Rating: 7 footballs

If I could give a book 6 stars…7 stars…more…this would be the one. For all that is holy (and in some scenes, NOT holy, if you know what I mean), this was an incredible book about self discovery, combating homophobia, sports homophobia, finding friends and supports with your family. I mean, there was just so much happening, but I am so thankful I saw this book at the bookstore and bought it. I will so read this over and over again.

Gabriel Piña (Gabi, Gabo, or Piña, for short) is a football player. Not American football, but international football (soccer, if you will). He is a freshman starter goalkeeper on the Texas A&M Corpus Christi team, which is not something that happens very often. He is having a great season. He met a cool girl, Leana, and a cool guy, Vale. He ends up hooking up with Leana, and just as he is getting ready to ask her to go steady and be a couple, she lets him down, not because of anything wrong, but because she wants to grow and explore while she is in college. He meets Vale at a random party when Vale is playing a drinking game and is dared to kiss a stranger. He asks Gabi…and Gabi is quite literally blown away. Now all he can think about is Vale. Then he finds out Vale is in his Intro to Philosophy course and offers to tutor Gabi, since he can tell he is struggling. They get close…then closer. Gabi has to come to several realizations about himself, but the problem is, Mexican culture? Very machismo, very homophobic. He isn’t even sure if he would be supported by his teammates, or his roommates, and finally, it all comes to a head. Gabi has to choose: football or being himself?

This went into ALL of Mexican cultures machismo and homophobic-ness, which is so very real. It is extremely true that fans at Mexican fútbol games are horribly homophobic, with horrid chants that have had their own clubs fined because they use them. Our culture is so repressed with toxicity, I even had some of it in my own family (I am fairly certain most of it has finally been outgrown, but I can’t be certain). I actually cried a few times in this book, just thinking about all mis hermanas y hermanos who might be hiding themselves because they simply do not feel safe. As a cis, het Chicana, I can’t even imagine the horrors they must live through because of hate. I have to say, though, that Gabi had some INCREDIBLE support, and not everyone has that. The scene at the lake, with Pérez and Kat and the broccolini had me CRACKING UP! Pérez and Kat’s support, I think, is what really helped Gabi with overcoming himself and being ready to tell his team and his captain Barrera (which, FTP) about himself. I do wish we had gotten a little more about Vale, maybe even a chapter or two of his viewpoint, just so we could see him fall for Gabi like Gabi does for him, but I also understand that this was Gabi’s story to tell and so yea, that will kind of make Vale a background character.

Anyways, if you like sports, specifically football (soccer), if you like reading good bisexuality centered books, if you are an ally, if you are POC, then this book is for you. If you are not these things…then maybe you should pick it up any ways…see through the others eyes, and maybe you’ll become more empathic. We need more empathy in the world these days.