Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: Defensive Play 
SERIES: Boys on the Brink #2
AUTHOR: Jamie Deacon
PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing
LENGTH: 72 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2018
BLURB:
One glance is all it takes to bring his defences crashing down…
Seventeen-year-old Davey has never made friends easily. Shy, geeky, crippled with social anxiety, he feels isolated from his peers, and only his position as defender for the school football team fills the void of loneliness. On the pitch, his deft footwork has earned him the respect and acceptance of his squad, though at a price. Desperate to hold onto this camaraderie, Davey conceals the truth from everyone, even his own family.
Then, during the annual Brookshire football tournament, his eyes meet those of a rival player across the field and a spark flares between them, one neither boy can deny. Adam is everything Davey longs to be—confident, popular, comfortable with his sexuality. Davey aches to explore their connection, to discover where it might lead, but how can he follow his heart and risk rejection by his teammates, the closest thing to friends he has ever known?
REVIEW:
I loved so many things about this book. For one thing it’s set in the UK and resonated deeply with things I remember from my own childhood. I might not have been gay but you wouldn’t find anyone more socially awkward or anxious. The author absolutely captured that feeling of desperation to be accepted at all costs. Davey’s overwhelming fear of being discovered and abandoned comes across loud and clear in every line, without “banging on about it” too much.
Adam is a very different kettle of fish. For three quarters of the book he was very sure of himself, even cocky at times, and to a point, he was what Davey needed to get his first foot out of the closet. That Adam constantly reassured him there was no pressure to expose the rest of him, revealed Adam’s caring side and settled Davey considerably.
These two boys very much came across as two ordinary teens growing up in a world that still isn’t fully ready to accept them entirely for who they are. Theirs is an encouraging story but not without its negativity. Not all the football team were accepting and it was by no means a bed of roses for either of them. In the end, it was Adam’s insecurities and issues that finally led Davy to take the last step to meet him and it felt so right.
Nothing in this story felt forced or false. The writer has a real knack of catching the spirit of a time and a particular group of people. I totally believed these were a pair of teenagers with teenage friends and very different families and backgrounds. The story unfolds slowly and nothing is hurried. The writing is fluid and in keeping with the characters and the situations. At no time did I feel that a character’s voice was out of keeping with who they were ie teenage boys sound like teenage boys.
This is the kind of book that would be perfect for a school library, and I sincerely hope that some copies find their way there because it would be a hugely important find for a young person who is taking the same journey as Davey or Adam and it would help immensely, I’m sure, to reassure them that everyone can have their happy ending if they work for it.
If you’re looking for a grown up story with steamy sex or sexual themes, keep looking. This is very squarely a young adult book and the closest they get to sex is some pretty serious kissing, which I think is an excellent thing because that it totally not what the book is about. The book is about acceptance, courage, growing up and being true to yourself, good lessons for anyone.
RATING: 
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