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The Quarterback's Crush
Do nice guys always have to finish last?
For Dylan Porter, it’s starting to look that way. His plan is to finish high school, get a football scholarship, and come out to his family and friends when he has the cushion of being away at college. But none of that is going to happen if his failing grades get him kicked off the team.
His saving grace comes in the form of Tommy Peterson, the smartest kid in school, who also happens to be the Triple S that Dylan crushes on: smart, short, sexy. Dylan falls hard and when his feelings seem unrequited, he accidentally outs himself to his entire team, expecting them to oust him. But it’s anybody’s game as Dylan learns how to be honest about who he is and keeps his eye on the prize—the heart of Tommy Peterson.
For Dylan Porter, it’s starting to look that way. His plan is to finish high school, get a football scholarship, and come out to his family and friends when he has the cushion of being away at college. But none of that is going to happen if his failing grades get him kicked off the team.
His saving grace comes in the form of Tommy Peterson, the smartest kid in school, who also happens to be the Triple S that Dylan crushes on: smart, short, sexy. Dylan falls hard and when his feelings seem unrequited, he accidentally outs himself to his entire team, expecting them to oust him. But it’s anybody’s game as Dylan learns how to be honest about who he is and keeps his eye on the prize—the heart of Tommy Peterson.
167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2018
18 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 15, 2022
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!
never say this old dog can’t learn new - well, not tricks, per se, but at least learn… whatever it was i learned from the reader-reaction to my review of Boy Meets Boy, a lesson that may be best summed up as "optimistic fantasies are not harmful, karen!" here’s the recap - wayyyy back in the long ago, i read Boy Meets Boy for my YA readers’ advisory class, and my reading of it just happened to coincide with a disheartening wave of reports of violence against gay teens and gay teen suicides.
and there was something uncomfortable to me about reading this cotton candy wonderland gay utopia book and then hearing about another kid killing himself after being bullied by teenage douchebags. and the mother hen that roosts inside of me (OUCH - quit peckin’!) started worrying about the psychological toll it might inflict on someone to read a book that was so technicolor all-embracing of the sexual spectrum and then have to trudge back to their crummy high school full of bullying jerks.
but as i was informed, repeatedly, on that thread, by comments that continue to drop even now, nine years later - i was overreacting. so i’m not even gonna bother wringing my feathery little hands over this book, which is a less teeth-grittingly manic version of gaytopia, while still being an overwhelmingly positive take on the gay high school experience.
whew.
here, we meet dylan porter. he's a high school senior, he’s easygoing and popular, he’s the star quarterback of his school’s team, and he can cook - taking on the responsibility of making dinner for himself and his emotionally distant father after his mother’s death. he’s also gay.
he’s been waiting to come out - concerned about how his father and his bro-ish friends will react, and his plan is to get a football scholarship and wait until college to break the news. unfortunately, his college prospects are jeopardized by his academic shortcomings, and unless he improves his grades in english and trig, he’s going to be benched. fortunately, his coach recruits tommy peterson to tutor him. unfortunately, tommy peterson is just his type: short, smart, and skinny, and dylan is having some difficulty concentrating and keeping his attraction - and his secret - under wraps.
the story is very, very sweet. and dylan is very, very dumb, but in a totally appealing way. dylan’s inner monologues tend towards the scattered and stream-of-consciousness as he wrestles with his sexual identity and flirts with tommy with all the doofy clumsiness of any teenage boy; wearing tight shirts and faux-casually flexing his biceps for tommy while fantasizing about just how skinny he is under those unfashionably baggy clothes. dylan’s got mad game on the field but zero game off of it, and you just wanna pinch his awkwardly blushing cheeks.
the reversal is a nice change of pace - the jock pursuing the nerd, self-conscious about what tommy could possibly see in him while expressing bewilderment when tommy doesn’t realize his own desirability.
I wanted to shake him until he got it in his head how awesome he was, but I knew shaking babies was bad, and I figured if it was bad for babies, then it probably wasn’t really good for adults, so I didn’t shake him.
dylan tries to resist tommy’s nerdy allure, but soon finds himself overcome by his feelings and outs himself, declaring his crush on tommy in a public spectacle worthy of any cheesy romcom, a confession that leads to an adorable locker-room scene showing that teamwork really does make the dream work, and - far from the homophobic shunning he’d been dreading once his secret was revealed, dylan’s teammates are 100% supportive of his sexuality and super-invested in getting him and the reluctant tommy together, embarking on an even more romcommy series of matchmaking schemes they approach with the same strategic verve they apply to mapping football plays.
it’s sweet and slapsticky without being cloying. and even though dylan’s teammates are enthusiastic and accepting of dylan’s homosexuality, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other homophobic high school douchebags to contend with, or other obstacles dylan will need to overcome.
but for the most part, this is a sweetly rose-tinted coming-of-age/coming out story of first love full of solidarity and breaching the boundaries of high school cliques.
and since i am no longer worried about this kind of story leading to unrealistic optimism for all the teens navigating their own sexual awakenings, i encourage you all to read this because dylan is such a sweet heffalump of a protagonist.
and if you think that's cute, you should see john petrie when he talks about Mother Bruce. adorbs.
**********************************************
oh god, so sweet! review TK, but awwwwwwwww, JOHN!
**********************************************
WILL JOHN PETRIE FIRE ME IF I DON'T LIKE HIS BOOK?
