DNF @ 32%

I was really looking forward to this one as a big fan of sports books, especially since I haven't seen too many books featuring field hockey out there. However, something about this one just feels so cringe, and I feel like it's because a lot of it doesn't feel very natural. I'm also struggling to care about any of the characters, and I'm not invested enough to continue reading. Not for me, unfortunately, but I'm sure many others will enjoy!

In this excellent new LGBTQ+ YA sports romance novel, readers follow field hockey player Evelyn at the end of her high school career with a scholarship to her late mother’s alma mater on the line. Determined to get the scholarship and fulfill the field hockey dreams everyone seems to expect from her, Evelyn is out for blood and wins, but Rosa Alvarez, the rookie on their biggest rival’s team, seems just as determined to stomp all over these dreams. With humiliating games and mean-spirited pranks resulting from this rivalry, both girls agree to help each other overcome their on-field weaknesses, but Evelyn soon finds herself opening up to Rosa in ways she didn’t expect. With a great cast of characters and a brilliant premise, this novel is great for all sorts of readers looking for a fun tropey LGBTQ+ romance novel. Evelyn and Rosa are fantastic characters, and their dynamic really pulls readers into the story. Their struggles are deeply relatable to all readers (and especially younger ones), and their character growth adds a lot to the narrative’s complexity. Entertaining, emotional, and heartwarming, readers will love this book because of the characters but stick around for the fantastic settings and world-building that act as the high-stakes backdrop.

As a former high school field hockey player, I loved the queer representation. It was cute how the romance bloomed where each character learned something about herself outside of just a romance. I just know high school me would have adored this book.

it's only been like a few weeks? since i read this but as much as i liked it, i find it's kind of left my brain mostly... that's not entirely the book's fault, i've been reading a lot and things that don't stand out as much as the others tend to get forgotten.

from what i remember, this was a mostly enjoyable read. the one thing that i remember standing out to me was the relationship between the mc and her brother and how they dealt differently with the grief of having lost their mom, and especially the conversation they had about that. i also think the main relationship was nice, i was rooting for them. i really really liked the commentary on finding other stuff you're interested in and not being hellbent on your dreams and allowing them to change when necessary, i think that's an important lesson for many teens, especially if they're at an age where they're starting to consider college and future careers, which was done really well with the mc. it wasn't like it came out of the blue just to tie things up nicely and give a message, the reader understands the mc's reasonings behind it fully, and they actually make sense. i found some of the stuff the characters did to be childish and disrespectful, but they were acknowledged as being issues. overall, this is not a book i will think about again, but i thought it did what it set out to do quite well, and that some readers may find it more memorable if it particularly resonates with them.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Maybe it is because I know nothing about hockey, much less field hockey but this turned out not to be the book for me.

This book was so good, I literally could not put it down. I read it in a couple different lines in Disney World and was more invested in it than any of my surroundings. The characters were genuinely so interesting, and the plot was engaging and interesting. I loved the balance of sports and romance, but also the deeper discussions of educators and futures. Also how clearly characters took accountability for their actions. Overall, a huge fan.

Loved this funny, inspiring, down to earth rivals to love romance! The hijinks felt so real and reminded me of my own high school experiences. The team dynamics and high stakes competition were spot on. Loved the diverse representation and own voice that Kit Rosewater provided. She is also a down to earth, funny, kind, wonderful human! She came to give a talk to my high school book club and it was a home run!

In agenre saturated with heterosexual, adult romance stories I'm happy to see a YA sapphic hockey romance! Evelyn has one thing on her mind: win.A born and raised field hockey star, Evelyn comes from a family of field hockey players where great is only the baseline. Determined to win Nationals and go on to NCAA, Evelyn knows every step forward must lead to her goal. Enter: Rosa Alvarez. The insanely talented newcomer who's skill speaks for itself. When two star players find themselves in a tentative truce to help each other improve their skills, can the two remain rivals or will they become something more?

Eeeeekkkk this was so cute and just what I needed. Evelyn and Rosa had such great tension and it was nice to see their relationship grow. Evelyn's storyline of feeling the expectations to be great on her shoulders to learning how to step out of her mother's shadow felt relatable. Although I enjoyed this story, I did feel Rosa and Evelyn's relationship was a bit rushed. I should also say although this is marketed as YA, it does include some explicit intimate scenes. This did not impact my reading experience, but others expecting a clean YA romance should be aware.

Overall, I enjoyed this and will recommend it to anyone with an interest in YA romance.

Don't let the smiling cover fool you. This is not a cutesy YA romcom. This is YA, but a dark, hard-hitting sports drama with a side of death & grief, coupled with queerbaiting and transphobia. Evelyn has issues, and no healthy way to deal with them. So she buries herself in field hockey. And this book needs a page of trigger warnings.

