Game On

Varsity #1

by Melanie Spring

Welcome to the world of high school cheerleading.
At the start of their freshman year, Chloe Davis, Kate MacDonald, and Emily Arellano have just one thing on their minds -- cheerleading. The girls are excited to join the Northside High JV squad, and Chloe is a lock for captain. Or so she thinks...
When newcomer Devin Isle arrives on the scene, she unwittingly shakes up the girls' tight friendship and rattles Chloe's confidence. But with regional competitions right around the corner, this is no time for the squad to fall apart. Building a human pyramid takes teamwork, after all!

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2013

Reviews

[Genevieve · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really think the story would've been more interesting if Chloe wasn't one of the main characters. Kate and Emily were much more interesting with their side stories. Devin was also somewhat interesting even though all her arguments with Chloe made her annoying at times. I wanted to hear more about Kate and her Adam crush. I wondered if Emily was really that good with her singing. But every time we would hear more about either of them, their storyline was cut to talk more about the ridiculous feud between Chloe and Devin that would just not end.

I wouldn't recommend this book because I think the writing was too painful to get through. Things would just randomly change mid-paragraph and it would require a lot of re-reading to understand. You can ignore that and keep reading to just pass time, but I would do something else instead. The ending was okay enough but I won't be getting the book in the series.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. Even not being a cheerleader you can still get a lot out of the group dynamics and the story is still good.
I really liked Chloe and Devin a lot. They compliment each other and I like how things can get a fresh perspective with the addition of someone new.
This is just the first book in a series and even though the characters are young, everyone can still get a lot out of this wolf pack!

[AurorainBookland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been nice if there was a glossary of cheer terms in the back. But there are youtube videos of all the moves mentioned in this book so that's helpful.

[Rileigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new girl and gifted athlete, Devin, arrives and quietly challenges Chloe's leadership. They end up as co-captains, and an envious and conniving teammate works to drive a wedge between them, a move that threatens the team's chances of success. Overall, this is not a bad book by any means. It's definitely designed for a younger audience. I dislike books that are written in third person, so I didn't like that aspect of it. However, the storyline was cute and innocent. I don't think I would want to read it again just because it is written for a much younger reader. So, for that reason I think it is going in the donate pile. I think I got this book in middle school. Like I said, I didn't mind reading it. It was okay but the plot was a little boring and them placing at Regionals and going on to Nationals was very predictable. Although, I did like the conflict between the two co-captains. That was the best part for me.

[Step Into Fiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

So you know how sometimes you pick up a book, and really don't expect to like it? Then you proceed to keep pushing it to the bottom of your to be read pile, until eventually you tell yourself just read this book already! This is what I did with Game On. I picked this book up back at BEA in June. During the time of BEA, I was on a major ya contemporary streak. Paranormal was starting to bore me, so I read a few contemporary books to keep my reading drive. I remember picking up Game On from Hachette's booth and then putting it back down after reading the description. Then I pondered about it a little, and decided why not, and decided to take it. After so much back and forth with this book, I must say I am glad that I picked this up. I enjoyed this read way more than I expected to.

Cheerleaders are probably one of the most stereotyped performers. We often see them as popular girls who are nothing but catty, and only care about themselves. And yes there are indeed a few characters who are like this in Game On, but not the main girls. This book is excellent for anyone who is trying to get rid the misconception of cheerleaders. These girls teach us the important lesson of team work, and how to cope with change. While reading this, I thought it would have been nice to have a book like this while growing up. It reminded me a lot of the Sweet Valley High books that I used to read in middle school. It's an easy and enjoyable read. And it also deals with real high school issues.

Read full review at Step Into Fiction

Review completed by: Sana

[Mackenzie Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about three girls who are on the JV cheerleading squad: Chloe, Emily and Kate and a new girl Devin who doesn't really want to be a cheerleader but the school doesn't have a gymnastics team and her mom wants her to do it and plus she is in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend. Chloe is upset because not only was Devin just put on the squad without trying out but she is also made her co-captain and they butt heads constantly. (Side note: having done competitive cheerleading before I believe Devin was right most of the time) Devin and Kate are the best characters in the series so far. Chloe is my least favorite because she seems to be very condescending and acts like she's entitled, even though she warmed up at the end. I wish the Leila character was more then one dimensional but hopefully we'll learn more about her. Overall this is a good book for anyone who loves cheerleading. I had thought this was one of those books where the sport or activity gets pushed in the background for over sexualized teen drama but I was so glad I was wrong! There is plenty of cheerleading in this book and there is no profanity or sex which plagues way too many YA books these days. I can't wait until the next book which doesn't come out until May 20 2014! It's a long way off and the cover and book description is already up on Amazon but I already have it pre ordered!

[Once · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Welcome to the world of high school cheer leading." Freshman year has just started for Chloe, Kate, Emily and all the other girls on the Northside High Junior-Varsity cheer leading squad. Then newcomer Devin arrives and that causes a massive shake in their, already familiar, group dynamic. Regionals are close by and friendships, confidence, and teamwork will be tested.

Game On is a fun and light read for teenagers. Even though through out the entire book I was confused by technical cheer terms it was still enjoyable to follow along with the story of the Northside High JV squad. I love how we got to follow several of the girls story lines and not just the main character. Although I do wish we could have followed Kate's story a bit more being that there was a love interest and he was quite adorable. Everything was kept super PG though and it's probably why we don't venture into that romance more.

The story was predictable though. Nothing new stood out to me. Like I said, super light read. Light enough I'd let my ten year old sister read it. She's a cheerleader and might get more out of it than I did. There was a lesson in this story- teamwork is important, as are friendships.

[Tamikia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot and I'm glad it came out since I've been waiting for a book series about cheerleaders. My only gripe is that is a lot lighter in content then most of the YA books I read so I felt bit out of place reading it but that's okay though. And while it is lighter in content I'm glad they didn't make it too soapy. A part of me was afraid it would be like Gossip Girl with cheerleading mixed in.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Check out my review here: http://www.thepaige-turner.com/2013/0...

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think Bring It On, except

younger

and blonder

and dumber.

I am choking on exclamation marks. My brain cells have been replaced by glitter.

[Paige Mix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. I loved the plot. If you like cheerleading this is your book. It was very different. I didn't expect her to be captain. It makes you happy that you have what you do.