Review: The Singles Game

The Singles Game
by Lauren Weisberger

Rating: 3/5 stars

Following a torn achilles and fractured wrist that left her sidelined from the professional tennis circuit for months, Charlie hires the infamous Todd Feltner to coach her to a Grand Slam title. Suddenly, Charlie has gone from good girl with ribbons in her hair to a "warrior princess" adorned with a crystal crown during matches and adored by the tabloids.

I do really love Weisberger's past novels, and this one didn't quite stack up. It was a perfectly entertaining chick lit novel, but there was just something missing I couldn't quite place my finger on. Charlie was supposed to be a strong independent woman, but instead she seemed to do everything others told her to do, from her celebrity tennis love interest to her coach, even when she wasn't comfortable with the decision. Why? Because she wanted to win. There were multiple times when I wanted her to just say no to set some boundaries with these people and move on. I'm not sure why her outfit choice would impact her tennis skills. I would have liked to see the so-called warrior princess actually become a warrior princess inside and realize it was time to take control of her own life.

I also wish the romance with the guy she ended up with had been explored more. Besides Weisberger trying to put them in awkward situations so she could force that conclusion, there seemed to be absolutely no chemistry between the two.

The Singles Game was a good summer read, but overall not up to Weisberger's previous standards.