Kara Thomas delivers another chilling and gripping thriller in The Champions, set in the same haunting town of Sunnybrook as her previous novel, The Cheerleaders. This time, Thomas shifts the focus from the infamous cheerleader deaths to the high school's all-star football team, the Tigers, who are celebrated as local heroes. When a mysterious poisoning at a party leaves one of the players fighting for his life, newcomer Hadley is thrust into the dangerous web of secrets surrounding the team. As she digs deeper, the dark past of Sunnybrook begins to resurface, and the lines between the present tragedy and the past massacre become disturbingly blurred.

Hadley's relentless pursuit of the truth, despite warnings and threats, makes her a compelling lead in this dark YA thriller. The Champions expertly builds suspense, weaving together the sinister underbelly of small-town dynamics and the lengths people will go to in order to protect their own. Thomas keeps readers on edge with her trademark blend of mystery, high stakes, and twists, making it hard to predict what will happen next. Fans of The Cheerleaders and psychological thrillers will find The Champions a satisfying, suspense-filled read that pulls back the layers of Sunnybrook’s darkness.

5 Reasons to Read

Friendships

You don’t usually think of friendships when you think of thrillers, but I liked getting to see Hadley make connections. All investigators need a good partner!

Murders

The murders of Sunnybrook were in the past, or so everyone thought before a new wave of murders hits the small town. It looks like Sunnybrook high school is a vault of secrets and no one thought after what happened before would ever happen again.

Secrets

Sunnybrook didn’t have any more secrets. That was until a high school party ends with a boy in the hospital and a can of worms on the brink of bursting open!

Memories

It was fun to see some familiar faces in The Champions and a new generation take on new cases in Sunnybrook. We get to see characters that played pivotal roles in The Cheerleaders. They’re grown but sometimes it’s hard to let go of what happened in the past.

Bookshelf Additions

I’ve loved Kara Thomas’s YA thrillers, and this one did not disappoint. I love getting to put them all on my shelf and will continue to do so because she’ll always be an auto-buy for me!

I loved The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas so when I saw there was a companion book, I knew I had to read it.

The Champions takes place a few years after The Cheerleaders. If you have not read that book or forgot what happened, I would recommend reading it first as those events and characters are mentioned A LOT.

Hadley is assigned to write a story about the football team for the school newspaper. She starts receiving mysterious emails warning her to stay away from the team and when one player is poisoned and another dies, in true reporter fashion, Hadley sets out to investigate.

I really liked Hadley. She was smart and she asked the right questions to get people to open up to her. There were a lot of suspects and for a small town high school, it seemed like everyone was doing shady things. While I enjoyed the book overall, I felt there was a lot going on and so much info dump at times. I did like the ending and uncovering all the football teams’ secrets. Definitely check trigger warnings for this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of The Champions!

• 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

1. Ever wanted to be on a school newspaper? Learn more about it in this YA thriller!
2. If you enjoy longer chapters, then The Champions is one you’d like!
3. I love a good sequel! While it can be read as a standalone, it goes alongside the first book, The Cheerleaders!
4. Want a twisty ending? This one will have you shaking your head in disbelief!
5. Did you ever find yourself competing against another student for all of the same things? So does our MC, Hadley!

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

It was the deaths of five cheerleaders that made the town of Sunnybrook infamous. Eleven years later, the girls' killer has been brought to justice, and the town just wants to move on. By the time Hadley moves to Sunnybrook, though, the locals are more interested in the Tigers, the high school's championship-winning football team. The Tigers are Sunnybrook’s homegrown heroes--something positive in a town with so much darkness in its past.

Hadley could care less about football, but shortly after she gets assigned to cover the team's latest championship bid for the school newspaper, one of the Tigers is poisoned at a party, and almost immediately after, Hadley starts getting strange emails warning her to stay far away from the football team.

It's becoming clear Sunnybrook's golden boys have secrets, and after a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley’s beginning to suspect that someone wants the team to pay for their sins. Or does this new target on the football team have something to do with what happened to the cheerleaders all those years ago?

