The Harper Effect
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- $1.99
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
A sizzling coming of age story set in the world of professional tennis about a girl who learns to win from a boy who has lost everything.
Sixteen-year-old Harper was once a rising star on the tennis court—until her coach dropped her for being “mentally weak.” Without tennis, who is she? Her confidence at an all-time low, she secretly turns to her childhood friend, next-door neighbor Jacob—who also happens to be her sister’s very recent ex-boyfriend. If her sister finds out, it will mean a family war.
But when Harper is taken on by a new coach who wants her to train with Colt, a cold, defensive, brooding young tennis phenom, she hits the court all the harder, if only to prove to Colt she has it in her to be a champion. As the two learn to become a team, Harper gets glimpses of the vulnerable boy beneath the surface, the boy who was deeply scarred by his family’s dark and scandalous past. The boy she could easily find herself falling for.
As she walks a fine line between Colt’s secrets, her forbidden love, and a game that demands nothing but the best, Harper must choose between her past and her future and between two boys who send her head spinning. Turns out, the biggest battle she needs to win, is the one against herself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Australian tennis player Harper turns pro when she is 16, but before her 17th birthday, she is dumped by her coach, who believes she is not "good enough to make it to the top." That isn't the only crisis occurring in Harper's life. She's fallen in love with her sister's ex-boyfriend, but to let anyone know would be a disaster. Then Harper gets a new coach on the condition that she plays doubles with Colt, an arrogant, less-privileged player. Harper can't deny her physical attraction to Colt, making her more confused and miserable than ever. There's more than one love triangle that needs to be resolved in this story about a rising star athlete. Sports fans might crave more on-the-court action, but romance buffs will revel in the book's plethora of passionate scenes and will be on the edge of their seats waiting to find out a secret that Colt is hiding. The plot is somewhat drawn out, but debut author Bashford captures the conflicting emotions of a teen facing more than her share of dilemmas. Harper's struggle to sort out priorities, understand the meaning of love, and emerge a winner will be strongly felt. Ages 14 up.