The Striker

The Striker is a contemporary sports romance novel by Ana Huang. Originally published in October 2024 by Bloom Books, The Striker is a number one New York Times bestseller. The novel is written from the alternating first-person points of view of the main characters Asher Donovan and Scarlett DuBois and uses romance tropes and athletic competition to inspire its primary conflicts.

After Asher’s first season with the Blackcastle team, coach Frank Armstrong demands that he and his captain and rival Vincent DuBois spend the offseason training at the Royal Academy of Ballet (RAB). The teammates are bitter when they learn Vincent’s sister Scarlett will be their trainer. Scarlett doesn’t like the arrangement either and fears that Asher and Vincent’s rivalry will complicate her teaching job at the academy. When Vincent is forced to go home to care for his ailing father, Scarlett ends up training Asher one on one for the remainder of the summer. Despite Vincent’s insistence that Asher stay away from Scarlett, the two quickly develop feelings for one another. Their complex, forbidden romance inspires the novel’s exploration of themes including The Tension Between Personal Desires and Communal Expectations, Emotional Intimacy as a Means of Overcoming Trauma, and Romantic Love as a Catalyst for Self-Discovery. 

This guide refers to the 2024 Bloom Books paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The guide and the source text contain sexual content and references to mental illness, violence, death, and suicidal ideation.  

Plot Summary

Asher Donovan has been playing football (soccer) since he was a child. After spending years playing for his home team—Holchester United—he transfers to Blackcastle to get away from his overbearing father, Ron. In the final match of his first season with Blackcastle, Asher feels frustrated and defeated. He’s particularly upset when his captain and rival Vincent DuBois refuses to pass him the ball, likely contributing to the team’s loss.

After the game, Coach Frank Armstrong confronts Asher and Vincent for letting their rivalry compromise their team’s success. He insists that they cross-train with Vincent’s sister Scarlett DuBois at the Royal Academy of Ballet (RAB) during their summer offseason.

Asher and Vincent report to RAB for their first session with Scarlett. Asher is immediately taken by Scarlett’s good looks, and Scarlett notices Asher’s attractiveness, too. However, she insists on keeping their sessions professional and warns him and Vincent about getting along. When she steps out of the room, Vincent warns Asher not to get involved with Scarlett. Then, Vincent excuses himself to take an emergency call about his and Scarlett’s dad. A short time later, he decides to spend the summer nursing his dad in Paris. Armstrong and Scarlett’s boss Lavinia demand that Asher and Scarlett continue their summer training without Vincent.

During their next training session, Scarlett and Asher run into a paparazzo who is stalking Asher. As they run from him, Scarlett collapses. Asher carries her to the infirmary, where she informs him that she was in a car accident five years ago that left her with chronic pain. She hasn’t been able to perform since and has been consigned to a career of teaching ballet instead.

Worried that his fame will endanger Scarlett again, Asher builds a private ballet studio in the basement of his estate. He and Scarlett start training there instead of at the RAB to avoid public scrutiny. Over the course of their tri-weekly sessions, they get to know each other better. Scarlett realizes that she likes Asher more than expected, while Asher wonders why he can’t stop thinking about Scarlett. One day, they end up kissing. When Asher tries talking about the kiss afterward, Scarlett reminds him that they can’t be together because of Vincent and should keep their relationship professional.

Despite their intention to remain professional, Asher and Scarlett end up going out together. After Asher drops Scarlett at her apartment, he turns around, knocks on her door, and kisses her. The two end up having sex. The next day, Asher gets a call informing him that his father, Ron, had a heart attack and is in the hospital. He and Scarlett drive back to Holchester to visit. After seeing Ron, the couple spends the afternoon chatting intimately at Asher’s childhood home. Scarlett describes her professional anxieties and hopes of performing in the RAB staff showcase. Asher tells her about his fraught relationship with Ron and about his best friend Teddy’s death in a mugging years prior.

Shortly after the couple returns home, Vincent comes back to London. He and Asher participate in a fundraising game called Sport for Hope. When Scarlett’s selfish ex-boyfriend Rafael Pessoa joins the game, Asher and Vincent gang up against him. They attack Rafael again after the game when they fear he’s trying to hurt Scarlett.

Asher and Scarlett realize that things might be improving between Asher and Vincent. Afraid of ruining their new alliance, the couple isn’t sure when to tell Vincent that they’re together.

Scarlett practices for the upcoming showcase at the RAB. It will be her first performance since the accident, and she pushes herself in training because she doesn’t want to disappoint her colleagues. Overcome by pain one evening, she collapses and is hospitalized. Asher rushes to her bedside, where he runs into Vincent. The two get into a fist fight. After Scarlett demands they stop, the rivals work out their differences in the hall.

Not long after Scarlett recovers, Asher’s former Holchester teammates challenge him to a car race. He’s promised Scarlett that he’ll stop racing cars because it worries her too much, but he is desperate to prove himself to Vincent. During the race, he crashes and is hospitalized for his subsequent injuries. Scarlett is relieved he’s alive, but breaks up with him after learning that he broke his promise.

Not long after Scarlett ends their relationship, Asher’s coach benches him. Ron arrives in London and demands that he pull himself together. Vincent also confronts Asher, reminding him that his antics are compromising Scarlett’s and the team’s well-being. Asher realizes Vincent is right and asks him and their teammates for help making amends with Scarlett and Coach Armstrong.

Asher stages an elaborate apology for Scarlett by giving his collection of sports cars to his teammates. He professes his love and insists he’s devoted to her. Scarlett forgives him, and they rekindle their relationship. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong notices Asher’s attempts to change and welcomes him back onto the team.

Two months later, Asher and Scarlett are living together in Asher’s house. Asher scores the winning goal of the season’s final match, and he and Scarlett celebrate with their friends.