I loved this read. It was a little different from other LGBTQIA+ reads I've read because the storyline is between two girls, one on the football team and one on the cheerleading squad. I love the gender role discussion that brings up, and it kind of reminds me of a cross between Prom and Mean Girls.

This book immediately sucked me in with this queer quarterback/cheerleader adorableness. The narrator is the same as another queer Southern YA novel and so I'll admit that the stories sometime blended together for me.

As a fan of sports romances, I was so excited when I first heard about this book. A sapphic sports romance? Sign me up!

I loved the football scenes and I loved that we got to see a character breaking boundaries in what they excel in.
Unfortunately, I didn’t connect to both main characters that much and it made it difficult for me to believe in their relationship.

With that said, I still think that this was a overall cute but also reflecting read that I would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook arc in exchange for a honest review.

Yall - this one is a vibe!!

Home Field Advantage a sapphic YA romance starring the high school quarterback and a cheerleader. Yes, you read that right. Jack (Jaclyn) is stepping into the QB1 role when the “beloved” former QB unexpectedly passes away. The team doesn’t welcome Jack to the team. There’s only one person nice to her is Amber, who doesn’t exactly fit in on her squad. She loves the team, but they don’t know the real Amber. To them, Amber is in a happy relationship with Miquel, who is on the football team, but they are just friends who are faking their perfect relationship. Amber befriends Jack, but her squad sees that friendship as betrayal since she’s supposed to ice-out the new quarterback who will never live up to the one they’ve lost.

What follows is the typical trials and tribulations of high school: the homecoming game, friendship, and passing class. But, Home Field Advantage weaves in topics like grief, homophobia, misogyny, and family dynamics.


Also - the audio is incredible. Two big cheers for Natalie Naudus and Lori Prince.

Recommended if you like:
-sports romances
-YA books
-breaking out of gender norms
-Cool for the Summer (also by Dahlia Adler)
-late night breakfast runs
-grand gestures

CWs: homophobia, car accident, miscarriage

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of the audiobook. Home Field Advantage is out now!

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the advance audiobook of this title, in exchange for an honest review.

Amber is a cheerleader, and hopes to be captain of the squad next year. Jack is the new quarterback of the football team. Cheerleaders always date football players, right? The twist is that Jack is short for Jaclyn, and neither the team nor most of the cheer squad are happy to have her there.

Amber thinks it’s horrible the way the squad and team are treating Jack, but she’s afraid that if she speaks up, she won’t make captain. And then there’s the fact that she finds Jack attractive. But everyone believes that she’s already dating a football player…

Read by two wonderful narrators, this is an excellent book to read or listen to during Pride Month (or any other time!) Whether or not you’re interested in football, it has a lot to say about girls in sports, especially girls in traditionally male sports, as well as friends, family, and relationships.

Why did I listen to Home Field Advantage?

Home Field Advantage caught my attention from the moment I first read the synopsis. LGBTQIA+ romance? Sports romance? Secret dating? It sounded exactly what I needed. Plus, it was being released during Pride Month! So, it wasn't very hard for me to click request on Netgalley, and (in)patiently wait to see if I was approved. Luckily, I was!

What is the story here?

Home Field Advantage follows the Atherton alligators who are in need of a new quarterback. Jack (Jaclyn) Walsh seems like she is just the right girl for the job. Only the alligators are not ready for her. Still reeling from the tragic loss of their previous quarterback, the team is quick to turn their back on Jack, refusing to accept her a part of the team.

Not only does the team turn its back on her but so does the entire cheerleading squad. Well except for Amber McCloud who desperately wants to cheer captain next year. She wants to use the promotion to help boost her college application so that she can finally leave this small minded town and embrace her life as a queer person. That isn't going to happen though if the football team falls apart and everyone turns their backs on her. So, she is determined to try and keep a perfect harmony.

Only this would be so much easier if Jack wasn't so cute and if they didn't have such good chemistry together. Or if her fellow cheerleaders would help her try to fix the problems within the team instead of working to bring Jack down. `And if there weren't so many secrets floating around - each one getting harder and harder to keep track of. It's just alot for one person to handle.

How did I like Home Field Advantage?

Home Field Advantage has its moments of sweetness, moments of fire, and moments of heartbreak. Honestly, it was the perfect combination. The relationship between Jack and Amber was so cute and it wasn't perfect which I loved. They have multiple serious conversations that are actually dealt with instead of being brushed under the rug. They not afraid to call each other especially Jack calling out Amber.

