In the Ring

Age range 14 to 18

When high school queer teen, Rose, enrols in boxing classes to alleviate her crippling anxiety exacerbated by a recent sexual assault, she instead finds herself sucked into an underground fight club and the charms of Elliott King, its ringleader. Will the fight world unravel her already fragile mental state or will it unearth a strength she never knew she had.

A gritty, raw, and binge-worthy, young adult romance about a queer teen with anxiety who literally fights her way to mental health. This YA sports romance is perfect for fans of Kathleen Glasgow's Girl in Pieces and HBO's Euphoria.

Rose Berman is losing her mind. At least, that's what everyone at school seems to think. Plagued by panic attacks that started after her mother's death, Rose is the target of frequent teasing and rumours. But when the star quarterback takes a joke too far, the school's tattooed, cigarette-smoking time bomb — Elliott King — steps in and punches him in the face. Rose's therapist recommends she try out a sport to manage her anxiety. She can't help but think of Elliott — maybe if she could punch like him, she'd feel safer and stronger. She sticks out like a sore thumb at the boxing gym, but she soon finds power in the sport and a reprieve from her panic attacks.

As their worlds intertwine, Rose and Elliott are forced to face their most daunting opponent outside the Ring: their growing feelings for each other. But Midtown Ring isn't just a gym. As Rose falls deeper into the world of boxing, she learns Midtown is a front for a late-night, underground fight club where Elliott King is the headliner. Surrounded by violence and destruction, Rose's anxiety begins to spiral. She starts hallucinating, just like her mother did before her death, leaving her to wonder if everyone at school might be right. If her newfound physical strength can't keep her grounded in reality, she may be doomed to walk the same path as her mum.

A gritty, graphic glimpse of the physical and mental realities of anxiety with a streak of romance.- Kirkus Reviews

Sierra Isley is a young adult author originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but currently based in Philadelphia. She graduated from Florida State University in 2021 with a degree in Editing, Writing and Media. Outside of writing, her passions include filmmaking, social media communications and drinking chai lattes.

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