I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See the end for teacher-specific feedback.

I was excited by the premise of “Like Other Girls” by Britta Lundin. It’s one of those stories that seems to pop up in local or national news on occasion; girl makes history by joining boys’ football team. Plus, there’s a whole micro-genre of books devoted to this scenario, like “Michigan and the Boys” (hockey) and “A Season of Daring Greatly” (baseball). Having read and enjoyed those titles, I figured I knew what to expect from this one: tons of sexism, probably some identity issues on the part of main character Mara, and an uphill battle for Mara to prove she belongs on that field just as much as anyone.

Did this book check all of those boxes? Yes. But it was also so much more. When I finished it, I couldn’t help reflecting that it was really a crash course in overcoming internalized misogyny. Mara comfortably identified as female, but all she wanted was to be seen as “one of the boys.” She nearly achieved this feat, until four other girls inspired by her example decide the to join the fray without any desire to conform to the masculine culture. In short, they are unapologetically young women playing on a men’s team.

There were so many things to love about this book. A really great cast of characters, lots of growth on the part of Mara, and a somewhat nuanced exploration of a mother who can’t let go of the feminine vision she has for her daughter to see her for who she is are high points. The plot was well-paced, authentic, engaging, and well-concluded. Even outside of the importance of this book as an exploration of gender norms and how they affect us internally and externally, this was just a flat-out enjoyable read.

As you would expect, though, sexism abounds. Hijinks perpetrated by angry team members suffering from severe cases of toxic masculinity are recurring and frustrating. Sexist and misogynistic comments are made about females’ bodies. Mara and the other girls don’t receive a lot of support from the adults whose job it is to keep them safe. Honestly, I felt like this made the portrayal even more accurate, but I know this can be hard to read for some folx.

Additionally, Mara’s mother forces her to dress in ways that are extremely feminine and not-at-all Mara’s preferred gender presentation (i.e., forcing Mara to wear dresses, heels, lipstick, etc.). Mara is highly uncomfortable and dysphoric in these scenes, and I found them a bit hard to read. Another case of an accurate portrayal of the relationship some gender-nonconforming teens face with parents who seek to control their kid’s presentation. It puts the “realistic” in “realistic fiction,” but it makes you want to scream on Mara’s behalf.

Also, while this book has no actual sex scenes and never moves beyond kissing or making out, there are a couple scenes that involve non-consensual contact (unwanted kissing and touching). There are also multiple parties with copious underage drinking.

While all of those warnings probably make this book sound super dark, it’s not- there is a lot of light throughout the struggle. Mara truly loves playing football in a way that is almost infectious. Lundin’s descriptions of Mara’s thoughts and feelings at practice are so well-written and really made me feel the magic Mara felt on the field. The friendships Mara eventually forges, both with the other girls who join the team and with a new lesbian woman who moves to town, become a source of solace and bravery. Not every player on the football team is a raging douche, and some are even supportive from the very beginning. And, even though she struggles throughout the book with some pretty stark internalized misogyny, Mara refuses to compromise on who she is, even as it makes her life harder in various ways, something I found inspiring.

All in all, this book was a really great read, and I highly recommend grabbing a copy.

Now the teachery bit: I’ve covered most of the hard content earlier in the review, but I’ll also add a language warning. Explicit language, as well as language that sexualizes women’s bodies, occurs throughout the text. But, for all the explicit parts of the book, I truly feel like this book is honest, realistic, and authentic. Nothing felt gratuitous or unnecessary. This book would be most at home in grades 9-12, but I will likely still pick up a copy for my 8th-grade classroom library when it comes out. It would be cool to do a unit in grade 9 or 10 where this text was paired with similar texts about girls playing traditionally male sports. There’s a lot of good argument topics there, plenty of good nonfiction articles to pair, and plenty to talk about that will help kids clarify their own opinions and hopefully become better people.

This book may be one of my 2021 favorites. Mara, is such an interesting, confident character that the author doesn't need any love triangles to worry about or crazy plot twists to hook the reader. Instead, the author just tells an amazing story about a girl who wants to do her own thing without having to worry about other people's opinions. This book is written for all the girls who have been told they "play like a girl" or can't do something because of their gender. The diversity of the characters and their confidence in who they are, or who they would like to be, is inspiring and the lessons learned along the way - about friendship, family, and having the confidence to be yourself - are subtle but important.

This books was so good! It made me laugh out loud and also want to scream at and punch the patriarchy. I loved Mara's journey throughout the book. I thought all of the other characters were also very developed and I loved the journeys that most of them went through as the book went on. The story was interesting and engaging and as a football fan myself, I loved reading the football scenes because I could see them play out in my mind. Overall a great read that I will definitely be recommending to everyone.