Jack is much more confident in who she is as an individual. The judgement still hurts her though. She didn't expect to be fully accepted as a female quarterback but, she didn't expect this much animosity either. I loved how there is a real look into internalized misogyny of society especially within the sports world. It was hard to see her getting bullied though just because of her gender and the fact that she was replacing the previous well-loved quarterback who had died in a drunk driving accident. Some of the other characters could be real assholes about everything and I loved when Jack put them in their place.

Amber experiences alot of character growth through this book. She has acknowledged to herself that she is queer and had a couple of experiences while at cheer camp but, has never publicly came out. Instead she is pretending to be dating her football playing best friend Miguel so that both of them can remain in the closet. I adored Amber and Miguel's friendship - it felt so real. Being torn between her feelings for Jack and her loyalty to cheerleading forces her to actually look within herself and see what truly matters to her. She recognizes that if she doesn't figure this out, there is a chance that she could lose everything important to her.

There is so much representation in Home Field Advantage! I especially liked that Amber's mom is bisexual and provided a source of comfort and understanding for her daughter. She also wasn't afraid to call Amber out when she thought she did something stupid. Along with the representation, there is also alot of homophobia that included homophobic jokes and comments from other characters. I felt that this was pretty realistic to the small town setting but also felt a tad overdone in parts. This is because even when the characters are called out, there is never a real moment of reflection and change. Sadly true for much of society especially where there is a much stronger sense of patriarchal values.

How did I like the narration?

Home Field Advantage is presented in a duel narrative with Natalie Naudus and Lori Prince as Amber and Jack. I felt that they truly brought the characters to life. In total, this audiobook is 7 hours and 7 minutes long, and I listened to it at 1.5x speed. I also listened to it basically in ONE sitting, and was completely engrossed in the story and the way it was being told. It was just so cute it sent butterflies to my stomach while also keeping real boundaries to help keep my tethered to Earth and the hypocrisy of society.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading an ARC, which in no way biased me.

This is the kind of book you pick up because you are expecting a cute fluffy High School Sports Romance, but then you’re pleasantly surprised that it is intact that, but also so much more.

HFA has some heavy themes such as misogyny, homophobia, accidental death by car accident, abortion/miscarriage.

We all love a good HS cheerleader and football quarterback trope, but the author was able to make it SO MUCH BETTER by making it sapphic. Now as an adult I am reading YA books that I wish existed when I was a teen.

This was my first book by this author but won’t be my last. I’m excited to read more by this author.

I loooved this. The classic cheerleader and QB trope was given a sapphic makeover and I'm here for it. Adler had me cheering a fictional football team and excitedly invested int he outcome of the game.

I loved Amber and Jack, they were both relatable and so cute together. I love that we got both POVs,

The story touches on some deeper topics while still maintaining an overall lightness. It's a quick read with some depth, heartwarming moments, and humour.

The narration was so good. Both Natalie Naudus and Lori Prince were fantastic. They complimented each other and worked perfectly for the characters.

I really enjoyed this book. It was cute and well paced and the narration was good (especially the narrator who voiced Jack). I found the main characters charming and compelling and the author found a way to make me connect with many of the secondary characters even without giving them a lot of page time.

Overall, even with the challenges the characters face, this is a lighthearted book with some laughs and minimal angst. Obviously there is no on-page steam (it's YA) but I found it so refreshing to read a book about two (young) women who just want to fool around, like so many other teenagers. (I have found so often that f/f books spend so much time on *feelings*, it's like women can't also be sexual beings?)

Content notes: bullying, homophobia, grief

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. I mostly listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. Two very different voices for Jack & Amber and then enough different voices for all of the other characters 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.

I received an audiobook copy of Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I found this book to be very easy to get into, which was partially due to the well written dual POVs of this novel. Additionally, although I don’t know anything about football I still found myself enthralled with the way it was being described in this sapphic spinoff of the trope of quarterback and cheerleader. On a final note, some of the deeper topics of the novel do require a trigger warning(teen pregnancy, death, homophobia, miscarriage and death among others).

I'm not a fan of sports but I'm a fan of books with sports in them. I have no idea how football works but I was cheering for this team while also booing the awful bullies who didn't like having a girl in their team as a quarterback even if said girl was getting them to win more than they've ever won. The romance is sweet while also being a bit infuriating because I wanted them to have their happy ending at the beginning when I know that's not really how it works. I loved the fact that it has two POVs so we could see inside both girls' minds and understand what they were going through. It was very sweet!

