Review of House of Hoops

[Meghan Sica]

[Following is a volunteer review of "House of Hoops" by June Gillam.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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House of Hoops by June Gillam is the fourth novel in the Hillary Broome series. Hillary and her family have moved to Sacramento, California. Her daughter, Claire, plays basketball for the local middle school. Claire is passionate about basketball and dreams to play professionally one day. Hillary has accepted a new career path in public relations and is working to promote the new community center being built downtown. Although many are excited about this new community center, there is one individual who is strongly against it, Charlie Bierce. Charlie already has a grudge against Hillary due to her father publicly discrediting him, causing him to lose his career as a professor. Charlie begins to enlist anyone who shares his belief in stopping the community center from opening. He has been battling an aggressive form of cancer and before his time ends, he is determined to leave his mark on the world, by any means necessary.

I enjoyed the characters traits, personalities, and different point of views. The chapters switched between Hillary’s point of view and that of Charlie. This allowed the reader to really focus on the individual character and their motive. This book was easy to follow, it introduced many new concepts and I found it hard to put down. I loved the mystery and suspense that kept me on my toes throughout this story. I also found it very eye-opening as the author introduced many current issues we face every day, such as homelessness, mass shootings, and politics. This is the second book in the Hillary Broome series that I have read. Even though I haven’t read all the books in chronological order, that did not prevent me from being able to follow the story line.

There was nothing negative I could note about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the different characters, the story line, and events that transpired. I especially appreciate the fact that the author acknowledges the struggles of children going into puberty and all that encompasses. June Gillam did an excellent job portraying the struggles of a pre-pubescent teen. There are many challenges she faces as she overcomes the post-traumatic stress of being involved in a mass shooting. She must also overcome the fear of never being able to professionally play basketball, and the struggles of maintaining her academics.

I rate this book a five out of five stars. This book was professionally edited. I did find a couple of minor grammatical errors, but this did not change my view of the story. I found this book interesting, and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in current events, mysteries, and suspense. This book would be ideal for anyone twelve and older. There is no sexual content, profanity, or inappropriate situations, but it does mention modern events such as mass shootings which may not be suitable for a younger audience.

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House of Hoops
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[Meghan Soderholm]

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. I love books on teens fighting for a powerful cause. The plot seems intense but informative. Outstanding job on writing your review.

[Amy Luman]

I read the sample of “House of Eire” and I enjoyed that. I’m glad to hear that these novels don’t have to be. Read in order to make sense. I’m sure, though, that like other series with stand-alone novels, some things are more interesting if you have.