Cover Image: Running with Lions

Running with Lions

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Member Reviews

This book was a haven to me. I started reading it during a very tense and uncomfortable moment for me, and it felt like a place to hide from the world. I loved Julian Winters' writing right away. It felt... comfortable. A bit like curling up in your bed to watch your favorite show feels like.

Running With Lions has an amazing, and diverse, cast. I enjoyed how Winters presented us with this group of players who see each other as family, and made us see them in the same light.
While usually with books with a main m/m romance and a male-heavy setting such as this one tend to leave the women at the sidelines, Running With Lions had awesome minor female characters. Though none of them were the main focus of the story, they all felt like real people, with feelings and wants and dreams of their own, and none of the petty, vengeful ex trope, for which I am immensely grateful for, I gotta say.

The main characters Sebastian and Emir have a very natural and genuine chemistry. More than the romantic scenes (though I loved those as well), I enjoyed seeing them building back their friendship. They work together amazingly as a main pairing, and also as individual characters. Sebastian's feelings and motivations were always so relatable, and his heart won me over. Emir himself was another bright light for me. I loved seeing his vulnerability and his strength, and his fierce love for his family spoke to me.

Overall, Julian Winters crafted a great cast I'd love to see more of in the future while still writing a book that works perfectly as a standalone. I'll be sure to check out whatever he decides to write in the future, and recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet romance with a great cast to fall in love with.

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I don’t often venture into Young Adult territory but in the case of Running with Lions, I’m so so glad I did.

I won’t lie, the use of present tense took some getting used to and there were definitely times I couldn’t keep up with the nonstop banter and good-natured trash-talk between Bastian and his teammates. But despite all the chaos and action, the book had a quiet, lazy vibe to it that marked Bastian’s last summer at his beloved soccer camp.

The first thing that struck me was how open, inclusive and diverse everyone was. Sure, there was a lot of testosterone and teenage bravado thrown about, but I adored how the coaching staff created this incredible safe space for the kids to just… be. Be queer, be straight, be black, be white, just be themselves as they played “the beautiful game.”

“Vamos, hombre ! Is that the best you’ve got?” Coach Rivera yells. “Want another thirty minutes of cardio added to tomorrow’s practice?” His dark eyes narrow at Smith, who is struggling to keep up. “Smith! Where’s your form ?” he asks after a sip of his cinnamon coffee.

“At your wife’s house,” Smith mutters.

“I heard that! My husband would appreciate it if you picked your crap up one of these days.” Grins are rare for Rivera, but his lips twitch when Smith trips over his own feet.

The second thing that intrigued me – okay plagued me – was Bastian and Emir’s back story. There was a lot of hostility between them and I just had to know what had caused the rift between these former best friends. When the story finally came out, it was not at all what I expected but it still managed to choke me up. Damn you, teenage angst.

If I had thought the first half of the book was a bit slow, the second half practically flew by in a lovely haze. In the midst of endless trainings sessions and summertime shenanigans (complete with awesome soundtrack, mind you), Bastian and Emir came to a truce that was as sweet as it was rocky. The boys, including Bastian’s best friends Willie and Mason – and girl, Gray! – ceased to be teenage caricatures for me and their personalities gradually came into focus with every fistpump on the soccer pitch and rejection at the dining hall.

As you can tell, I really came to connect with these kids. I liked that Bastian, despite being the responsible one that everyone looked up to, didn’t have the slightest clue about his future. I also really appreciated that his character suffered from body image issues despite being fit AF. I loved Willie who was popular and kind, and tolerated Mason who was confident and annoying. But most of all, I connected best with Emir, the shy and skinny British-Pakistani transplant who appeared to loath everyone as much as he hated himself. I totally related to his reasons for wanting to make the soccer team, just as I could relate to his casual approach to prayers (“Faith is a big thing to Abbu, so I try not to disappoint him.”)

And then there was the footy. Not gonna lie, one of the earliest football reference about catching a Real Madrid match next summer had me worried because, well, there is no European club play during that time of year. Apart from a few awkward club references that was probably the for benefit of non-soccer fans, I loved the rest of the footy talk as much as I hated the random teams that came up 😉 I thought the author did a pretty good job portraying the on-pitch action. My hands down favorite moment was one particularly brilliant scene in which the coach’s daughter wiped the floor during a one-on-one challenge that was quite frankly a long time coming.

Running with Lions ended on a dramatic note high on teenage hopes and dreams and also potent with unity and inclusivity. If I had this book in paperback, I would have hugged it upon finishing it. I may or may not have hugged my reader instead.

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4 of 5 stars

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley for review.

With all our wedding excitement this week, I almost forgot to post my review of RUNNING WITH LIONS! Which would have been incredibly sad, because this is quite a fun book.

I’ve been on a queer sports stories kick lately, which means this book was right up my ally. I admit, when I originally requested it for review I thought it was a graphic novel and I was a tiny bit disappointed when it wasn’t, but not for long. This book was filled with so much fluffy, tropey goodness: best friends to enemies to lovers, accidental kissing, summer romance and more. Also, the main character is a bi guy and his love interest is a snarky Muslim boy? Yes please!

There were some parts of this book that weren’t quite for me. I felt like I missed some small things because I know nothing about soccer, but I learned as we went. Some of the comments still felt unnecessarily heteronormative, which was surprising to me since it felt like the rest of the representation was pretty good. I got over it, but I was a little disappointed. I also had some trouble keeping track of who knew what and how folks felt about each other from day to day. There were a lot of folks bad at communicating, which unfortunately made its way into the writing. Also, as a personal side note, I was really peeved that anytime someone smoked they threw their cigarette butt onto the ground. The biologist and environmentalists in me was really displeased.

This book also did some things really well in addition to the fun tropes. I appreciated the portrayal of body positivity and body image issues in guys, because that’s not something we see a lot. I liked that not everyone ended up with their first crush at the end. I was able to see myself and my anxiety in the main character’s anxiety, especially regarding his upcoming transition to college. That was absolutely me my senior year and is still me any time I have big chances coming or big decisions to make.

All in all, this story was a fun and mostly light summer read. I would recommend it to fans of Check, Please! and contemporary teen romances.

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[4.5 stars] What a refreshing read! So nice to see boys playing sports and supporting each other! It’s much preferable to the typical toxic masculinity that tends to invade sports books.

I also loved the portrayal of Sebastian’s body issues. This book would be the perfect gift for a sensitive/awkward boy! Also, like, everyone is queer!

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Oh God, I had such high hopes for this that it isn't a wonder the book couldn't meet them all. LGBTQ, teen boys and sports are my ultimate favorite combo and thus for others Running With Lions can deliver more than it did for me. The book is about a LGBTQ friendly soccer team Bloomington High School Lions. Our main character is the goalie Sebastian Hughes, whose former friend Emir Shah joins the team and the two don't really get along until they do. The story revolves around the summer camp, but sadly so there wasn't enough playing for me, since that's what makes sports books - well depicted games. Mostly it's just Sebastian and Emir practicing, since Emir isn't really good at the beginning and Sebastian is about to become the captain.

The story is surely cute and I loved how accepting the team and the coach are. Alongside this we have diversity as the characters vary in nationality, skin color and whatnot. Sebastian's friends are great and even they get their stage time, which is nice. My only concern is that Sebastian is too obsessed with Emir as in, his thoughts are very narrow and we don't really get to see the real him. The book is perhaps too full trying to fit in so many things that it doesn't deliver anything fully, but offers mostly scratches. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but concerning how much Sebastian worries about his future, looks and all, we don't get that much anything to correct the situation and it feels like the story isn't moving forward. Sebastian and Emir's relationship goes back and forth too and I would've wanted more coherence. I'm not saying that the book isn't good or that it doesn't work. It's actually very good for Winters' first novel, so I must congratulate. Perhaps I'd say less is more in this case and I wait eagerly what Winters has to offer in the future!

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I could not put this down from start to finish, it was so so good. I'm happy crying right now because of how much I loved this. Please check this book out! It has everything you need: great friendships, cute romance plot (childhood friends to lovers trope with a hint of enemies to lovers thrown in!!), well written characters, hilarious moments and banter and is really diverse. 10/10 would love to cry over sebastian again.

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<blockquote><i>”’You’re beautiful.’
Sebastian rolls his eyes. ‘Guys aren’t-‘
‘Hey,’ Emir cuts in. ‘Guys </i>are<i> beautiful. And girls are handsome. Words aren’t gender-specific. Don’t be some jerk asshole about this.’”</i></blockquote>
At its core, this book is just all-around <b>cute</b>. Even though it gets deep and sad sometimes, it’s generally light-hearted and when I finished, I felt like I could do anything. Be anyone. It made me so happy and smile-y, and I would recommend it to any <s>gay</s> person just for that reason.

First off – every character in this book is a downright disaster, and it shows. Save maybe Hunter, no one knows what they’re doing and everyone is just doing their best and being gay/bi and hoping that the rest of everything falls into place. And you know what? It does.

One of my favorite things about this book was the romance between Emir and Hunter. If the words “childhood best friends to enemies to lovers” doesn’t entice you to read this book, then why tf are you reading this review? Go play Xbox or something. Damn.

But besides that, it was excellently developed and <b>so beautifully shippable. </b> Basically Sebastian’s first reaction when he sees Emir at camp again is ‘oh no, he’s hot,’ which is so valid and funny that I shipped them from that second onward forever and amen.

The plot of <i>Running With Lions</i> was also largely character-driven, which is right up my ally. Plot-driven romances are so boring to read, but this book was fun and exciting. Even when I reached a dead spot, I wanted to keep reading because I wanted to know how it would all end! It was also fun reading (almost) all of the side romances.

The one side romance that I didn’t enjoy reading was the whole Gray/Mason fiasco. I just found Gray’s crush on Mason honestly kind of creepy?? And obsessive?? Sure that culminating scene at the end was cool but besides that I was like dang she just needs to <i>back off</i>. Though maybe Mason shouldn’t have been so rude about it, I probably would have been fed up, too if someone who I had rejected many times over was still so in-your-face about their crush.

I also wasn’t the hugest fan of the writing. Especially in the beginning, it was really choppy and awkward, especially the exposition. The dialogue was fine, but I kept getting lost when they were describing things. Though I got used to the writing in the last two thirds, I was pretty uncomfortable for the first bit.

Also, Emir has a British accent but they don’t even mention it until, like, the second or third scene he’s in? Mention it right when he speaks for the first time smh I was so confused and had to rework my entire perception of him.

The messages in this book were very uplifting, though, and I loved that this novel include a guy with body image problems, because that’s <b>so rare</b> to see in media. I loved the acceptance and appreciation for everyone in this book.

I feel like some cynical people are gonna complain that it isn’t realistic for an entire soccer team to be accepting to everyone of all sexualities just through the sheer hopefulness of their coach, so before you do complain, consider this: maybe don’t? So what if it’s not entirely realistic? It doesn’t matter. I think that lgbt people, myself included, deserve to have a cute romance where there isn’t any homophobia/biphobia present in the supporting characters. It’s okay for it to be cheesy. This book is meant to make people, especially queer teens, feel happy inside, and it does that.

To conclude, I would recommend this book to anyone, especially members of the lgbt community, who are looking for a good, sweet romance that brings joy and happiness to both its characters and its readers. It exceeded my expectations, and I know it will exceed yours, too.

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3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. The first 30% was sooo slow for me and I was really contemplating DNFing this one because I was not connecting with the characters or the voice. I don't know what won me over or made me connect but around the 45% mark I was hooked. I could really hear Bastian's voice then and I was very invested in the team and whether they were going to beat their rivals.

I loved all the representations and attitudes in this book. There were parents who were actually supportive and could even be considered role models. The coach was a great adult figure in their lives too. I was excited to see how the team did not care about their fellow teammates sexualities and how they stood up for each other, especially in the locker room against their rivals. I liked the fact that Emir was Muslim but it wasn't made a big deal out of. We got to see a little bit about how prayer worked in his life but other than that it was just another facet of his life. I was also very excited to see a gay Muslim character. I am confused, however, on why he didn't observe Ramadan. It could potentially be occurring when they first go off to camp so I was wanting some sort of mention of that because it is such an important religious event for them.

I was also really pleased with Lily's response to Bastian not knowing what to do with his life. It was refreshing to see a character so lost. Many people go into their senior year of high school having no clue where they want to go to school, if they do at all, or what their future holds. You don't have to know right then and it's okay if you have to take some time to figure it out. I really think that teens should get to see more examples of this so they don't feel so alone.

The representation was superb and so were the very real problems that many, if not all, teenagers face. Towards the end, I was really getting Bastian's unique voice but I think it needed to be stronger in the first third. Overall, it was a really great read and I can't wait to recommend this to some friends.

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Round up to 2.5 stars.

This was a sweet story with a truly diverse cast of characters. I loved that there were many LGBTQ characters in the book, not just the MC and the love interest. I appreciated that the author worked to undercut stereotypes by setting a M/M romance in a “macho” but accepting athletic milieu and by emphasizing the coach’s promotion of tolerance. I was also pleased by the attention given to body image, an issue not explored frequently enough in books about boys. Emir, in particular, was thoughtfully portrayed, although I found his motivation for attending camp unconvincing: it’s hard to swallow that a painfully shy kid with minimal soccer experience would try out for (and make!) a highly competitive varsity soccer team in his senior year just because his father is a soccer fan.

My main problem with the book is the writing, which is sloppy and frequently awkward. I noticed many mid-sentence tense shifts, problems with subject-verb agreement (“his features immediately morphs into that mortified look”), examples of clumsy syntax (“this pack of misfits is his misfits”; “His prideful stance is maintained”), and so forth. There are inconsistencies in the text, and sometimes a moment of exposition or a characterization is undercut by a detail introduced a few paragraphs later. These problems frequently pulled me out of the story and sometimes made the narrative confusing.

The writing is also repetitious. The word “epic” is epically overused. Eyebrows wiggle relentlessly. The color of the sky is described obsessively. The workings of Sebastian’s stomach, throat, and brain – lazy shorthand for his emotions – are invoked so frequently that they practically become secondary characters: “it cracks open Sebastian’s brain,” “all of this is unhealthy for his overcrowded brain,” “Sebastian’s brain goes offline,” “his brain is still frozen,” “he has a brain freeze,” “his brain is fried,” etc. The text is rife with clunky, inapt similes and metaphors, and the same metaphors are used multiple times, which deprives them of freshness; for example, one character is compared to “a dead starfish” and another to “a paralyzed starfish.”

The text seems to rely on many of the tics and tropes that I’m accustomed to seeing in fan fiction. I have no problem with fan fiction – I read it and frequently enjoy it – but fan fiction is a place where many readers will excuse careless writing in exchange for a good story. In a published, edited book, I expect a cleaner, more polished, and more professional text.

I know that these issues will not matter so much to some readers. But, to me, this book read as though it still needed another couple of rounds of revision and editing.

[One last point: I cringed at the idea of an adult woman giggling while calling her teenage son’s friend “a tease.” Yuck.]

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I loved this book's diverse cast and how very realistic Bastain is. He's dedicated to his friends, worries about what his future holds and so perfectly confused about what to do about Emir, both as a new teammate and as a former friend that he's attracted to. Teens of all kinds are going to find themselves here. I can't wait to read what Julian Winters writes next.

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I expected to love this, but I'm sad to say I didn't like it that much. It was super cute, but the writing style just never really worked for me and it kept me from really connecting with the story/characters. I LOVED the idea of it and I think it has a lot of good things going for it, the execution just didn't work for me. It's not terrible so I definitely still recommend it, it's just one of those "it's not you it's me" things.

