REVIEW: The Academy: Love Match by Monica Seles

The Academy: Love Match by Monica Seles was a quick, fun read.  I enjoyed the first book in the series, Game On, when I read it last year.  YA books involving sports are definitely something I'd like to see more of.  I think the idea of a superstar sports academy involving the top young athletes is an amazing idea. And while I wish there were better character development in general, I did still enjoy Love Match. There's quite a bit of drama amongst Maya and her friends and the other students at The Academy...

Love Match starts off a couple of weeks after Game On left off and Maya has decided to focus on her sports training. And this paid off quite a lot as Maya is playing against top competitors in a mid-level tennis competition and manages to hold her own against one of her tennis heroes. And in playing so well in this tournament Maya gains the attention of a sports agent and starts receiving a lot of attention from other players and the media that has been very surprising.

What I like about this book in particular is the different issues that have come up.  I like how Maya's friendship with alternatively-dressed golfer, Cleo, brings up the issue of image and staying true to yourself. And Renee starts dating soccer-star Diego and begins to see a different side to her wealth and privilege. These are things I'd like to see developed in future books.

Of course one of the main aspects of this series seems to be the relationships between Maya and the Reed brothers, Travis and Jake. This is the thing that drives me slightly crazy though. I'm not fond of story lines in which one character sways easily between two love interests. Things start off strong with Maya focusing on herself and her sports career but towards the end, it seems to be the last thing on her mind. Still. A book that was an enjoyable way to pass an afternoon!