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.
*Before I jump in, I want to thank the publisher for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour and for providing me with an advanced readers copy of the novel, in exchange for this honest review. All of the opinions in this review are my own and in no way impacted my thoughts.*
We Are The Wildcats is a novel of friendship, loyalty, the strength of teenage women and so much more. This is one of my favorite books and a book I want everyone to read this.
This book takes place over one very intense day, feelings are all over the place and emotions are running high as these young women are inducted into the wild world of field hockey at West Essex Upper School.
This book is fierce. And so are these young women.
The young women who are followed throughout these twenty four hours are stronger than you would expect and they are fiercely loyal.
Grace, Pheobe, Mel, Ali, Kearson are at the forefront of the story, getting their perspectives told throughout the chapters the most. The different narratives giving the reader a way to piece together the whole story that the whole team is telling.
The cast of characters are diverse, each one bringing in a new perspective and different ways to see what makes them unique.
Not only are the main characters in the story strong, so are their mothers. The mothers that we meet are strong and want their daughters to be protected. Kearson’s mom brings up some concerns with the athletic director, making sure her daughter is safe but that doesn’t come off that way.
The fear that these young women have of their coach is unhealthy, the abuse of power that happens, the obsession of being perfect and the fact that their concerns are made to feel anything less than what they really are is shown wonderfully in this chilling novel. The characters take risks, not caring what they put in danger when it comes to their teammates and their sport.
The characters are fun and filled with passion, a passion they don’t want to be ruined by their coach.
This book shines light on what happens when someone in a position of power in a high school is abusing their power, but no one knows about it.
I just really loved this book.
These girls are fierce and I loved this novel so much. It’s a testament to the strength of young women and I highly recommend this novel.