Books To Read if You Love Challengers
The highly anticipated sports drama from director Luca Guadagnino stars Zendaya as Tashi — former tennis star turned tennis coach after a career-ending injury — as she coaches her husband Art into the star she used to be. But after a losing streak prompts Tashi to sign him up for a low-level tournament, bad blood spills over when he faces Patrick — his ex-best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. If the film’s release has you looking for similar books like Challengers — whether you’re watching for the sports elements, the dark romance, or the love triangle — here are 10 novels that are sure to ace your expectations.
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Add to BookshelfCarrie Soto Is Back
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Retired tennis star Carrie Soto’s 20 Grand Slam titles were undefeated — that is until Nicki Chan beat them all in one fell swoop. Though Carrie is 37 years old — and some might say past her prime — she’s determined to put her name back on top. But getting back into her old routine isn’t easy — especially when she has to train alongside a former fling. As she works on her serve, Carrie relearns how to swing at a ball — and how to swing away the speculative comments that fly at her. Can Carrie break new records without breaking her heart, or will her focus on winning cost her 40 love?
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Stay with Me
by Ayobami Adebayo
In 1980s Nigeria, husband and wife Akin and Yejide seem to have the perfect marriage until Yejide’s infertility prompts Akin’s family to find another wife for him. After he marries Funmi behind her back, Yejide knows the only way she can keep control of her marriage is to get pregnant before Funmi can. But after time and impulsive methods, Yejide’s desperation to get pregnant ends up costing her more than just her marriage. Told from the perspectives of both Akin and Yejide, find out the reasons behind each of their destructive acts and see the losses they face in an attempt to hold on.
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$17.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Evvie Drake Starts Over: A Read with Jenna Pick
by Linda Holmes
Months after her husband’s sudden death, Evvie Drake is still struggling — but not from grief. Evvie has a secret. On the day of her husband’s deadly accident, she had planned on leaving him. To keep Evvie from being alone, her friend helps her rent the attached apartment of her house to former Major League pitcher, Dean Tenney. Battling a bad case of the “yips” that ruined his world-renowned ability to pitch, he and Evvie trade solutions to each other’s problems. Can the pair help each other get their heads back in the game, or will exposing their wounds lead to another strikeout?
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Black Cake: A Read with Jenna Pick
by Charmaine Wilkerson
Estranged siblings Benny and Byron Bennett think that they know their late mother Eleanor — until they reunite to listen to an hours-long voice message from her. Dive into Eleanor’s story as a swimmer in Jamaica, swimming across the ocean to escape a terrible fate. Benny and Byron listen on, unraveling the truth of their mother’s past to put together the missing pieces of their family’s history. Tying this story down is one last piece of Eleanor’s traditional black cake. As she reveals the stories and people she had to let go of — and who she found again — her last wishes are for her children to share the black cake — and find their half-sibling.
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The Incendiaries
by R. O. Kwon
Coping with the responsibility of having been the driver in a car accident that killed her mother, Phoebe Lin begins her studies at Edwards University at the same time as former evangelical preacher Will Kendall. As the two begin to become closer despite the secrets from their past, another tragic death pushes Phoebe to join a cult under the guise of a religious movement. When Will is confronted with Phoebe’s choice to live in the world he escaped from, he does everything he can to try to convince her to leave — but Phoebe is already in much too deep to be pulled out now.
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Dances
by Nicole Cuffy
Although she’s achieved much more than many dancers by becoming the first Black principal ballerina at the New York City Ballet, Cece Cordell still feels out of place. As she prepares for her role as Aurora in their production of The Sleeping Beauty, Cece receives high praise from her fans, but it’s not enough to conquer her feelings of self-doubt. She knows she needs her estranged older brother who supported her love for ballet in the first place, but he disappeared years ago. Losing herself in the pressure of dance, and the desire to find her brother, Cece must make some difficult choices before it all spins out of control.
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Sudden Death
by Álvaro Enrigue
In Challengers, you’ll see green tennis balls but prepare for 1599 where the beheaded Anne Boleyn’s hair is spun into a ball that finds its way to a Roman tennis court. On the court are opponents Caravaggio — yes, the Italian artist — and Spanish poet Francisco de Quevedo in a vicious tennis match that’s a “contest of death.” As moments from the game weave in and out with spectator comments, and scenes of a crowd that includes Mary Magdalene and Galileo, find out the reason why Caravaggio and Quevedo are in such a deadly match, and how the rare and highly sought-after ball of Boleyn’s hair ended up in Caravaggio’s hands.
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$23.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Intercepted
by Alexa Martin
When Marlee Harper catches her NFL player boyfriend cheating on her, she’s outraged — after all, she stood by him for ten years while putting up with mistreatment from his teammates’ wives. But even more shocking than this is who shows up as the Mustang’s new quarterback — Gavin Pope. Not only is he a blast from Marlee’s past, but he’s also the one thing she’s vowed to never date again — an athlete. But Gavin knows that what he and Marlee have is special and works to prove that he’s someone she can count on, athlete or not. But will the negative voices of the media, fans, and Gavin’s friends drown out his declarations of love for Marlee?
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$16.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Girl Underwater
by Claire Kells
When her plane home crashes down in the middle of a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies, Avery Delacorte must use her skills as a lifelong swimmer to get to shore. Alongside another member of her university’s swim team, she saves three little boys who would have drowned without her help. But even after doing everything she could, how can Avery heal the trauma and survivor guilt that an accident like this inflicts? Watch Avery work to recover from her physical and emotional wounds in the present and revisit the crash with her to find out how she, Colin, and the three little boys came out of it — mostly — alive.
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$22.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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How to Fall Out of Love Madly
by Jana Casale
Best friends and roommates Joy and Annie put their friendship and themselves to the test when they rent a room to Theo. But as soon as they welcome him into their home, Annie decides to move in with her boyfriend. With just Joy and Theo in the house, Joy can’t help but fall deeply in love with him and their domestic bliss — until Theo brings home Celine. Not only does Joy struggle with her presence, but Celine has her own inner demons too. In turn, Annie juggles drama in her relationship and work life, coming to realizations that send these women on a journey of self-discovery that works to strip men of their power and boost themselves — and each other — up.
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