Title: Most Valuable Player
Author: AM Woody
Publisher: Viking
Publication date: October 21, 2025
Summary
Cameron Morelli is arguably the most popular guy in school. Great on the football team, attractive; everyone likes him. So when he asks Mason out and gets turned down, he isn’t sure what to do. However, when his coach benches him for his grades, it’s Mason who get assigned to tutor him.
For Mason, tutoring a full-of-himself jock isn’t ideal. But it might be a good distraction from the past that he’s running from. As the two grow closer during their tutoring sessions, they realize that they might have more in common than they realize. And that there might be something there after all.
Review: Most Valuable Player
Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books for an advanced copy of Most Valuable Player by AM Woody to review! AM Woody has been on my radar ever since They Hate Each Other, so I was excited to read their latest book. This one deals with some heavy topics, but with characters you’re sure to fall in love with.
From the cover, you might think that this is a cute grumpy/sunshine romance. While yes, the romance is lovely and well done, it’s much heavier than the cover suggests. Definitely check into content warnings before picking this one up, especially if they include grooming and sexual assault. Both Mason and Cameron are dealing with their own mental health struggles, trying to get over traumas from their pasts. But they are so incredibly good for each other; so patient and kind. Despite their exteriors, you can’t help but love the both of them.
One of the other things I appreciated is the ways Mason and Cameron’s families were contrasted in the book. It’s clear from the beginning that Mason struggles with his relationship with his mother in particular. Whereas Cameron has a safe space he calls home. One that he eventually extends to Mason. Honestly, everyone in this book could just use a good hug.
Though not always an easy read, I do think this is an important read. In all of their books, Woody does an excellent job of bringing difficult topics to a teenage audience without talking down to them. There are teens who will need this story, and I hope that it will find them and make them feel like they’re not alone.
5/5 stars