Ever read a book and go ‘yikes!’ That’s a little too close to home and some self-reflection of my teenage self I can’t examine now or maybe ever because it makes me cringe?
That was Home Field Advantage for me.
Which, let me be clear is not a negative against the book!
It is truly a positive! I tip my hat to the author Dahlia Adler for creating such perfect teenagers.
Seriously, this felt like stepping back in time for me. It was like walking through the halls of my high school again.
Especially with Jaclyn ‘Jack’ and Amber as the narrators.
For me each character definitely had pieces of my teenage self and other teenagers I hung out with. That dire need to impress and fit in. The idea that if you show your true weird colors deep within yourself no one will like you.
Amber had this idea that somehow everything was harder than it was. As an adult now I look back on things my teenage self did or even teens now and think they’re making their lives harder then it needs to be. She worried over the idea that her friends might hate her if she tells the truth.
As for Jack, she dwelled on the hard things every moment we spent in her head. I could feel the melancholy in the pages of the book.
Oh, the angst of a teenager.
Everything is the end of the world. No one can possibly understand me. And so on.
Both characters struggle with something I have only managed to learn myself within the last few years and with a job change.
People will like you for who you are.
Yes, it might not be the popular crowd.
It might be hard.
But those people are there. The world is such a big place and high school feels so big when you’re there like nothing could ever be bigger than this place.
This book and me are here to tell you teens out there, it’s not true!
High school is not the end all, be all.
You will grow up and find your people. You’ll find the people who love the weird things about you, and you love the weird things about them. You’ll find humans who accept you the way you are.
I know it seems hard and impossible. Believe me, I’ve been there.
But I have found a group of people who love me and have gotten me through some of the worst times. They stuck by through the shit thick and thin. Hang in there.
You’ll find a Miguel and a Malcolm and all those small characters in the book who were afraid to be themselves too.
Another thing I loved was the realization by both Jack and Amber they weren’t actually alone on their respective teams.
Like them, others were hiding and afraid to speak their minds for fear of being shunned.
Amber felt a tinge of regret for not noticing sooner, but in that moment reading I thought she shouldn’t. She put too much pressure on herself to be an adult there. She’s still a kid no matter how much she wants to believe otherwise. Learning support and true friends aren’t always obvious is part of growing up.
It teaches you what to look for in the right kind of friends.
People can be so afraid to make mistakes, stand out, to fail, but those are how we learn.
During March, which is women’s history month, where I work put up a table with books about historic women, and the sign said, “Well behaved women seldom make history.”
Guess what? It’s true.
No one made the history books by following the rules.
See everything about the history of this month!
Pride is celebrated in June because of the Stonewall Riots. Those were illegal! We have freedoms to fly our rainbow flags because of those people standing up for their rights.
I loved the concept behind this book of wanting to fit in so badly you’ll twist yourself into knots to do it because society allows people to be mean. Allows people the freedom to taunt, tease, and bully people for who they are.
I loved that it was breaking norms. That it’s trying to teach teenagers it’s alright to be you are, without shame. Because you’ll find you friends, your real friends.
They’ll probably sitting right next to you just as scared.
Also, I loved the idea of finding friendships that allow you to be brave because you know you can get through anything with them at your side.
Side note, it was awesome that the coming out story involved no parents. The parents knew, it was the rest of the world who was clueless. Not to mention, I loved the utter support from Amber’s mom. It was very cute.
Now, as much as I loved this book and the concepts behind it because it reminded me so much of high school – which I call 4 years spent in hell – it’s definitely not one I intend to reread.
I do highly recommend it to all teenagers or even people in their 20s struggling to understand themselves, their friendships, and relationships.
All in all, I liked this book!
Kudos to Dahlia Adler for a wonderful read and I am off to check out your other books!
Spread the love and keep on reading!
7 out of 10.
Would recommend!
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