A coming-of-age story about two queer girls struggling to survive at a not-so-welcoming school.
Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours and Dahlia Adler for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary eARC and media kit!
Book Information
Publishing Date: June 7, 2022
In this sweet and funny new f/f romance from the author of Cool for the Summer, a cheerleader and the school’s newest quarterback are playing to win, but might lose their hearts in the process.
Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose.
The players refuse to be led by a girl, the cheerleaders are mad about the changes to their traditions, and the fact that Robbie’s been not only replaced but outshined by a QB who wears a sports bra has more than a few Atherton Alligators in a rage. Amber tries for some semblance of unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down.
Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other, and if Amber can’t stand up for Jack and figure out how to get everyone to fall in line, her dream may come at the cost of her heart.
Dahlia Adler’s Home Field Advantage is a sparkling romance about fighting for what – or who – you truly want.
Purchase/Information Links:
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724914
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250765846/
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/home-field-advantage-dahlia-adler/1139985464
- Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Home-Field-Advantage/9781250765840
- Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/home-field-advantage/9781250765840-item.html?
- IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250765840
Content and Trigger Warnings
For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.
About the Author
Dahlia Adler (she/her) is an Editor of mathematics by day, a Buzzfeed blogger and LGBTQReads overlord by night, and a Young Adult and Romance author at every spare moment in between. Her novels include the Radleigh University trilogy, Kids’ Indie Next pick Cool for the Summer, and Home Field Advantage, and she is the editor of the anthologies His Hideous Heart (a Junior Library Guild selection), That Way Madness Lies, At Midnight, and, with Jennifer Iacopelli, Out of Our League (upcoming from Feiwel & Friends). Dahlia lives in New York with her family and an obscene number of books, and can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @MissDahlELama.
Author Links:
- Website: https://www.dahliaadler.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MissDahlELama
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missdahlelama/
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7071439.Dahlia_Adler
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DahliaAdler/
Review (no spoilers)
If you’d like to follow along with the rest of the tour, you can find the tour schedule here.
Hello again everyone! I don’t remember the last time I’ve had a post streak this long but I’m back again with another blog tour review!
From my point of view, Home Field Advantage suffers from what I like to call mis-marketing. The blurb and cover photo posit this as a cute and funny queer romcom, but that’s not really accurate in my opinion. Judging from some of the reviews I’ve read on Goodreads, I’m not alone in thinking this was mislabeled, and its unfortunate because I think it might get the wrong audience as a result.
The main themes in this young adult novel are misogyny and queerphobia and these can get fairly graphic in the book, so I want to warn you beforehand. Basically the entire plot revolves around a new female quarterback who gets bullied, harassed, and shunned merely for being a woman. A great deal of this is also fueled by internalized misogyny as the cheerleaders are just as ruthless to Jack as the male football players.
The book is told through dual perspectives, switching between our leads every chapter. I wasn’t a fan of Amber’s perspective (mostly because I wasn’t a fan of Amber’s character), but I really enjoyed Jack’s story and personality. The romance begins early on in the book (which is something I prefer over slow-burn), but I did feel there was a lack of scenes featuring the two main characters developing their relationship. Of the few scenes where Jack and Amber are together, they’re mostly arguing or making out. It would have been really nice to watch them grow together as individuals and a couple.
A part of me wants to say that my favorite character was actually Amber’s mom, who is another queer woman featured in the story (she is bisexual). She had a nice healthy relationship with her daughter with open communication and trust. I always love when positive parent-child relationships are portrayed in YA as I think it’s something we don’t see enough of. On top of that, the side romance between Miguel (Amber’s beard boyfriend) and his boyfriend seemed so freaking cute. I would love to see a book (even a novella or short story) with them at its center.
If you’re interested in a YA coming-of-age story about a few queer teens struggling to balance their identities with their reputations, Home Field Advantage is a great choice for you! You can grab a copy at any of the links listed above.
Jenjenreviews 
This sounds like a really interesting read, I love that is presented from two perspectives and that it shows a strong healthy Mother – Teen relationship. Really insightful review!
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