So F*cking Special: 1996 by Raye Murphy

The quick cut: A teen girl and boy in a Texas town fall for each other when they are no longer able to play their respective sports. 

A real review: 

   Thank you to Rupert Bossier for providing the arc for an honest review. 

 When you're in high school, who you are can easily be defined by what your talents are or who you choose to spend your time with. For July & Adrian, they find that their definitions are taken away from them when they can no longer play cheerleading or football. 

 July and Adrian walked the halls of Pure Pines High as members of the athletics. With July in cheerleading and Adrian in football, they each know of each other, even if they didn't like each other. When different circumstances take their sports away from them, they go from dislike to suddenly having something in common.  Will their newfound bond lead them to something new? 

 I wanted to like this story, but it really wasn't for me as a reader. Where I prefer a fast plot and engaging story, this book instead takes the track of glacially slow pacing and a drawn-out plotline. There isn't anything necessarily wrong with the characters or story building. It just didn't speak to me because it was written the literal opposite of what I enjoy. 

 The story is written in the 90s primarily, with the prologue and epilogue coming from the early 2000s. While there's a mention of VHS tapes and a plethora of 90s music references, there is little else that really screams 90s vibe here. Considering I grew up in the 90s, safe to say I know what that looked like. The author really needed more finite details to truly capture the feeling of that era. 

 July & Adrian trade off as narrators, and I can't say I preferred one more than the other. I really didn't like either one or their will they-won't they dynamic. For me, the slow pace meant that the chemistry felt like it took too long to build, which made the romantic element hard to believe. 

 A romance story that is made for slow pace preferring readers. 

My rating: 3 out of 5