e-Audio, 02:45:39
Release Date: August 4, 2026
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Read from: August 14-16, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: I received a copy of this ALC from the publisher and Netgalley. I also received an ARC of this from TLA. (This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Panic Attacks/Disorders, Injury/Injury Detail
For Readers of: ARC, Audio, Contemporary, DEAR, Sparkly Cover, Middle Grade, Most Anticipated, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Sports, Novel in VerseShake’s dream of making the varsity basketball team is in peril when he gets injured. Can he rebound and make his way back onto the court—and back to feeling like himself? For fans of Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds.
Malik Page—though unless you’re his mama, call him “Shake”—dreams of making the Marshall Grove varsity basketball squad as an eighth grader. Then he’ll be on his way to joining the ranks of Chicago legends like his pops and late Uncle Kenny. But when Shake fractures his ankle in a championship game, he’s sidelined for the first time since his first dribble.
As his world is turned upside down, Shake feels like there’s ginger ale bubbling in his chest and sweat slicking on his palms. With a best friend who’s getting more distant by the day, a growing silence between him and his dad, and varsity tryouts fast approaching, Shake will have to cross up every obstacle to find a way back onto the court—and back to being himself. Thankfully in Marshall Grove, the sky is always full of hope.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was so good! If you’ve been here for any amount of time, you know that I’m usually not a fan of novels in verse. But this time I was so invested! I couldn’t put it down. I’m not sure if it’s because it was a sports story or because of the author, but I couldn’t put this down!
Ok so the main thing I loved about this was the writing style. I have SO MANY things I marked or highlighted in this book! It’s been a long time since I’ve tabbed this many quotes in one book. It stood out so much because I have read Julian Randall before and I didn’t tab nearly half as much in that book. It could also be I was even more invested because I love sports, so yeah. It could have been anything. Whatever it was, I really enjoyed this one.
Another thing I loved about this was the intersectionality. Not only was the MC a Black boy, but it’s also revealed that he has anxiety. As a Black person with anxiety, I loved that. He had to learn to live with what happened and stop catastrophizing. In all my years of having anxiety, I never heard of anyone say it like the therapist in this book. So don’t tell me that MG and YA books don’t teach you anything as an adult.
The culture in this book too! I loved it. The J’s in the barbershop and SLAM cover from March 1999 with A.I., and then him mentioning the Flu Game as well. I loved it. And it felt so organic and natural for him to talk about. I remember thinking this was something that actually happened in his life because it was so good. I hope y’all read this. Anyone can relate to it.
As a former athlete this part of the book hit too. I remembered so much of practicing every day, the injuries, and the funk of the locker rooms and the quote I loved most out of this book, “I can deal with trash talk in my ear, but not in my skull.” And Lordt if that’s not true. And the actual scenes with basketball in it were so good. My pet peeve is having none of the sport in sports romance or sports stories, so this was a joy to sink into. I loved this!
If its not clear, I really enjoyed this one. I hope there’s more sports stories from Julian Randall to come though. I hope this crazy ass review made sense tho. It’s all over the place and scattered, but I hope you get the message from this. This book is amazing and I hope y’all pick it up today!
Overall, I give this
