Another cover that drew me in, and the book didn't match my expextations from my cover love. The characters are boring, and the pacing is off - some parts are too fast, while others are excruciatingly slow. I've also never read a book where I couldn't exactly find one character I actually liked. I tolerated every single one of them, but didn't actually like them. All in all, I had so much hope, and just ended up disappointed. This premise could make for a really good story, this one, just wasn't it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy of this book and all thoughts and comments are mine!

All-star Love is super fun. There’s fake dating, reality show, best friends, sport, and is set in a private high school for tennis. I loved how the author incorporated tennis into the book, but it is perfectly readable for any non-tennis players. You aren’t bogged down by tons of technical terms. I love the how the reality show brought rivalry and so many cool elements high schoolers experience. The book was fast paced and kept moving along. I really enjoyed the in between chapters of news channels, talk hosts, and things like that.

There is no mention of LGBTQ, no sex scenes, alcohol is shown briefly, and I think drugs are mentioned once.

Overall there is nothing wrong with the book, but it’s a four star because it’s just missing something that grips me in. Throughly enjoyed and would recommend.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Solid story. I liked the settings and characters with the reality story timeline and tennis. Solid 3 stars but a feel good read.

It was like taking a breath of fresh air. The setting, the plot were unique but the characters did not succeed in making me fall in love with the story. This had a lot of potential but in the end, the writing style failed to impress me. It is story with a young set of characters so I would recommend it to young readers who are looking for something unique.

Maisie Maxwell studies at an elite tennis academy. Unfortunately, her uncle embezzled the money and is on the run, leaving the academy broke, with no alternative than to open its doors for reality TV producers. Meanwhile she has a new star tennis transfer Shane, whom she is unsure if she can trust. This book had so much promise, such a great set up, but sadly fell flat. While I love the students dawning realisation of the producer's manupulations, this just didn't quite get there. I love a good skewer of the manipulations of reality TV so it was a missed opportunity. That said it was a fun book with lovely characters and I look forward to Scott's next book.

🎥This is a story about a girl who loves tennis Maisie, who was having a hard time returning to her Academy for her senior year because her uncle betrayed the Academy, she was an outsider now because every student called her different names.

🎥 Maidis's academy was so desperate for any opportunity and then there came an opportunity a reality show wanted to shoot in their Academy. Maidie was wary about this from the start.

🎥 In this book there was so much drama, rumours, fake dating and many more. This book is the full package of drama.

🗯 In this book author didn't focus on love and focused on friendships, family relationships and passion for sports and how a reality show can be faked..

All-Star Love is the type of book I wish I liked, however had too many issues for me to do so. My rating for this book started out at three stars, but as I thought over this book, and wrote the review I lowered it to two stars, and finally one star.
Despite being advertised as an enemies to lovers book, It really wasn't. They got together within the first 100 pages. The book has some serious pacing issues, being too fast at times, and also too slow, which made it hard for me to get fully interested and involved in the book.
I also found all of the main characters to be boring, dramatic, and have no personality whatsoever. it seemed like they were in love within the first chapter, and of course the main character isn't like the other girls.
Also the book is supposed to revolved around tennis, but there was no tennis until like half way through.
I did enjoy the writing style, but I think the Bland characters and the horrible pacing and plot, led me feeling unsatisfied.

All-Star love had so much promise. A tennis academy, a scandal, high schoolers, reality TV! I was ready for tennis, romance and some drama. The synopsis for the book started with “an enemies to more fake dating romance set in the world of competitive tennis”. It had all the makings of an exciting book… and completely missed the mark.

It’s a huge stretch to call this “enemies to more” since Maisie was pining after Shane since the moment she saw him. But perhaps they were referring to the other classmates being enemies with Shane? Regardless this had minimal romance so if you are looking for romance this isn’t the book for you.

I almost DNF at 19%. The whole first half of the book was a lot of meaningless back story. There was no competitive tennis until 48%, they referenced some practice things prior to that but no actual matches. Disappointingly, there was little mention about the uncles scandal but then he was randomly found at the VERY END of the book and was wrapped up in some sort of gambling ring? That storyline was really unfinished.

Basically, this book over promised and under delivered. It was a 2.5 star read for me. Once it got into the actual tennis it was worth reading but definitely wouldn’t market it as a romance.

Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book turned out to be better than I expected so let’s go through all the things I liked and did not like.

First of all, when I started reading this book and saw that it was written in first person I wanted to DNF it because it’s not something I prefer when reading. But, as always, I gave this book a chance and it turned out to be just fine. First person definitely suits this story better and it was so easy to read.

Secondly, the characters in this book were really boring and written in a very stereotypical way. I wish we got to see more development but it never happened. Maisie gave me major “I’m not like other girls” vibes throughout the whole story but her and Shane had some adorable moments together. Also, we were promised rivals to lovers and fake dating but they weren’t any of those things. They immediately started dating for real and they were rivals for maybe five seconds in total. I felt betrayed by this honestly.

As I said previously I don't think that this was a bad book but the plot also felt super rushed. I wish we got more insight in what happened between Maisie and her uncle and how everything else truly turned out. I finished reading it last night but I already don't remember half of the things that occured in the epilogue.

To sum everything up, this was a mediocre read and perfect if you’re not looking for something with a more complex plot line and more in depth characters!

I want to start off by saying that I’ve procrastinated writing this review so my thoughts are a bit unorganised and I do not remember most of the book (I forgot everything literally the day after I finished reading it. bummer.)

Thank you, NetGalley, the publishers and Stephanie J. Scott, for giving me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story that was being told had very little potential in my opinion. I was no longer interested in the story and the ridiculous characters when I was 40% in. I wanted to stop reading, I did not, but I skimmed the rest of the book not taking everything in, so in a way, I did stop reading because I have very little idea about what happens in the end. I have never hated EVERY character in a book before. Everyone was so dramatic and unnecessarily and they were all so boring.

I don't really have anything else to say apart from the fact that this book was a huge waste of my time.

This is a sweet ya book about doing what's right. The main themes, like friendship, fit in teenagers life. I liked the characters and plot was good too. I liked the reality show aspect and how it showed "behind the scenes" stuff to readers. I believe that many younger reader benefits that.

Tennis was a great sport to include in book. Nice change to all football and hockey books out there.

Fast, clean ya read with a plot and good characters.

A fun read for sure! I'd recommend this to a friend looking for a summer read. Thank you to the author + publisher for the advanced reading copy.

I'm gonna be very honest, I did not enjoy this book a lot. It was promoted as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but they weren't even enemies for more than 1 chapter. They just had a bad first encounter... Then only 15% in and Maisie already had a crush on Shane... It was very insta lovey and that was my first real disappointment. I also didn't feel much chemistry between them.

My second reason for disliking this book: Nia. She was ridiculous and I thought she was a bad friend. I also didn't enjoy her personality to be honest.

Overall though I did love the tv show aspect and how Shane wasn't afraid to be honest about how he wants the fame from it. I also enjoyed the writing, it's just the romance and some characters that I wasn't vibing with.

All-Star Love by Stephanie J. Scott combines tennis with reality TV in an engaging contemporary that is set in a tennis academy. With a school scandal, a fake relationship, and a clever main character, this one contains plenty of drama, all of which is amplified by the producers behind the school’s new reality show. I especially enjoyed the way the main character fights to control her own narrative behind the producers’ backs, and her own secret scheming is so entertaining to read about. This is a great book for those looking for something cute with a big helping of drama.

❀ DRAMATIC PLOT LINES

After her uncle steals the Six Lakes Tennis Academy’s tuition money and runs off, Masie’s reputation–and the school’s reputation–are in shambles. However, when the school partners with a new reality show and brings in two new transfer students to participate, there is hope for Six Lakes to stay open and for the students to succeed professionally. Being a reality show, Masie is aware of the dramatic plot lines and misrepresentation The Academy has in store for her future, so she decides to take matters into her own hands by playing up the tension between her friends and fake dating one of the new students. As life at Six Lakes becomes even more chaotic, Masie must fight to save the school while staying true to what is real.

❀ ENJOYABLE MAIN CHARACTER

Masie is an enjoyable main character, and I liked her voice. She is determined to do the right thing by using the show as an opportunity to save the school and to help her best friend succeed in the world of tennis, and I admired the way she does whatever it takes to support Nia, even pretending to hate her. Throughout the book, several aspects of her life are tested, from her education to her friendships, but Masie stays strong and commits to achieving her goals regardless of backlash from those around her.

❀ TWIST ON REALITY SHOW CONCEPT

What I especially enjoyed about this book is the twist on the reality show concept. There are several books out there about the ways these programs twist reality, but what is interesting about this one is the way the characters embrace this and use it to their advantage. While the producers are clever and try their hardest to push their predetermined narratives, Masie teams up with Shane to control her own image and get what she wants from the show, and I loved the different layers of manipulation at play in the story. Reading about Masie’s own scheming brings a lot of drama to the book, and I found the behind-the-scenes aspects of the reality show well done.

❀ A UNIQUE NOVEL

All-Star Love by Stephanie J. Scott is a unique novel about staying true to yourself in an environment where others have their own plans for your story. I loved the blend of tennis with reality TV, and the main character’s cleverness and compassion make her an interesting lead. The twist on the classic reality show concept is especially entertaining, making this a great read for those who are looking for a cute and dramatic read.

