Court Out

5 Stars - Reviewed By Arya Fomonyuy for Readers’ Favorite

Court Out (A Netball Girls’ Drama) by Deb McEwan is a gripping tale that will intrigue young female readers and those who want to explore the emotions women can hide beneath the surface. It’s a story of friendship, lust, greed, and betrayal. The reader is introduced to a newcomer into the netball team, Marsha Lawson, who sees the game as the only escape from her troubled past. In fact she was thirteen years old the last time she played the game. What she doesn’t know is that her team-mates have a life of their own after they play together, and they also have secrets, and deadly ones, too. Now, during a tournament, two players go out to get revenge, and this sets off a wave of raw emotions with deadly consequences for the team. Can Marsha and the other team members avoid being pulled into the fray? 

Deb McEwan’s novel is a beautiful read and the author has created a story that is excellently thought-out and characters that are so real the reader feels like they have known the characters all along. Marsha caught my attention from the very beginning of the story and I was intrigued to discover why she couldn’t explain her not playing netball since she turned thirteen. The author uses suspense to create a strong sense of interest in the reader. The themes are so beautifully written into the story and I loved the fact that the author does a lot of “showing” rather than “telling,” creating a powerful dramatic effect on the reader. Court Out (A Netball Girls’ Drama) features a great plot, compelling characters, and a lot of drama. It is intoxicating. Be ready for a ride into the world of young women exploring their passions, discovering their hearts, and letting their emotions unfurl. 

5 Stars - Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite

(First paragraph and some of the second removed due to spoilers)

Deb McEwan’s sports fiction novel for new adults, Court Out: A Netball Girls’ Drama, is an absolute delight to read. I loved experiencing the play-by-play action as Marsha, Rose, Sandy and the other women play netball. I had been unfamiliar with this sport before, so learning about it and experiencing it vicariously through the story was a treat. McEwan’s story is also an illuminating one in its look at women and the continuing disparity of treatment of the genders in modern day society. Kaitlyn’s controlling father explains his own inconsistency to Kaitlyn by saying that it’s different for men. McEwan’s characters all seem to be responding, “no, it isn’t,” and that’s a very good thing. Watching as Marsha and the other women take control of their lives is illuminating and powerful. I had a marvelous time reading this book and getting to know McEwan’s Netball Girls. Court Out: A Netball Girls’ Drama is most highly recommended.

5 Stars - Reviewed By Viga Boland for Readers’ Favorite

"Everybody has a story," as the saying goes, and in Court Out, a Netball Girls' Drama by Deb McEwan, there's a lot more stories off the court than any of the netball players imagine. Get ready for a well-crafted story that tosses and bounces everything around the court, but earns Deb McEwan a trophy for bringing it all home as neatly and interestingly as she does. 

Not to be sexist, but you'd be right to conclude that Court Out will appeal to women, even those who have never played netball. In actual fact, this group of women who meet regularly to work out, train and compete are like most females who belong to any woman's group: they all want love; their pasts are varied but they share a common interest, in this case, playing netball; and they all have their share of insecurities, strengths and weaknesses. They recognize these traits in each other, but not necessarily in themselves. No surprise there. But what they don't know about each other is who is sleeping with whom, and it's not always their own husbands or partners. 

And therein, along with jealousies, gossip, and the competitive spirit that binds them lies the clever plotting and character development that keep readers turning the pages. Overall, the actual netball court and what happens on it is very much secondary to the motivations and emotions of those characters whose stories contribute to Court Out.