The book is classified as “New Adult” and I think that description fits it pretty closely. I would not classify it as young adult as there are references in there that I wouldn’t want a “young adult” reading, but the book is not filled with inappropriate references either.
Game.Set.Match. follows Penny Harrison, Jasmine Randazzo and Indiana Gaffney at the Outer Banks Tennis Academy (OBX). Penny is the star, Jasmine’s family owns the academy & Indy is the new girl. As they train together, a weird friendship forms between the three of them but it takes most of the book to get to that point, specifically with Jasmine and Indy who start out as rivals.
Throughout the book each girl starts to develop a love interest (or continue following through on one already in progress) while still working through high school & the ins and outs of being a professional athlete (or making the decision to go pro).
I loved the book because not only does it paint the picture of amount of dedication that it takes to be a professional athlete but it shows the sacrifices they make to get to the level they’re at. As each of the girls attempts to have a normal life, they very clearly are not experienced with having “normal” friends outside of tennis. As they struggle to not only maintain a friendship they also start to develop relationships & it throws them for a loop.
As I mentioned, I do not know the first thing about tennis, so it was interesting to be reading the book for the story line while learning about the game. The game was explained enough to get a basic understanding but not so much that it pulled you away from the story line. I can honestly stay I still don’t necessarily understand everything about tennis, but I know a lot more now than I did a few days ago!
While the book ends on a good note, I was excited to see that there is a second in the series! It was really well written and a quick read for a nice relaxing weekend. I’m excited to read the next book and look forward to more books by Jennifer Iacopelli!
This book was my “book by a female author” for the 2015 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge.