I kind of read this book on a whim. Saw it suggested as a book someone was looking for on LibraryThing’s “Name that Book” group- it wasn’t, but the description caught my attention and when I saw it was available at my library, thought I’d just give it a try. Almost didn’t get far. It was overall kind of flat for me- but I was enjoying turning the pages because of the particular book smell (I kept trying to place it- finally realized it has a very cardboard and hint of dust scent which reminds me of the warehouse I worked in during summers off from college, decades ago!) I finished the book to see what happened, but didn’t like some of the parts near the end, particularly what the religious group did.
It’s a light teen romance wrapped around sports and LGBTQ+ issues. Spencer is trans, recently transferred school after some serious bullying happened at his previous highschool (only hinted at, no details). He passes very well, and feels cautions about coming out to anyone at the new school. Joins the soccer team against his parents’ wishes, and quickly falls for a teammate who doesn’t seem to like him at first. They’re forced to work together, gradually become friends and then maybe something more. But of course Spencer is wary of letting Justice know he’s trans- will that change everything? Especially when he finds out that Justice’s family is fanatically religious. There’s all kinds of other issues in this book- petitioning the school to change their bathroom situation, his younger brother is autistic, his parents are a mixed-race couple, his coach lost his son to a drug overdose, and so on. Unfortunately it felt like a lot of things were thrown in just to give the story more inclusiveness, not that they added much to the plot. The little brother for example. I wish the story had stuck to one main thing and gone into more depth, personally. Maybe that’s why it felt lackluster for me. Or because so much is about the soccer games, which I followed okay but couldn’t get excited about. Then again, I’m not the target audience for this book, so feel I can’t be too critical.
Borrowed from the public library.