I'm kind of tired of reading books disguised as "cute high-school romance" when all it's really about is unchecked bigotry. If most of the football and cheerleading team are so misogynistic and homophobic, how did a girl get to be the quarterback, when everyone knows she's going to be bullied and they do nothing about it.

The classic story of the quarterback and the cheerleader takes a bit of a left turn here - it turns out Atherton's new QB1, Jack Walsh, is actually Jaclyn. Amber McCloud is determined to become next year's cheer captain. She hides her queerness behind a fake relationship with gay football player Miguel Santiago, but when Jack arrives, Amber's commitment to staying closeted is tested.

This was a sweet romance novel, which included some humorous parts, football scenes, and plenty of high school drama. The author's development of the characters was immaculate- they were well-drawn and I really cared about what would happen with Jack and Amber. This is a fun read - go ahead and give it a try!

first off as always i want to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author Dahlia Adler for access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

this is my first read by this author even though i have seen her book “cool for the summer” around a lot. this book caught my attention because hello a classic trope but make it sapphic? it just called my name.

the book itself was good, a tad bit predictable and at times i just wanted to stop reading because miscommunication trope is the worst, but i kept reading because again i do think the book as a whole is good and wanted to see how it ended.

i think the plot itself kinda drew me off the book but the characters definitely saved it. it took some time for me to warm up to amber and jack as a couple, but that’s only because i detest insta love especially if it just based off attraction (which it always is). i think that’s one major thing i would change, have there be more buildup between the two main characters and not have both of their povs sound so predictable. at times it was like reading out a good girl/bad boy wattpad book in 2016. im not saying that’s a bad thing, but it’s personally wasn’t for me.

besides not really being able to get into the romantic relationship til the end, i really did love this book and would totally recommend it to others. just because one trope isn’t for person, doesn’t mean it won’t do good for others. i just wanna shout out the author real quick for continue to make such nice lgbtq+ books. i haven’t read her other book “cool for the summer” yet but i’ll definitely be adding it to my tbr. rep is an amazing thing to have and i’m so glad there are more books representing wlw.

Home Field Advantage is a sweet, cute, and very easy-to-read sapphic young adult story, and I flew through the pages. At the same time, it covers harder-hitting topics such as misogyny and coming out.

It’s the perfect premise, a cheerleader and a jock falling in love, except they’re two girls instead of the usual girl and boy. Amber is an overachieving cheerleader who wants to become the cheer captain at all costs. But does she want to betray Jack, the football-playing girl who is not accepted by the other footballers and cheerleaders? The girl she falls in love with?

While I really liked the overall story—I adored Miquel, such a sweet cinnamon roll (yes, I found one again 😍)—I just didn’t buy Amber’s and Jack’s love story. It was more or less insta love, and while I don’t mind insta love, their relationship felt too forced. I didn’t feel any chemistry, and there’s little to no pining, only cheesy remarks about how f*cking adorable the other one looks, and the kissing scenes are almost faded to black (we kiss, we make out for a long time).

Furthermore, Amber’s thoughts about relationships with men didn’t sit well with me. And I might be completely wrong because she says that she’s probably polysexual and therefore likes many genders but not all. Amber says she’s attracted to trans men but not to cis men. And I wonder how she knows if a man is trans or cis? How can she tell the difference? This thing keeps nagging in my mind, and I’d love to hear some thoughts about this from trans men.

Like I said, overall an enjoyable sapphic story for those who like an easy, cute, and sweet read with little drama.

Home Field Advantage was a fun and sweet sapphic romance. It’s an easy read that perfectly balances discussions of misogyny and homophobia with teen angst, friendship, and passion for sport.

I went into this book expecting a lighthearted and readable romance, and that's exactly what I got. I flew through the majority of Home Field Advantage in one sitting and had a great time with it. Adler managed to keep an overall lighthearted tone, even as she explored the misogyny and homophobia rife in small towns and their high schools. I loved the classic feel, as Adler put a queer, feminist spin on the well-loved cheerleader/quarterback romance trope.

I really enjoyed reading from both girls’ perspectives. They each had a unique voice and personality, so I never forgot whose perspective I was reading from. However, I will admit that, to begin with, I struggled to connect with them as their voices were so in your face and, at times, unlikable. But once we settled into the story and the narration, I began to enjoy the book. I enjoyed the romance, too, as well as the exploration of different friendships and relationships in the book.

