I was excited for this book from the moment I heard about it. Quidditch–real life quidditch–is a sport I heartily enjoy.

And this book did not disappoint.

It follows Ellen during the summer before she starts college, where she is simultaneously grounded and introduced to quidditch. Her friend negotiates a quidditch loophole in the grounding, and off they go to the magical world of sports. (See what I did there?)

I love the relationships in this book; they feel very New Adult, trying to navigate leaving the structure of childhood behind while also figuring out what the heck to do with yourself as an adult. Ellen and her stepmom rub each other the wrong way, her friends are splitting up, and she’s struggling to figure out where she fits into everything.

Quidditch can be hard to follow, and This is How We Fly broke the basic rules down in a very accessible way, as well as touching on everything I love about the sport (plus subtly teach you how to be better at it!).

As someone who is too online, Ellen made a lot of sense to me. She talks about her spheres of the internet and uses language I find extremely familiar, although how realistic that is for a 17 year old protagonist, I couldn’t say. (Or what it says about me…)

The end results of all the plot threads are interesting to me because, while some get tied up neatly, others are left more opened-ended. That gives me enough of a happy ending to be satisfied while still feeling more true to life than a perfect bow.

So if you’re a bit of a nerd who wishes they were more a jock but spends too much time online, this one may be for you. It’s going on my to-buy list, so you know it’s worth reading at least once.