This coming of age story of friendship explores the pressures of parental expectation, loss, discrimination, and self.

Each of the three girls come from very different family backgrounds, but all share complicated relationships with their parents and with tennis. They all feel varying degrees of pressure to prove themselves as they try to figure out just what it is they want out of the game and their lives.

Violetta is my least favorite of the three girls. While she is suffering from the pressure to be the best and feels so distant from her mother. She uses risky behavior as a way to cope and feel like she has some type of control over herself. She befriends Alice and has a complicated relationship with Leylah, but doesn’t always treat them very well.

Alice is very timid and lost, suffering from debilitating grief and questioning her entire life. She feels like her family continues to keep things from her and doubts her tennis abilities with the loss of her coach. Her friendship with Violetta and Leylah helps her to accept that she truly belongs at the tournament and helps her to believe in herself again.

I felt the most connection with Leylah. She knows what she wants, but feel like she has to fight against everything to even have a chance. Her parents want her to explore a different path, discrimination from the tournament director keeps her perilously close to being disqualified, and a falling out with Violetta in the past keeps things tense. Add her diabetes to the mix and Leylah is constantly battling for the sport she is so passionate about.

All three face ups and downs throughout the story, ultimately figuring out what it is they truly want, who they can trust, and what really matters.

Of the male characters in the story (all very minor characters),  the only one I liked is Noah. He has interactions with all three, but really helps Leylah to figure things out. Dick (tournament director) is a bigot and a totally jerk to all three (but especially Leylah and Alice), and Cooper (trainer)  is just a creep.

All in all I really enjoyed this one and look forward to the author’s next book.

Disclaimer: I received a DRC through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.