LET'S FIND OUT!
come to my blog!
never say this old dog can’t learn new - well, not tricks, per se, but at least learn… whatever it was i learned from the reader-reaction to my review of Boy Meets Boy, a lesson that may be best summed up as "optimistic fantasies are not harmful, karen!" here’s the recap - wayyyy back in the long ago, i read Boy Meets Boy for my YA readers’ advisory class, and my reading of it just happened to coincide with a disheartening wave of reports of violence against gay teens and gay teen suicides.
and there was something uncomfortable to me about reading this cotton candy wonderland gay utopia book and then hearing about another kid killing himself after being bullied by teenage douchebags. and the mother hen that roosts inside of me (OUCH - quit peckin’!) started worrying about the psychological toll it might inflict on someone to read a book that was so technicolor all-embracing of the sexual spectrum and then have to trudge back to their crummy high school full of bullying jerks.
but as i was informed, repeatedly, on that thread, by comments that continue to drop even now, nine years later - i was overreacting. so i’m not even gonna bother wringing my feathery little hands over this book, which is a less teeth-grittingly manic version of gaytopia, while still being an overwhelmingly positive take on the gay high school experience.
whew.
here, we meet dylan porter. he's a high school senior, he’s easygoing and popular, he’s the star quarterback of his school’s team, and he can cook - taking on the responsibility of making dinner for himself and his emotionally distant father after his mother’s death. he’s also gay.
he’s been waiting to come out - concerned about how his father and his bro-ish friends will react, and his plan is to get a football scholarship and wait until college to break the news. unfortunately, his college prospects are jeopardized by his academic shortcomings, and unless he improves his grades in english and trig, he’s going to be benched. fortunately, his coach recruits tommy peterson to tutor him. unfortunately, tommy peterson is just his type: short, smart, and skinny, and dylan is having some difficulty concentrating and keeping his attraction - and his secret - under wraps.
the story is very, very sweet. and dylan is very, very dumb, but in a totally appealing way. dylan’s inner monologues tend towards the scattered and stream-of-consciousness as he wrestles with his sexual identity and flirts with tommy with all the doofy clumsiness of any teenage boy; wearing tight shirts and faux-casually flexing his biceps for tommy while fantasizing about just how skinny he is under those unfashionably baggy clothes. dylan’s got mad game on the field but zero game off of it, and you just wanna pinch his awkwardly blushing cheeks.
the reversal is a nice change of pace - the jock pursuing the nerd, self-conscious about what tommy could possibly see in him while expressing bewilderment when tommy doesn’t realize his own desirability.
I wanted to shake him until he got it in his head how awesome he was, but I knew shaking babies was bad, and I figured if it was bad for babies, then it probably wasn’t really good for adults, so I didn’t shake him.
dylan tries to resist tommy’s nerdy allure, but soon finds himself overcome by his feelings and outs himself, declaring his crush on tommy in a public spectacle worthy of any cheesy romcom, a confession that leads to an adorable locker-room scene showing that teamwork really does make the dream work, and - far from the homophobic shunning he’d been dreading once his secret was revealed, dylan’s teammates are 100% supportive of his sexuality and super-invested in getting him and the reluctant tommy together, embarking on an even more romcommy series of matchmaking schemes they approach with the same strategic verve they apply to mapping football plays.
it’s sweet and slapsticky without being cloying. and even though dylan’s teammates are enthusiastic and accepting of dylan’s homosexuality, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other homophobic high school douchebags to contend with, or other obstacles dylan will need to overcome.
but for the most part, this is a sweetly rose-tinted coming-of-age/coming out story of first love full of solidarity and breaching the boundaries of high school cliques.
and since i am no longer worried about this kind of story leading to unrealistic optimism for all the teens navigating their own sexual awakenings, i encourage you all to read this because dylan is such a sweet heffalump of a protagonist.
and if you think that's cute, you should see john petrie when he talks about Mother Bruce. adorbs.
**********************************************
oh god, so sweet! review TK, but awwwwwwwww, JOHN!
**********************************************
WILL JOHN PETRIE FIRE ME IF I DON'T LIKE HIS BOOK?
LET'S FIND OUT!
come to my blog!
August 9, 2018
This was one of those stories that I thoroughly enjoyed, when I'm not entirely sure why.
What I mean is that, while I love YA stories, folks, let me tell you, this was very, very, VERRRRRY YA.
The MC's, Dylan and Tommy, didn't possess "maturity beyond their years", like so many YA stories tend to have. If anything, they actually read more as just starting out in high school, instead of being 18 y.o. seniors.
The book made me laugh a lot and all of the characters in the book, even the side-character friends, were just too entertaining for words, without feeling as if the author was trying too hard to make them "cutesy".
Dylan's best friend, Riley, was a personal favorite of mine.
“Don’t be such a drama queen,” Riley said, and I could tell he was smiling over the phone. “I read that online. I’ve got a whole new vocabulary now. It’s freaking awesome. I wish you’d come out years ago. Hey, girl, hey! Cool, right? Anyway, I just wanted to see how it was going with Tommy. Call me later, dude.”
I loved how when quarterback Dylan accidentally outed himself to his dad, his team, and the *entire* school, he was met by only positive support. Mostly.
Because there's always "that one asshole", right? In this book, that villain was one of the school's baseball players, who did cause Dylan and Tommy their fair share of problems, but he got his comeuppance in the end, so I was happy.
Thou shalt NOT fuck with my book boyfriends!
As with most VERRRRRY YA stories that I've read, don't read this book expecting any steam at all. This was entirely naive, innocent longing and high school romance, with zero emphasis on them going any further than mild kissing.
The story ended with an epilogue from 10 years down the road, after a few bumps and bruises, but Dylan and Tommy did eventually get their HEA.
If I had to guess, I suspect a lot of people are going to absolutely hate how young and "immature" this story reads, but it made me smile and feel for these two sweet guys. So if you're looking for a very light, feel-good, YA story, this might be a book for you.
I'd rate it at around 3.75 stars and recommend it -- with the understanding that you *really* need to understand that this YA story reads as *very* young.
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My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
See All My Latest Reads (Review Quick-Links)
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October 4, 2024
3.5 Stars
This debut LGBT YA novel was all things sweet and fun (and unexpectedly funny).
High school senior and star quarterback Dylan Porter is in desperate need of a tutor if he wishes to pass his trig class and continue playing football. Enter super smart, sort of nerdy, Tommy Peterson, a fellow student who is sent to help Dylan improve his grades.
Dylan quickly develops a mammoth crush on his shorter, shier, and intimidatingly smart tutor. Dylan has long since acknowledged that he’s gay, but he always had a plan to stay in the closet until he was at the tail end of college. Meeting Tommy makes Dylan reassess all his priorities and consider what it would be like to go after the guy of his dreams sooner rather than later.
