Running With Lions

Sebastian Hughes returns for his senior year as goalkeeper and team captain at Bloomington High School's soccer training camp. His plans for a perfect final season become complicated when his former childhood friend Emir Shah joins the team. The intense summer training pushes the athletes to their limits as they prepare for the upcoming season. Between drills, friendships, and team dynamics, Sebastian must navigate his role as leader while dealing with unresolved feelings from his past. The novel explores themes of identity, sexuality, and belonging in the high-stakes world of competitive sports. Through its focus on team relationships and personal growth, Running with Lions presents a story about finding acceptance both on and off the field.

Readers describe this as a sweet LGBTQ+ young adult sports romance with positive bisexual and Muslim representation. Readers appreciated: - The realistic portrayal of teen friendship dynamics - The focus on team camaraderie rather than competition - The gentle romance without heavy angst or drama - The diversity of characters and relationships - The soccer/sports elements feeling authentic Common criticisms: - Pacing felt slow in the middle sections - Writing style sometimes came across as repetitive - Some found the conflict too mild - Character development could be superficial - Plot considered predictable by some Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (6,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (230+ ratings) BookBrowse: 4/5 "A cozy comfort read that doesn't try to be dramatic" - Goodreads reviewer "Sweet but needed more depth to the relationships" - Amazon reviewer "Realistic teen voices without trying too hard" - Barnes & Noble review

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🏳️‍🌈 Julian Winters wrote Running with Lions while working as a barista, often jotting down ideas between making coffee drinks for customers ⚽ The book's soccer training camp setting was inspired by Winters' own experiences as both a player and assistant coach 🏆 Running with Lions won the 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Teen Fiction 📝 The manuscript underwent 15 complete rewrites before reaching its final form, with major plot and character changes in each version 🌟 The story broke new ground in YA sports fiction by featuring multiple LGBTQ+ characters in starring roles, including the team captain and his Muslim love interest, at a time when such representation was rare in the genre