I've never read a book like Mac Crane’s "A Sharp Endless Need" before because I never thought a book quite like this would exist.

Some necessary context: I'm queer and nonbinary; I write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; I'm a former basketball player; and more recently I was a women's basketball journalist for several years. As I immersed myself in the latter space, I relished any opportunity to find others whose lives also married this trifecta of queer + creative writer + basketball person. When I discovered Crane's work, learned they played basketball in college (for a program I'd written about!), and got to know their passionate writing about the game, I became a fan. And this was years before this particular book was announced! So that's where I'm coming from here — this book satisfyingly fills a niche for me that I've been trying to carve out for myself.

"A Sharp Endless Need" is a coming-of-age story about Mack, a high school basketball star whose father dies shortly before her senior season. At her father's celebration of life she meets Liv, who easily wins a game of knockout (essentially, a shooting contest) and promptly announces she's transferring to Mack's school for her senior year. What follows is a tumultuous, lustful relationship that lives its best life on the basketball court as the girls' games fit together effortlessly. Off the court, though, it's a different story. A constant refrain for Mack is that basketball is everything, her whole life. She's not sure what her life could look like outside of basketball, whether in the case of her eventual retirement or the time spent in between high school games and practices. Throughout the story, Mack juggles the complexities that Liv (and her boyfriend) presents, the loss of her father, her relationships with friends and family on and off the court, homophobia (both external and internal) and even an undercurrent of Gender Feelings, and the impending deadline to commit to a Division I program.

Crane's writing is poetic, intimate, and visceral. So many times, I gasped and highlighted a couple of sentences because they had both vividly described a feeling and succinctly summarized it, as if to make absolute sure we were on the same page. I've never thought about basketball before the way Crane has so carefully, lovingly written about it, and I'm not sure I'll ever think of basketball the same again. If anything, "A Sharp Endless Need" heightened my love of the game.

Last thing: I've read a couple of reviews that take issue with Crane's portrayals of elite athletes doing drugs and drinking heavily. Although it wasn't my personal experience, it was absolutely the case that many of the best athletes in my high school were also the biggest partiers. Not only are Mack's actions true to life, they don't feel out of place in the narrative, either. That's just...high school.

(Oh, and as someone who went to Gonzaga and attended every women's basketball game as a member of the pep band, obviously loved the mention.)

Thanks to Random House, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for the ARC!

literary lesbian basketball romance? awesome idea. and the way it's executed is incredible, 5 stars. tysm for hte arc.

This was a gorgeous and life-altering read. Absolutely loved this queer basketball romance, it was lovely and heart-wrenching all at once.

got an advance copy in exchange for a review! thanks netgalley!

I absolutely loved this book when I started it. I think the ending might have lost me a little bit, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. A very very good coming of age book with a very distinct vibe to it. I forget where it’s set exactly, but I could picture myself there. I was never top of any sport, but I got the feeling of dedication to something, to the point of obsession. But even though I might not have lived most of the main character’s experiences, I related to the emotions. They’re written very well, where you understand what they’re feeling and thinking and why they do what they do. It all feels like that hazy night time feeling when you’re in high school and you feel like the world is ending but also you’re on top of it.

Overall, a very good queer coming of age story that takes you into the heat of basketball. LOVED the set up in that sense. I only have recently begun to understand basketball (boiler up), but i did feel very proud of myself for understanding what they were talking about with basketball (most of the time). I would definitely recommend checking this one out. I’m not good at putting it in words, but you feel like you’re in this book. The love of the game! Feeling a little like the world is ending because you’re graduating! That insane friendship that is definitely more than a friendship! Wow! Read it

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I enjoyed this book, it was really good, and entertaining. It held my attention throughout the whole book. Thank you for allowing me to arc read this. I rated this a 4 stars.

Pretty conflicted on this one. Part of me wants to rate it 5 stars for the perfect portrayal of unrequited queer love as a teenager but the other half thinks it’s deserving of one star for the last 20 pages. I do think the author juggled basketball language well with still keeping it an obsessive, confusing love story but I just wanted more!