But before Dylan fully makes a choice one way or another, he accidentally outs himself to his surprisingly (not surprisingly) supportive teammates/friends during an emotionally charged football game. With their enthusiastic support, the team get together to execute Operation Big Gay Love – a not-so-covert attempt by all the jocks to befriend Tommy and his chess playing friends, in the hopes of helping their buddy with his dream nerd’s love.
This story was very, very YA in story and style, with nary a saucy scene or thought in sight or mind. This didn’t bother me in the slightest because I found myself completely caught up in the getting-the-guy shenanigans, particularly where Dylan’s dopey but good-hearted and supportive friends were concerned. It was great to see such accepting and loyal jock characters in an LGBT themed story. Sure, there is always one or two assholes who act like hateful twats, but interestingly that didn’t include anyone important in Dylan’s life or even on his football team, which was a nice change of pace and greatly appreciated.
The fun and frivolities the guys got up to when planning and executing Operation Big Gay Love was extremely amusing and it provided me with a solid chuckle or two (or ten). This was definitely my favourite aspect of the story and one I’ll remember fondly.
The romance itself was pretty tame. Dylan was easy to love and I enjoyed following him in his journey in winning Tommy’s heart, but Tommy was harder to get a good grasp of. Due to the fact we only get Dylan’s POV, I felt Tommy came across a bit too moody and standoffish than I would have liked. Some insight into his thoughts and feelings would have been appreciated, but it is what it is. At the very least, their relationship had a nice realistic progression to it, considering their age and inexperience, and we even got a lovely HEA in the form of an epilogue set ten years in the future, after some alluded to relationship trials and tribulations.
One thing I mulled over was my reaction that the characters all seemed even younger than their eighteen years. They came across as hopeful and eager to explore their new feelings, but they were all extremely naïve and fairly immature – more like fourteen year olds just starting high school, than eighteen year olds about to head off to college. And as for the writing, it was perhaps a little less fluid and appealing than I would have liked, but given this was a debut release on Petrie’s part, I have nothing but praise for his delightful and enjoyable first story.
At the end of the day, this story was super freaking cute and I had fun reading it. I’ll be eagerly keeping an eye out to see what Petrie comes out with next.
ALL THE LOVE for the dedication and sneaky references to RL boyfriends and epic YouTuber's PK and Mike.
This debut LGBT YA novel was all things sweet and fun (and unexpectedly funny).
High school senior and star quarterback Dylan Porter is in desperate need of a tutor if he wishes to pass his trig class and continue playing football. Enter super smart, sort of nerdy, Tommy Peterson, a fellow student who is sent to help Dylan improve his grades.
Dylan quickly develops a mammoth crush on his shorter, shier, and intimidatingly smart tutor. Dylan has long since acknowledged that he’s gay, but he always had a plan to stay in the closet until he was at the tail end of college. Meeting Tommy makes Dylan reassess all his priorities and consider what it would be like to go after the guy of his dreams sooner rather than later.
But before Dylan fully makes a choice one way or another, he accidentally outs himself to his surprisingly (not surprisingly) supportive teammates/friends during an emotionally charged football game. With their enthusiastic support, the team get together to execute Operation Big Gay Love – a not-so-covert attempt by all the jocks to befriend Tommy and his chess playing friends, in the hopes of helping their buddy with his dream nerd’s love.
This story was very, very YA in story and style, with nary a saucy scene or thought in sight or mind. This didn’t bother me in the slightest because I found myself completely caught up in the getting-the-guy shenanigans, particularly where Dylan’s dopey but good-hearted and supportive friends were concerned. It was great to see such accepting and loyal jock characters in an LGBT themed story. Sure, there is always one or two assholes who act like hateful twats, but interestingly that didn’t include anyone important in Dylan’s life or even on his football team, which was a nice change of pace and greatly appreciated.
The fun and frivolities the guys got up to when planning and executing Operation Big Gay Love was extremely amusing and it provided me with a solid chuckle or two (or ten). This was definitely my favourite aspect of the story and one I’ll remember fondly.
The romance itself was pretty tame. Dylan was easy to love and I enjoyed following him in his journey in winning Tommy’s heart, but Tommy was harder to get a good grasp of. Due to the fact we only get Dylan’s POV, I felt Tommy came across a bit too moody and standoffish than I would have liked. Some insight into his thoughts and feelings would have been appreciated, but it is what it is. At the very least, their relationship had a nice realistic progression to it, considering their age and inexperience, and we even got a lovely HEA in the form of an epilogue set ten years in the future, after some alluded to relationship trials and tribulations.
One thing I mulled over was my reaction that the characters all seemed even younger than their eighteen years. They came across as hopeful and eager to explore their new feelings, but they were all extremely naïve and fairly immature – more like fourteen year olds just starting high school, than eighteen year olds about to head off to college. And as for the writing, it was perhaps a little less fluid and appealing than I would have liked, but given this was a debut release on Petrie’s part, I have nothing but praise for his delightful and enjoyable first story.
At the end of the day, this story was super freaking cute and I had fun reading it. I’ll be eagerly keeping an eye out to see what Petrie comes out with next.
ALL THE LOVE for the dedication and sneaky references to RL boyfriends and epic YouTuber's PK and Mike.
September 6, 2018
3.5 stars
This was quite funny. And I loved the shy, awkward quarterback falling in love. And I REALLY loved the football team and Operation Big Gay Love. But.... there was almost no real romantic development in this. We weren't there for the crush to become love. And the writing was a bit confusing at times.
Dylan is the high school quarterback. He's also gay, but no one knows yet. When he needs help with his trig and English, he fall head over heels in love with Tommy, his smart, smaller, cute tutor.
But he doesn't even know if Tommy is gay. And when he accidentally comes out during a football game to his team, his friends act nothing like Dylan imagined. His friends are all supportive and Operation Big Gay Love is born.
Together they are confident they can get Dylan his man....
There were a lot of things I really liked about this. I loved Dylan and how he continued to akwardly blurt out his biggest secrets. I loved the hurt part where Dylan was trying to stay numb (oooh, it hurts so good). And I loved Dylan's friends. There were some crazy funny scenes in this that had me in stitches.
But I also really wanted this to have a bit more romance. We get told about the period where Dylan get tutored and where he falls in love with Tommy. Unfortunately it mostly happened in his head, and not on page. Tommy didn't have that much talking time in this entire book, and that made him a bit hard to like at times. If I would have known him a bit better, I would have known why he would act the way he did. (And for those of you who want to know, there are no sexy times in this. Only chaste kissing. No tongues even.)
And what I always really dislike in a book is when the protoganist talks directly to the reader. It's confusing and pulls me out of the story. But luckily this only happened in the beginning, so it wasn't too bad.
What did confuse me was the weird way of headhopping that took place in the first half. This is told in first person POV by Dylan, but then we get a paragraph in third person from a random friend of Dylan. I couldn't make head nor tail of it.
But still, this was funny. So 3.5 stars it is.
This was quite funny. And I loved the shy, awkward quarterback falling in love. And I REALLY loved the football team and Operation Big Gay Love. But.... there was almost no real romantic development in this. We weren't there for the crush to become love. And the writing was a bit confusing at times.
Dylan is the high school quarterback. He's also gay, but no one knows yet. When he needs help with his trig and English, he fall head over heels in love with Tommy, his smart, smaller, cute tutor.
But he doesn't even know if Tommy is gay. And when he accidentally comes out during a football game to his team, his friends act nothing like Dylan imagined. His friends are all supportive and Operation Big Gay Love is born.
Together they are confident they can get Dylan his man....
There were a lot of things I really liked about this. I loved Dylan and how he continued to akwardly blurt out his biggest secrets. I loved the hurt part where Dylan was trying to stay numb (oooh, it hurts so good). And I loved Dylan's friends. There were some crazy funny scenes in this that had me in stitches.
But I also really wanted this to have a bit more romance. We get told about the period where Dylan get tutored and where he falls in love with Tommy. Unfortunately it mostly happened in his head, and not on page. Tommy didn't have that much talking time in this entire book, and that made him a bit hard to like at times. If I would have known him a bit better, I would have known why he would act the way he did. (And for those of you who want to know, there are no sexy times in this. Only chaste kissing. No tongues even.)
And what I always really dislike in a book is when the protoganist talks directly to the reader. It's confusing and pulls me out of the story. But luckily this only happened in the beginning, so it wasn't too bad.
What did confuse me was the weird way of headhopping that took place in the first half. This is told in first person POV by Dylan, but then we get a paragraph in third person from a random friend of Dylan. I couldn't make head nor tail of it.
But still, this was funny. So 3.5 stars it is.
December 2, 2018
It's time to stop dragging my feet, admit I'm not going to be able to finish this, and write the review.
On the plus side, this debut novel has a distinctive voice and a truly YA feel. Despite being the quarterback of his high-school football team, Dylan is prone to an endearing amount of adolescent awkwardness and self-doubt. Watching his first attempts at flirting was funny and sweet. He's basically a kind, generous soul, and it was no hardship to spend time inside his head. By 50% I was cruising along, thinking what an awesome find this book would be for gay kids, because...
(~~ Things may get a little spoiler-y from here on out, so consider yourself warned ~~)
...No abusive family! No homophobic relatives! When Dylan comes out, his friends and teammates support him! Welcome to 2018, everyone! We can finally have fun, sweet stories about gay kids -- stories that aren't all about them being hated on and punished for being who they are!
Oh, wait. Apparently we can't.
Instead what we get -- at least what *I* got out of this -- was the message: You're going to get beaten up, gay kid. It doesn't matter that your family accepts you. It doesn't matter that your friends accept you. It doesn't matter that your coach and your entire team accept you. Never let your guard down, because someday, sometime, when you're least expecting it -- like, say, when you're in a safe place and wearing headphones -- you'll be jumped and savagely beaten by a gang of your homophobic peers, and if you're lucky a random adult will walk by and interrupt it so that you wake up in the hospital instead of never waking up at all. Oh, and have a good life!
Well, what more can I say after that. I did stick with the book a bit longer, until it took another trope-y turn, one that rang false and felt like faux drama -- and that was it for me. What a shame the author chose this type of tired old plot device for his first novel. He's talented and I'd be open to reading him again, but I'll be very leery that he'll just keep rehashing ugly old tropes.
DNF @ about 75%, seriously bummed out. I'm giving it 3 stars only because it's a debut novel and I don't want to stomp on the author's firstborn.
On the plus side, this debut novel has a distinctive voice and a truly YA feel. Despite being the quarterback of his high-school football team, Dylan is prone to an endearing amount of adolescent awkwardness and self-doubt. Watching his first attempts at flirting was funny and sweet. He's basically a kind, generous soul, and it was no hardship to spend time inside his head. By 50% I was cruising along, thinking what an awesome find this book would be for gay kids, because...
(~~ Things may get a little spoiler-y from here on out, so consider yourself warned ~~)
...No abusive family! No homophobic relatives! When Dylan comes out, his friends and teammates support him! Welcome to 2018, everyone! We can finally have fun, sweet stories about gay kids -- stories that aren't all about them being hated on and punished for being who they are!
Oh, wait. Apparently we can't.
Instead what we get -- at least what *I* got out of this -- was the message: You're going to get beaten up, gay kid. It doesn't matter that your family accepts you. It doesn't matter that your friends accept you. It doesn't matter that your coach and your entire team accept you. Never let your guard down, because someday, sometime, when you're least expecting it -- like, say, when you're in a safe place and wearing headphones -- you'll be jumped and savagely beaten by a gang of your homophobic peers, and if you're lucky a random adult will walk by and interrupt it so that you wake up in the hospital instead of never waking up at all. Oh, and have a good life!
Well, what more can I say after that. I did stick with the book a bit longer, until it took another trope-y turn, one that rang false and felt like faux drama -- and that was it for me. What a shame the author chose this type of tired old plot device for his first novel. He's talented and I'd be open to reading him again, but I'll be very leery that he'll just keep rehashing ugly old tropes.
DNF @ about 75%, seriously bummed out. I'm giving it 3 stars only because it's a debut novel and I don't want to stomp on the author's firstborn.
June 26, 2019
The Quarterback’s Crush by John R. Petrie is absolutely hysterical (One of many 7th grade vocabulary words I can’t live without.). It has a full cast of big-hearted goofballs you have to meet!
Our quarterback, Dylan Porter, needs a little help with his studies if he’s going to stay on the team. And he has to stay on the team! He loves football and his team. Dylan can’t let him down. So Coach arranges a tutor—Tommy Peterson—to help out. And BOOM! Everything changes for Dylan in a hurry. He had a plan! He was going to wait to come out. Wait to tell his friends and his Dad that he’s gay. But how can he now with Tommy sighing and smiling right in front of him? He wants Tommy, but he might need a little help from his friends to get his first boyfriend. Haha….Wait to you see Operation Big Gay Love in action. Assignments are handed out, confusion and chaos ensue, and the laughs just keep on coming!
I love these guys! All of them---well to be honest Tommy is my least favorite. Is that weird? I mean he is Dylan’s crush, but Tommy just never hit my heart. As long as he makes Dylan happy though, I'm happy. But the football team—Dylan’s team--made me laugh out loud and “aww” all over the place. They are dudes in every way possible, but man are they cutie pies too. Riley, DeShawn, Chad, Steven, and Jonny have Dylan’s back the whole way through in hilarious fashion. Food fights, chess, support, and hugs. I really want more from Steven and Chad! Those two made me giggle every time they were together on the page. Then throw in Rick and Robert and Robby and you’ve got yourself a cast of characters you will never forget. The bullies felt a little dated and over the top for me though. Do bullies still force kids to hand over their lunch money in high school? *shrugs* But really I don’t have much else to complain about here. Well…
The writing is direct and fun and easy to read. I loved the way Dylan’s mind worked—when he would go off in his head on a rant or ramble about Tommy.
“Was I flirting? Was he flirting with me? Can you flirt with someone who’s not flirting back? He didn’t seem flirty. He seemed to wonder what I was talking about. Was he confused by me? Why was his confusion so sexy to me?”
It’s hard to find a quote that captures Dylan’s energy and sweetness and just plain adorableness without going on and on. It’s almost like you have to get to know everyone else around him as well to enjoy the lines. Experience everyone’s reactions to him in eye rolls, blinks of confusion, sighs, and smiles. Dylan felt so pure and simple to me. He often just said what was in his head without thinking, which could easily get him in trouble, but more often than not made me melt a little bit more for him and smile, smile, smile.
“I kept my face focused on the answers I got right and wrong. I was pretty sure he was looking at my arms because when I asked him to go over something else and flexed at the same time, he laughed a little bit. I looked up when he did that and his face was a little bit red, like he was blushing, and I got the same feeling I get when I watch those cat videos online. Yes, I watch them. But only sometimes. Anyway, it was a good feeling, like warm and content and exciting all at once. I thought Tommy looked cute when he blushed.”
I have to point out one more love here before I go. It’s the relationship Dylan had with his parents. His Mom passed away, so it’s just him and his Dad now. But here’s the thing. You will feel Dylan’s love for his Mom. I felt the hole she left in his life several times when he talked about her. It made me love Dylan even more. Dylan and his Dad will make you giggle and smile and proud too though. Two guys getting it done. A father and son trying to work their way through grief. And love!
Please just jump in and meet this gang. You’ll love ‘em!
Highly recommended read. I can’t wait for more from Mr. Petrie.
September 8, 2018
I had big fun reading this. Dylan and his friends made me laugh a lot. Loved all the support Dylan got when he came out. With the exeption of a few assholes of course...
Very enjoyable YA with very little steam but that didn't bother me at all.
Dyan and Tommy were a cute couple.
September 9, 2018
Took me quite a while to get into this one, but once I got to the chapter entitled HOW OPERATION BIG GAY LOVE STARTED [😁], I was completely hooked. The premise of the tale...young gay NFL footballer [Dylan] needs good grades to complete his studies and carry on with his life after school. His football coach enlists the help of a nerdy student [Tommy] to ensure that Dylan passes his Trigonometry tests and anything else he has problems with. Until Dylan meets Tommy, he wasn't even sure he was gay...but Tommy definitely does it for him 😉. Have to say though that [for me] these 18 year old boys were just too innocent or perhaps just naive, so maybe that didn't quite ring true.
The novelty for me?? The fact that not one single friend of Dylan's on the football team was against him when he accidentally outted himself in front of them. The object of his desire, Tommy, was so unused to 'jocks' actually being nice to him or anyone of his friends that he couldn't believe anything that Dylan told him. Dylan's football team were fantastic, and his bestie Riley amazing. Of course, there were bound to be haters somewhere and this time around, the focus shifted to the buffoons of the baseball team. Enjoy this one yourselves...my only real criticism was that the ending felt a little rushed...oh, and that cover is dreadful 😝. 4 stars.
The novelty for me?? The fact that not one single friend of Dylan's on the football team was against him when he accidentally outted himself in front of them. The object of his desire, Tommy, was so unused to 'jocks' actually being nice to him or anyone of his friends that he couldn't believe anything that Dylan told him. Dylan's football team were fantastic, and his bestie Riley amazing. Of course, there were bound to be haters somewhere and this time around, the focus shifted to the buffoons of the baseball team. Enjoy this one yourselves...my only real criticism was that the ending felt a little rushed...oh, and that cover is dreadful 😝. 4 stars.
maybe
September 12, 2018Uhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm??? I haven't read this book, how the fuck did my profile give it a 4 star rating?
September 7, 2018
4 stars
September 8, 2018
As a passionate fan of young adult romance, I was super excited to read and review The Quarterback’s Crush. I couldn’t resist this John R. Petrie tale, as I also love athletes who fall in love.
Dylan is starting high school with a plan. He’ll graduate, play football in college, and come out his sophomore year, by talking to his dad and best friend, Riley.
