Over the End Line

Great teen sports story with a very unpredictable ending. Very easy to read and really gave you a good look into these teenage athletes and what they do for the team. Was not expecting the very dramatic ending, but definitely set this book apart from other teen stories. Don't skip ahead - you'll be surprised!

Kyle Saint-Claire is everything Jonny Fehey wishes to be: a star on and off the soccer field, a brain, and one of Millburn High s most popular students. Jonny unhappily accepts his lesser social status--but then he scores the go-ahead goal in the county soccer championship and everything changes. Jonny is invited to victory party with the in crowd, and alcohol flows freely as toasts are raised in his honor. But in his moment of glory, a classmate is raped and Jonny's world begins to unravel. Through years of friendship, Kyle and Jonny have always stood up for each another, but suddenly their friendship is tested. All their training together, pain, and dedication become meaningless; Jonny s preconceived notions are shattered; and someone is out for revenge. Exciting sports action combines with an undercurrent of evil in a suspenseful tale of pride cometh before the fall--and an ending that Jonny never saw coming. Return to Vine Newsletter

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually read it in two sittings in the same day. It's about two high school seniors playing soccer on the same team, and there is a LOT of soccer in here. But somehow that didn't bother me. The author did a great job describing the action of the soccer games like a sportscaster giving a play by play. Kyle and Jonny grew up across the street from one another and are best friends. Jonny has always lived in the shadow of Kyle, the school's soccer superstar. But more than just the soccer, Kyle is part of the in crowd and Jonny is not. Of course Jonny resents Kyle a little, but they've always managed to stay friends. When a sophomore girl is raped at a party and Jonny thinks Kyle is involved, it tests their friendship, and what happens after that is truly shocking. I read a lot of books and watch a lot of TV and movies, and I can usually predict plot twists pretty well, but this book had an ending I didn't see coming. For that reason alone I highly recommend this book to anyone 14 and up.

Jonathan Fehey would be a soccer star at any other school but he attends Millburn High whose soccer program is among New Jersey's very finest. In fact, his best friend since early childhood is Kyle Saint-Claire, the team's standout player; Kyle is one of the reasons the team is so strong, yet he also prevents other teammates like Jonny from getting more play time, news articles, and college scouting. During the Essex County title match up, a Millburn player is injured and Jonny is brought in from the bench -- and he scores the game-winning goal. Later, at a party at the infamous 'circle' -- a cul-de-sac where only the in-crowd is allowed and Jonny is finally invited -- a student is raped and Jonny's integrity is tested. Will he prove that he's a man? "Over the End Line" deals with quite a few serious issues and presents them in a believable, straightforward way that rightly assumes today's teenagers are smart and capable yet are still learning to deal with the typical pressures of growing up. Jonny's mother is a single parent, his father having died. Last year while on a soccer trip, Jonny meets a beautiful girl who later dies in a bus accident. Jonny isn't particularly popular and his friendship with school star Kyle is both genuine and selfish; Kyle feels enormous pressure put on him by his family and while Kyle feels he isn't allowed to fail, Jonny feels he isn't allowed to succeed. Aside from the excellent play-by-play and associated writing dealing with locker rooms, pep talks, coaching pressures, and the like, "Over the End Line" is particularly successful in dealing with the relationships between boys and girls. Jonny's budding relationship with an exchange student is beautifully written, as are his interactions with other girls such as Stephanie, Kyle's younger sister who like Jonny struggles to escape from Kyle's shadow. The novel introduces the themes of sex and substances in a way that respects the reader, but with the understanding that today's teenagers have long been aware of the subjects. Where I fault the book is the ending, which is shocking and needs a bit more explanation for believability. The boys are smart and athletic and in addition to physical weakness required, it's difficult to accept that what happens would not soon be discovered. While the ending is possible and its surprise is very effective, greater buildup and perhaps a change of venue might have made it stronger. 4.5 stars for an enjoyable teen novel for mature readers. I'm in my 40s and I enjoyed it.

A teen boy Jonny, not very popular, plays soccer, not that well. He's usually warming the bench because he folds under the pressure of the game. His best friend, Kyle, is the star soccer player, straight A student, and is invited to all the cool parties and has all the cool friends. All season, Jonny works hard to improve his playing and makes the big score in the championship game. Afterwards, he's finally invited to "The Circle" for a party -- but something horrible happens. A girl gets raped -- a girl Jonny is friends with -- and Jonny saw it happen. And his best friend was involved. This is a good book for those who are into sports as there are a lot of detailed descriptions of soccer games and practices. But even for those who aren't into sports (like me), this is a good story of determination. The other strand running through the story -- about the rape -- seemed to not fit so well. Though it adds tension as we wait to find out what happened and who was involved, I didn't see any foreshadowing that the kids were capable of this or that that kind of thing happened at The Circle. That part of the story seemed kind of tacked on to me. In any case, I did enjoy the story and Jonny as a character.