Like Other Girls

By: Britta Lundin

Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

“What if I played football?” I ask. As soon as it’s out of my mouth, I feel stupid. Even suggesting it feels like I’ve overstepped some kind of invisible line we’ve all agreed not to discuss. We don’t talk about how Mara is different from other girls. We don’t talk about how Mara is gay but no one says so. But when I do stuff like this, I worry it gets harder for us all to ignore what’s right in front of us. I direct my gaze to Quinn. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s frickin’ genius,” he says.

After getting kicked off the basketball team for a fight that was absolutely totally not her fault (okay maybe a little her fault), Mara is dying to find a new sport to play to prove to her coach that she can be a team player. A lifelong football fan, Mara decides to hit the gridiron with her brother, Noah, and best friend, Quinn - and she turns out to be a natural. But joining the team sets off a chain of events in her small Oregon town - and within her family - that she never could have predicted.

Inspired by what they see as Mara’s political statement, four other girls join the team. Now Mara’s lumped in as one of the girls - one of the girls who can’t throw, can’t kick, and doesn’t know a fullback from a linebacker. Complicating matters is the fact that Valentina, Mara’s crush, is one of the new players, as is Carly, Mara’s nemesis - the girl Mara fought with when she was kicked off the basketball team. What results is a coming-of-age story that is at once tear-jerking and funny, thought-provoking and real, as Mara’s preconceived notions about gender, sports, sexuality, and friendship are turned upside down.

Britta Lundin’s sophomore novel will give listeners all the feels, and make them stand up and cheer.

©2021 Britta Lundin (P)2021 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Such a fun book

This book was so much fun! The characters were all amazing and the growth of Mara throughout was great. I laughed so hard I cried at some parts and found myself cheering out loud and rooting the girls on during some of the football scenes. The representation in here was wonderful. Even the side characters felt well developed but the main characters were amazing. I would highly recommend this book

Fantastic book

This book was great overall. I really enjoyed it and it kept my attention the whole time. My only issue is that a few choices made my the characters felt unwarranted or unrealistic. For example, the basketball coach having penalizing the main character for being put in a terrible, traumatizing position… felt a bit off. As well as the ending. The whole book is this lead up to equality in sports but it falls short in the end with a decision that is made by the girls.
These are my opinions and, like I said, overall this book was fantastic, but like with any book, there are bound to be a few things that don’t always register with every reader. I 100% recommend this book though. It was entertaining, enjoyable, and kept my attention and interest.

Great work

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The way Lundin approached sexuality and gender expression felt real. I especially felt a bond with Jupiter. As an adult queer woman who looks like a man to most, myself, I found her story the most compelling. Witnessing the straining relationship between Mara and her mother also hit very close to home. Mara's desire to express herself as a girl in her own way was very empowering. In the end, this was a great book that I will definitely recommend to others.

an amazing read

loved the story and cast of characters! I hope we get a 2nd book to follow where the 5 get up to next! hoo hah