NOT THE USUAL SEASON

This contemporary YA novel follows a teenager as he prepares for his last year as a high school wrestler with an unexpected new teammate.

When high school junior Ben McDowell attended the wrap-up dinner for the Wildcat wrestling team’s season, he didn’t expect Coach Garland to announce that a girl would be joining the all-male team next year. Jordan Mueller racked up plenty of wins at her previous school, and she has a heck of a lot of drive. Soon, Ben appreciates how hard she works—especially after they go a couple of practice rounds in his home gym. Meanwhile, Ben has a crush on Talia Butler, another classmate, and hopes that over the summer he’ll work up the nerve to really talk to her. The vacation season begins on a sour note, though, with the death of his dog, which further throws off his family’s dynamic. He’s already embarrassed by his autistic brother Johnny’s singing songs in public, and his younger sister seems to be interested in one of his teammates. As he prepares for his final high school wrestling season, it becomes clear that this will be a summer to remember. May, the author of Dogs Don’t Talk (2015), pens a modern slice-of-life YA novel that will appeal to sports fans and neophytes alike as it follows Ben into his senior year. The author does a good job of portraying the roiling teenage mindset; Ben waffles on how he feels about his dog dying, for instance, and feels conflicting emotions about the behaviors of his family members. Most of the secondary characters are quite charming, and the pacing is quick, breezing through the story’s lighter scenes. However, Ben displays some unlikable traits, and he says some things that will offend readers, such as calling his autistic brother an “animal” and expressing a desire to hit him.

A sometimes-engaging but problematic story of a teen wrestler, his friends, and his family.