So, JERKBAIT was one of my most anticipated 2016 releases. And it’s kind of ironic, because the main characters in the book are hockey players, and I’m a Canadian who knows nothing about hockey. What I was more interested in were the themes in this book, especially how gay athletes are treated in this sport. I wanted to see how the author, Mia Siegert, portrayed this treatment through her characters.



What I got was a book that’s bold, brave, and unflinchingly honest. A book that’s also sensitive

So, JERKBAIT was one of my most anticipated 2016 releases. And it’s kind of ironic, because the main characters in the book are hockey players, and I’m a Canadian who knows nothing about hockey. What I was more interested in were the themes in this book, especially how gay athletes are treated in this sport. I wanted to see how the author, Mia Siegert, portrayed this treatment through her characters.



What I got was a book that’s bold, brave, and unflinchingly honest. A book that’s also sensitive and made my heart ache. A book that has catapulted itself to one of my favorite 2016 YA reads.

In JERKBAIT, Mia Siegert handles so much so well. Twin brothers Tristan and Robbie are both hockey players, but Robbie is the superstar—he’s the one who is guaranteed to be a draft pick and has a bright, shiny future ahead of him in the NHL. So when Tristan finds his brother in the bathroom after a suicide attempt, he has no idea why Robbie would try to end a life that’s only just beginning. Tristan wants Robbie to get help, but their parents don’t want to do anything that would damage Robbie’s potential—which includes admitting his depression. Reading this made me unbearably sad. Robbie is put on such a pedestal, but really, his life on skates is all anyone but Tristan seems to care about. People want to be part of Robbie’s glory, to live in his orbit, to reach greatness with him—but they have no clue how dark it is inside his head.



I don’t want to say too much and give anything away, because this story goes a lot of places, some of which I did not expect at all. Issues like bullying and Internet predators are explored, and Mia Siegert isn’t afraid to go there and get ugly, get dark. As a reader, I appreciated her honesty. As a writer, I was in awe of her talent.



I was so invested in Tristan and Robbie as characters. Tristan is trying to forge his own path—while he’s good at hockey, it’s not his passion, and he’s interested in trying out for musical theater, despite the flack he gets for admitting it. Robbie absolutely loves the game, but everything is tainted for him because he doesn’t feel like he can be the person he really is—he’s terrified that coming out will ruin his career before it even starts. That he even feels he has to choose between doing what he loves and being honest with himself is heartbreaking. He’s a different person in public than he is behind closed doors because he thinks he has to be. The scenes where Tristan and Robbie are able to relate to each other and summon the courage to defend each other made me want to get up and cheer. They’re more than characters to me. They’re real people. I’m sure that so many athletes in real life will be able to relate to them and their struggles. These readers will be able to see each other in Tristan and Robbie and hopefully gain strength because of it.



I want this book to find its way into the hands of teen athletes everywhere, no matter what their sexual orientation. The words between these pages are an important lesson. Electric and explosive, yet soft and nuanced, JERKBAIT is a powerhouse of a debut that is bound to leave a mark on the world of YA lit.