Review of "15-Love" by Vincent Russo

Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)

15-Love is a coming-of-age, LGBTQ+ sports novel by Vincent Russo!

Tennis has definitely been on our minds recently with the Australian Open in full swing while we were reading this.

This book follows Rion, a gay teenager who is passionate about tennis, having Serena & Venus Williams as his idols. Right off the bat (or, in this case, the racket), Rion's work ethic really elevates him as a character. He is constantly burned out and run down because he works, goes to school, and practices/plays tennis. This really seems to impact his ability to concentrate in class, and he struggles in class, particularly on tests/exams.

Honestly, this made him relatable and got us on his side. Rion is a good kid. A really, really good kid. And he's severely misunderstood, particular with how he's characterized as a troubled or bad student because of his performance in the classroom.

He's also frequently late to work and probably doesn't perform as well in tennis practice as he should despite giving it his all.

In a sense, one of the underlying themes of this book is balance. Rion is someone who wants to do everything and be everything for everyone, but that also robs him of his time, energy, and focus. Heck, you can even make the argument it keeps him from being open about his sexual identity, being a bit of a people pleaser.

This book's primary focus is on Rion's growth, both as a tennis player and as a young gay man figuring out where he fits in the world. Tennis is the vehicle, but identity, relationships, and courage are really the cargo.

A huge part of what makes this story work is how it explores Rion's relationships. His bond with his mom is one of the strongest aspects of the book. She is tired, overworked, and stressed about money, yet it is very clear that she loves her son fiercely. When Rion is forcibly outed at school and everything seems to collapse around him, he finally finds the courage to come out to her directly. That scene is probably the emotional high point of the book. She does not hesitate. She does not waffle. She just wraps him in love and reassurance. For a lot of queer readers, this will feel like a beautiful wish-fulfillment moment that still rings emotionally true.

Then you have the Russell family, who feel like the other half of Rion's world. Sarah is the classic best friend who sometimes stumbles but ultimately does everything she can to do right by Rion. At first, she is blind to how cruel her boyfriend, Jason, actually is to Rion. Once the truth hits her in the face, especially after the infamous flyer incident, she goes into full justice-warrior mode. She breaks up with Jason in spectacular fashion, pulls down flyers, gathers evidence of bullying, and marches into the principal's office with a case that would make a young civil rights lawyer proud. It is a very satisfying transformation.

Her brother, Shawn, is the romantic core of the book. It is easy to see why Rion is into him. Shawn is kind, grounded, and just flirty enough that you can feel the tension simmering under the surface whenever they are alone together. Their relationship builds slowly through shared shifts at the Honey Hive, quiet car rides, and late-night conversations. There are a lot of almost moments when one of them could say something more and then chickens out. When the affection finally does become more explicit, it is in small but meaningful ways, like a quick kiss on the cheek before a crucial match or a stolen kitchen kiss during the team celebration. It feels authentic for two teenagers who are still figuring themselves out and not ready to slap labels on everything yet.

On the opposite side of the net, you have Jason and Ashley. Jason, in particular, is an effective antagonist. He achieves what every antagonist/villain should achieve: be hated/unlikable. He is a popular athlete with a fragile ego and a lot of internalized issues of his own. His behavior is genuinely cruel and inexcusable, especially when he escalates to plastering the school with "RION MILLER IS QUEER" flyers and sabotaging Rion's racket with pink paint and glitter. At the same time, the book eventually shows that this cruelty is rooted in his own jealousy, confusion, and possible attraction that he does not know how to process in a healthy way. The apology scene in the library and his decision to start therapy give his arc a surprising amount of nuance without letting him off the hook.

From the sports side, this is a decent sports/tennis story, nothing extraordinary. We see Rion fight for his varsity spot, grind through practices, and face real pressure in high-stakes matches. The Sectional Finals in particular are very vivid. The choice to use the vandalized racket, still streaked with pink and glitter, is such a powerful symbolic move. It is Rion saying, in effect, that he is not going to hide or let other people define him. He is literally willing to play with the thing that was supposed to humiliate him. Without spoiling every point, the outcome of that match is realistic and emotionally satisfying, even if it is not the simple fairy-tale victory some readers might expect.

Our one issue with this book is that we felt it was generic, predictable, and forumulaic. We feel like we've read this same story in one form or another about a half-dozen times, and it doesn't really stand out above the crowd other than featuring tennis. Valiente by A.G. Castillo essentially told this same story with the same character arc, featuring basketball rather than tennis. I Love You Just the Way You Are by Riley Rian essentially told this same story with the same character arc, featuring football rather than basketball or tennis. The resolution/reveal with Jason seemed rushed, abrupt, and unearned, and it reminded us of how pretty much the same thing was revealed about the bullies in Colors of You Damien Benoit-Ledoux.

Well, at least there's a satisying fight/beatdown in this book and Sarah proves to be a great supporting character.

We actually like tennis quite a bit, coming from tennis-playing families and having a surge of renewed interest recently with the emergence of magnetic players like Alcaraz, Sinner, Sabalenka, Jovic, and more. We were kinda hoping this book would focus a little more on the competition aspect of the sport itself, but this is more of a coming-of-age story/romance/teen drama than a sports novel.

By the way, we found the title interesting. "Love" is tennis slang for zero, so "15-Love" literally means 15 to 0, the very first point you can win in a game. It is such a fitting title for this story. Rion is fifteen, more or less at “point one” in both his tennis journey and his romantic life. He starts the book from a place of “love” on the scoreboard of identity and relationships: closeted, insecure, overworked, and feeling like he is always behind. This is a book about taking the first steps and beginning something great.

Check it out on Amazon!