The Champions Book Review
The Champions by Kara Thomas book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 11-27-24 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 4.8/10
Book Cover Rating: 5.5/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: The Champions
Author: Kara Thomas
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Mystery
Subplots: Thriller
Series: The Cheerleaders #2
Publisher: Delacorte Press
First Published: 2024
Number of Editions: 12
Goodreads Rating: 3.76/5
Number of Goodreads Ratings: 4,437
Amazon Rating: 4.2/5
Number of Amazon Ratings: 410
Book Type: Standard
Hook: Eleven years after the famous Cheerleader deaths, Hadley moves to Sunnybrook. Now, the town’s pride and joy is in their football team- the infamous Tigers. Not only do The Tigers have a great shot at championships, all the boys are ‘perfect’. That's what Sunnybrook wants to think at least. But, if they are so ‘perfect’, why does one get poisoned at a party? And then, why does another suddenly die? These are the questions Hadley is asking. As a high school newspaper journalist, Hadley is assigned the football team for her newest article. So, she has a special interest in what is truly happening. And… well.. the mysterious emails telling her to stop digging don’t really inspire hope in her. Who is really behind all of this? Is someone just trying to cause trouble for a successful football team? Or, are the ‘golden boys’ not quite as perfect as the town believes?
Overall Book Rating: 4.8/10
I would probably not recommend this book
Review: Hmmmmm. This book was not my favorite. I was really hoping to like this, but it just didn’t do it for me. I was not the biggest fan of the writing, and I felt like the main character was handed a lot of information. I also wish book one (The Cheerleaders) could have tied into this more (it did a little, but just not quite enough in my opinion). I did like Hadley as the main character, but most of her relationships seemed a little too forced. The plot was interesting (I didn’t want to stop reading it (but then again, when do I ever want to STOP reading)). It did have a couple twists, but, well, I guessed who the secret problem maker was at the very start (that ALWAYS sucks). I also DID NOT like the ending AT ALL. It tied things up, I guess…. but it just didn’t make me feel particularly good about this book (no, that’s such an overstatement. It made me feel badly about this book). Overall, this book wasn’t necessarily awful (except the ending), but I just didn’t have a great time reading it and my final impressions don’t make me ever want to re-read it.
Main Characters:
Hadley- Hadley is the main character. She is a senior in high school, and lives with her mom. She has a bit of an attitude, but (for the most part) only when it kinda makes sense. Also, she LOVES writing for the school newspaper.
Peter- Peter also writes for the school newspaper. He’s kind, and his older sister is the main character in the previous book. He and Hadley originally don’t like each other.
Alix- Alix is also a senior in high school and she is kinda friends with Hadley, though they're not particularly close. She is on the dance team.
Character Rating: 8.2/10
Setting:
This book takes place in Sunnybrook, New York. The setting is not really described in this book, but I think it was described more in The Cheerleaders. All we really know is that it is in upstate New York.
Setting Rating: 6.8/10
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Kara Thomas lives on Long Island
She lives with her husband, son, and cat
She writes young adult, and adult books
Her books have been nominated for International Thriller Writers Award.
For more information, view Kara Thomas’s website: kara-thomas.com
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