A sapphic spin on the classic cheerleader - quarterback trope? Heck yes.        
        
This YA contemporary read was so beautifully crafted, touching on homophobia and misogyny but countering it with heartwarming and inspirational moments.  Adler meticulously wrote each character and the crucial role that they played in telling this story - A story that I believe is perfect for Pride month.

Jack Walsh starts at a new school, excited about the opportunity to play quarterback for the football team but quickly finds herself unwelcome, except for the cheerleader that seems to run hot and cold all the time. Amber McCloud is biding her time this year, hoping to be cheer team captain next year so she can get a scholarship and go to college. Her plans are derailed after meeting the new quarterback who she can't seem to stop flirting with.
This was a great YA novel that definitely was a bit deeper than I thought it would be from the blurb. Jack and Amber have great chemistry and are very cute together. They are also dealing with a lot of issues that have the potential to affect their future as they navigate towards adulthood. There are some great adults that support both Amber and Jack but they also face some harsh behavior from others who are supposed to be friends. Each chapter is told from alternating the viewpoint of Jack and Amber, with two narrators in the audiobook version as well. I am glad the author went with this as I felt we really got to understand the problems each of them faced and see how their actions affected each other. I also liked that there were two narrators, it helped differentiate which character's voice we were hearing. I think this is one of the best queer YA books I've read, I'd highly recommend it!

Home Field Advantage follows Amber McCloud, who dreams of becoming captain of the cheer team, and Jack Walsh, the new football quarterback who is determined to prove that being a girl doesn't mean she can't be good at football. They begin to fall for each other, but they must keep their budding romance a secret for fear of jeopardizing both their goals.

I absolutely loved this book. Both Amber and Jack are very determined in their respective goals, but face many obstacles on the way. They find understanding and comfort in each other. But the strain of hiding their relationships pushes the boundaries of their budding romance and they must decide what is most important to them.
The romance is very cute, but this book does deal with some heavy topics, so be aware. TW: unplanned teen pregnancy, miscarriage, homophobia, death

Wonderfully written book. I enjoyed listening to it! Not quite what I expected but it worked out well for Pride month!

Amber McCloud is a junior who hopes to become cheer captain her senior year, but the school is grieving the loss of their quarterback a few months earlier. Jaclyn "Jack" Walsh has always wanted to play quarterback for her high school team and moving to Atherton gives her a chance to do just that. However, both the football team and the cheerleaders are furious that the former QB has been replaced by a girl. Amber and Jack are falling for each other, but Amber realizes that if she sticks up for Jack, she may have to give up her dreams of cheer captain.

This YA romance covers a lot of tough topics that teenagers face. I loved reading a book about a girl playing quarterback on the football team; it was a nice spin on the classic quarterback-cheerleader trope. Readers should be aware that there is a lot of misogyny and homophobia in the story. I really enjoyed the story, although the ending felt rushed. Natalie Naudus and Lori Prince did a great job narrating the audiobook.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Football, Cheerleading, Gender Reversal, Small Town, High School, Grand Gesture, YA, LGBTQIA.

Such a fantastic listen. Meet Amber the closeted cheerleader, who’s dating a football player, whose bestie is the daughter of the town’s paster and who’s gunning to be captain next year to help her leave the small town behind so she can be out and live her life. Meet Jack, the new Quarterback whose only dream is to play Football, who wants to be recognized for their talent, not to be ostracized for replacing the recently decided QB, or for being a girl or for actually being good. When the two meet and ultimiatly start to fall for each other their worlds get even more complicated.

This book surprised me quite a bit with the amount of depth and insight that Adler dove into when confronting, sexism, heteronormativity and homophobia. My heart went out for Jack and how horrible everything was for her. Amber as well as wrestling with how to deal when her dreams and priorities ultimately start to shift from “the plan.” This was a sweet, yet deep high school jock and cheerleader trope spun on its head with a fabulous ending. I do wish Adler had gone a bit deeper with Jack’s family, particularly her brothers but regardless this was a great book.

Big shout out to narrators Natalie Naudus and Lori Prince you both did a wonderful job, I could totally hear all the teenage angst coming through.

Special thank you to #NetGalley, #DahliaAdler and #WednesdayBooks for sharing this digital copy, these are my honest thoughts on #HomeFieldAdvantage. Also, a thank you to narrators #NatalieNaudus and #LoriPrince.