This was a great take on the QB/cheerleader romance trope. This book was fun and sweet but also had some tough situations both main characters had to go through; specifically misogyny in football and homophobia. I liked the snarky banter between the two characters and the great cast of side characters. My only complaint is that I love to read books at certain times of the year and I wish I would have read this during football season.

🥰really liked
🤟cheerleader + jock, dual POV, heartwarming
📚Throw Like a Girl
🎶I Need Your Love by Calvin Harris + Ellie Goulding

A gorgeous and heartfelt coming of age romance. Reminds me so much of this one pinterest picture! Both characters were so lovable and different and made the story so fun. I really appreicated just seeing queer students in a high school setting and the enemies to lovers trope was chef's kiss. 4.5 stars

Dahlia Adler can do NO wrong.

As someone who is a huge sports romance reader, I was skeptical about this one. The subject of females in predominately male sports is something that I am hugely passionate about, and I was afraid this piece wouldn't do it justice, and I made a fool of myself.

Jack & Amber are the embodiment of so many coming out stories these days. Living in the south, having the best friend that is the preachers daughter, etc. It is a HARD subject. But Adler does it all so well.

10/10 would recommend to everyone

I didn't like this book as much as I was hoping to. In fact, it was a lot heavier than the cute YA romance I was promised. YA is always kind of hit or miss for me.

I found Amber to be overall unlikeable, which if I'm honest wasn't unlike any of the other characters. This book was a little bit heavier than I was expecting for a YA romance, the bigotry was really heavy to the point where it felt like it was on every page. I would have liked the book more had the author let up at least a little on the homophobia and misogyny. I liked Jack, she was actually the only character I liked at all and while I did connect with Amber somewhat, I felt like Jack deserved better. For me amber's good moments never outweighed her bad.

I think this book had a lot of potential and while I feel like objectively the writing is okay, the authors choices regarding the characters and plot is enough to turn me away from picking up another book by her unfortunately.

Home Field Advantage put me through the emotional wringer. This sports romance book tackles homophobia, but also knowing when it's time to speak up. We can become so immersed in our lives, in the internalized homophobia, and our ideas of what our dreams are, that we can fail to speak up. To make mistakes that end up hurting people we love, and ourselves. I loved how flawed, complex, and messy both Jack and Amber are.

The best characters are ones that make us feel. And both of them do that. They make us feel rage at the treatment and comments they have to endure. At the same time, they make us feel disappointment when they don't speak up. When they let the people we love get hurt. And finally, they make us feel hope and love because they have to struggle, to figure out their own limitations, until they decide when they want to make a stand.

I really enjoy Dahlia Adler's books and this sapphic romance didn't disappoint. What I particularly liked was the fact that it wasn't a slow burn, or a will they won't they get together type book. Jack and Amber knew who they were to themselves and to each other. What made the story compelling was the issues surrounding their relationship and the friendships both found and lost along the way. It was a hard read, but an excellent read nonetheless and I need more books like this in my future.

There is nothing more that I love in this world than a sports romance and girl-as-quarterback-on-the-boys-team is top tier in that genre in my humble opinion. This hit all the right marks. I really liked how Adler explored the difficulties of being openly queer in sports in three completely separate ways in both her leads and Miguel’s character to show the different nuance and complexity that goes into being queer in sports. The side characters were really strong, the romance was super sweet, and overall it was a super enjoyable book!

This book is one of my most anticipated this year, and it's highly recommended by some of my faves here! And now I can confirm, the rumors are true 😆 This book is SO GOOD!

It's funny, fast-paced, but it also highlights a few issues still rooted in society. The romance is exquisite (please Amber and Jack are so cute) and the characters are compelling (it was so nice to see those character arcs, and yes there will be characters who will just annoy you I swear). Plus the way this book tackled misogyny and homophobia is just incredible. Also, the queer rep is just too good here?? Polysexual rep, lesbian rep, nonbinary side character, gay side characters, a bi mom. It was wonderful to see! 🥺 This book is definitely going to my Top Reads of 2022.

This book was sent to me from Books Foward in exchange for an honest review. These words are my own and are not influenced by the publisher, the author or the Books Forward team.

This is a spoiler free review.

From sports to high school romance, this is a book that will without a doubt pull on your heart strings. Even from the first pages the reader is thrown into a small town High School where the football team, still recovering from the loss of their former quarterback, received a new transfer, a quarterback who the coach believes has the skill and talent to bring home some wins. There’s just one catch, the quarterback is a female.

This tale follows Jack, the school’s first female quarterback, and Amber, the cheerleader who dreams of being the cheer captain, through their junior year that just became a bit more complicated.

What stood out to me most in this book was not only the writing style the author used, but how she wrote the character. The internal monologues and dialogs flew off the pages making the characters come to life.

There were moments when I laughed, and moments where I wished I could read faster because I needed to know what happened as soon as possible.

Between the writing style, dialog, and character arcs I no doubt recommend this book to anyone who loves High School romance books, sports romance books, or romance books in general.

This one had such potential but the blatant homophobia that isn't corrected ruined it for me. The fact that not one of the damn teachers stepped in at any point made me so angry I was nauseated.

This just wasn't for me.

Cool for the Summer was a top read for me in 2021, so I was thrilled to read this new novel!
What I liked best that was true for both of these novels is that Dahlia Adler writes her characters well enough that you root for them and she also provides great representation for bisexuality in her stories. She puts a nice spin on common troupes and makes them relatable. This book managed to be both endearing and also address important issues people in the LGBTQIA community faces. YA is so hit or miss for me because I am at an age where sometimes it reads young and therefore in unrelatable. Cool for the Summer struck a perfect balance and didn't ever really feel too young for me. Though I enjoyed Home Field Advantage enough to be interested in continuing to take the journey, I did struggle a bit to connect the way I did in Cool for the Summer. Because of this the scenario felt a bit unrealistic. It could just be that I am far removed from high school, but I also think maybe it was that they fell for each other so quickly that there was less of a build. Maybe being young that could happen quickly, but I think for me I prefer a slower build to the relationship. Overall I would recommend to those who like a sports romance with a twist to it! Rated this book at a 3.5. Looking forward to seeing what Dahlia puts out next!

This book was really cute. I liked have the duel perspectives from both girls. I also liked that one of the characters played football and was dealing with an unsupportive team and community. I think that a lot of girls will be able to see themselves in this book. The world can use more girls in sports fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book!

I liked this, but didn't love it. The premise is awesome-- a sapphic take on the cheerleader/quarterback trope. As a Floridian, I did love the subtle Florida nods and more specifically knew precisely the environment that Amber and Jack were existing in. There are some fun side characters and some good representation, and I am so glad that a book like this exists for young teens these days. This book definitely takes on some heavier themes that I think are important given the current climate (especially in Florida).

That said, something didn't quite jive right with me in this book. I think it maybe skewed a little too YA for my liking, and there was a lot of internal turmoil and angst in the two main characters. The conflicts got to be a bit repetitive, and there were points where I didn't really like Amber. I do think she had a good character arc throughout and again, me being not the target demographic could be affecting my perception of her as a character. I also wish we had gotten a bit more resolution at the end about the characters' future.

Overall, a cute YA book that I think this generation will really enjoy!

The classic cheerleader and football quarterback love story but make it sapphic!
Yes please!

I loved Dahlia Adler’s Cool For the Summer so I was really excited she I got an eARC for this one. I also listened to the audiobook on Audible and I really enjoyed it. The narrators were fantastic!

Home Field Advantage was a fun book that dealt with some hard topics. Our MCs had to deal with so much homophobia and my heart broke for them. Those topics can be very triggering he for some so keep that in mind.

I loved the side characters also and im obsessed with Amber’s mom. I saw myself im her so she’s an instant favorite.

Overall this was a great story, I just wish we had more! I would love to see a book for Miguel.

Loved the dual POV of the story and love the queer twist on the QB and cheerleader romance! It was bubbly and fun but still dealt with serious issues. The secondary characters were great too.

Dahlia Adler has found the one and only way to make me care about sports, make it gay.
Amber is determined to make head cheerleader. It's her one shot to get a college scholarship and get the heck out of her religious town. It's hard to keep spirits high when the previous QB recently died in a car accident. Especially when that QB, who is now being remembered as the golden child, was actually pretty much the worst.
When new QB Jack comes to town, she turns expectations on their head. What's a want to be head cheerleader to do, when she's falling for the new controversial QB?
I loved this book so much. The characters became my new best friends. The banter between Amber and Jack was swoon worthy, and the topics it discussed were beautifully complex and layered.

This is going to be criminally underrated, I can already tell.

Inspired by a viral photo, Dahlia Adler, queen of queer book recs, delivers a sapphic romance between a female high school quarterback and hopeful future cheer captain set in northern Florida. Unlike most YA romance novels, this book features excellent communication between the leads, believable third act grand gestures, and flawed, realistic characters all around. And unlike most YA LGBTQ books, the main focus of the story isn't just on homophobia, but internalized misogyny.

TW: misogyny, bullying, homophobia, previous blackmail of forced outing, discussion of abortion/miscarriage, mention of past fatal car accident due to drunk driving

MORE BOOKS UNPACKING MISOGYNY PLEASE!!!!!

I loved the characters the most, which is a good thing for a character-driven story. I loved both POVs immediately, although I preferred Jack's voice a bit more and understood and related to her motivations more than Amber. However, I think Amber was a fantastic character and well-developed, particularly with her friendships with the cheer squad and Miguel. There's a touch of fake dating that's really more bearding (is that a word? "being each other's beards" is long). There's a cute bowling alley date, complex side characters, a cool as hell openly bi mom, sneaking into rooms via windows, sex positivity, and a really fun climax that centers around football that even non-football fans (like myself) can get sucked into and enjoy.

I wouldn't say this is a new favorite, so I'm probably going to give it 4.5 stars, but this book was SO good from start to finish and I would recommend to anyone and everyone! Bonus points for the word lesbian on-page and Amber's questioning and possible polysexual label.

Recommended to me by my best friend Victoria!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the e-arc! All opinions are my own.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler follows Amber McCloud, a cheerleader hoping to be captain next year, and Jack Walsh, a new female quarterback at Amber's school. It's your classic cheerleader/football player romance, but sapphic. :) Of course, this means the two have to contend with homophobic teammates, coming out, and making a little queer found family of their own.

This is my second book by Dahlia Adler, and she always has really fun concepts and characters. While I liked this book, it felt a bit surface level. I would've liked a little more time, or maybe the dual perspective just made everything feel a bit quick. I'm not sure. I will definitely keep an eye out for more of Adler's work.

TW/CW: Misogyny, homophobia, discussion of a fatal car accident, discussion of an abortion/miscarriage, highly religious side character
Rep: Lesbian MC, questioning/thinking she might be polysexual MC, 2 gay BIPOC side characters, bisexual mother character

This book was everything. I’ve been struggling to read anything quickly. But I read half of this book in a weekend, and the other half the next weekend. And every moment in between I was thinking about it and wanting so desperately to read it.

I think part of what made me read so fast is because I was so angry at the actions and words of the side characters, and even our main characters. This book makes it very obvious that even if you are not being hateful, if you are just being impartial or silent, it is just as damaging as being the one saying/doing the harmful things.

I enjoyed both of the POVs. I did enjoy Jack’s just a smidge more because I felt like Amber was too obsessed with what everyone else thought of her actions? However, I completely get where she was coming from, and wonder if part of my issues with Amber’s chapters is because I felt called out by them. I love her growth by the end of the book. Amber’s chapters are more fun, though – she’s not dealing with blatant misogyny and homophobia all the time like Jack is, ya know?

The only side characters I really remember are Miguel, Malcolm, and Cara because I was able to label them as more than “football player” or “member of the cheerleading squad.”

If you know me, you know I’m not someone who particularly enjoys or understands sports. The only reason I know anything about football is my coworker, and during football season it gave us something to talk about. I understood exactly 0% of the football terminology in this, but Dahlia Adler makes you feel so invested that I didn’t even care! Like, heck yeah Jack! Go for that Open Sesame! That Statue of Liberty! Woo!

This is the second book I’ve read this month where the two main characters actively discuss how one of them knows how she defines herself, while the other is still trying different terms on for size and seeing how they feel. It’s been extremely refreshing to read!

All in all? I love this book. It’s been a few days since I finished it, and I’m still thinking about it. I want a sequel, or a short story set a year later that gives us an update. Anybody else itching to reread this already?

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this!

Clam jamming. Obsessed. Could not put this down.

From the beginning this already gave me all the high school drama feels in the best way. I truly wish a book like this existed when I was in high school because it captures that magic while also reflecting our society more, the good and the bad, and offers hope for a better world.

I loved that this featured alternating POVs to give us insights into both Amber and Jack. Each has their own struggles personally, whether it’s their sexuality and friendships, or their family dynamics, guilt, and loneliness. Add to this the specter that is the recently deceased, but total asshole, QB Robbie, and this isn’t all light and fluffy.

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

I absolutely loved this start to finish and I’m sad it’s over. There’s a lot of really deep emotion and introspection here as Amber considers her sexuality and coming out, while also looking at how she’s molded herself to cheerleading and her friends and why. While I wanted Amber to make specific choices sooner, Adler completely pulls off showing us just how and why Amber struggles — and it felt so authentic. So much of our high school experience and identity is wrapped up in what we do with our time, like a sport or club, and with who, that it’s scary feeling like all of that’s on the line.

Jack’s struggles, while different from Amber, were also really heart wrenching as she’s constantly ostracized and made to feel like she’s not truly worth taking a risk on, at least not openly. The rage and hurt she feels, and how it’s finally expressed, was incredibly cathartic.

Their romance is cute but also feels very meaningful in a way that you can definitely see how it captures a defining moment in someone’s life and experience. It was so great to see, I need more stories like these.

When I tell you that that homecoming game gave me chills, I am not exaggerating. It was as engaging as any NFL game and damn I wish I could watch Jack on my screen today. READ THIS NOW.

My only complaint? WHERE IS THE EPILOGUE? THE BONUS EPILOGUE? THE BONUS BONUS EPILOGUE? I need all of it. Right now.