Set in the traditionally homophobic world of amateur hockey, this book follows gay goalie Cooper in his struggle with his feelings for a teammate and coming out to his team. Cooper has been hooking up with teammate Pesh in secret, and has to play along when Pesh dates a girl and even tolerate locker-room homophobic talk. When Pesh outs Cooper online, trying to better his own chances at playing pro, Cooper chooses self-esteem and honesty over sex. With a strong and relatable main character, this book is a realistic, positive look at teen relationships — gay or straight.

When the gloves come off, what are you fighting for?

Cooper is the new goalie on his hockey team. He’s also gay. But the rest of the guys don’t know it. It’s not because Cooper is hiding it, or because he’s ashamed. It’s just that he considers the guys teammates, not friends yet. He’s heard the locker room talk and the way some of the guys talk about the “Puck Bunnies” and he’s not impressed.

So when Cooper and the team’s star player, Pesh, start fooling around, they agree to keep it just between them. Besides, Pesh is also seeing Bobbi, a girl with big dreams in sports PR who manages the social media accounts of players who have a chance at making it to the next level.

Soon Cooper begins to develop feelings for Pesh, but Pesh runs hot and cold towards him. It’s clear that Pesh fears for his hockey career if his relationship with Cooper is exposed. As Cooper becomes closer friends with Bobbi, he starts to wonder if Pesh isn’t playing them both.

PAUL COCCIA has a specialist in English from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. He is the author of the YA novel Cub. Paul lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Customer Reviews: