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The Winner
Conor O’Toole has never been anywhere as casually glamorous as Cutters Neck, a gated community near Cape Cod. It’s a sweet deal for the summer: free lodging in a guest cottage in exchange for tennis lessons, luxuriously far from the cramped Yonkers apartment he shares with his diabetic mother.
In this oceanfront paradise, however, new clients prove hard to come by, and Conor has bills to pay. Then a sharp-tongued divorcée appears, offering him double his usual rate. Soon he realizes Catherine is expecting additional, off-the-court services for her money, and Conor tumbles into a secret erotic affair unlike anything he’s experienced before.
Despite his steamy flings with a woman twice his age, he simultaneously finds himself falling for the artsy, outspoken girl he met on the beach. Conor somehow finds a way to manage this tangled web—until he makes one final, irreversible mistake.
A dark, explosive literary thriller that brilliantly skewers the elite, Whiting Award winner Teddy Wayne’s unputdownable novel is cinematic, shocking, and a psychological masterpiece.
In this oceanfront paradise, however, new clients prove hard to come by, and Conor has bills to pay. Then a sharp-tongued divorcée appears, offering him double his usual rate. Soon he realizes Catherine is expecting additional, off-the-court services for her money, and Conor tumbles into a secret erotic affair unlike anything he’s experienced before.
Despite his steamy flings with a woman twice his age, he simultaneously finds himself falling for the artsy, outspoken girl he met on the beach. Conor somehow finds a way to manage this tangled web—until he makes one final, irreversible mistake.
A dark, explosive literary thriller that brilliantly skewers the elite, Whiting Award winner Teddy Wayne’s unputdownable novel is cinematic, shocking, and a psychological masterpiece.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2024
670 people are currently reading
21675 people want to read
About the author
Teddy Wayne
14 books458 followersTeddy Wayne is the author of the novels "The Winner" (2024), "The Great Man Theory" (2022), "Apartment" (2020), "Loner" (2016), "The Love Song of Jonny Valentine" (2013) and "Kapitoil" (2010) and is the recipient of a Whiting Writers' Award, an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize runner-up, and a finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award finalist and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 771 reviews
December 29, 2024
only a man could have written this
December 31, 2024
When I started reading The Winner I’ve got a feeling that John Updike is back. However the intellectual aura of John Updike’s books is missing and the plot soon begins to resemble Lawrence Sanders and there is a problem with plausibility.
At the time of the Covid pandemic the main character goes to spend his summer in the wealthy community by the ocean giving private tennis lessons there…
The protagonist is an ambitious young man… And he is ready to achieve his purpose by hook or by crook… Even if in his thoughts he seems to be pretty humble…
He tries to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds… Pursuing both pleasures and benefits he finds himself in a mess…
There is a chasm between him and the rich community dwellers and in this chasm he falls…
He who goes out of his way to be right in the end finds himself gone wrong.
At the time of the Covid pandemic the main character goes to spend his summer in the wealthy community by the ocean giving private tennis lessons there…
His work as a tennis pro had thrown him together with plenty of well-off older people in his life, and he knew how to act around them: be exceedingly polite, good humored, and deferential, like a waiter at a high-end restaurant. Cutters Neck, however, was the most rarefied stratum he’d encountered, and more to the point, he’d never lived among them on their home turf.
The protagonist is an ambitious young man… And he is ready to achieve his purpose by hook or by crook… Even if in his thoughts he seems to be pretty humble…
To take care of his mother, to pay off his debts, to own a modest home someday, to provide for a family well down the road: that was all he’d really striven for, a life that was a rung or two (if not three or four) below the top rank.
He tries to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds… Pursuing both pleasures and benefits he finds himself in a mess…
“And you think I’m the kind of person who gets whatever he wants without trying?”
“Yes. You’re clearly a… a winner.” She spat out the word as if it were an insult. “Which is not at all my type.”
There is a chasm between him and the rich community dwellers and in this chasm he falls…
He who goes out of his way to be right in the end finds himself gone wrong.
May 24, 2024
Weak people dwelled on the past, wallowed in their losses, leaned on the crutch of psychobabble to justify their defects. The strong forged ahead, forged themselves into whatever they wanted to be, and he was nothing if not strong. Mentally tough. Not a pusher; a rocket ship.
Conor O'Toole has nabbed a cushy summer job as a tennis instructor at an exclusive gated community by the sea. With lodging provided, he can send all his earnings to his diabetic mother in Yonkers, and spend his down time studying for his upcoming bar exam. Sounds like a plan, only within days of his arrival, he gets Mrs. Robinsoned, and, well . . . insert your favorite quote about making plans here. Reluctant to give up the "good life" he's rapidly become accustomed to, Conor is soon fighting to keep track of all his lies, and basically selling his soul to save his skin.
