[1][2][3] Based on the Premier League in England, the novel follows a male footballer, Asher Donovan, as he faces difficulties with his team, butts heads with his rival-turned-teammate Vincent DuBois, and falls in love with his trainer, a former prima ballerina named Scarlett DuBois, who happens to be his rival's sister.

"[5] In an interview with Business Insider, Huang elaborated several of the challenges she faced in writing a "sports romance" for the first time.

[5] For her novels, Huang typically enlists the help of "alpha readers" who read and provide feedback for her manuscripts as she writes them.

With The Striker, Huang involved alpha readers who were knowledgeable in football and ballet to help inform and shape the novel.

[9] Cosmopolitan published an excerpt of the novel on October 16 with the headline, "Ana Huang's ‘The Striker’ is The Hottest Sports Story You'll Read All Year".