This was a really strong sequel and I enjoyed it a lot! I felt like the suspense built gradually and the reveal was shocking! I really liked Hadley and Peter! I was on the edge of my seat until the end!


4.5 stars.

The Champions by Kara Thomas is a young adult mystery that I’ve been anxiously awaiting for!
It did not take but a few pages for me to become completely engrossed in this book after I picked it up.
This story was so intense and had so many plot twists!
It was addictive within the first few chapters.
I loved LOVED the writing! Kara has this ability to make everything sound so poetic and gripping!
The characters were very well fleshed out, and it was fascinating to see how they evolved and to slowly see their motivations take shape.
The Champions has an effective reel of characters.
The author has surely created characters that are relatable, some you will like and some that could make your blood boil.
The book is a real entertaining read that delivered the promise of a thriller.

Thank You NetGalley and Delacorte Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I felt like this was a strong continuation of the same world without recycling the same plot. I enjoyed how we got a look into how the town how changed after the events of The Cheerleaders. I liked that our main character was an “outsider” to the town so we learned things as she did. I did feel like some of the plot points were slightly more mature than I would have been able to handle as a teen. As an adult I understand that these types of things do happen in high school settings but I wasn’t quite prepared for them as an adult reading an YA mystery/thriller. The ending was a surprise I didn’t guess going in so I’m glad that the plot wasn’t completely obvious. I liked that we got to see how easy it is for a small town to become toxic when there is corruption involved.

This was an intense YA thriller from Kara Thomas. TW for sexual assault should probably preface the read.

Hadley has been assigned to write an article about the championship football team at her high school. As she gets to know the players and team, secrets are uncovered and tragedy strikes.

I think this book will keep readers guessing. There are a few too many characters to keep track of at times, but it all ends up coming together in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

The sequel we needed to The Cheerleaders. I loved this book. I was hooked from the beginning and brought right back into the story. Highly recommend

Kara Thomas fans, rejoice! She’s back with another series of unfortunate events at Sunnybrook High, 11 years after the events of “The Cheerleaders.” This isn’t a sequel, although some of the original characters play a minor role. In this suspenseful tale, the focus is on the football team, as one member falls into a coma under suspicious circumstances. Protagonist Hadley risks her future and her life to get to the bottom of the case, with help from her fellow writer/nemesis turned friend, Peter. It’ll keep you guessing until the end. A great read!

ARC Review!!

After the death of five cheerleaders, Sunnybrook became infamous. Time has passed and the cheerleader's killer was found guilty but other events start to unfold. Eleven years have passed and Hadley has moved into town with her mother. The town is back in swing with football season and their beloved football team, the Tigers, want to head to nationals for a third time.
Hadley writes for the schools newspaper and gets assigned to cover the teams latest championship bid but she could care less. Shortly after writing the paper, one of the football players gets poisoned at a party and right after Hadley starts getting warning emails to stay away from the football team.
With the start of this, Hadley starts to uncover secrets and has some to realize the football team is not filled with golden boys. After the death of one of the players, Hadley starts to believe someone wants the football team to pay or she comes to think it's connected with the cheerleaders all those years ago.
Since being fairly new to the town, Hadley sees the town and the football team for what they are and she knows she has to dig secrets up to come to the full truth. She's willing to do anything, even talk to the people who were involved eleven years ago with the cheerleader's.

This was such a fun read! I didn't think it would be a full on sequel but it kind of is. For sure can be read without reading the first book, someone might be a little confused but it connects the dots for someone who hasn't read book 1.
All those characters from book 1, who were younger, are back. It was a little confusing with the amount of characters introduced but as the books develops it becomes a little easier to keep track. The plot twist was crazy! I would've never guessed that's why the football team was being plucked one by one. They're so disgusting and I wish they would've gotten justice for what they did.
The story unfolded so well and flowed nicely.
A 3 star read!

4/5

This book was full of twists and turns. I would think that I had it figured out and then another red herring would show up.

I know that my students will really love this book so I plan on adding a copy to my Classroom.

This sequel to THE CHEERLEADERS focuses on the football players and their problems. References are made to events in the first book, so it is recommended that readers start with the first novel in the series. The narrator is a newcomer to the school, and thereby someone who knows nothing about the previous deaths. Her mother is the new superintendent, so Hadley has access to a lot of information and people that help her tell the story. It is another good high school story, with realistic characters and events. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Pess for providing an ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kara Thomas for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Champions coming out August 27, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It’s been a while since I read the first book, so I might have needed a little refresher. I loved the writing though and I was so excited she came out with a sequel. I love high school drama books! I think this book definitely had some serious themes that hopefully most high schoolers don’t have to deal with. But I really enjoyed the mystery and the new characters. I’d definitely check out more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA murder mysteries!

