The FIFA Women’s World Cup is ongoing now until August 20th, and fans across the world are captivated by women’s soccer (football anywhere but here) being played in Australia and New Zealand. If your goals include reading books about women in soccer, check out these keepers and run with it!
In Racquel Marie’s You Don’t Have a Shot, high school rivals Valentina and Leticia meet at a soccer camp and are assigned co-captains, much to their dismay. In order to make it to the finals and potentially secure college scholarships, Valentina and Leticia must find a way to work together. To their surprise, new feelings start replacing the prior hatred in this YA enemies-to-lovers romance.
For another sapphic soccer romance, this time squarely adult, check out Top of Her Game by M. Ulrich. Kenzie is the top rookie pick for women’s major league soccer and lands a spot on her dream team, alongside Sutton, who she’s dreamed of for years. Their chemistry both on and off the pitch is undeniable, but when allegations of sexual harassment shake the team, Kenzie and Sutton must decide how much they’re willing to risk.
A 2018 lawsuit for gender discrimination by the U.S. women’s soccer team finally led to a commitment to equal pay last year; this historic shift was only made possible because of the civil rights legislation known as Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and provides opportunities for girls’ sports. Gimme Everything You Got by Iva-Marie Palmer takes place in 1979, 7 years after Title IX, and follows high schooler Susan Klintock, who becomes interested in soccer when she sees dreamy Coach Bobby. Susan discovers she has a natural talent for the sport and gradually opens her eyes to the world of possibilities ahead of her.
Teen girls fighting against sexism in sports is also the theme of Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez. Camila must hide her passion and skills as a soccer player from her abusive father and strict mother, who don’t think it’s appropriate for girls to play. But when her team qualifies for a tournament that requires parental permission, Camila has to choose whether to push back against the machismo culture that limits her.
Fake dating, brother’s best friend, and inter-sports romance come together in Chloe Liese’s If Only You. Ziggy is the youngest player on her national soccer team, the youngest in her family, and generally treated as an innocent baby. Sebastian is Ziggy’s brother’s best friend and hockey teammate with a bad reputation. Ziggy thinks a public “friendship with benefits” could help them both out, but we all know how fake dating ends up. With neurodiversity and chronic illness rep, this standalone in a series about Ziggy’s brother is sure to knock your cleats off.
~ posted by Jane S.
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