Being back in Sunnybrook was so fun! This was a whole new storyline with new characters, and some familiar characters from the cheerleaders. I think readers who enjoyed the cheerleaders will enjoy reading the champions! This could also be read as a standalone because it does give backstory and gives some brief mentions to what happened in the cheerleaders. I thought it was fun that our main characters were solving the case within real time as things were happening. This is one of those young adult thrillers where you just can't stop reading. You'll be hooked by all the drama happening. I will say that much like the cheerleaders, there were a lot of characters in this one, so it's definitely one to pay close attention to. Also be cautious to some of the triggers going into this one.

Book:
THE CHAMPIONS by Kara Thomas
Thank you Netgalley, RHC, and GetUnderlined for the Arc (Aug 27)

Review:
4.5
I've loved every book that I've read by Kara Thomas, and this was no exception. THE CHAMPIONS follows Hadley, a writer for her school's newspaper. After a tragic accident occurs while at a party, Hadley begins investigating when she receives an anonymous email warning her about the football team. Together, with [Redacted] and the emailer, she leads the investigation as more tragedies ensue.
Though I don't remember much about THE CHEERLEADERS, I like how this sort of rounded out what happened with some of the characters from that book. It was nice to have that insight even if it was at the hands of a new tragedy, one that had me on the edge of my seat as I wondered who could do such a thing and why
I quite liked the mystery if this one. I was enthralled by it, and I tried to guess the whodunnit, but I never guessed the bigger picture or the actual whodunnit. And the ending, when the whodunnit was revealed, was something I never would have seen coming. I was like Hadley, barking up the tree, until BOOM the pieces came together rounding out the thrilling mystery. This book left me guessing, it left me shocked, and it left me ready for another YA thriller drom Kara.
THE CHAMPIONS is definitely a must-read if you enjoyed THE CHEERLEADERS and want to go back to Sunnybrook one more time.

I really liked The Cheerleaders when I read it years ago and I equally enjoyed this follow-up. This was a real page-turner that tackles some truly terrible subjects but Kara Thomas never makes it feel salacious or like trauma for trauma's sake.

This was a very good, twisty mystery story! The characters were great and the plot was fast paced. I loved Hadley and Peter, they brought the story to life. I was very well written and I enjoyed the plot quite a bit. The author did a wonderful job on this story, I’ll have to also read the other books she has written.

ALMOST as good as the cheerleaders
I again loved the characters and guessed part of the ending but it’s soo fun being back in sunnybrook and seeing the connection between the two stories (though I forgot a ton of what happened in the cheerleaders…)
what happened was so disgusting, I had to take breaks to stare at the wall while reading to process (in a good way)

The only reason I’m rating this 4 stars and holding back from a 5 is because I feel like the resolution wasn’t the best/expanded on enough, maybe it was a little rushed?

Regardless, another amazing kara thomas murder mystery/thriller that I absolutely flew through and loved

I read The Cheerleaders several years ago and was completely blown away by Thomas’s writing and the plot. To say I was ecstatic to return to Sunnybrook would be an understatement. This sequel did not disappoint!

I really enjoyed Hadley’s perspective - she’s a senior with journalist ambitions, so she is constantly asking questions, reflecting on new facts, and piecing together the whole story in a way that brings the reader along for the ride. The Champions has all the signature suspense, aura of danger, and mystique I loved in The Cheerleaders. Although some of the final twists were predictable, Thomas shines a lot on the importance and weight we give young men with “promising futures.” This story ultimately highlights the worth we place on certain individuals and the lengths we’ll go to turn a blind eye to their faults.

I really enjoy both Thomas’s YA and Adult works and think she does a great job tailoring her messaging to age appropriate levels. Her books consistently question themes of justice within our society. This story is a standalone, even though it is a follow-up to The Cheerleaders, and new readers will easily be able to dive into the world of Sunnybrook. I highly recommend checking out both novels!

Thank you to Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Champions marks Kara Thomas's return not only to YA but to Sunnybrook as well. A few years have passed since Monica solved the mystery in The Cheerleaders and we're following a new protagonist, Hadley. Hadley's a senior in high school who is determined to beat her rival and make the editor-in-chief of her school paper. To secure the position, she takes an assignment to write about the school's two-time state championship-winning football team. What starts as an easy assignment turns deadly when football players start dropping.

Even though The Champions follows a new protagonist, I was happy to return to Sunnybrook and all its twisted ways. I found the twists in The Champions more predictable than in Thomas's past works. However, I didn't mind in this case because the themes she explores are important and worth telling in a way that does them justice, which Thomas accomplished here. Hadley was a great lead--she had a great perspective as an outsider and her journalistic ambition fit Thomas's narrative style. The side characters were probably one of the strongest elements. They were all so believable and made this story feel real. The pacing was also well done and made for a compelling read. I read it in less than twenty-four hours because I couldn't put it down. My biggest disappointment is simply that I wanted more from the rivals' subplot.

Overall, readers who enjoyed Kara Thomas's past books, especially The Cheerleaders, will also like The Champions!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for giving me an ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This is your typical sequel situation. The book is good. It's not as good as The Cheerleaders. It feels a little too theatrical and the odds of all of the events from the book happening in succession like this requires an ability to suspend reality a bit; however, this book is still a must read for fans of the first book. It's still a worthy sequel. I enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed Hadley's voice and her growth as a character throughout the book. My one major issue with the book is that it felt like things were kept to vague and unknown for a little too long. As I was reading, I found it difficult to read for long periods of time because I felt like it wasn't really getting anywhere. If not for that one major issue, this would have probably been a five star book.

The Champions by Kara Thomas is a gripping novel that will keep you hooked from start to finish with its fast-paced storyline. I suggest adding it to your list of must-reads!

Content Warning: underage drinking, death, mention of hazing, mention of rape

I never read The Cheerleaders but always wanted to and then I got the arc for The Champions and thought I could jump into the story without reading the first book and I think I caught up with everything pretty good.

Hadley is an outsider at Sunnybrook high school which has a winning and popular football team. She’s new to the town so she wasn’t there when the five cheerleaders died there in the past but of course she’s heard of it. She wants to go into the journalism and belongs to the school newspaper when she gets a chance to interview the football team but gets embroiled in something deeper.

This is a story about a school covering up the bad deeds of some of the popular boys in class and how things get unravelled and Hadley being in the middle of it all even if she is an “outsider”. She’s not best friends with any of the popular kids but they know her and talk to her so she’s not ignored at school.

I liked that the story moved fast and I didn’t get lost even though I didn’t read The Cheerleaders. It is the typical story of a cover-up in the athletics department of a popular school and kids getting hurt or killed because of this secret. I do think at times there were too many names for me to follow and I kept having to remind myself who was who.

My Thoughts:

This is a pretty solid, quick read! I was invested in finding out what the football team was covering up and it’s pretty bad but I’m glad in the end there was some justice.

the epic highs and lows of high school football.....

Oooh I remember really enjoying The Cheerleaders years ago so I was so excited to hear about this! As far as YA mysteries go this was pretty middle of the road. There are immediately a LOT of characters to keep track of, making it a full cast but also rather hard to keep characters straight.

I wish the stakes were a little higher--main character Hadley slowly uncovers the mystery's truth but it feels like it's all through conversations, and the thrilling, detective, risk-taking behavior I like to see in murder mysteries was very much lacking. However I'm always here for righting the wrongs of corrupt football teams!

Kara Thomas is one of my favorite YA mystery authors and The Cheerleaders is one of my favorite books by her so i was very excited to get back into this world and it did not disappoint!

I thought the mystery was laid out great and there were some heavy topics that broke my heart, made me mad, made me disgusted but i loved the way that it was talked about especially in a somewhat realistic manner.

I really loved this book, i finished it so fast and i loved seeing characters from the previous books and where they were.

4.5/5

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Champions is a follow-up...sort of....to the book The Cheerleaders. Taking place in the same high school with some of the same characters, this time the focus is on the championship winning football team. When football players start being targeted and one of them is killed, what is going on in this town?

To be fair I read The Cheerleaders when it first came out and honestly remember nothing about it-not that it wasn't memorable, I read to be entertained not to remember. Having said that, you honestly don't need to have read The Cheerleaders to enjoy and understand the events in The Champions. I thought this had solid pacing and really great character development. This is definitely one of Kara Thomas' better books. If you're looking for a solid YA read, then I'd highly recommend it.

If you enjoyed "Cheerleaders," you won't want to miss the sequel, which offers a gripping return to "Sunnybrook" after the tragic deaths of five cheerleaders. This time, with new characters leading the way, the author takes us on another dark journey that delves into the sinister side of college football. The story explores how people cross ethical lines to eliminate obstacles, revealing the immense power within the football community and the shocking consequences of putting that power in the wrong hands.

Eleven years after the cheerleaders' deaths, Hadley moves to Sunnybrook when her mother becomes the superintendent at Sunnybrook College. Trying to escape from her addict husband who was imprisoned for embezzling drugs, Hadley, after long therapy sessions and spending a lot of time in isolation, slowly comes out of her shell with the help of creative writing. Her arch-nemesis, Peter, who took away her scholarship opportunity with a piece about the school's dancers, motivates her to become the editor-in-chief and defeat him.

