This is a touching and insightful story. Amber is a rising star on her high school cheerleading squad. She hopes to become the captain her senior year and use that to get a college scholarship. The football team at her high school may be hopeless, but that does not stop the school or their small town from exhibiting strong team spirit. But when the team's quarterback is killed in a car accident and is replaced by a girl, Jack, it throws the school, the town, and Amber's life into chaos as the football team, and the broader community, question the new quarterback even as Jack shows she is a far better football player than who she replaced. Amber, who finds herself developing a deeper and deeper connection with Jack, tries to hold the squad together and get them, and the school, to support Jack. But as she faces increasing resistance from her teammates, she must confront how far she is willing to go to support Jack and do what she knows is right.

This is a great story, with compelling characters, a strong story, and surprising turns. The one pulls you in from the start.

Highly recommended!

This was such a sweet, quick read! I've been on a YA kick and I've had this on on my to be read list for a while and thought this would be a great pick for Pride month! I really enjoyed Amber and Jack's progression throughout the story. It was a nice breath of fresh air to see that Amber was pretty instantly smitten with Jack, that there was an attraction between them, and how she stood up for Jack when no one else did.
I think where I wanted more was actually with the conflict. Yes, there was conflict, obviously no one wanted a female quarterback to boss them around, but I wanted more tension between the two sometimes. I thought that it just kind of moved along as a straight line versus a rollercoaster which I may have preferred, but still loved the story regardless.

I feel so pumped and empowered after reading this book, and I’m not anywhere close to its target audience. But that doesn’t matter because Dahlia Adler’s story is filled with hope and strength and pride, and that can resonate with anyone. This is a fantastic read, and I feel privileged to read it in advance of publication.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

This one was so good; it was a delightful comfort read. I love YA, I love queer YA, I love YA with strong female characters, and, not coincidentally, I love almost everything about this book. (I’m also loving the mix of YA books I keep reading lately that have queer parent figures; it’s great to see!) It hit that satisfying mix of fluffy/soft and real/relevant, I liked the major characters and their growth, and I appreciated how, even with a happy ending, not everything magically worked out flawlessly; it was still real. I didn’t even lose too much interest in all the football talk, and let me tell you, that’s a big accomplishment on the writer’s end. The writer is very skilled in her own right, of course; her work reminds me of Casey McQuiston, Becky Albertalli, Andrea Mosqueda, and a few others. All in all, this was a great book, and it’s definitely one I’ll be adding to my list of novels to acquire for my classroom library in the near future.

Amber is a cheerleader just hoping to make captain next year when the new quarterback, Jack, comes in. To the surprise Amber, the rest of the cheerleaders and the football team, Jack is a girl. The team and cheerleaders are resistant to Jack leading the team, but I'm sure it ends with the team or the cheerleaders coming around and people coming out.

But this is my first book from NetGalley to DNF.

I really tried to keep going with this one, but I just couldn't do it.

What really put any interest I had in pushing forward was the line when Amber and Miguel are talking about "what cock-blocking is when you don't have a cock". But that section aside, I personally found Amber and Jack unlikable, both from their own POVs and then hearing about them from each other. Amber's cheerleader friends were unbearable and the stereotype of cheerleaders and football players was just a bit obnoxious (I know that was part of the point, but I couldn't stand to read and see if the cheerleaders ever overcame their internalized misogyny or any of them overcame their homophobia). I could also tell based off the blackmail discussion that there was some backstory to both Amber and Miguel that I personally did not want to get to and read the full account of, which is a personal preference, but a reason I'll dnf any book.

There were also writing bits that stood out to me, like the way the author continued to describe hair and eye color (Amber scooping her chestnut hair into a ponytail) that comes across as fairly immature/inexperienced writing or maybe something an editor should have caught.

The story had some promising parts and this might be a good book for some people, but it was not for me and I had no interest in finishing it.

Thank you to Net Galley for making this book available in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book however the writing style came across for a younger audience than I was expecting. I thought the story and plot were good. I liked the characters just wished they were fleshed out a bit more. It was a fun sweet romance and I thought it discusses sexism and homophobia well. Overall I thought it was good and I would recommend it to friends.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Home Field Advantage follows high school juniors Amber and Jack. Amber is a hardworking member of the cheer squad who aspires to be the team’s captain for her senior year. She’s fake-dating her friend and a member of the varsity football team, Miguel, because they’re both closeted at school. Enter Jack Walsh, the school’s new quarterback, and, surprisingly, a girl. TW for blatant homophobia, bullying, and mentions of death.

This was such a sweet read! It was nice getting the perspectives of both Jack and Amber, and being able to get up close and personal with their individual internal lives. One of my favorite things was that the conflict was believable. I struggle sometimes with miscommunication tropes, but in this case, the third act miscommunication was intentional, which gave the conflict something of a fresher bent. I also liked that, although many aspects of the plot were wrapped up neatly with a bow, there were some things that were sort of left open-ended.

Overall, I really enjoyed this wholesome queer romance, and I’d definitely recommend it, especially for fans of Adler’s backlist.

I really enjoyed reading Home Field Advantage!

I think this was my first Dahlia Adler book and it certainly won't be my last.

From the very beginning of following the path of HFA from Adler's twitter, to seeing it come to life, and reading it, I knew I was gonna enjoy it. I just didn't know how much.

I loved reading in both Amber and Jack's perspectives, on how they both felt throughout the book; the pull between each other, the feelings about their sports, etc…

Despite HFA being a YA, this has hard hitting topics that pull at your heartstrings. I liked seeing the topics and how they were woven into HFA. The bubbly, fun, airy world view of Home Field Advantage is definitely one that everyone knows, but getting into these hard dynamics was a surprise. I felt like it was done well, the balance of light and "dark".

Home Field Advantage isn't just a sapphic romance; it's romance, its sapphic, its queer, its football, its cheerleading, its talking about death and dealing with homophobia and misogyny. And i highly recommend it to anyone that'll listen.

*** thank you to Netgalley for my advanced e-copy of this novel***

I really enjoyed this cute coming of age/YA novel that follows Amber, a cheerleader who is in-the-closet as queer and is trying to make it as the team captain, and Jack, the new girl, who happens to be the new Quarterback that everyone hates.

I thought this was a quick and cute queer read, perfect to start my pride month off with. I think I enjoyed Dahlia’s other book, Cool for the Summer, more than Home field Advantage, as I don’t think this book will be as memorable a few months from now, but it did it’s job and was a good read, so I have no complaints.

I think my favorite character was Miguel though, he’s a great friend, fake boyfriend, supporter- whatever Amber and eventually Jack needed, he was there for them and I thought he was great.

Also, loved that Amber’s mom was the cool, understanding out-as-bi mom. I wish we got more scenes/conversations between Amber and her mom.

This book was an easy read with a cute sapphic romance. I loved the premise of the quarterback and the cheerleader trope with a sapphic twist and overall this was an enjoyable book that I read in one sitting. My favorite parts was definitely the exploration of the intersection of homophobia and misogyny. As a girl who played sports, it's very real and I always appreciate reading the challenges of female athletes.

While I liked the book overall and the themes explored, I did not love the characters. I am not sure why but I just did not connect with them that much.

High school is complicated and Dahlia Adler aptly displays this in Home Field Advantage.

It isn’t easy to replace someone who has died (I was actually in this position once and it is not easy). Jack faces a huge obstacle when starting the position of quarterback for a popular and recently deceased “star”. Not only does Adler place Jack in this position, but Jack is from another town, no one knows them, she’s a girl, and she’s really good at football.

Then we have Amber who is in the closet except to her boyfriend who is also on the football team and closeted. Small town minds do not make it easy for any of the people involved.

Adler always gives me a romance I love and this one is no different. I love Amber and Jack. I love their journey. I love their compadres and everything about Home Field Advantage. This is one romance I will be rereading year after year.

I've never read a Dahlia Adler book I didn't love, and this was no exception. I really enjoyed the friendship between the closeted athletes, and how the fake dating relationship was handled by all parties involved. It was hard to read the bullying aspects, but I felt it was a realistic reaction from ignorant teen boys grieving the loss of one of their own. I've already requested that my library purchase a copy, and I hope to get one for my own shelves soon too.

Amber is starting her junior year in high school and campaign for cheer captain the following year. But then the new quarterback, Jack, turns out to be a girl, and Amber is quite intrigued by her.

The dual perspectives were powerful. I particularly felt for Jack, with her mantra, "I am grateful I am grateful I am grateful." Having achieved her dream of being able to play football on a school team, she doesn't feel able to complain about her treatment. Amber made a lot of choices where she put her goal of being cheer captain above anything else. It really helped to read her perspective and remember what it was like to be a high school student. Miguel and Malcolm are fabulous characters, and I would have liked to see them featured even more.

It was nice to be transported back to memories of Friday night lights and to see a different take on the quarterback/cheerleader relationship. And I especially enjoyed the depiction of the parents.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: homophobia and misogyny

This was a quick read and super cute. I did think the dialogue was a little cheesy or condescending at points - it definitely reads like an adult writing how teenage them thought cool people spoke in high school, but it's all forgivable. I would absolutely read a spinoff with Amber's best friend Miguel.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

This was the perfect book to kick off Pride Month reading. High school cheerleader and quarterback romance...but the quarterback is a girl, and the cheerleader is queer. I LOVED that Jack is a quarterback (and GOOD) and I loved her and Amber together, especially once Amber decides to let people know that she's queer.

