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The Quarterback's Secret
Chevy Durham is the big man on campus, the star quarterback of the football team. He's the guy every boy wants to be like and every girl wants to be with. There's just one problem... he's gay.Nobody knows except James, a cute emo boy who Chevy meets on the first day of senior year. As things heat up between them, his secret is threatened to be exposed by a spurned cheerleader who sees the boys on a date at the county fair. She's been pining after him for years and isn't about to go down without a fight.Can Chevy and James overcome the powers trying to separate them, or will their love be lost forever because of jealousy and homophobia? Join best selling author Daniel Elijah Sanderfer for this beautiful coming of age story about coming out and falling in love.
3 pages, Audible Audio
Published October 20, 2021
About the author
Daniel Elijah Sanderfer
200 books117 followersDaniel Elijah Sanderfer is an internationally best-selling author of more than one hundred fifty books. He was born in Stuart, Virginia, and raised in the Southside region. He's lived in numerous places across the eastern United States but now resides in rural Lee County, where he lives with his husband of twenty years, William.
His books feature LGBTQIA+ characters from all walks of life but primarily focus on rural living. He's received several award nominations, including Best Author on Goodreads and Best Y.A. Short Story. His works can be found primarily on Amazon, as well as other retailers nationwide. Several of his works are also available in audiobook format.
Before he became a writer, he worked in the hospitality industry for fifteen years, where he received the R.O.S.E. award nomination two consecutive years in the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. His works showcase queer and other characters living their authentic truths. They always contain messages of hope, as well as life lessons. He's a proud, gay own voices author with a large fan following on social media.
You can find information about his life, as well as news on upcoming releases, in his Facebook fan group, Sanderfer's Socialites.
His books feature LGBTQIA+ characters from all walks of life but primarily focus on rural living. He's received several award nominations, including Best Author on Goodreads and Best Y.A. Short Story. His works can be found primarily on Amazon, as well as other retailers nationwide. Several of his works are also available in audiobook format.
Before he became a writer, he worked in the hospitality industry for fifteen years, where he received the R.O.S.E. award nomination two consecutive years in the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. His works showcase queer and other characters living their authentic truths. They always contain messages of hope, as well as life lessons. He's a proud, gay own voices author with a large fan following on social media.
You can find information about his life, as well as news on upcoming releases, in his Facebook fan group, Sanderfer's Socialites.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 5, 2022
The worst thing that I have listen to this year.
The narator was fine, but the content of this short story was just bad. First the writing style was so poor that at one point I was wondering if it was not just written for teenagers, but written by a teen who needs at least another 2 years to finish school and 3-4 years of college and a writing course. There was no development of the characters, they were like 2 dimensional illustrations of people we see on tv, but with 0 depth. Their actions were exaggerated so much that it was ridiculous and escalated in the blink of an eye. I mean, the boys met yesterday, today they managed to spend some time alone and now they love each other and are boyfriends. And I know it's a short story, but their relationship didn't develop normally, it just jumped from scene to scene like a frog jumping from leaf to leaf in a swamp.
This whole thing had the feeling of make believe, it was like: here this is the dream of every high school gay kid on a paper, like it because you had dream the same when you were in high school.
The narator was fine, but the content of this short story was just bad. First the writing style was so poor that at one point I was wondering if it was not just written for teenagers, but written by a teen who needs at least another 2 years to finish school and 3-4 years of college and a writing course. There was no development of the characters, they were like 2 dimensional illustrations of people we see on tv, but with 0 depth. Their actions were exaggerated so much that it was ridiculous and escalated in the blink of an eye. I mean, the boys met yesterday, today they managed to spend some time alone and now they love each other and are boyfriends. And I know it's a short story, but their relationship didn't develop normally, it just jumped from scene to scene like a frog jumping from leaf to leaf in a swamp.
This whole thing had the feeling of make believe, it was like: here this is the dream of every high school gay kid on a paper, like it because you had dream the same when you were in high school.
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July 4, 2022Didn’t even get to the 3rd page.
“I’m gay, not sissy gay,” and here I was thinking representation in 2020 would have gotten farther than this.
“I’m gay, not sissy gay,” and here I was thinking representation in 2020 would have gotten farther than this.
October 13, 2020
Got for it
A simple story of love and acceptance. The drawback to short stories is that the hard work often is passed over in exchange of page length. (Long story short...we won) We are expected to accept and move on for the advancement of the story. That doesn’t always work for every subject. For me, I didn’t get emotionally invested in the characters. Even the qualifier in a statement Chevy’s mom says to James at the end implies she’s “not quite there yet”. Was that intentional or the Mark of a green author? I enjoyed the story, but I wanted a little more depth. 3.0 for C.
A simple story of love and acceptance. The drawback to short stories is that the hard work often is passed over in exchange of page length. (Long story short...we won) We are expected to accept and move on for the advancement of the story. That doesn’t always work for every subject. For me, I didn’t get emotionally invested in the characters. Even the qualifier in a statement Chevy’s mom says to James at the end implies she’s “not quite there yet”. Was that intentional or the Mark of a green author? I enjoyed the story, but I wanted a little more depth. 3.0 for C.
January 17, 2021
Despite my rating, I'm not sorry I read this one.
Just to get my gripes out of the way: I think the author desperately needs an editor, or at the very least a proofreader who's a neutral party, to catch grammatical errors, misusage of words, typos, and missing quotation marks. I caught so many, and some sentences turned hilarious as a result of these mistakes. (For example: "His pale skin stood in contract with his dark hair and clothes" when he meant contrast, and "he was the sexist man alive" instead of sexiest.) I also think the additional perspectives of Stephanie and Chevy's ex-BFF could've been written out entirely and you wouldn't lose track of what was going on in the story.
However, there were some positive takeaways from this novella. At its core, it's a simple love story about a jock and an emo boy - and not once do you doubt Chevy's adoration for James. It's a pleasant surprise to read a coming out story where the tension doesn't ride on Chevy and James' relationship surviving the backlash, or Chevy leaving James when their secret relationship leaked. I liked the mothers and their support for their sons, and I appreciated the tension built between Chevy and his father and how that ultimately played out.
Overall, I think this story was fine. At times it read like corny fanfiction, and there were points where I wish the author went more into depth with the boys and distinguish one from the other, but it was a short and cute read.
Just to get my gripes out of the way: I think the author desperately needs an editor, or at the very least a proofreader who's a neutral party, to catch grammatical errors, misusage of words, typos, and missing quotation marks. I caught so many, and some sentences turned hilarious as a result of these mistakes. (For example: "His pale skin stood in contract with his dark hair and clothes" when he meant contrast, and "he was the sexist man alive" instead of sexiest.) I also think the additional perspectives of Stephanie and Chevy's ex-BFF could've been written out entirely and you wouldn't lose track of what was going on in the story.
However, there were some positive takeaways from this novella. At its core, it's a simple love story about a jock and an emo boy - and not once do you doubt Chevy's adoration for James. It's a pleasant surprise to read a coming out story where the tension doesn't ride on Chevy and James' relationship surviving the backlash, or Chevy leaving James when their secret relationship leaked. I liked the mothers and their support for their sons, and I appreciated the tension built between Chevy and his father and how that ultimately played out.
Overall, I think this story was fine. At times it read like corny fanfiction, and there were points where I wish the author went more into depth with the boys and distinguish one from the other, but it was a short and cute read.
June 17, 2024
I thought this story was a good one. It’s almost like a gay males dream life,except of being outed. I don’t think a one should be outed by anyone. Why should someone else be the one to tell someone’s secret. I didn’t come out until late after high school to my family but my friends I was out to them. They just seemed more understanding than my parents. Chevys dad didn’t accept it like my father didn’t accept me and my partner. ( not as aggressive as here) but he was not accepting until later years. But I think this story was a good one and I think it was a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 10, 2021Like, ok?
October 30, 2023
A sweet story but poorly written
The premise of the story is promising. Highschool quarterback falls in love with another boy and is afraid his time on the team will come to an end if his coach and teammates learn of his secret. Well, they are outed by the lead cheerleader who is jealous the quarterback doesn't return her affections. He's not kicked off the team--in fact the coach is fired for his homophobic remarks. The problem with the story is the writing and the editing. There are many technical problems that a good editor should have taken care of. As a result the writing sounds amateurish. It's a shame, because the story deserves better treatment
The premise of the story is promising. Highschool quarterback falls in love with another boy and is afraid his time on the team will come to an end if his coach and teammates learn of his secret. Well, they are outed by the lead cheerleader who is jealous the quarterback doesn't return her affections. He's not kicked off the team--in fact the coach is fired for his homophobic remarks. The problem with the story is the writing and the editing. There are many technical problems that a good editor should have taken care of. As a result the writing sounds amateurish. It's a shame, because the story deserves better treatment
August 3, 2022
It was really really cute.
It's a high school story so all the feelings were amplified and that's fine, I appreciated that it was a positive representation of a high school couple so there were no triangles, relationship drama or break ups, that was nice. Poor Chavy, he was so lonely and had so much of pressure, fear and some internalised homophobia too, but that ended very quickly as the crush with James progressed very beautifully into a first love. James was very sweet and cute and I his mum was wonderful. The ending was very nice looking into the future.
