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The Locker Room

by Amy Lane (Goodreads Author)

4.24 of 5 stars 4.24 · rating details · 2,294 ratings · 285 reviews

Xander Karcek has only wanted two things in his life: Christian Edwards and basketball—the man he loves and the game that let him escape a childhood he’d rather forget. His two obsessions have served him well. He and Chris beat the odds and stayed together through high school, college, and right on to the NBA.

But life under fame’s microscope isn’t easy, especially when two...more

ebook, 250 pages

Published April 22nd 2011 by Dreamspinner Press (first published April 21st 2011)

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Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton

Best M/M Romance Published in 2011

3rd out of 399 books — 858 voters

FAVORITE GAY COUPLES

32nd out of 1,097 books — 1,384 voters

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Apr 20, 2013 Lauraadriana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fave-authors, reading-with-the-girls, favorites, cried-like-a-baby, loved-it, should-be-read-by-all, super-super-hot

TRUE LOVE...THE REAL DEAL, beat the odds, makes you better, gets you through anything, worth the pain, selfless, makes the happy better because we're together, strong, will outlast ALL hate, pain, bigotry, sacrifice, and come out FUCKING SHINING in the end...True.Love.

This book...These men...At 14 years old Xander met Chris on basketball court while he was trying to escape a bit from the horribleness that was his life. An addict mother, hunger, desperation, and Chris he saved him, they played ba...more

46 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2013 LenaLena rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, omg-wtf-bbq

FIVE SIZZLING, THROBBING, FUCK ME NOW! STARS

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book SO MUCH!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!!! I loved this book so much!!!!! Chris is so perfect. I have fallen in love with books. I have fallen in love with authors. But I have never fallen head over heals for a character! Chris! I love you!

I have read this book at least seven hundred times!
I LOVE IT! For all you Xander lovers out there....
you went for the wrong guy!! CHRIS ALL THE WAY!!!!!

The book that started a phenomenon and opened m...more

25 likes · like · see review

May 20, 2012 Veronica / V rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: everybody-loved-and-i-didn-t

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

18 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Heather C rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Heather C by: Lauraadriana

Shelves: fictionwise, ebook, pdoc, contemporary-romance, friends-to-lovers, lots-of-tension, m-m, read-2012, sports, review-on-amazon

After months and months and months of refusing to read this, I finally put on my big-girl-panties and decided to do it. And once I started it I could not stop. It kept me up into the wee hours or the morning. I took a little break for sleep but once I woke up I had to finish it.

Of course, like most of Amy's other books this is all angst, angst, and more angst. I think I may have laughed a handful of times but I guarantee you I cried more times than I laughed! These guys just broke my heart over...more

19 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2013 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, favorites-2013, best-of-the-best, hot-hot-hot, romance, m-m, loved-it, losing-the-v-card, great-chemistry, full-of-angst, sports, auto-buy-authors

This book is everything a M/M romance should be. Amy Lane seriously raised the bar with this one.

I am usually not a huge fan of sports books. They either veer to the end of too buddy-buddy or they have too much sports info and I get bored. I'm not a sports fan in real life so I don't get anything extra from reading a book about guys in sports falling in love. However, Amy Lane just showed me how amazing this sub-genre can be.

I am completely in awe of this book. This book is epic. We follow Ch...more

23 likes · like · see review

Mar 21, 2012 Molli B. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, read-in-2011

I was really looking forward to reading this, given the nearly five-star rating on Amazon; I was thinking if I had come here prior to reading it, I'd have been better prepared for it, but it has over 4.5 stars here, too.

I liked the storyline itself--boys who meet as teenagers, fall in love, stay together through challenging circumstances, and then run into issues when their private lives are in danger of becoming public. It's a really great plot with a ton of potential. I love sports, too, so I...more I was really looking forward to reading this, given the nearly five-star rating on Amazon; I was thinking if I had come here prior to reading it, I'd have been better prepared for it, but it has over 4.5 stars here, too.

I liked the storyline itself--boys who meet as teenagers, fall in love, stay together through challenging circumstances, and then run into issues when their private lives are in danger of becoming public. It's a really great plot with a ton of potential. I love sports, too, so I was looking forward to some good, intense basketball stuff.

