Yay for unexpected sequels! I loved The Cheerleaders and this is an interesting take on a sequel, with a decade long time jump. (The only other book I can think of recently that did this was the third book in the Housemaid series by Freida McFadden.

In any case, this was cleverly done, taking some secondary characters from the first book and putting them front and center with a new mystery to solve. In book one, cheerleaders are dying, and in this book it is members of the football team. I think book one was darker (as was 2010s YA in general) but The Champions had a fun YA mystery feel and a lot of twists and turns.

My link to my full post which recaps book one and goes over the timeline and the returning characters, is here and linked below

https://yaallday.com/the-champions-is-the-new-sequel-to-the-cheerleaders/

Intriguing mystery with the perfect amount of teenage snarkiness. Lots of twists with interesting and believable characters.

cool ideas, very predictable killer, interesting teen thriller but I wouldn't put this book as a priority read.

The Champions follows Hadley, newly arrived in Sunnybrook, as she works to uncover what's going on with the football team. When one player is poisoned at a party, and another is subsequently killed, Hadley wants answers. But she keeps getting warned to leave it be by a mysterious email account. Unwilling to let it go, will Hadley be able to uncover the dark secrets of the Sunnybrook football team? Or will she pay the price for trying to dig up what's been buried? I'm not much of a thriller reader but this book definitely gets you hooked; I enjoyed reading it.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an ARC of The Champions by the ever-entertaining Kara Thomas. I really liked The Cheerleaders so when I saw that a sequel was coming out, I was ever so pleased. Set eleven years after the events of the first novel, Hadley who just wants to become editor of the school newspaper gets selected to write about the football team and their likelihood to win another championship. She previously had written an article about the dance team and all the commitment and hardship the girls put on their bodies, but by comparing it to the coveted football team there was serious backlash. Another who done it ensues when one of the football players gets put into a coma, bringing back old characters and a wowzah of a finale, Thomas has solidified her placement in the horror/mystery genre. Keep em coming girl!

So fun – I couldn't put it down!! No one writes thrillers like Kara Thomas. I would highly recommend rereading the Cheerleaders first so you really get the most out of this one.

This story takes place in the same town as book 1 but could be read as a standalone. Hadley is trying to get the editor of chief position but when she’s told to do a piece on the football team, all hell breaks loose. I really enjoyed Thomas’ writing style. It’s fast pacing with no fluff and straight to the point of things. I loved the storyline even though it’s usually the basic type, I still enjoyed it. I liked the high school thrill and mystery but would have loved to see multiple povs. There is a bit of current media pop refrences which is perfect for young readers.

This book is told form Hadley’s pov which is a high shcool student looking to make the post out of her high schoool. I liked her character and seeing her try to fight for her position. She doesn’t scare easily and I loved seeing her develop throughout the book. There are many side characters in this book which makes sense as this is a mystery and you have to figure it out. There is no romance in this book which I thought was well planned out because every mystery includes romance but there was a tiny bit of chemistry between the two.

The ending was well done and and overall I really enjoyed the story. I loved how the whole and was a bit shocked with what was happening to the football team. I recommend checking this book out especially if you liked the first one and want to keep going.

*this arc was sent to me by the publihser to give an honest review in return*

A solid companion to THE CHEERLEADERS. It feels like it's an easy rec for teens who love true crime & murder mystery titles. While not ground-breaking, it is a solid story with relatively fast pacing that is perfect for what its audience is usually looking for.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book! "The Champions" is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a well-told story that combines suspense with heartfelt moments. Kara Thomas has once again proven her ability to create a captivating narrative that not only entertains but also inspires. Highly recommended!

Hadley Dougherty tries to keep her head down and focus on what's important: Becoming editor of the school newspaper and getting into her top college, Columbia. She's always done whatever it takes, whether it's staying late to edit submissions or work on the articles no one else wants to do. So when the idea comes up to write about the football team's upcoming season and their 3 year streak of winning the State title, of course she's the one stuck doing it. It's not that she hates the team, but after her article about the dance team's big win at Nationals last year, it's obvious that the team is upset that they weren't featured. Hadley expects her piece to be pretty simple and straightforward, with a few interviews with some players and the coaches. But the more time Hadley spends around the team, the more she realizes that some people will do anything to ensure the team wins. Coverups, scandals, and even murders are getting swept under the rug, but Hadley is determined to find out the truth, no matter the cost.

I read The Cheerleaders a few years ago, and I love Kara Thomas, so when I learned that there would be a sequel I was super excited to get my hands on it. I'm not really sure that this should be called a sequel per se, it's more like a companion or in the same "universe". The book refers to events in The Cheerleaders, but it doesn't really connect the two stories other than they share some characters. However, it was definitely helpful (but not necessary) to know what happened in book 1 because The Champions refers to The Cheerleaders so often. I enjoyed it a lot, and I didn't expect the twist at all, but be warned because the book does have triggers for drug use and sexual assault so if you are sensitive to that, it may not be the book for you.

I received this ARC courtesy of Netgalley in return for my honest opinions and review.

If you loved the first book in this series, The Cheerleaders, then you will definitely love The Champions. There is more murder, plot twists and mystery as the residents of Sunnybrook have another case on their hands. This time the book focuses on the all star football team as they aim to win a third consecutive championship.

The book is in the perspective of Hadley, a student who hasn’t been at Sunnybrook for very long and who is also on the school newspaper. She gets tasked with writing an article on the Tigers, the football team, but when one of the boys is poisoned at a party and she begins investigating, she is very soon warned off by anonymous emails. I loved how the story developed as Hadley gradually reveals the secrets that the school, the football team and the coaches are hiding with some very serious topics also covered including sexual assault and toxic relationships.

I was honestly shocked at some of the reveals about the football team but it all began to make sense as I read further on. This book grips you from the start and it only took me 2 days to read it as I needed to know what happened and couldn’t bear to put the book down for too long. It is definitely a fast paced and quick read that may even have you staying up late to finish it!

This is a typical YA mystery set in a high school and you will meet all the classic tropes of students including the jocks, the girls dance team and the school newspaper nerds to create a normal American school setting. I liked the majority of the characters, especially Hadley, Peter and even Alix, and I also liked how Thomas brought back some of the characters from the first book including Monica to help reveal the mystery.

I did sometimes get a little confused with who was who as there are so many characters introduced, especially the Burnham brothers who I found difficult to distinguish. It also never felt like Hadley was scared or really in danger when she was being threatened or close to uncovering something pretty damning which would have made some scenes feel more intense.

Of course, I was trying to figure out the culprit throughout the story but I never came close to the real reveal as Thomas did a really great job of planting red herrings which made me consider practically everyone! The ending may have felt a little rushed in wrapping up the mystery but I still enjoyed the final reveal and the reasons behind it as every little detail that is given is tied up nicely in the final chapters.

This book perfectly fits the vibe of an American high school and multiple times throughout the book it did remind me of the infamous quote from Riverdale when Archie talks about the “epic highs and lows of high school football”!

Overall, this is a good YA mystery with likable characters and lots of secrets with a heavy topic at its heart.

To be honest, I haven’t read The Cheerleaders… but I want to now! I was able to follow the book just fine without reading the first book. Do it in the right order. Don’t be like me.

Previously the cheerleaders were targeted for mayhem, in this book, the football team is in the spotlight. Hadley moves to the small town of Sunnybrook and soon begins working on the high school newspaper. Being an outsider, she’s more capable of seeing the facts for what they are.

The main characters are relatable and lovable. Hadley is fiercely determined and spunky. While the mystery isn’t too complex, it keeps you guessing. Be prepared to keep track of the he-said, she-said investigation and serious issues such as murder and rape.

Now, to go back to The Cheerleaders…

"𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔."

Special thanks to @randomhousechildren @delecortepress @karathomas and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought this was a good cute YA thriller. The storyline is all too familiar for teenagers these days, which is very unfortunate to say.
This follows a school newspaper reporter who wishes to become popular after one of her 3 best friends crosses that line the previous summer.
Then one of the popular boys starts talking to her and she's invited into a whole new world of scandal, secrets and lies.
The lengths adults will do to for their precious football team, is unfathomable.
But can she figure out who is responsible?

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
Aug 27, 2024

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Did you ever play a sport in high school? We you popular?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #thechampions #karathomas
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This was such a good sequel to the cheerleaders. The connections to the first book made the whole thing full circle.

Kara Thomas delivers another chilling and gripping thriller in The Champions, set in the same haunting town of Sunnybrook as her previous novel, The Cheerleaders. This time, Thomas shifts the focus from the infamous cheerleader deaths to the high school's all-star football team, the Tigers, who are celebrated as local heroes. When a mysterious poisoning at a party leaves one of the players fighting for his life, newcomer Hadley is thrust into the dangerous web of secrets surrounding the team. As she digs deeper, the dark past of Sunnybrook begins to resurface, and the lines between the present tragedy and the past massacre become disturbingly blurred.