It's a high school story so all the feelings were amplified and that's fine, I appreciated that it was a positive representation of a high school couple so there were no triangles, relationship drama or break ups, that was nice. Poor Chavy, he was so lonely and had so much of pressure, fear and some internalised homophobia too, but that ended very quickly as the crush with James progressed very beautifully into a first love. James was very sweet and cute and I his mum was wonderful. The ending was very nice looking into the future.
December 26, 2022
Awful. Only an hours read, tons of grammatical errors, terrible story telling with little to no plot. I would rather read fanfiction than this book ever again. At least they have an idea of what's going on. Probably have less grammatical errors too. Don't read!!
July 14, 2023
Quick read. Compelling story. Writing wasn’t the best, but I liked the story. Happy about the ending as well.
December 18, 2025
'The Quarterback's Secret' written by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer, (Audible) narrated by Ryan Haugen
This storyline was meant for a much younger audience than I am, lol, although I usually enjoy the occasional foray into YA books. And I like several of DES's books.
However, this doesn't ring true for a high school storyline at all because the protagonists both act like much younger boys, for the most part.
Did DES write this storyline when he was just starting out as a young writer? Because he's usually much better at storytelling than this, even though this turned out to be a sweet coming-of-age story.
It really needed a good editor. Too many gaps in the tale even for a short story. Jeez, they practically jumped into being boyfriends and declarations of love just days after meeting!
Maybe I've forgotten what it's like to be a teen, but they seem like much younger than high school seniors. It doesn't seem very realistic (maybe in 1960?) except maybe in a young teen's day-dreams, like it was written by a teen boy doing some wishful thinking.
A good editor working with the author could have fixed this up from too many missed opportunities to flesh out the characters a bit more and fill us readers in with more details about the boy's personalities and their lives...yes, even in a short story.
I did like both boys moms, and the narrator was good.
"Back to the drawing board?"
Ok, I'm adding 1-star back because of the really great message at the end, of what to do if you or someone you know is being harassed or bullied, and/or in danger from parents, or anyone who threatens them/you and you feel unsafe. There's info (phone #) on who to contact f you need help, or have questions.
This storyline was meant for a much younger audience than I am, lol, although I usually enjoy the occasional foray into YA books. And I like several of DES's books.
However, this doesn't ring true for a high school storyline at all because the protagonists both act like much younger boys, for the most part.
Did DES write this storyline when he was just starting out as a young writer? Because he's usually much better at storytelling than this, even though this turned out to be a sweet coming-of-age story.
It really needed a good editor. Too many gaps in the tale even for a short story. Jeez, they practically jumped into being boyfriends and declarations of love just days after meeting!
Maybe I've forgotten what it's like to be a teen, but they seem like much younger than high school seniors. It doesn't seem very realistic (maybe in 1960?) except maybe in a young teen's day-dreams, like it was written by a teen boy doing some wishful thinking.
A good editor working with the author could have fixed this up from too many missed opportunities to flesh out the characters a bit more and fill us readers in with more details about the boy's personalities and their lives...yes, even in a short story.
I did like both boys moms, and the narrator was good.
"Back to the drawing board?"
Ok, I'm adding 1-star back because of the really great message at the end, of what to do if you or someone you know is being harassed or bullied, and/or in danger from parents, or anyone who threatens them/you and you feel unsafe. There's info (phone #) on who to contact f you need help, or have questions.
January 11, 2025
I've been in the Daniel Elijah Sanderfer universe many times. His passionate writing, his sense of place and circumstances as part of the story, plays well to produce a great story.
But I must admit, I wanted to quit reading this book. It was so sad what the outcome might be; it was not the affirming self-worth that Daniel has provided in our trips into his mind. But it's a Happy Ever After, and the trip through despair was worth it.
Chevy, the son of an automobile dealer, was portrayed as a great son whose on-field performance would bring pride to their town. But his association with EMO James not only prejudges he lives on the wrong side of the tracks, but that they can't be together; they can't be the contrast of the head cheerleader being with the star player.
However, Chevy bravely invests in his relationship with James, displaying a'secret' sign to him during his football games. What I did not see coming is how, when their world falls apart from public scrutiny, Daniel Sanderfer provides for the best in people, understanding mothers who become friends and some teammates who come across the bridge to acceptance. Of course people love a hero, and that helps promote Chevy's acceptance.
Daniel Sanderfer knows how to construct a story... sometimes unconventionally, but like life, it has it's challenges, and in this case, love prevails.
But I must admit, I wanted to quit reading this book. It was so sad what the outcome might be; it was not the affirming self-worth that Daniel has provided in our trips into his mind. But it's a Happy Ever After, and the trip through despair was worth it.
Chevy, the son of an automobile dealer, was portrayed as a great son whose on-field performance would bring pride to their town. But his association with EMO James not only prejudges he lives on the wrong side of the tracks, but that they can't be together; they can't be the contrast of the head cheerleader being with the star player.
However, Chevy bravely invests in his relationship with James, displaying a'secret' sign to him during his football games. What I did not see coming is how, when their world falls apart from public scrutiny, Daniel Sanderfer provides for the best in people, understanding mothers who become friends and some teammates who come across the bridge to acceptance. Of course people love a hero, and that helps promote Chevy's acceptance.
Daniel Sanderfer knows how to construct a story... sometimes unconventionally, but like life, it has it's challenges, and in this case, love prevails.
May 3, 2025
1.75
This was suppose to be a coming of age novella. I guess you could call it that but it was so labored and unbelievable. It needed an editor… badly. The characters felt so unreal. High schoolers who come across as middle schoolers. The situations felt realistic but the character interactions were unrealistic. No one just says what they’re thinking out loud ALL the time.
I got to a point where they said they’d been dating for a month but story timeline was closer to two weeks. It moved WAY too fast. Near the end this supposed high schooler is talking about what a partner is… no. A kid wouldn’t have the clarity of mind. It was so awful. If the author had simply extended the timeline and added real opportunity for the Mains to get to know each other this could have been so much better. Even with the below average writing style.
Pure fluff which isn’t bad on its own but it still has to be realistic. This seems to be one of the authors first years published works so maybe they’ve gotten better. I liked the concept just not the execution. I may attempt a more recent work if I find one with an interesting concept. This though I’d avoid.
This was suppose to be a coming of age novella. I guess you could call it that but it was so labored and unbelievable. It needed an editor… badly. The characters felt so unreal. High schoolers who come across as middle schoolers. The situations felt realistic but the character interactions were unrealistic. No one just says what they’re thinking out loud ALL the time.
I got to a point where they said they’d been dating for a month but story timeline was closer to two weeks. It moved WAY too fast. Near the end this supposed high schooler is talking about what a partner is… no. A kid wouldn’t have the clarity of mind. It was so awful. If the author had simply extended the timeline and added real opportunity for the Mains to get to know each other this could have been so much better. Even with the below average writing style.
Pure fluff which isn’t bad on its own but it still has to be realistic. This seems to be one of the authors first years published works so maybe they’ve gotten better. I liked the concept just not the execution. I may attempt a more recent work if I find one with an interesting concept. This though I’d avoid.
June 21, 2022
3.5/5 stars.
Sometimes you just want to something read a low angst happy, that won’t make your depression worse, or lose the small remaining faith you still got of humanity.
Not the most intricate and deep book I’ve ever read, but it’s quite okay. I’m tired of miscommunication and suffering.
They writing style is quite simple. What did bother me was that sometimes the mc’s would say this really poetic sentence, that really don’t fit with their characterization and vibe. I know one of these is an emo theater kid, but still, it was weird and took me out of the reading experience.
Other than that, it rubbed me the wrong way that the “bad guy” role was given to this girl, who actually couldn’t be completely blamed for how she felt. Don’t get me wrong, she took it way to far, and no abuse, bulling and revenge is justified. But I could have a tiny bit of sympathy for her, since deep inside she probably felt used and manipulated.
Sometimes you just want to something read a low angst happy, that won’t make your depression worse, or lose the small remaining faith you still got of humanity.
Not the most intricate and deep book I’ve ever read, but it’s quite okay. I’m tired of miscommunication and suffering.
They writing style is quite simple. What did bother me was that sometimes the mc’s would say this really poetic sentence, that really don’t fit with their characterization and vibe. I know one of these is an emo theater kid, but still, it was weird and took me out of the reading experience.
