A new sapphic take on the age-old quarterback/cheerleader romance, Home Field Advantage is a delightfully sweet, easy read that manages to take on a number of heavy topics. Dahlia Adler creates two unique narrators who are both equally likeable and frustrating in their own rights as they try to balance a secret new relationship with the sexism and homophobia of a small town.

Home Field Advantage follows two characters: Amber McLoud, junior cheerleader on track to become captain of the squad next year if she has her way, and Jaclyn (Jack) Walsh, newly (don't call it) recruited quarterback of the Atherton Gators. It is practically love at first sight for both of them. The problem is that Amber is deeply in the closet, in a fake relationship with precious (and also closeted) football player Miguel, and Jack is hated by pretty much the entire school for daring to step into the position of their deceased former quarterback. How can they balance a secret relationship with the demands of their teams when everyone seems to be working against them?

Both of our lead characters are given equal chance to shine in this book, and their unique voices lend well to the story being told. From Amber's point of view, we deal more directly with the homophobia side of things, and from Jack's, the toxic masculinity and sexism present in small town football. We also get interesting side characters like Miguel, arguably their only ally for most of the story and fellow closeted queer person in small town Florida, and Cara, Amber's life-long best friend. The topics are handled with a deft hand while still being a fun, quick read. At its heart, this is still a romance novel.
My sticking points with Home Field Advantage are relatively small. One is simply that this is absolutely not a slow-burn story, but borders on insta-love. There is no buildup between Amber and Jack meeting and the two of them falling in love. My second struggle was in the ending, which again, seems rushed. Everything seems to fall into place too easily, or gets waved off to the side and ignored. Just another chapter or two in order to wrap the story up could have solved so much.

But, overall, this is a delightful story. I love Dahlia Adler, and I love that she has taken such a beloved trope and turned it on its head like this. I cannot wait to add this one to the classroom bookshelf!

3.5 stars. This book was super cute and I really enjoyed the way it took a classic high school trope and made it queer. However, I had a couple of issues with it, most notably just the fact that the stakes never really felt that high. It was very much a high school story, but the writing took away from the seriousness and lightheartedness of the story a bit. While this did a good job of being enjoyable and balancing heavy topics with lighthearted romance, there were also some spots where it fell a little flat.

I also had a hard time connecting with the side characters, especially because there were only a few who were even decent people. While I understood the point of having the focus be on the homophobia and misogyny that Jack and Amber faced, I did feel like it was a little overdone at times. I also wish this had gone a little deeper into the surrounding environment outside of just school and home. However, despite my minor issues, I found this to be a super enjoyable and quick read, even if I wasn't completely invested in it. Sapphic twists on classic tropes are the best kind :)

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. I loved Cool For The Summer last year and couldn’t wait to read this one. I’m so thankful for the eARC 😍

First off, the cover is gorgeous! Second, I love YA books and this one did not disappoint at all. I loved Amber and Jack, though I probably relate to Amber the most, even though I wasn’t a cheerleader. I really enjoyed the queer take on a typical high school stereotype: cheerleader and QB. I thought female quarterback was a fresh take and loved that Jack kicked ass. I thought the angst and tension were well done and I loved the ending. High school, especially homecoming, in books makes me feel so nostalgic which is one reason I love YA. Also I desperately want to go to Gutter Kittens 😹

Overall, I think I prefer Cool For The Summer slightly if I were ranking her books. But Home Field Advantage is definitely worth the read and would 100% recommend.

I started Home Field Advantage on my flight to Arizona because I was in the mood for a fun YA read. I really enjoyed reading Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler last summer, and I knew I wanted something similar to read during my spring break. In February my school vacation was spent in Hawaii and I read about a book a day - so much reading! But this vacation I'm backpacking on the Arizona Trail with my friend who's thru-hiking (she started in early March at the Mexico border and I joined her in Pine, AZ, where she has slowed her daily mileage greatly to enjoy my company!) and I knew I needed something to balance my long days on the trail when I finally got a few minutes to read in my tent before passing out. It was a great decision, and I looked forward to escaping to Amber and Jack's high school romance.
Amber is a high school cheerleader (don't even think about saying she's not an athlete), who wants to be cheer captain her senior year more than anything. She even hides her sexuality to be a more typical cheerleader, hoping she'll be able to be a more true version of herself in college. Once Jack, the new quarterback comes to town, the football team and cheerleaders have trouble supporting Jack, short for Jaclyn. Amber is immediately attracted to Jack, and she begins to wonder if she should continue to keep up her facade.
I absolutely loved that Jack's pump-up music to prepare for a game was the Hamilton soundtrack and I found myself singing Guns and Ships to myself on some hard portions of the trail to remain pumped (although I definitely don't know all the words… yet). I can't wait to recommend this one to my high school students when it comes out in June (6/7/22 pub date), but I couldn't wait to read it early. Thank you to NetGalley Wednesday Books and St Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. And if you haven't read Cool for the Summer, check that book out in the meantime!

Loved this book! I know next to nothing about football, but Jack was so invested in it that I cared as much as she did. I really related to and understood both girl’s motivations and fears, especially Amber. I know what it is like to feel like your talent is your one shot to get out of a bad situation and—like Jack—I also understand the impossible dream of going after something that wasn’t made for people like you. This was such a fun and honest book that I would have loved to read in high school. I’m very excited teens will have this story to read this summer.

Home Field Advantage is a sapphic twist on the classic cheerleader and quarterback trope. Amber is a member of the cheer squad and is hoping to become cheer captain. But to do this, she must bring the squad and the football team together in unity at the arrival of Jack (short for Jaclyn), the new quarterback. The football team refuses to follow Jack, and Amber’s loyalty to the cheer squad is called into question when she begins to fall for Jack.

This book did not disappoint! I was overjoyed with the character development this book provides, especially with Amber! Her internal struggle with preserving her relationship with Jack and the cheer team while also pursuing her dream was so wonderfully written into the overall plot of the story.

I also loved the way Jack’s POV was written. Her experience in a male-dominated sport and being the only female on a male team really showcases how misogyny affects everyone involved and around it.

I think the thing that makes me most excited about the publication of this book though is the representation! I know several of my students who would be in line to read this just for the representation alone.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a lighthearted, YA romance! I can definitely say I will be recommending this book to several of my students.

*My review can also be seen on Goodreads*

This was a cute quarterback/cheerleader romance that I enjoyed reading a lot. The characters made mistakes and acted like teenagers which I really like to see in ya. With this being said, I did however have some issues with it. The main one is Amber who said multiple times that she is attracted to trans men but not cis men, which to me, as a trans person, kinda rubbed me the wrong way because it screams internalized transphobia and that she doesn't see trans men as men, it is said that Amber is still figuring out her sexuality but this part still kind of dampened my enjoyment of the book, even though it is a little small. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this because I did really enjoy it but I felt like I should point that out. There were also a lot of other things that I loved about this including Amber's bi mom, Jack's friends from home, and mostly Miguel and Malcolm (I love them both so much). The main romance was cute however it did feel a little rushed but I still enjoyed it a lot and would recommend picking up this book!

This was great fun. I really liked this whole cast of characters, although with my own baggage, I would have preferred a different resolution to Amber's friendship with Cara. Anyways, definitely recommend!

I absolutely loved this story. Amber, Jack, Miguel and. Malcom felt like my friends. I hope there will be a sequel.

I was never a great romance reader, but in covid times I have found a lot of joy in reading romance and this book is no exception to that new trend in my reading. This is the story of a girl who is the new QB for a small-town losing football team who just lost their beloved QB in a drunk driving accident. She's queer, of course, and there's a queer cheerleader on the squad, of course, who isn't out at school, of course. They muddle their way though the drama, trials, and tribulations of high school, family dynamics, insecurity about their futures, being queer in unsupportive places, being your authentic self, and of course, the brain-melting hotness of finding an extremely cute girl very close to you. There is tension. There is conflict. There are some strained friendships. There is a happily-ever-after, because it's a romance novel. It was everything I could have wanted, an absolutely delightful reading experience. It felt like eating your very favorite flavor of ice cream cone while sitting in the shade on a hot summer day with someone who makes you laugh out loud and is also very very cute.

I loved it. I recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for my review. Opinions are entirely my own. And thank you, Dahlia Adler, for writing this sweet tender morsel of a book.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. As a disclaimer for any biases, I've followed the author on Twitter long before she published her 1st novel, and I've read them all. I'd rank Home Field Advantage sort of near the top, although I think my favorite so far was Just Visiting.

I was a little surprised there wasn't a hint of Jewish representation in this book, and my 1st reaction was that it felt a little forced, but I admire Adler for going out of that familiar zone. Amber McCloud is a cheerleader at a Northwest Florida high school called Atherton and their mascot cannot be more Floridian- the Alligator. Amber's goal is to to become cheer captain her senior year to help parlay a college scholarship. Amber is only out to her amazing, queer mom as queer- interested in girls, nonbinary and trans boys, definitely not cis boys. Because she's a cheerleader, she isn't out to anyone at her school except her closest friend Miguel Santiago, a football player and closeted gay boy. They have a fake dating relationship and until Jack Walsh becomes the new QB, they seem to be fooling everyone. Amber's best friend Cara is super religious and her dad is a pastor.

When everyone finds out Jack is short for Jaclyn, and is the school's first ever female QB, the outrage is really difficult to read but not surprising. Not only do we see the sexist underbelly of the Florida panhandle, but incredibly homophobic, so this book comes with trigger warnings in that regard. Adler wrote this book before DeSantis' "Don't Say Gay" bill, but the timing cannot be more important for this release. Rather than sink in the bigotry of this man's administration, I rather celebrate the fearless and proud Gen Z Florida's fighting this bill, as well as their allies. Amber has to come a long way to find her courage to come out, and declare her feelings for Jack, because they pretty much kept their "dating" super secret, with only Miguel and his boyfriend Malcolm aware, as well as supportive parents. It was super difficult to understand Amber's friendship with Cara, whose ingrained homophobia from her religion and family was just....thick with sexism and animosity.

Jack was a rootable character who loves football, really all sports and I love the mention of the movie, But I'm a Cheerleader with Natasha Lyonne. I remember seeing this movie and while I loved it, "conversion therapy" is a "shonda", to my profession.

TW for rampant sexism and homophobia

4/5🌈🌈🌈🌈, out 6/7/22

Jack is the new female quarterback at school and facing backlash among her team and peers. Except Amber, who is crushing on Jack and has to decide if following her heart is worth risking her dreams of becoming cheer captain.

I really enjoyed this queer YA romance. It's a fun story with plenty of flirty banter, but we also see the characters navigate homophobia and sexism in their small Florida town. It's heartbreaking to see the exclusion Jack faces, but the drama and cattiness felt very realistic for high school. I loved seeing the supportive parents who are sometimes MIA from YA stories. This book is especially timely as Florida passed a bill to prohibit discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

My only complaint is the teens dropped the F-bomb A LOT. I know I swore as a teen so I'm not knocking it, it just sometimes feels like lazy writing and I hope it's toned down in the final copies.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF
Sadly just wasn’t doing it for me. Felt rushed, and I didn’t like the characters, the writing felt flat. I’m trying to be better at DNFing books that don’t hook me in the first 50 pages, and this was one of them

I adored “Cool for the Summer” and was so excited when I was approved to read an early copy of “Home Field Advantage”. It was amazing and by far one of my favorite LGBT+ books I’ve read. I loved the way Jack and Amber were written as a couple and their story being a f/f take on the cheerleader and quarterback stereotypical relationship. I absolutely loved that it was a dual pov story. Those are my favorite types of romances to read because you get the perspective of both people in the relationship. I loved the romance between Amber and Jack, which is swoon-worthy and just so adorable. Their chemistry is palpable from their first interaction and their back and forth banter was so cute. Their dynamic and way their personalities just seemed to bounce off one another flawlessly was really well done. Knowing both character’s inner thoughts and perspectives throughout the book was absolutely key to making this story work as well as it did. Both of the characters were dealing with the pressures of their groups (football team or cheerleading squad) as well as some of their own internal confusions, so I appreciated knowing exactly what was going through each of their minds. They had their issues, and they were serious issues, but I loved how realistically they handled them. They talked them over, they fought, but they always communicated in the way they knew best. It made me fall in love with them, and I connected to their romance so much more because they actually communicated. One of the biggest themes touched upon in this book was friendship, especially for Amber. We see her genuine care, and concern for all the people in her life, even her best friend who is homophobic. She tries to understand everyone's side to the story even if they're acting terribly which is something I think many teens can relate to.

The other characters in this book were so much fun. Miguel complimented and balanced Amber well, and Jack’s family and friends enhanced her character and didn’t feel forced, even though they were not physically present in the majority of the scenes of the book. Amber’s mom was one of the most fun book parents that I’ve read in a book and she stole the show in every scene! I could totally see this as a series on Netflix or Hulu and I would most definitely watch it. Thank you to Dahlia Adler, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an e-ARC copy of Home Field Advantage in exchange for my thoughts. I can’t wait to read what Dahlia writes next!

Remember the picture of the cheerleader helping the quarterback with her ponytail? This book was inspired by that photo and I am so here for it. Amber is a queer cheerleader with aspirations of becoming captain of the cheer team her senior year. Jack is the new quarterback but no one realizes Jack is female until she shows up to school and is faced with instant judgement and tons of misogyny. Jack and Amber butt heads but the verbal sparing soon leads to clandestine make-out sessions. The only problem is neither girl is publicly out and fears the ramifications of such a decision.

