This is a love letter to basketball and queer basketball players. If you love basketball and the poetry of the game, this book is for you.

If you love open-ended books where readers are meant to form their own conclusions and dream up possibilities for the characters, this book is for you.

If you’re drawn to stories of queer people exploring who they are in a world that is threatening to them for doing so, this book will leave you with a lot of thoughts.

If you’re looking for a romance book, I wouldn’t recommend this one because it’s open-ended and doesn’t fulfill the happy ending requirement of the romance genre.

If you love stories of yearning, especially closeted queer stories of yearning, good god this book is for you.

If you’re put off by substance abuse, you will struggle with this book.

3.5 stars for me. I had a hard time because my brain would wander, without my permission, any time we were going on about basketball. Which is a lot, I didn’t realize basketball would be like its own character it was such a presence. But I really loved the writing. I felt very much like I was being floated through a movie. The ending left me with too many questions and too many loose ends, but I like that it makes you think. It leaves you with the authors whole point, that something can’t be everything.

Thank you NetGalley!

Don't worry about the basketball-focus on Liv and Mack and their relationship. This coming of age tale set in a small town in Pennsylvania in 2004 is timeless. These two young women are evolving in their understanding of themselves and their attraction to each other. Basketball is their place the place they can disappear from the disapproval of those around them. It's beautifully written. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This will speak to many readers.

Marisa Crane’s new novel, A Sharp Endless Need, is written with the wisdom and aching tenderness of someone who has done the hard work of understanding the calamity of youth. The novel follows Mack and Liv, two suburban teenage girls and rising basketball stars, as they chase greatness, acceptance, and each other. Mack is grieving her father, Liv is being crushed by her controlling mother — but on the court, despite the chaos, they form a singular, life-changing bond.

It’s introduced subtly enough to not be immediately noticeable, but A Sharp Endless Need is narrated by a Mack that is decades older than the one whose story we follow. She comments, sometimes, on what she wishes she’d known as a teen, or what she would come to understand about her past experiences. Through this narratological maneuvering, Crane involves the reader in the twin processes of reflection and retelling. The novel is certainly no rose-tinted view of childhood, but there is a warmth to the way Mack recalls her relationship with Liv. There is a longing, there, that connects both versions of Mack across the intervening years. Crane’s other magic trick is in their use of place. The novel’s small-town setting is a sensory feast, grounded and lush in equal measure. Crane’s prose is filled with the kind of details that only love and years of reflection can produce.

One could argue that Mack and Liv’s story is one we’ve heard before — the tense, homoerotic teenage friendship that burns bright, fast, and devastating. I’d argue, however, that this story is so prolific in queer literature because it resonates with so many people — and that makes it a story worth retelling. Besides, knowing where the story goes is what makes it emotionally compelling. The thing about car crashes is that they’re very difficult to look away from.

Crane and I are very different in that they come from an athletic background and I resolutely do not — but we’re both dedicated readers of Hanif Abdurraqib’s work, and so I understand what they mean when they write playing basketball as an act of love, the way that anything can be an act of love if you do it right. A Sharp Endless Need is a dreamy coming-of-age story, perfect for anyone who’s ever loved anything to the point of destruction, and then devoted themselves to understanding the wreckage left behind — and for anyone who’s ever loved something or someone enough to try and understand them.

A Sharp Endless Need is in bookstores everywhere on 5/13. Many thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for providing this e-galley!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I loved Marisa Crane's debut, I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself. I was looking forward to this one, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much. Maybe because of the sports, or because it was about teenagers, or both. Like others, I was a little irritated by the constant drinking and taking drugs. I know this book has an audience, but it isn't me this time.

This book was to be honest just really kinda depressing. II didnt feel like there was any pay off. If they ended up together it could have helped it a lot. Otherwise, it was just full of stressful angst with no reward

Wow!!! A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane grabbed me from the beginning and I still think about this book. First of all, huge basketball fan here. But even if you're not, you will get so much out of this book. First love, forbidden love, loss and coming of age- this one truly has it all! Crane writes in a way that you feel that you're a part of this mall town. Just read this- you will be so glad you did!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane

This book completely took me out. I didn’t expect it to hit so hard, but it did—in the quiet, aching kind of way that lingers long after you finish the last page.