Hadley's relentless pursuit of the truth, despite warnings and threats, makes her a compelling lead in this dark YA thriller. The Champions expertly builds suspense, weaving together the sinister underbelly of small-town dynamics and the lengths people will go to in order to protect their own. Thomas keeps readers on edge with her trademark blend of mystery, high stakes, and twists, making it hard to predict what will happen next. Fans of The Cheerleaders and psychological thrillers will find The Champions a satisfying, suspense-filled read that pulls back the layers of Sunnybrook’s darkness.

5 Reasons to Read

Friendships

You don’t usually think of friendships when you think of thrillers, but I liked getting to see Hadley make connections. All investigators need a good partner!

Murders

The murders of Sunnybrook were in the past, or so everyone thought before a new wave of murders hits the small town. It looks like Sunnybrook high school is a vault of secrets and no one thought after what happened before would ever happen again.

Secrets

Sunnybrook didn’t have any more secrets. That was until a high school party ends with a boy in the hospital and a can of worms on the brink of bursting open!

Memories

It was fun to see some familiar faces in The Champions and a new generation take on new cases in Sunnybrook. We get to see characters that played pivotal roles in The Cheerleaders. They’re grown but sometimes it’s hard to let go of what happened in the past.

Bookshelf Additions

I’ve loved Kara Thomas’s YA thrillers, and this one did not disappoint. I love getting to put them all on my shelf and will continue to do so because she’ll always be an auto-buy for me!

I loved The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas so when I saw there was a companion book, I knew I had to read it.

The Champions takes place a few years after The Cheerleaders. If you have not read that book or forgot what happened, I would recommend reading it first as those events and characters are mentioned A LOT.

Hadley is assigned to write a story about the football team for the school newspaper. She starts receiving mysterious emails warning her to stay away from the team and when one player is poisoned and another dies, in true reporter fashion, Hadley sets out to investigate.

I really liked Hadley. She was smart and she asked the right questions to get people to open up to her. There were a lot of suspects and for a small town high school, it seemed like everyone was doing shady things. While I enjoyed the book overall, I felt there was a lot going on and so much info dump at times. I did like the ending and uncovering all the football teams’ secrets. Definitely check trigger warnings for this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of The Champions!

• 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

1. Ever wanted to be on a school newspaper? Learn more about it in this YA thriller!
2. If you enjoy longer chapters, then The Champions is one you’d like!
3. I love a good sequel! While it can be read as a standalone, it goes alongside the first book, The Cheerleaders!
4. Want a twisty ending? This one will have you shaking your head in disbelief!
5. Did you ever find yourself competing against another student for all of the same things? So does our MC, Hadley!

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

It was the deaths of five cheerleaders that made the town of Sunnybrook infamous. Eleven years later, the girls' killer has been brought to justice, and the town just wants to move on. By the time Hadley moves to Sunnybrook, though, the locals are more interested in the Tigers, the high school's championship-winning football team. The Tigers are Sunnybrook’s homegrown heroes--something positive in a town with so much darkness in its past.

Hadley could care less about football, but shortly after she gets assigned to cover the team's latest championship bid for the school newspaper, one of the Tigers is poisoned at a party, and almost immediately after, Hadley starts getting strange emails warning her to stay far away from the football team.

It's becoming clear Sunnybrook's golden boys have secrets, and after a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley’s beginning to suspect that someone wants the team to pay for their sins. Or does this new target on the football team have something to do with what happened to the cheerleaders all those years ago?

As an outsider in Sunnybrook, Hadley feels like she's the only one who can see the present clearly, but it looks like she’s going to have to dig up the darkness of the past to get to the bottom of what’s happening now. Luckily, there are still some Sunnybrook High grads who never left--people who were around eleven years ago—and if she can just convince them to talk, she might be able stop a killer before another Tiger dies.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers Delacorte Press and the author Kara Thomas for this advanced book copy along with letting me review it. This is a five star young adult mystery novel that releases Tuesday August 27th 2024. I loved the first book the cheerleaders and couldn't wait to read this second book.

My Top 5 Reasons to Read The Champions:
A young adult thriller that will captivate readers of all ages (you are never too old to relive those high school days in a good book).
A young protagonist with big journalist goals...the reader is in for a real treat!
Bad decisions, bad luck…bad news all around for the teens of Sunnybrook high!
An important life lesson in resilience, even when things get tough, you still have to get through high school.
So many twists and turns makes for an electrifying and gripping read from start to finish!