Queer, cute, and true. This audiobook was amazing, I was hooked from the very beginning and continued engaging with the story as it continued.
The characters are adorable, and relatable, even when I couldn’t relate to them in every single way, their emotions and actions were believable and relatable. This facts made me care about them and their story.
This book touches scenarios that maybe not everyone can relate to, but do rise up the issues and how ones actions can affect someone else. The story got me thinking and reflecting about the injustices and bullying the queer community has been passing throw, This book reflects this issues truthfully and in a very personal way.
Loved how everything turned out in this story.
Overall, this story is extremely cute, and would absolutely recommend.

This was such a great book which is about a cheerleader trying to win her spot and a QB is replaced with a girl which releases all chaos but they are falling in love with each other. This book was cute and I love sports romance so this was perfect for me. I have read Adler's debute novel which was also good so I knew this was also going to be amazing. The setting was great with this taking place in a small town/school and I enjoyed how there was a good bit of LGBTQ+ rep. The plot was also great and the storyline was well done. There was great amount of conflicts in this book that kept the story together and helped the characters grow in the book.

The main characters in this book are Amber and Jack aka Jaclyn. I enjoyed both characters in this book but I have to say that it was hard to relate to them in some points of the story. Though once you learn their story it does it easier to be "in their shoes". So Amber wants to be cheer captain but needs to cheer against Jack being the new QB though she is falling in love with her. Then their is Jack who finally got a spot being a QB but people are attacking her for being a girl. Both have great character development in this story and their characters were well written. There were many side characters in this book, some supporting and some who were bullies. The romance was a friends to lovers / sport buddies and it was such a cute relationship.

The ending was very cute and I enjoyed how this book was written. It was such a well written story and Adler did not disappoint with it. She brings the best YA F/F stories which are cute, easy to read and has great character development. I only had a minor problem with the way the characters were hard to relate to but other then that this was such a great book. I totally recommend reading this especially if you are a teen looking for a good f/f romance book.

In the world, people are incredibly tolerant. They aren’t racist, misogynistic, or homophobic. They’re accepting of everyone because they ultimately know they should worry about themselves and mind their business. However, this closed-minded school isn’t that world, nowhere is really. But it takes baby steps. Steps such as a female quarterback, even though she has very little support. The team doesn’t want her there, and all the students agree. Well, most of them. Amber wants to root for Jack, but it’s hard. Because this school is toxic as hell, and not only can she not root for Jack because no one is, but if she does, it will out herself. So much drama!

Atherton is very similar to the school I grew up in. While it’s dreamy to think that was the 90s, and we’ve come so far since then, that isn’t the reality. Pretty much everyone in this book, save Jack, is the worst. Even Amber, at times, is pretty garbage. This misogynistic, homophobic atmosphere has been cultivated, and students feed off each other. I think Adler has written a special book here because it’s meant to make you feel uncomfortable. Things shouldn’t be this way, but they are.

I get why some people didn’t love this one, but I wanted to squeeze Jack and Amber and cheer on Jack from the sidelines. I tore through this book because Adler can write a story. This was an absolutely adorable read when you get past the toxicity. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Wednesday Books & Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was really adorable, and this comes from a girl who typically is not into sport stories!

At first, the voices of the characters were not really connecting to me, but I managed to develop some affection for both of them. Amber, the ambitious cheerleader, as well as Jack, the new quarterback. Their love story was a bit instantaneous, but then again, romcoms are meant to be easy and fun.

One thing I will say is, it is simply the sapphic story that we all dream of watching on tv on a rainy day, eating pancakes for breakfast. I enjoy these kind of stories a lot, as they really bring a sense of ease and comfort to anyone's life. I recommend this to anyone in high school that desires a simple, sweet romance!

Here are the things I liked less, that made it lower down for me: Amber’s wish to keep her homophobic, sexist best friend. The miscommunication trope and the conflicts that, in all reality, were too simple to solve. Those things always bring down a book for me. And finally, this is perhaps a Me Problem, but I don't like pop culture references in books, even to make them relatable.

