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Verdict: A quieter post-World Cup instalment with more relationship and less soccer than book five. Readers who have followed Jamie and Emma this far enjoy the time with them, but many call it the weakest in the series — an extended epilogue that sets up threads it doesn’t resolve.
Best for: Committed Girls of Summer readers who want to spend more time with the couple after the tournament.
Heat level: Low (the series keeps intimacy mostly off the page)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.5/5 — a 4.20 Goodreads average across 147 ratings, 3.79 on StoryGraph from 26 reviews, and 4.5 stars across 136 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Established relationship, long distance, professional athletes, teammates, equal-pay fight, series instalment.
Under the Lights is Kate Christie’s 2021 contemporary lesbian sports romance, book six of the Girls of Summer series. After the 2015 World Cup, Jamie Maxwell and Emma Blakeley go straight back to club soccer with no real break.
It holds a 4.20 average across 147 Goodreads ratings, with 77% of them four or five stars — the lowest share in the series — 3.79 on StoryGraph from 26 reviews, and 4.5 stars across 136 Amazon ratings.
What Is Under the Lights About?
For Jamie, success on the national team isn’t quite what she expected: club soccer, national team duty and new sponsorship obligations keep her running into the autumn. Emma and the other veterans debate taking a stand against a federation that values the money the women’s team brings in more than fairness.
Off the field, the brutal pace of the NWSL playoffs and Victory Tour matches threatens to drive a wedge between the couple, and finding time away from soccer is harder than either expected.
What Works in This Series Instalment
- More relationship, less soccer: Readers who found book five too much of a match recap welcomed the shift back to Jamie and Emma.
- A long view of a couple: Fans value following the leads over years, beyond the usual happy ending.
- The federation storyline: Even a critical reader found the fight with the football federation interesting.
- Realism about athletes’ lives: Readers say it portrays the physical toll and demands on female athletes realistically.
Book Synopsis
The World Cup is won, but the season isn’t over. Jamie struggles with the pressures that come with success, while Emma weighs a stand for equity.
With no time to rest and hundreds of miles between them, the couple have to find a way to make room for each other.
My Review
After the big set piece of book five, this feels like a breather. Readers who love this couple enjoy watching them handle the fallout of success, and the pace is quick — every StoryGraph reader who answered marked it fast.
The common complaint is that little happens: one reader describes lots of set-up with no follow-through, another says it reads like an extended epilogue, and several were left wanting resolution, including for a secondary character. Critics also dislike how closely it retraces the real USWNT’s post-tournament year, including celebrity cameos, and one reader felt it had aged badly because of its 2016 political references.
My honest note: If you’ve come this far you will read it anyway — just don’t expect an ending.
| Element | In Under the Lights |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Jamie Maxwell & Emma Blakeley, World Cup-winning teammates |
| Core tropes | Established relationship, long distance, equal-pay fight |
| Setting | The NWSL season and Victory Tour after the 2015 World Cup |
| Heat level | Low |
| Length | 285 pages (Kindle listing) |
| Series | Girls of Summer #6 — threads left open; a book 6.5 follows |
| Content notes | Burnout and physical toll of pro sport, pressure of fame |
How Spicy Is Under the Lights?
Not very. The romance is steady and affectionate but, as throughout the series, intimacy is mostly kept off the page.
StoryGraph has no content warnings submitted for this book.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want more of Jamie and Emma after the World Cup. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you need a series to end with its threads tied up.
In short: A warm epilogue that keeps going.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 45% five stars, 32% four, 18% three, 2% two and under 1% one. Several readers say it was the least strong book in the series for them, yet many five-star reviewers hope for more instalments.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The couple first. Second, the long-running cast. Third, less soccer recap. Fourth, the federation fight.
What readers argue about and complain about: Little happens, above everything. Second, unresolved threads. Third, real-life cameos and dated politics.
The comparison worth making first: Girls of Summer, book five, which has more soccer and less relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Under the Lights the end of Girls of Summer?
It is listed as book six of six, but readers found that it sets up several threads without resolving them, and Amazon also lists a follow-up, ‘Tis the Off-Season (book 6.5).
What happens in Under the Lights?
It follows the aftermath of the 2015 World Cup: a Victory Tour, the NWSL playoffs, new sponsorship obligations for Jamie, and national team veterans considering a stand against their federation over fair treatment.
Are Jamie and Emma still together?
Yes. Readers say the couple are solid throughout, even as the schedule and distance put strain on them.
How spicy is Under the Lights?
Low. Like the rest of the series, intimacy mostly happens off the page.
Is Under the Lights on Kindle Unlimited?
Not at the time of writing — the Kindle edition was listed at $4.99, and we did not find an audiobook edition on Amazon.
If You Loved Under the Lights, Read These Next
Try ‘Tis the Off-Season, or revisit the series from 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
Under the Lights sets out to show Jamie and Emma after the high of the World Cup, and it gives fans more time with the couple. What holds it back is how little it resolves. For series completists. Check Under the Lights on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Under the Lights ranks as a fair series instalment — cosy, unfinished.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ 4.20 average across 147 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 77% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.79 on StoryGraph from 26 reviews
- ✓ 4.5 stars across 136 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Couple solid
- ✓ Long-distance strain
- ✓ More relationship focus
- ✓ Future left open
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Recurring cast
- ✓ Jamie struggles with fame
- ✓ Supportive veterans
- ✓ Loose ends for Ellie
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ Fast pace
- ✓ Realistic athlete life
- ✓ Real-life cameos
- ✓ Dated references for one
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Sweet
- ✓ Less eventful
- ✓ Extended epilogue feel
- ✓ Weakest for several
Heat Level ★★☆☆☆ 2/5
- ✓ Low
- ✓ Off the page
- ✓ Series norm
- ✓ No explicit content
Ending ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ Threads unresolved
- ✓ Couple together
- ✓ Left hanging for some
- ✓ Book 6.5 follows
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ $4.99 Kindle price
- ✓ Series binge
- ✓ Quick read
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
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