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Love Means Zero
A chance encounter in a Rome hotel, two tremendously damaging photographs, and Hilton Joliet’s life is instantly altered. Previously working a dead-end job as an assistant in a portrait studio, she is now a freelance photographer for Game Set Match magazine, “the Us Weekly of tennis,” as she calls it.Thrown rapidly into a jet-setting life of world-class tennis, the best seats at the best matches, and trailing the hottest young tennis stars and their model and actress girlfriends, Hilton, a former tennis player herself, can’t imagine a more fun job or a better way to jump-start her career while her boyfriend Luke finishes law school.As Hilton spends more and more time away from home, grows closer and closer to Tanner Bruin—the world-ranked No. 3 player on whom she’s always had a huge crush—and becomes more and more hated by Aubrey Gage—the actress girlfriend of world-ranked No. 6 player Haidin Bayliss—Luke keeps a secret from her that could drastically change their six-year relationship. It is through Hilton’s discovery of that secret, her love for the tennis tour, and her front-row glimpse into its most high-profile relationships that she starts to see how love doesn’t always mean near as much as she thought it did.
517 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2010
6 people want to read
About the author
Daisy Jordan
29 books12 followersI am a YA and women's fiction author. I love writing because I get to capture emotions people feel in everyday life and play with my readers' emotions! ;) I write characters people can relate to, and I almost always end a book with a cliffhanger to keep my readers coming back. Plus, life is always better with a little suspense! ;) My books are mostly about relationships and everyday life, with some extra plot twists thrown in for fun! My characters reappear from one novel to the next, and even when they're not main characters in the current book, you can still get updates on their lives. I travel whenever I can, I love animals and helping animal organizations, and I am slightly obsessed w/ men's pro tennis, the shows Revenge and Friends, the Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight movie trilogy, the 1920s, New York City, Paris, song lyrics, and many many books! :) You can find me online at: daisyjordan.com, facebook.com/AuthorDaisyJordan, twitter.com/daisyjordan06 (@daisyjordan06), authordaisyjordan.wordpress.com, and pinterest.com/daisyjordan06.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2010
When I first started reading this book, I loved it. It was fun and exciting, and there were references to things I remembered from my high school and college days (references to Friends that I could totally relate to, for one). It was fun and somewhat nostalgic.
But, by about halfway through, it started to get old. Everything was happy, sunny, rosy. Hilton had big break after big break after big break, and it's so unrealistic. Ninety-nine percent of the time, life just doesn't happen that way. For anyone. Now, granted, I say that with little knowledge of the culture around professional tennis, but still. It's not like it's a different planet! ;-)
I still liked Hilton (for the most part – more to come) and the tennis scene, and wanted to see how things came together. And that's what kept me reading, despite the feeling that the book is just too dang long. For me, the middle third (roughly) just dragged on and on. I think a lot of the descriptive stuff could be omitted, as well as much of the way-too-detailed tennis stuff, to make this a tighter story. There were too many moments of, "oh, c'mon! Get on with the story already!"
As I just said, I mostly liked Hilton, until the latter portion of the book. I felt like she was as much of a bitch as she thought others were. Her attitude was just so hostile. So, Haidin was a bit of a jerk, but she didn't know him – just saw him. And working for him, I can't imagine any employer allowing his assistant to act the way she did at first.
Another thing I didn't like was that I felt there was an excessive amount of profanity – especially the F-bomb. While I get that some people curse like sailors, not everyone does. The fact that just about every character in this book had a potty mouth was quite annoying. Yes, almost everyone swears occasionally, and some more than others, but I don't think people swear as much as they do in this book. At least not based on my own life experiences! And, really, when the narrator is swearing left and right (in a third-person book), to me that's just way over the top.