The Good
– RomCom content is A+
– Easy-to-read
– Last 25% is fucking AMAZING
– Amber and Jack have good chemistry

The Bad
– First 75% is rambling and unfocused
– Repetitive internal monologues
– Reading through the homophobia and misogyny won't be everyone's thing

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler comes out on June 7th, 2022!

Introducing the sapphic RomCom dreamteam: Amber the cheerleader and Jack the football star!

Amber and Jack were really cute together and had some A+ banter. Both the “romance” and “comedy” aspects of this RomCom were a homerun. 

It’s a struggle to read the parts where the girls deal with bullshit. I actually screamed when Jack did AMAZING at her first game and the rest of the team said they won because the "spirit" of the former QB (the one Jack replaced who died during the summer) was with them. But that’s a sign Adler did a good job showing how frustrating it was for Jack. (I know some readers prefer romances where the characters don’t deal with these issues, so head’s up for some homophobia and misogyny.)

But, in terms of execution, it’s a mixed bag. I had two very different experiences during two different parts of the book. If I could, I’d give two separate ratings: 3 stars for the first 75% and 5 Stars for the last 25%. 

The last 25%: Fucking FANTASTIC. Jack has a big football game with a disadvantage and Adler pulls it off PERFECTLY. The writing is tight and focused, the content compelling and electric. Listen: I don’t like OR understand football and I was glued to the page, mouth dry, heart beating out of my chest, eager to see what happened next. The ending of the book, and the confrontations just before the game were also SUPER satisfying and enjoyable. This last 25% was top-shelf writing. 

BUT, ugh. The first 75%: Although part of my struggle was reading about the homophobia and misogyny Jack dealt with, my gripe is with Adler’s writing and storytelling. This section is repetitive and bloated with internal monologues. The girls tread and retread over the obvious, and the story is unfocused and unengaging. There are great core scenes and moments, of course, but they’re weakened by the time Jack and Amber spend stuck in their own heads.

(Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

Story—★★★☆☆
Characters—★★★★☆
Writing Style—★★★★☆
Themes and Representation—★★★☆☆
Enjoyment—★★★★☆ (3.5 Stars)
Overall—★★★★☆ (3.5 Stars)

Recommended For...
Sports gays; readers looking for uncommon LGBT+ rep (polysexual, queer parents); readers who want a good YA romcom.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an arc of this book!

All Amber wants is to become head cheerleader next year so she can get a scholarship to a school, leave town, and finally be out as queer. But her plans are interrupted when Jack comes to town as the new quarterback. Only problem? No one at their school will get behind a girl as quarterback. And to complicate things even further, Amber is attracted to Jack. She has to choose between being the perfect candidate for head cheerleader, and being true to herself and her new friend.

THIS BOOK WAS SO FLIPPING GOOD. Honestly this was everything I wanted going in---A Sapphic Sports Romance with a head cheerleader and football quarterback? A super supportive best friend "beard" to keep the town off Chloe's sexuality? An amazing Queer mother who is THE best parent? This book is perfect and I love it with every fiber of my being.

This book isn't even officially out yet and I'm already itching for a reread--it is that good! Amber and Jack are both amazing characters and I loved watching them grow both together and separately and learn more about themselves and their dreams!

Everyone go read this book!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion, Death, Abandonment, and Miscarriage

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book to read and review! I loved that this was a queer sports romance. I adore sports romances and I really enjoyed the varied sexualities here. I also loved how headstrong and capable these characters are, it felt like the older side of YA and I really enjoyed that. This story was also raw and vulnerable as there was a lot of homophobia, sexism and bullying. I did think everyone had some woe is me tendencies and put themselves first more often, but I also think the development and coming to terms with your identity was done so well. The pop culture references were fun and I thought they fit in nicely. I was super invested in these characters and their relationships and overall definitely really liked reading this book!

A big thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an advanced copy of "Home Field Advantage" by Dahlia Adler!

