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God’s Gift
Robert Lee, a high school football star, is treated like a god in his small town as long as he keeps winning and bringing championships.
Lee has his sights set on breaking a sacred football record and all systems are ‘go’ until a new student, Justin, moves into town and turns his world upside down.
A simple kiss has his once-perfect life shattered into a million pieces.
Lee has his sights set on breaking a sacred football record and all systems are ‘go’ until a new student, Justin, moves into town and turns his world upside down.
A simple kiss has his once-perfect life shattered into a million pieces.
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Published November 22, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 20, 2022
Amazing. Does a wonderful job exploring queerness in small town! Highly recommend!
January 4, 2023
This book is a view into Texas high school football and its truly homophobic, racist, and basically repugnant backdrop behind the scenes of the Friday night lights. If you are going into this book thinking you're going to read the m/m version of Friday Night Lights - you are definitely not. There is no happy ending to this story and no real resolution to the tension for Robert and what he is experiencing. I am certain, however, that what he goes through in the book is very much the reality for a lot of high school kids - particularly queer male athletes.
This book is filled with homophobia and all the accompanying slurs. It also has truly vile racist language and acceptance of such as being just a part of life in the town. This is not a feel good story. This is a heavy read that doesn't leave you with a hopeful feeling.
Overall - I would very much caution reading this unless you fully understand what you are getting into.
I received this as an ARC via NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.
This book is filled with homophobia and all the accompanying slurs. It also has truly vile racist language and acceptance of such as being just a part of life in the town. This is not a feel good story. This is a heavy read that doesn't leave you with a hopeful feeling.
Overall - I would very much caution reading this unless you fully understand what you are getting into.
I received this as an ARC via NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.
November 17, 2022
Content warning for the review: detailed discussion of racism in the book, mentions of racist, ableist, and homophobic slurs, mention of slavery and the Confederacy.
I specifically requested this book on Netgalley because I was concerned about the choice to name the main character Robert Lee. My first reaction was revulsion and to wonder why someone would name their main character after the most famous figure of the Confederacy. As someone who grew up in the Deep South, it was an impossible connection to miss. There is simply no way someone who was raised in this region doesn't know who that man is. But the name Robert and the name Lee are not obscure so I wanted to read the book to see if this was ever addressed or if it was just an unfortunate coincidence that needed to be pointed out to the author and fixed before publication. Because regardless of intention, it will be the first thing many people think of when they read the name Robert Lee.
Unfortunately, after reading portions of the book I've come to the conclusion that it was an intentional choice. A disclaimer is that I did not read this book in its entirety. It was obvious from the first chapter that this was not a book I wanted to read. While there were trigger warnings at the beginning of the book for racism and slurs, this choice does not make the author's choice to write racist characters and use slurs acceptable in any way, shape, or form. There are multiple characters in this book who are violently and belligerently racist to the Black people and people of color in this novel and that racism is not only excused- one of the racist characters is protected by Robert from being punished or reprimanded (in a meaningful way that causes change in behavior) in any way because he's Robert's best friend. There are racist, ableist, and homophobic slurs in the first two chapters and throughout the rest of the novel. Slurs are used cavalierly and frequently. Not only is there racist dialogue from characters but the narration and telling of the story is incredibly racist towards the characters of color as well.
I concluded that naming of Robert Lee after Robert E. Lee was intentional for a number of reasons. First, this book is set in Texas and written by an author from Texas. There is absolutely no way that the author does not know who Robert E. Lee is. After keyword searching my eARC, there is no mention of the Confederacy or General Robert E. Lee, but even still the connection is obvious. Not only that, but the main character is often referred to as 'Robert Lee.' So the reader never forgets that the main character is named after Robert E. Lee. It is reprehensible to name a character after an enslaver and general who led the armies which aimed to maintain the institution of slavery in the United States.
Do not read this book. It is terribly racist. This was an arc provided by Netgalley.
I specifically requested this book on Netgalley because I was concerned about the choice to name the main character Robert Lee. My first reaction was revulsion and to wonder why someone would name their main character after the most famous figure of the Confederacy. As someone who grew up in the Deep South, it was an impossible connection to miss. There is simply no way someone who was raised in this region doesn't know who that man is. But the name Robert and the name Lee are not obscure so I wanted to read the book to see if this was ever addressed or if it was just an unfortunate coincidence that needed to be pointed out to the author and fixed before publication. Because regardless of intention, it will be the first thing many people think of when they read the name Robert Lee.
Unfortunately, after reading portions of the book I've come to the conclusion that it was an intentional choice. A disclaimer is that I did not read this book in its entirety. It was obvious from the first chapter that this was not a book I wanted to read. While there were trigger warnings at the beginning of the book for racism and slurs, this choice does not make the author's choice to write racist characters and use slurs acceptable in any way, shape, or form. There are multiple characters in this book who are violently and belligerently racist to the Black people and people of color in this novel and that racism is not only excused- one of the racist characters is protected by Robert from being punished or reprimanded (in a meaningful way that causes change in behavior) in any way because he's Robert's best friend. There are racist, ableist, and homophobic slurs in the first two chapters and throughout the rest of the novel. Slurs are used cavalierly and frequently. Not only is there racist dialogue from characters but the narration and telling of the story is incredibly racist towards the characters of color as well.
I concluded that naming of Robert Lee after Robert E. Lee was intentional for a number of reasons. First, this book is set in Texas and written by an author from Texas. There is absolutely no way that the author does not know who Robert E. Lee is. After keyword searching my eARC, there is no mention of the Confederacy or General Robert E. Lee, but even still the connection is obvious. Not only that, but the main character is often referred to as 'Robert Lee.' So the reader never forgets that the main character is named after Robert E. Lee. It is reprehensible to name a character after an enslaver and general who led the armies which aimed to maintain the institution of slavery in the United States.
Do not read this book. It is terribly racist. This was an arc provided by Netgalley.
November 21, 2022
I... Don't really know what to say. I don't know if it was the author's writing style or if it was all of the hillbilly sports talk. But whatever it was i just couldn't get into this story. Robert saying he's a good guy but still calling people rude names doesn't make him a good guy. I definitely think there should be warnings on this, there are a lot of slurs and insults in this book and there are also scenes of harassment and beating up someone for the way they look. I am not okay with that behavior and I don't enjoy reading about it in a book.
Overall I think other people might enjoy this, but I unfortunately did not.
*I received an early copy of this book and this is my honest review.*
Overall I think other people might enjoy this, but I unfortunately did not.
*I received an early copy of this book and this is my honest review.*
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews