A love letter to lesbians and basketball, and I ate it up. The characters were compelling, and I couldn't put it down. This is for all the girls (and guys) out there who have ever fallen for a teammate, as the dedication says. The fact that this is being released right before the start of the WNBA season is very fitting. 4.75/5

As someone who last played high school basketball in 1998, this book took me back. As a CIS white female it made me look into things I noticed between teammates of mine who are now out of the closet. A great read!

A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane is a poignant and raw coming-of-age novel that explores identity, first love, and grief against the backdrop of rural Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. The story follows Mack, a fierce but flawed high school basketball player, as she navigates her connection with teammate Liv amidst societal pressures, family struggles, and personal insecurities. Crane’s poetic prose captures the intensity of youth, the artistry of basketball, and the quiet rebellion of queer love. While the basketball focus may alienate some readers, the emotional depth and authentic representation make this a powerful, unforgettable read.

liv and mack's relationship was really interesting to read. i dont know much about basketball so i didnt understand what any of the characters were talking about half of the time but i still enjoyed this!

This was terrible. I made it 20% and had to stop. I had no connection to the characters. The banter was awful. The drug and alcohol use was just stupid. This is high school - yes it happens but come on. Getting drunk at a funeral held in high school gym- no just no. When I realized I cared nothing for this story or these people I stopped. There are too many great books to waste time on something as terribly written as this.

Nauseating and devastating and stunning. That’s the best way I can describe A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane. I knew from the start that this one was going to do a number on me, and I was absolutely correct. It’s heartbreaking and painful and beautiful all at once. The writing style is gorgeous and leaves you wanting to read everything Crane has written thus far. I don’t even enjoy basketball but the writing, and Mack in general, kept me hooked here. The story is real and visceral and so damn relatable it’ll leave you winded. Crane really manages to pack a punch with a relatively short book. Mack deserves the world and endless second chances and some way to finally get it all right. My heart aches for her and Liv and all of the other Mack’s and Liv’s of the world. The nostalgia will leave you dizzy and wanting to do it all over again. Out on May 13, 2025, make sure to check out A Sharp Endless Need! Thank you to Netgalley for access to this title.

AH wow, I have been saying for ages that I want more masc sapphic stories and this delivered! The prose is beautiful and meandering and immersive as you're dropped back in the early 2000s.

Only thing is: I wish I knew more about basketball. This requires a little bit of passion about the sport to follow it meaningfully. Without that knowledge there were a lot of scenes that felt a bit slow to me and caused the pacing to drag. I do wish the characters were a bit more interesting or had a bit more going on to counteract the slower pacing.

Overall, this is probably sitting at a 3.5 or 3.75 for me.

This may be an obscure comparison, but this felt so similar to the nostalgia, emerging queerness, and substance use in Anyone's Ghost by August Thompson. But with added sports, instead of metal music.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It was beautifully written and heartfelt. The main character is imperfect, but understandable. What really stood out to me was how basketball, both the game itself and the love of the game was portrayed. The sport was perfectly wrapped into the novel and provided context and direction for the characters, especially how they interacted socially. This was an outstanding book and I would highly recommend it.

A Sharp Endless Need is a novel following the relationship of Mack Morris and Liv Cooper, teammates on a high school basketball team in rural Kentucky. The story is told from Mack's perspective and depicts the interaction of identity, longing and grief as the year unfolds from the start of the school year through choosing a college team to play for. Mack and Liv's relationship is complicated by self-doubt, a conservative mother, judgmental teammates, and using any means necessary to escape one's own head.

