I ADORED THIS BOOK! This contemporary mm romance not only has incredible character work with a beautiful romance between our two main characters, it also showcased AFL, and the AFL'S relationship with queerness in a way that made it so obvious that Darcy Green knows what they're talking about!

Theo's mental health rep was incredibly well done, and I adored both Theo and Jake's characters and the romance as it built between them! I just wanted to wrap myself in this book like a warm hug 🥰

Thank you to Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley for the arc!

After the Siren by Darcy Green [ARC - Releasing 23 September 2025]
4.75 Stars
Spice - Explicit, Open Door
Tropes - Sports (AFL), Coming Out, Dislike to Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity
Format - Dual POV, Third Person Past Tense

Thanks so much to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

After the Siren has to have been one of my favourite books of 2025. This book is stacked to the brim with representation, but all of the characters feel very real, not like they were simply added to reach an arbitrary quota. The side characters felt just as much a part of the story as the two leads, and they all read like a big, wonderful extended family.
The relationship development between the two leads was great, watching them grow separately and together as they find their places in their families, the world of AFL, and with each other. The spicy scenes were so perfectly placed and I loved that I could see their relationship develop within these scenes, where in a lot of books it just feels like skippable filler.
I also adored the discussion of mental health and representation within the sports world, and Jake’s journey with feeling as though coming out would cause him to become the face of queer AFL players, his performance irrevocably tied with how the public views queer players.
This was so fun, perfect for those who love queer sports romances with epic found family, spice scenes that feel like they really matter, and a dash of social commentary.

Content Warnings - anxiety, depression, suicide attempt (mentioned), cervical cancer, homophobic language, panic attack, coarse language, sexual content, vomit (mentioned), car accident (mentioned)

This was truly a whole delight of a book to read. I binge read it in one sitting, hooked in an instant. I am a queer identifying Australian, and it means so much to me, not only to see an absolute institution of a sport represented in an LGBTQ+ lens, but the rich, diverse tapestry of Australian people. I think a lot of people think we’re a very progressive country, but we, like most countries, still have some very deeply rooted conservative views and this book tackles them so so beautifully.

The under running commentary about racism/homophobia/misogyny in Australian sport (and Australian culture as a whole) is absolutely phenomenal, and deeeeeeply appreciated.


I love the way of us learning things about the characters (appearance, heritage, religion etc) , how it comes up organically and not just initial descriptions I have to hold onto in my brain. Absolutely beautifully done.

The spice in this is delicious, while still being heavy on consent and everyone being comfortable in what’s going on which I appreciate more than I can properly articulate. I love it when queer couples can exist and be written just the same as any heterosexual romance novels have been, and Darcy does an absolutely phenomenal job with it.

I have zero negatives to say about this book, the characters are so beautiful and so easy to fall in love with. There’s excellent representation, not just for LGBTQ+ humans, but for mental health, and the power and importance of people having a choice of when and if they wish to share their sexuality with the world (whether or not they are in the public eye.)

I will definitely be purchasing myself a hard copy of After the Siren when it is released, and keeping an eye on what Darcy releases next.

I didn’t know what to expect going in to Darcy Green’s debut - After the Siren. However, I have appreciated their thoughtful writing style, and particularly their stance against AI, so I grabbed this.

I wasn’t disappointed!

Yes, you could call this a sports romance. But it is so much more, dealing with themes including family expectations, homophobia, inequalities for women in sport, racism and mental health issues.

Against this backdrop Darcy Green has built a beautiful relationship between Jake and Theo and a community of supportive friends, team mates and family.

I'm pretty sure Darcy Green had alot of fun writing this. There were certainly some laugh out loud moments for me. Jake and Theo’s text conversations were a highlight.

I also appreciated how “Australian” After the Siren is, through the language, the idyllic time spent by the beach and the love of AFL by its fans.

A truly wonderful debut and I look forward to reading more by Darcy Green.

After the Siren follows an AFL player grappling with his sexuality while navigating the pressures of professional sport, public image, and personal relationships. Through his journey, readers see both the thrill of romance and the weight of secrecy in a hyper-masculine sporting culture. Alongside the emotional stakes, the novel doesn’t shy away from intimate, “spicy” moments, making it a compelling blend of sports drama and queer romance.

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Review:


4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Darcy Green for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Darcy Green delivers a story that feels authentic to the lived experiences of AFL players who may be gay or bisexual. The portrayal of internal anxieties—fear of exposure, career impact, and the longing for acceptance—rings true and grounds the romance in real emotional stakes.

The book has a good balance of spice and substance. The romantic and intimate scenes are unapologetic and add to the realism, without overshadowing the deeper themes of identity and belonging.

Humour is another strong point. Priya’s scenes, particularly her Melbourne trip and her hilarious conversation with Stav about the Jake hookup, provide comic relief that keeps the book fun and engaging.

