Thursday, July 21, 2016

Book Review and Giveaway: The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger


Pages: 352
Genre: Adult Fiction
Pub. Date: July 12, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Publisher for review
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 


Goodreads says, "The new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada and Revenge Wears Prada—a dishy tell-all about a beautiful tennis prodigy who, after changing coaches, suddenly makes headlines on and off the court. Charlotte “Charlie” Silver has always been a good girl. She excelled at tennis early, coached by her father, a former player himself, and soon became one of the top juniors in the world. When she leaves UCLA—and breaks her boyfriend’s heart—to turn pro, Charlie joins the world’s best athletes who travel eleven months a year, competing without mercy for Grand Slam titles and Page Six headlines. After Charlie suffers a disastrous loss and injury on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, she fires her longtime coach and hires Todd Feltner, a legend of the men’s tour, who is famous for grooming champions. Charlie is his first-ever female player, and he will not let her forget it. He is determined to change her good-girl image—both on the court and off—and transform her into a ruthless competitor who will not only win matches and climb the rankings, but also score magazine covers and seven-figure endorsement deals. Her not-so-secret affair with the hottest male player in the world, sexy Spaniard Marco Vallejo, has people whispering, and it seems like only a matter of time before the tabloids and gossip blogs close in on all the juicy details. Charlie’s ascension to the social throne parallels her rising rank on the women’s tour—but at a major price. Lauren Weisberger’s novel brings us exclusive behind-the-scenes details from all the Grand Slam tournaments: the US Open, the French Open, the Australian Open, and Wimbledon. Charlie Silver jets around the globe, plays charity matches aboard Mediterranean megayachts, models in photo shoots on Caribbean beaches, walks the red carpet at legendary player parties, and sidesteps looming scandals—all while trying to keep her eyes on the real prize. In this sexy, unputdownable read about young tennis stars who train relentlessly to compete at the highest levels while living in a world obsessed with good looks and Instagram followers,  Charlie must discover the secret to having it all—or finally shatter the illusion for good." 
Charlotte Silver, or Charlie, is a professional tennis player who is known for her good girl ways. She wears pastels on the court, has had the same coach for years, always does the right thing, and even weaves a pretty ribbon through her trademark braid.  Essentially, she is the all-American good girl, but that doesn't translate to wins on the court. In fact, Charlie is ranked number twenty three. She wants to win a Grand Slam, but that is never going to happen. This is especially true after her debacle at Wimbledon, where she tore her Achilles tendon and broke her arm.   After her downfall, she fires her longtime coach and has her sights set on Todd Feltner.  Todd is an aggressive coach who is known to take the underdog and turn him into a champion. Charlie is the first girl he agrees to coach and he wants to do an entire revamp of her image, her diet, and even her training. If she wants to come back from her injury a winner, then she must follow his recommendations exactly.  Goodbye good girl Charlie and hello Warrior Princess. Her new image has garnered her a lot of attention from the media as well as the opposite sex, which is both good and bad.  Nonetheless, Todd's changes seem to be working.  She is dating the hottest male tennis player, rubbing elbows with celebrities, and has even started winning tournaments.  Is this everything Charlie wanted or is it coming at a huge price?  Lauren Weisberger's The Singles Game is an interesting glimpse into the world of professional tennis. I loved the drama, the scandal, the competition as well as the budding romance both on and off court.

I really liked Charlie in The Singles Game. I was worried that I would find her bratty, but I could understand where she was coming from and why she wanted to get a new coach.  I appreciated her image overhaul and even though she had to stop being "nice" Charlie, I enjoyed the fierce competitor. I wanted her to win as well!  Her casual relationship with Marco was most definitely fun, but I knew it wasn't the healthiest. I was rooting for someone else in Charlie's life and I don't want to give away anything, but I wanted her to notice the nice guy that she often overlooked.


Man, who knew professional tennis could be this dramatic? I had no idea there were so many rules surrounding Wimbledon and the dress code as well as the drug tests.  And don't get me started on the mean girls. Whoa. Pretty intense stuff!  Weisberger truly brings it all to life in The Singles Game and I was captivated.


While I liked The Devil Wears Prada a bit more, I could still appreciate The Singles Game and Charlie's journey. I pretty much was able to predict how it would end, but that didn't deter my overall enjoyment of the novel. The Singles Game has many similarities to The Devil Wears Prada in that there's someone trying to fit in and eventually the protagonist loses sight of what is most important. Plus, there's couture, rich people, and tough competition, just like in The Devil Wears Prada, so in that sense I appreciated the similarities. 


So, if you are looking for a compelling read that will thrust you into the cut-throat and compelling world of professional tennis, check out The Singles Game this summer. It was definitely entertaining! 


Thanks to Simon and Schuster, I am hosting a giveaway for a hard cover copy of The Singles Game including two cocktail recipe cards featuring four  drink recipes from the book.  This giveaway is open to US readers only and the deadline is July 31st. Please refer to my giveaway rules and good luck! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

6 comments:

  1. Nice review! I am not a fan of Laurel Weisberger (though I liked the Devil Wears Prada movie) but this sounds kind of interesting because of the tennis aspect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you are interested in tennis, you should definitely check it out. It was a lot of fun - perfect for a lazy Saturday or a vacation read. Thanks for visiting, Christina!

      Delete
  2. Oh, I'm definitely curious about this one, Christina. I would love to see her transformation from the All-American girl to something a harsher and edgier. And tennis! We need more books about tennis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right? It was my first book that focused on tennis and I loved it. I also enjoyed her transformation as well. Thanks for visiting, Joy!

      Delete
  3. I can only imagine the cut throat nature of any competitive sport and am so glad my lack of athleticism has allowed me to work from home where I can where pajamas and eat cookies while doing my job. Very little drama ;-) Glad you enjoyed this one overall Christina!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha. You crack me up, Jenny. Love it! Thanks for dropping by!

      Delete

I really appreciate your comments. Thank you!

 
Design by: Designer Blogs