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yaredimpp's review
3.0
3.5
If you like tennis this book is for you, the author takes you on a tour of the different tennis tournaments around the world and tells you about each set of the games our characters play, making you feel part of the public .
My favorite character was Elias, I loved that man, he became a very focused character with golden patience. The relationship he has with Soren seems to me the most sincere and healthy, if you like these relationships with a bit of slow burn, this book is also for you, they take their time and see how the relationship is gradually forming , with a good rhythm and without unnecessary dramas, because honestly the relationship that Soren had before was super toxic and I did not like at all.
Another thing that I also loved was the family that formed between the players and coaches, you could see the affection that they had between all of them, they were competitors on the court but outside it they were like brothers or best friends. And I really liked that when they lost they knew how to recognize it and they did it with dignity and the winners encouraged the losers to keep going. We also see what they have to suffer with diets to stay in shape and how when they let them eat dessert they are like children, if you have been on a diet you will identify.
My but here was that "the accident" at the end was very rushed and unnecessary, I think the mystery did not develop enough to care. However, this does not affect the novel at all.
If you like tennis this book is for you, the author takes you on a tour of the different tennis tournaments around the world and tells you about each set of the games our characters play, making you feel part of the public .
My favorite character was Elias, I loved that man, he became a very focused character with golden patience. The relationship he has with Soren seems to me the most sincere and healthy, if you like these relationships with a bit of slow burn, this book is also for you, they take their time and see how the relationship is gradually forming , with a good rhythm and without unnecessary dramas, because honestly the relationship that Soren had before was super toxic and I did not like at all.
Another thing that I also loved was the family that formed between the players and coaches, you could see the affection that they had between all of them, they were competitors on the court but outside it they were like brothers or best friends. And I really liked that when they lost they knew how to recognize it and they did it with dignity and the winners encouraged the losers to keep going. We also see what they have to suffer with diets to stay in shape and how when they let them eat dessert they are like children, if you have been on a diet you will identify.
My but here was that "the accident" at the end was very rushed and unnecessary, I think the mystery did not develop enough to care. However, this does not affect the novel at all.
echoesoutloud's review
4.0
Center Court was the story of tennis players Soren Norgaard and Elias Engstrom. Elias has been in love with Soren since the first time he saw him when they were still teenagers. But Soren has been in a relationship with another player, Matisse, since then, so Elias suppresses his feelings and works on being the best friend he can be to Soren. Since they're both tennis players and they joined the circuit around the same time, they spend a lot of time together and have developed a solid friendship throughout the years.
When Soren's relationship starts to turn toxic and leads to a devastating break up, he spirals. Elias stays by his side and helps him recover and find his place in life again without Matisse. When Elias confesses his feelings to Soren, things change between them. Soren starts to reconsider a lot of things in his life and starts to see Elias in a new light.
There were a lot of really good things about this book. This was a true sports novel with intricate details about the actual sport and tennis is pretty much the third main character in this book. It can get intense at times, but I really liked that level of detail.
The friendships in this book were pretty amazing too! Being that they were all tennis players, there's still that competitive spirit, but they also truly support one another, by constantly showing up at one another's matches, practicing with each other, and truly feeling each others losses and wins, even if it's against one another.
Now onto the actual romance, there were some issues I had with it. Soren had been in a relationship with Matisse for about ten years, and even though their problems weren't sudden, but building for a while, it still felt like he moved on really fast. Also, the fact that Elias confessed his feelings when Soren was still recovering mentally, physically and emotionally wasn't that great, but I like that they didn't force anything but took their time with it.
This was very much a slow burn in terms of actual romance and was very low heat. One thing that I really liked about their romance was the way the author managed to capture certain emotions really well, like that feeling of giddiness when you're first starting out in a relationship, or that anticipation and excitement of wanting to see the other person the second they're gone, even after spending a prolonged amount of time with them!
There was a small stalker plot that played a minor role in the second half of the book and it could have been removed entirely. It just added a lot of confusion and almost managed to lower my entire rating for this book.
This book was a slow burn, friends to lovers, sports romance that was light and sweet, and if that's something you're looking for, then I'd definitely recommend it!
Full review at https://echoesoutloud.wordpress.com/2021/07/04/review-center-court-by-brooke-edwards/
*I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.*
When Soren's relationship starts to turn toxic and leads to a devastating break up, he spirals. Elias stays by his side and helps him recover and find his place in life again without Matisse. When Elias confesses his feelings to Soren, things change between them. Soren starts to reconsider a lot of things in his life and starts to see Elias in a new light.
