Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for a review. 

Grace starts junior year with more struggles than most kids. She came out at the end of the last school year, ending in a breakup, her leaving her football team and having to adjust to losing most of her friends. When she’s asked to rejoin the football team, being one of the best kickers in the state, she sees a chance to be herself and do what she loves. But what does it mean to be not only the only out trans women in your school, but the only trans woman out in your sport? 

The story follows her through her school year, painting a fascinating picture of friendships, sports, transition, queerness, self-discovery and acceptance, the pressures of being closeted, and the stress that comes with going to college. I really like Grace as a main character. Her (former) anger issues, the way she sometimes has to decide not to stand up for herself in order to not cause a scene, the joy she feels when she’s on the field, her trying to figure out her future, all add up to making her a really intriguing character. 

I also enjoyed the side characters, including artsy Tab, who doesn’t appreciate Grace returning to her life with the jocks initially, Zoe, her ex-girlfriend, who seems to be questioning her sexuality and Dray, one of her friends on her team. The only character that I felt was a bit underdeveloped was Grace’s dad, who didn’t get to play as big of a role as I hoped he would, mostly appearing in the background, being supportive (his character development was really nice to see though!). 

Even though I am someone who doesn’t really play sports (or watches them or cares too much about them etc) and as someone who doesn’t have any experience with the American school system, I really enjoyed the way sports were presented here. While some references are certainly more understandable for people more involved with football, everything was presented accessible enough that I could easily follow the story. By both focusing on the personal joy and fulfillment Grace finds in the sport as well as focusing on the camaraderie (or the lack of it) of being part of a team the narrative managed to draw me in and keep me engaged until the last page. 

All in all, this is a very fun YA novel and if you enjoy sport or high school stories, want some YA with trans women (a rare treat), like coming of age stories or want to read about the epic highs and lows of high school football, then you should check this book out! 

TW: alcoholism, anti-muslim bias, deadnaming, injury, sexual assault, transmisogyny, transphobia, violence