But I really did not like the way the author told the story. It very much had the feel of a tale being told around a campfire. More than half of the book felt passive and detached, like someone was relaying a story fourth or fifth-hand. I know that's a danger of third person writing (from two different POVs, too), but I've read plenty of third person, past tense books that do not have this issue. I think we just got far more "telling" than "showing" and it made for a very lackluster read. Halfway through the book, I wasn't sure if I'd even emotionally connected with the characters yet, or if I even really knew them. There was so much narration and so little dialogue. I want to be IN the story, have the characters tell me about themselves, not have the story just… relayed to me. This improved somewhat in the second half, as we caught up with "present time," but it never truly went away. One of Vonnegut's 8 rules of fiction writing is start as close to the end as possible, and this started sooooo far back that I think it just bogged the story down. What had so much potential was lost in cumbersome storytelling. She also has a habit of leading a scene by telling what's about to unfold, so while there was a lot of drama in the really big scenes, some of the smaller scenes lacked it because we already knew what was coming. There was also very little sports stuff--probably fine for the average female reader, but I was a little disappointed.

On top of that--and I'm not saying that sex is the most important thing in a book by any means--but I don't know the last time I heard an 18-year-old boy use the word "cock-whore." The sex was rarely (although not never) sexy. I have a hard time with authors that use a lot of exclamation points for male characters, and while she didn't go overboard, there were enough that they were conspicuous.

Obviously, a lot of people really loved this book. Far more than disliked it, so I think it just comes down to personal preference and what kind of story you like to read. I like active, intense stories about relationships that have some highs and lows--and while this had some drama, their relationship was really a little bit too perfect to be strictly believable. But I get that some people just want to read that perfect-romance-with-only-external-drama story, and those folks will probably love this.

Man, since I seem to be offloading, there were also some grammar/editing issues that bugged me.

There's nothing that makes my opinion more important than anyone else's, but here it is! And despite how I felt about it while I was reading, I did stick with it, hoping the tone would change and it would start feeling more "present." The second half--and the last twenty-five percent--were definitely better, and I did cry in a few places, so it's not a bad book by any means. It's just not the best book for me.

ETA 03/21/2012: I was just looking reviews for another of Amy Lane's books and wondering if I should give her another try or if all of the things I didn't like about her writing style would be present in that book, too. I pulled up this review to reread it and was really surprised that I had given this book 3 stars. I was thinking I'd given it 2 stars, and nearly nine months after having initially read it, all that really sticks with me from the story is the bad stuff; my memory of it is a 2-star memory. So I am going to modify my review from 3 stars to 2, calling it a 2.5 rounded down. If so much time later, I'm still feeling the disappointment of the book, then I should probably give it a more accurate rating.(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Jan 17, 2013 SueM rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sport-stars, m-m, out-of-the-closet, romance, favorites, disowned-by-family, ipad-ereader

The incomparable Amy Lane does yet again. Chris and Xander come truly alive under Amy's keyboard, carrying the reader along every step of their journey together. She yet again also conveys the message that love is always the most important thing in life, and that no-one can truly live and reap love's rewards if they are forced into hiding a part of themselves, particularly if that part is their heart. I adore Amy's writing and this is yet another of her novels to be added to my favorites shelf.

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gotta-have-it, keeper, own-it

Xander and Chris share a bond that is so deep that it endures when it is tested by external forces as well as internal ones. The boys are a testament to true love and I will re-read this one again and again. My paperback is on it's way.

9 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Akansha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

Filled with pages and pages of gratuitous angst and convoluted/over the top curve balls thrown at the MCs just to put them through the wringer.

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 30, 2012 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rainbow-gay, glbt, contemporary, romance

Where's my "Amy Lane fan-girl" shirt (girl 20 years ago, but I'm still a girl at heart)?

I think this book is not without flaws, because it has a few repetitions and I don't see much character development, but as far as romance goes, this is RRRRRomance. There's a lot of drama, it might be over the top, sometimes, but when I want to have my heart and guts all wrapped up into one, I know Amy Lane will deliver.

Xander-and-Chris' love story is of a pure and absolute love and dedication, even when the...more

7 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2013 Gwenith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, lovable-re-reads

Oooh My God it was sooooo Good...❤

This book kept me up all night, and had me reading with a flashlight under my cover's!

❤Lovely storyline
❤Well paced
❤Solid writing
❤Lovable MCs
❤Realistic Young Love
❤Enduring Love
❤Super Sweetness.
❤Vivid

OMG, This Book Was Absolutely 5 Star Awesome❤

My favorite Amy Lane book, thus far...❤ (view spoiler)...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 23, 2012 MountainKat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-challenge-books, books-read-in-2012, ebook

Wonderful, emotional, sweet - just great! Oh my, I loved those boys! Both Xander and Chris were so freaking sweet! It was interesting to watch them through high school, college and into their adult lives. This book had an extra bonus for me, sports, I love sports! And it had the extra tension that being professional athletes has for gay men. Having to read about their struggles with the pressures of their careers on their personal lives was heartbreaking! Another new author for me - yay for the...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 30, 2012 Vivian Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-contemp

Who doesn't want their best friend and love of their life to be the same person?

Xan and Chris, inseparable and bad things happen when two halves are split.

Written like a Greek tragedy where jealous gods punish perfect love except this is a bit more optimistic, that's if you're an optimist. Lane's writing is evocative and at times I feel a bit heavy handed in the emotional manipulation--which I begin to resent. That and the recurring themes of major, unnecessary tragedy and almost unrealisticall...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 21, 2011 Mountie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes a really good M/M

Shelves: contemporary, m-m, sports, m-m-favourites, comfort-re-reads, gr-m-m-romance-award

Red June 11, 2011 Reread Feb 6, 2012. If you are a fan of Amy Lanes Promise Rock series and you haven't read The Locker Room then please run out and buy it. You will not be disappointed. If you never have read an Amy Lane book and you want to try her but do not want to buy 2 books, ie the Promise Rock series then get this one. You will be enchanted by the quality of her writing.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 21, 2011 Grammy 1 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amy lane keeps getting better and better!!!!Where do I even begin to review this amazing story? So here is the thing….I was privy to this story during its inception….I was a Beta reader for Amy Lane, receiving Locker Room one chapter at a time…Being able to absorb this story slowly was wonderful.

Xander Karcek was made for greatness….He feels he would not have achieved this, if it wasn’t for his Chris, Christian Edwards. So lets start at the beginning.

At fourteen, and standing at 6 foot one, Xan...more Amy lane keeps getting better and better!!!!Where do I even begin to review this amazing story? So here is the thing….I was privy to this story during its inception….I was a Beta reader for Amy Lane, receiving Locker Room one chapter at a time…Being able to absorb this story slowly was wonderful.

Xander Karcek was made for greatness….He feels he would not have achieved this, if it wasn’t for his Chris, Christian Edwards. So lets start at the beginning.

At fourteen, and standing at 6 foot one, Xander wandered in the fading light, holding a basketball, dreading to go home. Home was where his crack-head mother was and possibly the boyfriend of the day were. Home was a dirty foul apartment, with no food, and a mother who told him to smoke some crack to abate the hunger. Home was a place where someone could hurt him. It was getting late and very cold and there on the basketball court he was passing stood a boy, his age, well dressed, about 6 inches shorter asking”Aren’t ya gonna throw that to me? “ That was the MOMENT ...

He went home with Chris and his mom for dinner with a bucket of KFC she held in her hands, stopping to watch them play ball. At dinner, Chris talked about him joining the team.... Xander used school to sleep in. It was warm and safe and more quiet than home. But now they worked for him to join the Basketball Team , their friendship grew, Chris giving him an old backpack and the promise of meeting him at the cross street every morning and they could walk together to school. They were both a shoo-in for the team then they moved up to Jr Varsity. Walking to school Chris noticed Xander wearing shades and under them a very black eye. In all this time they had never discussed Xanders living conditions. Xander wanted Chris to say nothing to anyone when he was told what was going on.and who had hurt him. They moved out of sight on the street because their conversation became heated. They were behind a bush at the bus stop, and in that moment they realized who they were at 15 and what they wanted.

