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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
This was solidly fun. 3.5 stars.
I am… not a sports girl, and I do not understand anything abt the rules of tennis, nor have I ever watched a match in my life, so… a lot of that was lost on me, but despite not being a sports girl, I DO like an underdog, trying to beat the odds sports story occasionally, and this was right up my alley in that respect. Both main characters were fleshed out, flawed, lovable, and their dynamic together was great. The conflict with Victoria was also just enough to feel the pressure, but not enough to put her into mustache twirling territory, a good balance. I’d def rec it to people who like sports stories, but I think those who don’t usually would enjoy it too, just know this is one where you spend a decent time on the matches, and go in ready for that. The writing felt exciting though, despite not knowing the rules, I was into it (in a way I absolutely was not when I recently DNF Carrie Soto is Back).
Lori Prince as narrator was why I picked this one up, as I’ve got no experience with this author, but I would def read more from her. The audiobook was lovely, though it should be noted, don’t expect accent authenticity here. Lori does an admirable job on some of the British accents, but I think the French ones are probably not very accurate at all lol. I enjoyed her performance anyway, but if that’s something you know is a pet peeve of yours, skip audiobook form and enjoy Lori Prince in other books instead.
I am… not a sports girl, and I do not understand anything abt the rules of tennis, nor have I ever watched a match in my life, so… a lot of that was lost on me, but despite not being a sports girl, I DO like an underdog, trying to beat the odds sports story occasionally, and this was right up my alley in that respect. Both main characters were fleshed out, flawed, lovable, and their dynamic together was great. The conflict with Victoria was also just enough to feel the pressure, but not enough to put her into mustache twirling territory, a good balance. I’d def rec it to people who like sports stories, but I think those who don’t usually would enjoy it too, just know this is one where you spend a decent time on the matches, and go in ready for that. The writing felt exciting though, despite not knowing the rules, I was into it (in a way I absolutely was not when I recently DNF Carrie Soto is Back).
Lori Prince as narrator was why I picked this one up, as I’ve got no experience with this author, but I would def read more from her. The audiobook was lovely, though it should be noted, don’t expect accent authenticity here. Lori does an admirable job on some of the British accents, but I think the French ones are probably not very accurate at all lol. I enjoyed her performance anyway, but if that’s something you know is a pet peeve of yours, skip audiobook form and enjoy Lori Prince in other books instead.
4 stars. This was so good. I love sports romances where we get to actually see the characters actively doing their sport. There is a lot of tennis practice and matches in this and I loved it. This is a friends to lovers which I’m not usually crazy about but the chemistry between Laure and Sinjin was smoking hot and I was rooting for them to get together. It develops kind of slowly which was nice and they don’t even have sex until the second to last chapter and I wasn’t even mad about it okay, I kind of was but whatever.
I liked the writing and the character development. Sinjin goes through women like nothing and she doesn’t do relationships so to see her fall for Laure and only want to be with her was great. I loved Laure’s character and how self assured she was. She knew what she wanted and I felt she really balanced Sinjin’s flighty personality out well. They were great together.
This was a really fun read. I have a couple of other books by Wallace on my kindle and I am excited to get to them.
I liked the writing and the character development. Sinjin goes through women like nothing and she doesn’t do relationships so to see her fall for Laure and only want to be with her was great. I loved Laure’s character and how self assured she was. She knew what she wanted and I felt she really balanced Sinjin’s flighty personality out well. They were great together.
This was a really fun read. I have a couple of other books by Wallace on my kindle and I am excited to get to them.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Set against a Wimbledon fortnight, a Nigerian/British woman who is as much a player off the court as on it finds herself falling for a long-time French female competitor, one who is as quite and monogamous as she is flamboyant and partying. The ratio of tennis action to romance is about 80/20, and what romance there is isn't all that compelling, hence the low rating from me.
This was solidly fun. 3.5 stars.
I am… not a sports girl, and I do not understand anything abt the rules of tennis, nor have I ever watched a match in my life, so… a lot of that was lost on me, but despite not being a sports girl, I DO like an underdog, trying to beat the odds sports story occasionally, and this was right up my alley in that respect. Both main characters were fleshed out, flawed, lovable, and their dynamic together was great. The conflict with Victoria was also just enough to feel the pressure, but not enough to put her into mustache twirling territory, a good balance. I’d def rec it to people who like sports stories, but I think those who don’t usually would enjoy it too, just know this is one where you spend a decent time on the matches, and go in ready for that. The writing felt exciting though, despite not knowing the rules, I was into it (in a way I absolutely was not when I recently DNF Carrie Soto is Back).
Lori Prince as narrator was why I picked this one up, as I’ve got no experience with this author, but I would def read more from her. The audiobook was lovely, though it should be noted, don’t expect accent authenticity here. Lori does an admirable job on some of the British accents, but I think the French ones are probably not very accurate at all lol. I enjoyed her performance anyway, but if that’s something you know is a pet peeve of yours, skip audiobook form and enjoy Lori Prince in other books instead.
I am… not a sports girl, and I do not understand anything abt the rules of tennis, nor have I ever watched a match in my life, so… a lot of that was lost on me, but despite not being a sports girl, I DO like an underdog, trying to beat the odds sports story occasionally, and this was right up my alley in that respect. Both main characters were fleshed out, flawed, lovable, and their dynamic together was great. The conflict with Victoria was also just enough to feel the pressure, but not enough to put her into mustache twirling territory, a good balance. I’d def rec it to people who like sports stories, but I think those who don’t usually would enjoy it too, just know this is one where you spend a decent time on the matches, and go in ready for that. The writing felt exciting though, despite not knowing the rules, I was into it (in a way I absolutely was not when I recently DNF Carrie Soto is Back).
