Gridiron Girl by Tamara Girardi: Book Review

Gridiron Girl is a YA contemporary by Tamara Girardi. Set to be released March 3, 2022, by Wise Wolf Books, Gridiron Girl introduces us to Julia Medina, a high school senior who wants to try something different. Julia’s three brothers have led their high school football teams to success on the field, and Julia has always been on the sideline. She wants to try it herself, but will the team and family support her?

I want to thank Wise Wolf Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Gridiron Girl. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

CW/TW: sexism

Synopsis from Goodreads

Julia Medina, dubbed Jules by her closest friends, wants to be the new starting quarterback of Iron Valley High School’s football team, and no one is going to stand in her way. That is—until her boyfriend, Owen Malone, steps up to the challenge. Wanting to maintain her relationship with her boyfriend, Jules is torn. But while Owen is in her heart, football is in her blood.

Once the idea takes root to quit her championship volleyball team and join the leagues of Iron Valley’s toughest teenage boys, there’s no stopping Jules from pursuing her dream. In her mind, expectations that the position will go to a male player have gone on long enough, and, even as her decision creates controversy among the booster parents, school coaches, family members, and team members themselves, Jules holds strong in her beliefs.

Which is good—because when parents hear that Jules plans to participate in overnight pre-season camp with a staff of male coaches and eighty high school boys, her tryout is threatened more than ever before. Yet, nobody can deny Jules’ skills. As the youngest sister of three former high school quarterbacks, Jules knows the game. She knows what it takes to outsmart opponents, and she’s not about to let anyone count her out for being a girl.

But as the competition intensifies, Jules must choose what she wants more—to embrace girl power and lead her team on the field or be a girlfriend on the sidelines.

Positives

I found this to be easy to read and to follow along with. If you don’t understand the sport of football, I feel you will still be able to follow along.

A great small town setting! I believe the book is set in Western Pennsylvania; it never explicitly mentions where it is placed. But you get the feeling that it’s a small town, where everyone knows everyone and knows what’s happening.

Negatives

Honestly, I could have done without all the romance/sexual tension. I understand that Jules is suddenly competing against her boyfriend, but the romance throws off the story a bit.

My Opinions

As a gridiron girl myself, I played in high school and wished I had played more; I had such high hopes for this book. While the book does focus on Jules’s struggles to find her place among the team, it also focuses quite a bit on a romantic relationship. I appreciate the inclusion of her relationship with Owen; I don’t think the added romantic tension with Christian was needed.

While the book does contain a romance aspect, it is pretty tame. Kissing and holding hands is the only form of intimate contact throughout the book. A few times, it appears Jules would like more, but she is more focused on sports and her future to do anything else. And because of this, I would feel comfortable saying the target audience of this book could be on the younger end of the young adult range.

Coach Victor reminds me of the varsity coach from my high school, who was a massive supporter of mine while I played. He knew it wouldn’t be easy having a girl on the team, but he did what he could to help make it easier on the guys and me. Even though in the end I didn’t play for him.

The book’s cover leads you to believe the entire season is covered, yet it is not. In just over 300 pages, you are with Jules for about two weeks, which gives the relationships time to develop.

If you like reading about females trying to follow their dreams and thus breaking with stereotypes, I think you would enjoy reading Gridiron Girl.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.