Their Coach was their salvation. the cat was let out of the bag about living conditions...Coach whistled at Xanders answer when asked what he would need, saw with Xanders answer, and looked at the boys with infinite understanding saying “Basketball and Chris huhh?”,,,so lets get you to keep them both and work at getting you a scholarship. He got Xander to a halfway house. .At 16 Chris’s parents invited Xander to live with them. The newspaper had Xander Karcek a superstar but even the papers admitted that he wouldn’t be one without Christian Edwards. They both got scholarships and they chose North Carolina. That was the school they hoped would get them to the Pros ...The summer between High School and leaving for College they lost their virginity to each other..
The story continues with the four college years at Chapel Hill, and then the recruitment to the Pros. As only Amy Lane can, she has written a poignant story of trust, and love and respect for a game, as well as its fans . The years of dreaming and wanting are here to what price? The dilemma of being gay in a sports environment both inside and outside of the game are examined . Xanders ‘need’ to play gives him his only ‘place’ in the world.. The resignation of hiding who they are and the ‘fear’ of being ‘found out’ has haunted them since they first kissed behind the bush on their way to school They would be met with the morals of a unforgiving society in America in the year 2010. I could not put this book down

As I related, I read this story during November of 2010. But during this time Ms.Lane was writing Locker Room, much was in the news about bullying, The Outing of young p eople for who and what they are. There were a total of nine GLBT suicides during that time. Please, do not feel I am on a moral soapbox of social injustice….Just know, somewhere there should be a soapbox. !

Great read...Powerful content. I recommend highly. Book comes out April 22nd...Get it

Review by Gloria Lakritz
Review Chairperson for The Paranormal Romance Guild
(less)

11 likes · like · see review

May 12, 2012 Paisley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-lane-a, do-me-athlete, faves-mm-stories, mm-stories, omg-my-first-time, very-naughty-bffs, lendable-kindle

This is another wonderful and heart-wrenching story from Amy Lane. I know it's been around for a while but I have taken my time to get it cleared from my to-read list - mostly because I knew it would be a gut wrenching ride, and it was, but so well worth it.

I am all about true love, I am so sappy that way and Xander and Chris' story is just that. It's a whole soul-mates gone wild without some phoney shifter bonding bite. I mean these guys really are soul mates. This story is a good reminder that...more

1 like · like · see review

May 10, 2013 Fishwings rated it 1 of 5 stars

Right off the bat there were all sorts pacing problems,cringe-worthy adverb usage, and stereotypical character development. The romance was jumped right into without believable build-up and the subject of abuse was bluntly approached in a very contrived and almost ridiculous manner. Chris and Xander too, behaved more like whiny women than basketball boys -- it simply just wasn't believable.

"The Locker Room" floats in the tepid area between humorous and serious, not committing properly to either...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am a huge Amy Lane fan. She writes the most romantic love stories - in her mundanely-magical, epic-ordinary, fairy-tale and true-love sort of way - that just makes my heart melt. I think it's a disservice to her that the cover art-work and/or titles of her novels can sometimes be misleading. I HATE the cover art on this novel, for instance, plus the title suggested it was one of those crude plotless-porn pieces some m/m authors pass off as romance. This story is so beyond the opposite of that....more

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Feb 28, 2012 Book Utopia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, erotic-romance, m-m

This was one of those books that hooked me from the start, but increasing problems as it progressed ended up making me wish I hadn’t spent the time on it.

With a druggie, neglectful mother, Xander is literally starving to death when he meets Chris Edwards on a local basketball court. When Chris’s mother allows the new friend to come home for dinner, the start of a deep, lasting relationship takes root. Chris and Xander are inseparable, and as their athletic careers progress, so do their feelings...more This was one of those books that hooked me from the start, but increasing problems as it progressed ended up making me wish I hadn’t spent the time on it.

With a druggie, neglectful mother, Xander is literally starving to death when he meets Chris Edwards on a local basketball court. When Chris’s mother allows the new friend to come home for dinner, the start of a deep, lasting relationship takes root. Chris and Xander are inseparable, and as their athletic careers progress, so do their feelings for each other. They realize they’re in love before they graduate from high school, but their positions as popular sports figures, especially in light of their desires to go pro, keep them private, through college and then on to the pros when they beat the odds and get signed by the same team.

I loved Xander at the start of the story. He’s fighting horrific odds and somehow has the humility and strength to not realize just how hard he’s fighting. Chris literally saves his life by reaching out to him on that basketball court, a connection both Xander and I as a reader recognize. Since the story is told in Xander’s perspective, it’s very easy to get sucked into his pain.

However, those feelings started to ebb about a third into the story, for two very different reasons. First of all, the author is far too much in love with parentheticals for me. One or two are interesting, but more than that and I find the whole stylistic device too contrived and cutesy to stay immersed within the text. They do dwindle down as the story progresses, but there were whole sections where there were multiple parentheticals within single paragraphs. It’s disruptive to my reading experience because contrary to how I’m sure the author intends, it feels like the author has pulled me aside to whisper this little aside in my ear rather than the character doing it. That constant reminder, that sense of over-friendly “let me tell you this little bit,” was enough to destroy how deeply rooted I was within the story.

