Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. The story is classed as ya but the characters were very mature, it felt very realistic reading it and I was rooting for Reed and Savannah from the first few chapters, I really enjoyed this book and read it quite fast

This wasn't the book for me, unfortunately. The writing was stilted and the characters seemed wooden. It reminded me of the Outsiders, but this was a football rivalry of teens from the wrong side of the tracks vs. the rich kids. Overall I think the plot held promise but the characters were so uninteresting I couldn't get through the book.

This was a decent read. I'm always a sucker for a sports romance and I appreciated that about this book. I wish there had a been a little bit more emphasis on the football aspect, but it was a decent amount. I thought the whole divide between the Sammies and Willies was pretty cliche and outdated. It didn't seem to REALLY add to the plot all much and the repetition of it could've been tossed aside and it probably would have made the book better. I really liked Reed and Savannah and loved reading the scenes with Reed's little sister. I think the characters could have been flushed out a bit more and I wish there had been more development in Reed and Savannah's relationship, but I thought they made a cute pair. The ending was kind of weird with the secret that was revealed, and it just didn't seem to mesh all that well. Overall, this book had a good foundation, but some tweaks would've been nice.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS meets OUTER BANKS!
The dynamic plot of this book is so captivating. This Texas small town is divided into two groups - The Willies (trailer park kids) vs. The Sammies (local socialites). It’s clear from the get-go that The Sammies rule the town in all aspect of life… However, Reed Maddox, local bad boy, is here to break societal norms and be the first Willie to join the high school football team. Lies, deception, infatuation and drama makes Reed’s new position as QB a challenge… Especially when he has a crush on the coach’s daughter, who happens to be labeled as the “Princess” of the town.

I devoured this book SO quickly. I normally gravitate towards more mature-aged MC’s but the maturity and sense of responsibility in the characters in this book hooked me INSTANTLY. Especially Reed… I want a Reed Maddox of my own 🥵 His dedication to his family, friends and love interest is admirable. You cannot help but to root for him to drop his bad-boy tendencies (while keeping his swagger) and finally find a well deserved place within this football town, on and off the field!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an arc of the book!

Sideliners is a story set in a Texas football town where there are two different sides that don't mix. It's told in dual POV by our main characters - popular and deemed as "Princess" of her town Savannah Kensington and coming from the other side of the town, bad boy Reed Maddox. They find themselves thrown together to bring their high school football team, the Pottsville Pirates to glory. This book has all the emotions and an angsty romance! I loved our main characters and also the side characters Leah, Noah, JP and of course Reed's little sister Squirt!
TW: this book has some themes of bullying, discrimination, profanities and violence. I didn't at all see the plot twist coming at the end which definitely added some drama to the book!
You should read Sideliners if you love-
Enemies to Lovers
Friday Night Lights
Adorable side characters
friendships
plot twist and drama
Sideliners is a fun YA sports romance with angst, drama and all the love!

Pretty good book overall..its a book that i totally binged read it lol... I liked the twist towards the end of the book.. Not what I was expecting...

Thank you for the eARC! Although this story is labeled YA, the characters were mature and complex. Felt very realistic, and was rooting for Reed and Savannah from the first few chapters. Reminded me of a cross between Outer Banks and Friday Night Lights

A nice coming of age tale. I came for the football and atmosphere and it delivered on that front.A bit distracting was the names for the 'haves' and 'have nots' that I couldn't get over for some reason. All in all, a solid sports romance and I would happily revisit this world

I love a good small town TX story. This one did not disappoint. If you live in the South you get it. Friday Night Lights. The town. The team. The friends. The family. The bond. The loyalty. The drama. It’s all there!

I need more of these characters in my life. I need Noah’s story!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

This book !

I really liked how each chapter was titled for who was talking as it was quite confusing at times if not ! I love the little added art of a foot ball sign between paragraph if they happened further on! I wasn’t so keen on the diary aspects as I’m sure it could have just been implemented for a chapter but otherwise the bad boy Reed …. LOVE him , I loved their family dynamics that surrounded them , they were definitely someone I would like to surround my self with, but sadley the book nailed it with how separated a high school can be with no one to help encourage the 2!

It was a well done book a book that I do want more from !

I must have the mind of a teenage boy as this story took a little for me to get into because I couldn’t get past the naming of one group of people as the “Willies”. Once I did, I enjoyed this story. It does touch on grief from the death of a sibling and a parent but I think the actions of the characters were believeable. The football games were so well written I thought I was there! I enjoyed the character development of both Reed and Savannah. This was a pretty chaste romance as there were only some quick kissing scenes. Given teenage hormones, I would have thought there would have been some sexy scenes. Great read!

One thing you should know about me is that I’m a fan of sports romances, so when I found out that this book was giving me exactly what I wanted, I didn’t doubt for a second that I had to read this story.
Sideliners is the perfect combination of 2000s shows like The O.C. and One Tree Hill with a hint of Romeo And Juliet , where you can get high school drama, romance, tension, a good plot and amazing, charismatic side characters. I also want to add that I adored how the author touched on some deeper issues in this book, and it took me by surprise.
I loved the relationship between the main characters, they had great chemistry and I specially enjoyed to see their development.
If you’re looking for a well-written book and an amazing story, I highly recommend this one.

I want to thank NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A new author to me, but one I will continue to read. The story of the haves and have-nots, football, and Texas, had me hooked from the first chapter. A bad decision exposes the talent that was not supposed to be known. From there the angst of High School, the struggles of life, and the divided town.

A pleasant read which I read in one sitting. Rivals to lovers, football romance. Reminded me of Grease lol

This book discusses themes of loss and divide whilst also sprinkling in some romance. The FMC is a 'Sammie' and the MMC is a 'Willie', which is basically the divide between the more privileged and less privileged. A romance blooms between the two and they both experience having to navigate their feelings for one another but also through the lens of the town.

Initially I was thrown off by the amount of 'Willies' mentioned in the first few pages as I did not understand what it was but overall I enjoyed this read and found it easy to get through in one sitting. I always love the aspect of an MMC feeling like they want to protect the FMC but not really understanding or having control over these feelings which Reed does. Savannah's ignorance and lack of compassion/understanding of the 'Willies' threw me off and I didn't know if she would be able to redeem herself. In a way she did as the book progressed but I feel like more development was needed to fill little gaps. I found it interesting to explore the idea of grief from Savannah's perspective of losing a sister 12 years ago - it was something I had never read about but enjoyed nonetheless trying to understand this kind of grief.

This was a fast-paced book where everything - romance included - moved quite fast. Good for anyone wanting a quick and easy romance read.

This book touched a note with me. A lot of it was probably melancholy for wanting to see the ideal world where social status and money wouldn't always be a defining factor for who people are supposed to socialize with and even love. It's absolutely crazy. That said, this was a well written book that dealt with that topic about the Willies and the Sammies - - which were basically the "have nots" and the "haves." There's a strict dividing line between the two and they never cross it. Also, apparently, the Willies never play football - - which I found odd and extreme but that was how it was....at least until Reed.

Reed and Savannah both have had their fair share of heartache and loss. But they've handled it differently. She's tried to ignore it and become the all-American cheerleader which Reed is the epitome of the bad boy. The reality is that neither of them is what they appear to be.

It was a classic story about reaching across class lines and finding a way to create a bridge. My favorite way to describe this book is almost as if Friday Night Lights and Romeo and Juliet had a baby...except a more modern Romeo and Juliet (obviously). Except no one dies in this one and you're left feeling good at the end. It was a fun and sweet read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Sideliners was the first book I have read by Dana Claire but it will not be my last. I loved this book. Easy 5 Stars. Reed is the bad boy from the rough side of town (the Willies). He will get in fights with anyone who crosses him or the people he cares about. However, Reed has a huge heart. He will do anything, or sacrifice anything for the people he love. Savannah is part of the popular, nice part of town ( the Sammies). She was previously the head cheerleader. Her dad is the football coach and ex football star. Her boyfriend is the QB of the football team. All is great but she is still broken from the death of her sister and struggling to feel like she fits. When their worlds collide they realize they are the escape and support each other needs. I loved the slow burn of this book. It made for a great development of each character. The Willies friend group was amazing. I can not wait for Noah's story next. I know it says that his story continues where this one left off so I am hoping we get to continue to see Reed and Savannah in that book. The only wish I had was for a little more at the end of this book. There was the game and the drama and then it was a pretty quick ending. It did wrap things up but I wanted more, even after the epilogue I wanted more. I am really hoping the next book will give that. Overall, as I said I loved this book. It was a great sports romance book with drama, heart, and emotion.

Thank you to Victory Editing, Dana Claire, and NetGalley for the free ARC.

Thank you to Victory Editing via NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Divided by circumstance. United by football.

The book is set in a small Texas town of Pottsville where there is a strong divide between the Sammies and the Willies. Reed is a high schooler who has a talent for football but made a deathbed promise to his mom to never play. Savannah is the Coaches daughter and a Sammie. When a lapse in judgement from Reed occurs his promise to his mom is under threat.

The book gave me Romeo and Juliet vibes in parts. I’m sad to say that I didn’t like the writing style much although the story is solid.

I would give it a 2.75 stars rounded up to 3 on GoodReads.

4.25/5 stars! The ultimate battle between the have and have-nots, the Willies and Sammies have launched an epic divide between the upper and lower classes citizens of Pottsville, Texas. Reed has all the makings of a star football player but he has been holding himself back; until a momentary lapse in judgment shakes everything up for the better. I found this book to be delightful as a YA sports tale. This is my second read by this author and I really enjoy her writing style and ability to draw the reader into the story.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Beyond excited for this Friday Night Lights almost inspired book! I have been looking for something like this for the longest time and I pm sure I won’t be disappointed. Will be sharing a full review as well as more thoughts soon, but I’m so excited to read both duo points and dive into these characters.