A book all about a girl hockey team? Yes please.
I’ve never played a team sport, but after reading We are the Wildcats I wish I could join a powerful and fearless group of girls so we could kick some butt together.
In the novel, 20 girls are chosen to be on the varsity hockey team, but they didn’t win last season and are all still recovering from the loss. The next 24 hours see them come together as a team. They spend the entire night together, they pull some pranks, have a sleepover, and make some dark realisations about their coach and his unconventional methods.
I loved that this book was all about girls supporting girls. All of these girls have each others’ back and band up together. They are a team, no matter what.
This book has a large amount of characters and it is written from the views of six different girls on the hockey team. They are all different and we get an insight into Ali who is Korean and how racism has impacted her life; we also see Grace struggle with not being conventionally “beautiful’; and Phoebe recovering from a severe injury. As there were so many characters, it was difficult to connect with all of them, but each reader will definitely connect with at least one of them.
I really liked Grace and Ali as they were both strong in their own way and always stood up for each other and the rest of the team. I think Mel was a very interesting character, but her relationship with Coach was what made me dislike her as I think we needed more development of these two characters and their relationship. Mel and Phoebe’s friendship was really heartwarming and I thought it was great that they both had flaws and that they had made mistakes in their friendship.
The book is set over 24 hours and the pacing was a bit difficult to read at times as we jumped back into the past quite a few times and it pulled me out of the story.
I was also disappointed in the ending and it made me uncomfortable. The Coach of this team is seriously problematic and I wish these issues had been addressed more. I think sport coaches do tend to get away with more, especially if their team wins and I think the author explored this idea very well but we needed more closure on this issue.
We need more books that draw attention to the fact that men never question the pedestal they are given just for being male and that girls should support each other and not tear each other down. I was so appreciative that these girls loved each other unconditionally and would never intentionally hurt one another.
We Are The Wildcats is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A toxic coach finds himself outplayed by the high school girls on his team in this deeply suspenseful novel, which unspools over twenty-four hours through six diverse perspectives.
Tomorrow, the Wildcat varsity field hockey squad will play the first game of their new season. But at tonight’s team sleepover, the girls are all about forging the bonds of trust, loyalty, and friendship necessary to win.
Everything hinges on the midnight initiation ceremony—a beloved tradition and the only facet of being a Wildcat that the girls control. Until now.
Coach—a handsome former college player revered and feared in equal measure—changes the plan and spins his team on a new adventure. One where they take a rival team’s mascot for a joyride, crash a party in their pajamas, break into the high school for the perfect picture.
But as the girls slip out of their comfort zone, so do some long-held secrets. And just how far they’re willing to go for their team takes them all—especially Coach—by surprise.
A testament to the strength and resilience of modern teenage girls, We Are the Wildcats will have readers cheering.