"The field is your house. Protect the house."

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting. I loved the storyline as well as all the characters. I thought the characters had great growth. I would recommend this book.

All’s Fair in Love and Field Hockey is a heartfelt queer YA sports romance that follows Evelyn, a driven field hockey player, and Rosa, her rival-turned-love interest. Their secret romance unfolds amid intense competition, family pressure, and personal grief.

The chemistry is strong, and the story thoughtfully explores identity, ambition, and queerness. While Evelyn’s tunnel vision on hockey can overshadow other character development, the emotional and romantic beats hit home.

A compelling debut for fans of queer romance and sports drama.

Thanks to netgalley for the Arc! All opinions re my own. While I always appreciate LGBTQ lit for young people, this one didn’t end up being one I would recommend to young people as it had some things I don’t care for in YA romance, including when you have enemies to lovers romance where one (or both) show cruelty I can’t look past. I know they’re teens and maybe not comfortable with their sexuality, but treating someone the way these girls do just rubbed me the wrong way. So, while I appreciate stories like these making it into turn ends of teens so they can see love is love and people “just like me,” I want more for YA romance. FYI profanity and sexual situations

Kit Rosewater wrote the YA/New Adult sports romance of my dreams. Field hockey is such an unusual and unknown sport to most Americans so to see it front and center was a delight. I'm sure some readers will have issues with the conversations regarding identity and queerness, but I remained focus on the true audience of this tale....young ones who are still trying to work it out themselves. I applaud Rosewater's efforts to elevate this as a means of introducing the concept of gender studies to the reader as well. Go get this book now! Overwhelmingly enjoyed!

Thank you to Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

As a bisexual person this hurt to read. I was very excited about this book just for it to be wry disappointing. Why are we still talking about whether or not there’s more then a gay and straight person.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

A lovely coming-of-age book with a hefty romantic subplot. I felt like the representation about being bisexual felt authentic and messy in the best way possible.

I love queer sports books and I love queer awakenings, however this one was kind of a flop. I thought that Evelyn and Rosa had clear chemistry and I was rooting for them. But I found myself frustrated with so many decisions by Evelyn. I know she was trying to live up to some promise made before her mom died, but man it took her too long to realize that she needed to live for herself and not what her mom wished she had accomplished. Also, I really disliked Evelyn and Katie's friendship. Like both of them were awful friends to one another. I think the book would've been better served by acknowledging that maybe their friendship wasn't meant to last.

Anyway, this was cute enough if you don't think too much about it. Definitely not a new favorite, and I feel there are many other better books covering the topics in this one.

*3.5 Stars*

This was pretty good. I liked the characters overall but I didn't feel much. I did like the field hockey setting, it's not something I'm not used to read about. I still felt like this lacked a little depth. I just wished for more. It still wasn't bad. I liked Rosa more than the MC to be honest and it was a fast read. I do love a fast read, I just wished there was a bit more!

No. Why are we, in the year 2025, still acting like there’s gay & there’s straight & if you’re bi you just haven’t chosen yet. Bisexuality is not fake and I’m tired of having to say this.

This is just one of the things I did not like about this book. I didn’t find that there was any chemistry between Rosa & Evelyn. Why did the author feel the need to include open door sex scenes in a YA book? Why did these characters sound like they’re in college instead of sound like high school?

Ultimately this book was not my thing and I’m really sad it wasn’t because I was looking forward to it.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I don't read a lot of romance, let alone YA romance, so I wasn't sure this was going to be up my alley, but I am so glad I gave it a shot. Evelyn is a messy baby gay with mama trauma and an undue amount of responsibility on her shoulders. She's facing a gay awakening, battling compulsive heterosexuality, confronting the potential difficulties of living as an openly queer person, grieving the idea of what her family "should" be, discovering intersectional feminism (!), and learning that there's more to being a person than living up to the expectations of others. I can't help but see part of myself in her, and I'm proud of both of us for the journey we've been on. And then there's Rosa, your dream girl's dream girl. She's smart, confident, dedicated, and she knows her worth. I wish we'd gotten more of her story, there's so much more to say about the role racism plays in women's sports, and I want to see Rosa tear those walls down. Maybe there's a sequel there?
I do want to address something I noticed in some of the other reviews. There are two moments of sexual intimacy in this book. Neither gives physical anatomical descriptions, and no sex acts are described. They both focus more on how the intimacy affects Evelyn emotionally. They both are completely grounded in consent, setting an excellent example of how to give and withdraw consent, and how to ask your partner for theirs. I don't think either scene was explicit or graphic, and though they may not have been detrimentally necessary to the plot, I think they added depth to Evelyn's story and character development.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC, I will be looking out for Rosewater's next book!