Review: An excellent debut
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2013
4.5 starsI'm going to be honest: I didn't expect to like GAME. SET. MATCH. nearly as much as I did. I added it to my TBR list on GoodReads several months ago as an entry in a giveaway, and while I thought it sounded interesting, I didn't give it much thought beyond that. When the author contacted me and asked if I'd like to be part of her Street Team and help with the cover reveal and blog tour, I thought `What the heck? I like supporting authors, especially debut authors who need to get their names out there'. I've only read a couple of sports-related books, and since I'm personally not into sports, I wasn't sure if this one would really do it for me. I'm thrilled to say I misjudged this book and that I loved it!GAME. SET. MATCH. is a well-written debut with dynamic characters, life lessons, friendship, sexual tension, and plenty of tennis-related action. We're introduced in turn to the three main characters: Indy, Penny, and Jasmine, whose lives revolve around tennis. All three girls are very different; they have the same ultimate goal - to become the best tennis player possible - but their personalities, and how they go about reaching their goals is very different.I always worry when there are so many points of view in a story, but Iacopelli did a fantastic job of giving each girl a distinctive voice and personality, while skillfully weaving their stories together. My favourite characters were Indy and Penny. I loved how determined Indy was, and how driven Penny was. I was happy to see them become friends, because they both really needed someone in their lives for support. I'll admit that I hated Jasmine at first. She was the mean girl/queen bee type, but we quickly learned that it wasn't necessary that people really liked her, so much as they liked who she was: the daughter of famous tennis players. I began to sympathize with her when I realized the motivations behind her snarky attitude and that she was actually deeper than I first thought.Iacopelli also did a great job with the romantic elements of the book. They were alternately sweet and sexy, and I liked all three guys - Jack (Penny's oldest brother, and Indy's love interest); Teddy (Penny's other brother, and Jasmine's love interest); and Alex (Penny's love interest). They all had their ups and downs, and things didn't come easy for any of the three couples, which I liked. I found myself rooting for each couple and enjoying their journeys and the sometimes-painful lessons they had to learn. My favourite boy was definitely Jack. He was confusing and gave Indy all kinds of mixed signals. He clearly liked her but was worried she was too young for him. It made him run hot (and I do mean hot!) and cold with her, which was frustrating, but I also loved the anticipation. I also really enjoyed the tension between Penny and Alex, and the unrequited love aspect of Jasmine's interest in playboy Teddy.GAME. SET. MATCH. drew me in and kept me captivated from beginning to end. While the tennis aspects were over my head at first and I thought I might get tired of the sports theme, I ended up getting really invested in the girls' successes and failures. This book is a perfect example of what the new adult genre should be - it has an element of sexiness to it, but it's so much more than that. It's about the bonds of friendship, family, love, and has a really positive message about believing in yourself, going after your dreams, and never giving up. Iacopelli has written an incredibly strong debut, and I can't wait to meet up with Indy, Penny, and Jasmine again and continue on with their stories.