this kind of infectious energy that means you root just as hard as the characters for their victory. Their training montages often came with hilariously inspiring speeches from their coach, but even these had soul behind them and a clear sense of love for her team. The parkour scenes were also really fun to read and so easy to imagine. They just allowed the team to be completely free and Zoe’s attitude to them really reflects her character growth and arc over the course of the book.

Dangerous Play is a fierce book that will leave you ready to stand up and use your voice, while also casting a fuzzy glow in your heart with its exploration of female friendship and solidarity. While this is a tough read at times, it is a necessary one.

“Dangerous Play” is an exciting Young adult debut about a group of women who take matters into their own hands.

To begin with, I enjoyed the tale’s theme, on how at times, you need to be empowered and take a stand. Even though the story focuses on a strong female cast and encourages women to be strong and take action, I think this tale would resonate amongst anyone (irrespective of their gender) who is pushed to a corner and harassed.

I liked Zoe in the role and thought the author wrote her in many layers. I enjoyed her conflicting relation with Ava and Dylan and how she reacts to the situation. The entire team, whether it be Liv, Ava, or Nikki, are lovely together. I loved the scenes where they plan on getting back at people like Kups, Jamison, and Reilly. Moreover, the author wrote the romance between Zoe and Grove nicely, without making it sidetrack from the plot.

Secondly, I thought the author did a fabulous job in this book being her debut novel. She writes perfectly for the young adult genre and includes a bit of everything. We have some thrilling moments like when they go to the cemetery or action-packed scenes when they decide to get a gun.

Moreover, the author also portrays both sides by showing the repercussions the protagonist faces when they realize they might have gone too far. The subject matter makes you ponder how far is too far before you start abusing your power.

Overall, I enjoyed “Dangerous Play” and look forward to reading many more books by the author in the future.

I am typically NOT a synopsis reader, and I enjoyed this book, but it is one I feel would be a trigger warning kinda book for many -- assault and rape -- but also what comes after, and how the girls go on after. What stuck out most to me about this book was that the girls were fiercely loyal to one another, even if their practices in vigilante revenge wouldn't be the best way to handle their problems in most cases IRL. While the topic may be a bit heavy at times, we get such well written teenage characters who work together, who support one another and so accurately represents what being a part of a team can be, especially in this age group.

Kress' writing style was easy to read and enjoyable, her characters felt empowering and relatable, something we need more of especially in female voices. I have read quite a few sports based contemporary titles lately and they are just bringing such a needed subgenre to YA today.

Zoe was a fantastic MC, and I loved how much we got to know her in each aspect of her life, from her friends and team, to the pressure she faces as a student athlete, and as a daughter. So many layers built into this story, that made the overall theme of friendship and consent so much more emotional and real. I loved that by getting to know Zoe so well, we really learned along with her WHO she was.

TW: sexual assault and descriptions of violence/violent acts

The cover for this book instantly drew me in. It looked powerful and I wanted to read it, even before I realized that the summary was beyond interesting. I was lucky enough to get a part in a book tour for this book. So I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Zoe and her friends are field hockey players. They are strong and dedicated and determined to make it to the championships. Zoe gets sexually assaulted at a party and the group decides to make sure that no other girl feels unsafe again. They become a badass team of vigilantes that prowl through the town to make sure that everyone feels safe. Eventually things seem to be getting out of hand and the girls have to face whether what they are doing is right and worth it.

I thought that this book was absolutely amazing. The author was able to describe people and items without it feeling as though readers are being drowned in descriptions. I was also immediately drawn into the story and remained immersed the entire time.

I want to make a note about the author’s writing. The author does describe the actions of the sexual assault as well as Zoe’s thoughts during the time. I thought that the author did a great job at describing the attack. It stopped being this perfectly written paragraph with well-formed sentences. It worked well to illustrate Zoe’s thoughts.

The characters were the absolute best part of this book. All of the characters were written in a very realistic way. They were characters that you could root for or characters that you wanted to hate. None of the characters felt overly perfect or too flawed. Zoe is a very interesting character, especially since you get to watch as she has to deal with the mistakes that she’s made.
This book also deals with the issue of vigilantism. The summary tells you that they want to make sure no one gets hurt, but the book actually acknowledges the problems that come from taking the law into your own hand. This isn’t going to be a long post, but there will always be problems with people deserving who deserves what punishment. Kress did a great job at describing the situations and people where you could understand the thought process, even if you didn’t agree with it.