The Tigers football team, Sunnybrook’s heroes, are worshipped by every student and directed by a family of football players. When Hadley is assigned to write a piece about the team and gets invited to a party by the popular player Logan, she never expects things to spiral out of control, resulting in Logan's coma from alcohol poisoning. This is just one of the attacks against the football players.

An anonymous source begins sending Hadley cryptic messages, guiding her to uncover the dirty secrets of the football team. As she digs deeper, she unexpectedly finds allies in her nemesis Peter and her stepsister Monica (main character from "Cheerleaders" making her cameo). However, she soon realizes the massive football community is determined to keep their secrets buried. With two casualties already, has Hadley put herself on the list of victims by opening Pandora’s box?

Overall, this is a riveting page-turner with a heart-pounding pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed it as much as the first book and highly recommend adding it to your reading list!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for sharing this unputdownable thriller’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Very grateful as always to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for an ARC of the book. The review below is my own personal opinion.

First and foremost: if you’re a Kara Thomas fan, or loved “The Cheerleaders”, put this book on your TBR!

I have been a Kara Thomas fan since I read “The Cheerleaders”. I spent that next weekend reading all her other YA novels, devouring each one like I couldn’t get enough. She is such an incredible storyteller, and it’s hard to put any of her books down. So of course, when I heard she was returning to Sunnybrook in her latest novel, I was immediately chomping at the bit to read it.

“The Champions” is a spiritual successor to Thomas’ “The Cheerleaders”., and I think it really holds up well against the first book. We are brought back to Sunnybrook years later, to focus on another subsection of the city: the football team. And I think there was no better way to bring the world of Sunnybrook back. With a mixture of old characters, new characters, and some now grown characters, it feels like it is its own story while serving as a nice look into the futures of sone familiar faces from the previous novel.

We meet Hadley, the daughter of the superintendent, who was not around during the events of “The Cheerleaders”, only knowing of it by mentions. She is a journalist to be, working for the school paper. With the task of having to write an article on the two time championship winning football team, Hadley begins to dip into their world. Until she is sent a mysterious email warning her to stay away from the team, and a party she’s invited to that weekend. But when she attends the party, which ends with a football player in a coma, Hadley, along with her friend and fellow journalist Peter Cardino, are pulled deeper into the history of Sunnybrook football. And some secrets just can’t stay buried. Not in a town as infamous as Sunnybrook. Or a team as beloved as the championship winning Tigers.

I think Kara Thomas did such a great job exploring new parts of Sunnybrook while also keeping true to things she laid in place in the first book. She brings in old characters with fresh perspective, showing that they’ve all grown and changed since the events that transpired. And with the depth on these new characters as well, it felt like returning to a familiar place. I think “The Champions” can also serve as a stand alone, but I would suggest reading “The Cheerleaders” first, only because you’ll enjoy the little Easter eggs that Kara Thomas has dropped through the novel.

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas was one of the first young adult thrillers I read and loved, so I am so excited that a companion is coming out which will hopefully lead even more readers to The Cheerleaders as well. The Champions is very different than its companion though they both take on super tough topics within their pages. The Champions takes place in the same town as its companion, but it is years later and this time we are seeing the story of the town’s champion football team from the eyes of a student reporter who is extracting information that will change everything.

I am confident that I will read and love every one of Kara Thomas' YA thrillers, The Champions included. This is a follow up to her previous book, The Cheerleaders. The story takes place in the same town of Sunnybrook and shares some common characters but could certainly be read on its own. Hadley is the new girl in town and writes for the high school paper. When tragedies start happening around her, she aims to find out what is happening, why, and at who's hand. This story is fast and very enjoyable (even to this adult reader). I didn't figure out the ending so I enjoyed every minute of the ride to the conclusion. I highly recommend this book to all readers, YA and adult alike. Thanks to Kara Thomas, Random House Children's | Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just "okay" for me. While I appreciate the author's willingness to dive into tough topics like underage drinking, gang rape, nepotism, etc., the book felt too long without much character development. There were too many unnecessary characters. This caused the book to become confusing at times. Unfortunately, I found this book to be unremarkable, but I think many of my students would read it due to its relatability.

As mysteries go, this was a good one. It hit about the same as the companion/prequel, in that it didn’t resort to a romance angle and I appreciate that. However, not my favorite writing style and I did find it hard to sometimes keep track of all of the comings and goings and escapades of the many characters. But I dug the basic story. And I like the vibe between Peter and Hadley and the fact that they are not gorgeous perfection. They are real and flawed and I like that. 💜📚

Oh this was so enjoyable! It has everything I like in young adult literature; cheerleaders, football players, school backdrop, murder, and one determined girl that will put all the pieces together. Hopefully before it's too late.