I did like the latter fourth (or so) of the book. There was more action (although still some over-descriptiveness), and the plot finally went somewhere. I saw things coming into place, and was satisfied with most of the angles and how they played out. That said, the ending was unfulfilling. There are too many questions for me to be happy. Too many things left up in the air. What I didn't realize before now is that apparently this is one book of several about these characters. Hopefully there's one in the works that ties up Hilton's loose ends. That said, yes, I will seek out the other books already published. I liked the characters enough to want to read what's already been written about them. And I hope to read future books by Daisy Jordan, too.
But, by about halfway through, it started to get old. Everything was happy, sunny, rosy. Hilton had big break after big break after big break, and it's so unrealistic. Ninety-nine percent of the time, life just doesn't happen that way. For anyone. Now, granted, I say that with little knowledge of the culture around professional tennis, but still. It's not like it's a different planet! ;-)
I still liked Hilton (for the most part – more to come) and the tennis scene, and wanted to see how things came together. And that's what kept me reading, despite the feeling that the book is just too dang long. For me, the middle third (roughly) just dragged on and on. I think a lot of the descriptive stuff could be omitted, as well as much of the way-too-detailed tennis stuff, to make this a tighter story. There were too many moments of, "oh, c'mon! Get on with the story already!"
As I just said, I mostly liked Hilton, until the latter portion of the book. I felt like she was as much of a bitch as she thought others were. Her attitude was just so hostile. So, Haidin was a bit of a jerk, but she didn't know him – just saw him. And working for him, I can't imagine any employer allowing his assistant to act the way she did at first.
Another thing I didn't like was that I felt there was an excessive amount of profanity – especially the F-bomb. While I get that some people curse like sailors, not everyone does. The fact that just about every character in this book had a potty mouth was quite annoying. Yes, almost everyone swears occasionally, and some more than others, but I don't think people swear as much as they do in this book. At least not based on my own life experiences! And, really, when the narrator is swearing left and right (in a third-person book), to me that's just way over the top.
I did like the latter fourth (or so) of the book. There was more action (although still some over-descriptiveness), and the plot finally went somewhere. I saw things coming into place, and was satisfied with most of the angles and how they played out. That said, the ending was unfulfilling. There are too many questions for me to be happy. Too many things left up in the air. What I didn't realize before now is that apparently this is one book of several about these characters. Hopefully there's one in the works that ties up Hilton's loose ends. That said, yes, I will seek out the other books already published. I liked the characters enough to want to read what's already been written about them. And I hope to read future books by Daisy Jordan, too.
July 14, 2015
WARNINGS: Totally Addictive. There is cussing and sex, but there isn't a lot of details.
Awesome book for tennis lovers or pretty much anyone. This is the most perfect book for me. I love tennis, photography, romance, humor, friends, and a little drama. I love this book so much. It is definitely a favorite. I love the way Jordan writes. I felt like I was living with the characters and felt their conflicts, thrills, love, happiness, sadness, everything.
It felt really great to see the characters grow and change over the year. Everyone changed and it really shows how everyone is different after every year. Hilton was definitely my favorite female character. She's very likable; she's human and she has the best job in the world! I would love to do what Hilton does. (She's a photographer for Game Set Match and goes to all of the tennis tournaments. Awesome!)
Every character was unique. Some of the lesser friends did kind of blend together, just a bit. However, I loved all of the characters none the less. Todd was my favorite male character. He was hilarious, sweet, and just stood out to me.
One thing that broke my heart was the ending. It just ended. I have no clue what might have happened. Usually, I like to let my mind wonder about what would've happened next. But for this book. No. Not at all. I wanted to read what was coming next. I just want to know more!!!
Addict's Last Words: This book was so addictive. I couldn't stop thinking about it while I was reading it and after I finished. It lingered on my mind for at least 2 weeks. I would love to live in this book.
To Buy or To Borrow: BUY! I finished reading it about a month ago and posting this review has made me want to re-read it. I'm proud to have this book on my bookshelf permanently.
Awesome book for tennis lovers or pretty much anyone. This is the most perfect book for me. I love tennis, photography, romance, humor, friends, and a little drama. I love this book so much. It is definitely a favorite. I love the way Jordan writes. I felt like I was living with the characters and felt their conflicts, thrills, love, happiness, sadness, everything.
