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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
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:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hi I got obsessed with the AO like I do every year and am up to date with all things tennis for the 2ish weeks of the tournament then promptly forgetting about everything until next year. decided to pick up a tennis romance!! this is about world no. 1 tennis girlie who is only a few slams away to break the record and a up and comer who is coming back from injury and they maybeeee fall in loveee🫶🫶 this was charming and because I was already v invested in the tennis aspects this was fun. I think all the queer relationship dynamics were done realistically but the race issues side plot felt a bit forced and straight forward and the relationship development was wild. likes the side characters and was a fun romance debut ultimately not super special. for a tennis fix I would recommend carrie soto is back way more! 3.5 stars
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars
Elin Larsson is at the top of her game, ranked #1 in the world in women's singles. She's only a few more slams away from breaking the all-time record, and then maybe, just maybe, she can start to think about retirement. Until then, she needs razor-sharp focus and absolutely no distractions. But a chance meeting has her eye caught on Antonia Cortes Ruiz, an up-and-coming younger player who recently rejoined the game following a potential career-ending injury. Somehow, Toni has Elin finding joy in tennis again. As the two women gravitate to each other, they must soon discover whether their love can survive the competitive environment on court.
This was a really satisfying read. It just made me happy after reading it, which has made me realize how few books leave me with that feeling. (I'm often either glad to have made it through to the end of a book that has been dragging, or disappointed because I wanted to see more of the characters.) Slammed left off perfectly, with just the right amount of closure for the happy couple.
I really liked both characters. They come off as really good people. The story is narrated in first person by Elin, so we get her reactions most of the time, and it was interesting to hear her thoughts about the game. It's cute how she's so confident in the sport and yet pretty awkward when it comes to flirting. Toni seems like a very warm character, although I wish we had gotten to see more from her point of view.
I also liked the diverse cast of side characters. There are multiple people of color, and Elin has a trans sister. The nonromantic subplot involves exposing racially discriminatory practices within the tennis association, so that was also interesting.
Plot wise, I was really into it. I used to play tennis, and I'm also a fan of romances between athletes who compete against each other. I thought this might be an enemies-to-lovers story, but Elin and Toni hit it off right from the start, and the competitors angle never really becomes a dividing force between them. I liked the slow burn in the beginning where Elin is still trying to figure out whether Toni is straight, and once they finally got together, they were a sweet couple.
Why the loss of .5 stars? As much as I enjoyed the storyline, the writing was a bit choppy for me. I'm not sure if it's partly because I'm unused to books totally narrated in 1st person POV from one character. At times, the words didn't fit quite right, or they didn't flow well. There were also various inconsistencies within the book.
All in all, a highly enjoyable read. I would recommend!
Elin Larsson is at the top of her game, ranked #1 in the world in women's singles. She's only a few more slams away from breaking the all-time record, and then maybe, just maybe, she can start to think about retirement. Until then, she needs razor-sharp focus and absolutely no distractions. But a chance meeting has her eye caught on Antonia Cortes Ruiz, an up-and-coming younger player who recently rejoined the game following a potential career-ending injury. Somehow, Toni has Elin finding joy in tennis again. As the two women gravitate to each other, they must soon discover whether their love can survive the competitive environment on court.
This was a really satisfying read. It just made me happy after reading it, which has made me realize how few books leave me with that feeling. (I'm often either glad to have made it through to the end of a book that has been dragging, or disappointed because I wanted to see more of the characters.) Slammed left off perfectly, with just the right amount of closure for the happy couple.
I really liked both characters. They come off as really good people. The story is narrated in first person by Elin, so we get her reactions most of the time, and it was interesting to hear her thoughts about the game. It's cute how she's so confident in the sport and yet pretty awkward when it comes to flirting. Toni seems like a very warm character, although I wish we had gotten to see more from her point of view.
I also liked the diverse cast of side characters. There are multiple people of color, and Elin has a trans sister. The nonromantic subplot involves exposing racially discriminatory practices within the tennis association, so that was also interesting.
Plot wise, I was really into it. I used to play tennis, and I'm also a fan of romances between athletes who compete against each other. I thought this might be an enemies-to-lovers story, but Elin and Toni hit it off right from the start, and the competitors angle never really becomes a dividing force between them. I liked the slow burn in the beginning where Elin is still trying to figure out whether Toni is straight, and once they finally got together, they were a sweet couple.
Why the loss of .5 stars? As much as I enjoyed the storyline, the writing was a bit choppy for me. I'm not sure if it's partly because I'm unused to books totally narrated in 1st person POV from one character. At times, the words didn't fit quite right, or they didn't flow well. There were also various inconsistencies within the book.
All in all, a highly enjoyable read. I would recommend!
What i really enjoyed about this book is that it's something i wouldn't usually read - a sports romance, where sport is the main aspect and romance secondary to that.
I'm not a huge sports fan, but i was pleasantly surprised by this book. Keeley really does make you feel like you are there at the tennis matches.
Sport isn't just the setting for the plot, it is the whole plot and for that reason all the background provided for the story is really well done and it shows. I feel like i have a better understanding of the world of sport; the unseen pressures and behind the scenes aspects that aren't played out in everyday life for all to see.
Keeley adds this to serve a purpose and not just as a plotline filler, as a result the story is enhanced because of it.
I also enjoyed that Keeley didn't shy away from the issue of racism in sport. I thought the author handled this issue well and particularly liked that it was made obvious that Elin (who is a white player) was not to speak out in replace of people of colour i.e. highlighting the white saviour complex. A difficult but well tackled topic in my eyes.
The story didn't get 5 stars purely because the romance was more on the sweeter side, rather than the heat and fireworks i'd usually prefer. But that is personal preference and aside from that i really enjoyed what Keeley set out to do.
I'm not a huge sports fan, but i was pleasantly surprised by this book. Keeley really does make you feel like you are there at the tennis matches.
Sport isn't just the setting for the plot, it is the whole plot and for that reason all the background provided for the story is really well done and it shows. I feel like i have a better understanding of the world of sport; the unseen pressures and behind the scenes aspects that aren't played out in everyday life for all to see.
Keeley adds this to serve a purpose and not just as a plotline filler, as a result the story is enhanced because of it.
I also enjoyed that Keeley didn't shy away from the issue of racism in sport. I thought the author handled this issue well and particularly liked that it was made obvious that Elin (who is a white player) was not to speak out in replace of people of colour i.e. highlighting the white saviour complex. A difficult but well tackled topic in my eyes.
The story didn't get 5 stars purely because the romance was more on the sweeter side, rather than the heat and fireworks i'd usually prefer. But that is personal preference and aside from that i really enjoyed what Keeley set out to do.