A beautiful meditation on love, longing, performance, and what it means to live with regrets. I finished this book in a little over twenty-four hours, I was so swept away in Crane's depiction of Mack's all-consuming hunger for not only Liv but a life that feels true and right. Pick this up if you like coming-of-age novels about love and people on the precipice of becoming themselves.

A coming-of-age story meets basketball drama meets queer love story, all set against the backdrop of a small town in the early 2000s. Star player Mack meets Liv, a talented transfer student, and the two become caught in a toxic gravitational pull throughout their senior year—equal parts love, rivalry, and self-destruction.

Crane writes vividly and creates a tension-filled atmosphere of longing, heartbreak, and the tumultuousness of being young. While I think that there is definitely an audience for this book, and I can see people absolutely loving it, it just wasn't quite for me. I appreciate the exploration of a young queer romance in a conservative town, but there was an overwhelming amount of descriptive basketball sequences that I couldn't get into. I may also be too removed from this age -- and can't at all relate to the overuse of drugs/alcohol/etc at that age -- that I struggled to see myself in any of these characters. I admire what Crane created, but didn't fully enjoy reading this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Sharp Endless Need is agonizing in the best and worst ways. Crane really captured what it was like to be queer growing up in the 2000s. I deeply relate to this book and it will be selected for a BBBC pick!

Not bad for lit fic, which too often takes itself too seriously. I was engaged by the plot and the characters, and looking forward to seeing more from this author.

The Sharp, Endless Need is a beautiful, haunting novel that will stay with you long after you've finished it. It’s a reflection on loss, love, and the sharp need to understand ourselves and the people we care about

“I want zero regrets. No, I want to marry my regrets. To find a way to adore them for their sharp endless need.”

This book does an incredible job at portraying the high octane experience of navigating your teenage years while being an athlete where sports feel like the end all be all of life. Coupled with the at times painful, tumultuous moments of being queer at that age, in an environment where it can still feel shameful. Marisa’s writing is unrelenting in a way that really throws you back into the perils of teenage life, uncomfortability and all !

there is A LOT of basketball talk in this book, not in a way that if you weren’t familiar with the terminology that you’d be thrown out of the story but definitely enough that you’d be confused. also a lot of drinking/ drug mentions/ experiences that contributes to the spin out of the teenage experience but may not be for everyone.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This one would be a great coming to age story for anyone who is struggling with their sexuality. Filled with first love and all the heartbreaks that go along with it. I adored the authors writing and the characters were enjoyable. I’m not usually a sports book fan but this one worked for me. I wasn’t the targeted audience however so I believe if you are part of the LGBT+ community this would appeal more to you.

Mack's story was so all-consuming and relatable in so many ways. As someone with little to no relationship with basketball, I was surprised by how well I received this book. That being said, the most compelling aspects for me were Mack's struggles with gender and sexuality. Basketball provided an outlet for parts of her life that she couldn't control, and that's something that most of us can understand. However, I didn't necessarily fall in love with this book. I can appreciate its message and the need for more stories like this, and while I loved the writing style, I always felt like something was missing. The pace and intensity of Mack and Liv's bond felt a little unrealistic in the beginning, and the eagerness kind of took away the impact of Mack's feelings for me. This book could've really benefited by taking longer to flesh out the characters and relationships, but its urgency also suits how quickly, and without pause, life was hurtling at Mack. I'm grateful that this book exists, and it was a satisfying read, but I wasn't blown away. Thank you to Random House, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

This book is a love story. The protagonist Mack loves basketball and she loves Liv. In the wake of her father's death, Mack's mother checks out, the debts pile up, and she is left on her own to figure out a way forward. Mack struggles as she hurtles towards adulthood - choosing where to go to college, coming to terms with her queerness, and partying just a little too hard. Liv faces struggles of her own in the form of an overbearing mother and a "good on paper" boyfriend. Over the course of a basketball season, Mack and Liv come together and fall apart as they work towards finding out who they really are.

A Sharp Endless Need did a great job capturing the uncertainty of those final moments of teenage-hood; the struggle between trying to live up to the expectations of parents, coaches, and friends, while at the same time bracing for that jump into the next stage of life where you're on your own and everything will change. The basketball scenes were especially well-written, Crane conveyed the games with a physicality I could really feel, and I'm not even a basketball fan. While I rooted for Mack and Liv both on and off the court, both characters fell a little flat for me. It's hard to describe what that means. I read a whole book about them, and still didn't feel like I really knew them on a personal level, ya know?

All in all, I do think a lot of people will love this, and it's great to have another thought-provoking 2SLGBTQ+ novel to recommend.

I am so thankful I had the chance to read this ARC, but I fear this book was not the cute queer sports romance I anticipated.

I devoured this book in about 24 hours. A Sharp Endless Need will take its rightful place on my favourites shelf, and I knew that even before I finished it. Not only was it a fantastic, heartbreaking glimpse into the world of sexuality in small town sports, but explored finding your identify outside of love, sports, and grief. And to top it off it was also just a beautifully written book.

A Sharp Endless Need is written with such emotion, longing, and honesty that I was put right back into the years of wondering who I am and why I feel the way I do as a queer girl trying to figure it all out.

I would recommend this book to everyone. But this book will take up a special place in the hearts of any queer readers who spent time just trying to fit themselves into spaces they were never met to settle into.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Mac (Marisa) Crane for the chance to review this ARC.

This book is EVERYTHING!! Queer romance in a small town is right up my alley. The longing in this book, the parental relationships, girlhood. It hit all the marks for me and I would recommend this to EVERYONE.

“please, tell me about me, i wanted to say. tell me who i am so i don’t have to tell myself.”

a beautiful reflection on young love and finding yourself in a world so big and vast it feels like it’s made for you but also goes against everything you are. this book really resonated with me as a kid who also went through high school sports grappling with accepting my lesbianism and navigating what it all meant. exploring the complexities of newfound sexuality is so confusing and scary but so exciting all at once. reading this shot me straight back to high school and it made my heart break for Mack, myself, and others in the same position we once were in. but it also filled me with so much pride and joy knowing we will always end up where we’re supposed to.

i really appreciate mack’s unabashed confidence in her masculinity; it’s so important to have lesbian fiction with proud masculine characters and show that masculinity can be beautiful yet confusing, normal and natural.

the more i sit with this book, the more i love it and the more i want to sob. i think this book will mean more to me than i can know right now but for now i will leave this off with my favorite quote from this book: “i liked that she loved it enough to ruin it. it’s how i wanted liv to feel about me.”

a really enjoyable read, oscillating somewhere between the intensity of Challengers and the hazy grief of Euphoria. my only gripe: I never really got Liv, narrator Mack's teammate and maybe lover. she never receives much characterization outside of her basketball talents and her repressive home life, which is a shame because she takes up so much narrative weight -- other, far more minor characters (especially Mack's friends Grayson and Katrina) are more evocatively drawn and compelling to read about. nonetheless, it's nice to read a book that deserves the hype it's getting, and I'm excited to read more from Crane in the future.

This is the first book of Marisa Crane’s I’ve read and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it was about basketball but I didn’t expect to love all of the scenes during games, practices, etc as much as I did. I loved how connected Mack felt to Liv through basketball and how spot on all the technical parts of the basketball scenes were. Crane’s deep knowledge of basketball really shines. Other than the basketball, I was invested in Mack getting to know herself as a queer person. I loved that Crane included elements of being curious about gender/gender presentation. Most of the book though I really had a hard time with. The extent to which Mack was constantly binge drinking and taking drugs was very extreme for a junior in high school with no apparent consequences. Being able to perform at an elite level on the court but be constantly drunk and high off the court seemed unreasonable. I understand the author was painting the picture of Mack’s depression and grief around her dad’s death but it didn’t quite work for me. Mack got away health wise, socially, with her mom, with the police with being constantly reckless. I appreciated the nuance of Mack’s relationship with Liv but I couldn’t get past the recklessness.