Other than that, it rubbed me the wrong way that the “bad guy” role was given to this girl, who actually couldn’t be completely blamed for how she felt. Don’t get me wrong, she took it way to far, and no abuse, bulling and revenge is justified. But I could have a tiny bit of sympathy for her, since deep inside she probably felt used and manipulated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2026
So this was awful. The prologue was the biggest offender; it was so bad that I almost DNF-ed it twice. The only reason I even bothered to finish it was because of its short length I figured I could use it as a quick read to pad out my reading challenge. But, low key, I earned it because this was a struggle…It was so poorly written that I refuse to believe that it could have been written by anyone older than a fourteen, but then again only a grown ass adult would think a teenager would post a pic on Instagram to expose somebody in the 2020s. That’s a TikTok GRWM story-time situation if I’ve ever seen one. It was way too sappy, poorly paced, and melodramatic for take it seriously. This was “Netflix teen drama” in book form. Unbelievable, but in the worst way unfortunately
June 12, 2023
Audible Review
Overall 3 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 3 out of 5 stars
Guilty Pleasure
I always say you shouldn't feel guilty about pleasure, but if I did have a guilty pleasure it would be these books by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer. They aren't the greatest writing, but the stories are compelling and that's what keeps me coming back.
Chevy is the high school quarterback, the closest to celebrity in his small town, But he's hiding a secret that he knows would ruin him if anyone found out. But when he and James cross paths, it might just be worth it for a chance at happiness.
Ryan Haugen narration is very good, his voice is age appropriate.
Overall 3 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 3 out of 5 stars
Guilty Pleasure
I always say you shouldn't feel guilty about pleasure, but if I did have a guilty pleasure it would be these books by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer. They aren't the greatest writing, but the stories are compelling and that's what keeps me coming back.
Chevy is the high school quarterback, the closest to celebrity in his small town, But he's hiding a secret that he knows would ruin him if anyone found out. But when he and James cross paths, it might just be worth it for a chance at happiness.
Ryan Haugen narration is very good, his voice is age appropriate.
January 8, 2021
Another good tale of love through adversity. The story could have been expanded on a few fronts for some interesting scenes, but the author seems more at home with tight, snappy stories and they work like a treat. This story is like adding sugar to your tea. It has all the milestones of a typical romance novel at a fraction of the word count. It was enjoyable, and I would have loved to read more of there was more to give. The ending felt a bit rushed for me, but the epilogue made up for it I suppose.
September 7, 2020
Read this
I loved this story, the main characters were so easy to feel their feelings. A very well written storyline, which brought everything together in the end. I highly recommend that you read this book.
I loved this story, the main characters were so easy to feel their feelings. A very well written storyline, which brought everything together in the end. I highly recommend that you read this book.
September 14, 2021
Awesome
Maybe a lot of gays, like me, could really relate to this story. Not that a person my age who lived when being gay was a mental illness and we were very sick in untold cruel ways. Still I had a teen crush that had some good moments.
Maybe a lot of gays, like me, could really relate to this story. Not that a person my age who lived when being gay was a mental illness and we were very sick in untold cruel ways. Still I had a teen crush that had some good moments.
July 31, 2022
Everyone needs a James
A wonderful story of young love with two people from opposing worlds but find a way to make it work. If you were ever young and in love this is a story for you.
A wonderful story of young love with two people from opposing worlds but find a way to make it work. If you were ever young and in love this is a story for you.
April 27, 2023
What decade is this author from to be so completely out of tune with teenagers? A senior boy in high school does not say "hey, what's the big idea?" Leave that to Bugs Bunny. This book was so ridiculously cringey, I'm glad it was free.
October 23, 2023
Really corner and over the top, I mean, the boys meet one day, and the very next day they’re boyfriends and proclaiming their love??? But even with all the sap, I really liked the story, especially the epilogue.
March 28, 2024
This book wasn't bad at all, but the characters are too young and innocent for my taste. This is labeled YA, and I missed that. Another audiobook bites the dust.
ETA: One of the MC's says "What's the big idea?" unironically, and I knew for sure this wasn't for me.
ETA: One of the MC's says "What's the big idea?" unironically, and I knew for sure this wasn't for me.
June 17, 2024
What a quick little story. I did enjoy it although I felt everything went so fast but then it was a short story so it needed to move quickly.
I was so happy for the supportive mom and what a twist at the end..
I was so happy for the supportive mom and what a twist at the end..
August 24, 2024
This was a fun read. I would have liked to see more conversation between the characters. The ending unwound into an unreal happily ever after. It felt good, but was not realistic. I would have like to see a more realistic ending.
September 12, 2020
I enjoy all of Sanderfer's books. They are short, to the point and hot around the right edges. I enjoyed it and look forward to his next one.
September 20, 2020
Excellent
Wonderful and difficult story of coming out in modern times. It’s well written and bravo to the author. An excellent read!
Wonderful and difficult story of coming out in modern times. It’s well written and bravo to the author. An excellent read!
February 8, 2021
Good book
Good book very well written could have been a bit longer but timeline was very well thought out again good book
Good book very well written could have been a bit longer but timeline was very well thought out again good book
July 17, 2022
I LAUGHED AT how BAD this was
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews