Review: The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger

The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger

Blurb from Goodreads:

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.

My Review:
 

I devoured this, seriously; I read it one day and could not put it down!  Isn't that the best feeling? And I love love loved the first 60-ish%.  At that point, however, I feel like the characters changed a bit?  I don't know that I can pinpoint it but I felt like Charlie and some of the other main characters became a bit inconsistent feeling to me in their words and actions and there was definitely a bit of unnecessary drama.  I also didn't love the ending although, in retrospect, it fits.  Putting all of that aside, though, this is such a fun book -- I'm not even the hugest tennis fan but it was still so much fun to imagine the perspective of a great player trying to become the best -- the traveling, the coaching, the tour all while still being 24 year old woman and having needs as a woman, not just physical but also mental.  I appreciated the dichotomy and all the little details.  I actually kind of already want to re-read this because it was just so refreshing and fun.  I will never be a star athlete or get to play Wimbledon but this book made me feel like I was there!  

The Singles Game came out earlier this week on July 12, 2016, you can purchase HERE, and this one is such a fun read -- perfect for the pool or beach!

I did not leave high school every day at noon to train for six hours and do my homework by the light of the glove compartment on the way home from tournaments to give up.  I didn't miss movies and trips and proms and hanging at the mall and sleeping in and getting drunk and kissing boys to play round-robins at my local country club. And speaking of country clubs, I didn't ask my father to work day and night teaching rich middle-aged women and spoiled kids and rude bankers so I could bail the first time something got a little challenging.  And I sure didn't leave UCLA--the best year of my life-- to quit.  So while I have incredible respect for what you've accomplished in our profession, and I was planning to ask if you would consider coaching me, I will kindly ask from now on you keep your opinions to yourself.