A dark YA thriller following a girl who is investigating her small town's high school football team and their deadly sins as they are being killed off one by one. The town of Sunnybrook is famous for the murder of cheerleaders eleven years ago and now the town's prized football team is being killed off one by one. Hadley dreams about being a journalist and is writing for her school's paper. The last thing she wants to work on is writing for her school's football team but when she ends up at a party where one of the footballers is poisoned and she begins getting strange emails... Hadley's interest is peaked. Something is off about these footballers and they're all hiding a dark secret that would expose just how corrupt the town is at covering up crimes. The more Hadley digs the more she begins to put herself at risk.... and as more bodies drop Hadley gets closer and closer to becoming the next one. This is a spinoff of the first book The Cheerleaders and takes place in the same town but a few years after the events of the first one, you do not need to read the first one to read this one. This one was definitely an interesting thriller that deals with a lot of dark topics and subjects. Though if I am being fair it felt a bit typical and super easy to guess the who and why after the first few chapters. I do think YA readers who like thrillers will have a fun time reading this and it's a quick and easy read. For me however, I kind of wish there was a bit more and that the mystery and story had a bit more to it. The villains are easy to guess and the outcome just felt... so typical and like any other ending and I was hoping for something more. It's not a bad book by any means but it is a forgettable one. I would say read it if you like YA thrillers with easy twist and turns.

Release Date: August 27,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I read The Cheerleaders when it was released and though I can’t recall much of it I do remember devouring it and wanting to get my hands on more books like it. When I saw The Champions was going to take place following the events of The Cheerleaders I was so excited to dive back into that world.

I appreciate that you can easily read this book without having read The Cheerleaders prior. I wish I had just to catch myself up but because we follow a girl who is new to town being unfamiliar with the events leading up to this book wasn’t a disadvantage. This story was fast paced and easy to get drawn into. I enjoyed the general vibe of it but I do wish that more happened to Hadley. So much of the plot was moved forward by other people telling her about things that had happened rather than things actually happening. There were also so many characters to keep track of (many from the same family) and it became difficult to remember which brother was which or who was related to whom.

Overall it was an enjoyable read. Because I have virtually no recollection of The Cheerleaders I can’t say how it compares but if someone is looking for a quiet and fun read I’d definitely recommend this one.

Sunnybrook is back in the news. What is happening to their championship football team? There are exploding coaches, plenty of peer tutoring, and too much partying. 🏈

It has been more than five years since The Cheerleaders, and I was thrilled to see this sequel on NetGalley. There's a new girl on the newspaper staff. Hadley Daugherty finds herself at a bit of a disadvantage, but her reporter instincts are spot on. This is her second year on the newspaper staff and as a senior she is gunning for Chief Editor. When her first assignment is the iconic Sunnybrook football team, she realizes there is more than meets the eye. As the narrative progresses, there is girl drama, danger, and a red herring or two. Do not fear! Monica and Gabby are back as supporting characters. Could not get through this one without their contributions to the search for truth.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really into those Wreck Your Life tales that happen before you even graduate high school. There's something about that high school murder mystery with its completely unlikable characters, the plethora of bad choices, and the rampant underage drinking that makes for a great read.
Thank you for the ARC

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I read The Cheerleaders when it came out in 2018, and was so excited to see another story in the universe. The two are standalone, but The Champions does reference characters from the Cheerleaders (it also gives a good TLDR on why these characters are important, which honestly could be really fun if you haven’t read The Cheerleaders).

The Champions picks up at the beginning of the school year for Hadley Daugherty. She’s transferred to Sunnybrook towards the end of high school and doesn’t feel a solid connection to much anything except the school paper. While writing a story about the two time champion football team (currently aiming for a three peat), she starts to hear odd comments and receive vaguely threatening anonymous emails from someone called SportsFan. When a party goes painfully wrong and a star player ends up in a coma, Hadley makes it her job to find the truth.

The Champions follows a very similar format to The Cheerleaders, and is a classic whodunnit thriller. Honestly I was so interested in where the story was going and who was responsible for what I couldn’t put it down. It’s an easy read that’s worth it, the payoff continues until the very end.

Major CWs on this book for: rape and domestic violence. There are also references to statutory rape, suicide, murder, drug addiction, and probably more that I’m forgetting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

I personally enjoyed how this book tied in with the first one, seamlessly continuing the storyline, while also offering new and unique plot twists that kept it fresh. The plot was engaging and moved at a brisk pace, making it an easy and enjoyable read. You should definitely check it out when it releases on August 27th! If you enjoy a good young adult thriller, this one is for you.

This was such a great read! When students are being killed again, H wonders if it may be connected to the killings 15 years ago.

This book was a great follow up to the Cheerleaders being told eleven years after the events of the cheerleaders. This book focuses on the dark side of high school football. This book deals with some heavy topics so just make sure to check the trigger warnings before hand. It was exciting to return to Sunnybrook. Overall this was a gripping thriller that I could not wait to finish. Would recommend this for sure.

The Cheerleaders is my favorite YA Mystery/Thriller, so it’s no surprise I had to get my hands on this one. This gave me some Pretty Little Liars vibes with the anonymous emails being sent to Hadley. Naturally with Hadley being an aspiring journalist, I knew she would put the pieces together. As an outsider, Hadley is learning about the connections the characters in this book had with the characters in The Cheerleaders.

Some of the characters weren’t all that likable, but I still found their stories relevant to move the plot forward. I didn’t know who to trust, and with Hadley not being an insider, it was even easier from her perspective to question everyone. When all was revealed, I was angry. The town of Sunnybrook is no stranger to secrets, so I was not surprised at what was covered up. Overall, I did enjoy this one.