This is definitely a YA read, no steam besides "making out". There's a lot of high school style drama, which felt a bit juvenile to me, but that's my issue.

I think my personal favorite part was that it takes place in Florida, mentions Pub Subs, and UCF (along with other places I know, like Niceville). Seeing "University of Central Florida" in print was like YEAH GO KNIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 stars in my opinion, but I'd say 3.5 to 4 if I was the target audience.

This was really cute!

Lots of queer rep (bi mom, yes!), and a solid storyline. There is a LOT of sexism and homophobia, fair warning, as Jack navigates being the only girl on the football team in the panhandle of Florida--when the last quarterback died in a car crash after driving drunk and was turned from a bro jerk into a martyr. How do you step up after that? How do you step in after that? And then what happens when you arrive and the losing team literally starts winning and people can't see that because you're a girl?

Ugh. Anywho, I did wish I got to see more of Amber doing actual cheerleading stuff, because I kinda wanted to know what it's like being a base and throwing people into the air.

home field advantage is such a cute rom com! it didn't have a revolutionary plot or anything but it was just really cute to see this popular cheerleader x quarterback trope but sapphic! this was a quick and fun read, perfect for summer.

thann you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

What happens when the ultra Christian southern town welcomes in the first female cheerleader? Utter, unwelcome chaos.

Dahlia Adler's debut, Home Field Advantage, tells the story of Jack and Amber. Jack: the first female quarterback who actually could bring the town to victory. Amber: the junior cheerleader who needs the captain role for next year. Jack: openly out of the closet. Amber: secretly bisexual... but holding feelings for Jack. Will A stick to the status quo and not share her feelings with the world, taking her one true love onto Friday night lights?

Dahlia Adler does a fantastic job of separating dual points of view per chapter and interweaving both A and J perspectives.

I wish this book shared more depth into the character relationships with families and not into the sports aspect. In the end, I realized that these characters were teenagers and were allowed to make some sillier mistakes. I recommend this book to those who enjoy YA character driven reads.

**Side Note** I teach 7th grade currently, and would not necessarily house this in my class library, but find it 100% appropriate for an 8th grade and up classroom.

Adler writes juicy YA romances!! This novel has fake dating, mean cheerleaders, QB cheerleader romance! What’s not to love? It reminds me of a 90s teen flick made today. Adler’s adept at writing in a teenage voice. She creates characters that I’m not always crazy about, but are so true to the high school experience that it doesn’t matter. I absolutely adored Jack, and loved the journey she took in this novel. It’s the perfect summer beach read!

I went into this expecting it to be a new favorite contemporary YA romance but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. I enjoyed, but didn’t love, Adler’s previous sapphic YA Cruel for the Summer< and was expecting this one to be similar to that one but with a plot I’d enjoy more. Sadly, none of the things I liked about Cool for the Summer were present in this book. In fact, comparing the two has made me seriously consider upping my rating for that book.

One of the things I’ve always said about Adler’s work is that she excels at creating romantic and sexual tension but there was none of that here. Sure, the characters told each other how attracted they were to one another but it was never felt. I also just did not understand why these two wanted to be in a relationship in the first place. They were immediately physically attracted to each other and got together fairly soon, much too soon in my opinion, and there was hardly any relationship development. The relationship just felt flat and one-dimensional, which is not what you want in a book that’s intended to primarily be a romance. But that’s another issue I had with this book, it didn’t feel like a romance, or even just a contemporary story with a romantic subplot. It felt like three hundred pages of the author Making a Point. There was just SO much blatant misogyny and homophobia. These incidents kept happening and the characters reacted and thought the same way for majority of the book. It was so repetitive, which was another thing I really disliked about this book. I planned read this in less than a day but instead it took me three days to read because it felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. It was a drag to finish. Even if the romance was lackluster, if the characters had been interesting enough, I could have really enjoyed this book. But sadly the characters fell just as their relationship did. They felt like caricatures or cardboard cutouts of the archetypes they were supposed to represent. Speaking of stereotypes, Amber’s best friend Cara also felt like one. Cara’s storyline felt unoriginal and like an afterthought and I don’t understand how Amber could stand their and hug her after what she admits to knowing at the end of the book.

As much as I didn’t enjoy this book, I didn’t hate it either. I’m glad we have a butch lesbian main character in a YA book. That’s incredible! As a bi woman with a bi single mother, I love that there’s a bi single mom. I love that the queer characters are out at home to their families but in the closet at school. I really appreciate the nuanced conversations about coming out and how Jack never pressure Amber into coming out (at least until the end which felt like a complete 180 and confused me to no end). But that’s about where my list of things I liked about this end.

That doesn’t mean I won’t be reading this author again in the future though. I’ve loved Adler’s work in the past, this one just happened to be a miss for me.