Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Blog Tour: GAME. SET. MATCH. Review & Giveaway


Today, I'm excited to be one of the blog stops to kick-off the Game. Set. Match. blog tour to celebrate its release today!!!

Game. Set. Match.
by: Jennifer Iacopelli
Now Available!!!
Publisher: Coliloquy
Game. Set. Match. on Goodreads here.
Synopsis:
Nestled along the coastline of North Carolina, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the best elite tennis training facility in the world. Head Coach, Dominic Kingston has assembled some of the finest talent in the sport. From the game's biggest stars to athletes scraping and clawing to achieve their dreams, OBX is full of ego, drama and romance. Only the strong survive in this pressure cooker of competition, on and off the court.

Penny Harrison, the biggest rising star in tennis, is determined to win the French Open and beat her rival, the world’s number one player, Zina Lutrova. There’s just one problem, the only person who’s ever been able to shake her laser-like focus is her new training partner. Alex Russell, tennis’s resident bad boy, is at OBX recovering from a knee injury suffered after he crashed his motorcycle (with an Aussie supermodel on the back). He's hoping to regain his former place at the top of men’s tennis and Penny’s heart, while he’s at it.

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. Her parents have seven Grand Slam championships and she’s desperate to live up to their legacy. Her best friend is Teddy Harrison, Penny’s twin brother, and that’s all they’ve ever been, friends. Then one stupid, alcohol-laced kiss makes everything super awkward just as she as she starts prepping for the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.

The Classic is what draws Indiana Gaffney out of the hole she crawled into after her mom’s death. Even though she’s new to OBX, a win at the Classic is definitely possible. She has a big serve and killer forehand, but the rest of her game isn’t quite up to scratch and it doesn’t help that Jasmine Randazzo and her little minions are stuck-up bitches or that Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and oldest brother, is too hot for words, not to mention way too old for her.

Who will rise? Who will fall?

Told from rotating points of view, GAME. SET. MATCH. is a 'new adult' novel about three girls with one goal: to be the best tennis player in the world.


Purchase Links:

My Thoughts:
A wonderfully delicious, drama-filled contemporary debut! The first "YA Contemporary Sport" title I've read, where I've wanted to pick-up the sport!

Game. Set. Match. is a great beach read for the upcoming Summer season! The dialogue and interplay between Jennifer's cast of characters kept me entertained and turning the pages, all the way to the end. It was refreshing to read a YA contemporary based on the sport, Tennis and after reading all the "match" scenes in GSM, I'm feeling inclined to go find my racket and take some lessons! Haha!

While I'm not a huge fan of multiple-narravtive stories, I thoroughly enjoyed reading GSM from our three heroines distinct voices. Jennifer has done a great job of equally separating Indy, Penny and Jasmine's narratives into their own separate chapters, which I appreciated because it made it much easier to follow along and it kept inline with the entire pacing of the plot.

If there were ever such a thing as a Tennis Soap Opera, GSM would be the Y&R of that genre. Seriously, so much romance! New loves, old flames and blossoming romance are sure to satisfy any type of reader. Plus we've got some great book boyfriend material in Jack and Alex. One's kind and considerate, while the other is a sexy wild-card- put them together and you've got the perfect man!

If I had to pick a favourite Narrator, I'd say it's a toss up between Indy and Penny. I liked rooting for Indy because she was the new comer and therefore the underdog of OBX, but I also really liked Penny because she was focused, talented but not too cocky and I really like her relationship with her two brothers, Teddy and Jack. PLUS!! Their two love interests, Jack and Alex, make-up my perfect book boyfriend! Haha!

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut and will definitely be continuing this series, I can't wait to see where Jennifer will take these three ladies and their beaus next!

Happy Reading!!!




About the Author:
Jennifer Iacopelli was born in New York and has no plans to leave...ever. Growing up, she
read everything she could get her hands on, but her favorite authors were Laura Ingalls Wilder, L.M. Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett all of whom wrote about kick-ass girls before it was cool for girls to be kick-ass. She got a Bachelor's degree in Adolescence Education and English Literature quickly followed up by a Master's in Library Science, which lets her frolic all day with her books and computers, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to write and yell at the Yankees, Giants and her favorite tennis players through the TV.




Giveaway Time!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to Jennifer for allowing me to participate in this tour!!!

2 comments:

  1. Really want to read this book! I just joined the OBXers today, and it is so much fun!

    ~Harman@Little Bookworm Reviews

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    1. Hey Little Bookworm! I hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to read it, and I'm glad you're enjoying the ranks of being an OBXer! lol :)

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