Thank you so much to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read and review this cute debut novel by Leah and Kate Rooper. This completely brought me back to seeing Mulan when I was younger and watching her take on all those boys while in disguise!

Alice Bell lives and breathes hockey, and tries out for an elite team with her hair stuffed up in her helmet. When she makes the team, and the coach kicks her off in favor of her twin brother the moment he discovers she's really a girl, she's naturally steamed. Fortunately for Alice, circumstances work out where Xander, her twin, needs her to take his place for a bit.

I love the natural relationships Kate and Leah Rooper create between family members and the way they work out family conflict in a realistic way. Hayden, Alice's friend and eventual crush, doesn't open up to people easily, distances himself from those who love him rather than trying to work things out, and is generally a hothead. And Alice isn't perfect. She's very realistically written. Not always clued in to emotional nuance. Better at slapping things around with a hockey stick than asking her brother to talk.

Of course the big question is what happens when everyone discovers Alice is a girl? and it was fun seeing that play out. This is an awesome book for hockey enthusiasts!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

Just One of the Boys was a super-cute, super-quick read that if you liked She's the Man, you'll absolutely love. (It's not quite as obviously a retelling of Twelfth Night as the movie is, but it's the same general idea. With hockey. So really, a win-win.) Like StM's Viola, Alice is told she can't play the sport she loves because of her gender; also like Viola, she takes her twin's place on the team, though for different reasons. All kinds of girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy hijinks ensue, and she develops a crush on the team's (formerly? maybe...) star player--but also becomes his best friend, which complicates things all over the place.

Meanwhile, her twin is hiding a secret, her mom is making extra demands on her time, and did I mention she's got a crush on her new BFF? Not quite everything that isn't right get fully resolved by the end (what is her coach's response to her news???) but the book still leaves you with a happy glow anyway.

Here's hoping the Ms. Ropers have plenty more books in them!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )