Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a very ambitious, mostly successful debut. The characters are well-developed and the plot is truly unpredictable. I’m curious to see what Schaefer writes next. I will be recommending this to readers interested in queer, sports, and/or mystery stories.

i will never not think of this book when i think of austin now. the way each character was thought out, the way each life is interwoven with the others, the way the story unfolds so delicately. what a wonderful book, wonderful writing, wonderful story.

I will think about this book for years to come. WOW! There were so many subjects tackled in this book. It is one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. This story is a book club’s dream. There is so much to discuss and analyze. I will be recommending this book to a lot of people.

I don't know much about the boxing world but I enjoyed this story. We follow multiple characters that frequent a boxing gym until one of them goes missing. Decades later Bob launches his own investigation into the disappearance of his nephew. It was quite obvious what the plot twist or the big reveal was going to be. But I still recommend this novel. The character's were well written and the plot moved at an enjoyable pace.

I really tried to get into this book, but I struggled. Maybe it was the boxing or the plot, maybe a mix of both. I just could not get into this story. What I plodded through reading was good, I just couldn’t keep going.

This novel is a great hybrid of coming-of-age and murder mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the Texas setting - it felt so vividly realized, and I do not read a ton of books set in that part of the country.

This was a really well done novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the concept of this. It had a feel that worked in the realism and was engaged with the overall topics being told. Lucas Schaefer has a strong writing style and was glad I read this.

"The Slip" by Lucas Schaefer is an engaging story that would make a great limited TV series. Set in an Austin boxing gym, this novel offers a cinematic experience through a kaleidoscope of characters.

The story is told through multiple characters’ narratives, which make the pacing move and shift like a boxer's footwork. Each character has a unique voice but shares the same environment, often struggling with how they are perceived in relation to their identity, including aspects like race, ethnicity, age, gender, and sexual orientation. They grapple with feeling pigeonholed/want to give the slip to the conflict between who society thinks they are and who they want to be or how they aspire to navigate the world. The plot also features an intriguing mystery that keeps readers guessing.

Similar to the characters, the book defies easy categorization. I highly recommend this book! It is engaging, thought-provoking, and keeps you guessing from beginning to end. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing the ARC.