It follows Mack, a star basketball player who’s just lost her dad when Liv transfers to her school. What starts as chemistry on the court quickly turns into something deeper, more electric, and way more complicated. The story is set in 2004, and it captures how hard it is to want someone when the world around you tells you not to—especially in a small town where being queer is still something whispered about.

What really got me was how real it all felt. The writing is raw and full of longing. There’s grief and love and anger and that confusing pull between who you used to be and who you're becoming. I saw pieces of myself in both Mack and Liv—the need to be seen, to be chosen, to just breathe without fear.

This isn’t just a love story—it’s about identity, pressure, family, and finding your own voice even when everything feels like it’s falling apart. I flew through it and already want to reread it slower just to feel all the little moments again.

Big thank you to Random House and @netgalley for the ARC.

This books reflects very well the uncertainty you feel when you are a teenager, and the big feelings you have at that time. You never feel more strongly than when you are a teenager, and all the stupid mistakes you make.

some of the basketball terminology went over my head but my gods was this such an intense story on young love. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

Wow. This was intense. It is a story about Mack, a young Pennsylvania woman who has put everything into basketball. The descriptions of basketball are some of the best passages I have read about any sport, or about any activity really. Mack has learned everything about basketball but has also learned that you never have to deal with your problems if you keep playing or distracting yourself with chemicals. She has modeled herself on her father because she has not dealt with his death. I just really rooted for her despite all her self-destruction. The descriptions of small-town homophobia are extremely realistic. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The way this author captures young, intense love is like nothing I've ever read before. She get's the experience so beauitfully into words. I will hold this book near and dear forever.

I wanted to like this book, and gave it a chance, but at 20% I’m going to DNF it. Based on the reviews for this book, I’m in the minority with my feelings (and I’m happy about that). The writing style felt like rambling, run on conversations with little significance, topics that could have developed with more detail didn’t get it, and other parts that didn’t feel significant had more details that seemed necessary. I don’t know if it was the writing style, or the timing, but the storyline nor the characters pulled me in enough to keep trying with this book.
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Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.25 stars

This story was one of queer love and high school basketball. The writing itself was great and the imagery was on point! Unfortunately though this just wasn’t for me. I did not enjoy the high school setting, age of characters, heavy focus on basketball, or drug and alcohol use. I get what the novel was trying to convey but this just did not resonate with me. I think readers who are younger or involved in sports will be more drawn to this book and will greatly enjoy given how engaging the writing itself is!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for access to this ARC. All opinions are my own.

one of my most anticipated arcs and it did NOT disappoint -- i absolutely loved this one. this is the kind of book i wish i wrote. there is so much emotion in every single aspect of this, from mack's drive to win all the time to her feelings about liv to the way she lives her life around all of these people that all expect different things from her.

liv and mack never talk about anything but manage to say everything, whether through basketball or obtuse conversation or ice cubes. there's something so different about the space between being friends and being together, mutually understanding that you are the most important people to each other at that moment in time but not knowing what to do about it or how to say it because yeah, you're eighteen and your entire identity is wrapped up in how you love people.

augh. everything i could say is better unsaid and everything unsaid needs to be expressed. five stars.

I DNF'd after about 35%, mostly because I found Mack's voice to be so insufferable. I get she's a teenager going through unimaginable pain with the death of her father, but even before then, she was awful.

Crane's book I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself has been on my TBR for a long time, and I will want to give that a shot, but I cannot finish this one.

Mack wants to play college D1 basketball one day. She's a senior and the star player on her HS team. Her father suddenly passes away, and while at the funeral, she meets her future teammate, Liv.

As the setting is in a small conservative town, the relationship between Mack and Liv is taboo, but also the crux of this novel. Grief, family secrets and that frustrating year before college when you are ready to be an 'adult' are the topics that are also explored. The game and beauty of basketball is detailed. I do think someone who is unfamiliar might get overwhelmed but as a basketball fan, it helped add to the plot for me.

I think Crane did an excellent job at creating identifiable high school angst. The parties, the stress, the want to get away from your family. That said, I don't know that the ending landed. If you asked me 5 minutes after I finished the book, I wouldn't be able to tell you how it ended.

Is this going to change lives? No. BUT this adds queer basketball coming-of-age to the shelves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on April 28th, 2025. Links provided.

Set in a conservative rural town in the early 2000s, A Sharp Endless Need follows Mack Morris, a high school basketball player trying to hold her life together after losing her father. As the team’s standout point guard, Mack finds unexpected solace in the arrival of Liv Cooper, a transfer student with her own complicated history. Their partnership on the court quickly becomes something deeper and more confusing off of it, blurring the lines between friendship, attraction, and survival. As college scouts begin circling and the pressure to perform builds, Mack struggles to keep her grief, identity, and desires from colliding. At home, her relationship with her emotionally distant mother grows more strained, while her private life becomes increasingly difficult to manage in a place where queerness is rarely acknowledged—let alone accepted. The novel captures a moment in time when everything feels urgent and uncertain, from love to ambition to self-worth, as Mack tries to figure out what kind of future is even possible for someone like her.

I liked this book a lot—it was well-written, emotionally layered, and had a really strong sense of atmosphere. Mack’s voice felt authentic, and I appreciated how the story didn’t shy away from the tougher parts of growing up, especially when it comes to figuring out who you are in a place that doesn’t make space for that. The relationship between Mack and Liv felt believable in all its confusion and intensity, and the basketball scenes actually added something meaningful to the emotional core of the book, which I wasn’t expecting. That said, it was also kind of a heavy read. There’s a constant weight to everything—grief, shame, repression, pressure—and after a while, it got exhausting. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, since it’s clearly intentional, but it did make the experience of reading it feel emotionally draining at times. There’s a lot of self-destructive behavior, and while that fits the characters and their circumstances, some of those moments felt repetitive, especially when it came to things like substance use or self-harm. And the ending... I just didn’t love it. It felt a bit rushed and unresolved. After spending so much time building up these relationships and emotional stakes, it didn’t quite stick the landing. I wanted more clarity—or at least more time—for some of those bigger themes to breathe. Still, it captured a very specific feeling of being young and stuck and full of questions, and that definitely made it worth reading.

A Sharp Endless Need would resonate with readers who are into coming-of-age stories that don’t sugarcoat the emotional messiness of adolescence. If you’re drawn to books about queer identity, small-town pressure, intense teen friendships (and the blurry lines between them), or if you just appreciate character-driven stories with a strong emotional undercurrent, this one’s worth picking up. It’s especially for those who don’t mind a little sadness woven into their love stories—and who can appreciate beautiful writing even when the subject matter gets heavy.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of A Sharp Endless Need in return for my honest review.

When I saw that Marisa Crane had a new book coming out, I was nervous and excited. Their debut was so powerful and changed my world. I couldn’t imagine a follow up. A Sharp Endless Need more than delivered. I felt so entrenched in their characters’ lives, like I was back in high school. It was both satisfying and overwhelming.

This book is a beautiful exploration of intimacy, heartbreak, and growth, with characters that feel like they could be right beside you, making choices that resonate deep in your bones. It’s the kind of story that will have you reflecting on your own first loves, your own moments of growth, and what it means to fight for the life you want. Absolutely a must-read.

I really truly enjoyed this read, and was sad when it was over. The story was so heartbreaking in so many ways, and I never really wanted to put it down. There were numerous spots that were hard to follow due to a setting/time jump that didn't feel clear to me as a reader that is keeping this from being a 5 ⭐️. However, I think these characters will stay with me, and I know I'll be back to read more from Marisa Crane in the future. I'm new to the Lit Fic genre, and this was just the stepping stone I needed to get into it.