Of course, he never planned on Tommy, who is assigned to be his tutor. It doesn’t take long for Dylan to find himself thinking about Tommy often and crushing on him, as he’s “got the three Ss. Shy. Smart. Short. And cute.”
Does it get any sweeter than when a tough football player like Dylan notices Tommy’s smile and expressions so early on? He’s barely spent any time with Tommy when he’s already enchanted by everything about the young man. It just shows me how sweet Dylan really is. I found myself falling for him, with his charming innocence and his great personality.
As for Tommy, some family drama, in addition to his overall lack of confidence, will leave you hurting for him. He has no clue why a jock would actually like him, and even thinks it’s a joke. He is nice, likeable and definitely worthy of Dylan’s love.
Then there’s Riley, the perfect best friend, who adds a whole lot of heart and humor to this tale. In fact, there are many friends and teammates, who you’ll find to be terrific and loyal, as well as entertaining with their endearing, fun antics and personalities!
Overall, The Quarterback’s Crush is a lighthearted, coming out tale, infused with small amounts of drama and angst. There are no sex scenes, as Dylan and Tommy barely kiss, making this story perfect for young audiences. The teens in this story are actually well behaved, nice guys whom you’d want your child to befriend.
I always enjoy a good jock-falls-for-smart-nerd storyline, so The Quarterback’s Crush is perfect for me. John R. Petrie focuses on the struggles of coming out, as well as the pain, guilt and sadness involved. It is a great young adult read which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a clean high school gay romance.
Dylan is starting high school with a plan. He’ll graduate, play football in college, and come out his sophomore year, by talking to his dad and best friend, Riley.
Of course, he never planned on Tommy, who is assigned to be his tutor. It doesn’t take long for Dylan to find himself thinking about Tommy often and crushing on him, as he’s “got the three Ss. Shy. Smart. Short. And cute.”
Does it get any sweeter than when a tough football player like Dylan notices Tommy’s smile and expressions so early on? He’s barely spent any time with Tommy when he’s already enchanted by everything about the young man. It just shows me how sweet Dylan really is. I found myself falling for him, with his charming innocence and his great personality.
As for Tommy, some family drama, in addition to his overall lack of confidence, will leave you hurting for him. He has no clue why a jock would actually like him, and even thinks it’s a joke. He is nice, likeable and definitely worthy of Dylan’s love.
Then there’s Riley, the perfect best friend, who adds a whole lot of heart and humor to this tale. In fact, there are many friends and teammates, who you’ll find to be terrific and loyal, as well as entertaining with their endearing, fun antics and personalities!
Overall, The Quarterback’s Crush is a lighthearted, coming out tale, infused with small amounts of drama and angst. There are no sex scenes, as Dylan and Tommy barely kiss, making this story perfect for young audiences. The teens in this story are actually well behaved, nice guys whom you’d want your child to befriend.
I always enjoy a good jock-falls-for-smart-nerd storyline, so The Quarterback’s Crush is perfect for me. John R. Petrie focuses on the struggles of coming out, as well as the pain, guilt and sadness involved. It is a great young adult read which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a clean high school gay romance.
November 22, 2018
The Quarterback’s Crush
By John R. Petrie
Harmony Ink Press, 2018
Four stars
This is an adorable, well-written, comically mushy kind of romance. It has the great trope of gay-teen novels, with a sweet twist. In this it is the big tough jock, the high-school quarterback Dylan Porter, who falls for the unsuspecting charms of a nerdy trigonometry tutor, Tommy Peterson. This is told through Dylan’s eyes. Having hoped to wait until he was in college, Dylan finds that his feelings for short, cute, dimpled Tommy are just getting stronger by the day. And they’re getting in the way of his trigonometry studies.
Dylan needs to stay on the team, but his brain can’t seem to control his mouth.
The book is full of surprises, some of them hilarious, some of them touching, some a little hard to believe in spite of the author’s expert management of both his narrative and the cast of characters that fill the book’s pages. It offers us a vision of the way I wish the world was, mostly. In less skilled hands, it could have been a clunker, but Petrie has made it sing with genuine tenderness and humor.
By John R. Petrie
Harmony Ink Press, 2018
Four stars
This is an adorable, well-written, comically mushy kind of romance. It has the great trope of gay-teen novels, with a sweet twist. In this it is the big tough jock, the high-school quarterback Dylan Porter, who falls for the unsuspecting charms of a nerdy trigonometry tutor, Tommy Peterson. This is told through Dylan’s eyes. Having hoped to wait until he was in college, Dylan finds that his feelings for short, cute, dimpled Tommy are just getting stronger by the day. And they’re getting in the way of his trigonometry studies.
Dylan needs to stay on the team, but his brain can’t seem to control his mouth.
The book is full of surprises, some of them hilarious, some of them touching, some a little hard to believe in spite of the author’s expert management of both his narrative and the cast of characters that fill the book’s pages. It offers us a vision of the way I wish the world was, mostly. In less skilled hands, it could have been a clunker, but Petrie has made it sing with genuine tenderness and humor.
October 4, 2018
Cute romance about a closeted gay high school QB who falls in love with his tutor, one of the school's brainiacs and seen as a total nerd. AS time goes by the QB, Dylan tells his team about his crush and they help him try to win his love, adorable Tommy. After hitting som ebumps, the plan goe sinto action. It is a cute story. Dylan is funny and innocent in his thoughts and made me laugh. Super quick read. Thanks to LibraryThing for the ARC!!
April 8, 2020
Very cute -- bouncy and earnest. The voice is just so winning, like the book's narrated by a golden retriever who's somehow been magically transformed into a gay high school quarterback.
Dylan is a senior in high school, and knows he's gay but has decided that for practical reasons it's best he wait till sophomore year of college to come out. But then he falls in love with his math tutor, Tommy, and when this crush starts affecting his game, he confesses all to his teammates -- who, delightfully, are extremely supportive, and in fact help concoct several plans to get Dylan his man. They're all a bunch of teenage idiots, in the sweetest possible way.
