Review | The Beast by Paul Hoblin

In this fast-paced YA novel, the Copperhead’s only truly reliable goalie, Alyssa Duncan, is sidelined with a concussion, and watches in disbelief as “sophomore forward and rising star” Becca Miller proves unexpectedly brilliant in goal. What starts as a stopgap soon turns into a serious threat: Becca’s not only after Alyssa’s gloves, she might be making moves on Alyssa’s boyfriend too. Failed sabotage attempts and growing tension push Alyssa toward a drastic choice.

Although marketed as YA, this is clearly aimed at reluctant readers. The page count is short, making it a quick read - something that caught me off guard at first. But Hoblin’s prose is lean in the best way: she accomplishes a lot with few words, leaving space for readers to fill in emotional and narrative gaps. That sense of active engagement is perfect for drawing in less enthusiastic readers. The open-ended finale feels intentional too, offering an ideal springboard for group discussion or for readers to imagine their own endings.

The opening line , “I’m both babe and beast”, introduces Alyssa as fierce and feminine, a strong duality that’s intriguing. But over time, her self-doubt starts to erode that early empowerment. Lines like “instead of a beauty, she found a beast” and “it took Rick months to fall for a beast like me” lean into insecurity and rivalry, softening the novel’s initial confidence.

This is the first in a six-book series about women’s high school soccer, all set at the same school but each written by a different author. They’re not sequential, but together they have the potential to build a richer picture of the setting and its characters.

For such a slim volume, the themes of identity, jealousy, loyalty, and ambition run deep, making it a solid choice for sparking conversation. Just go in knowing it’s written for a very specific kind of reader, and it delivers exactly what that audience needs.

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