Book Review: The Singles Game By Lauren Weisberger

The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Take it from me, ladies. There is nothing, NOTHING like chick-lit, cheese and chocolate to take your day from here to HERE! Added bonus if there’s wine too. You can die peacefully knowing thou hast lived.

Why this one?

I had purchased a truckload of books in the past month. When I saw the new one by the author of The Devil Wears Prada, I quickly read the blurb and decided to pick it up. Yeah, I do that a lot.

The cover is a lovely blue, a stark deviation from the previous books. And a pair of heels instead of a lone shoe!

Frustratingly enough, I hadn’t touched any of those books as I was saving them for the glorious day when I would finally begin the Reading Challenge I have been gabbing about on my blog forever. But considering my social calendar for the next two months, I thought it was wise to start it next year, like I was originally supposed to.

So yesterday, when I was bored with everything else and also in utter doldrums thanks to a visit from Aunt Flow, I found myself in desperate need for some book love. It was a tough call between a chick-lit and a thriller (The Girl on The Train).

Scorecard: 15-love to Chick-Lit!

About the Book

This 420-page novel chronicles the rise and fall and subsequent rise of one Charlotte

Back Blurb

‘Charlie’ Silver, who’s a 25-year-old tennis player gone pro.

The story, which is in first-person narration, begins with Charlie prepping for a match at Wimbledon, which sets forth a series of events that shake up her life completely.

As the coach-from-hell Todd Feltner takes over the reigns of her pro tennis career, Charlie can no longer stick to her good-girl attitude. With her father hesitant and her brother/manager Jake eagerly on board, Charlie Silver is well on her way to becoming the Warrior Princess, replete with her own entourage of stylists and PR professionals, shiny endorsement deals and Hollywood-sized scandals with hot movie stars and fellow tennis champs. And a tiara.

But pretending to be someone you aren’t both on and off court comes at a high cost, one that could throw Charlie completely off her game.

So will she or won’t she?

Grab some strawberries and cream because it’s game time!

What did I think?

The thing you need to know about Lauren Weisberger’s books is that while their settings may be different, the plotline is pretty much the same.

1. The protagonist is at an okayish point in her life with a few misgivings here and there. That is until it’s time to make an important decision.
2. She takes a step that plunges her into a world completely different from her own and it shakes her to the core. Think makeover, glam, spotlight, TMZ-levels. It starts off as something good and then suddenly it is not and all is going downhill.
3. This transformation is going to affect all spheres of her life: family, friends, career, love.
4. There is a series of catastrophic events and a final trigger that brings the whole sham crashing down. Realization dawns.
5. She gives it all up to return to her normal, old life. The situation is exponentially better than before, of course, but still bittersweet. And our heroine is a better person thanks to all that she has learned from her experience.

When I read the blurb, I was quite sure this book would be no different. And it isn’t. But despite the deja vu, I’ve almost always enjoyed reading Lauren Weisberger’s writing.

I’m not much clued in on sports but the whole tennis court vibe and terminologies felt fresh. Certain match scenarios had me wondering about the outcome. I like Charlie’s character and it’s easy to identify with her decision-making. Had I been in her shoes, I would’ve probably acted like she does. I wish a couple of other characters had been more etched out, like her hitting partner Dan or her BFF Piper.

Lauren’s characters are predictable and relatable and reading her words feel like driving around town but ultimately heading to the familiar comfort of home.

Probably that’s just me, but I’ve figured that a lot of romance and chick-lit readers seem to  enjoy tracing a familiar path.

Verdict

If you’re expecting some extraordinary twists and turns or some athlete’s swan song, then this isn’t the one for you.

I finished the book at a stretch in about 12 hours because despite all the predictability, I wanted to know how it would all end.

It’s one of those books you take on a holiday or read when you don’t want to think too much. And in the end, you smile, satisfied, and give it no second thought.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Chick-Lit (and Lauren Weisberger’s books) will always remain one of my easy favourites.