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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
hopeful
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
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I sooooo wanted to love this novel, the first 40-50% of this book is a delicious, slow burn friends-to-lovers romance with a perfect balance of tennis and romance/relationship content... unfortunately, it took a sharp turn for me personally :(((( I am a HATER of the trope where two people who obviously have feelings for each other decide to have sex "just once" and "get it out of their systems" . In my opinion, it really shattered the beautiful relationship Jones had been building between Oliver and Dylan, specifically since both of them IMMEDIATELY backpedal and realize how strong their feelings are for each other, only to then refuse to really bring it up or do much about it for another 50 or so pages . I feel like we could have skipped the dumb "let's get it out of our systems" plot point and instead have their chemistry build until they shared a bed, and by then they've both grown enough that having their attraction overcome them is a bit steamier and (at least, to me) more romantic as well . Unfortunately, this affected my whole experience with this novel, and brought it down from an easy 4 star to a 2-3 star.
There are a couple of other points that led to my final rating of 2.5: firstly, I think this novel suffers a bit from having too many side characters. I understand that this is the second in a series of standalone/same-universe books about different pairings, but to me there's a bit of catch-up to play if you (like me) haven't read the first book. Secondly, I feel that we didn't need the subplot of Dylan's "friend" Avery, since Dylan already has other antagonists in her life. It was a distraction, and Avery wasn't really involved in Dylan's life outside of being this minor plot device.
Ultimately, this book has a stunning beginning and a cute ending, but the middle content just wasn't for me. I appreciate getting to read this as an ARC, but I'm not sure if I'll be reading any of the other books in this series.
Major thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of Game Point>!
There are a couple of other points that led to my final rating of 2.5: firstly, I think this novel suffers a bit from having too many side characters. I understand that this is the second in a series of standalone/same-universe books about different pairings, but to me there's a bit of catch-up to play if you (like me) haven't read the first book. Secondly, I feel that we didn't need the subplot of Dylan's "friend" Avery, since Dylan already has other antagonists in her life. It was a distraction, and Avery wasn't really involved in Dylan's life outside of being this minor plot device.
Ultimately, this book has a stunning beginning and a cute ending, but the middle content just wasn't for me. I appreciate getting to read this as an ARC, but I'm not sure if I'll be reading any of the other books in this series.
Major thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of Game Point>!
I guess I'm reading this series backwards which makes it interesting but I was so happy to read Dylan and Olivers story. I love seeing them become friends and facetime each other every night. They are just cuties and I really love them. The moments about Ines and Chloe were so good especially because I've already read their book.
I received an arc through netgalley.
I received an arc through netgalley.
I cant believe how drastic my opinion changes about Dylan from the first book until i read her book. I mean just give me a mirror and end the book at this point.
It felt like i was almost with her throughout the whole tournament. I LOVED IT!!
it’s very hard for me to get into friends to lovers books, maybe because it’s not my favourite trope to read but tell me why i was hooked and i ate everything up. THEIR FRIENDSHIP WAS SO REFRESHING. Usually in romance books we forget the whole friendship part of a romance relationship and this made my heart melt.
Now Oliver Anderson is the definition of SUPPORTIVE boyfriend, he does everything for his girl, those last chapters?? BE STILL MY HEART
It felt like i was almost with her throughout the whole tournament. I LOVED IT!!
it’s very hard for me to get into friends to lovers books, maybe because it’s not my favourite trope to read but tell me why i was hooked and i ate everything up. THEIR FRIENDSHIP WAS SO REFRESHING. Usually in romance books we forget the whole friendship part of a romance relationship and this made my heart melt.
Now Oliver Anderson is the definition of SUPPORTIVE boyfriend, he does everything for his girl, those last chapters?? BE STILL MY HEART
4.25 stars for Dylan and Oliver, wow I loved them.
I was definitely intrigued to know that we were getting Dylan's book next, because I definitely had mixed feelings about her in Clean Point. But wow, she blew me away.
"Always the bridesmaid, never the bride," is the sum of Dylan's tennis career. She has the drive, the skills, and the endurance to be the best, but never quite makes it to the end. Oliver, freshly divorced, is finding that he doesn't love tennis in the way that he used to. It loves to see a good game, but doesn't have the same passion to compete in them. When Dylan and Oliver meet, they make a bet to see if Dylan can win a title. Over time, their relationship transitions: mutual tennis pros at best to friends to confidants to coach and player to more.
I was a smidge worried Dylan would be a little too black cat for me, but she was truly just misunderstood. She is the definition of "hates everyone but you." And Oliver eats up the reactions that he gets. I loved seeing Dylan's drive - she was so strong physically that watching her mental health improve was refreshing to see. Oliver was the perfect coach for her and I loved that he was a fan of hers before he ever met her.
The relationship between these two is my favorite type of relationship. They had such a strong friendship base that their eventual realization of their feelings for one another felt so genuine.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC. All thoughts are honest and my own
I was definitely intrigued to know that we were getting Dylan's book next, because I definitely had mixed feelings about her in Clean Point. But wow, she blew me away.
"Always the bridesmaid, never the bride," is the sum of Dylan's tennis career. She has the drive, the skills, and the endurance to be the best, but never quite makes it to the end. Oliver, freshly divorced, is finding that he doesn't love tennis in the way that he used to. It loves to see a good game, but doesn't have the same passion to compete in them. When Dylan and Oliver meet, they make a bet to see if Dylan can win a title. Over time, their relationship transitions: mutual tennis pros at best to friends to confidants to coach and player to more.
I was a smidge worried Dylan would be a little too black cat for me, but she was truly just misunderstood. She is the definition of "hates everyone but you." And Oliver eats up the reactions that he gets. I loved seeing Dylan's drive - she was so strong physically that watching her mental health improve was refreshing to see. Oliver was the perfect coach for her and I loved that he was a fan of hers before he ever met her.
The relationship between these two is my favorite type of relationship. They had such a strong friendship base that their eventual realization of their feelings for one another felt so genuine.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC. All thoughts are honest and my own
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Meg Jones for providing me with an E-ARC of this book!
This book is about Dylan and Oliver finding each other as Dylan tries to get her groove back on the court. After a string of final losses, she’s ready to put down the racket for good, but her new friend Oliver doesn’t think her time has come quite yet.
I actually really enjoyed the pacing of this book, nothing felt too rushed or slow, which tends to happen in sports romances with plots like this one. It felt reminiscent of Carrie Soto is Back, which is my favorite read of all time. I don’t think I missed it, but I still have no clue how old either character is, which is my only complaint here.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fun, flirty, tennis romance, I think this will check most of your boxes!
This book is about Dylan and Oliver finding each other as Dylan tries to get her groove back on the court. After a string of final losses, she’s ready to put down the racket for good, but her new friend Oliver doesn’t think her time has come quite yet.
I actually really enjoyed the pacing of this book, nothing felt too rushed or slow, which tends to happen in sports romances with plots like this one. It felt reminiscent of Carrie Soto is Back, which is my favorite read of all time. I don’t think I missed it, but I still have no clue how old either character is, which is my only complaint here.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fun, flirty, tennis romance, I think this will check most of your boxes!
This book is about Dylan and Oliver finding each other as Dylan tries to get her groove back on the court. After a string of final losses, she’s ready to put down the racket for good, but her new friend Oliver doesn’t think her time has come quite yet.
I actually really enjoyed the pacing of this book, nothing felt too rushed or slow, which tends to happen in sports romances with plots like this one. It felt reminiscent of Carrie Soto is Back, which is my favorite read of all time. I don’t think I missed it, but I still have no clue how old either character is, which is my only complaint here.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fun, flirty, tennis romance, I think this will check most of your boxes!
I actually really enjoyed the pacing of this book, nothing felt too rushed or slow, which tends to happen in sports romances with plots like this one. It felt reminiscent of Carrie Soto is Back, which is my favorite read of all time. I don’t think I missed it, but I still have no clue how old either character is, which is my only complaint here.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fun, flirty, tennis romance, I think this will check most of your boxes!
I finished this book in a day, it was that good. I loved Clean Point and when I saw that secondary antagonist Dylan was the FMC, I was so excited. I love it when a former enemy gets a book in the series.
Dylan is a complex character who struggles with losing in the last match of finals. Oliver, who showed up briefly in Clean Point as one of Nico’s friends, develops a friendship with Dylan before becoming her coach and well…I’m sure you can guess where it goes from there.
