Girls of Summer Review — Is It Worth Reading?

Verdict: The payoff the series has been building to — Jamie and Emma at the 2015 World Cup. Fans who love the USWNT call it thrilling, like reliving the tournament; readers who came for the romance find it a match-by-match recap with too little of the couple, and a few object to how the other teams are portrayed.

Best for: Girls of Summer readers who are also women’s soccer fans.

Heat level: Low (the series keeps intimacy mostly off the page)

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8/5 — a 4.37 Goodreads average across 276 ratings, 4.11 on StoryGraph from 46 reviews, and 4.7 stars across 198 Amazon ratings)

Tropes: Established relationship, professional athletes, teammates, World Cup tournament, coming out publicly, series instalment.

Girls of Summer is Kate Christie’s 2019 contemporary lesbian sports romance, the fifth of six books in the series of the same name. The US women’s national team makes its final preparations for the 2015 World Cup, and Jamie Maxwell and Emma Blakeley head to Canada.

It holds a 4.37 average across 276 Goodreads ratings — the highest of the series so far — with 88% of them four or five stars, 4.11 on StoryGraph from 46 reviews, and 4.7 stars across 198 Amazon ratings.

What Is Girls of Summer About?

For Jamie, a starting spot on the World Cup roster would be a dream come true. For Emma, the summer of 2015 is a chance at redemption. Both have to keep their relationship steady under the intense scrutiny of a major tournament.

Readers note that the story also takes in the US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, which came down during the 2015 tournament.

What Works in This Series Instalment

The World Cup at last: Readers who waited four books say the sports action is thrilling, even when you know the result.
Team dynamics: One reader notes this book focuses more on the whole team than on just Jamie and Emma, and several praise the supporting cast.
The couple: Fans still call Jamie and Emma relationship goals, with continued chemistry.
Timing: Readers enjoyed the book around real World Cups — some rewatched the 2015 matches alongside it.

Book Synopsis

The USWNT is in its final round of preparations before the 2015 World Cup. Jamie wants a starting place; Emma wants redemption.

As the tournament plays out across Canada, both women find out whether their hopes will come true and whether their relationship can withstand the outside world.

My Review

This is the most soccer-heavy book in the series, and for readers invested in both the team and the couple, that is the point: after four instalments of selection drama, the tournament delivers. Reviewers who love the USWNT describe feeling like they had a front-row seat.

The criticisms are consistent. Several readers say it is essentially a recap of the real 2015 tournament, with thinly disguised real players, so there is little suspense or character growth; one says it reads in a bullet-point manner. Others wanted more of Jamie and Emma and less match play. Two readers object to the portrayal of opponents — one to what they call Canada-bashing, another to nearly every other team being written as diving and playing dirty. One reader again found some dialogue cringy.

My honest note: If you skim sports sequences, this is the book in the series you will skim most.

Element	In Girls of Summer
Central relationship	Jamie Maxwell & Emma Blakeley, US women’s national team players
Core tropes	Established relationship, teammates, World Cup tournament
Setting	The 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada
Heat level	Low
Length	294 pages (Kindle listing)
Series	Girls of Summer #5 of 6 — continues in Under the Lights
Content notes	Tournament pressure, public scrutiny of a same-sex relationship

How Spicy Is Girls of Summer?

Not very. As in the rest of the series, the romance is warm and ongoing but intimacy mostly stays off the page.

StoryGraph has no content warnings submitted for this book.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you followed the 2015 World Cup, or want to relive it. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.

You may want to skip it if: you read the series for the relationship rather than the matches.

In short: Finally, Canada — mostly on the pitch.

What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)

On Goodreads the split is 49% five stars, 39% four, 9% three, under 1% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, 66% tagged it funny and 66% inspiring. Many readers picked it up during the 2019 World Cup, and one finished the audiobook just before this book was released.

Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The World Cup action first. Second, the team. Third, the couple. Fourth, the real-world timing.

What readers argue about and complain about: Too much match recap and too little romance, above everything. Second, predictability from following real events. Third, the portrayal of other teams.

The comparison worth making first: The Road to Canada, the book before, which ends just before the tournament starts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Girls of Summer finally include the World Cup?

Yes. After four books of build-up, roughly half of book five is spent at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, and the on-field story follows the real tournament.

Is Girls of Summer the last book in the series?

No. It is book five of six; the story continues in Under the Lights.

Can I read Girls of Summer on its own?

No. Readers warn to steer clear unless you have read the previous four books.

How spicy is Girls of Summer?

Low. Like the rest of the series, the relationship is on the page but intimacy mostly is not.

Is Girls of Summer on Kindle Unlimited?

Not at the time of writing — the Kindle edition was listed at $4.99, and an audiobook edition is available on Amazon.

If You Loved Girls of Summer, Read These Next

Continue with Under the Lights, or go back to the start with Training Ground. For more, browse our sapphic sports romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.

All 25 verified soccer romances, including the six-book Girls of Summer series, are in our Sapphic Soccer Romance Books guide.

The Bottom Line

Girls of Summer sets out to put Jamie and Emma on the World Cup stage, and for soccer fans it delivers. What holds it back is how closely it retraces real matches at the expense of the romance. For series readers who love the game. Check Girls of Summer on Amazon →