Dera (whose full name is Chidera- a Nigerian name given by a father who has been absent most of her life) is suddenly moved during Junior year to live with her serious and distant father. Dera's move to Harmony Hills High seems almost ironic, since nothing about her new life is harmonious.

This coming-of-age novel provides relatable characters with real life challenges of race, identity, relationships with family, friends, & peers. Subjects such as bullying are explored.

Appropriate for Middle Grade readers as well as older teens, this book would be a great teen book club book. Many topics could be explored through group discussions.

I adored this from start to finish — the voice, the heart, the pacing? Perfection. It gave me everything I didn’t know I needed, and then some. I’ll be thinking about this one (and recommending it nonstop) for a long time.

I enjoyed this story! I like the characters and the plot and I felt that, despite some smaller things, I overall found myself satisfied at the end!

Once I read that the book takes place in Dallas suburbs I was sold. I will say that I enjoyed following Dera journey of moving in with her estranged father to joining the boys track team. Then to see Dera and the little drama that seems to follow her 😬. I definitely would recommend this book for teens that are dealing with parent separation.

When Dera is sent to live with her father for her junior year of high school, she not only has to navigate losing time with her friends and her mother, she also has to face the potential destruction of her Olympic dreams. Her new high school doesn’t have a girls’ track team, and without getting official times registered at track meets, her chances for getting an offer for a college track program are zero. Unwilling to let her future plans go, Dera gathers up her courage to join the boys’ track team. She gets approval from the school administration and coaches, but many of her new teammates are less welcoming. As she strives to forge her own place on the team, Dera faces subtle and not-so-subtle forms of discouragement, as well as microaggressions and flat-out racism from many of the students at her new school. Add all this to her icy, almost non-relationship with her father, and Dera will need all of her courage -- plus the unexpected support of a couple of her fellow runners and a budding photojournalist -- to succeed. “Moving and inspirational,” (Kirkus Reviews) Run Like a Girl will win fans beyond readers of sports fiction; any teens who love stories of underdogs and determined heroines will enjoy this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Dera has a dream of making the Olympic track team. Then her life changes when her mom, who is struggling financially, tells her that she’s going to live with her dad. Her dad is a wealthy, distant, Nigerian father.

When Dera gets to school to start her senior year, she finds out that the mostly white suburban school doesn’t have a girls’ track team. So, she decides to train with the boys’ team and will complete at track meets with girls. But not everyone is happy with her situation. There’s a whole lot of racist and sexist actions going on in her direction.

Thankfully, Dera meets another student who is a budding social media content creator, which elevates her profile but also opens her up for more criticism. However, she’s so focused on her dream that she doesn’t really connect with anyone.

This was a great BIPOC Young Adult novel with several great themes, like perseverance, personal identity, dealing with racism and sexism, as well as being true to oneself. A lot of great lessons in this book!

This was a great YA novel that deals with relevant topics (women in sports, school bullying, immigration, social norms, social media, and family dynamics). I really loved Dera and the way she and her teammates evolved. I thought the use of blogging and social media helped show how a school bully could change and how Dera could alter the way she was perceived--both for better and for worse. I loved the romance aspect, and the camaraderie of the boys track team.

I really think a lot of readers will feel seen in this book, and it opens the door to see how others experience various socioeconomic cultures.

I highly recommend this book for high school libraries and YA librarians.

Chidera is a track star at her old school, but is forced to move to the home of the Nigerian immigrant father she barely knows. Can she find her place Will the school with no girls track team support her?

This compelling story follows Dera, a teenager uprooted from the only life she’s ever known with her mother to move in with her estranged father—hours away from everything familiar. As she struggles to adjust to a new environment, Dera faces the emotional weight of cultural displacement, identity confusion, and unresolved family tensions. Fitting in at her new school is anything but easy, especially when she's the only girl on an all-boys track team. While a few teammates welcome her, others make her feel unwelcome, adding to her sense of isolation.
Amidst the challenges, Dera finds an unexpected connection with a classmate who lives on the margins and wants to feature her story on a blog. The goal is to inspire others who feel out of place, but once the story goes viral, it brings both encouragement and unintended consequences.
One of the standout strengths of this book is the relationships—both old and new. Dera’s loyal friends from her previous life offer emotional support from afar, while surprising moments of kindness from new peers help her find her footing. As she navigates life at a new school and adjusts to the pressures of competitive sports, Dera also begins to piece together the complex history between her parents, which adds depth to her evolving understanding of family.
The emotional themes are handled with care and authenticity, making this a thoughtful, heartfelt read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys character-driven stories about resilience, identity, and the power of connection.
Thank you HarperCollins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Memorable and relatable characters that are so easy to root for and engaging writing make this a winner. Despite having a premise that's been done before, this still felt fresh, and between the sports, family drama, school drama, romance, and friendships, there was something for every realistic fiction reader. Would recommend this for both middle and high school readers.