I loved both main characters, and Oliver’s golden retriever energy combined with Dylan’s acerbic wit made me kick my feet and giggle. And the plot outside of the romance had me on edge- I really felt the “will she finally win at finals?” tension. And there was no miscommunication or third-act breakup! One of my favorite aspects was the childfree representation! And I don’t mean childfree as the absence of children/pregnancy, but that both characters were up front about not wanting to have children. It’s so rare to see two main characters in a romance be proudly childfree and I love that it played a role in their compatibility.
I highly recommend this whole series and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. I highly recommend reading book 1, Clean Point before reading this one. If you like The DC Stars series by Chelsea Curto, you will absolutely love this series!
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC!
Dylan is a complex character who struggles with losing in the last match of finals. Oliver, who showed up briefly in Clean Point as one of Nico’s friends, develops a friendship with Dylan before becoming her coach and well…I’m sure you can guess where it goes from there.
I loved both main characters, and Oliver’s golden retriever energy combined with Dylan’s acerbic wit made me kick my feet and giggle. And the plot outside of the romance had me on edge- I really felt the “will she finally win at finals?” tension. And there was no miscommunication or third-act breakup! One of my favorite aspects was the childfree representation! And I don’t mean childfree as the absence of children/pregnancy, but that both characters were up front about not wanting to have children. It’s so rare to see two main characters in a romance be proudly childfree and I love that it played a role in their compatibility.
I highly recommend this whole series and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. I highly recommend reading book 1, Clean Point before reading this one. If you like The DC Stars series by Chelsea Curto, you will absolutely love this series!
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC!
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
God bless decently written sports romance books for giving me something to actually enjoy reading right now!!
Release Date: Sep. 09 2025
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Tropes/Themes:
• Friends to lovers
• Coach/Player
• Sports injuries
• Toxic friendships
𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 reminded me of Challengers with less toxic competitve relationship and more learning to properly manage stress in a highly competitve setting. By that I guess I mean there is tennis and during the matches it felt very Challengers-esque. And Dylan has that Tashi level of aggression.
Dylan and Oliver were great for each other, primarily because Dylan is a bitch (I say this nicely) and Oliver is a loverboy. Their relationship didn't feel forced at all; their need for someone to be there in the beginning was very genuine. I think it would've been nicer for Oliver to have any personality at all other than "I will do anything to make a woman happy", which is why this isn't a full five stars.
Slight complaint: Can we please stop making playlists for books and then having chapters be the song titles. It's giving Wattpad/AO3.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing an eARC of 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 in exchange for this honest review!
Release Date: Sep. 09 2025
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Tropes/Themes:
• Friends to lovers
• Coach/Player
• Sports injuries
• Toxic friendships
𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 reminded me of Challengers with less toxic competitve relationship and more learning to properly manage stress in a highly competitve setting. By that I guess I mean there is tennis and during the matches it felt very Challengers-esque. And Dylan has that Tashi level of aggression.
Dylan and Oliver were great for each other, primarily because Dylan is a bitch (I say this nicely) and Oliver is a loverboy. Their relationship didn't feel forced at all; their need for someone to be there in the beginning was very genuine. I think it would've been nicer for Oliver to have any personality at all other than "I will do anything to make a woman happy", which is why this isn't a full five stars.
Slight complaint: Can we please stop making playlists for books and then having chapters be the song titles. It's giving Wattpad/AO3.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing an eARC of 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 in exchange for this honest review!
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My back story is that I read Clean Point last summer and I loved it so much that I told myself « it would be fun to go to Wimbledon in real life », and then I miraculously managed to go this year. So you can imagine how excited I was for Game Point.
I absolutely adored this book. There was an easiness in Oliver and Dylan’s relationship, going from strangers to friends to a coaching relationship, all the while both trying to resist their attraction and feelings and stay firmly into the « friends only » category. Watching them grow into and navigate their relationship was so good.
I loved how Oliver supported Dylan, believing in her and wanting the best for her, not only for her career but in her life. Dylan was strong and driven, but she couldn’t get past her disappointment and lack of confidence in herself, the very thing that’s holding her back, and it had ruined tennis for her. But Oliver had endless faith in her, and he showed her how to trust her talent when she had forgotten to. Dylan also provided Oliver with the exact opportunity he didn’t know he was looking for, and in the end they just gave each other exactly what the other needed to pivot and both find their love for tennis again.
*I received an ARC of this book, this is my honest opinion*