Rating: 1.5/5
I barely know where to begin with this book. First off, I read this book for the Medieval-a-thon prompt "A book you're scared to read." I've heard so many good things about this book, and I've seen so much fan art, that I was afraid to start it for fear of being disappointed. Now that I've read the first book in the series, I can confidently say that I am majorly disappointed. I wanted to like this book so bad and I just can't. This is going to be a review that is just full of all the faults that I found with the book, because I don't really have much positive to say. I wish I did, but I really don't. So, if you loved this book, don't even bother reading this review, you'll just get upset. Let me also say that I don't dislike it for all the triggering aspects of the book (which there are plenty, i.e. a character gets drugged, they get kissed multiple times without consent, they are force-fed alcohol even after specifically refusing, mentions of past abuse, mentions of past injuries, etc.), I can handle reading a book with triggering aspects, but only if it's well written. Let's start with the summary for those who are unfamiliar with The Foxhole Court.
Summary from Amazon:
"Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential — and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher. Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed. But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for."
I'll start off this review by saying that if I was thirteen, I would've loved this book. I don't think it's a YA book, judging by all of the problematic things that happen within the text, but it certainly has more of an appeal for a younger audience (though I really don't think that younger audiences should read this). This book is so incredibly dramatic about everything. Not only is it dramatic, but it is also incredibly unrealistic. Now, I know what you're going to say, "It's fiction, it isn't meant to be real." And my reply is that it is contemporary fiction that is based in reality, in the U.S. so it is still supposed to follow the rules of modern America. With all of the factual errors that are widespread, there was absolutely no way for me to suspend my disbelief. These books are fan fiction, they are fan fiction for the characters within the story. Now that probably doesn't make much sense, but let me explain. The elements of this story just reek of hurt/comfort, angsty fan fiction, but the characters are made up. It wouldn't shock me at all if this were a 50 Shades of Grey situation wherein this book previously existed as fan fiction, but it was rewritten with new characters, so it could be released as a separate work. There are elements of this that one might overlook in fan fiction for the sake of seeing a beloved character in a new situation, that just doesn't work when you don't have any prior relationship with the characters in the book. Have you guys seen the TikToks that are talking about "the tropes that you liked as a teen/preteen are all incredibly problematic." That is this book in a nutshell.
Let me tell you why this story is so unrealistic that even being considered fiction isn't enough. It's the characters' behavior and thought processes. None of them ever make sense. So, let's get into that. A public university and the NCAA would NEVER allow a coach to create a team of nothing but delinquents. Of course people deserve a second chance, and I'm sure that a team of like 30 people with one or two who have a sketchy past would be allowed, or even encouraged. A team of 10 people where half are recruited just because they are sketchy and violent? That's a liability. This team is a liability. Speaking of liabilities, let's talk about Andrew. Andrew should be in prison, not playing a sport he cares nothing about. He should not be on the team, not because of his mental problems, but 1. he carries knives onto a court and 2. he does not care about the game. What reasonable coach would keep a player that is not only unpredictable, but actively hates the game? He refuses to even try at practice. He would've been cut immediately. For the sport to be so big and popular, why is it that the team is only 10 people? Are you telling me that this big, important sport doesn't attract any attention from the rest of the student body? The first game sold out. Nothing makes logical sense.
I read in another review that apparently Andrew may or may not be bipolar? If he is, this is the absolute worse portrayal of bipolar disorder that I've ever seen. Also, why is a criminally violent man, court-ordered to take uppers? It never specifically states what medication he is on (because why do any research), but it seems an awful lot like he is on some kind of stimulant, when he should be on depressants. Antipsychotics are tranquilizers. But continuing on with the theme of lacking research, we have a made-up sport complete with made-up drugs. I can overlook the sports thing (even though, just like make it lacrosse), but the Crackers? There are so many drugs out there, and we're picking a made up drug, with unclear effects that miraculously isn't as bad as normal drugs in terms of after effects.
Andrew's dynamic with Kevin is never explained well. I still don't really understand what their deal is. Andrew is the only one that can protect him? Why? It isn't like Andrew's mental illness gives him super powers. All of the characters were just caricatures of themselves. The only characters who had really any development were Neil, Kevin, and somewhat Andrew. But even that is a stretch. It was just immature characters making bad decisions. Why do they all have money? None of them have a job. It makes sense for Allison, Neil, and I guess the twins, but barely. It felt like a convenient way to have them all just focused on this sport instead of real life.
In terms of technical aspects, it still wasn't well developed. The dialogue mad Eno sense half of the time. There would be huge leaps in what the characters were saying that made no sense. Do you know how many times I had to go back and reread because what they were talking about made a huge leap? Dialogue should flow or follow the events of the story but there were points that were just confusing and irritating. Sometimes there were leaps that felt as if they were missing context, and sometimes there was too much context to the point that the purpose was muddied. Neil has a habit of these complex, mental gymnastics that are not fun to follow. My primary example is when he realized that Aaron was not the one that picked him up from the airport. I understood what happened when Neil noticed that he didn't have cigarettes and he did at the airport. I did not need to be spoon fed two pages worth of "here is why it's Andrew and not Aaron."
But, I've been focusing in a lot on Andrew, let's try to look at the other characters. All I have to say is that they were barely present. In fact, they were the epitome of 2-D. Nicky is (excuse my lack of a better word) kind of rape-y, Aaron is there I guess, Seth is angry, Matt is protective, Danielle is protective, and Renee is nice. There, that's everyone else. That is really all the development they get. I recognize that there may be some more development in the next two books, so I won't go too hard on that. But just know that the majority of the characters exist for exposition, or to drive cars. Neil has some development, and his character still doesn't follow the personality set-up by the author. If he's so careful, why is he never careful? If he's trying to hide, why is he putting himself in the spotlight. It's like every time some trait is established for him, it's just discarded immediately and only brought back when it's convenient for the author.
Did I like anything about this book? The story itself was relatively entertaining, despite being confusing and off-the-wall. It read very quickly as there was action happening relatively often. This also lends itself to being similar to fan fiction in its' composition. I genuinely wanted to know about the characters and what their deals were (which was answered sometimes). That is really all of the positive things that I have to say about the book. The only reason I didn't give the book one-star is because I was at least entertained (if not annoyed and irritated). I didn't come into this expecting too much, I wasn't looking for gold. I was hoping for bronze and I ended up with aluminum. It was just so disappointing for me. It was just over-hyped fan fiction, complete with extremely edgy characters, poor dialogue, and somewhat interesting plot. The whole premise was just so unbelievable that it kind of makes me mad to think about it. I will likely read the next two, I have hope that the story and/or writing will improve. I know that we haven't even approached the romance aspect yet. I just hope that there is at least some improvement further on down the line.