I think this is a really great book for teens to have that talks about relationships, friendship and sexuality. Unfortunately, this book just didn't really grip me as much as I hoped it would. It was cute and sweet, but left me wanting more, and I don't think that's the fault of the book. I'm just not the target audience for it. I think teen readers would really love this, especially teens that are questioning their sexuality, or are sapphic and want that kind of representation.

This was a fun, lighthearted read that’s easy and quick to read! I don’t read sport romances very often, so it was fun diving back into the world of high school football and cheerleading! Dahlia did a great job putting her own spin on the classic pairing, and I really liked Amber and Jack’s chemistry. ⁣
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Even though it’s pretty lighthearted, this book does explore the misogyny and homophobia that runs rampant in the girls’ small town, and especially among their friends. ⁣
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All in all, a good read for the summer!

This quickly became a highly anticipated book of 2022 for me and it did not disappoint. I loved both of the main characters and seeing the two of them fall for each other. Highly recommend for those who love YA contemporary.

"But then I think of my future, of everything I want, and here's the thing: I really like Jack. But I love me."
*
This quote sums up everything I thought was great about this queer YA romcom.

Amber McCloud is a fierce competitor, and poised to take over as varsity cheer captain next year. She loves tumbling, her squad, her best friend Cara, and her friend Miguel--who only *poses* as her boyfriend. Then Jack Walsh comes along as the replacement quarterback for the Atherton Alligators and detonates a bomb in the middle of Amber's carefully laid plans and junior year.

Dahlia Adler hits all the familiar beats of a YA romance, but they are layered in with such smart, clear-eyed considerations: of what it is to be queer in small town/red state America; of what viable exit strategies exist for people who want to forge a life outside those places; of the necessity of balancing what we want with what is possible.

Jack and Amber are both such smart, intense characters; girls who know what they want and are willing to lay nearly everything on the line to get. Whether and how they can have each other as well made for an engaging, sometimes heart-rending ride, one that convinced me I'd get on any ride that was written by Dahlia Adler.

I enjoyed this YA sapphic romance. I thought it was a great take on the quarterback/cheerleader story, and was interesting to see a female quarterback as a main character. There is bullying throughout this story, and I thought it was handled well by the author.

The story is told from both Amber and Jack’s perspectives. I thought the chapters were a bit long and could have been broken up into shorter chapters with each chapter being one POV rather than combining them into one longer chapter. That’s a personal preference for me though.

Overall, I found this an enjoyable story. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this. I loved Jack and Amber's relationships. I loved that this book was more than a romance, it was a friendship and unpacking misogyny. I loved this so much. The writing sucked me from the very beginning. This was amazing.

This book was the absolute perfect high school read. For me, however, it was super predictable and cookie cutter. Nothing about this book surprised or delighted me. It seemed to just follow a basic writing formula with no added twists or shocking reveals. High school me would’ve given this a 4/5. The characters were fun and likable, I just wanted more.

Usually I have very little interest in sports, but sport books that are gay or about women, especially Sapphic sport books are my guilty pleasure.
I was so excited when I got a chance to review this book as it was a Sapphic football player x cheerleader story. I loved our main characters and watching Amber and Jack fall in love and also the fact that the book was dual POV (because dual POV romance books are the best). I loved Amber and Miguel's friendship. Amber's mom being bisexual was another plot point that I adored, I wouldn't really consider it crucial to the plot, but it was a detail that I loved and wanted to mention.
I also liked how Amber used the term polysexual to describe herself. It's not a term I see that often and I liked how there was a conversation about Amber knowing that she was attracted to multiple genders and how she found the term polysexual.
The book wasn't all fluff though, which is fine with me as I do enjoy a little angst, but it is something for other readers to be aware of (especially if they are going into this book expecting a cute/only fluff romance).
I would definitely consider reading this book again.

the premise of this book was immediately interesting- a sapphic sports romance between a football player and a cheerleader. and in the capable hands of Dahliah Adler, this book shines! I love it quite a bit, and the romance was sweet if not a tad bit underdeveloped.
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinions!

#bookreview Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

🤔where did ya come from?🤷🏼‍♀️
- I was lucky enough to receive an eARC from the publishers back before it released and I’m trying to dig my way out of the massive amount of eARCs I received when I went on a bit of a request spree so I’m just now getting to this one. Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC, tho!

😍the good stuff😍
- Classic quarterback and the cheerleader trope but turned sapphic. 🤩
- I just really like sports romances even tho I don’t like playing or watching sports 😂😬
- Jack and Amber were both really believable characters. I enjoyed their dynamics together and their separate reasons for wanting to be on the team/squad and wanting to do well.
- Miguel. This precious bean. I fucking loved him and Malcolm. They’re just precious.
- Miguel and Amber being besties. I loved that for her. That they both at least had one friend they were out to.
- The families. I loved that we didn’t have the unsupportive family storyline, I liked that all the families were supportive and knew their kid was queer.

🫢my complaints🤫
- I really enjoyed this. I would’ve liked a small flash forward to how school went in the next few months or year, tho. I just wanted a little more. To know how it went the next week or when softball season started or graduation or something.
- So really no complaints.

☺️the tropes☺️
- Cheerleader/quarterback.
- Fake relationship.
- Secret relationship.