Run Like a Girl is a wonderful book about ambition, perseverance and friendship. Some people may not agree with me about the friendship part, but I believe the outcome of this book would be completely different if Dera didn’t make friends with such understanding and forgiving people. She was genuinely horrific to Rosalyn near end but thankfully, Rosalyn was a mature (and potentially the best) character.

What surprised me most about Rosalyn’s character is that it’s never mentioned how having her aunt and uncle deported made her feel. We hear how it affects Gael as they are his parents, but it’s her family too but that doesn't get mentioned. Sorry, that’s a slight spoiler but also not really as it doesn’t directly impact the story.

It was actually a little refreshing to read a book about someone not feeling guilt for not being connected or even interested in their heritage. So often these types of books include some sort of cultural guilt, but Dera was set on not being interested in her Nigerian heritage. I’m not saying it’s a good thing to feel this way, but not having this be a point of contention in the plot was refreshing.

It was heavily implied that Dera’s new school is extremely white compared to her old one, but what confused me was how this wasn’t really represented in the characters. Dera’s close circle, and the track team, were actually really diverse. I don’t think you find out Liam’s ethnicity beyond ‘asian’, at least not that I can remember. But his family were very much the stereotype of being doctors, something that is pointed out by Liam when he says his dad is ‘the caricature of every Strict Asian Parent stereotype’. This is a stereotype I wish we could move past for asian characters but as cultural differences weren’t a huge part of this book, beyond Dera’s hair, I suppose I can let it slide.

The whole situation with Dera’s hair was horrific. As someone that has also had someone cut their hair at school, it’s horrible. My situation was nowhere near as bad as Dera’s as hers felt like a racial attack but I can understand how traumatising it can be.

One part of Run Like a Girl that I really loved was Dera liking her dad’s girlfriend. She never has a negative thought against her even though she ‘replaced’ her mom. This is another part of this book that felt super refreshing. I’ve read books about adults that hold a grudge against their parent’s new partner, so having a teenager not feel this way shows a great level of maturity. Plus Jocelyn was great. She was always on Dera’s side and helped her understand her father more.

It seems like I have a lot to complain about for Run Like a Girl but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. What’s actually happened is it took me a long time to get through and I was reading such short segments at a time that I didn’t really give myself the chance to form thoughts or opinions on what’s going on. I found the book to be entertaining and when I did get a chance to read a huge chunk of it at the end, I loved what I was reading. The characters felt so real and you really root for everything to go well for Dera once she gets her act together.

Ummm debut novel, hello?! This book was such a breath of fresh air and so empowering. I initially requested this on NetGalley because I wanted to share the story with my 5-year-old daughter and it didn’t disappoint. Amaka Egbe’s writing was so freaking magical (no other way to describe it), I finished this in two nights. Dera is the FMC we all need, and I loved watching her story unfold, from navigating her family dynamics, adjusting to a new school, finding her squad, and just kicking ass on the track.

I’ll be over here crossing my fingers that this book gets a sequel because I need to see Dera crush it in college (or the Olympics!). PLEASE pick this up for a heartwarming and endearing read that will motivate you to make it happen.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I loved this book so much, it was just such a cute ya contemporary romance and was heartwarming. As a Nigerian i loved that the fmc js half Nigerian even if the relationship is strained. We have the fmc that that unwittingly goes to live wifh her rich Nigerian dad. She has to start this new school where she finds out that it doesn’t have a females track team. The fmcs passion is running and she wants to make the Olympics one day. She ends up joining the guys track team and has to face all that.

I loved seeing how the family dynamics played into Chideras and her life trying to fit in. I liked seeing her her make friends and the cute romance and friendship. Overall this was a great read, thanks to Epic Reads for the arc.

Chidera loves to run, and is good at it. Very, very good. As in “can probably get a track scholarship and maybe make the Olympics” good. Except that her mother lost her job, and Dera needs to go live with her strait laced father. And the school doesn’t have a girl’s track team.

Dera is relatable, and as she starts to fit in with her new world, there’s a lot for readers to either see themselves in or learn about, from Black hair to running to Nigerian foods and traditions.

I loved that when Dera points out Title IX, she finds an ally in the school counselor and in one of the track coaches, who sees his trans son’s fight for acceptance in her, (And that she has to, repeatedly, deal with the very real world situation that many Black woman athletes have faced where they’re assumed to be trans-and that even the fact that she’s running with, and beating the boys doesn’t make her immune to this) but that her fight to become part of the team is as slow moving as you’d expect-that she’s not just accepted becauae she’s fast, but struggles with both her teammates and her classmates to belong. I loved that both her parents made missteps along the way. No one in this book is perfect. Including the protagonist.

This is an excellent book, and one that deserves inclusion.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book!!!
It was amazing in all the right ways! I loved the characters (especially Gael) and the whole time I was hooked on Chidera’s story.
All in all a fabulous book!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Amaka Egbe’s “Run Like a Girl” is a powerful young adult sports book that also explores identity, family dynamics, and resilience. This is a compelling coming-of-age story many readers, especially those interested in sports, will relate to and enjoy. At its heart is Chidera “Dera” Okafor, a talented runner whose life is upended when she is forced to move in with her estranged father in a wealthy, predominantly white suburb of Dallas. Used to the support of her mother and a strong track team back home, Dera finds herself in an unfamiliar world where the school doesn’t even have a girls’ track team—and where her very presence challenges deep-seated biases about race and gender in sports.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its unflinching look at sexism and racism. Dera faces microaggressions from both white classmates and some Black students who don’t see her as “fitting in.” The hostility on the boys’ track team is shocking—ranging from dismissive comments to outright bullying, including a disturbing moment when her braids are cut off. These moments highlight the real struggles female athletes, particularly women of color, continue to face in male-dominated spaces. Yet, Dera’s determination never wavers. Supported by her growing found family, including her loyal teammates Liam and Gael, and her best friend from home, Moot, she proves that she belongs on the track just as much as anyone else.
Beyond sports, “Run Like a Girl” dives deeply into family relationships. Dera’s father is emotionally distant, overprotective, and at times unintentionally sexist. He struggles to connect with a daughter he barely knows, and Dera wrestles with resentment over his absence from her life. However, the book doesn’t paint him as a villain—his Nigerian heritage and personal struggles add depth to his character, and his girlfriend Joyce becomes a surprising source of support for Dera. The slow rebuilding of their relationship is one of the most touching aspects of the book.
The romance between Dera and Gael is well-developed, feeling natural rather than forced. Their dynamic is built on mutual respect and support, making it an enjoyable subplot that enhances rather than overshadows the main themes. Similarly, Dera’s friendship with Roselyn is another highlight—Dera’s realization of her own shortcomings as a friend and her growth throughout the book make her an incredibly relatable protagonist.
While the book is packed with important themes, it never feels overwhelming. Egbe balances heavier topics with moments of joy, triumph, and camaraderie. The track scenes are vivid and exhilarating, making this an excellent read for young athletes. The ending is particularly satisfying—Dera not only achieves success on the track but also finds emotional growth, reconciliation with her father, and a supportive community that believes in her.
Overall, “Run Like a Girl” is an inspiring and thought-provoking novel, perfect for younger YA readers and sports lovers. Dera’s story is one that deserves to be heard—because girls can, and always will, run.

As a former track kid, so much rang true in this story about a girl who transfers to a new school in the middle of her junior year and--when she learns the school doesn't have a girl's track team--begins training with the boy's track team. There is a lot going on in this book. Main character Dera deals with not only being the new kid in a school that's much wealthier (and, it is implied, whiter, though her new friends and teammates represent a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds) than her previous school, but bullying, friendship issues, a romantic situationship, and a fraught relationship with her father. Author Elbe deftly ties these threads together against the backdrop of Dera's track season. I can see how some readers might find it a little unbelievable that Dera manages to win every single race, but as a person who came in dead last in the majority of her own high school track races, I enjoyed living vicariously through her.

Amaka Egbe’s Run Like a Girl is an inspiring and empowering story about perseverance, ambition, and defying societal expectations. Following a young protagonist breaking barriers in the world of competitive sports, the novel dives into themes of resilience, gender equity, and self-belief. Egbe’s vibrant storytelling and heartfelt character development make this an engaging read, leaving readers cheering for the protagonist’s journey on and off the track. A motivational tale for anyone striving to carve their own path.

Run Like a Girl by Amaka Egbe is a young adult fiction. I knew I would enjoy the book immediately I read the description on Netgalley and I wasn't disappointed. I breezed through the book in a short while. Born to a Nigerian father and a black American mother, Chidera (Dera) was happy with her life, especially her status on the track team, despite her father's absence. When she suddenly has to go live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia, and attend a school with no girls' track team, her dream of getting into college and the Olympics is threatened, but she is determined to overcome the hurdles - being different, bullying, dating issues, dad issues, etc. This was both an interesting and inspiring read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine