This book is YA and reads like YA but wow, the themes are for a mature audience. Alcoholism, drug abuse, incarceration, poverty, etc. Definitely take heed of the trigger warnings.

In this story, we follow Claire through middle school and high school while she faces some tough challenges with her family who struggle with addiction. Claire loves basketball and we get to see the differences between boys and girls basketball in the 60s and 70s and watch as that changes. The first third dragged a bit, but by the end, I was rooting for Claire and really felt for her.

Claire Joyce is growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, and what she loves more than anything else is playing basketball. Her older brother John taught her, but sports have traditionally been reserved for boys, and despite the passage of Title IX in 1972, it’s difficult to find opportunities to play.

For Claire, basketball is the bright spot amidst a challenging life: her working-class family struggles to make ends meet, her father is rarely home, her mother is an alcoholic (and often mean when drunk), her older brother John (whom she admires) is in prison, and her brother Bobby is violent and abusive. It’s a lot to navigate for a young woman who is trying to grow into herself and determine what her future can look like.

Students who are interested in sports will love the detailed descriptions of basketball that weave throughout the book. But there’s also something there for those of us who are less athletically inclined: Claire’s efforts to manage her family are sad yet relatable and ring true for those of us who have learned how to “read” a family member’s demeanor for telltale signs and must grapple with a combination of love, anger, and hurt over how our family members treat us and themselves.

The novel includes a few instances of profanity, and drug use plays a significant role in the story, but for the most part, the novel is appropriate for a wide range of students, especially since it follows Claire from the end of elementary school through her senior year of high school.

Thank you NetGalley and She Writes Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

Will be posted at https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on 5/20/24.

This one was a really quick read. It follows Claire, who is a teen in New York. Her home life is kind of a mess, with brothers who are on drugs, violent, and an alcoholic. Her mom is also an alcoholic and her dad is not around much. What she has and what she loves is basketball.

*spoilers*

I found myself really intrigued by this family. The characters were fleshed out well and I definitely found myself wanting more! I wanted to know if Martin, John, and Bobby were emulating behaviors they’d seen or if there were different reasons for their decisions. Some of the most poignant moments of this novel were the letters and conversations between Claire and John.

I know this was set in the 70s but it was absolutely wild how Claire’s brother Bobby treated her and there was no punishment for him. The ending while not a shock, was a surprise to me. I’m glad she got away, and was taking the chance to do life on her own terms. This is a really tough read, but I flew through it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC, and thank you to the publisher for my finished copy as well!

This had a great overall feel for a sports book, it had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept of this book. The characters were everything that I wanted based on the description. Maggie Hill has a great writing style and was able to make realistic characters and making the story work with them.

This book was great! I loved the interesting perspective on the life of a teenage girl in the 70s, and I really loved all the emotion that was in the book. It was super cool to see the main character work and push to achieve her goals and dreams, and enjoyed reading about how all that hard work paid off.

Thank you Netgalley and She Writes Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Sunday Money" by Maggie Hill is a beautifully written coming-of-age tale filled with emotion set against the backdrop of 1970s Brooklyn, where young girls like Claire Joyce are navigating through the complexities of family troubles, competitive basketball, and a changing world on the cusp of Title IX. As someone born in the 90s with absolutely no experience in sports, I didn’t have much prior knowledge about the focus of this book, but Hill was able to both inform and engage me with both the characters and the plot, all centered around the history of 1970s America, especially with the focus of Title IX in sports.

Claire's journey is an exploration of resilience and determination as she finds solace and purpose in the game of basketball amidst the chaos of her upbringing. Through Hill's vivid storytelling, you are transported to a time when gender roles were rigidly defined, yet sports offered a glimmer of hope for a brighter future. This book is able to evoke nostalgia for those who came of age during the same era while providing younger generations with a window into a pivotal moment in history. I think this book would do very well in the high school English classroom for those who are interested in both sports and history. This book is very informative while also having relatable characters, especially with Claire. Claire's passion for basketball, coupled with her fierce determination to overcome obstacles, makes her a relatable and inspiring protagonist.

The basketball motif serves as a powerful thread that connects Claire to her family, friends, and the broader community, adding depth and richness to the narrative. I really enjoyed the depth of the characters while also seeing how the plot progressed. The characters felt very authentic, and the plot was engaging throughout. I sped through this book, finishing it in just a few hours, and I absolutely loved every part of this book.

Overall, "Sunday Money" is a heartfelt story that celebrates the power of sports and togetherness/teamwork. With its engaging characters, authentic voice, and strong sense of place, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys feminist literature with a focus on sports.