All-Star Love is a light read about how a girl tries to save her beloved tennis academy from the malicious clutches of reality TV, and how she finds love in the process.
Life has not been treating Maisie Maxwell well. Her uncle, one of the owners of the tennis academy she attends, ran off with school funds, leaving her and her family to receive backlash from the public and her peers. To make matters worse, the remaining representatives of the academy agreed to let their school be the subject of a reality TV show. The next thing Maisie knows, two teen tennis superstars are showing up at the academy's door to cash in on this fast lane to fame. All Maisie wanted to do was make it through senior year, but will the drama caused by the reality show, as well as her chemistry with one of her newest classmates, make that impossible?
Though I loved the premise of the book, I was a little disappointed by how it turned out, mainly because the relationships didn't seem believable. Not only did it seem like Maisie fell in love (though they don't actually use the L word in the novel) her love interest, Shane Wagner, a little quickly, and with little cause, but Maisie's relationship with her best friend almost seemed unjustified. It was hard to believe claims that her friendship was the most rewarding relationship in her life when, time and again, Maisie put more effort into the friendship without any form of reciprocation. It got to the point where I could no longer tell whether Maisie was happy with or upset with a person, since she flip-flopped between the two feelings with little resistance. Furthermore, conflicts were either swept under the rug for the sake of the relationship or resolved too quickly. As an audience, we never got to see the effort put in to save the school, and it almost felt like the resolution came too easily.
That being said, the book was a worthwhile read. I loved that Maisie valued her relationships with her coaches and her friends just as much as she did her relationship with Shane. I also really enjoyed seeing Maisie grow as a character. With all the trials she faces, she grows more confident in herself and more capable in what she's able to accomplish, which is a truly valuable lesson to leave the audience with.
I was lucky enough to receive and ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. All thoughts and comments about this book are my own.

All-Star Love is shown as an enemies to lovers/fake dating in a sports rival world.
Maisie is labeled traitor after her uncle runs off with the school money. Shane is the star athlete that stands out and can’t find friends. There is a meet cute but that’s just about it.
I wouldn’t say it was enemies to lovers because there wasn’t much hating. There wasn’t much anything to be honest. It was an entertaining read but that was about it.

All-Star Love caught my eye when I read that this story involved sports, a reality show, and fake dating. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story didn't focus too much on the romance but more of the tennis and reality show drama. Maisie and Shane are likable characters and actually get together pretty quickly (not so much fake dating or even enemies-to-lovers but I didn't mind). Overall, the story was easy to read and low-risk which was what I was in the mood for!

Thank you NetGalley and Stephanie J. Scott for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

All Star Love
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/24/22
Author: Stephanie Scott
Publisher: Stephanie Scott
Pages: 318
Goodreads Rating: 3.58

Thank you to NetGalley and Stephanie Scott for providing a copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Maisie Maxwell planned for a senior year of dazzling college scouts by playing her best tennis. Instead, her beloved tennis training academy is thrown into scandal—the academy founder and head coach, who happens to be her uncle—took off to Tahiti with the school’s tuition money. Only her aim to lay low is thwarted by the school’s new partnership with reality show The Academy, their last ditch hope to stay open.

My Thoughts: The chapters were pretty short. The story is narrated by Maisie Maxwell, from her perspective. The characters are witty, complex, emotional, and described so well, you feel like you are there with Maisie, fighting with her to save the school and cursing the uncle that betrayed her. The author’s writing style was creative, inventive, romantic, and intriguing. The writing just flowed and worked well for this book. Previously, I had not read anything from this author, I will be now. I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend this book.

First off I want to thank NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me a ebook copy of All-Star Love by Stephanie J. Scott like a day before it was released. Even with my review it was still a good book, and I definitely would’ve bought it/checked it out from the library.

I think I have to give this book a four out of five stars rating. I’m honestly surprised with myself that it isn’t a three, but I think it has something to do with my current obsession about reading about reality shows and the corruption behind them. Much like the show they were going to air in the book, the story lines didn’t all make sense. The entire plot line about the Uncle who ran away with the money could have been completely cut, and the book would stay almost the exact same. Also Sveta?? Really confused on why she was brought in if she was barely in the book. It came across as she was supposed to be a bigger character, but again, like The Academy her story line seemed like it was cut out? I’m not really sure, but she seems nice enough. I feel like you can look away from all of that, but one thing I can’t ignore is the almost lack of trials. Okay, I know I sound crazy but hear me out, I know Paige was supposed to be a villain, and she kind of was, but she didn’t really seem to have any power till the very end. There was animosity between students, but after a little tiff they got along again. I’m not sure what exactly made it feel this way, maybe there needed to be a more developed B-Roll or something.
I promise I have good stuff too though!! I absolutely LOVE Maisie and Nia’s friendship, wish I could say I had something similar, but much like Shane I’ve moved around a bit. I definitely see a lot of myself in Nia. I can be pretty stubborn, and I too try to absolutely ignore an injury so it doesn’t affect any practices. I like how Stephanie wrote a book about a tennis boarding school. My brother plays tennis and you never really see other books talk about it, so it made for a really interesting read by combining that and reality TV.

Overall I would like to say that, yes, maybe I was being a bit too critical in the first half of my review, but that is just my opinion and I encourage you to read it for yourself to not only be able to construct your own opinion, but to also support this lovely author.

[This review is posted on Goodreads, Netgalley, and will be referenced with instagram (it is having issues right now and will be up by 5/16/22 at the latest)]

All Star Love was a quick and enjoyable read, I really enjoyed the sports aspect of it especially since it was tennis and you don’t hear that often. I think if you like a lighthearted sports romance you’ll definitely enjoy this. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for a review!