BLOG TOUR + Review: Losing at Love by Jennifer Iacopelli

Publisher: Coliloquy

Source/Format: eARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review (thank you!)

Publication date: February 24, 2015

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Grass courts, tennis whites and the fiercest competition in the world. Wimbledon. After two crazy weeks in Paris, the girls of the Outer Banks Tennis Academy are headed to London with just one thing on their minds: winning.

Indiana Gaffney is fresh off a surprise win at the French Open junior tournament. Sponsors are clamoring for her attention, but what she wants more than anything—aside from a wild card to Wimbledon—is to be with Jack Harrison, but international fame and a secret relationship rarely mix well.

When Penny Harrison dreamed of playing at Wimbledon she never imagined agonizing pain shooting through her ankle with every step. With just a month until the tournament and the whole world expecting her to win, she’s determined to play, with or without the support of her coach or the love of her life, Alex Russell.

For the first time ever, no one expects anything from Jasmine Randazzo. After a crushing first-round defeat in the French Open juniors, the tennis world has given up on her, but worse than that, so have her parents, her best friend Teddy and maybe even her coach. With everyone writing her off, can she find it within herself to go after her dreams?

Review:

I had so much fun reading Game. Set. Match, and Losing at Love was no different. This is a quick new adult read with steamy scenes and lots of action. There’s a ton going on, and while Losing at Love could probably be read as a standalone, I think it’s a lot better when you’ve read the first book.

Check out my review of GSM!

This time around, tennis hopefuls Penny Harrison, Indiana Gaffney, and Jasmine Randazzo are prepping for Wimbledon, having just come from the French Open. Penny sprained her ankle in the last match of the French Open, and while she won, she’s not happy taking it easy in London while her boyfriend Alex Russell gets to practice.

Meanwhile, back at the Outer Banks Tennis Academy, Indiana and Jasmine are training for women’s doubles together, having made a truce at the French Open. Indy also won the junior French Open title so she’s gunning for another at Wimbledon. She’s finally broken through to Jack Harrison, Penny’s older brother and agent, who is just as attracted to her as she is to him, but was too much of a gentleman to do anything with a girl so young.

Jasmine is fielding offers from college scouts who want her even though she wants to turn pro, despite the wishes of her parents and coach. And of course, she’s still trying to navigate her relationship with Teddy Harrison, Penny’s younger playboy brother, who seems too scared to ever return her long-time love.

Indy is just as cool, sharp, and independent as the last time around, but she’s got some major troubles in this book, and I loved how she handled things. Some of it was a little over-dramatic, put there to “test” her, but honestly? She proved her maturity in this book and proved that she deserved Jack as her boyfriend.

Speaking of which, Indy and Jack are much sexier in this book than the last time around. There was some serious fanning going on during their scenes together, and I felt like Jack really came into his own as a romantic hero this time.

Penny was just as stubborn and strong as in the first book, wanting to practice as soon as her ankle felt better, but possibly endangering herself in the process. That storyline felt a little cliche, but it definitely advanced her character. In the first book, I was very much Team Penny, wanting her to win and just give in to Alex Russell. This time, Penny and Alex’s relationship goes deeper, with them admitting their love and trying to navigate being in love. I don’t want to give anything away, but I loved Penny in London!

The thing that made a big difference to me this time was getting to know Jasmine, the “mean girl” of the group much better. I expected that I would like her more because I had tweeted with Jennifer Iacopelli and she had mentioned that we’d get a lot more of Jasmine in this book. But I didn’t expect to love her so much.

Jasmine is arguably the strongest of the female characters because for most of her life, she’s had to live in the shadow of her famous parents, and with people all around her telling her she’s not good enough to go pro. She’s always been overlooked, by her coach, by her parents, even by Teddy, her first love. I loved her arc throughout the book and how much stronger and more confident she got. She is the definition of girl power!

If I have qualms, they are that some of the situations seemed a little overdramatic, and that there were occasional moments of pronoun confusion (sometimes I couldn’t figure out which “she” the author was referring to). Overall, though, this was such a light, fast, fun read – perfect for sports fans who like steamy romance!

Bonuses: 

Source: Daily Mail

House Envy: The characters all end up staying at Alex Russell’s London abode, which is a gorgeous white townhouse with a wrought iron fence in Chelsea. Which, by the way, is one of the most expensive places in London. I mean, c’mon. I SO WANTED THIS HOUSE and every description had me crazy jealous of Alex. I was supremely jealous that they not only got to stay there, but they got to do so with each other. I WANT TO LIVE THERE.

You Win Some You Lose Some: Not everyone wins in this book – I mean, everyone didn’t win in the last book, but I appreciated how honest this book was about the stakes involved at Wimbledon.

The Final Word: 

What I loved most about this book is how much it focuses on the characters and their development – I’m a total character person and the more I found out about Indy, Penny, Jasmine, and their guys, the more I loved them. I can’t wait for book 3!

Recommended for: fans of Julie Cross’ Whatever Life Throws at You and other sports YA/NA, people looking for a fun girl power read.

Are you interested in reading Losing at Love? Have you read Game. Set. Match? How do you feel about sports YA or new adult? Are you into tennis? Let me know in the comments!