AUTHOR: Abra Pressler GENRE: Queer Sports Romance PAGES: 390 pages RELEASED: 28 November 2023 SYNOPSIS: Gabriel is a global tennis superstar and heart-throb. As he eyes his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, the pressure is getting to him. After an intense practice session, Gabriel finds refuge in a bar, where he meets Noah. Oblivious to sports, Noah doesn't recognise Gabriel, but there is an instant connection. The more time they spend together in the blazing heat of a Melbourne summer, the more their feelings and attraction grow. Both Gabriel and Noah have their reasons for wanting to keep their romance private. With the stakes so high, will they be willing to risk everything for love all? This book was kindly sent to me by Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Tennis in the Melbourne summer isn’t the only reason things are getting hot and sweaty…
French-born tennis star Gabriel Madani arrives in Australian ready to get his hands on his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. But before the Open kicks off, he decides to clear his head by wandering Melbourne’s streets, stumbling upon Mark’s Place and the cute bartender who doesn’t seem to recognise him. Noah Burgess has zero interest in sports, and his knowledge of tennis is limited to the obvious big names of the game. All he sees in Gabriel is a gorgeous guy that he has an instant connection with. Noah decides to show Gabriel around his Melbourne, which can easily be summed up as donuts and drag shows, and it’s hard to deny their mutual attraction. Even though Gabriel isn’t out to his family, let alone the public, and Noah has worked hard to keep himself on the down low, they can’t not give into their feelings for one another, even at the risk of exposing their private lives so publicly. As Gabriel balances tennis matches, adventures with Noah, and his struggle to come out to family, he comes to realise that it’s time to stand up more for what he wants in life, and it’s more than just the constant tennis. Do I know anything about tennis? Absolutely not. Was I absolutely enthralled by the tennis scenes? Yes, yes I was. I am literally Noah. You had me at queer sports romance! Abra has served (hehe) up a super fun and sweet romance set against the blazing Aussie summer. It had everything I love about sports romance and queer romance all rolled into one fabulous read. The romance between Gabriel and Noah was swoony and a little bit spicy, and I could not get enough of the two of them. On top of the romance, the friendships surrounding both characters were really sweet and fun too, adding another depth to each character. Getting to explore Melbourne through Noah and Gabriel’s eyes was really fun. And although I’ve only visited Melbourne a few times, I felt like I instantly knew my way around the city (but don’t actually ask me to navigate you anywhere). Abra definitely captured the vibrancy of the city, especially in the summer, and if this book doesn’t make you want to visit Melbourne, then I don’t know what will. As someone who doesn’t really have an interest or knowledge of tennis, I really appreciated how Abra explained the game - the added bonus of Noah being clueless about the game is that you as the reader get to learn about the sport as Noah does. I’m far from an expert, but I feel like I have a better appreciation of the game. And the way she crafted and wrote the tennis scenes had me so captivated! I probably watch like a grand total of five minutes of the actual AusOpen every year, but I was so invested in Gabriel’s matches and felt like I was court side watching everything play out before me. Abra has such a wonderful writing style and I’m excited to see what she’s cooking up next - if it’s half as good as Gabriel and Noah’s story, it’s going to be a fun read. In the meantime, I’m definitely going back to read her previous books because I need more, pun totally not intended! While I’m still probably not going to be watching the Australian Open this year, if you were to tell me that Gabriel or Lukas was playing, I’d be ALL over it. These two are my new favourite players. Trigger warning for domestic violence. Most of the book references past abuse, but there is a scene near the end of the book that is very much present violence. While it was clear that something was eventually going to happen, it was an intense shift from the rest of the narrative, but Abra handled it really well. Meanwhile Gabriel also faces being publicly outed by the media, before he’s even had a chance to come out of family and friends. Get in the zone for the Australian Open with this fun and flirty tennis romance that’ll have you getting hot and bothered without having step foot on the court! |
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