How do you feel about the cheerleader and quarterback romances? Well, if you weren't a fan before, Dahlia Adler's "Home Field Advantage" will turn you into an avid one. Jack has transferred to Atheron to play on their football team after the untimely death of their last quarterback - it may be her only chance to play somewhere where her skills can be highlighted and she could get an athletic scholarship to college. Amber has been working towards becoming cheer captain for the last three years and just needs to get through this last one in order to cinch it. However, amidst misogyny, homophobia, and trying to survive the peer pressures of high school, the two begin to fall in love and their previous dreams begin to pale in comparison to what their futures together could be.
This is truly a feel-good story in the purest sense - lighthearted and easy-going, Adler makes even the anger and pain of being discriminated against easy to digest, and supports it further with the cute romance between Jack and Amber. The diversity of sexuality and gender is prominent, thanks to characters like Jack (lesbian), Amber (polysexual), Miguel (gay), Malcom (gay), Sage (asexual), and Morgan (nonbinary). If you want a sporty queer romance similar to "She Drives Me Crazy" (which actually gets a shoutout in HFA), then you will want to preorder your copy of "Home Field Advantage" today.

I love sports shappics 😭💞
I had super high expectations going into this one because of her other book and she did not disappoint. I dont understand how american football works but it was written so well i think i finally have a basic understanding

I was lucky enough to be given the chance to read this book by Dahlia Adler. A wonderful story f/f romance about a cheerleader Amber Mccloud who has a dream to become cheer captain of her squad. Amber's peers are still mourning the death of Robbie their quarterback who was tragically killed in a tragic car accident. His replacement a new student quarterback Jack Walsh whose name is short for Jaclyn Makes this get worst. The players don't want a girl leading them and cheerleaders don't like the changes. And especially for a girl who now leads the team and wears a sport bra instead of a jockstrap. But the biggest problem is that the two main protagonist are falling for each other. This book was an instant favorite, once I read this book I could not put it down.

5 Stars.

I did not want to put this book down at all. After reading the description, I could not wait to get my hands on this book, as I knew it was something special. And from the first page, I was roped in.

One of my favorite parts of the novel was how it switched between Amber and Jack, so we were able to see both of the main characters in such a vulnerable way, plus get to experience their feelings rather than just perceive them from the other.

This was a very traditional cheerleader and quarterback story, if the quarterback was a girl. Jack is new to town as the Quarterback for Atherton. Their last quarterback died, and their replacement moved away, and their third-string was awful, so their coach spoke to Jack and she took the risk. Her mom and herself moved to Atherton, leaving her father and twin brothers at home, for this chance to play football on an actual team - something she felt might’ve only been a dream until now. At school, the cheerleaders are aware there’s a new QB, but they assume Jack’s a boy, until Amber hears her name during attendance.

Amber, a cheerleader for years and aiming to be Cheer Captain for her senior year, is the first to realize who Jack is, and is the first to pay attention to how she’s treated. She thinks having a female QB is badass, and she was never fond of the previous QB, but the team and squad don’t echo those feelings. Tied up in a relationship with Miguel, Jack starts slowly flirting with Jack.

I truly enjoyed this and this will be a book I re-read over and over again, I can just feel it. I absolutely loved the butch lesbian rep, as so often they’re not depicted in books. I loved Amber and Jack and their budding friendship, as well as the storyline. I will recommend this to everyone I know, and I truly just cannot stop thinking about how special this book truly is to me.

This was such a sweet and fun sapphic romance! Amber is determined to become the next cheer captain, but this becomes more difficult when the quarterback suddenly dies and is replaced with a new student. Jack, short for Jacyln, moved to town for the chance to be a quarterback and is not shocked when the rest of the team is not excited to have a female quarterback. But both Amber and Jack are shocked by how awful the school responds to Jack's place on the team. Their growing feelings for each other make it even more difficult since Amber is not willing to risk being the cheer captain to come out as queer. I loved reading a sapphic sports romance! While it addressed very serious topics (TW homophobia and bullying), it was still a light and sweet romance novel! I really enjoyed the read!

I was eagerly awaiting the release of HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE, after how much I enjoyed reading Adler's COOL FOR THE SUMMER. However, the promise of a fun, sapphic YA romance was lost amongst a sea of largely unresolved misogyny and homophobia. A character being blackmailed for their sexuality; a bevy of internalized misogyny; and a huge helping of lesbophobia. The romance falls flat, most of the time between the girls spent bickering instead of developing their relationship. This one is a pass for me.