What I usually love most about sports romances is the team dynamics. I love the friendship and joy a team can bring. As such, Home Field Advantage was an interesting read as it followed two characters who felt outcast by their teams. I really enjoyed how the novel explored this in the two girls’ different situations. I feel that Amber’s journey in particular will be very relatable, as she struggled with keeping her friends and place on the team despite not agreeing with their beliefs and actions.

Home Field Advantage is a fun, lighthearted story that’s perfect to lose yourself in for a few hours. It takes the classic quarterback/cheerleader pairing and puts its own spin on it, turning the book into a sapphic, feminist story dealing with women’s place in sport and what it takes to get what—and who—you want.

Okay so anyone that knows me knows that my entire brand is sports gays. I was so excited to get an e-ARC of this because I’ve been eagerly anticipating it for a while. I really enjoyed this book! It got a solid 4 stars from me.

As a Floridian, I really appreciate all the little things sprinkled throughout the book to remind the reader of the setting. I mean their mascot is an alligator? There was a pub sub mention???? Perfection.

Also, from the start Amber and Jack had instant chemistry. Their story had typical and believable highs and lows of a high school romance. I also really loved how it was clear they were physically attracted to each other because a lot of YA novels sidestep this! Everyone remembers what it was like to be a teen lol.

I also really loved the side story about Amber’s best friend Miguel. Their fake relationship but really deep friendship was really beautiful. And I loved how there was a miscommunication that was quickly resolved between them. And they ended up really supporting one another in the end.

I will say that I did NOT like the twist with the best friend, Cara. Only because it hit a little too close to home for me but also that’s probably why others might like it.

Fave tropes: fake relationship, secret relationship, miscommunication, pining

Home field advantage is about the romance between a cheerleader, Amber, and the schools new quarterback, Jack, while they face Homophobia mixed with a slew of other problems. I really liked the book, I would say it was medium paced and a quick read, which is one of my favorite combinations. I love found family so the little family formed between Amber, Miguel, Malcolm, and Jack was cool. I didn’t like the one plot point when Amber was like manipulating Jack and Miguel but she made up for it later on, and it wasn’t really unforgivable I just didn’t like it. All said I definitely recommend the book, especially if you need a quick break from fantasy/mystery books and the complex world building and strange vocabulary. :)

Lukewarm YA story with a queer spin on the cheerleader (Amber)/jock (Jack) pairing. There just isn't much substance to this story and it draws out the major plot points--Amber doesn't want to come out as queer and jeopardize a future as cheer captain and Jack is ostracized by the school and her own football team for...being a female quarterback? winning games? Honestly, I'm not even sure because it doesn't really make a lot of sense but just go with it. This angst is the backdrop and the romance is somewhat front and center, but that too is boring. It's insta-lust because one looks cute in glasses and the other is... "bendy"? The characters were cliche and boring, so there isn't new life being breathed into this tried and true trop. And this also loses an extra star for calling "But I'm a Cheerleader" an "old" movie.

One of my favorite concepts is taking typical tropes and making them sapphic. So when I found out that Dahlia Adler was writing a sapphic cheerleader/football player book, I was super excited to read it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for letting me read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just as upbeat and cheerful as it is realistic and raw. There are themes of homophobia and misogyny throughout which makes sense considering the book is set in a small town in North Florida. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the romance between Amber and Jack. The book being dual pov definitely improved my experience with the characters and the overall plot.

There are also a lot of things I enjoyed on the side of Amber and Jack's romance such as Miguel's side plot and his friendship/ fake relationship with Amber for obvious reasons. I also loved the way the characters were able to be honest with each other about their feelings and have healthy communication. (It's honestly difficult to say everything I loved without giving too much away).

I gotta be honest, I was a bit wary going into this because I wasn't the biggest fan of Cool for the Summer, but the synopsis just sounded right up my alley, and reminded me of recent sapphic YA books I loved, so I went for it anyway. And I'm sure glad I did! I really enjoyed this, and it ended up being a super fun, queer, fast read.