I didn’t really have many issues with this book. My first was the usage of the word fock and fockey. I get that they are field hockey players, but that got annoying after a while. The other thing was that at times it got uncomfortable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially since it was meant to be seen that way, but I don’t necessarily like reading/feeling that way.

I honestly adored this book so much. It was fun and realistic (well, to a point). It featured great characters that took on a serious issue and it handled it well.

I have a new favorite trope: the revenge trope. More importantly, the revenge trope that deals with women or girls taking back their power over their abusers. DANGEROUS PLAY deals with some heavy topics, and it's seriously one of the better feminist books out there because our protagonist ad her friends give no mercy to those who deserve the highest form of punishment for their crimes. It also touches upon a society where men who commit these crimes either get off too easily or don't face any judgments at all.

Zoe Alamandar is a field hockey player who wants nothing more than to get into a good college when she's assaulted one night at a party. She soon finds out that she's not the only one, and together with her fellow teammates enact their own revenge.

Zoe kind of goes off the rails. She's angry and rightly so. But her anger turns into something dangerous, and it had my eyes popping out and my heart pounding. I love that this book took Zoe's revenge to another level. Some books dealing with this trauma don't really touch upon the fierce fury that Zoe possesses, and the way she punishes those who did her harm. Sometimes words just don't do it. Sometimes a little vigilante justice is sorely needed.

I don't condone violence, but I do condone giving back what they gave you: FEAR. Fear of walking down the streets, hopping into the shadows to avoid your assaulter, and living each day in terror.

I liked this book a lot. If you're looking for a book with strong female friendships and cheering on Zoe and her pals as they take no S&*t, this is the one for you.

"Dangerous Play" by Emma Kress was one of those books that I'm glad to have read and I know I'll think about for a long time coming.

This is the second sports book I've read this year, and I think they may be becoming one of my favorite things to read. And while the sports aspect is a big part of this book, it's definitely not the main focus. "Dangerous Play" might be one of the best #MeToo contemporary YA fiction books I've read.

There are so many things I loved about this book. First and foremost, the sisterhood showcased between Zoe, our main character, and her field hockey teammates, was wonderful. In fact, I loved that this book was all about women helping women, girls helping girls, and instead of pitting them against each other, it was all focused on them empowering one another. The only time we ever see any competition, is on the field during a field hockey game.

I also appreciated the way sexual assault was approached and talked about in the many and varying ways it happens. Emma Kress did a wonderful job of driving home that fact that there is no singular definition of sexual assault. I think many teens and even adults who pick up "Dangerous Play," who are maybe still learning that or who need to hear that, will find it helpful and comforting.

Something I also really appreciated was the many other subjects touched on throughout the story, not just sexual assault. Double standards between the girls and boys at the school, internalized misogyny, white privilege, intersectional feminism, the foster system, disability, and victim blaming, to name a few.

Next to the many important issues and topics "Dangerous Play" focuses on and discusses, it's also just a really good story at its heart. It's fast paced, emotional, high-stakes, frustrating, funny, and empowering. I read through it in one sitting because I had to know how things were going to play out. I loved getting to learn about the dynamic Zoe had with her friends and family, and how those relationships changed and got stronger over time. The entire "taking back the night" vigilantism was iconic. And of course the sports scenes were action-packed and easy to understand for a non-sports person.

I think the only thing that threw me off once or twice in the book, which is such a small thing, but worth mentioning because it's kinda funny, is the whole "fockey" thing. Now, I know no field hockey players--we didn't even have a field hockey team at my high school or even my college, so I have no clue if this is a real thing or not. But every time I read it, or any iteration of it (fock, absofockinglutely, etc.), I had to pause for just a second. It was the tiniest bit cringe. I'M SORRY.

All in all though, I loved "Dangerous Play." I think it's an important book that many people will find comfort in.

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this book just yet. Full review to come. I will say that it was incredibly emotional and often times gut wrenching to read.

CW: sexual assault/attempted rape (on page), mentions of rape, sexual harassment, misogyny, violence, sports injury (concussion), assault, guns, anxiety, post traumatic stress, bodyshaming, and injury to parent with lasting physical effects.