As an outsider in Sunnybrook, Hadley feels like she's the only one who can see the present clearly, but it looks like she’s going to have to dig up the darkness of the past to get to the bottom of what’s happening now. Luckily, there are still some Sunnybrook High grads who never left--people who were around eleven years ago—and if she can just convince them to talk, she might be able stop a killer before another Tiger dies.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers Delacorte Press and the author Kara Thomas for this advanced book copy along with letting me review it. This is a five star young adult mystery novel that releases Tuesday August 27th 2024. I loved the first book the cheerleaders and couldn't wait to read this second book.

My Top 5 Reasons to Read The Champions:
A young adult thriller that will captivate readers of all ages (you are never too old to relive those high school days in a good book).
A young protagonist with big journalist goals...the reader is in for a real treat!
Bad decisions, bad luck…bad news all around for the teens of Sunnybrook high!
An important life lesson in resilience, even when things get tough, you still have to get through high school.
So many twists and turns makes for an electrifying and gripping read from start to finish!

This was a good addition to The Cheerleaders series! I have read a few of Kara Thomas's books and i have enjoyed all of them! Each book can be read as a standalone but reading both does add to the experience! The characters are likable, flawed and relatable! The book does touch on some heavy topics so I would check out the trigger list before you read! It was good to return to the small town of Sunnybrook and it will be interesting to see where the next book takes us! Thank you Tbr and Beyond Tours, Kara Thomas and Delacorte Press for sharing this book with me!

Happy Tuesday y’all! Today’s my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours tour for The Champions by Kara Thomas! I really enjoyed the other book I read by Kara Thomas- The Cheerleaders- and since The Champions was set in the same world as The Cheerleaders, I was really excited about giving this one a go! Make sure y’all check out all of the other stops on the tour too.

The Champions 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: From the author of The Cheerleaders comes another dark YA thriller set in the same town of Sunnybrook. When a mysterious accident befalls a member of the all-star high school football team, the town’s deadly history stands to repeat itself—and the price of discovering the truth is higher than anyone could imagine. It was the deaths of five cheerleaders that made the town of Sunnybrook infamous. Eleven years later, the girls’ killer has been brought to justice, and the town just wants to move on. By the time Hadley moves to Sunnybrook, though, the locals are more interested in the Tigers, the high school’s championship-winning football team. The Tigers are Sunnybrook’s homegrown heroes–something positive in a town with so much darkness in its past. Hadley could care less about football, but shortly after she gets assigned to cover the team’s latest championship bid for the school newspaper, one of the Tigers is poisoned at a party, and almost immediately after, Hadley starts getting strange emails warning her to stay far away from the football team. It’s becoming clear Sunnybrook’s golden boys have secrets, and after a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley’s beginning to suspect that someone wants the team to pay for their sins. Or does this new target on the football team have something to do with what happened to the cheerleaders all those years ago?As an outsider in Sunnybrook, Hadley feels like she’s the only one who can see the present clearly, but it looks like she’s going to have to dig up the darkness of the past to get to the bottom of what’s happening now. Luckily, there are still some Sunnybrook High grads who never left–people who were around eleven years ago—and if she can just convince them to talk, she might be able stop a killer before another Tiger dies.

Content Warning: sexual assault, bullying, death, cheating, toxic relationships, car accident, abortion