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I really wanted to like this book. It has everything I generally like in my YA book reading. And a lot of those things weren't the problem. The characters were fine. The plotting worked, for the most part. I liked the diversity, how sexuality was handled, etc.

What really turned me off to this was the writing. It wasn't bad, per se. It just felt forced. It relied too heavily on bad metaphors. It tried too hard to be lofty, when most of the time it fell flat. It reminded me a lot of fanfiction (not to rip on people who write or like fanfiction. I have just never been a fan of a lot of the writing tropes that it leans on) or cheesy romance novels.

Just know what you are getting into. The writing is mediocre and a little cringey sometimes. If you can look past that at the story, you will probably like this book.

Unfortunately, I couldn't.

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Delightfully queer. Loved how Winters established a sports community that accepted all identities, even though sometimes that wasn't always accepted by outsiders. A rewarding read. Excited to see what Winters does next.

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4/5 Stars

Whenever I hear soccer in conjunction with a book my ears perk up, so I was delighted to have the chance to read Julian Winters' Running with Lions before release. It's a story of friendship, sports, romance, life and the intersections between them all with characters that jump off the page and straight into readers' hearts. Plus it's all centered around one of my true loves.

Sebastian's an awkward yet adorable bisexual goalkeeper trying to navigate his senior soccer season and worrying about what the future holds. His friend group is a bit of a mess but wonderful in all it's complexity. There's Mason with his big personality, Willie with his encouraging kindness, Grey with her passion and reserve, and so many more. Of course everything is thrown off kilter when an old friend, Emir, also goes out for the team.

The inclusiveness and diversity within these pages is off the charts with bisexual and gay characters, M/M romance, and a Muslim love interest. The soccer camp and team itself is a safe haven for those wanting to be open in their identity and it was super encouraging to see that in the sports world. Friends to enemies to lovers is quickly become a fave trope and the way the romance happens felt very authentic.

Honestly my favorite part of this book was all the soccer talk. I grew up living and breathing the sport (I still do really), spending most of my weeks at the fields whether it was practice, playing, or watching my brothers. It was a total family affair and this book truly resonated those feelings. I loved every mention of player names or clubs and truly saw myself in Grey. This book felt like home in the strongest way!

Overall Running with Lions by Julian Winters was such an endearing chronicle of soccer, life, and love. It played on all my emotions and the characters provided such complex diversity to the page. While the writing was a bit choppy at points and there's not a whole lot of plot, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you like contemporaries or soccer totally pick this one up!

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4+ Stars

What to Expect: A summer of about a football/soccer captain who doesn’t know he’s a captain falling in love with a star who has no idea he’s a star and the team comprised of friends who sometimes forget how to be friends but all of whom eventually figure it out. And did I mention footie? If you loved Simon but wanted more social awareness, this one is for you.

(Note: Binge On Books Review pending posting)

Review:

The cover features a sun-warmed, smiling huddle of Lions. The capital “L” is because the Lions are a team, a soccer team, to be specific, and these members are heading into their senior year of high school. There’s the All-American Sebastian (Bastian), the MC, who will save his teammates over and over as they make Bad Decisions (TM). Then, there’s white-haired and gorgeous Willie, who is everyone’s friend and Bastian’s favorite to be around. And Mason, best offensive player on the team and the one who people love to hate. There’s the indefatigable Gray, the Coach’s daughter who takes no prisoners save Mason, who should really behave much, much better. There’s Hunter, who is just lovely. And Emir. Whooo. Emir. Emir, who blows hot and cold, resentful and vulnerable, foreign and other, unavoidable and untouchable, and so, so beautiful.

Who you don’t see on the cover are the adults. The parents, the coaches, the restaurant owners, all of whom are wonderfully supportive. How refreshing to see wide-scale support for queer youth. In fact, the Lions’ head coach created this space on purpose to be a safe space for teens due to his own nephew being targeted. The coach didn’t like what happened so he did something about it. This doesn’t always happen. But it’s telling that Winters gave him this back story. It’s the kind of thing a queer kid would want…no, need…to see in the world. And, finally, it feels like this is happening. Nevertheless, they are a constant in the background, not needing to take the main stage in order to make a difference. And they shouldn’t.

This isn’t their story.

This story belongs to the teens. Specifically, those teens approaching the last year of high school. The ones already contemplating what comes next. The ones who know exactly and the ones who have no clue. This story belongs to those who have carried unrequited love and to those who have been too free in taking love from others. This story belongs to those who grew up together and who have missed each other and, despite having loved each other, haven’t reached out to reconnect for Reasons. This story is about getting over old hurts and creating new ones.

Running with Lions embodies teenagers. The drama. The excitement. The hope. The awfulness. In this space, Bastian and Emir find each other again. It’s tenuous. Both are vulnerable. And, let me tell you, this romance is touch and go. They hate each other. They avoid each other. They yearn. Then, inexplicably...they’re on… ’til they aren’t. And neither knows where they stand with each other until one or the other takes a stand. But, sheesh, will that even happen?

My lips are sealed.

I was especially touched by body image issues, Bastian’s in particular. While it was never named, and while it may not have been something diagnosable as an eating disorder (ED), Bastian certainly did not have a healthy relationship with his body. This was present throughout the book and was both unresolved and—aside from some supportive comments from Emir — unaddressed through to the end. On the one hand, this could have been tackled head on. The coach, for example, could have seen Bastian’s excessive workout schedule and insisted on getting him help. But I find no reason for criticism on this issue. On the contrary, it is far more realistic for Bastian’s behavior to be celebrated and, indeed, providing one more reason why Bastian is a ‘role-model’. That isn’t to say he isn’t. Because he is. But ED is already so hidden and because clever, devoted people are both clever and devoted, it is more realistic that Bastian’s self-image remains secretly problematic. I loved the subtlety of this and hope that, in reading this, readers develop sympathy for those who suffer from ED.

What you may not like: The initial barrage of characters is hard to follow. Granted, we are meeting a team, plus friends, all of their exes, and, of course, family. Plus, the nicknames. Sebastian is Bastian. Willie is sometimes Willster. Mason is Mace. Grey is Grace. This eventually settles out but for a while, I needed notes.

Additionally, pop culture references as metaphors are peppered liberally through the novel. Most are well known and, to a large degree, speak to how the characters have been shaped by their choices in movies, books, and music. But for those unaware of these references, it can be alienating —a clever twist considering how alienation and adoption are a running theme for the book. I’m not convinced this connection was intentional.

What you will love: The inclusivity, the diversity, the struggles teens have with both, the authenticity, the occasions when characters rise above who they were to become something better. Winters wrote these characters with love. Genuinely. Even when the characters are lacking in thoughtfulness — or worse — I found myself rooting for them.

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I love this book. It's adorable. Winters was able to create a sports team for queer teens that made me believe that they were real teens in a real situation. Sure, it reads a little every young sport playing queer's fantasy self-insert but why not? Sports book need more representation of queer characters (also diversity of race, the love interest is a gay British American Pakistani Muslim!) too many queer YA novels stay in the realm of theatre or no hobbies. This is really a character driven book and every single character is believable as a teenage boy. There are no paradigms and no solely assholes (except some bit characters late in the novel from the teams great rival, warnings for that f-word once). And for once, the teenage boys think about and talk about sex but aren't disgusting or vulgar ever. Yes the writing style is a little repetitive but teenagers are repetitive, especially about their insecurities. I even enjoyed that Sebastian talked with his parents about his insecurities and got counseling. I do think that could have been fleshed out a bit more because Sebastian is teetering on the edge of an eating disorder and has some unhealthy connections to exercise that often goes excused in young men. But I also really liked that getting counseling and being vulnerable isn't a sin against these boys. Many of the teens are given moments of vulnerability with their teammates and are supported. I even liked that the author points out, tells the reader, when characters are being vulnerable because too often society tells young men they aren't allowed to be. I just really love that this book exists.

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I am not even sure how to start this review. I requested this book completely accidentally, after seeing people I follow on Twitter being excited about it. And I am SO GLAD I did request it and that I was approved. 

I've read quite a few YA books in the past and nowadays there are more and more queer YA books, and I have to catch up with most of them. But this one is currently one of my favourite. Okay, yes, I love steamy romances that are quite far from YA genre, but if they are written well, I don't mind if the sex scenes are 'hidden'. And teenagers, and younger, as well as older (*hi* :) ) queer people deserve to read stories like this. When I was a teen, there were almost no queer stories for teens that I could find. 

But back to the book. It's about football (stubbornly called 'soccer' in here because...America? :) ). And so one would expect less-than-queer-friendly environment. But it isn't. At least not in the team. There are openly gay and openly bi characters, including one of the coaches who is married to a guy. And I loved that. The idea that people in the team are supportive and comfortable with other players being openly queer, and that it's established from the beginning. 

Sebastian (Bastian) is openly bi to his team but has never been with a guy, and had his girlfriend break up with him. I don't think the reason is actually given, but they just weren't meant to be together. Then, at the annual summer football camp, he meets his ex-best-friend Emir Shah. 

This is not quite friends-to-enemies-to-lovers but more friends-to-strangers-to-lovers. They haven't spoken in a long time and Sebastian is nervous and wants to reconnect, and Emir is seemingly not interested into making friends. 

It's a very sweet story, with football, some kissing, some rule breaking, and some relatively mild angst and drama. I just loved everything about the book, from Emir being Pakistani-British and practicing Muslim (and I am pretty sure I saw that the author used a sensitivity reader so this rep should be good :) ). It has a lot of friendship in it and sport, and some angsting about what to do after high school. 

I have to say once again that it is a very cool book that deserves all the attention it gets and I am so happy I had the chance to read it :) 

(Note: Yes, I used football because I just can't get myself to call it soccer :) )

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Running with Lions, is an LGBTQIA+ Young adult novel that is incredibly relatable for todays generation. This book tells the story of a summer camp where a sports team compiled of youth, some who are LGBTQIA+ are training for the upcoming season. The book centres on Sebastian and Emir and a friendship that was, and the reconnecting after many years apart. There are many trials and tribulations felt over the course of the Summer camp and choices are made that will change not only Sebastians life but all around him. The book never shys away from serious topics such as bullying, body shaming and Islamophobia just to name a few, these are all dealt with delicately and accurately represent the issue at hand. The message felt all across this novel; is that you are more than your sexuality and I felt this to be incredibly empowering as a young gay man, and to explain to those who don't understand that we are no different to you except in who we love.

I will definitely be recommending this book for purchase.

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I really should only give this three stars, because I didn't really like it until about halfway through. Some of the early dialogue is boring and feels forced, and there are so many guys on the team that they never get developed much and kind of blend together. It's also never really clear why Emir and Sebastian are so hostile with each other. Friends grow apart all the time, but their seems like there should be a lot more to the situation--but there isn't.

HOWEVER.

Once Bastian and Emir start to work things out and we get to know them (and some of their teammates) better, the story became super cute--enjoyable and surprisingly emotional. I love that everyone on the team is accepting of each other, and there are multiple characters that are gay or bi. It's not a big deal, though--EVERYONE TREATS IT AS IF IT IS PERFECTLY NORMAL. *gasp* I also love that there are strong male characters that are accepting of the boys.

All in all, the end outweighed the beginning for me, and I ended up loving the whole adorable team.

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What sets this book apart is how inclusive it is. I've never seen a group of characters, let alone teenage boy characters, who were so confident in their identities. Although somewhat unrealistic in the degree to which this plays out, it was very refreshing. Sebastian's voice is very believable, conveying all of the teenage angst you'd expect from someone who rekindling an old friendship, finding a new crush, and worrying about an uncertain future.

Based on the cover, it may look like the middle grades or middle school book. It is not. I'd recommend it for high school.

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