Trigger Warnings: divorce, vomit, cursing, marijuana, underage drinking, injury, medical content, violence/fighting
Representation: Gay
I Like Me Better is a summertime romance about soccer-star Zack Martin. When the captain's prank means trouble for the whole squad, Zack’s left with no choice but to take one for the team and cover for him.
Now he’s trading parties and beach days for community service at a seaside conservation center—fair enough. Thanks to his new reputation, the cute intern, Chip, won’t even give him a shot. Still, Zack finds himself falling for Chip between dolphin encounters and shark costume disasters, which means he suddenly has way more on the line than he ever expected. Zack may be good at winning on the field, but can he keep up the lie without losing himself?
I just love soccer gays! I loved how much soccer was incorporated in this and we still had a nice love story as well. This book definitely reads as YA, which is fine if that’s your vibe. Personally, I really need to read more adult stories. The characters are true teenagers, full of angst and drama but it’s an appropriate amount for their ages. I really enjoyed all of them. There’s a love interest and a ton of growth for the main character. There is also some adult involvement and a villain. I also really enjoy the writing style of this author. Obviously I’m a huge sucker for a HEA and the soccer is an amazing bonus!
This book had me wondering about how we write coming of age stories. I noticed that the plot has to revolve around the growth of the main, sometimes unlovable character. I’m curious to see a YA story from a different perspective or to see the character not grow but that’s just some thoughts and not reflective of this novel.
Representation: Gay
I Like Me Better is a summertime romance about soccer-star Zack Martin. When the captain's prank means trouble for the whole squad, Zack’s left with no choice but to take one for the team and cover for him.
Now he’s trading parties and beach days for community service at a seaside conservation center—fair enough. Thanks to his new reputation, the cute intern, Chip, won’t even give him a shot. Still, Zack finds himself falling for Chip between dolphin encounters and shark costume disasters, which means he suddenly has way more on the line than he ever expected. Zack may be good at winning on the field, but can he keep up the lie without losing himself?
I just love soccer gays! I loved how much soccer was incorporated in this and we still had a nice love story as well. This book definitely reads as YA, which is fine if that’s your vibe. Personally, I really need to read more adult stories. The characters are true teenagers, full of angst and drama but it’s an appropriate amount for their ages. I really enjoyed all of them. There’s a love interest and a ton of growth for the main character. There is also some adult involvement and a villain. I also really enjoy the writing style of this author. Obviously I’m a huge sucker for a HEA and the soccer is an amazing bonus!
This book had me wondering about how we write coming of age stories. I noticed that the plot has to revolve around the growth of the main, sometimes unlovable character. I’m curious to see a YA story from a different perspective or to see the character not grow but that’s just some thoughts and not reflective of this novel.