palmetto state foxes

the foxhole court is the first book in a series called all for the game by nora sakavic!

it's the gay sports mafia trilogy you never knew you needed feat a fictional sport named exy which is us football and lacrosse and hockey (I think?? I don't know sports things) but More Violent

also features cool characters and arcs!

legit like.. I never read these kinds of books but here I am, 3 books later, hooked

@basically-neil-josten would like to contribute the following statement:

"it's like My Immortal but better"

id like to clarify i said that b/c AFTG is written in the style of self indulgent fanfiction and has self indulgent fanfiction written about it.

I read an article the other day where the author called it “self-indulgent”. She was a fan of anime and fan fiction and those inspired her to write a novel just for the hell of it, just for fun. She wasn’t looking to promote, she wasn’t looking for praise. And you know what? I think that’s amazing.

If more books could be written self-indulgently - if more stories could be told sans the expectation for perfection and literary recognition, we’d probably have more truly fun and creative books to binge read. Cause that’s what the “AFTG” series was to me, it was fun. The rushed plot explanations gave more room for character development and interactions, and honestly? I loved that. It’s all I wanted and needed.

I saw a review liken the book series to a fan fiction. Which makes sense considering the author described it as being written to indulge herself. And how many of us use fan fiction to decompress? To escape into a story that’s not full of over-complicated metaphors or trying too hard to be respectable or perfect? But just trying to be interesting, fast-moving, and pampering? That’s why fan fictions are easier to read - why they’re more enjoyable to read.

Me:

Characters: Andrew Minayrd, Neil Josten, Betsy “Bee” Dobson,

Trigger Warning(s): Mentions of Past Abuse, Brief Mention of Sexual Advances if you squint your eyes

“The night sky once ruled my imagination. Now I turn the dials with careful calculation. After a while, I thought I’d never find you.”

While Andrew was being transferred from one foster home from the next, he would always hope for something more. In those faster homes, he was abused in more forms than one. He was hurt over and over again and it served as training wheels to form him to who he is now. He carefully watches what he says, where he goes, who is around him, who is he bringing, who is he keeping? After a while, he believed that he would never find someone to be with who would respect his boundaries. “I convinced myself that I would never find you, when suddenly I saw you.”

And he meets Neil Josten, but he’s on his drugs…

“At first I thought you were a constellation.”

We all remember that famous line, “You were supposed to be a pipe dream.”

Characters: Mary Hartford, Neil Josten, Andrew Minyard, the Foxes

Trigger Warning(s): Panic Attacks, Mentions Late Character (Mother), Reference to Child Abuse, Reference to Arson/Fire

“When you were young you used to dream about fires, and scream into the night, to find me standing barefoot at your side, I used to whisper it will be alright, and lay down at your side and take your tiny hands into mine, and how, was I to know, I’m not strong, I should have saved you and”

Read this as Mary talking to Neil on her deathbed. They only time she ever let emotions seep into her speech as they were speeding down a highway to some beach. Neil doesn’t know why, but he is listening to his mother speak because she never speaks like this, and when she does speak he must listen.

“I hope you know, that you’re my home, but now I’m lost so lost”

Neil: truth

Andrew: when was the last time you slept?

Neil: dare

Andrew: go to sleep

andrew, smoking on the rooftop: the court’s closed, idiot