Love. Love, love LOVE. I've read other books by Dahlia Adler, but this one made her an autobuy author.

This book was sweet, sweet perfection. I loved Dahlia Adler's first book, Cool for the Summer, but this book blew my expectations out of the water.

There wasn't a dull moment in Home Field Advantage, and I appreciated that I didn't have to wait through 75% of the book for the chemistry to really hit it off between the two main characters. It was immediate! While I'm not a huge sports fan, I found myself invested in both Amber and her cheerleading and Jack and football. I wanted them to push back against the status quo and misogyny they faced, and they didn't disappoint. I didn't feel like this was the typical YA sports love story cliche, and I found myself turning pages as fast as I could. In fact, I finished this book in two sittings, which is rare for me! This book definitely comes with trigger warnings, but the representation was really special (Amber's mom!) and there are a bunch of characters I'd read a whole book about (hint hint @missdahlelama ).

There were your typical jerk high school students…but I didn’t even mind them. I’m not NOT saying I’d read a whole book about that character….who doesn’t love a good villain story? 👀 But the side characters were all so wonderful that it made the cast cohesive and engaging.

Football is my least favorite sport, but Adler made it understandable and enjoyable. Delightful, funny, and sweet, I definitely recommend this book!

This YA is perfect for the fall. We follow the characters at the beginning of the school year as Jack starts as the new quarterback for the football team. When the cheerleaders and football players realize she’s a girl, Jack faces bullying. Amber, who wants to be captain of the cheerleading squad next year, starts to fall for Jack and grapples with the possible backlash.

This book tackles homophobia and misogyny and doesn’t shy away from challenging situations. While reading I was reminded a bit of I Kissed Shara Wheeler and am really happy books like these exist for teens today. I definitely recommend!

This book is literally everything cliched, in the best way. It's quarterback-meets-cheerleader, except the quarterback is a woman. I don't know how, but Adler manages to keep the tone fun and sweet while still having very serious conversations about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a woman in a male environment, and what it means to be a woman who loves other women. The book goes back and forth between Jack (the quarterback) and Amber's (the cheerleader) POVs, as Jack deals with being the new transfer onto a team where their last quarterback died in a car crash, so she's dealing with the misogyny of being a woman in a male space as well as trying to live up to a dead man (that many characters are putting up on a pedestal, even though he wasn't... the best person). Amber is really focused on becoming captain of the cheerleaders and decides that uniting the cheerleaders and football team behind Jack is a way of showing her leadership skills, but her team isn't having that. Overall, the book is a super sweet and cheerful read that still manages to hold important and serious conversations.

Potential cons:
- Genuinely forgot which POV I was reading a few times. The writing style of each girl is very similar, like down to their voices, so there would be times that I was reading where I didn't remember which POV I was in and, since I was reading on my ereader, I couldn't flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see which it was.

- The "climax" was a little lack luster. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it but I really thought it was going to be a much bigger thing and in some ways, it kind of felt rushed, as if the author was hitting a word/page limit and didn't get to go into it as much as they originally wanted.

What I liked
- The cliche of it all. I love taking (in my opinion) overdone heterosexual tropes and making them queer. It just brings me such joy and the way this trope was done with such love and kindness and joy. Ugh, I loved it.

- It was a super easy read. I read this in a few hours on a train in the early morning, and I felt like I just fell right into the world and didn't really get bored or overwhelmed by reading it all in one sitting.

Amber wants nothing more than to become the cheerleading captain next year, and will do everything in her power to secure the spot. When the quarterback of the football team dies in a tragic car accident, the replacement QB happens to be a cute girl named Jack, who Amber begins to fall for. Without the support of her team, Amber needs to decide who she wants to cheer for.