This was terrific. The book reminds me so much of those great seventies novels I've read by Philip Roth, Bruce J. Friedman, and, yes, Charles Webb, about young protagonists who may start out idealistic, but, you know, things change, and shit happens, and you gotta look out for number one. (They didn't call it the Me Decade for nothin'.) This one is set, not in the seventies, but during the summer of 2020. Covid-19 fears are still running rampant, and masks are worn by some, but not all. Our protagonist is paying close attention to the upcoming presidential election, though we never really find out which candidate Conor actually supports.
I'd say that by the end of the book we know the answer to that question.
Well done, Mr. Wayne. Well done.
Many thanks to Harper and NetGalley for sharing this one..
Conor O'Toole has nabbed a cushy summer job as a tennis instructor at an exclusive gated community by the sea. With lodging provided, he can send all his earnings to his diabetic mother in Yonkers, and spend his down time studying for his upcoming bar exam. Sounds like a plan, only within days of his arrival, he gets Mrs. Robinsoned, and, well . . . insert your favorite quote about making plans here. Reluctant to give up the "good life" he's rapidly become accustomed to, Conor is soon fighting to keep track of all his lies, and basically selling his soul to save his skin.
This was terrific. The book reminds me so much of those great seventies novels I've read by Philip Roth, Bruce J. Friedman, and, yes, Charles Webb, about young protagonists who may start out idealistic, but, you know, things change, and shit happens, and you gotta look out for number one. (They didn't call it the Me Decade for nothin'.) This one is set, not in the seventies, but during the summer of 2020. Covid-19 fears are still running rampant, and masks are worn by some, but not all. Our protagonist is paying close attention to the upcoming presidential election, though we never really find out which candidate Conor actually supports.
I'd say that by the end of the book we know the answer to that question.
Well done, Mr. Wayne. Well done.
Many thanks to Harper and NetGalley for sharing this one..
September 17, 2025
Conor O’Toole hasn’t had it easy. His father died when he was young, and his mother has struggled through illness - Type 1 Diabetes - and a general lack of money. Nevertheless, Conor has managed to battle through college (a lesser establishment than the author himself and also the protagonists he cast in his novels Loner and Apartment). So, desperate to scrape together some funds, he’s managed to secure a summer job teaching tennis to a group of rich, entitled people in gated community at place called Cutters Neck, close to Cape Cod.
The people he meets there seem friendly and accommodating, and even accepting of his Yonkers accent. Soon he’s settled into this place where he can earn money and enjoy the grand surroundings. Conor is a handsome lad and fit, too. He’s never has a problem attracting members of the opposite sex, and soon he’s being tempted by a the mysterious Catherine – a woman double his age and who, despite paying him double the price he quoted for lessons, seems somewhat disengaged with the sport. Before long, we are to have a replay of the Mrs Robinson moment from The Graduate.
But then Conor meets Emily, someone his own age who he finds he can identify with and who he connects with in a completely different (largely non-sexual) way. He’s now conflicted: he’s attracted by his physical relationship with Catherine, but he also values his time with Emily. Is it going to be possible to maintain one relationship whilst also building another? What follows has an element of farce about it as he desperately tries to juggle his meetings with the pair, keen as he is to keep each from becoming aware of their rival for his affections.
To this point Conor has seemed like a good guy, a young man who is simply trying to get through the summer, earn some money, have some fun, and also study for an upcoming bar exam that will enable him to forge a future career in law. But it’s clear that he’s increasingly being drawn to this life of wealth and luxury. Well, that's human nature, isn’t it? We start to see a different side to Conor. And then it all kicks off, with a dramatic happening that changes everything. From this point on it’s a helter-skelter ride to the finish.
I’d really enjoyed a couple of Wayne’s previous novels (those I referenced above) and there are some similarities here: young ambitious men with college experience at the centre of events, a sense of class divide and conflict, and also a feeling that what you see isn’t necessarily what you get. I find the author to be skilled at getting under the skin of interesting characters of developing intriguing stories that draw me in. This tale was another success for me. The question here is, what does being a winner mean? Does it mean staying true to your values and achieving success through hard work and ability? Or is it simply achieving success through any means possible? Well, the jury is out on that one.
The people he meets there seem friendly and accommodating, and even accepting of his Yonkers accent. Soon he’s settled into this place where he can earn money and enjoy the grand surroundings. Conor is a handsome lad and fit, too. He’s never has a problem attracting members of the opposite sex, and soon he’s being tempted by a the mysterious Catherine – a woman double his age and who, despite paying him double the price he quoted for lessons, seems somewhat disengaged with the sport. Before long, we are to have a replay of the Mrs Robinson moment from The Graduate.
But then Conor meets Emily, someone his own age who he finds he can identify with and who he connects with in a completely different (largely non-sexual) way. He’s now conflicted: he’s attracted by his physical relationship with Catherine, but he also values his time with Emily. Is it going to be possible to maintain one relationship whilst also building another? What follows has an element of farce about it as he desperately tries to juggle his meetings with the pair, keen as he is to keep each from becoming aware of their rival for his affections.
To this point Conor has seemed like a good guy, a young man who is simply trying to get through the summer, earn some money, have some fun, and also study for an upcoming bar exam that will enable him to forge a future career in law. But it’s clear that he’s increasingly being drawn to this life of wealth and luxury. Well, that's human nature, isn’t it? We start to see a different side to Conor. And then it all kicks off, with a dramatic happening that changes everything. From this point on it’s a helter-skelter ride to the finish.
I’d really enjoyed a couple of Wayne’s previous novels (those I referenced above) and there are some similarities here: young ambitious men with college experience at the centre of events, a sense of class divide and conflict, and also a feeling that what you see isn’t necessarily what you get. I find the author to be skilled at getting under the skin of interesting characters of developing intriguing stories that draw me in. This tale was another success for me. The question here is, what does being a winner mean? Does it mean staying true to your values and achieving success through hard work and ability? Or is it simply achieving success through any means possible? Well, the jury is out on that one.
July 2, 2024
I’m not sure if I read the same book that others are raving about. I found this book to be laden with misogyny, gross. The women “characters” were weak, pathetic and merely a vessel for the main characters sexual pleasure. After reading this book I even found the title to be repulsive.
June 25, 2024
Wait, what?! Did this book really just end the way I think it did?? I am beyond baffled as to how this book could be published and getting decent ratings and being recommended by independent bookstores (that's how I found it). Connor, the main character, is literally a bumbling idiot: a reactive, self-loathing, completely unlikeable liar and sex & money addict. He has no redeeming qualities and Emily...let's not get started on her codependency issues. The plot was ridiculous and the ending...ugh the ending. I highly suggest you do not waste your time with this book- I regret doing it.
June 13, 2024
I have had this on my most anticipated releases list almost all year long, so I'm bummed to say that it didn't live up to my expectations. It wants to be literary fiction, but the writing is pretty pedestrian and doesn't trust its readers to interpret or understand anything so like nothing is left implied. Everything is fully, thoroughly explained, which leaves no room for mystery or hidden agendas or surprises and also is just annoying, please trust us to get what you are saying.
Additionally, I don't think it's saying anything new about wealth or privilege or the people who want those things, so it's not even an interesting addition to that canon.
To make matters worse, it becomes at 60% through a kind of thriller that honestly doesn't make sense and makes the story even less interesting. I was baffled by this turn.
Add to this that the female characters are cardboard cutouts with no real inner depth and the changes to the main character don't feel like the motivation is very thoroughly built up such that his actions in the third act feel very shallow. If you want something half baked but dishy that skewers the rich and social climbers alike, I'd suggest watching Saltburn rather than reading this.
Rating for the audiobook narrator: 3 stars. Workmanlike.
Additionally, I don't think it's saying anything new about wealth or privilege or the people who want those things, so it's not even an interesting addition to that canon.
To make matters worse, it becomes at 60% through a kind of thriller that honestly doesn't make sense and makes the story even less interesting. I was baffled by this turn.
Add to this that the female characters are cardboard cutouts with no real inner depth and the changes to the main character don't feel like the motivation is very thoroughly built up such that his actions in the third act feel very shallow. If you want something half baked but dishy that skewers the rich and social climbers alike, I'd suggest watching Saltburn rather than reading this.
Rating for the audiobook narrator: 3 stars. Workmanlike.
September 17, 2025
5 Stars
July 30, 2024
This read differently than the Teddy Wayne I'm used to. Without a doubt more salacious, it was also not quite pedestrian, but not the typical wordsmith fare that I was expecting. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and is likely right in keeping with the tenor of the story. Maybe I just need more time to sit with it. At the end of the day, it was a Teddy Wayne novel, so of course the MC is not what he thinks himself to be and that is a treat to read, as is the commentary on social class. Still, I couldn't help but feel some of it tied up too neatly. 4 stars
November 20, 2024
For the first half of this book, I was humming, "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson..." It was so similar to or even derivative of The Graduate, what with our main character, a tennis pro from the wrong side of the tracks giving lessons to the extremely wealthy and elite, on the receiving end of sexual attention from a woman double his age...
... and then entering a relationship with her daughter. I found myself disappointed in Teddy Wayne, who I have loved since reading Loner years ago, and then Apartment, both smart, compulsively readable books featuring truly flawed main characters. I kept wondering in the reading of The Winner, when is Teddy Wayne going to do something different, something unique, with this story? The idea of a tennis lesson turned sexy is cliché as hell (oh, come and show me how you swing your racket, Mr. Tennis).
Eventually he does go off and beyond Graduate territory, but it seemed obviously mechanical the way he raised the stakes and gave his main character so much to lose. It was obvious too, that Mr. Tennis wasn't a good person, with a name like Conor O'Toole. The play on words (con-man, for one) isn't exactly subtle.
There were a few sort of (dare I say) lazy aspects to the writing. For example, someone outrageously wealthy would have staff who work in the house, rather than living solo, making it a breeze for someone to come in and out of the mansion, playing cleanup for misdeeds and whatnot. Does this tycoon do her own laundry and vacuum all her 30 bedrooms, polish her bowling alley herself, buy her own groceries and prepare all her own meals? I think not.
There's also a TON of inner monologue, in which Mr. Tennis recounts again and again what he has done and why it's unforgivable and/or why it's justified. As though the reader has forgotten? How could we?
So, while it's an entirely competent thriller, and I blasted through it with a certain enjoyment and attention, I found myself disappointed. I have higher expectations of Teddy Wayne as a writer. This felt like it was edging too far into general fiction territory for my liking. There wasn't much running underneath the plot, nothing for me to really sink my teeth into.
At least these two had a lot of fun.
... and then entering a relationship with her daughter. I found myself disappointed in Teddy Wayne, who I have loved since reading Loner years ago, and then Apartment, both smart, compulsively readable books featuring truly flawed main characters. I kept wondering in the reading of The Winner, when is Teddy Wayne going to do something different, something unique, with this story? The idea of a tennis lesson turned sexy is cliché as hell (oh, come and show me how you swing your racket, Mr. Tennis).
Eventually he does go off and beyond Graduate territory, but it seemed obviously mechanical the way he raised the stakes and gave his main character so much to lose. It was obvious too, that Mr. Tennis wasn't a good person, with a name like Conor O'Toole. The play on words (con-man, for one) isn't exactly subtle.
There were a few sort of (dare I say) lazy aspects to the writing. For example, someone outrageously wealthy would have staff who work in the house, rather than living solo, making it a breeze for someone to come in and out of the mansion, playing cleanup for misdeeds and whatnot. Does this tycoon do her own laundry and vacuum all her 30 bedrooms, polish her bowling alley herself, buy her own groceries and prepare all her own meals? I think not.
There's also a TON of inner monologue, in which Mr. Tennis recounts again and again what he has done and why it's unforgivable and/or why it's justified. As though the reader has forgotten? How could we?
So, while it's an entirely competent thriller, and I blasted through it with a certain enjoyment and attention, I found myself disappointed. I have higher expectations of Teddy Wayne as a writer. This felt like it was edging too far into general fiction territory for my liking. There wasn't much running underneath the plot, nothing for me to really sink my teeth into.
At least these two had a lot of fun.
July 31, 2024
Only a man could’ve written this. Misogyny on every page. Ugh. It’s so bad.
July 18, 2024
4.5/5
When I saw the cover of The Winner by Teddy Wayne I totally thought it was going to be a thriller. The truth of the matter is that it was more literary fiction with a hint of mystery of the will he or won't he variety. I can't even remember where or why I saw this book, but I am so glad I did because I ended up completely devouring it. No one in the story is likable, and frankly, what Conor does is super gross, but I just could not look away. The plot was character-driven in my opinion which usually means the pacing is slower, but not this time! It moved at a very steady clip, and I was captured by the suspense that develops and holds fast to the end.
I did listen to the audiobook which is narrated by Charlie Thurston, and I thought he did an excellent job. He made me feel very connected to Conor's character and even though I should have hated him, I didn't. I am going to chalk that up to Thurston's expertise and performance. I was really worried about what kind of ending I would get from The Winner, and while I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it, I'm not mad at it either. I felt a lot of emotions during this book, and it was completely wild at the same time. I've never read Wayne before and now I'm really curious about his other work which seems totally different!
When I saw the cover of The Winner by Teddy Wayne I totally thought it was going to be a thriller. The truth of the matter is that it was more literary fiction with a hint of mystery of the will he or won't he variety. I can't even remember where or why I saw this book, but I am so glad I did because I ended up completely devouring it. No one in the story is likable, and frankly, what Conor does is super gross, but I just could not look away. The plot was character-driven in my opinion which usually means the pacing is slower, but not this time! It moved at a very steady clip, and I was captured by the suspense that develops and holds fast to the end.
I did listen to the audiobook which is narrated by Charlie Thurston, and I thought he did an excellent job. He made me feel very connected to Conor's character and even though I should have hated him, I didn't. I am going to chalk that up to Thurston's expertise and performance. I was really worried about what kind of ending I would get from The Winner, and while I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it, I'm not mad at it either. I felt a lot of emotions during this book, and it was completely wild at the same time. I've never read Wayne before and now I'm really curious about his other work which seems totally different!
August 8, 2024
I initially gave this two stars but have been stewing about the book all morning so I just revised it to one star.
This thing is really just a spoiled-male fantasy - celebrating himself for pulling himself up by his bootstraps (really a benefactor made it all happen), he's SO handsome he tears through life having non-stop casual encounters, he is his mother's savior, he has ongoing sex with a wealthy mother and daughter and successfully keeps the secret, and then gets away with murder, all while being offered a prestigious law firm job because he was just so dang honest in his interview, and plotting to take over his new wife's inheritance.
I saw nothing redeeming about the plot or characters (they're all pretty awful people). I'm hoping the author wrote this intentionally to showcase a wealthy shit show, but even if it was on purpose you'll just find yourself cringing after, and annoyed that you spent so much time on this jerk of a protagonist.
This thing is really just a spoiled-male fantasy - celebrating himself for pulling himself up by his bootstraps (really a benefactor made it all happen), he's SO handsome he tears through life having non-stop casual encounters, he is his mother's savior, he has ongoing sex with a wealthy mother and daughter and successfully keeps the secret, and then gets away with murder, all while being offered a prestigious law firm job because he was just so dang honest in his interview, and plotting to take over his new wife's inheritance.
I saw nothing redeeming about the plot or characters (they're all pretty awful people). I'm hoping the author wrote this intentionally to showcase a wealthy shit show, but even if it was on purpose you'll just find yourself cringing after, and annoyed that you spent so much time on this jerk of a protagonist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2024
You think you’re a good person, but you’re not. At one point in this novel, that’s the message a young woman texts to Conor, the book’s protagonist, after he’s sent her an ASAP-post-hookup breakup text shortly after basically kicking her out of bed. The message kicks him hard right back in the self-satisfaction: after all, he could have just ghosted her, right?
The woman’s message also echoes a common theme in Wayne’s novels and a common characteristic of his protagonists, who are often not nearly as good as they think they are and, in the case of Conor, also not quite as good at being bad as they may think they are either. The key question is who will win in the end, and in Wayne’s book as in life these days, that’s a complicated one since winning is often determined by a multitude of factors other than sheer merit, including luck and good fortune, who is going up against whom, what strategies are employed, and how various types and combinations of privilege battle out like a grotesque game of Rock, Scissors, Paper played between members of a corrupt oligarchy and a Trojan Horse-hiding outsider/insider.
Wayne’s books are constantly cringe-inducing psychological thrillers whose pages effortlessly turn as we watch all this unfold, wanting to see what happens while also knowing that nothing good will come of any of it and that there will be no true winners we can really get behind in the end. While his books usually entail more of a quiet and genteel violence, this one is more cinematic, sordid, and pulpy. I’m pretty sure all seven venal sins are prominently featured? It may turn off some readers, but it could and probably should be made into a movie.
In all, this is sort of like if Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby somehow had a brother who was a total sociopath and making his grand debut into adulthood in the roaring 2020s. A fun and thought-provoking read even if it leaves you feeling dirty enough to want to jump off a dock and rinse off.
The woman’s message also echoes a common theme in Wayne’s novels and a common characteristic of his protagonists, who are often not nearly as good as they think they are and, in the case of Conor, also not quite as good at being bad as they may think they are either. The key question is who will win in the end, and in Wayne’s book as in life these days, that’s a complicated one since winning is often determined by a multitude of factors other than sheer merit, including luck and good fortune, who is going up against whom, what strategies are employed, and how various types and combinations of privilege battle out like a grotesque game of Rock, Scissors, Paper played between members of a corrupt oligarchy and a Trojan Horse-hiding outsider/insider.
Wayne’s books are constantly cringe-inducing psychological thrillers whose pages effortlessly turn as we watch all this unfold, wanting to see what happens while also knowing that nothing good will come of any of it and that there will be no true winners we can really get behind in the end. While his books usually entail more of a quiet and genteel violence, this one is more cinematic, sordid, and pulpy. I’m pretty sure all seven venal sins are prominently featured? It may turn off some readers, but it could and probably should be made into a movie.
In all, this is sort of like if Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby somehow had a brother who was a total sociopath and making his grand debut into adulthood in the roaring 2020s. A fun and thought-provoking read even if it leaves you feeling dirty enough to want to jump off a dock and rinse off.
March 19, 2025
3.75 stars
Saltburn + Patricia Highsmith, The Winner is like a classy psychological thriller from yesteryear, dressed up with topical, contemporary elements (tennis, the ultra-rich, salacious activities, and on a less pleasant note, Covid-19). Not at all twisty, but a slow burn human drama that builds steadily towards a pivotal incident, and letting the reader along for the ride as the protagonist trying to untangle from its aftermath. Highly recommend the audiobook—the narrator really embodies the protagonist's persona, and the prose flows smoothly as a listening experience.
The downside of The Winner is its lack of a true surprise—not only is its own synopsis overly revealing (glad I didn't read through it before starting), if I go through a particular Patricia Highsmith novel (it would be too much of a spoiler to mention), I can potentially match up the equivalent characters / events between the two novels. Still, personally I have a soft spot for stories about a morally-ambiguous underdog scheming the riches, and this one, even with the déjà vu, remains handsomely assembled and engrossing.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
Saltburn + Patricia Highsmith, The Winner is like a classy psychological thriller from yesteryear, dressed up with topical, contemporary elements (tennis, the ultra-rich, salacious activities, and on a less pleasant note, Covid-19). Not at all twisty, but a slow burn human drama that builds steadily towards a pivotal incident, and letting the reader along for the ride as the protagonist trying to untangle from its aftermath. Highly recommend the audiobook—the narrator really embodies the protagonist's persona, and the prose flows smoothly as a listening experience.
The downside of The Winner is its lack of a true surprise—not only is its own synopsis overly revealing (glad I didn't read through it before starting), if I go through a particular Patricia Highsmith novel (it would be too much of a spoiler to mention), I can potentially match up the equivalent characters / events between the two novels. Still, personally I have a soft spot for stories about a morally-ambiguous underdog scheming the riches, and this one, even with the déjà vu, remains handsomely assembled and engrossing.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
August 9, 2024
I cannot believe I anticipated and waited to read this poorly written plot after Vanity Fair recommended such misogynistic drivel. One of the worst books in bookstores! I wanted to quit this several times, and should have, but I needed to see it through to the tedious end. Nothing of quality or substance on these pages. The disgusting treatment of women, the despicable characters, the ending, the title- absolute rubbish. 0.25/5
February 2, 2024
Conor O’Toole is financially struggling young law school graduate who falls into a Tennis Pro job in a small gated community in the Cape Cod area. He works on drumming up business while he studies for the bar exam every night. He is a sympathetic character, charismatic and with a small chip on his shoulder about his upbringing. Every step he takes towards financial freedom lands him further in financial jail as he shoulders his law degree bill, his mother's diabetes medication and other bills that accumulated when he was a child. You are really enjoying his journey and rooting for him for sure! When his path crosses the very wealthy and very single Catherine, he makes a decision that will change the trajectory of his life.
The first half of this book was incredibly well written and I hung on every word. It seemed familiar though -like a story I had read before. BAM! What happens mid way and the rest of the story is literally a roller coaster off the rails. Teddy Wayne was able to shock me, convince me, and keep me captive until the very last page. If you like thrillers, this is a new one for you!
#harper #thewinner #teddywayne
The first half of this book was incredibly well written and I hung on every word. It seemed familiar though -like a story I had read before. BAM! What happens mid way and the rest of the story is literally a roller coaster off the rails. Teddy Wayne was able to shock me, convince me, and keep me captive until the very last page. If you like thrillers, this is a new one for you!
#harper #thewinner #teddywayne
January 28, 2025
I was curious about the ending of The Winner, and it isn't resolved until the very end. I liked the setting of the book, but most of the characters and plot did not seem plausible at all. The ending disappointed me, but maybe leaves room for a sequel?
August 3, 2024
First of all this is more of a comedy by how ridiculous it is, could not stop laughing. Second, that ending was BS. Lastly, I agree with the review that said this was clearly written by a man 🤣
August 22, 2024
Could have used more tennis
December 8, 2024
I’m president of the Teddy Wayne fan club. This was great. Keep writing forever Teddy Wayne.
February 15, 2025
TW/CW: Language, drinking, smoking, sexual abuse, toxic family relationships, pandemic, sex, misogyny, sexism
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Conor O’Toole has never been anywhere as casually glamorous as Cutters Neck, a gated community near Cape Cod. It’s a sweet deal for the summer: free lodging in a guest cottage in exchange for tennis lessons, luxuriously far from the cramped Yonkers apartment he shares with his diabetic mother.
In this oceanfront paradise, however, new clients prove hard to come by, and Conor has bills to pay. Then a sharp-tongued divorcée appears, offering him double his usual rate. Soon he realizes Catherine is expecting additional, off-the-court services for her money, and Conor tumbles into a secret erotic affair unlike anything he’s experienced before.
Despite his steamy flings with a woman twice his age, he simultaneously finds himself falling for the artsy, outspoken girl he met on the beach. Conor somehow finds a way to manage this tangled web—until he makes one final, irreversible mistake.
Release Date: May 28th, 2024
Genre: Fiction (pretending to be a thriller)
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Nothing
What I Didn't Like:
1. Too much to list
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
We get it you learned what the word gauche means and now we have to hear it so many times.
This lady keeps offering to pay him more and more but she hasn't even paid him one time and he keeps falling for it. There's no way a man could be this naive.
So is this just a book about hand jobs and older ladies being horny.
Final Thoughts:
I dnfed this at page 80 because every page felt like I was getting dumber and dumber our lead character is pathetic and a loser. I hated him.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Conor O’Toole has never been anywhere as casually glamorous as Cutters Neck, a gated community near Cape Cod. It’s a sweet deal for the summer: free lodging in a guest cottage in exchange for tennis lessons, luxuriously far from the cramped Yonkers apartment he shares with his diabetic mother.
In this oceanfront paradise, however, new clients prove hard to come by, and Conor has bills to pay. Then a sharp-tongued divorcée appears, offering him double his usual rate. Soon he realizes Catherine is expecting additional, off-the-court services for her money, and Conor tumbles into a secret erotic affair unlike anything he’s experienced before.
Despite his steamy flings with a woman twice his age, he simultaneously finds himself falling for the artsy, outspoken girl he met on the beach. Conor somehow finds a way to manage this tangled web—until he makes one final, irreversible mistake.
Release Date: May 28th, 2024
Genre: Fiction (pretending to be a thriller)
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Nothing
What I Didn't Like:
1. Too much to list
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
We get it you learned what the word gauche means and now we have to hear it so many times.
This lady keeps offering to pay him more and more but she hasn't even paid him one time and he keeps falling for it. There's no way a man could be this naive.
So is this just a book about hand jobs and older ladies being horny.
Final Thoughts:
I dnfed this at page 80 because every page felt like I was getting dumber and dumber our lead character is pathetic and a loser. I hated him.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 17, 2024
Absolutely wild, just as I hoped & expected from Teddy Wayne. He has a way of creating these insufferable yet plain main characters who think they’re good guys, but it’s slowly revealed to you that they’re not. His books are like a trainwreck that you just can't look away from – seeing his supposedly "good guy" characters bury themselves in a deep, deep hole. His writing is just deliciously cringey and addictive and perfectly executed.
In The Winner, we're in very early COVID days on Cutters Neck, a very wealthy East Coast community. Enter Conor O'Toole, a recent New York Law School grad who grew up poor in Yonkers and needs a way of making money for the summer while he's studying for the bar. He's an incredible tennis player and has secured a gig living rent-free in the beautiful Cutters community offering lessons as a tennis pro. Soon enough, an older divorcée on the neck offers to pay him double for his lessons and he realizes she wants more than just tennis – he reluctantly agrees and embarks on a torrid love affair with her. But when another more age-appropriate crush emerges, Conor is left in an incredibly delicate situation that - as you can imagine - quickly devolves.
I adore Teddy Wayne's writing style, his characters, and his cringe-inducing plots. This one is simply no different - if you've liked his previous books, you'll love this one.
In The Winner, we're in very early COVID days on Cutters Neck, a very wealthy East Coast community. Enter Conor O'Toole, a recent New York Law School grad who grew up poor in Yonkers and needs a way of making money for the summer while he's studying for the bar. He's an incredible tennis player and has secured a gig living rent-free in the beautiful Cutters community offering lessons as a tennis pro. Soon enough, an older divorcée on the neck offers to pay him double for his lessons and he realizes she wants more than just tennis – he reluctantly agrees and embarks on a torrid love affair with her. But when another more age-appropriate crush emerges, Conor is left in an incredibly delicate situation that - as you can imagine - quickly devolves.
I adore Teddy Wayne's writing style, his characters, and his cringe-inducing plots. This one is simply no different - if you've liked his previous books, you'll love this one.
Read
June 21, 20251 ⭐️ want ik kan niet geloven dat dit het daglicht heeft gezien en laat staan dat het vertaald is. Iemand schreef als review ‘only a man could have written this’ en dat is precies waar. De auteur heeft eens gemerkt dat ‘seks verkoopt’ en dat expliciete boeken steeds populairder zijn. Hij dacht, wacht dat kan ik ook! Het resultaat? Een boek waarbij de hoofdpersoon (man, 25) een zomer tennislessen gaat geven in een rijke villabuurt. Daar word hij echter gigolo voor een vrouw (49). Dit seksuele fantasietje was niet genoeg, hij word ook verliefd op iemand van zijn leeftijd dat - oh nee - de dochter van blijkt te zijn. Nu neukt hij moeder én dochter, wat moet hij toch doen?! Na ongeveer 60% in het boek loopt het natuurlijk een beetje uit de hand, maar spannend word het nooit. Al met al was dit boek vrij lachwekkend en absurd, en uiteraard vrouwonvriendelijk, maar was het serieus en spannend bedoelt. Niet gelukt dus.
June 23, 2024
I almost gave up on this book at about page 50, but thought maybe the protogonist will redeem himself or not be a total jackass. Unfortunately, as it went on it became clear that Conor O'Toole is a schmuck, in every possible connotation of the word (look it up in Yiddish if you need). For the first half of the book, that's what Conor thinks with.
I think he was going for a remake of Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" with the film "The Graduate" thrown in. Perhaps a twist of Highsmith's "Mr. Ripley." It didn't work for me; it's more like Levin's "A Kiss Before Dying" (that also ripped off Dreiser), but nowhere near as good. The only thing that kept me going was the hope that Conor would be discovered and suffer the consequences. Spoiler - he got caught and got away with it and even more.
For some reason, being lectured about income and class inequality over and over was supposed to make Conor's decisions justified. At the beginning he was motivated by trying to help pay for his mom's insulin and his student debt. He slept with a townie but she's not worthy of him - so much for class egalitarianism for Conor. He shouldn't have to care about people BELOW him in social status.
Apparently the rich are different. REALLY REALLY REALLY different. Several more pages on outrage because they have things Conor doesn't......they get away with crimes against each other for which he would have been jailed, etc.