I really liked the main characters and their surrounding cast (...the non-homophobic ones), and thought it made for a unique set-up. I haven't really seen fake relationships for the purpose of hiding queerness in contemporary, YA fiction, and it was interesting to see how that played out here while also being brutally honest about the fact that being so hidden and closeted was still needed in parts of the US. There was a lot of time spent on this and related subjects, like homophobia in religion, on sports teams, and other areas of US high schools, and I felt like Adler was able to give these topics the space they deserved/needed while keeping the book overall feeling light and joyful still. I also felt like the ending did a good job of giving a well-deserved happy ending without minimizing any of the tough problems queer kids in high school face.

I also found that the story of Jack and her trying to play football as a girl in high school, and perhaps in college later, blended really well with both the queer themes of this book and the story of Amber and her struggles. It felt like this book was able to touch both on homophobia within sports and sexism in sports without diminishing either's impact on Jack's overall situation. It clearly showed how every aspect of her identity played a role in how people treated her.

I also felt like Adler did a much better job of building up her side characters in this story, and it made them feel a lot more fleshed out and less like walking identities, which is how many characters in her last novel came across to me. This was especially clearer in Jack's best friends, Morgan and Sage, and how even though we never actually spend much time with them, we can see their impact on Jack and see a bit of their own personalities come from as well. Miguel was also a very strong character, and while I still wish Amber and Jack had a bit more of a supporting cast, Adler has still improved dramatically, I think, from her last book here.

Overall, this has definitely changed my impression of Adler and her novels, and I'm seriously excited to see more from her now!

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is a sapphic YA contemporary romance about Amber and Jack, a cheerleader and the new quarterback. Amber is working really hard to be able to be captain of her cheerleading team next year, and Jack is struggling to fit in because everyone on the team is annoyed that their last quarterback was replaced by a girl who is playing better than everyone else. The two of them have a spark almost right away and start secretly hanging out. (Secretly, because Amber is scared of coming out to the not-so-accepting cheerleading squad, and because she's fake dating her best friend to help hide his queerness.)

I liked our main characters and enjoyed the story overall, but there was also something lacking for me. The way the romance develops is quite quick, and while it doesn't feel insta-lovey, it was a little anti-climactic to me. There's not really any build-up where I was desperately rooting for them to get together, and their first kiss isn't even described on-page.

Another thing that didn't work for me is that there was so much conflict the whole time - this is definitely a personal preference, so if you like angsty dramatic stories, you're going to like it more. It was just too much of it from so many directions. One thing I liked about it though was that Jack never wanted to force Amber to come out. This is something that happens in stories too often, but it was the one thing Jack never budged about, and didn't want Amber to do anything she wasn't ready for in that way.

All that being said, it is a really fun sports romance that is quick to read, and easy to get into. The characters are fun and so are the dynamic between them. Even though it didn't fully work for me, I'm still glad I read it. If you'd like to read a f/f sports romance with some themes of misogyny, coming out, and complicated friendships, you could certainly enjoy this!

While the shifting point of views annoyed me at times, it couldn’t stop me from loving this book. Also, growing up in the South, I definitely knew people like many of the characters. A good book and one I would definitely recommend.

I absolutely loved Dahila Adele’s book cruel summer so I had very high expectations for this book. I was so thrilled that it not only met but exceeded my expectations. I couldn’t put it down! I loved the characters so much. They felt like the friends I wish I had in high school. I recommend this to anyone who loves queer love.

I devoured this book, it was really fast paced and tackled homophobia in a way that felt really authentic. I love reading books that I think would've helped me as a closeted teen. This is exactly what I wish I could've had in high school. I will definitely be rereading this one along with Adler's other books. I will forever wish I could be as cool as Jack.

Thanks Netgalley for a digital arc in return for my honest review.

First, thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Dahlia Adler for the early copy of this amazing story.

I read this book in less than 24 hours, that is how great this story is. It is a quick and engaging story and just It has been told before but that doesn't matter because the take is completely different. Oh, can we also appreciate the gender neutral naming of female characters.

One of loves of this book is that no one felt the need to over explain their queerness or their identity. I love that in my YA Books, the main characters were just themselves and there was no hype fest or fan fare over their sexual identity.

My only gripe with this book is that sometimes I felt like a lot of the mean girl behavior was just copy and pasted from one story and pasted and switched around in this one. Overall this is a great read and very enjoyable. Oh, can we all just have a Miguel in our lives? He was perfectly written and I felt myself having mild panic attacks for him as a person—yes, all characters in books are real people. I just love Miguel.

I found this a quick and engaging read, staying up way too late, which is my m.o.: to get to a place that was safe enough to allow me to sleep. It had a few things that I always love: girls with androgynous names, leading to mistaken identities; girls doing what boys do and doing it better; and fake dating. What I especially loved about this story is that the main characters don’t try to explain their queerness. They simply are. It’s an aspect of who they are. Too many other stories have the main characters wrestle with it for a tediously long time, and it was refreshing to have the characters just be and have the drama involve something other than them discovering their sexual identity.

That said, there is a lot of misogyny and classic mean girl drama, the kind the world has come to expect from southern states and cheerleaders, respectively, which I didn’t love, but so much of it was closely tied to the central plot that it makes sense in context. The plot has a lot of good twists and turns, that gives the mean girls remarkable depth, which I really enjoyed.

Amber comes across as a bit shallow at first, but she grew on me. She’s got a plan for herself and she’s going to see it through, at the cost of her current happiness for the prospect of future happiness (head cheerleader is the goal, the ticket to college in her eyes; but pursuing that means she can’t be out, or in a relationship with Jack). It’s an admirable trait and it was fascinating to be along for the ride as she tries to make the right decision (being a good human or keeping her status).

Jack was a fun character to read. She’s equally driven to succeed but, unlike Amber, who has a small support network, Jack doesn’t. She just wants to play football and she doesn’t pull any punches, and has accepted the mantle of loner because it's the necessary tradeoff to play the sport she loves.

My favorite character was Miguel, partly because he’s the other half of the fake dating duo, but also because you know he wants to speak up on Jack’s behalf but he doesn’t want to stand out too much. I probably spent too much of my time reading this story worried about his safety.

This was a really cute, enjoyable book to read! I'd recommend it to anyone who loves queer romcoms - bonus points if you like reading about sports/football. It's not my personal preference, but I had a blast reading this all the same!

4.5/5 stars

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

5⭐️
This book was SO GOOD!

I read it in one night (apologies to my math teacher) and loved it. Jack and Amber were both so interesting and I loved them together.

I thought Jack and Amber were so badass; both are very ambitious and just overall such interesting, fun characters. Jack’s insecurities and Amber’s internal conflict are very distinct from the very beginning, but its the type of distinct that indicates growth. I loved them both so much. My favorite thing about their perspectives is when they disagreed because a lot of the time it wasn’t the type of disagreement that proves one person right or wrong. More often than not there was no right and wrong it was just a disagreement about what they wanted and how they saw things. At the end of the day, they both just wanted to belong, but they saw it differently.

While I’m not usually a big fan of the 3rd act miscommunication/break trope, I believe this was very well done. Usually, it’s just used as a plot device to fill some gaps and/or create conflict (that’s just how I see it), but here I believe it was necessary for Amber to really see what she really wants and how it’s changed from before.

Would definitely recommend!!

A sapphic spin on a classic cheerleader and quarterback love story. Amber and Jack are forced to decide what is more important to them, being themselves or be accepted by their peers. This book was very sweet, and really had you rooting for the characters.

It's your classic cheerleader and football quarterback love story -- but make it sapphic!

I have not one negative thing to say about this fun and swoony YA romance. It brought me back to all sorts of teen drama movies I used to love -- but even better with lovely writing and queer content!

I love that Home Field Advantage, just like Dahlia Adler's Cool for the Summer, focuses on queer kids who are popular and with the "in-crowd" at their schools. I also love stories that feature the bookish and the nerds, but I think that having a popular cheerleader be the queer main character is not a story we see as often. Also consistent with Cool for the Summer, this story is unapologetically sex positive and feminist.

If you love:
to re-live a bit of teen angst
a teen movie style high school grand gesture (just don't even tell me if you don't love these!!)
deeper discussions of homophobia and misogyny in a YA context
feminist, sapphic, sports romance
interesting side characters and friendships! (I love Miguel and his character arc!)

Thank you so much Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review Home Field Advantage!