Janelle Gabay’s young adult novel focuses on two rival tennis players, ultimately offering a moving message about friendship and love.

In 2017, Alex Calvo is a charity student at Florida’s T.R. Tennis Academy, desperately working towards earning a college scholarship. Her mom works at Starbucks, and her younger sister is intellectually challenged.

Meanwhile, Madison Nash is from a rich family. Her mother is in rehab and Madison has addiction issues of her own. To give her a fresh start, her father moves her from Atlanta to Florida, where she hopes to be seen “as just Madison, […] a tennis player, a human being,” instead of “the slut, druggie, loser, or whatever label-of-the-week that had been branded upon her.”

When Madison’s father offers to pay Alex to become Madison’s new doubles partner, Alex agrees, as she needs the money, even though it means hurting the feelings of her current partner, Elisa.

Alex is so focused on tennis that she resists becoming closer to her friend Tommy, another tennis star. As the story unfolds, readers will be hooked into the off-court drama, wondering if Madison and Alex will ever become true friends and whether Alex will finally let Tommy in.

Gabay clearly understands the world of teens and elite high school tennis; she skillfully draws readers in with vivid on-the-court action and realistic challenges for her teen characters.

Chapters alternate between Madison and Alex’s viewpoints. Each begins with an insider definition of a tennis term (e.g., “BAGELED: When one player wins all the games in…the match. A two-set score would be 6-0 6-0, hence 0-0, which looks like two bagels”) that relates to what unfolds in the chapter ahead. The characters, even passing ones, are memorable, unique and vividly depicted, including distinctive patterns of speech.

Tennis aficionados are sure to enjoy this book. But even those who’ve never heard of Serena Williams will find Gabay’s enthusiasm for the game —and her compelling characters — irresistible.

Also available in ebook.