But wait, what if he can become a criminal to get them? What if he can manipulate a 23 year old who has been institutionalized in a psych facility multiple times to become one of them? That's cool, right? Why shouldn't he do it?
But I'm skipping ahead. First, he becomes a whore/gigolo (pick your term) to a cougar who chases him blatantly and he eventually caves. (He didn't put up much of a fight). He is surprised at how debased that makes him feel; remember, Conor is supposed to be smart. Then, cue "The Graduate": he falls in love with her daughter - the psych patient - but the sex isn't good and he wants money so he keeps seeing mom. He can't make up his mind as to which relationship is more important. We wait for the payoff when one of them finds out and then we go into Ripley territory as he commits a crime to keep it quiet.
But we never find out HOW the mom learns about the daughter. And given the cover-up of the crime, wouldn't you think it would be important to know WHO ELSE knows about the mom relationship? Huge plot hole.
Conor isn't Ripley - I don't believe he could manage to be this lucky. In the only original plot thread, he wreaks emotional abuse on the daughter - every time she thinks of separating from him, Conor sets her up to be more dependent. Even Conor's mom doesn't seem to approve. Just because she's rich doesn't mean it's okay to manipulate the mentally ill.
A one word review: Yuck.
I think he was going for a remake of Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" with the film "The Graduate" thrown in. Perhaps a twist of Highsmith's "Mr. Ripley." It didn't work for me; it's more like Levin's "A Kiss Before Dying" (that also ripped off Dreiser), but nowhere near as good. The only thing that kept me going was the hope that Conor would be discovered and suffer the consequences. Spoiler - he got caught and got away with it and even more.
For some reason, being lectured about income and class inequality over and over was supposed to make Conor's decisions justified. At the beginning he was motivated by trying to help pay for his mom's insulin and his student debt. He slept with a townie but she's not worthy of him - so much for class egalitarianism for Conor. He shouldn't have to care about people BELOW him in social status.
Apparently the rich are different. REALLY REALLY REALLY different. Several more pages on outrage because they have things Conor doesn't......they get away with crimes against each other for which he would have been jailed, etc.
But wait, what if he can become a criminal to get them? What if he can manipulate a 23 year old who has been institutionalized in a psych facility multiple times to become one of them? That's cool, right? Why shouldn't he do it?
But I'm skipping ahead. First, he becomes a whore/gigolo (pick your term) to a cougar who chases him blatantly and he eventually caves. (He didn't put up much of a fight). He is surprised at how debased that makes him feel; remember, Conor is supposed to be smart. Then, cue "The Graduate": he falls in love with her daughter - the psych patient - but the sex isn't good and he wants money so he keeps seeing mom. He can't make up his mind as to which relationship is more important. We wait for the payoff when one of them finds out and then we go into Ripley territory as he commits a crime to keep it quiet.
But we never find out HOW the mom learns about the daughter. And given the cover-up of the crime, wouldn't you think it would be important to know WHO ELSE knows about the mom relationship? Huge plot hole.
Conor isn't Ripley - I don't believe he could manage to be this lucky. In the only original plot thread, he wreaks emotional abuse on the daughter - every time she thinks of separating from him, Conor sets her up to be more dependent. Even Conor's mom doesn't seem to approve. Just because she's rich doesn't mean it's okay to manipulate the mentally ill.
A one word review: Yuck.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2024
The first 1/4 of this book was too much tennis and not enough action. BUT once the action started??? Whew. This was a wild one. I devoured it. I vividly saw this play out as a lifetime suspense movie 😂
The conversation this provokes regarding class differentials is a great layer for a novel that seems just salacious on the surface.
The conversation this provokes regarding class differentials is a great layer for a novel that seems just salacious on the surface.
September 25, 2025
If you like your beach reads misogynistic rather than meet-cutes, then this is the book for you! Beyond atrocious.
August 13, 2025
A modern retelling of The Graduate but written by Patricia Highsmith. This is a dark thriller that keeps you guessing and I loved it! I hope he writes a sequel….!
June 24, 2024
Nope, sorry no!!! I was so engaged during the first few chapters when the main character was on his way to teach tennis lessons for the summer. The writing was great, I thought this would be a wonderful story, but it quickly became something else altogether.
Does anyone remember Dustin Hoffman in “The Graduate?” I’ve read the theme of this story before, but this was so ridiculous & disappointing. Nope!
The female characters??? Come on, seriously?
Does anyone remember Dustin Hoffman in “The Graduate?” I’ve read the theme of this story before, but this was so ridiculous & disappointing. Nope!
The female characters??? Come on, seriously?
October 5, 2024
Wow I’ve been really lucky to read several good books in a row. I absolutely LOVED this one. Conor was being paid to sleep with an almost 50 year old woman and falling in love with a girl at the same time. Come to find out ? They know each other. This love triangle becomes more complicate than you could ever imagine. Recommend! Recommend! Recommend!
4 stars instead of 5 because I wished more for the ending.
4 stars instead of 5 because I wished more for the ending.
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