Amber is on track to become the captain of the cheerleading squad. All she has to do is continue to prove she is a leader.... and keep the fact that she is into girls a secret.

Jack Walsh is the newest quarterback for Atherton High. Replacing Robbie Oakes after a tragic car accident, Jack is excited to step onto the field and bring Atherton the winning season they haven't had in years. But once the team finds out Jack is a girl, they go out of their way to prove they don't want or need her on the team.

Dahlia Adler has this great way of turning high school clichés into these adorable stories and I AM HERE FOR IT. The cheerleader and the quarterback doesn't get any more cliché, but Adler turned it into more than that. From the moment they met, I was "cheering" (pun intended!) for Amber and Jack to be together.

I loved that this book was told in alternating points of view, both Amber's and Jack's. It was fun to see how each of the characters processed the situations happening throughout the story. At times, I wanted to shake them both to wake up and rethink what they were doing and why, but by the ending, I couldn't stop smiling. I never like the endings of books, but this one was perfect and I couldn't imagine it ending any other way.

This is my second Dahlia Adler book, and I will definitely be reading and looking for more from her in the future. All the stars, touchdown, rah-rah, go team. Read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me digital ARCs of both the audiobook and the ebook. They gave me a nice way to spend my afternoon.

I was looking forward to this one not only because of the f/f love story, but also because I was excited to see a female athlete crushing it in an otherwise all-male team. Oftentimes I am upset that authors erase many of the difficulties someone in Jack' situation would face, but the book does not shy away from portraying some of the sexism, homophobia, and toxic masculinity that a player like Jack would have faced in that situation.

As for the love story itself, it felt a bit rushed. Amber liked Jack only because of her looks, Jack sidled up to Amber only so that she may get what she wanted and suddenly they had a relationship. I would have liked to see them build something over a sturdier foundation. Nevertheless, I was invested to see how they faced the hostilities coming from the cheerleaders and the football team as well as how they'd eventually make their relationship public considering everyone thought Amber had a boy friend.

I have discovered that I enjoy listening to audiobooks as I read along to the printed/digital text so it was a treat to have the audiobook copy. I enjoyed the narrator who read for Amber's chapters, but not so much the one who was reading for Jack, but I don't know if that is due to the narration itself or the fact that audiobook ARC quality is notoriously poor.

This was SO fun for me! I'm so glad we're finally seeing more sapphic romances enter the "mainstream" market because I haven't read one I've disliked yet! The quarterback and the cheerleader - a classic trope, but this was written with such a fun twist and I wasn't able to put it down. I am so excited to recommend this to all of my friends.

4.5 stars

A sapphic twist on the classic story of the cheerleader falling for the quarterback, Home Field Advantage is a poignant YA contemporary that does not shy away from presenting its teenage characters in all of their messy, imperfect glory. Adler tackles a number of issues in this novel (homophobia, misogyny in sports, religious bigotry, and the pressures of deciding when and how to come out, just to name a few) in a way that I found to be both sensitive and thought-provoking.

What I appreciated most about this romance, however, is how it struck a balance between what I often see as the extremes of YA contemporary. I have recently found myself getting turned off by the genre after reading books that were either so soft and overly romanticized or so hardcore and dark to the point of feeling completely disingenuous to the experience of adolescence. This book does such a wonderful job of finding that happy medium and I am so thankful for this book for getting over my YA contemporary hump.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I keep saying that romance isn't my preferred genre, but then landing on amazing books like this one... I might have to change up my usual stance on the genre as a whole at this rate.

I absolutely loved this book with my whole heart. I now want a football player girlfriend and I will be making it my main life goal until further notice. There was something about the story, the characters, and their flirting and teasing that had me all giddy, blushing, giggling... My friends even told me it was a little out of character to see me like this since I'm usually much more serious when reading. I finished it in two days because I didn't want to put it down, and even when I wasn't actively reading it, it was always at the back of my mind.

The main plot itself—closeted queer cheerleader and lesbian football player against the world—is so good and Adler does a great job of executing it. The relationship really tugs on your heart strings, during both the good and the bad. You understand the complicated situation they're in and how difficult it is to navigate. I found the characters to be extremely realistic which I always appreciate because it made it that much easier to relate to them and to get lost into the story.