I listened to this on audio in one sitting and thought it was a cute read, if you can get past all the misogynistic, homophobic assholes on the team and cheer squad... I liked the dual POV between Jack and Amber, I found it easy to tell them apart, but I listened to it on audio, and different voices were used for each of the characters. I like how both the girls grew as the story progressed and they both began to stand up for what they believed in, instead of going with the pressure of their peers. Jack was definitely my favourite of the two main characters. I found her to be extremely relatable and you couldn't help but root for her. I will say that I found Amber to be a bit more hard to like, especially when she wasn't standing up to Jack when the squad and team were being terrible to her. But, I also understand why she did what she did, and being afraid to "step out of line". I adored Amber's mom, she is openly bisexual, and such an awesome support system for Amber without being overbearing. Most of the secondary characters were terrible humans, and it was upsetting that the majority of them had no character development whatsoever.

Overall, I think this was a cute read, with some deeper topics that were explored well.

Amber McCloud has one goal. Become the cheer captain. It is her one and only dream and she will not stop until she gets it. She doesn’t expect it to be that difficult.

That is until Jack Walsh shows up at school.

When the cheer squad and the football team discover their new quarterback is a girl…most of them act like a bunch of assholes. Yes, even the other girl cheerleaders. All of them except Amber.

Amber doesn’t like Jack because she was kind of mean to her when they first met, but she can’t understand why the hell everyone is making such a big deal out of Jack being the new quarterback. Like yeah, it was surprising, but after that wore off…who cares??

But she thinks once the season starts and they see Jack play, everything will be fine. Jack thinks the same thing. Unfortunately, they could not be more wrong.

There is one saving grace though. Amber, in her effort to try to unify the football and the cheerleaders around their new quarterback, spends more and more time with Jack and they form a connection. At first, that connection is based on the fact that Amber is kind of the only one who will talk to Jack, but it then turns into something more.

But Amber is not out at school and she thinks that if she comes out, she won’t have a chance of getting the cheer captain spot. But will she let that get in the way of her new relationship with Jack? And is Jack okay with being a secret?

I loooooved this book! I like how it was light and fun in some parts but also dealt with some for-real serious issues like sexism and homophobia in others parts. It achieves a perfect balance.

I also LOVED both Amber and Jack and how much we got to learn about their lives and their struggles. The choice for this book to have two POVs was perfection. They are such a cute/fun couple and I would totally read about them just sitting in a park together lol.

I also loved the inclusion of their parents. Amber’s mom is amazing and I enjoyed how complicated Jack’s family life is. She and her mom moved to this new place so she could have a chance to be on a football team and that puts a divide in the family. It gave a little bit more depth to the story.

(I also wanted to kick multiple characters’ asses for being mean to Jack but I digress)

I am giving Home Field Advantage 4 out of 5 stars! If you love contemporary YA romances, you NEED this book!

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler is available now!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was super cute! Again, Dahlia Adler writes an adorable f/f YA romance that does not disappoint! I really enjoyed the themes in the book, and the depth of the characters. The reasons why some of them wanted to stay in the closet.
I really liked how they treated each other. How they reacted when they made mistakes. I liked how the author didn't make them ultimate stupid teenagers.
It was sweet, and adorable, and I'm excited to get an arc for her next book! :')

Normally, I leave the sports romance to folks who can appreciate all parts of the story, not just the kissing bits! But when I saw that the incomparable Dahlia Adler had written a queer ya romance featuring an in the closet aspiring head cheerleader who falls for for the new hot butch QB in a small southern town, I knew I would get out my pom poms and start caring about the big game!

And holy moly, DA made me obsessed with the outcome of a high school sportsball game!?! Like, I happy screeched out loud not once, not twice, but many times during the homecoming game!? Like, I’ve heard people describe the edge of your seat feeling during a game, but have just never felt it, but reading this delightful, gay af book, I was practically biting my nails and if I was im a crowd I would have been painted Gator Green and doing the wave!

Amber and Jack are such wonderful characters with deeply swoony chemistry!!! And the side characters, especially the Pride Squad, made my queer heart so full! And somehow, DA even gave some of the more problematic characters (a homophobic, pastor’s daughter, childhood best friend in particular) a sympathetic growth arc. This sweet and dreamy romance grapples with the way some of us can make strategic choices to tuck away parts of ourselves in order to fit in or get through, and some of us can’t; it explores that our choices don’t have to be static, they can change and grow along with us, that some things and people are worth a risk, and that our truest friends will love us in all our messy, changing glory!

If you a classic high school QB/cheerleader romance with a fabulous queer twist sounds intriguing, do some cartwheels to your local bookstore to preorder Home Field Advantage immediately!

Amber and Jack (Jaclyn) definitely have an interesting relationship. I felt like it was driven more by what everyone else said and thought, until Amber decides to be true to her self and so what she wants. It was a cute story with very little depth to it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of this book. This is my honest voluntary review.

This is every high school jock-cheerleader rom-com... turned upside down, and it is absolutely perfect! Future head cheerleader falls for the new QB, but nobody can know because - GASP - she's a girl!

This was such a heartfelt read that managed to surpass any expectations I might have had. Light and sweet, but also heartfelt and compelling. Wonderful queer and queer family representation with some truly incredible adult role models tossed in (a refreshing change in this genre). Yes, some characters and their behaviours are cringey, BUT that's because they're too real (albeit slightly heightened for entertainment purposes).

The story is just as adorable as the cover, and I am so happy it didn't delve too deeply into cheesy eye-rolling territory. The focus is on characters and their development, and I loved that so much.

Also- the way Adler managed the narrative voice for that final football game! MIND BLOWINGLY impressive. I could see every play, held my breath for every throw and exhaled with every down. Such a cool juxtaposition to the "typical" romance fodder.

Thank you so much to St Martin's Press for providing me with the opportunity to read an ARC of "Home Field Advantage" via Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

this was a well done ya romance with a sports twist. the book got a bit heavier than i expected, which i did not mind, but it did take me by surprise. however, the romance between amber and jack, who were two very likeable characters, balanced things out. the romance was sweet and everything i like in a ya contemporary.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14/15+
Over All: 4.25 stars
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Special thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

This was freaking adorable. I’m a sucker for a sports romance. I’m a sucker for a dual POV. Everything about this book had me hooked before I’d even picked it up—and it was just as good as I had hoped.
Let’s just run through every amazing thing about this book:
* sporty cheerleader x QB romance
* sapphic
* dual POV
* girls in sports! Girls in FOOTBALL!
* amazing flirtation & banter
* nicknames!!
* lesbian & polysexual MCs
* and honestly so so much more.

Home Field Advantage is told from alternative POVs. Amber is a closeted queer cheerleader whose one goal is to get cheer captain next year. Jack has moved into town to replace the previous quarterback after he died in a drunk driving accident.
Both characters’ voices were strong, unique, and engaging. I read an ARC of this book, so the formatting of the switching between POVs was not always clear, but even when I missed that it told me the narration switched, the change in voice made it obvious within the first few sentences.
I liked that both girls knew they were queer and had experience in being in wlw relationships. I think a lot of coming of age and coming out books focus on discovering your sexuality—which is great and so so important, but I enjoyed reading about two girls who fully knew their sexuality beforehand.
Watching Jack’s relationship with her family grow, evolve, and mend was an aspect of the book that I really loved and wish I got to see a little bit more of. At times, her POV felt a bit less developed than Amber’s. She had story lines of her family and friends back home and the bullying she faced that were touched on a bit, but never fully felt fleshed out to me. Her POV focused mainly on Amber, with a fair amount of focus on the team and her interactions with them—though, really, I could have used a litter more of those interactions as well.
Amber’s POV, on the other hand, focused, of course, on Jack, but also on the cheer squad, her friendship with Cara, and how all of this plays in to her potentially coming out. I think these story lines were overall better fleshed out than Jack’s, though they too got a little lost in the Jack-and-Amber-ness as well. We got a lot more back story with Amber, especially surrounding her relationship with Cara. That storyline was really engaging, and I felt I could viscerally connect with Amber’s feelings on the matter, however, in the middle of the book, it felt like it just faded out for a little bit. Cara had been Amber’s best friend. She drove her to and from school every day, and they were attached at the hip, but I’m not sure she made any sort of appearance in the middle 1/3 of the book. That made her re-emergence as a driving factor of the plot in the last bit of the book feel as if it came a little out of left field. Like, I knew it was going to be an issue, from what we learned in the first part of the book, but she was so absent in the middle I all but forgot about her.
Despite the fact that the story line seemed to get a little lost, once it returned, I was quickly able to get reinvested.

The romance, of course, was adorable. I love Amber and Jack (Jamber? Amback? AmberJack?) as characters, and I love them together. Their chemistry was amazing; their banter and flirtation made me want to shriek. Every time Jack called Amber “Cheer Girl”, I’m pretty sure I actually did squeal. Seriously. Team AmberJack forever. I love them.
I also absolutely adored Miguel and Amber’s friendship. MLM/WLW solidarity in the best way. They were just so pure. I want a friendship like that, please. I liked seeing the blossoming friendship between Migs and Jack as well. I was frustrated with him for not always doing the right thing, but I could understand and empathize, with his past. Also, he and Malcolm were perfection.

All in all, this was an amazing read. It’s definitely a romance and character driven plot. It had a lot going on, and sometimes those story lines got lost in all the romance, but they always eventually resurfaced, and the romance was cute and angsty enough that I really couldn’t get myself to care. I highly recommend this one. Dahlia Adler is amazing, and I think I’d read just about any book she puts out.

Not gonna lie, gay YA is one of my favorites to read when I need a pick-me-up and this was just what I needed. I felt like a cheerleader waiting for Jack and Amber to get their H! E! A! What’s that spell? HEA!

I really enjoyed this book and how it discussed the characters identifying as LGBTQ+ in high school and navigating the challenges that come along with it in a small town. I liked the football and cheerleader pair with the two main characters. I enjoy dual POV throughout to get their own personal thoughts on feelings on the different challenges they faced and how they were able to deal with them.

Rating: 3 / 5 Stars

Jack Walsh is Altherton’s newest high school Quarterback. The only problem? She’s a she.

Amber McCloud and Miguel Santiago have been Altherton High’s golden couple since freshmen year. Except they aren’t really a couple, but best friends, and neither have a strong interest in the opposite sex.

When Amber immediately falls for Jack things go quickly off track as she tries to figure out who and what she wants to be to the people and community surrounding her.

Home Field Advantage tackles a lot of strong topics - sexuality, death, pregnancy loss - which almost makes it a bit heavy for a YA novel. I appreciated how the novel explored two different girl’s perspective and situations - there aren’t many books that stray deep into the queer / pan-sexuality spectrum for young adults.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Dahlia Adler for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!Rating: 3 / 5 Stars

Jack Walsh is Altherton’s newest high school Quarterback. The only problem? She’s a she.

Amber McCloud and Miguel Santiago have been Altherton High’s golden couple since freshmen year. Except they aren’t really a couple, but best friends, and neither have a strong interest in the opposite sex.

When Amber immediately falls for Jack things go quickly off track as she tries to figure out who and what she wants to be to the people and community surrounding her.

Home Field Advantage tackles a lot of strong topics - sexuality, death, pregnancy loss - which almost makes it a bit heavy for a YA novel. I appreciated how the novel explored two different girl’s perspective and situations - there aren’t many books that stray deep into the queer / pan-sexuality spectrum for young adults.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Dahlia Adler for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really liked her previous book I read (Cool for the Summer) and so this was one I also thought was going to like. I unfortunately did not enjoy this one like I hoped.

There was a lot of uncessary high school drama in this and I wasn't a fan of how certain plot lines were handled. The romance didn't do much for me (even though I love a good sapphic romance).

I will say this was a very quick read on audio, so if you want a short audiobook to read in one day, I would suggest picking this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Raincoast for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a very cute love story, would definitely recommend to teens. Thank you for the ARC Netgalley!

my goodness this was an amazing read! even within the first few pages, i knew that i’d be loving this book! i think most of it had to do with how relatable the characters are - in high school everybody wants to be noticed but also to fit in with their crowd. the premise reminded me of “queerly beloved” by susie dumond because both couples are totally in love and crazy for each other but take great efforts to hide their relationships from the rest of the world, which i imagine canNOT be easy to do. one thing that sets these plots apart is the family support in “home field advantage.” it was refreshing to see that amber and jack’s families supported their relationships and i was so happy to see that.

i love dual pov plots and in this novel, you get a glimpse at the personal lives of jack and amber. being the new kid at school, i really felt for jack and i was frustrated at how she was treated with little respect at atherton. at the same time, i admired her passion for football and willingness to loose all that she’s familiar with to pursue her dream. her chemistry with amber is adorable and i especially loved reading about their dates. this novel warmed my heart and left me feeling hopeful in the end

I absolutely loved this book!! Dahlia Adler is one of my favorite writers and her newest book does not disappoint!

Ready, steady, go to your nearest bookstore or library and check out the newest addition to Dahlia Adler’s novels, Home Field Advantage!

Amber McCloud’s ultimate goal is to be named captain of her cheer team at the end of the year. However, after the quarterback of the football team, Robbie, is killed in a car accident, it feels exceedingly difficult to remain in high spirits, especially when it is announced that Robbie will be replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh. When Jack Walsh is revealed to be ‘Jaclyn’ Walsh, all hope of unity among the football players and cheerleaders becomes borderline impossible.

The football players and cheerleaders begin to ice out Jack, despite the fact that the new quarterback is significantly a better player than Robbie ever was, leading the Atherton Alligators to victory more than once. Amber tries to prove her leadership skills and unite the teams, but it quickly becomes apparent that her dream of being the cheerleading captain is tied to whether she helps take Jack down.

The problem? Amber and Jack are falling for one another. Amber must make a decision: stand up for Jack and their blossoming relationship, or sacrifice her happiness with Jack for her dream.

Home Field Advantage is a cute sapphic take on the quarterback/cheerleader high school romance trope, and it has quickly become one of my favorite renditions!

Jack and Amber do fall for each other pretty quickly, but considering that teenagers tend to fall hard and fast in their young love, it wasn’t that big of a stretch. Their romance was incredibly sweet and wholesome to watch unfold.

Additionally, Amber and Jack help each other through a lot of turmoil throughout the book, which only solidified their devotion to each other.

The book alternates between Amber and Jack’s perspectives, and I think that was important so that we could know their own respective journeys; Jack and Amber were each facing their own inner struggles and external oppositions, and their characters felt more developed and their stories were all the better for it.

There are definitely moments in the book where Amber and Jack showcase their flaws, which can make them disagreeable (but by no means irredeemable).

For example, it sometimes felt as though Jack was pushing Amber to come out a little bit, so that Jack would not be alone in publicly dealing with the backlash coming from their peers. Likewise, Amber would constantly be hesitant to stand up for Jack when the cheerleaders were being exceptionally cruel, and she would use her friends and Jack as crutches to avoid self-confrontation.

In light of these flaws, Amber and Jack shine as protagonists of the story, and you can’t help but root for them every step of the way.

I will warn that Home Field Advantage does touch on heavy subjects that may be triggering to some, such as misogyny, homophobia, indications of abortion, and bullying. Yet, Dahlia Adler does a great job at introducing these elements in a real way, without sugar-coating but also not heaping it needlessly on her readers.

Adler’s new novel Home Field Advantage is a lovely sapphic take on the high school cheerleader-quarterback romance, and it is a swoon-worthy read that also captures the power of fighting for what is right and staying true to yourself.

After falling in love with Cool for the Summer last year, I was unsurprised at just how much Home Field Advantage had me in a chokehold. Dahlia Adler has now been added to the insta-read author list. Amber and Jack's romance was so incredibly realistic and sweet. I'll definitely be recommending this one!