Jack has to deal with the misogynistic attitudes of everyone including the other football players, the cheerleaders and pretty much any other character in the book. She took the top quarterback spot (well earned) but none of the boys on the team want her there or think she deserves the position. I think Dahlia Adler dealt with the grief/loss aspect really well here. The QB is gone but everyone still acts like he is around, even attributing their game wins to his spirit.

As Amber falls more and more for Jack, she is faced with the reality that she has to choose between what she's planned for her entire life and Jack. Choosing Jack means publicly coming out and losing her best friend. Only as the story progresses, Amber starts to realize that maybe the people she thought were friends weren't actually supportive of her.

The grand gesture Amber makes to Jack after their conflict (because of course there is conflict) was so amazing and I really loved these two together. The themes of homophobia and misogyny were so well done throughout the book even if they made me uncomfortable. I think that's the point though because neither topic is fun to talk or even think about but are so important to combat.

Check Dahlia Adler's review of the book on GoodReads for trigger warnings. Overall I found this book to be a great overview of social issues and a really cute love story all at once.

I received a copy of this book through Books Forward and St. Martin's Press. Home Field Advantage comes out in June and is up for pre-order now.

honestly, how can you not love a book about two teenage girls not only fighting misogyny & homophobia, but most importantly fighting for themselves?!

as a former cheerleader, i could not resist this book. it gave me all the nostalgia & all the pride (no pun intended) in the sport that taught me to be a strong female and cheer first and foremost for myself. as a football lover, i loved the play scheming & the calling out of the toxic culture that is football culture. this was a thorough reminder that while progress has been made, there is still MUCH to be desired in terms of diversity in american football.

as someone currently living in florida who refuses to call herself a floridian (a story for another time… 🤣), the references to Publix, the panhandle and most importantly the school mascot (GO GATORS!) all warmed my heart. i felt especially strong about this story because the don’t say gay bill recently passed house and senate here, so in a terribly backwards step, stories like this would become outlawed. and even though it’s technically fiction, there is so much heartbreaking truth to it.

i loved the pop culture references & little quips, i loved the maturity of these kids who knew what they wanted and learned to fight for it. the plot was pretty predictable, but that’s what made it heart warming. we all know you don’t watch rom coms for the plot, you watch them for how they make you feel. i often find the same translates to romance books, and this was no exception. definitely recommend for when you need to feel hope.

ughhh THIS PAINS ME but, as of right now, I'm DNFing 66% in. This book just isn't doing it for me. I'm loving the diversity and the rep but the relationships aren't doing it for me. Everyone is so dang immature. Almost every single character is a raging homophobic asshole. I just --- ugh. I really loved Cool for the Summer so I was expecting high hopes for this one but it's just not doing it for me. Love Adler and will continue reading her future (& previously published) works. You can't love every book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Amber and Jack were well written, realistic characters who I liked. The plot balanced the real world and the main characters well, with the book featuring homophobia and misogyny but it not being an incredibly heavy book. I had a fun time reading this. There could have been more of the actual football and cheerleading in a book literally about football and cheerleading, but that is overall a minor issue.

There were plot lines that were brought up and kind of glossed over, which I will not get into because of spoilers, a side effect of how incredibly fast paced this book was. The ending felt very rushed, and I think this would have done better with like 50 more pages.

However, there was a very strange line when Amber and Jack were talking about Amber’s sexuality. Other reviews have mentioned this and I do not have the exact quote right now, but Amber essentially says “I am attracted to trans men but not cis men”. Other reviewers have gone more in depth on this, but this feels... kind of icky. Like...

TWs: Homophobia, misogyny, off-page death in a car accident, abortion/miscarriage, religious bigotry

Dahlia Adler's Home Field Advantage is a sapphic romance that shows the reality of misogyny and homophobia while also showing the real things that queer teens go through while going through high school.

This is one of my most awaited reads of 2022 and it delivered. It shows what it's like for a lot of queer teens while also having the amazing idea of a female quarterback and cheerleader.

It was interesting to read about this world of sports that I am not really a part of.

I picked this book up and read it in a few hours. It was an amazing read and I cannot wait to read it again when it is in its final form.

"I'm living the dream, Ma. Cheerleader snagged the quarterback." If that doesn't grab you, I don't know what will. This Sapphic YA romance kept me enthralled from the very first line and I had a difficult time putting it down. This book is a great imagining of what it'd be like for a female football player to be dating a cheerleader in high school and the problems that surround them.