I strongly recommend this book and I'll definitely be putting it at the top of my romance list!

Source: NetGalley

This was a cute contemporary romance and a brilliant extremely sapphic twist to the quarterback-cheerleader romance. I'm not one to love that trope - first of all because it does sound extremely heterosexual and cliché for my liking. But this queer twist to a very heterosexual and cis trope is something that I can definitely get behind.

I loved this book and it was so fun I was able to finish it in one sitting. Plot-wise, it was simple. We have our two main characters - Amber is our bright cheerful cheerleader who is working for that captain title next year and is trying to hide the fact that she's queer with the help of her jock best friend/fake-boyfriend Miguel. And then we also have Jack Walsh - the new quarterback who is replacing the school's beloved QB (who has done nothing for the team, but then again popularity in American high school - from what I can gather from plenty YA books - is sometimes weird and I have no idea how it works even now) and turns out to be a girl. And surprise, it turns out that the majority of the team and the cheerleader team are some of the most sexist and misogynistic people ever. You know the rest.

Reading this from both of their perspectives, I really liked that even with the romance brewing between them, these two characters had something else going on for themselves for their character arc. They both have something they want to achieve - Amber wanting to be captain and Jack wanting to get an athlete scholarship for college and not wanting to let down her parents who have been nothing but supportive of her decision - and they're both headstrong to achieve their goal. Love how the characters are written so well in here from the backstory of their different situations to their personal growth.

I loved Amber's storyline the most and as much as this was a lighthearted story this book definitely raises important questions and discussions that I feel like would be relatable for a lot of its readers. Amber struggled so much in terms of her identity here - how do you deal with the fact that the team you've always feel like you belonged in turns out have beliefs and actions that are hurtful to you and the people you love? how are you supposed to react and stand your belief but at the same time not let go of something you truly worked hard on and not to make people that have been nice to you upset? - and even though I can't relate to her in this specific situation, I think the same question is applicable to a lot of other ones readers may face in their own lives. And not just from Amber - but from Miguel too who is also dealing with this from his own football team who has been nothing but rude towards the new quarterback. Also love how the message of this is clear: that being neutral and passive to a situation like this is still the same as picking a side.

Aside from that, the romance was also achingly sweet and I'm not one to love sport romance but this one was just really cute (more sapphic sports romance please). I also love the queer rep and solidarity between some of the characters and even though the high school is so conservative it makes me want to rip my hair out, I'm glad that there are people who are very validating for our MCs. I also just really love Amber's mom, who is bi and is probably the most supportive for Amber. Love that for her!

This book although is very light and easy to read, it definitely deals with A LOT of homophobic and misogynistic remarks and comments so please keep this in mind before reading if you're not up for that.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Having enjoyed Dahlia Adele’s prior book, I was excited to try another from her with Home Field Advantage. And while sports is very much not my thing, it’s definitely one of those books that you can enjoy even if you aren’t into football or cheerleading. That said, I do like how the book flips the traditional football player-and-cheerleader dynamic on its head by making it sapphic, and interrogating the misogyny of sports like football in the process. These and other tough topics, like teen pregnancy, abortion, and miscarriage, the death in a DUI-related car accident that serves as an inciting incident, and queerphobia are among the issues either tackled or touched on in the book. However, it never loses its generally lighthearted feel, and Adler demonstrates the care and sensitivity and has for her readers in handling these issues.
Jack is incredibly easy to root for, being the new kid and a girl recruited to fill a void left by the passing of the school’s star player. She’s a terrible double bind as a result as everyone seems to be against her, but I’m glad she didn’t let it get to her.
Amber is also incredibly sympathetic, in that she too deals airy pressure upon Jack’s arrival. She wants to be welcoming, but she also has aspirations to be cheerleading captain, a position that’s unattainable if she doesn’t play along with the rest in their campaign to oust Jack from the team.
I really liked the development of their relationship. Given the odds they’re up against, it’s nice to see them be so open and supportive of each other for the most part. There’s also a lot of room for growth, as they (especially Amber) make mistakes, which get called out and are worked out without a ton of drama.
This book is super sweet and cute, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys sapphic contemporaries.