⚠️the warnings⚠️
- Homophobic comments/behaviors. Not a lot that was super extreme and in your face, but it’s definitely there.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I got this book as an arc, so first off let me say thank you.

Jack Walsh deserves to be protected at all costs.

I loved this queer sports romance. It hit all the best tropes. I thought the chemistry of the characters was great. I loved that it is dual pov. The reason it doesn't get 5 stars is that it gets repetitive at times. All the side characters, such as the bullies, have virtually no development. This isn't to say the side characters fall flat, but their growth is stunted a bit. The atmosphere of the novel is what lost that last star, for me personally.

The romance in this novel is adorable. Aside from the classic "queer in a small town" archetypes that the story needed to include, it was a great read. The right mix of cute and cringy. Excited to read more by this author.

Gosh this book, I am so sad I slept on it for way to long!

Amber is such a strong character. I loved how strong she is and knows exactly how much she loves for cheerleading. When Jack shows up she is the first to go to her and make her day. Amber is kind and knows exactly what she wants well still caring so much about her friends.

Jack is a unicorn of a person. To deal with an entire school who doesn't want her there, being a female football player and having issues at home, it's a miracle she gets up in the morning. Not to mention being queer in a school that is so unwelcome to it.

This is such a good story and more high school kids need this kind of perspective to learn from. No one should ever feel like they do not belong.

Go read this book.

I've yet to read a Dahlia Adler book I haven't enjoyed. She's such a fun queer ya author, and Home Field Advantage didn't disappoint. I loved the sweetest sapphic relationship, the girl quarterback, and the character development.

It is hard to get through the homophobia in the book, but it's consistent with the state of Florida (especially politically and in schools), so it felt true to the book, the location/setting, etc.

It was an enjoyable book - I missed Amber and Jack when it was over.

It is true that you are cheering for this characters. This was a cute, fun, quick read. The characters were well written and likable. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Publishing and Netgalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book

I really enjoyed this novel, the romance was super cute and I especially got attached to Amber's character, who I directly missed when I finished reading. The atmosphere of the story was also very enjoyable. I also find that the topics of homophobia and misogyny in the sports world are not often addressed in young adult, so I liked that they were discussed in this book

Absolutely adored this book! This was my first book of Dahlia Adler's and I'd definitely read more of her in the future based off of this. I loved this new take on the football/cheerleader relationship trope. I'll admit, I don't know much about football, but luckily that didn't detract from my experience at all. I would look up trigger warnings before reading because it does cover some pretty heavy topics but the romance is well written and worth rooting for.

“What would it feel like to just . . . tell the truth? To live the truth?”

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is a queer YA romance that puts a sapphic spin on the classic quarterback/cheerleader pairing. Amber is doing everything she can to become cheerleading captain, which she hopes will distinguish her enough to earn a scholarship to a college where she can finally be her full, queer self. Jack is thrilled to finally have the chance to play football on an official team, even if it means moving away from her family and friends to do it. But Jack taking on the quarterback spot isn’t simple, with the boys on the team and the bulk of the cheerleading squad unable to accept that a girl is taking over from their former quarterback who died last year. Amber tries to keep everyone united and Jack tries to earn her team’s support; meanwhile, the girls start falling for each other, threatening both of their positions.

This is not the light, fun kind of romance that it could be if we didn’t live in the world we live in. Amber and Jack are in a conservative, homophobic small town in the Florida panhandle. While Amber and Jack’s parents are accepting or at least neutral, respectively, the fears about the repercussions of coming out are incredibly strong, for good reason (not to mention the sexism and misogyny Jack deals with as she is relentlessly bullied and ostracized for being a girl on the football team). The central conflict of the book is not whether Amber and Jack are compatible or have true feelings for each other; instead, discussions about whether to come out and how, what it would be like to actually show their affection publicly, and what might be sacrificed if they do plague every argument between them.

Amber’s struggle was particularly compelling to me: she wants to be out, but is worried it will compromise her only chance to get a scholarship that will allow her to be queer at a more liberal college outside of her rural area. Watching her wrestle with this decision and fumble through how to manage her relationships with other queer people, navigating that how-can-you-be-out-without-also-outing-other-queers dilemma, is both infuriating and heartbreaking. Jack’s situation is different and, in some ways, even more grim: she barely has the choice to remain in the closet because of how she presents and the activities she loves, leaving her more willing to be out because she already has nothing to lose. I think Adler did an excellent job representing these conflicts within and between characters, and showing how homophobia impacts visible queer people and those who can “pass” differently.

The blurb of this book describes it as “sweet and funny”, which feels off to me. It is romantic, and I loved the chemistry between Amber and Jack, but it’s a much more messy and serious (and beautiful) book than the description suggests. Thanks to Wednesday Books and OrangeSky Audio for the review copies!

Content warnings: homophobia, sexism/misogyny, bullying, violence, abortion, death from drunk driving

A queer spin on the head cheerleader falls for high school QB trope. Ava Wilder elevates this trope in Home Field Advantage with her writing and character development.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a sweet rivals to lovers queer book! It read like a rom com and I loved all the classic troupes turned sapphic. The end was so wonderfully written and this is definitely a contender for my favorite sports romance.

I'm not the target market but I enjoy a coming of age story, especially when barriers are broken and self discovery is well written. Also, football!