Review: Sports + Romance = Fun!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 6, 2013
Outer Banks Tennis Academy is where the best of the best train to become champions. Indiana (Indy) Gaffney is the newest girl to join the elite facility, and she discovers it isn't easy to make friends when everyone is competing for the same thing on court, and sometimes even off.Indy's biggest competitors include Penny Harrison and Jasmine Randazzo. Penny has already won several competitions and is becoming a household name. Jasmine is the daughter of two tennis champions, and seems born to play. Indy becomes entangled with the two girls when she attracts the attention of Penny's twin brother Teddy, whom Jasmine happens to have feelings for. But it's the eldest Harrison, Jack, whom Indy can't seem to get out of her mind.It might seem a bit weird to people who know me well that I chose to read a book set in the world of sports, and tennis no less. Though my dad used to play tennis recreationally, I never had the desire to play sports; my parents pushed me into far less physical extracurricular activities like band and choir. I actually love watching movies with sports themes, so I thought I would give Jennifer Iacopelli's Game. Set. Match. a try.Right from the start, it's apparent that Iacopelli has a deep love for this game. There were times were I would have liked more explanation for what was happening in the games, like how scores are calculated and how a player earns a point. Not everyone who reads this book is going to be a diehard tennis fan who understands the game and all its rules. Through her characters and the creation of Outer Banks Tennis Academy, I began to truly understand what it takes thrive in such a competitive world. Iacopelli goes into fascinating detail about what each of the three girls is thinking as she trains for upcoming competitions while also managing a messy personal life.I enjoyed getting to know all three girls, though I found myself most drawn to Penny and Indy. Penny's trainer is forcing her to practice with Alex, an old flame who badly hurt her. Penny can hardly concentrate on her game when Alex is around, but he's exactly the right partner for her on and off the court if she can work through the hurt and learn to trust him. Indy's talent is opening all sorts of doors for her: sponsorships, an agent, and a possible boyfriend a few years her senior. He just so happens to be Penny's older brother, and Penny is the only friend Indy seems to have at Outer Banks Tennis Academy.Game. Set. Match. is an exciting, fast-paced sports story that will be sure to win over anyone who's game for romance and strong-willed female characters. The guys aren't so bad themselves, either!*The publisher provided me with a copy for review. All opinions expressed are my honest feelings.*