On the flip side, the pacing can feel a little jumpy. For instance, moving from a big first-time experience (like trying anal) to suddenly being three weeks ahead at a semi-final jars the flow.

Despite this, After the Siren is funny, spicy, and heartfelt. It captures both the vulnerability and joy of exploring sexuality in a high-pressure environment, and will resonate with readers who want romance that feels both real and entertaining

I had a lot of fun with this book! I just love Queer Joy!

Theo's anxiety and panic attacks made him very relatable. After he bombed a final last season, Theo gets traded to the Falcon's. Which was the very team that won in his last game. This is a new chance for Theo to show everyone that he is an amazing player and deserves to be here.

Enter Jake, the AFL golden boy and the same player who keeps getting under Theo's skin. Turns out they are roommates for footy camp and they need to sort out their issues quick otherwise the team will suffer.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Jake and Theo, I like how they started off disliking each other and then turned friends which eventually turned lovers. I enjoyed the talk of consent and boundaries.

I thought the authors approach to the AFL, AFLW, and the league's severe sexism and homophobia problem was excellent. Love to see grown ass men sticking up for women in sports.

I thought this debut was excellent and I am so excited to see what else Darcy Green writes!

This story is fantastic!! I hope it finds its way to everyone men’s afl player who may be hiding their identity for the sake of their career. And to all the men who aren’t queer, I hope they read this too! Reading something as specific as afl within my home city is a first in the romance genre, and I want more!!

Jake and Theo are such likeable characters, both with their own back stories that are well fleshed out and featured within the book! The writing is well constructed and is engaging throughout its entirety
As a bisexual woman I related to a lot of the fear coming out consists of in regards to family and having poor relationships with them to begin with. Did I cry? Yes. Did I laugh? Also yes

Love love love !!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!


I have had the release date of this book in my calendar pencilled in for mooonths, I have also already pre-ordered the hard copy but when I had the opportunity to access an ARC (on the same week as the strong and brave Mitch Brown came out nonetheless) I was so inpatient and I devoured this - thank you NetGally and Darcy Green.


An enemies to friends to lovers between two teammates of an Australian AFL team set throughout the duration of an AFL pre-season and home and away season. As someone who loves sports romances, I tend to gloss over the actual sport as I don’t usually understand it but I was absolutely vibrating with the excitement of all the footy rules, terminology and being really able to envision the game being played on the page.


As for the romance - it had everything you could want from a romance. Initially I felt bad for the two MMCs as I felt they were being so mean to each other and they would feel bad about it after they inevitability progressed to more, but I loved the fighting, it felt real! The only thing that left a little bit to be desired and I would’ve liked to see more of was the initial stretch of becoming friends but, they were clearly just so obsessed with each other from the beginning so it still felt natural in line with their personality types.


Reading this book the anticipation of them getting together was palpable; I teared up in one of the sex scenes (strong marker of a good book for me); and I couldn’t get enough of the two of them together.


I felt the ending was maybe a little bit abrupt and it came so quickly but in saying that, it gave you everything a reader NEEDED to know.. maybe I just didn’t want this book to end, wanting more and to keep reading.



I had such high expectations for this book and it was my most anticipated read of this year. Darcy Green has met and exceeded those expectations and I cannot wait to read more from them - especially if it continues to be centred around AFLM / AFLW.. I hope this also shows that there is an audience for these stories centered around AFL.


I LOVE GAYFL!!!!!

I was eager to read this book and what can I say but wow, wow,wow!

After the Siren is one of those rare MM romance books that deal with gay players in the AFL- while there are books out there, it's not as common as say hockey so when one comes along I tend to heavily scrutinise it.

The plot itself is amazing- it features Theo being traded from a Sydney club to a Melbourne cub (to those who don't know, Melbourne is AFL central!), and not only being traded but to a team he played against that resulted in him having a serious case of the "yips" and being ridiculed in the social media world and the footy world.

The great thing about Darcy Greens' tome is that they capture the world so beautifully and magnificently- if you're a fan of AFL the use of colloquialisms that belong in the AFL world is spot on and that's not an easy thing to do- if you don't know the terms 100% there's a high chance it'll make no sense but not in this case; the on field action is accurate and is just as important as the off field action.

Off the field- Green hits the characterisations of the main characters spot on with Theo being a somewhat surprisingly (for a footy player that is!) introvert who slowly comes out of his shell inch by inch- we are shown things about him that while aren't fully spelled out there's enough to draw the correct inference .

Opposite Theo we have Jake- your classic golden retriever type of character, who when he gets his head of his arse, is a very switched on person and there's scenes in the novel that is sadly true to life and show that we all need a Jake in our life.

While this would normally be given a five star review, I sadly had to take a star off a poor editing decision- as this is an Australian set novel, with an Australian writer, I tend to judge based on the useage of Australian/English English versus American English where appropriate. In particular there is one word that is initially spelt in the Australian English terminology before reverting to American useage- a shame as the inconsistency is noticeably and its a shame that the editing decision was made to use the American term despite this being an Australian book set in Australia with an Australian author.

This was such a fun debut, I really loved the way Green approached AFL and AFLW and the massive issue the league has with sexism and homophobia. If only a single AFL player had the spine Jake had to stick up for the AFLW girls so strongly.

The romance was sweet, well paced and delivered all the things one wants from a romance!

I sincerely hope Darcy Green considers writing a sapphic sports romance in the future because I just know they could body a beautiful a-league women romance in a way that other soccer romances couldn't reach. Or even AFLW I'll take that too!

I also had the opportunity to meet Darcy before I got my hands on this arc and have two pretty sicq queer AFL pins, so that's pretty cool.

Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Random House Australia for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I first discovered this book back when it was going to be self published, and have been desperate to read it since. I am very glad to say that it lived up to my high expectations.

This is an MM AFL romance between two formerly rival players who become teammates. I read this in one sitting and adored it.
The mental health rep was amazing. I loved all of the side characters and family (including found) in this book. as for the romance, the pining and tension was superb. There was a little bit of angst and hardship, but mostly it was a cute and fluffy read.

I am a massive footy fan (go pies!) and of course loved that aspect of the book. But I definitely don't think you need to be familiar with AFL to read this. The author does a good job at explaining things without info dumping.

I teared up 3 seperate times while reading (happy tears). This has officially made it into my favourite romances list and I will never stop recommending it. Very excited to read future works from this author!

(Very important information: there were 2 mentions of orangutans in this book!!!!!)

I really loved this book and flew through it in a couple of days. The Australian setting! The AFL backdrop! The mental health rep! The positive masculinity! The pining! The amazing side characters! Loved it all!

Jake and Theo have ended up playing on the same AFL team after previously playing as rivals on opposing teams. As they slowly get to know each other, they realise that they have been completely wrong about each other and Theo slowly starts to let his guard down with Jake and the rest of the team.

The characters felt well developed and their relationship developed from rivals to friends to lovers organically. I enjoyed how the book was written over a full AFL season and nothing felt rushed or ignored,

I would have liked a little more after their coming out and fully establishing their relationship but maybe that's the sign of a great book - always wanting more!

4.5 stars. Thanks for this early copy. Will be recommending widely.

This was such a delightful romance, and well written too. I love my trashy romances, but when one comes along that's actually a pleasure to read, I get so happy! And it's an Australian MM romance!
I was really pleased to see that, in a gay for bi romance, the gay one was the more confident guy - I feel like in MM romances you often get the trope of shy gay boy who knows his sexuality, and confident bi guy who's just coming to terms with it - in After the Siren, it's the other way around. The romance was well-paced and didn't feel rushed, the characters were diverse and loveable, and there was just the right amount of hardship to make the happy ending feel earned, without taking away the lighthearted cozy vibes.
4.5 stars, rounded up.

3.5⭐️

Thank you kindly NetGalley for this ARC ✨

This book follows the two MMC’s as they figure out their developing relationship on an AFL team.

I have mixed thoughts about this one:
I loved the MC’s - a golden retriever and a reserved, old soul - I was instantly on their side cheering them on. I liked the friend group, the setting and the pacing of the story - it essentially was a light and fluffy, cute read which I did devour in two days.

I did struggle however with two things. Firstly some of the dialogue felt mildly cringey and disjointed (this could be a me thing though cause I get second hand embarrassment easily).

**mild spoiler below**
Secondly, as someone part of the LGBQT+ community from Australia it felt unrealistic. You’re telling me two men came out in the AFL community and not a single player batted an eyelid and no one from the crowd slurred homophobic comments - even in today’s society it’s not realistic; I’ve been to AFL games and heard the comments. I know it’s a romance book but the moment it felt so far fetched it lost me a little bit.

I jumped at the chance to read this queer romance, set against the backdrop of AFL. A big yes to Australian queer fiction and the authors writing these books.

Jake and Theo have a loongstanding rivalry that is front and centre when Theo is picked up by Jake's team. In the early stages we learn about the origins of the rivalry and Jake and Theo's respective points of view.

With sports romances, I'm always appreciative where there is a reasonable amount of the particular sport. I'm aware I enjoy them more where there's clear knowledge of the author of the sport and the dynamics at play. Where the balance is right, I'm usually assured I'll enjoy the book. After the Siren struck a balance looking at pre-season and then different points during the season. Time jumps seemed logical and it didn't seem as if things were occurrring off page that I was missisng.

There was lots to love otherwise about this book in terms of the relationships Jake and Theo have with other characters, their own families and their found families and villages, as well as the progression of the relationship. The attraction, the sense of forbidden given they are team mates, and the thoughts and feelings of Jake and Theo about their respective circumstances in terms of being out and being in the public eye.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an early digital copy of After the Siren.