The second issue stems from the story itself. While I was initially enraptured by how much in love these two guys were, the heavy, heavy melodrama surrounding them grew too unreal to believe. All the conflict is external to these two, which is more than fine as long as that conflict is organic. But there is no middle ground with these two. They’re either flying higher than a kite, or they’re vomiting over the choices they have to make. It’s too extreme for me, and by halfway through, I felt like I had an ulcer, too. Toss in the fact that all the women surrounding them lack nuances, all worshiping at the altar of Xander, and I realized I just couldn’t relate to any of these people as believable enough to get past the other shortcomings.

I’ve heard so many readers exclaim how much they love this author, so I wanted to give her a try, but I can see now that her style is not going to be one I’ll be able to enjoy. The angst levels are too extreme, and the heroes too idealized. But at least now I know.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 07, 2012 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

Where to begin?

Amy Lane always manages to rip my heart out, fill it up with two guys, and then put it right back into my body, and this time was no different.

I put off reading this one for a long time because, honestly, basketball? I'm not much into sports to begin with, and the only one lower on my list than basketball is, frankly, golf.

And yet...

Once again, pulled in, pulled under, swallowed like a whirlpool and spit out into a magical cave (note: have you ever read the Oz book about the sailo...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Baywin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, best-friends, contemporary

This was a phenomenal book. This is the reason why I read romance. Amy Lane has crafted a story that will convince anyone that everyone deserves a happy ending.

Xander and Chris have known each other since they were fourteen when they played their first impromptu street game of basketball. In the years that follow, they become inseparable, serving as adopted brothers, best friends and team mates on the same basketball team. Their friendship is the one bright part of Xander's life, which up until...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Lara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, members-choice-awards-challenge, best-tear-jerking-scene, best-story-that-must-have-sequel, best-first-time, best-tear-jerker-theme, best-coming-out-theme, best-friends-to-lovers, best-gay-for-you, angst-loving-whore, kindle-lendable

After reading this last week and then just finishing the Talker series yesterday, I am convinced that Amy Lane was put on this earth for one reason and one reason alone: to shred my heart into a million pieces and then slowly put it back together with a lot of faith, hope and love. I love the way she writes utterly desperate for love characters who just happen to find that there are so many people out there willing to love them. She warms my heart (after leaving it cold for just a bit).
I'm not...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Ronna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-romance, m-m

My main criteria for books are did it keep me engaged while reading it and did the message and characters stay with me afterward. Well this sure did and then some. The summary of this book provided by Goodreads as well as many of the reviews give a great outline of the story, so I'm not going to do that. What I will say is that this story was a thought provoking, heartbreaking and captivating romance that will reinforce the belief that soul mates do exist. I really loved the main characters, Xan...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anal-play-sex, erotic, m-m

Xander and Chris have always been in love, but hiding that for the sake of their basketball career may destroy the thing they value most. Since they met, Xander and Chris have been inseparable. They knew they were in love while still teens and never wanted to be apart. This meant college together and eventually the NBA together. Yet the world of professional athletes isn’t easy for a gay couple and being forced to hide and lie about their relationship may just destroy it.

The Locker Room is a re...more Xander and Chris have always been in love, but hiding that for the sake of their basketball career may destroy the thing they value most. Since they met, Xander and Chris have been inseparable. They knew they were in love while still teens and never wanted to be apart. This meant college together and eventually the NBA together. Yet the world of professional athletes isn’t easy for a gay couple and being forced to hide and lie about their relationship may just destroy it.

The Locker Room is a real tear jerker. Lane knows how to write amazing angst driven stories and this is no exception. The lead characters are strong, unique, charming, and filled with drama. In fact the only drawback is that this story may be too drama filled for some readers. The men tend to react in extremes, huge highs and despairing lows. Small events that may seem tough to the average reader, such as being separated from your partner for six weeks, end up being the depths of hell for these characters. Almost like the world is ending and life can’t go on. So some readers may not appreciate or particularly like those kinds of melodramatic exaggerations.

For those that do though, this novel delivers romance and drama at its finest. The conflict is mostly external as Xander and Chris are in love and confident in that love from the beginning. It’s mostly the outside forces working to tear the two apart. Hiding the nature of their relationship causes the men to do things they wouldn’t otherwise and they definitely suffer emotionally and later physically from it. The writing is good and the pace very quick, showing the various complexities of the characters extremely well. None of the characters are shallow or vapid, but full and rich with a purpose to each one.

There are a few hiccups in the story such as some questionable behavior by coaches, a tendency to over use parentheses to tell information, and the fact that the men tend to throw up constantly due to emotional stress. Yet these are really minor issues with a story as strong and moving as this one. One warning about the ending is that it lets the reader decide what happens. As you’ll see though, it couldn’t end any other way and you won’t want to miss it.

originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 05, 2011 Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interviews and More rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 25, 2011 Kaje Harper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, m-m

I read this book in one fast rush and then immediately turned back to the beginning and started it again. It just really worked for me. This is the story of two basketball players, Xander and Chris, who meet at the age of fourteen and never look at anyone else, never falter in their love for each other despite all the crap that a life in sports can and does hand to them. It's a little overwrought, the characters are polarized. (Xander's mom has no redeeming qualities at all, Chris's parents neve...more

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May 22, 2011 Kassa rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

I have mixed feelings about Locker Room. The premise honestly works for me as I adore angst driven men –it’s a weakness of mine- but the ending really disappoints me. I know not all readers will feel the same but I personally feel cheated. The book also tends to exaggerate and the emotions are wild and outrageous, always the depths of despair and the height of happiness. That doesn’t bother me as I like Lane’s writing and the story works regardless but not all readers may appreciate the...more 3.5 stars

I have mixed feelings about Locker Room. The premise honestly works for me as I adore angst driven men –it’s a weakness of mine- but the ending really disappoints me. I know not all readers will feel the same but I personally feel cheated. The book also tends to exaggerate and the emotions are wild and outrageous, always the depths of despair and the height of happiness. That doesn’t bother me as I like Lane’s writing and the story works regardless but not all readers may appreciate the exaggeration. I also don’t think this the best Lane’s done and the writing especially misses some of the polish and effortlessness of earlier titles. It’s worth reading though if you’re a fan or like angsty men as it certainly delivers on that score.

The plot follows third person narrator Xander as he meets and falls in love with Christian. Xander is a poor boy with a drug addicted mother who’s struggling to raise himself without a warm place to sleep, enough food, or any hope for a future. Then he meets Chris, a young boy with a seemingly perfect family and affinity for basketball. Together the two are inseparable from day one and they go on to play basketball together in high school, college, and finally the pros. Yet hiding their personal relationship is taking a heavy toll on them both and they just may crack under the pressure.

The story beings with a glimpse into the future as Chris and Xander are playing together in the NBA. Then the next chapter starts in the past when the two first meet. Told entirely from Xander’s perspective the story is surprisingly affective. I really enjoy reading about angst driven and emotional men so the depth of emotion and tortured soul on display didn’t bother me. In fact I ate it up entirely. The writing makes it believable and brings out that emotion so you can indulge and live the roller coaster of emotion with the characters. And boy is it an up and down journey.

The two boys fall in love almost immediately and there is never any internal debate, doubt, or worry. They are together forever and they never forget it. It’s a nice change and though it may seem overly sweet to some readers I found there is enough external conflict and tension to keep my attention. The pressure to stay hidden and closeted makes sense against the backdrop of Xander’s life and his needs. He and Chris both need basketball, or so they think, to the degree that they can’t think of ever doing anything to jeopardize that. It takes some suspension of disbelief, especially later on when both players are so talented and revered that I find it hard to believe they never flexed their star power to get their way.

Instead they let events happen around them that damage their relationship and each man individually. This is emotional and often exaggerated. Xander and Chris repeatedly throw up under emotional stress and this happens a lot. I can see why some readers may find this too much so be sure you’re the type of reader that likes to invest that much. They’re complicated men though and well developed. They react differently and have matching strengths and weaknesses. It’s nice to see Chris also develop some vulnerability as Xander’s perspective of him is rather skewed.

The supporting cast is nice but totally superfluous. Almost everyone the boys encounter is very supportive and accepting with the exception of one typically homophobic coach. There are several women in the book but I’m not sure why they were added. They’re pleasant enough additions to the nuclear group but beyond Chris’ sister Penny they don’t make much sense or add anything significant to the story or character development. However the external pressure really is enough and I have no problems not adding more to the already burdened characters.

The writing is engaging and immediately captures your attention. The only issues I have are the repeated and numerous parenthetical additions. These give necessarily information yet they remind me each time that I’m reading a story and pull me out of the experience. The frequency of these thankfully drops off as the story progresses but they bug me each time. There has to be a better way to incorporate that information. Additionally the prose sometimes feels not as polished and sophisticated as other works by this author. That’s not to say the writing is bad but it doesn’t have the same flawless, effortless feeling I usually get from Lane’s work.

Overall I really enjoyed reading Locker Room, even though I hate the non-ending. I realize why the author had to end it this way but I still hate it. Yet I still would recommend this story easily to those fellow angst lovers. It’s exaggerated so if that’s not your thing you may not like this but otherwise it’s a very pleasant way to pass the time with a great couple you can’t help but root for.
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May 13, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it · review of another edition

I’m not really sure I like so much the cover of this book, and not really sure neither for the title; I think both convey an idea of the story that doesn’t reflect the real content. Basically this is a Young Adult/Coming of Age story, and for most part of the plot is not even really about sex (I don’t know but “locker room” made me think about sex…); plus the story has also a pink glasses perspective on the world that mostly overcomes all the ugly things of life trying to intrude between our two...more I’m not really sure I like so much the cover of this book, and not really sure neither for the title; I think both convey an idea of the story that doesn’t reflect the real content. Basically this is a Young Adult/Coming of Age story, and for most part of the plot is not even really about sex (I don’t know but “locker room” made me think about sex…); plus the story has also a pink glasses perspective on the world that mostly overcomes all the ugly things of life trying to intrude between our two heroes.

When Xander and Chris met, they are only 15 years old, and for various reasons, sex is the first thing they think in the morning and for all the rest of the day. Xander is the son of a drugs addicted single mother, and his family environment is non-existent; he is starving, growing too fast for the food he has and his only way to forget his grumbling stomach is playing basketball. Chris instead is a little spoiled, a little bratty, but basically a good kid; when he meets Xander on a basketball field, he adopts him like he would do with a puppy, bringing it home and feeding him. I didn’t feel a sexual interest in that moment, and I’m a little uncertain on the nature of their feelings for each other, meaning that, they are for sure in love, but I think their love is more the output of a strong “familiar” bond; it’s like sex, and becoming lovers, would make that bond even more tighter, and for that reason they took a step into that direction.

In any case, they are living in a double dimension: at home they all know about their relationship, on the field instead they have to “play” the straight role, arriving also to having sexual intercourses with women to misguide their real feelings for each other. It’s not a betrayal, since both Xander and Chris know about each other tricks, even planning them together, but it’s for sure something that is slowly destroying their true love.

This is a highly emotional story, pushing for sure all the soft spots of a romantic heart; it’s more unbalanced towards the emotion than passion. It’s for sure a romance that wants to pinpoint the difficult to be gay in the sport field, but not with a dramatic tone, so that the romantic reader will have its happily ever after in the end.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1613720114/?...(less)

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Apr 30, 2011 Carole-Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-yummies

OMG - can I give 10 stars please :)

Amy Lane has outdone herself yet again, with a completely lovely LOVE story in all true senses of the word. I smiled, and giggled, and laughed out loud; and then I gulped, wiped a few tears away, and out-right sobbed - it was such a roller-coaster of emotions, so cleverly put down on the page, and I couldn't put it away.

Christian is SO charming, and funny, and bright; and Xander - well, words defeat me. He is tortured, tormented, low in self-esteem, BUT he is s...more

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May 08, 2013 d.blue rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read a lot of Amy Lane. I know there may be angst and things that make me think - social situations (injustice), hard choices, life being unfair some times, broken people. I know I will struggle through this with my box of tissues and come out with my happy ending.

That said, when I had looked at her books I had kind of skipped over this one. Sports is not something I follow. Then Dreamspinner press has this awesome giveaway and here I have The Locker Room.

This is an amazing heartfelt romance b...more

2 likes · like · see review

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About Amy Lane

Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail u...more

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“....and his head and shoulders were on the bed next to the boy who had captured his heart like cupped hands would capture a butterfly, and had never, ever clutched him too tight and never let him go.” — 18 people liked it

“...if I was going to play this game and love it, it had to love me back.” — 9 people liked it

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