If I'm being honest, the book almost lost me after the prologue. I am admittedly not the biggest basketball fan and the initial pages gave the impression that the novel would be a wordy, poetic tribute to the game. I am, however, glad I stuck with it because everything after the prologue was fantastic. There was definitely a lot of basketball, but in ways that made sense and did not overshadow the story of the relationship. I think this novel will be a relatable story for many and is written in prose that solidly depicts the underlying complexities of coming to terms with one's self and the world around them. I read another review that commented on the frequency of substance use in teens throughout the novel - I do think it was mildly unrealistic as it was unclear where the abundance of alcohol was coming from, however the strong desire to escape from reality is as realistic as it comes when thinking about how teens (and all people, really) cope with the world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and give it 5/5 stars (excluding the prologue).

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Good writing, boring characters. I probably would have enjoyed this more if I knew anything about basketball. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

"A Sharp Endless Need" was not the book for me. I was disappointed in the amount of underage drinking and drug use by the major characters; they seemed to spend more time getting drunk or high than doing anything else, even playing basketball, which is what the story centers around. That type of behavior is part of the high school experience for many but the prevalence of it in the story, especially in situations where it should not be happening (a professional basketball game, the funeral of a character’s father where lots of kids, parents and community figures are present) or doesn’t need to happen (when the main characters are working on their basketball skills), detracts from the overarching story and diminishes the main characters. Most of the characters were in dysfunctional relationships, whether family relationships, friendships, or romantic relationships. Many of the characters come across as sad and pathetic. There was too much homophobia and self-loathing. Not every story has to have a happily ever after (in real life, that is certainly true) but even the positive moments in the story tended to be tainted or were quickly replaced.

However, despite all my criticisms, the author does a good job of portraying the internal desire to matter, to be remembered, to really be seen by others. The author also does a great job of depicting the artistry of basketball when played by skilled players, especially players who are in sync with each other on the court.

This is such an incredible book, and I am delighted that I was able to read it. A gorgeous look at a coming of age, queer story that grapples with choosing between love of a person and love of a sport, and whether those things can truly coexist and thrive. Marisa Crane’s A Sharp Endless Need is a gut-punch of a novel that captures the raw intensity of first love, grief, and the complexities of growing up in a small town where being different can feel like a crime. Set against the backdrop of rural Pennsylvania in 2004, the story brings an almost tangible nostalgia while also tackling timeless themes of identity, loss, and resilience.

Mack Morris is a brilliantly crafted protagonist—fierce, flawed, and achingly relatable. Her journey begins with two seismic shifts: the devastating loss of her father and the electrifying arrival of Liv Cooper, a transfer student who shakes up both Mack’s basketball game and her heart. The on-court chemistry between Mack and Liv is electric, but it’s their off-court connection—full of longing, vulnerability, and danger—that propels the story forward.

The romance is tender yet charged with a quiet rebellion, as Mack and Liv navigate the precarious line between being true to themselves and surviving in their conservative town. Crane’s ability to evoke the angst and euphoria of young love is unparalleled, and the stakes feel real and urgent, especially as Liv’s controlling mother looms over their lives.

But this isn’t just a love story. It’s a deep dive into grief, identity, and the fear of an unknown future. Mack’s struggles with her father’s death, her relationship with basketball, and her reliance on drugs and sex as coping mechanisms create a layered, emotionally rich narrative. Crane’s writing is lyrical yet razor-sharp, pulling you into Mack’s headspace and keeping you there through every triumph and heartbreak.

The comparisons to Call Me By Your Name and Love & Basketball are well-earned. The novel pulses with the same lush intimacy and emotional stakes, but it also carves out its own space with Crane’s signature voice—raw, unflinching, and beautifully human.

A Sharp Endless Need isn’t just about basketball or small-town life; it’s about fighting for the future you want when everything seems to be pushing you back. It’s a stunning, unforgettable exploration of love, loss, and the resilience it takes to grow up—and grow into yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Marisa Crane, and Random House Publishing/The Dial Press for the eARC of this book.

Crane has crafted a beautiful and raw story that captured my attention from the first few pages. The authentic writing style and character's emotions jump off the page and grab at your heart. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I hope this becomes a book club selection. There is so much to discuss and unravel.

