Janelle Gabay
The Players We Were
Her ranking is falling, the college coaches are walking away, and the only way to nationals is teaming up with the most hated girl at the academy.
Two rivals, one net
Alex Calvo wants to be number one, and that goal comes before everything, even the boy she loves. She needs a full scholarship to attend a university and support her family, but as the losses pile up and her ranking falls, the college coaches walk away. Her last chance to impress is at the National Spring Championship in California, and she can't afford the trip unless she teams up with the wealthy and despised Madison Nash.
Madison wants a fresh start. A new state, a new tennis academy, a chance to leave her past behind instead of ending up in rehab like her mother. But her arrival upends Alex's circle of friends, and the boy Alex takes for granted starts paying attention to the new girl.
In California, Alex discovers there is more to Madison than the rumors say. They play well together. They share the same broken family worries. Then Madison's delinquent past catches up, and this time it sticks to Alex too. When Alex goes on a winning streak, no one gives her credit; they say her rise is fueled by performance-enhancing drugs supplied by Madison. After an athlete's deadly overdose, everyone turns their back on Madison. Only Alex knows the truth. But should she risk losing it all to save Madison's reputation?
Meet the players
Chapters alternate between Alex and Madison, back and forth, like a rally.
“When one player wins all the games in the match. A two-set score would be 6-0 6-0, hence 0-0, which looks like two bagels.”
Every chapter opens with an insider tennis term like this one.
What the critics said
★ “Gabay clearly understands the world of teens and elite high school tennis; she skillfully draws readers in with vivid on-the-court action and realistic challenges for her teen characters… Tennis aficionados are sure to enjoy this book. But even those who've never heard of Serena Williams will find Gabay's enthusiasm for the game — and her compelling characters — irresistible.”BlueInk Review, starred review
“Though rooted in the high-stakes world of junior tennis, the novel wrestles with addiction, secrecy, family fracture, ambition, and the fragile intensity of female friendship.”Samantha Hui, Independent Book Review
“A dishy novel about sports and interpersonal teenage dramas, The Players We Were centers two girls on the competitive youth tennis circuit.”Suzanne Kamata, Foreword Clarion Review