It felt really great to see the characters grow and change over the year. Everyone changed and it really shows how everyone is different after every year. Hilton was definitely my favorite female character. She's very likable; she's human and she has the best job in the world! I would love to do what Hilton does. (She's a photographer for Game Set Match and goes to all of the tennis tournaments. Awesome!)
Every character was unique. Some of the lesser friends did kind of blend together, just a bit. However, I loved all of the characters none the less. Todd was my favorite male character. He was hilarious, sweet, and just stood out to me.
One thing that broke my heart was the ending. It just ended. I have no clue what might have happened. Usually, I like to let my mind wonder about what would've happened next. But for this book. No. Not at all. I wanted to read what was coming next. I just want to know more!!!
Addict's Last Words: This book was so addictive. I couldn't stop thinking about it while I was reading it and after I finished. It lingered on my mind for at least 2 weeks. I would love to live in this book.
To Buy or To Borrow: BUY! I finished reading it about a month ago and posting this review has made me want to re-read it. I'm proud to have this book on my bookshelf permanently.
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
LOVE MEANS ZERO follows about a year-and-a-half in the life of Hilton Joilet.
When we meet Hilton, she is living with her best friend, Jill; Jill's fiance, Todd; their 2-year-old daughter, Adria; and Hilton's boyfriend, Luke. Jill and Hilton go on a three-week trip to Europe.
Hilton, a photography major in college and a tennis lover, go to a tournament in Italy. While there, Hilton manages to snap a money-making shot of one of the players cheating on his actress girlfriend. She sells her picture to Game Set Match magazine, which is described as US Weekly just for tennis. She shows them other shots she took at the matches, and they hire her to travel the world, working all of the tournaments.
Her assignment is to take pictures of the matches but also to follow the players around and take snapshots while they are partying - and go behind the scenes, too. Hilton thinks she has found her dream job, but will it sit well with Luke, especially when Hilton becomes a celebrity herself?
This is a good beach novel. It is exciting, sexy, and fun. The characters are over-the-top and like to have a lot of fun in life, so I believe you should give this one a try.
LOVE MEANS ZERO follows about a year-and-a-half in the life of Hilton Joilet.
When we meet Hilton, she is living with her best friend, Jill; Jill's fiance, Todd; their 2-year-old daughter, Adria; and Hilton's boyfriend, Luke. Jill and Hilton go on a three-week trip to Europe.
Hilton, a photography major in college and a tennis lover, go to a tournament in Italy. While there, Hilton manages to snap a money-making shot of one of the players cheating on his actress girlfriend. She sells her picture to Game Set Match magazine, which is described as US Weekly just for tennis. She shows them other shots she took at the matches, and they hire her to travel the world, working all of the tournaments.
Her assignment is to take pictures of the matches but also to follow the players around and take snapshots while they are partying - and go behind the scenes, too. Hilton thinks she has found her dream job, but will it sit well with Luke, especially when Hilton becomes a celebrity herself?
This is a good beach novel. It is exciting, sexy, and fun. The characters are over-the-top and like to have a lot of fun in life, so I believe you should give this one a try.
October 31, 2013
I love ALL Daisy Jordan books. Easily one of my fav authors. I love this book about Hilton because of the way her life is transformed from the other series. This book is so awesome to read for pleasure because it's filled with the cliff hangers that Daisy Jordan is known for...and she knows how much that irks me ;) haha!
From an educational standpoint, it's hard for me to say I would allow this text in my class room because of some of the mature content. However, I think for some of my more mature students, Love Means Zero and the Spin the Bottle series would be a good fit for reading for pleasure.
From an educational standpoint, it's hard for me to say I would allow this text in my class room because of some of the mature content. However, I think for some of my more mature students, Love Means Zero and the Spin the Bottle series would be a good fit for reading for pleasure.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews