The Sunshine Court (All for the Game)

I read this whole thing so fast. Some highlights of what I loved (spoilers): 1) The difference in narration between Jeremy and Jean is so cool. Seeing what the other looks like from the outside... Incredible. 2) Seeing Jean's struggle with his trauma, unlearning everything, coming to terms with his mistreatment and then also what that's doing to him. I don't think I ever had a real opinion about Jean from the other books, but seeing his whole thought process really makes him make sense. 3) Cat and Laila. Omg fantastic couple. Also, the protectiveness that they feel for Jean? The lengths they would be willing to go to to help him??? 4) Jean counting small miracles like Renee told him to, and the things he adds to that list. 5) A new perspective about Kevin... Very interesting to see the many facets of his character. 6) Always nice to see Neil. Very fun to see him from the outside. Also, the fact that Jean started referring to Neil as Neil once he promised him that Riko was dead? Very interesting. 6.5) Speaking of Neil, the kindness he showed Jean was incredible. I really like this platonic thing they've got going on. The only ones to truly understand each other. 7) Learning about the extent of abuse inside the Nest... Wack. 8) I really like that Jeremy is trying to help Jean and is using the only tactics he knows to work (that he got from Kevin). We gotta ease Jean through this. 9) More info about Jeremy... And interesting guy with some secrets. Can't wait to see where that goes too 10) LOVE the queer rep in the Trojans and how all the coaches are cool. V nice 11) It is SO interesting to see what Jean cares about and doesn't. Interesting parallel, I think, with how Neil didn't want anyone to see his scars and required complete privacy and then Jean out here shirt off, no concern. "Don't worry, they won't affect my playing." Wowza. 11.5) idk to me, Jean and Neil seem like two sides of the same coin. How interesting now to see Jean's perspective. 12) How both the Trojans and Ravens are physically close as teams, but the contrast between the physicality of interactions... How the Ravens were harsh and unrelenting and angry vs the Trojans' softer affection and respect for privacy. 13) Learning more about the paradox of how the close proximity of the Ravens all the time chafed yet how the Ravens don't know how to function alone. Jean being alone and not knowing what to do with it. How when both Kevin and Jean left the Nest, they immediately found someone to be their partner because they NEED one. I'm mostly rambling here, but I think this book is so cool and the character interactions are phenomenal. I'm very excited to see where Nora goes from here.

Firstly, seeing characters I've loved since 2016 from outsider POV was something I didn't know I needed. A little glimpse of who Kevin is from a different angle, Neil being the sexiest, terrifying little gremlin, and casually ordering a hit on Jeans rapist (BEST CHARACTER OF ALL TIME), Andrew's candy drawer and cheese section, Wymack being Wymack, the foxes helping the Trojans stand, all of it 10/10! And then getting introduced to even more incredible characters like Jeremy and Catalina and Laila, and seeing how they all start to fit with Jean, and getting to live inside Jeans brain (which absolutely wrecked me) and get glimpses of Jeremy's (can't wait for more role) it was absolutely perfect!!! I've been a huge fan of all for the game for years, and I have to say your writing for this one has upgraded fully (which, duh, there's year between both releases), and it was just phenomenal all around. Funny, heartbreaking, even swoon worthy at times (Jean and Jeremy thirsting for each other was !!!). And seeing the reactions of people who hadn't had AFTG level of hardships in their lives, seeing the surface of what Jean had to go through, it was exactly what I wanted!!! I also really really really love how much physical affection there is in this story. Anyway, wrapping it up, but let me just say I will leave and breathe this series until the second book comes out, and that maybe if you ever feel like it again, a book from Kevin's perspective would've been INSANE. I'd give you all my money for it, seriously. Thank you, Nora, for coming up with these characters and giving us all these details, and essentially writing books about a) second (and third and fourth etc) chances and b) finding hope and learning how to live again. I love Jean Moreau like he just came out of my womb, and I love Catalina and Laila and Jeremy and his cardboard dog and his yoyo and how he never gives up on Jean no matter how much he's pushed away. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!

