Buchta attempts to blend mystery, sports drama, and a bit of social commentary, but the execution is a bit uneven. The pacing lags in the middle, and while the concept is solid, some of the dialogue and character interactions feel forced or outdated. Readers looking for sharp, realistic teen voices may find themselves pulled out of the story at times.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

ALL FOR THE GAME by Heather Buchta

Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the earc (Jul 1)

Texas, football, life.
It's a ticket out for Finn. When he transfers to East Page High, it's the answer. Until it's not. Threats loom when Finn's girlfriends notices things: that prominent rivals out from the game. The deeper she digs, the more dangerous it is for her. Then there's Finn's cousin, head cheerleader. When a football player dies, she learns she is kept in the dark---that she isn't as popular as she thought. Each of them have things to face as the mystery is unraveled.
The premise of this book was interesting, and the idea of it drew me. This book is one that is full of conspiracies, and with its multi-pov, it's easy to gather the whole story and the role each character had in uncovering the plot. Each chapter brought something new and enticing: a new threat, a new detail learned. And the questions I had. I wanted to know how deep in East Pages this ran, how many people were in on it. Honestly, this was twisted. Like seriously so. The lengths some of the characters went was terrifying: the following of Meg, the threats toward Brit and Finn, the death of a player. It was just crazy.
I loved how fast-paced this was. There was never a dull moment, and with the daunting length of over 400 pages, I applaud the author for that.

2.5 rounded down. The vibes in this book were all over the place. I just did not resonate with the characters (until about 80%) and the plot felt too fantastical, and this is coming from someone who has watched way too many evil cheerleader lifetime movies. The premise had some promise but it just didn’t quite work for me.

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

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of ALL FOR THE GAME by Heather Buchta in exchange for my honest review.***

I usually love sports themed books. Something about the hard work to achieve individual or team goals and the thrill of competition excites me.

Texas high school football is something I only understand slightly through the tv series FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. ALL FOR GAME is a novel about the death of a player and three teens who try to solve the mystery.

I likes the mystery better than I did the writing. The passive voice often felt stiff and the dialogue used words and phrases different than teens I know.

A lukewarm recommendation.