Editorial Reviews for Nominees
|
|
Editorial Reviews for Nominees
|
|
Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)
The Pact by Lisa Darcy combines two things that we absolutely love: FAMILY and SPORTS! Mix that with some drama and romance, and you've got yourself a pretty darn compelling story! The Pact follows the dynamic sibling duo of Samantha & Annie Callahan, two highly-successful Australian tennis players. A perennial top-ranked doubles teams, they were even gold medalists in the Olympics! However, the once-inseparable sisters, now in their late 20s—both disgruntled in different ways—are at a diverging point. The eldest, Samantha (age 29), is obsessed with success and being the best in the sport. She takes losing a game at the Australian Open like it's an absolute catastrophe, becoming emotional, angry, and belligerent at herself, her sister, and others. However, before you jump to the conclusion that Samantha is the bad, crazy, or troubled one, the truth is actually much more nuanced. In fact, it would be easier to argue that Annie (age 26) is more troubled, problematic, and less stable of the two. Annie is young, scatterbrained, vulnerable, and impressionable. Meanwhile, Samantha is focused, determined, and goal-driven. She is also far and away the more responsible of the two, as older siblings tend to be. Though Annie is frustrating, it's hard not to sympathize with her. Put yourself in her shoes. For two decades, the only life she has known has been tennis and tennis competitions. Alongside Samantha, she has practiced and trained tirelessly day after day after day. She has been hurt and injured (like most serious athletes). She has reached the heights of the Olympics and the equivalent of national and world championships. However, she has never gotten to truly live. She has all this fame and attention, yet no true friend or acquaintance except for her sister and their coach, Bear (Bern Devlin). Enter Erik Sorensen, a toxic tennis groupie who seems to shower Annie with all the romantic and intimate attention she has long been deprived of. Erik effectively serves as the main villain or antagonistic figure, at least in the early half of the story. Erik proposes to Annie right before her crucial semi-finals match in the Australian Open—an ill-timed, inconsiderate proposal that Samantha rightfully identifies as a distraction. Erik's lack of consideration is on full display throughout the story. However, his lack of consideration is the least of his faults. Even worse, he is possessive, controlling, and manipulative of Annie, even needing to know where she is and who she's talking to at all times. He's also flirtatious and untrustworthy. Samantha correctly identifies Erik as a womanizer, often targeting female tennis players at gatherings and parties. In fact, a few of the other female tennis players (like Dragana Lukic of Serbia) are said to have dated him. Ironically, Erik doesn't speak, read, or understand English very well. We are told that he is Norwegian and from Norway, so he often speaks in broken English and uses awkward phrasing like calling Annie his “new Koala.” Perhaps most annoying of all, Erik is a constant distraction. During practices, he often shouts advice and instructions to Annie that run contrary to her coach, Bear. Annie's toxic relationship with Erik leads her down a dark path including a meteoric plunge in her tennis career and a falling out with Samantha—who is also affected by the deterioration of her sister and doubles teammate. This leads her to make seriously poor choices that could probably warrant a trigger warning and spoiler warning all at once. In any case, this is compelling story about siblings, sisters, family, and sports. It is full of many ups and downs, highs and lows. Both Samantha and Annie are very compelling characters. Later on in the story, we are also introduced to other characters like Courtney Gold, a young prodigy who is paired with Samantha as a substitute during Annie's escapades. Courtney is snobbish, arrogant, unreliable, and even lazy at times. We're even told that she hates to move around and use any sort of quickness or agility when she plays, opting to stay put like a statue as much as possible. Despite being portrayed as unlikable and annoying, Courtney effectively serves as a foil to both Annie and Samantha. She represents the sister that both sisters are losing, the sister that both sisters miss deep down in their hearts. Courtney is also an interesting character in her own right. She's a glimpse into what Samantha and Annie might have been like when they were younger—self-assured and pig-headed. There's always a question as to whether or not Courtney will be invited or included in gatherings because she gets on everyone's nerves. There's also the aforementioned Dragana Lukic who starts to suffer from a weight problem later on in the story. It's actually quite relatable and sympathetic, oddly enough. Her increased weight slows her down and dramatically affects her performance on the court. This is also an issue that Annie, in particular, can relate to. Her own weight fluctuates along with changes in her life, attitude, and circumstances. There are a few love interests in this book aside from the villainous Erik. There's Zach Baxter, a former tennis player who had career-ending injury and who turned to being a tennis photographer. He comes to greatly admire and crush on Annie. There's also Coach Bear (Bern), who has long had a mutual attraction and affection for Samantha. It could be argued that Samantha and Coach Bear are the main couple and romantic duo of the story as a whole. There's a lot of romantic and sexual tension in their relationship. As player and coach, Samantha and Bear recognize each other as professionals and as “the best” in their respective roles. However, this makes starting and maintaining a romantic relationship very dangerous. Each of them knows that if they were to break up, it could end either of their careers (if not both), so they are apprehensive to pursue a romantic relationship. This is a story full of drama and interesting characters. We loved that involved a great sport like tennis and that it is a uniquely Australian story, all the way down to the sisters sharing a pack of Tim Tams (Australian chocolate biscuits). It does drag a little bit, especially 3/4ths of the way in. There are also errors here and there. For example: “For what’s it’s worth” It's strange how this book is actually quite good, has a compelling premise, and has interesting characters, yet we expected to enjoy it even more. Maybe it's the fact that plot became a bit too winding-and-weaving. Maybe it's the fact that the book got away from being about tennis (which we found unique and exciting) and being more of a romance/drama, which we read about all the time. In any case, it was still an interesting and compelling read. Check it out on Amazon!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2025
Categories |