I picked up Running with Lions on a whim, and even though it took me a while to get through, it was an enjoyable read.

Winters wrote a very impressive debut novel. He knocked so many elements out of the park, from character development and relationship dynamics to setting descriptions and relatable themes. We’ve got a protagonist that lives and breathes soccer, but has no clue where his life will go after high school graduation. I’m not an athlete, but wow, what a mood.

While on the subject of soccer, let me say that I’m in no way a sporty person. I don’t play or watch anything, and I’ve got no clue what teams belong to what sport or even how most sports work. Usually, I wouldn’t pick up a novel centered around something I’ve got no interest in, but I knew it was queer and that was enough for me. So thank you, Julian, for writing a book where soccer plays a significant role in the plot and in the characters’ lives, but is still understandable and enjoyable for clueless nerds such as myself.

Something else I believe Winters excelled at was writing high school boys. I’ve been out of school almost a year but can still recall the boisterous, sometimes crass attitudes many of them—athletes and otherwise—shared. While I didn’t love the behavior and dialogue in some scenes of the novel, I applaud the author for staying true to what is frequently reality.

Despite that, seeing the bond the soccer players had with each other and with their coaches was wonderful. The coaches made sure the players knew that everyone was welcome on the team, and the guys—no matter how much crap they gave one another—stood up for each other. They were a family in their own right, and I loved that.

You know what else I loved? The romance. Sebastian and Emir’s relationship could be summarized as one of the best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers I’ve ever read. They were awkward but adorable, realistically flawed but fun and funny to read about. They brought a smile to my face more than once, and I would happily, eagerly read any number of chapters about them, post Running with Lions.

If there was one aspect I wasn’t such a fan of, it was Grey, one of the side characters and the daughter of one of the coaches. Her name is actually Grace, but she prefers Grey because—if I remember correctly—it doesn’t sound as feminine. Don’t get me wrong, I did like her and I’ve got nothing against sporty girls, but it felt like she was outright rejecting her femininity rather than just having other preferences. I’m not sure if that made sense or was phrased properly, but my point is that Grey’s portrayal rubbed me the wrong way. Especially since the only other girls were minor characters—Sebastian’s mom and sister, a couple of preppy girls from another school, and Sebastian’s ex-girlfriend.

Overall, Running with Lions was a book slightly outside of my comfort zone, but fun and entertaining nonetheless. I’ll definitely be reading more of Winters’ work in the future.

Representation:
• The protagonist, Sebastian, is bisexual.
• His two best friends, Mason and Willie, are experimenting and gay, respectively.
• The love interest, Emir, is British-Pakistani, Muslim, and gay.
• Another member of the soccer team, Hunter, is black and gay.
• Various marginalized side characters.

CW: discussions of body shaming, bullying, Islamophobia, and a scene featuring homophobic taunting/language (taken from the publisher’s website)