4.5 stars

This was a very powerful read. It was heartbreaking at times, but I thought the author tackled the issues head on in a realistic and honest way. At times I had a visceral response to what the characters were experiencing. The examination of rape culture was both eye opening and in some ways also sadly not. I think many readers will relate to the situations presented, so please note the content warnings before starting this one.

The writing was engaging and I liked how the sport of field hockey brought all these different individuals together on and off the field. I played field hockey throughout High School, so it was wonderful to see the sport featured in a book. Sometimes the game play scenes felt overly descriptive, but they added an element of excitement and helped convey the different emotions the characters were experiencing. Zoe's growth through the novel was very satisfying and I appreciated how realistic her journey was (the highs and the lows) and how she learned from her choices. Some aspects of the story came together a little too neatly at the end, but ultimately, Dangerous Play is a triumphant and empowering read.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Dangerous Play explores some all too familiar realities: Sexual assault and the lack of accountability for the culprit.

The narrator of this book (Zoe) is a teenage field hockey player who is just beginning to comprehend the injustice of it all when she is assaulted at a party. Feeling furious that some of the boys at her school continuously get away with degrading and traumatizing acts against females, Zoe sets out with her teammates to protect other young girls from similar fates.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. There were powerful topics of discussion threaded into the narrative, several moving lines, and a great story that had a lot more going on in it than I’d anticipated. I think the author did a wonderful job realistically depicting how unfairly things are dealt with, paving a clear path as to why the girls felt it was necessary to take matters into their own hands.

I loved most of the second half but, despite many shining star moments, there were some aspects that didn’t sit right with me.

First of all, there was a surprising escalation shortly after the 50% mark. I do understand the point in it, but the author brought an object into the story that really changed the tone and I felt like the resolution with all of that was rushed and too tidy. I’m not sure how it could have been wrapped up in a satisfying way that would have still been fair to female victims, but I think perhaps not bringing that one detail into the book in the first place would have been wiser, especially for a young adult audience.

Another issue I had with the story pertains to the development of a romantic relationship, which was truly lacking. I had a hard time seeing the attachment and supportiveness as believable because it wasn’t really built upon a solid foundation.

Lastly, I do wish there had been more on another character’s trauma and that readers had been given some sort of conclusion for her. I felt like that was all left up in the air and Zoe became the center of the ending, even though the author didn’t solely focus on her assault throughout the story. I know only so much can be done with a first person narrative, but I was given more than enough information about another character for me to feel it’s fair to say I wanted more.

I’m still giving this book four stars because, frankly, so much of this felt like a five star read. My complaints are not big enough for me to say the story was just okay, as I really did love this book. It’s not perfect, but it made a crucial statement about females standing together and standing against sexual violence. I truly love and admire what the author aimed to accomplish.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am immensely grateful to Roaring Brook Press, Books Forward, and NetGalley for my digital review copy. All opinions are my opinion.

I love any book that builds on the strength and power of sisterhood and friendship and in Dangerous Play, Ms. Kress gives us female empowerment in spades. To start with, I love to see women playing sports like Field Hockey – a typical male dominated sport and then add in well-wrought characters with real life emotions and problems and you’ve got a book that not only tugs at the heart strings but also has me cheering these girls on for every inch they achieved in the misogynistic world of double standards and the whole ‘boys will be boys’ club.

The current rape culture and victim blaming/shaming is handled beautifully and again, the sense of empowerment is there but it’s at a cost that no woman or girl should ever have to pay.

Overall, this is a book I’d recommend highly.

I adore the story and Zoe! Zoe is a very inspiring and courageous character and also the most relatable for me. The story talks about friendship, loyalty, teamwork and showcases the importance of fighting for what you believe in and want. In a world where most people find it too easy to look down on others, Zoe and her team proved them wrong. This will be a perfect read not only for young adults but for anyone who wants an uplifting and beautiful read.

3.50 Stars. I thought this was pretty good but I didn’t quite connect like I hoped. The book was well written, and had a decent reading pace, but there was just something a bit off in multiple different aspects for me. Due to the fact that I read a lot of LGBTQ+ books, I feel I should mention that this book does not fit into that category. There are a couple girls on the hockey team that are queer, but that is it.

The reason I wanted to read this book is because I enjoy YA and I have a real love for field hockey. While I played softball and basketball back in the day, field hockey -especially after I switched to goalie- is where I really came alive. It’s a fantastic sport, but it’s under the radar enough that you don’t see many books about it. When I saw this was a book about a field hockey team that takes on the rape culture in their high school, I was in.

I always try to review a book completely based on its own merits, but sometimes that is not really possible. Part of the reason I could not really do that here was bad timing. The book I read just before this one has some very similar story beats. Both stories are about young women, who play sports, and want to take their power back. They both dealt with sexual assault, toxic masculinity, and too many adults that add to the problem. Where the two stories diverged is that the first story also dealt with homophobia, where this book really became about rape culture. The problem with two books that have such similarities is that I kept comparing them to each other. I did not mean to set it up this way, reading them back-to-back, it just so happens that both books are releasing this Tuesday so the timing was what it was. And in the end, I loved the first book and I could not help but think about it while reading this one.

This may seem like a petty complaint but I have to mention it. If I see the word fockey, or some variation of it, one more time I might do some eyeball gouging. Field hockey somehow equals fockey? No just no! No one calls it that and unfortunately it didn’t end there since it soon became fock-it and absofockinglutely which was too annoying for words.

When it came to the sport aspects of the book I was a bit in the middle. I know hockey well and even I had trouble picturing some of the bigger sports scenes. Some scenes worked pretty well so I was able to get into the excitement, but other times it was only so-so. Parkour was also big for these young women but to me that worked even less than the hockey scenes did. It’s not easy to imagine flips and tricks in the air and unfortunately I was more guessing at what they were doing than actually seeing it.

When it came to the vigilante parts of the book, again I was down the middle. I thought it was an interesting twist but then it really changed course and I felt more just uncomfortable. I think this really sums up the book for me because I was in the middle about a lot of different elements. I think this had the potential to be great, but it just didn’t get there for me. As I mentioned already, the writing was well done so I think quality wise this book is a bit higher than my actual enjoyment. I think if people are looking for a YA book about strong young women challenging the rape culture of their school, mixed with some sports and a light m/f romance, then this book might just be for them.

'They all explode and jump, twist and spin. Like they're the smoke and the fire.'

'Dangerous Play' is a powerful story about girls standing up to a society where they are constantly degraded and undermined, and a story which I loved because of the female friendships and how they are highlighted throughout the book.I read this in one sitting, especially as I was drawn in by the team's journey as well as the developing relationships between Zoe and her friends and family.

All the characters were realistic, from their actions to the dialogue, and, although I wish that some of the side characters had been given more depth and room to develop, Kress did a good job of making me root for Zoe and her team. The writing style was effective and definitely worked in the sense that I could feel the emotions coming out of the narrative, especially near the end.

Overall, I'd recommend to fans of contemporary looking for something with an amazing sense of female empowerment, or someone looking for a story where you will feel the successes and failures that the characters experience throughout the book.

I was provided a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review!

Zoe loves field hockey and her ultimate goal is to play at UNC. After a terrible season last year, Zoe and her co-captain Ava decide to work all summer to turn their high school team around. As season starts and their team begins winning, Zoe gets assaulted at a party, which turns her inside out and spirals the team into a losing slump. After more girls come forward with similar experiences, Zoe, plus the team, decide to take matters into their own hands, becoming vigilantes to save other girls from similar fates.

Dangerous Play is a story about friendship, what it means to be a part of a team and consent. I loved the loyalty that the team showed each other, especially when times were rocky for some of the girls. Instead of competing against each other, the players truly embraced each other, which is something that is sometimes hard to come by in the high school athletic setting. Seeing the team rally around each other repeatedly was inspirational.

This book delves into heavy content. It talks about assault and rape and what comes after for the victims. Every girl in the book was depicted as brave and loyal. Dangerous Play featured a large cast of complex characters with lots of layers.

Zoe was an excellent heroine. Her tenacity and perseverance was admirable. She shoulders a lot of outside pressure, which is very common for teens in high school. I adored the relationship she had with her father and the respect she showed him through her actions. The book did a wonderful job depicting a tough relationship with her mom, but then finding a way to meet in the middle.

⚠️ CW: assault, rape

Dangerous Play is out August 3.

Thank you Roaring Brook Press, Books Forward and NetGalley for the advanced copy.