There were a lot of really good things about this book. This was a true sports novel with intricate details about the actual sport and tennis is pretty much the third main character in this book. It can get intense at times, but I really liked that level of detail.
The friendships in this book were pretty amazing too! Being that they were all tennis players, there's still that competitive spirit, but they also truly support one another, by constantly showing up at one another's matches, practicing with each other, and truly feeling each others losses and wins, even if it's against one another.
Now onto the actual romance, there were some issues I had with it. Soren had been in a relationship with Matisse for about ten years, and even though their problems weren't sudden, but building for a while, it still felt like he moved on really fast. Also, the fact that Elias confessed his feelings when Soren was still recovering mentally, physically and emotionally wasn't that great, but I like that they didn't force anything but took their time with it.
This was very much a slow burn in terms of actual romance and was very low heat. One thing that I really liked about their romance was the way the author managed to capture certain emotions really well, like that feeling of giddiness when you're first starting out in a relationship, or that anticipation and excitement of wanting to see the other person the second they're gone, even after spending a prolonged amount of time with them!
There was a small stalker plot that played a minor role in the second half of the book and it could have been removed entirely. It just added a lot of confusion and almost managed to lower my entire rating for this book.
This book was a slow burn, friends to lovers, sports romance that was light and sweet, and if that's something you're looking for, then I'd definitely recommend it!
Full review at https://echoesoutloud.wordpress.com/2021/07/04/review-center-court-by-brooke-edwards/
*I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.*
itssarahc's review
4.0
I will admit, I chose this book because I enjoy tennis. I will also admit that this book made me realize that I do not know much about tennis nor do I enjoy READING about tennis as much as I thought I would. That said, I loved the characters in this book and the other characters introduced that I know I will be reading the others. And that, the desire to read the series despite the incredibly technical descriptions of tennis, is what makes me know its an amazing story.
Center Court focuses on the lives and love of two professional tennis players: Soren and Elias. When the book begins, Soren is in the dying stages of a ten year relationship with another play, a relationship that has to stay hidden due to the other player's controlling and homophobic father. (That said, I hope that we get a story about Matisse and that he finally gets his happy ending, because he was a very interesting character to read about.) On the other side of this romance, we have Elias. Elias is not as highly ranked as Soren, but one of the top younger players in the world. Elias is also in love with Soren and has been for years.
So when Soren and Matisse break up, he takes his chance and admits his feelings to Soren. Soren does not react badly, but takes time to fully accept that Elias has real feelings for him. Once he does, the two men begin a beautiful romance that is a joy to watch unfold across the page.
Underneath the love story, there is something a bit more insidious brewing. Elias begins getting mysterious pictures of him and Soren. He works with his team to try to discover what is going on, hiding these pictures from Soren, not wanting to upset him or distract him from his game. Its an interesting thread to follow throughout the story and leads to a very interesting conclusion.
This book features great characters, amazing side characters, and a universe that makes me want to watch more tennis. It also makes me want to read more of this series despite the very technical tennis talk, because of how well written it is. Its a great low-steam, medium-level angst love story with a happy ending that makes me grin so big my cheeks hurt.
** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR **
Center Court focuses on the lives and love of two professional tennis players: Soren and Elias. When the book begins, Soren is in the dying stages of a ten year relationship with another play, a relationship that has to stay hidden due to the other player's controlling and homophobic father. (That said, I hope that we get a story about Matisse and that he finally gets his happy ending, because he was a very interesting character to read about.) On the other side of this romance, we have Elias. Elias is not as highly ranked as Soren, but one of the top younger players in the world. Elias is also in love with Soren and has been for years.
So when Soren and Matisse break up, he takes his chance and admits his feelings to Soren. Soren does not react badly, but takes time to fully accept that Elias has real feelings for him. Once he does, the two men begin a beautiful romance that is a joy to watch unfold across the page.
Underneath the love story, there is something a bit more insidious brewing. Elias begins getting mysterious pictures of him and Soren. He works with his team to try to discover what is going on, hiding these pictures from Soren, not wanting to upset him or distract him from his game. Its an interesting thread to follow throughout the story and leads to a very interesting conclusion.
This book features great characters, amazing side characters, and a universe that makes me want to watch more tennis. It also makes me want to read more of this series despite the very technical tennis talk, because of how well written it is. Its a great low-steam, medium-level angst love story with a happy ending that makes me grin so big my cheeks hurt.
** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR **
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