This is a novel I wish I had in high school. An exploration of young love that we don't permit ourselves to have, A Sharp Endless Need excels in conveying the deep yearning of youth. The novel uses melodrama to underscore the sense that everything is on the line - basketball,  career, friendship, love, and self-acceptance. 

The poetic prose was a bit much for my personal taste, but is well-suited to the new adult genre. I would recommend this for folks who are looking for an unconventional love story, relate to the frustrations of teenagehood, or enjoyed books like Headshot and Something About Her. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-arc. And of course, to Mac for writing.
3.75 stars, rounding up.

This. is a great thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat! Mackenzie and Liz both play basketball and coach Puck also pays Mackenzie $20/hr to clean his house. When Mac sees Liv who now goes to her high school, she is instantly attracted and "in love." But of course they must keep it a secret as their parents don't know and they are so young. They attempt to go on dates with boys but their attraction to each other is undeniable. This is such a sweet and realistic look at young love and the lengths young people will go to to try to hide it or change themselves1
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A poetic, raw coming of age story full of yearning that I couldn’t put down. I absolutely adored Crane’s writing style, it was almost reminiscent of my own. Mack’s character is so realistic and easy to root for as she finds a way to grapple with her grief, relationship to Liv, and her relationship with the game of basketball that she thought she had completely figured out.

One of my favorite 2024 reads - any book that mentions Bright Eyes and alludes to The L Word (2004) is bound to become a favorite. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC!!!

I'll read anything by Mac Crane. Their writing is so beautiful and cutting and I hardly ever feel like a book is just perfect.

A great combination of grit--both personal and setting--and romance... and basketball. If that's your thing, then go for this book. The writing is incredibly evocative but you definitely have to love basketball to get into this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. The basketball players are going to absolutely love it!

The way I gasped out loud when Liv told Mack she had perfect hands within minutes of meeting her…… This book has all the lesbian longing of Portrait of a Lady on Fire stuffed into a Pennsylvania suburb. Teammates falling in love is nothing new, but I’ve never seen it depicted outside of the romance genre, and Crane handles Liv and Mack’s intimacy with precision. Anyone who has read I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself knows how incredible Crane is with words, and this next novel doesn’t disappoint.

Until this book I read this book, I almost forgot what it was like for someone to be gay in high school when I was growing up. We’ve come so far, so fast, but not long ago it was still untouchable, shameful.

But the greater question this book tackles for me is about the pressure young athletes face - both having to grow up so much quicker, and fear they are watching the best years of their life pass them by. Loved this book and I can’t wait until it’s out in the world so I can implore all my friends to go buy it.

I have been BEGGING for a queer basketball romance and I got it! This is one of the books I wish I had when I was younger. Although it focuses mostly on Mack and Liv's relationship, it's a coming-of-age novel at its core and delves into many deeper topics beyond that. A Sharp Endless Need follows the main character, Mack, as she navigates her relationship with basketball, her family, her teammates, and her sexuality and gender with 2004 U.S. politics as the backdrop.

I was most impressed by the Crane's writing style. She describes basketball and sports in such a poetic way. There is truly something beautiful about knowing precise movements of people you love in a way that transcends language. I think if you grow up playing sports, you'd resonate a lot with the chase of perfectionism and the obsession with sports portrayed throughout. Crane also normalises "taboo" subjects by writing in a matter of fact manner as if we're inside of Mack's brain and experiencing the day-to-day thoughts that she'd have. I was very pleasantly surprised by how Crane explored Mack's gender expression. It's rare to find queer literary fiction with masculine representation where the character isn't trans-masc.

Admittedly, this was originally a 4.5-star read, leaning more towards 4 stars, but after revisiting highlights that stood out, I think this is a 5-star novel that I will be thinking about. I feel like I know and understand Mack very intimately and everything ties together well to make a very impactful coming-of-age story. Thank you Marisa Crane, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for this beautiful novel!