Lori Prince as narrator was why I picked this one up, as I’ve got no experience with this author, but I would def read more from her. The audiobook was lovely, though it should be noted, don’t expect accent authenticity here. Lori does an admirable job on some of the British accents, but I think the French ones are probably not very accurate at all lol. I enjoyed her performance anyway, but if that’s something you know is a pet peeve of yours, skip audiobook form and enjoy Lori Prince in other books instead.
4 stars. This was so good. I love sports romances where we get to actually see the characters actively doing their sport. There is a lot of tennis practice and matches in this and I loved it. This is a friends to lovers which I’m not usually crazy about but the chemistry between Laure and Sinjin was smoking hot and I was rooting for them to get together. It develops kind of slowly which was nice and they don’t even have sex until the second to last chapter and I wasn’t even mad about it okay, I kind of was but whatever.
I liked the writing and the character development. Sinjin goes through women like nothing and she doesn’t do relationships so to see her fall for Laure and only want to be with her was great. I loved Laure’s character and how self assured she was. She knew what she wanted and I felt she really balanced Sinjin’s flighty personality out well. They were great together.
This was a really fun read. I have a couple of other books by Wallace on my kindle and I am excited to get to them.
I liked the writing and the character development. Sinjin goes through women like nothing and she doesn’t do relationships so to see her fall for Laure and only want to be with her was great. I loved Laure’s character and how self assured she was. She knew what she wanted and I felt she really balanced Sinjin’s flighty personality out well. They were great together.
This was a really fun read. I have a couple of other books by Wallace on my kindle and I am excited to get to them.
A book about tennis with a bit of romance thrown in it. And that bit of romance? I didn't like it :/
Oh, well, maybe if I was more into tennis, I would have enjoyed this book more ~sigh~
Oh, well, maybe if I was more into tennis, I would have enjoyed this book more ~sigh~
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Sinjin and Laure did something for me I never imagined possible: they made me care about a sport!
Okay, that's over-stating, but not by much. In the same way reading [b:The Princess and the Prix|25159524|The Princess and the Prix|Nell Stark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435519152s/25159524.jpg|44863032] by [a:Nell Stark|334378|Nell Stark|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1310436068p2/334378.jpg] surprised me by drawing me in deep with a sport, I found myself really on the edge of my seat as these fictional tennis matches occurred. That's no small feat, by the way: building tension when describing action is a real balance, and Yolanda Wallace has that talent down.
So, sporting aside, this romance has a set-up I've not really seen done often and never as well as it is in Lucky Loser: It's a friends-to-lovers (with a dash of former-teammates-to-lovers) where the spark between the two characters is known, discussed, and something they've agreed to explore pretty much from the start. It's the reality they're currently competing in Wimbledon that stops them from moving forward. There's way, way too much on their plates (or 'The Plate,' ha!) already. So this isn't a case of a miscommunication stalling a romance. It's that they've both got major careers in Tennis, they've both got a lot at stake in this match, and neither of them wants to jeopardize this by starting a new relationship in the middle of the highest stress time of their lives.
And it's all the more brilliant because of this totally rational reason for them to put on the breaks. It's fantastic.
Next, the characters. I loved Laure and Sinjin, and it was lovely to read two athlete characters with that level of development: I'd want to hang out with these ladies. They're fun, they're witty, and while they're driven to do their best in the sport, they're not single-minded to the point of being one-note, something I've found with athlete characters in the past. Art, wine-making, parks, family... they've got more to them than tennis, and their relationship—despite them wanting to wait until the tournament is over—progresses with these unfolding moments of learning about each other. It's lovely.
Last? The performer. I listened to this on audio, and I have to say she freaking nailed it. The character voices (including accents) didn't once jar, I always knew who was speaking, and as I mentioned above, Wallace's ability to write tension just sang in Lori Prince's performance.
Highly, highly recommended.
Okay, that's over-stating, but not by much. In the same way reading [b:The Princess and the Prix|25159524|The Princess and the Prix|Nell Stark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435519152s/25159524.jpg|44863032] by [a:Nell Stark|334378|Nell Stark|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1310436068p2/334378.jpg] surprised me by drawing me in deep with a sport, I found myself really on the edge of my seat as these fictional tennis matches occurred. That's no small feat, by the way: building tension when describing action is a real balance, and Yolanda Wallace has that talent down.
So, sporting aside, this romance has a set-up I've not really seen done often and never as well as it is in Lucky Loser: It's a friends-to-lovers (with a dash of former-teammates-to-lovers) where the spark between the two characters is known, discussed, and something they've agreed to explore pretty much from the start. It's the reality they're currently competing in Wimbledon that stops them from moving forward. There's way, way too much on their plates (or 'The Plate,' ha!) already. So this isn't a case of a miscommunication stalling a romance. It's that they've both got major careers in Tennis, they've both got a lot at stake in this match, and neither of them wants to jeopardize this by starting a new relationship in the middle of the highest stress time of their lives.
And it's all the more brilliant because of this totally rational reason for them to put on the breaks. It's fantastic.
Next, the characters. I loved Laure and Sinjin, and it was lovely to read two athlete characters with that level of development: I'd want to hang out with these ladies. They're fun, they're witty, and while they're driven to do their best in the sport, they're not single-minded to the point of being one-note, something I've found with athlete characters in the past. Art, wine-making, parks, family... they've got more to them than tennis, and their relationship—despite them wanting to wait until the tournament is over—progresses with these unfolding moments of learning about each other. It's lovely.
Last? The performer. I listened to this on audio, and I have to say she freaking nailed it. The character voices (including accents) didn't once jar, I always knew who was speaking, and as I mentioned above, Wallace's ability to write tension just sang in Lori Prince's performance.
Highly, highly recommended.