Review | Take Her On by Emily Wright

Emily Wright's Take Her On delivers a compelling rivals-to-lovers romance that manages to balance football competition with deeper emotional themes. The story follows Maya, a university student preparing for her final year and the inter-uni championship, who finds her world turned upside down when her longtime rival Jamie moves in across the street.

Wright excels at character development, particularly in Maya's relationships with her grandparents. The warmth and sweetness of these intergenerational bonds provide a beautiful contrast to the cooler dynamic with her mother. The family storyline, complete with Only Fools and Horses references, adds authenticity and heart to Maya's world. The title itself is a clever nod to '80s music that Jamie loves, showing Wright's attention to detail in building her characters' personalities.

The author deserves credit for not rushing the enemies-to-lovers transformation. Maya's sustained distrust of Jamie feels genuine and creates an effective grumpy-sunshine dynamic that many similar novels abandon too quickly. This patience allows the relationship to develop more convincingly, with Maya's wariness feeling earned rather than contrived.

The opening scene of Maya trying to spy on her new neighbor only to get caught provides genuine humor, setting up their dynamic perfectly. Wright also handles several challenging subplots with sensitivity, including the painful experience of being in love with a straight best friend, betrayal within Jamie's former team, and the complexities of caring for aging grandparents.

Wright perhaps relies too heavily on certain character descriptors, particularly "stubborn" (13 times) and "annoying" (26 times), which can make the prose feel repetitive at times.

Take Her On succeeds as both a sports romance and a coming-of-age story, with Wright weaving together multiple narrative threads - grief, family dynamics, power abuse, and alcohol abuse - without losing focus on the central romance. The novel doesn't shy away from explicit content, delivering plenty of steamy scenes for readers seeking that element. The slow-burn approach to the central relationship, combined with genuine emotional stakes beyond the romance, makes this a worthwhile read for fans of the genre.

Interested in other WLW books about football? Check out this list of titles here