Even though The Champions started off just a little slowly, it picked up really fast and like 3 chapters in, I was so hooked that I didn’t want to stop reading (even though I had meetings and other commitments, like a dog who needed to be walked). Hadley was a really compelling main character. Her backstory felt a little rushed/thrown on the page at some points and I really felt like there was missing information, but it also wasn’t super necessary to the main plot, so it wasn’t a big deal. I liked how her relationship with Peter was written as a friendship turned into just a rivalry turned back into allies to more. The setting confused me a little, not because I didn’t appreciate that we were in upstate NY since that’s where the Cheerleaders took place, but because so many of the football players were going to college to play college football in NC instead of like… PA or OH or any of the other places closer to NY that are good at football (like Penn State, Ohio State, Pitt? There were so many other options besides ECU and Wake Forest…). I did really enjoy that Hadley was getting emails and that’s how everything was tied together. Plot and pacing wise, I thought things were done really well- I was hooked and creeped out but not 100% sure of what had happened until it was fully explained. Overall, I really enjoyed the Champions and I think it’s it’s a great (if not a little heavy, so make sure you check out those content warnings!) thriller/mystery to kick off spooky season! Make sure you grab it today Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Death and danger have come to Sunnybrook again, but this time it's the football players who seem to be the targets.

I'm a big fan of Kara Thomas and always want to get my hands on her newest book. I really liked The Cheerleaders when I read it years ago and could not wait to try The Champions out.

I thought this was a fun, fast read and really enjoyed Hadley's character. I would definitely recommend this one and can't wait to see what Kara comes up with next!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I remember when I finished The Cheerleaders I sat there for a minute and had to like really think about what I was reading. I don’t think I’d ever been that caught off guard by a thriller. Like ever. But that was a long time ago. So I wasn’t expecting to be caught up like that in this one. But I definitely should have known better.

Ok so the characters in this SEEM to be nice, but they were all terrible. I feel like I say this about the adults in YA books, but this is the first time in a long time where I say I didn’t care for any of the teens either. And like, I know this is by design, but geez, all of them were terrible, Even the main character was bad. She was very naiive. She was being a teen detective, but she wasn’t even being careful about it. She basically thought that her shining light on the fact that the players weren’t perfect, she’d get people on her side. As someone who lives in the South, I knew what was coming. People will defend their favorite football team before they defend their sibling.

The mystery itself was a tiny bit predictable. I figured this was going to be something centering around sexual assault, but I think I wanted it to be something more. In every book about football players and they did something terrible, it’s usually something like this. The thing that made it different from all those others was the fact that the mystery KEPT GOING. Even after all the clues about the girls came out, bodies were still piling up. And that was just crazy. In the end I called one part of this mystery, but I missed a whole other side of it.

One thing about Thomas’ books tho, she’s always going to have a crazy ass ending. But this one didn’t have that and I was a little sad. I got myself all ready to make sure I saw it coming this time, but I didn’t even need to be ready. it was a little disappointing. I guess I’ve gotten so used to her books having that last “jump scare” that when there’s not one, it feels weird.

The person she had helping her was just as weird as her. I kept trying to figure out what their problem was. Why was that person so damn mad? They were mad the entire book but it never said why he was so mad. I thought it was just to her at first, but then it was to their family too. Maybe it was their personality. But if it was, it was annoying af lol

I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give away any spoilers. But this one isn’t as wild as The Cheerleaders, but it’s still an experience in it’s own way. I want there to be another, like maybe about the band, but I don’t want to send anymore kids to Sunnybrook. Everyone that goes there seems to not come back.

Kara Thomas never misses!

In this sequel to The Cheerleaders, Sunnybrook has made the news again and Hadley, our MC, who moved to Sunnybrook 8 years after the cheerleaders went missing, is assigned to write about the highly popular football team. Only after attending a party, things get out of hand, and one of the teammates is left in a coma.

In the spirit of all things thriller, Hadley receives anonymous messages that lead her to the hidden secrets of the team and is determined to find out what is that they’re hiding. Unlikely friendships form as Hadley tries to figure the case out, unknowingly putting herself in danger. With two victims already hurt and a possibility that she’ll be next, this thriller is twisty and will keep you up all night!

I loved The Cheerleaders, and this book is no different! I highly recommend The Champions to any thriller lover.

It's been awhile since I read The Cheerleaders. I wasn't sure I needed a sequel, but I was still super excited to see one coming out.

I ended up loving The Champions just as much. While this book was a bit extreme with it, I went to one of those football schools. I think it's a small town thing. Everyone loved the players and they definitely got away with things. But nothing like this. Please make sure you read trigger warnings for this one. There is a lot about sexual assault. I liked Hadley a lot. She was the new girl and yet she seemed like the only one who really cared at times. I liked that the plot from The Cheerleaders was brought up, but it wasn't talked about a ton. It felt like a whole new story. I did like that Hadley talked to some of the people from the past. I don't want to go into anymore details. The book is suspenseful at times and the pacing was great. I just enjoyed everything about this one.

I gave this book 5 stars. Kara Thomas continues to be a favorite of mine.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

I went into this blind. I never read the first book, The Cheerleaders. Even then, this book was so good. I was really intrigued and at the edge of my seat the whole time.

While I enjoyed this story, I felt like Kara Thomas waited way too long to release a sequel to the phenomenal story The Cheerleaders.

THE CHAMPIONS by Kara Thomas is another dark, YA thriller.

When Hadley Daugherty moves to the town of Sunnybrook in New York, she joins the school newspaper and is tasked with interviewing coaches and players while they defend their football championship. High school football rules and Sunnybrook wants to be the town known for THAT rather than be infamous for the deaths of five cheerleaders 11 years ago. The killer was convicted and will spend the rest of his life in jail but there are so many lingering questions from the past.

When one of the current players is poisoned at a party and another is killed, Hadley decides to dig deeper into not only what is happening now but also what happened all those years ago. There are a lot of secrets swirling through the huddles and the snap may not only be with the football. As she continues to dig, she finds graduates from back then and convinces them she tell their stories. She also creates a Snapchat survey that gets teachers, administrators and parents up in arms. Can Hadley find out what happened to the two recent players and in so doing, what really happened all those years ago?

I always enjoy a novel based on the high school years and this was no exception. The fact that the coaches, players and other towns folk we’re hiding secrets was just icing on the cake. I could feel the tension ratcheting up as Hadley uncovered more of those secrets. I will be following Kara Thomas to see where we go next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I loved the Cheerleaders and was so excited to be able to read its sequel. I really enjoy Kara Thomas’ writing style, especially for young adult mysteries. I liked the character of Hadley and was cheering for her. She made some frustrating decisions, but these were decisions consistent with her age, and overall she was a really likable protagonist. I found the ending surprising and unexpected.

Eleven years after the deaths of five cheerleaders, Hadley, one of the few people in the town who aren’t obsessed with the champion High School football team, is assigned to write about them as a school paper. As a result, she happens to be there when one gets poisoned, leading her to investigate what happened to them.

Do you want to sit down on a comfy couch and just read a book in one sitting? Well, friend, this will be the book! Or shall I say ✨MASTERPIECE ✨ lol

This is the sequel to Cheerleaders that I read last year that left my jaw on the floor and this one did the same thing! The only reason I gave it a 4 out of 5 is because the ending for me wasn’t the strongest in my opinion I feel like there was a little something something that was missing.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review! It was honestly great!

Someone is trying to kill players on the reigning championship football team in Sunnybrook - but is the killer closer to home than they think?

The Champions is a late sequel to The Cheerleaders, following up years after five cheerleaders in Sunnybrook died from varying causes.

I found this one slower throughout than The Cheerleaders. I liked Hadley and Peter as characters, but the plot just took too long to get moving for me. I wish we saw more conflict happen especially in the middle. But, the ending was powerful and things wrapped up really nicely.

I’d give this 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am such a big fan of Kara Thomas's books!! She is one of my favorite authors, specifically in the ya thriller genre. I literally read this in one sitting!! It reminded me of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder in the best way possible.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Read and enjoyed The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas, as well as other books by her, so I was looking forward to this! This is a spinoff, not really a sequel, of The Cheerleaders and set in the same town, Sunnybrook. Here we follow Hadley, who is the only person in town not interested in the school's football team but is covering the team for the school's newspaper. When one of the players is poisoned at a party, Hadley starts digging deeper into the football team, even though someone is leaving her notes to stay away..

I enjoyed this book and will contiune to read Kara Thomas books in the future.