3.75 rounded up - thank you so much to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of Set Point in exchange for an honest review.
Queer 👏 sports 👏 romance! We love to see it. The second tennis romance I’ve read, I still want more!
Inés Costa, previous Grand Slam champion, is returning to tennis after recovering from injuries. The tides change quickly in tennis though, and she keeps finding herself in the company of new sensation Chloe Murphy. These two have a complicated history, and Inés struggles to hide her animosity towards her brash, anti-social rival.
When the two find themselves unexpectedly paired up for a doubles match at a charity tournament, they have to learn to communicate and work together. It doesn’t take long for the tension to escalate into something more, and soon balls aren’t the only thing flying…(sparks, it’s sparks.)
This was pretty cute! A sapphic sports romance was a lovely change of pace, and the intense, solo nature of tennis was the perfect backdrop for this story.
Inés was fierce, resilient and secure in who she is. Her drive to succeed in her tennis comeback, as well as to protect those she loves, was inspiring. I didn’t love the root of her issues with Chloe, as it felt contradictory to her confidence - she isn’t insecure! But I suppose everyone has vulnerabilities.
Chloe was a bit more complicated, which I appreciated. Her family dynamic is terrible, that poor girl! I do feel that more could have been done with that though, the confrontation was a bit disappointing! Seeing how Inés brings her out of herself and builds her up was lovely 🖤
While this was cute, I wasn’t wow-ed by the romance. I need more yearning with my rivals to lovers please, and I didn’t feel it between these two unfortunately. Their chemistry was good but not great..they had some decent banter though!
If you’re looking for a sports romance that is dual POV/rivals to lovers/forced proximity/pro athletes/sapphic, this is a game set match for you!