A solid sweet Sapphic young adult sports romance

Another new author for me, so I had no expectations.

This is a lesbian young adult sports romance and I think Reed did a good job. Even when I’m much older than the MCs I can remember how I felt at 22. How sometimes you make a bold move and in the next moment you are shy or embarrassed about it. I liked how the author showed the insecurities young people are facing.

Introvert college student Audrey has two big goals at the beginning of the soccer season, first becoming team captain and then winning the championship. But with the new forward arriving shortly before the season starts, she got competition for her first goal. Morgen is an art student and a competitive soccer player who would like to be a team captain too, but she knows her chances are small as the new kid in town. At first, there was their rivalry which changed pretty fast into friendship and then some more. I wouldn’t call it insta-love, it took them a few days to start spending time together and acknowledge the attraction they felt. They took their relationship slower compared to others, they didn’t just jump into bed.

It’s written from Audrey’s point of view. Audrey has still some issues as a consequence of her breakup with her ex. Since then, she’s been worrying if she would be good enough for Morgan or any other new girlfriend. Morgan is a sweetheart, more outgoing and talkative than Audrey, and sometimes challenging her. But she has some demons to fight with her family. I really liked how they acted and talked to each other and their honesty. Their chemistry was great and the romance beautiful. Soccer is the main theme but not extremely so, you don’t need to be a big soccer fan to read this novel. The author did a good job of showing a little of the team spirit that prevails in a good team along with some training and game situations.

As it is in real life, there is not always sunshine and laugher, sometimes there are crises you have to overcome. And finding a way out is not always easy, sometimes it comes with heartache and you have to face your insecurities. The conflict was real and I could totally understand Audrey’s anxiety and also how Morgan reacted. As we all know, a relationship needs trust and honesty, otherwise sooner or later it will go south.

The only complaint I have is that the end was a bit rushed, the conflict resolution was good but I would have been happy if it could have lasted a few more pages.

A solid sweet young adult sports romance. My rating 4 stars