I have to say, after seeing some other reviews, I feel a bit less awkward sharing my deepest, darkest feelings about this book. It might not always make sense, though. I honestly didn't know I needed this book. I made my peace with Jean's ending at the end of The King's Men. Oh, boy, was I wrong?! This book totally destroyed me emotionally and put me through a wringer. But I inhaled it. Jean and Jeremy's story is exactly what was missing from the original trilogy. I can assure you it is just as tragic and dark and emotionally loaded as anything Nora writes, but it also has the one thing that Nora does best: HOPE. The hope is palpable in the writing and in all the emotions that are depicted in this book. It's almost overwhelming, yet it's the most precious thing ever. Hope to live. Hope to feel. Hope to have something good. Jean went through unspeakably horrible times. Things were done to him that would break anyone. The fact that he's still standing, even though the tons of baggage he brings, is a miracle and shows that deep down, hidden even from himself, is a man who hasn't given up yet. It shows in his progression of letting in the world, piece by piece, person by person, after being kept away from it for so long. I bowled my eyes out multiple times, reading his most vulnerable thoughts about the slivers of hope and beauty he discovers. I am a wreck, yet I am somehow happy. Of course, none of Jean's progress would be possible without Jeremy. Our golden boy, our sunshine captain. Oh, how he is good. His want to take care of Jean in any way he lets him is so palpable and honest. His kindness is EVERYTHING. I want to see his smile thaw the icy loneliness around Jean. Adding in the Trojans and their overall good nature is the perfect contrast to Jean's previous reality. And, of course, Cat and Laia are the best chaotic lesbians out their. I low-key adore them. The way they immediately took Jean into their circle, the subtle ways they made him feel at home. It radiates their goodness. I cannot string together thoughts. This book is just simply good. I want more of it. I want the second book now. I want to know Jeremy's story. I want to have more of the ridiculously queer Trojans. I want more Cat and Laia. I want Jean to smile. At Jeremy preferably. I want him to feel safe. I want to see Jeremy show Jean what it's like when someone loves him. I. Want. More.

I almost don't even know where to start. I loved returning to the world created in the first three books. I wish I could've gotten more than a passing glimpse at the beloved characters from the original trilogy, but I did enjoy getting know some of the more minor characters better. The bits with Neil were absolutely wonderful, though I can't imagine Andrew allowing him out of his sight for two seconds, even if it meant getting on a plane. Jean was such a wonderful character and his journey to healing is absolutely heartbreaking. I really liked how the dual POV with Jeremy showed a bit of the story from an outsider's perspective. But even as far as Jean got, I felt like so much of his story is still untold. It just felt unfinished as it is. (I don't think it helped that the first quarter of the book was essentially just the ending of The King's Men from Jean's perspective instead of a new, fresh story.) While I loved this little bit of closure, I was left wanting so much more. More chaos gremlin Neil. More Jean and Kevin growing as people. More Jean healing and forming relationships with his new teammates. More Jean learning who he is outside the Ravens. More Jean and Jeremy. (A lot more Jean and Jeremy, if I'm honest). This book felt more like the start of something than the finishing of something. I really hope that this might turn into a second trilogy (because I’m not even sure a duology would do what needs to be done) following Jean, Jeremy, and everyone else at the Sunshine court. In the meantime, I guess I'm heading back to AO3.

So much trauma packed into a 6’2” frame. Poor Jean. I have literally no idea what genre to put this entire series under. Is it a sport romance? Mafia? Crime thriller? All of them? I thought this series was complete and was so surprised when I heard this one (and the next) were coming. Jean was always the one left behind whenever Kevin or Neil were in the story. Riko is so much worse than I thought and I already thought he was less than pond scum to start out with. The entire book follows Jean trying to figure out who he is when he doesn’t belong to someone sadistic. His mental state is rough. Everyone wants him to be happy and start over in a new state on a new team and it’s not even in the realm of things he cares about. There are so many questions for me about Jeremy in this book. Exactly what did he do. He seems like a happy go lucky person but he actively dodges cops and did something to upset his entire family to the point where they barely acknowledge his existence. I hope it’s juicy. If Neil looks like that from the outside, Andrew never stood a chance. He can switch between scheming, crime, empathy, disinterest for the FBI, kindness, and charm in absolutely nothing flat and it was delightful to watch. Neil takes care of some business for Jean and watching him be intensely competent and unafraid for his life for once was fascinating. I can’t wait for the next book to see how Jean shakes out.

I cannot remember when I was first introduced to Nora and the game of Exy. It's been a while and I remember being so confused about this wildly popular game that I had never even heard of. I even looked it up online to find out she invented it. It's like Tolkien's making up the Elven language before writing the Lord of the Rings series. It adds another dimension to an already well-crafted book. And trust me, you get sucked in quick. I don't think I have ever read a female author who writes violence so well. That sounds more disturbing than I intended, but it's true. It's so well done that you feel both immersed and protected from it. Like Nora is a fierce Andrew standing between us and all the chaos. I don't know how I was fortunate enough to see that this one had been released. It had been so long since I had read the others in the series that it took me a heartbeat to remember who was who and where I left off in the story. She got me back on track quickly and there was no way I was stopping to even look up a summary to bring me back up to speed once I started this book. It was Jean, and I forget how young these characters are because of the trauma they have all faced in some form or another. I love how it's an aggressive sport and coed. I still don't know that I understand half of what is transpiring on the court, but the characters drive the plot, and their voices are so distinct from one another. Do you know how rare that is to find in an author? I'm still thinking about the Sunshine Court and I finished it two nights ago. I don't want to rush Nora, but I feel like I just binge read a season and I cannot wait for the next to be released.

When I found out that a new AFTG book was going to be coming out, I was so intrigued by what Jean’s story would entail, and looking forward to seeing this universe from a new set of eyes. Any expectation I had for this book were blown out of the water for me. I know for many people, Jean being the main protagonist of this new book was a major let-down. I didn’t feel the same, and I think that having Jean as a new protagonist was an amazing decision. While I would love more from the Foxes, I think the original trilogy gives plenty to chew on, and I don’t know if I would’ve enjoyed new content from them after so long the way I did the original books. By having a side character now become the protagonist, we get someone who’s close to the Foxes while at the same time being able to take the story in a new direction and see the feelings of other people in this world, which I feel makes this world feel richer than another Fox book would have. I don’t personally understand the argument that, because Jean and Jeremy were just side characters in the original book there’s nothing interesting to do with these characters, but to each their own on that front I suppose. Jean’s story was absolutely heartwrenching to read, and seeing his slow growth throughout this book was beautiful. His journey is far from over (considering there is at least one more book in this new series, potentially two though I don’t know for sure) so this book was inevitably going to be setting up a lot of things and not a lot of satisfying conclusions. Despite this, I never found myself feeling bored. Nora’s writing is both simple and captivating. She has the ability to drop the most gut wrenching lines in the most mundane of places, and personally I think this is a real strength of her writing. Her more simple wording makes the text easy to speed through, while also being able to have a lot of emotional punch at the same time. Jean’s inner dialogue was written in a different way compared to Neil in the first book, and the way his anxiety/flashbacks/dissociative moments were conveyed was very well executed. The new characters were a wonderful addition. The main trio who bond with Jean are all wonderful and I’m really looking forward to see more of their dynamic in future books, as well as how Jean will eventually fit into this once he allows himself to truly trust and be vulnerable with them. I’m especially excited to see more of Jeremy! This book was truly JEAN’s book but there’s a lot of hints to Jeremy’s backstory throughout this book and I’m very intrigued by him and who he is beneath the mask he puts on as captain of the sunshine court (ha book title!). I also thought the further revelations into the Ravens’ and their psyches was interesting. We’ve learned about the Ravens from both Neil and Kevin previously, but Jean adds another layer to the Nest through the depravity he suffered there, as well as insights from other characters. Seeing what the consequences of their loss to the Foxes in TKM was cool (?) to see. I have small gripes with the ending, as the last chapter happens quite fast and its events feel a tad bit out of place in a book that was so focused on Jean’s internal struggles, but because this is the first book in a series I anticipate my lingering questions from this will be answered going forward and it will make more sense once the series continues. I wish it had been a bit better integrated in the last few chapters, but I’m not going to elaborate more as I don’t want to include spoilers! Just something I feel the new to mention as it did stick out to me and linger in my mind once I finished as something that left me not entirely satisfied. TLDR this book was an incredible addition to the original books that I’m very much looking for to continuing as the series is finished. It’s a beautiful tale of appreciating the small things in the everyday that make life worth surviving, and growing into your own person even through horrible circumstances. I’m glad this is the version of these books where Jean survives, and I hope that people who loved the original books (especially those who were really hoping for andreil content in particular) will still give this book a chance even though it’s not the series extension they originally wanted. I think they will be pleasantly surprised.

I saw that this had come out by accident, just scrolling through Instagram stories, and nearly had a heart attack. I don’t get on twitter much, so I had no idea this was coming. I’m thanking every force out there that I ran across someone talking about it. I immediately went and bought it. This was beyond amazing. The writing has improved from the first three, and I loved it. I was not expecting to both love and break for Jean, but here I am, crying as I write this review. If I could reach into this book and give Jean a probably unwelcome hug, I would. My heart broke for him almost every chapter. But watching him grow was incredible. He still has so much to learn and a long way to go to being okay, but I’m excited to take that journey with him. Jeremy was like a bowl of sunshine. I loved his energy, and I loved how he took in Jean. I’m excited and scared to learn more about him. (Hopefully we’ll get another book.) I adored Cat and Laila and how welcoming they were to Jean. They were amazing friends that welcomed him with open arms. The care they showed him was so sweet. There are no words to describe how much I loved this. I went through such a large range of emotions, some of which I’m still processing. This was phenomenal.

This is for sure my fav book series. I've lost count of how many times I've read it. It is my comfort book, but it might not be for everybody because it is hard and hurts. Also have to say that I always read it in English even if it is not my main language, but Nora have a style of writing that's easy to understand and also very direct and full of meanings, and I wouldn't risk to miss something in translations.

Amazing

Not sure where to start other than to say - what a treat. An unexpected one. Even though I have been a fan of AFTG series for a few years, I haven’t been obsessively checking for updates from Nora Sakavic because truthfully I did not expect another book. So when I realised book 4 was released I must have screamed with excitement. As expected, Jean’s story was as painful, if not more painful as Neil or Andrew’s. Without revealing the plot, there were many times during the book that I thought not only ‘how did he have such strength to go on’, but I was reminded about so many of other Nora’s characters who seem to have almost otherworldly strength to ‘endure, endure, endure’. The continuation was more than fantastic. Heart and chest clenching good. Classic Sakavic feels, tormented me almost beyond my own endurance levels to be able to imagine the events. So much so that it’s no wonder it took the author years since the last book to find the bravery to write this story. It’s got to take its toll and for that - we salute you Nora Sakavic. Congratulations on another fantastic and memorable novel. Goes into the very special list of books that left me gasping.

Completely worth the wait!! After ten years Nora has picked up where she left us off with the Exy players and she has managed to portray them all so beautifully and perfectly.

The package was not properly wrapped before shipping. Two of the books arrived damaged. The text in one of them is cut at the top of some pages. The story is good, though.