Scan barcode
A review by pucksandpaperbacks
You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CW: Mentions of cancer, emotionally abusive parent, bullying, racism, Xenophobia, grief, loss of a parent, sports injury, anxiety and anxiety attack on page, .
A sapphic soccer rivals to lovers YA romance with grief, messiness, loss of a parent, unlearning/unpacking the damage from high expectations from parents, and learning to love yourself. I LOVED reading Valentina's story. I was rooting for her until the very end to see her character develop and THRIVE!
It's rare to see sports romance stories where coaching is involved specifically with the teen characters. So, I enjoyed seeing Vale take on that role and the hard lessons she learned. Leticia was in her corner, even if Vale didn't want her to be. Leticia made her a better player as well as her teammates who pushed her to get out of her head.
This was my first Racquel Marie and I know, I'm late to the party but I'm so glad I finally got a chance to read her work because it's stunning. The writing is chef's kiss and reminded me of why I love YA contemporaries so much. I'm also a huge sucker for books set camp! This book will tear your heart out and put it back together. If you enjoy books with messy queers, queer joy & the commadarie of being on a team, I can't recommend You Don't Have a Shot enough.
Representation: Vale is a Columbian-Irish-American asexual and panromantic. Leticia is sapphic & Latiné; side characters are queer and in a relationship; one side character is a trans girl.
A sapphic soccer rivals to lovers YA romance with grief, messiness, loss of a parent, unlearning/unpacking the damage from high expectations from parents, and learning to love yourself. I LOVED reading Valentina's story. I was rooting for her until the very end to see her character develop and THRIVE!
It's rare to see sports romance stories where coaching is involved specifically with the teen characters. So, I enjoyed seeing Vale take on that role and the hard lessons she learned. Leticia was in her corner, even if Vale didn't want her to be. Leticia made her a better player as well as her teammates who pushed her to get out of her head.
This was my first Racquel Marie and I know, I'm late to the party but I'm so glad I finally got a chance to read her work because it's stunning. The writing is chef's kiss and reminded me of why I love YA contemporaries so much. I'm also a huge sucker for books set camp! This book will tear your heart out and put it back together. If you enjoy books with messy queers, queer joy & the commadarie of being on a team, I can't recommend You Don't Have a Shot enough.
Representation: Vale is a Columbian-Irish-American asexual and panromantic. Leticia is sapphic & Latiné; side characters are queer and in a relationship; one side character is a trans girl.