That's the good. The less good: this needed a better editor. There are dozens and dozens of charming lines, but also some absolute clunkers. Some info isn't revealed properly. "Berkeley" is misspelled. (A particular pet peeve of mine.) There's also, in contrast to the life-affirming fluff of Dylan's teammates, some really quite extreme homophobia from other kids at school. Tonally, it doesn't quite mesh.
More significantly, Tommy never emerges as a fully formed character on his own. He's actually kind of unlikable, to the point where you just have to take Dylan's word for it that Dylan loves him, because you don't ever really get to see why. I suppose one can write it off as: teenagers, man. Though that stops working when
But in spite of these fairly major flaws, I still enjoyed this. I even, astoundingly, sat still and read the whole thing in one go. That's a love in the time of corona miracle, baby.
Dylan is a senior in high school, and knows he's gay but has decided that for practical reasons it's best he wait till sophomore year of college to come out. But then he falls in love with his math tutor, Tommy, and when this crush starts affecting his game, he confesses all to his teammates -- who, delightfully, are extremely supportive, and in fact help concoct several plans to get Dylan his man. They're all a bunch of teenage idiots, in the sweetest possible way.
That's the good. The less good: this needed a better editor. There are dozens and dozens of charming lines, but also some absolute clunkers. Some info isn't revealed properly. "Berkeley" is misspelled. (A particular pet peeve of mine.) There's also, in contrast to the life-affirming fluff of Dylan's teammates, some really quite extreme homophobia from other kids at school. Tonally, it doesn't quite mesh.
More significantly, Tommy never emerges as a fully formed character on his own. He's actually kind of unlikable, to the point where you just have to take Dylan's word for it that Dylan loves him, because you don't ever really get to see why. I suppose one can write it off as: teenagers, man. Though that stops working when
But in spite of these fairly major flaws, I still enjoyed this. I even, astoundingly, sat still and read the whole thing in one go. That's a love in the time of corona miracle, baby.
September 3, 2018
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5
For the full review, visit https://wp.me/p220KL-eAa on 9/4
From that review: "It took me almost no time to fall totally under the spell of this endearing story and its amazing characters. And it's all due to the unique voice and personality of the main character, Dylan Porter. You see, it's his perspective that we see the story from and he's an astonishing person!
As crafted by John R. Petrie in The Quarterback's Crush, Dylan Porter is that amazingly elusive animal....a layered human being with the ability to surprise you over and over, not just the length of the story, but even several pages. He's not "peggable". What comes out of his mouth frustrates him, makes him angry, or cry, but for the reader? It makes you want to hug him, cheer him on, support him, and in every respect do what's necessary, because, damnit, this author has made us quickly believe in him."
For all our reviews, visit http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5
For the full review, visit https://wp.me/p220KL-eAa on 9/4
From that review: "It took me almost no time to fall totally under the spell of this endearing story and its amazing characters. And it's all due to the unique voice and personality of the main character, Dylan Porter. You see, it's his perspective that we see the story from and he's an astonishing person!
As crafted by John R. Petrie in The Quarterback's Crush, Dylan Porter is that amazingly elusive animal....a layered human being with the ability to surprise you over and over, not just the length of the story, but even several pages. He's not "peggable". What comes out of his mouth frustrates him, makes him angry, or cry, but for the reader? It makes you want to hug him, cheer him on, support him, and in every respect do what's necessary, because, damnit, this author has made us quickly believe in him."
For all our reviews, visit http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
September 17, 2018
John Petrie's utterly charming gay YA rom-com debut novel had me laughing out loud. I was completely engrossed in the simple "Star Jock falls for Cute Nerd" with a gay twist. I loved the quirky characters and felt that the large cast of supporting characters surrounding the two romantic leads were well drawn and fully dimensional. I could easily see this witty and tightly-written novel being turned into a successful movie along the lines of LOVE SIMON or ALEX STRANGELOVE.
I love that this is part of the new generation of coming out tales where characters finally come out to friends and family members only to be met with acceptance and good humor--this is the generation that has been watching WILL & GRACE reruns for decades and most straight people have a gay person in their family or among their extended friends. Of course, having accepting friends doesn't mean there's no drama...there's still plenty of compelling and heart-tugging drama.
I highly recommend this gem to everyone and hope that there's a sequel on the qay (as hinted at in the final chapter).
I love that this is part of the new generation of coming out tales where characters finally come out to friends and family members only to be met with acceptance and good humor--this is the generation that has been watching WILL & GRACE reruns for decades and most straight people have a gay person in their family or among their extended friends. Of course, having accepting friends doesn't mean there's no drama...there's still plenty of compelling and heart-tugging drama.
I highly recommend this gem to everyone and hope that there's a sequel on the qay (as hinted at in the final chapter).
November 27, 2018
Wow
While reading this book I laughed and cried. It was an extremely well written book. I would be happy to read more of his work.
While reading this book I laughed and cried. It was an extremely well written book. I would be happy to read more of his work.
December 31, 2018
2.5
I liked how positive this book is, but the writing is a little bit messy at times.
I liked how positive this book is, but the writing is a little bit messy at times.
September 30, 2018
Fun & Fears
This one caught me by complete surprise. First of all, Dylan, the narrator and football player on the cover, has a personality that is deep yet a way of communicating that is so simple--and often a bit garbled--that I was surprised I never found him boring.
Then Tommy, the boy on the left on the cover, was everything a mystery character should be--we knew absolutely nothing about him and how he feels until very near the end, and yet it doesn't impact the plotline or the development of the other characters. That author Petrie has coupled Dylan with a straight, level-headed best friend and teammate Riley brings a necessary balance to how Dylan must pursue what, and whom, he wants.
The homophobic aspects of the book, as exemplified by Russel, the baseball player on the cover, are well played and the resolution to this serious issue is handled with the right amount of intolerance and dignity. This is a major accomplishment for a first-time novelist who obviously has thought this issue through.
There is no sex in this book, and that is not a spoiler because other reviewers have pointed it out. But that is wholly appropriate especially in light of the Epilogue, which is a levelling factor and reality check. This is a funny, fast-moving, and sometimes painful book that puts this author on a path that I want to follow.
This one caught me by complete surprise. First of all, Dylan, the narrator and football player on the cover, has a personality that is deep yet a way of communicating that is so simple--and often a bit garbled--that I was surprised I never found him boring.
Then Tommy, the boy on the left on the cover, was everything a mystery character should be--we knew absolutely nothing about him and how he feels until very near the end, and yet it doesn't impact the plotline or the development of the other characters. That author Petrie has coupled Dylan with a straight, level-headed best friend and teammate Riley brings a necessary balance to how Dylan must pursue what, and whom, he wants.
The homophobic aspects of the book, as exemplified by Russel, the baseball player on the cover, are well played and the resolution to this serious issue is handled with the right amount of intolerance and dignity. This is a major accomplishment for a first-time novelist who obviously has thought this issue through.
There is no sex in this book, and that is not a spoiler because other reviewers have pointed it out. But that is wholly appropriate especially in light of the Epilogue, which is a levelling factor and reality check. This is a funny, fast-moving, and sometimes painful book that puts this author on a path that I want to follow.
October 18, 2018
I wouldn't exactly say that this book is written very well but what I can say is it is a book that fits perfectly into our "new world". I think it can be viewed as an inspirational book that we all could benefit from.
Everyone thinks that jocks are assholes. Everyone thinks that they get the hottest cheerleaders and the hottest girls. So what happens when the main player is gay? He has done his best to keep it hidden from everyone. He plans on hiding it until he is in college. Society doesn't accept gay people often much less the star of the high school football team. But love finally wins over and he "shatters" everyone by professing his love for another guy. Luckily for him his childhood best friend is very accepting of it along with the rest of the football team including the coach. They all came together as one and didn't let his sexuality bother them.
It's a really touching book.
Everyone thinks that jocks are assholes. Everyone thinks that they get the hottest cheerleaders and the hottest girls. So what happens when the main player is gay? He has done his best to keep it hidden from everyone. He plans on hiding it until he is in college. Society doesn't accept gay people often much less the star of the high school football team. But love finally wins over and he "shatters" everyone by professing his love for another guy. Luckily for him his childhood best friend is very accepting of it along with the rest of the football team including the coach. They all came together as one and didn't let his sexuality bother them.
It's a really touching book.
May 2, 2019
If you are looking for a cute romantic read, I highly recommend this book! Although the premise of the book, a star quarterback falling in love for a nerdy tutor, could quickly become very cliche and cheesy, this book stays away from those traps and inserts realism and a dose of heartache. Although like every good romance, it makes you sigh and awe every other page. Again, I highly recommend this LGBT romance book. A good four star read!
November 28, 2018
This is a classic hunky quarterback falling for the hot genius nerd who tutors him. It's set post gay acceptance where the secondary characters are mostly good-natured and accepting. Reveals are more likely to be played for comedic rather than dramatic effect. Overall a feelgood story.
October 16, 2018
A wonderfully innocent love story with twist and turns that keep you reading. Brilliant work by a new writer who is destined for great things.
May 5, 2019
1.99 Special. .
An entertaining juvenile read about finding love in high school...if you are gay.
The story didn’t seem so very real in that Dylan was in the closet but found himself screaming his orientation at the most unlikely places, in the locker room, in the middle of a football game..If its really a secret, then stop with the screaming!
His crush, Tommy, doesn't know & for that matter Dylan doesn't know if Tommy is gay. He just full stream ahead that shit anyway. At the end, they hea'd into the sunset, jumping beyond graduation, college, hank (never fully explained but it looks like Tommy explored in other pastures) then marriage proposal...
All very neat and contained, a prepackaged romance. .
An entertaining juvenile read about finding love in high school...if you are gay.
The story didn’t seem so very real in that Dylan was in the closet but found himself screaming his orientation at the most unlikely places, in the locker room, in the middle of a football game..If its really a secret, then stop with the screaming!
His crush, Tommy, doesn't know & for that matter Dylan doesn't know if Tommy is gay. He just full stream ahead that shit anyway. At the end, they hea'd into the sunset, jumping beyond graduation, college, hank (never fully explained but it looks like Tommy explored in other pastures) then marriage proposal...
All very neat and contained, a prepackaged romance. .
November 21, 2019
Sweet and fun romantic high school comedy.
It's a gay romance and the characters are silly and goofy and very sweet.
It's like a 40's movie. There's no sex and only a little kissing, so it's good for younger teens (though there is some swearing and a little bit of bullying, so be aware.)
Overall, it's well-written and I laughed out loud, so I'm giving it 4.5 out of 5!
It's a gay romance and the characters are silly and goofy and very sweet.
It's like a 40's movie. There's no sex and only a little kissing, so it's good for younger teens (though there is some swearing and a little bit of bullying, so be aware.)
Overall, it's well-written and I laughed out loud, so I'm giving it 4.5 out of 5!
March 23, 2021
When you know, you know
Okay, it’s got all the tropes of a YA high school jock/nerd romance story, but this one hit differently for me. Good friends are hard to find and I think this book was as much about friendships as it was about finding your guy. 3.50 for proper first kisses.
Side note: who says “goal” when talking about American football? It’s “TD” or “Touchdown”.
Okay, it’s got all the tropes of a YA high school jock/nerd romance story, but this one hit differently for me. Good friends are hard to find and I think this book was as much about friendships as it was about finding your guy. 3.50 for proper first kisses.
Side note: who says “goal” when talking about American football? It’s “TD” or “Touchdown”.
July 19, 2025
if a wattpad story was turned into a tubi movie this would be it. the first part of this booke as really fast-paced and reminded me of fanfic, but then the book started to get stupid and I started to disengage. If you want a short love story that'll make you laugh and cringe this is it. 2.5/5 ⭐️
October 5, 2018
DNF at about 65% - Just not a very good book...
October 25, 2018
3.5 stars
December 15, 2020
The Quarterback's Crush : By John R. Petrie
I loved this story quite cute and it had a of trouble in it because that is typical of humans and I would say some times jealousy.
I loved this story quite cute and it had a of trouble in it because that is typical of humans and I would say some times jealousy.
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