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The Misdirection of Fault Lines
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants goes to the US Open in an emotionally honest and openhearted novel for fans of Yamile Saied Méndez and Jenny Han.
Three teen girls compete at an elite tennis tournament for a shot at their dreams—if only they knew what their dreams were.
Alice doesn’t belong at the Bastille Invitational Tennis Tournament. She needed a sponsorship to attend. She only has a few wins on the junior circuit. And now, she has no coach. Tennis was a dream she shared with Ba. After his death, her family insisted she compete anyway. But does tennis even fit into her life without him?
Violetta is Bastille’s darling. Social media influencer, coach’s pet, and daughter of a former tennis star who fell from grace. Bastille is her chance to reclaim the future her mother gave up to raise her. But is that the future she wants for herself?
Leylah has to win. After a forced two-year hiatus, Bastille is her last chance to prove professional tennis isn’t just a viable career, it’s what she was built for. She can’t afford distractions. Not in the form of her ex-best friend and especially not by getting DQ-ed for her “attitude” before she even sets foot on the court. If she doesn’t win, what future does she have left?
One week at the Bastille Invitational Tennis Tournament will decide their fates. If only the competition between them stayed on the court.
Misdirection of Fault Lines is an incisive coming-of-age story infused with wit and wisdom, about three Asian American teen girls who find their ways forward, backward, and in some cases, back to each other again. Anna Gracia, acclaimed author of Boys I Know, delivers with a refreshingly true-to-life teen voice that perfectly captures the messiness, awkwardness, and confusion of adolescence.
Three teen girls compete at an elite tennis tournament for a shot at their dreams—if only they knew what their dreams were.
Alice doesn’t belong at the Bastille Invitational Tennis Tournament. She needed a sponsorship to attend. She only has a few wins on the junior circuit. And now, she has no coach. Tennis was a dream she shared with Ba. After his death, her family insisted she compete anyway. But does tennis even fit into her life without him?
Violetta is Bastille’s darling. Social media influencer, coach’s pet, and daughter of a former tennis star who fell from grace. Bastille is her chance to reclaim the future her mother gave up to raise her. But is that the future she wants for herself?
Leylah has to win. After a forced two-year hiatus, Bastille is her last chance to prove professional tennis isn’t just a viable career, it’s what she was built for. She can’t afford distractions. Not in the form of her ex-best friend and especially not by getting DQ-ed for her “attitude” before she even sets foot on the court. If she doesn’t win, what future does she have left?
One week at the Bastille Invitational Tennis Tournament will decide their fates. If only the competition between them stayed on the court.
Misdirection of Fault Lines is an incisive coming-of-age story infused with wit and wisdom, about three Asian American teen girls who find their ways forward, backward, and in some cases, back to each other again. Anna Gracia, acclaimed author of Boys I Know, delivers with a refreshingly true-to-life teen voice that perfectly captures the messiness, awkwardness, and confusion of adolescence.
Unknown Binding
First published April 2, 2024
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About the author
Anna Gracia
3 books132 followersAnna Gracia is a former Division I athlete and tennis coach who now excels at snacking while yelling advice at the TV. Her weaknesses include crying at movies, running long distances, and temperatures over 70 degrees. Her debut YA novel, Boys I Know, was both an ABA Indies Introduce and Indie Next pick, and was featured in The New York Times, Paste, Seventeen, and more. See more at anna-gracia.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
February 9, 2024
- 3.5 stars ༉‧₊˚
no spice ୨ৎ
i would like to begin by saying thank you to netgalley and the author, anna gracia, for the e-arc of this book!!
the misdirection of fault lines is a heartwarming story about three young girls with a passion for tennis. i’ll be honest, i picked up this book purely because of the adorable cover, but i’m happy i did! even though a few elements were lacking, mainly in the plot and writing, i still enjoyed my time reading this book.
one thing i really appreciated throughout this story were the discussions about eating disorders, addiction to weed, and inappropriate relationships between adults and teenagers. these topics are often glazed over and/or romanticized which, in my opinion, is something this book didn’t do.
like i said previously, the only elements of this book that i found to be lacking were the plot and writing. for a book about tennis, the sport was rarely included, and the scenes we did get were very short and quick. along with this, the writing felt very juvenile and a little bit one-dimensional.
nonetheless, this was a very enjoyable book! the characters were endearing and the pacing was neither too quick nor too slow. i definitely recommend everyone pick up the misdirection of fault lines sometime!
୨୧ .*• my favorite quotes:
— "i’ve always been a little more disconnected from the world than most people. i find safety in solitude and prefer quiet to noise."
— "nothing breaks, and yet everything breaks. in the sand i am now a still life portrait—a scattered assembly of everyday household objects that mean nothing to the viewer and everything to the person who painted them."
୨ৎ .*•
no spice ୨ৎ
i would like to begin by saying thank you to netgalley and the author, anna gracia, for the e-arc of this book!!
the misdirection of fault lines is a heartwarming story about three young girls with a passion for tennis. i’ll be honest, i picked up this book purely because of the adorable cover, but i’m happy i did! even though a few elements were lacking, mainly in the plot and writing, i still enjoyed my time reading this book.
one thing i really appreciated throughout this story were the discussions about eating disorders, addiction to weed, and inappropriate relationships between adults and teenagers. these topics are often glazed over and/or romanticized which, in my opinion, is something this book didn’t do.
like i said previously, the only elements of this book that i found to be lacking were the plot and writing. for a book about tennis, the sport was rarely included, and the scenes we did get were very short and quick. along with this, the writing felt very juvenile and a little bit one-dimensional.
nonetheless, this was a very enjoyable book! the characters were endearing and the pacing was neither too quick nor too slow. i definitely recommend everyone pick up the misdirection of fault lines sometime!
୨୧ .*• my favorite quotes:
— "i’ve always been a little more disconnected from the world than most people. i find safety in solitude and prefer quiet to noise."
— "nothing breaks, and yet everything breaks. in the sand i am now a still life portrait—a scattered assembly of everyday household objects that mean nothing to the viewer and everything to the person who painted them."
୨ৎ .*•
May 1, 2024
3 stars
The cover is so pretty.
The cover is so pretty.
![Profile Image for dee ౨ৎ [semi-ia] .](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1755650851i%2F148265984._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 25, 2024
3 stars ☆
↳ young adult, contemporary
౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹
⌗ “liberty. equality. and a fraternity of sisters, forever bound together by these past eleven days.”
ᡣ𐭩 i enjoyed this book! it wasn’t what i hoped for, but it was still interesting. i was definitely expecting it to be more about tennis (tournaments and matches) but the story mostly follows three girls trying to find out who they are and what they want.
as i said, it was more character driven which was a little disappointing, i wasn’t expecting the tennis aspect to be lacking that much.
seeing the story through alice, violetta and leylah’s eyes was interesting but we were always switching pov’s so quickly which made it hard to really connect to anyone. just when i’m starting to connect to one of them, we’re switching to a completely different person’s pov.
but even with this happening i still found myself rooting for one specific character which was leylah. she was definitely my favorite and her story was the most compelling. i kind of wish the whole book was from her pov.
overall, i liked this book. it was sweet and wholesome.
thank you to netgalley and peach tree teen for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review!
↳ young adult, contemporary
౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹
⌗ “liberty. equality. and a fraternity of sisters, forever bound together by these past eleven days.”
ᡣ𐭩 i enjoyed this book! it wasn’t what i hoped for, but it was still interesting. i was definitely expecting it to be more about tennis (tournaments and matches) but the story mostly follows three girls trying to find out who they are and what they want.
as i said, it was more character driven which was a little disappointing, i wasn’t expecting the tennis aspect to be lacking that much.
seeing the story through alice, violetta and leylah’s eyes was interesting but we were always switching pov’s so quickly which made it hard to really connect to anyone. just when i’m starting to connect to one of them, we’re switching to a completely different person’s pov.
but even with this happening i still found myself rooting for one specific character which was leylah. she was definitely my favorite and her story was the most compelling. i kind of wish the whole book was from her pov.
overall, i liked this book. it was sweet and wholesome.
thank you to netgalley and peach tree teen for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review!
April 3, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the advanced copy!
In the Misdirection of Fault Lines we follow three teen girls as they enter into tennis tournament while discovering more about themselves outside of the game.
In the book we get three POVs from the three girls.
Alice, Violetta and Leylah
In the beginning we see Alice as a shy and more reserved character. It is her first time at the tournament and she is also dealing with the grief of losing her father. As the story progresses she starts to break out of her shell and really discover what she wants.
Violetta is a social media influencer who has been training and preparing for tennis competitions. She has to deal with her mom who wants to live vicariously thought her as she never got the chance to continue her career like this.
Leylah has a real passion for tennis and wants to go pro but her parents do not believe in this and still want her to go to school and get a degree. She struggles with this love for tennis but also dealing with the problems at home and wanting to prove them wrong.
This book deals with a lot of heavier themes and topics but they were all handled very well. It was a really moving book about these girls discovering the power of friendship and more about what they want in life. The tennis camp setting was really fun and added a lot to the story. I flew through this because I was so interested to see where the girls would end up.
This was a great YA book about friendship and I highly recommend!
Thank you again to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the arc!
In the Misdirection of Fault Lines we follow three teen girls as they enter into tennis tournament while discovering more about themselves outside of the game.
In the book we get three POVs from the three girls.
Alice, Violetta and Leylah
In the beginning we see Alice as a shy and more reserved character. It is her first time at the tournament and she is also dealing with the grief of losing her father. As the story progresses she starts to break out of her shell and really discover what she wants.
Violetta is a social media influencer who has been training and preparing for tennis competitions. She has to deal with her mom who wants to live vicariously thought her as she never got the chance to continue her career like this.
Leylah has a real passion for tennis and wants to go pro but her parents do not believe in this and still want her to go to school and get a degree. She struggles with this love for tennis but also dealing with the problems at home and wanting to prove them wrong.
This book deals with a lot of heavier themes and topics but they were all handled very well. It was a really moving book about these girls discovering the power of friendship and more about what they want in life. The tennis camp setting was really fun and added a lot to the story. I flew through this because I was so interested to see where the girls would end up.
This was a great YA book about friendship and I highly recommend!
Thank you again to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the arc!
March 13, 2024
The misdirection of fault lines follows three teenagers in the world of tennis. The entire book is set during a tournament and it shows the three girls figuring out who they are and what they want to do in their life.
I really enjoyed this book, it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
The writing style is addictive and I did not want to put this book down. Really liked the development of the characters, the only thing I will point out is that I wish we got to see a little bit more of the competition in itself but the bits we had were very cool.
Will definitely be recommending this book for awhile.
Este livro segue a história de três raparigas adolescentes a tentarem singrar no mundo do ténis. O livro passa-se durante um torneio e mostra as três a tentar descobrir quem são e o que querem mesmo ser.
Gostei muito deste livro, foi sem dúvida uma surpresa agradável.
A escrita é viciante e não o queria largar.
Gostei bastante do desenvolvimento das personagens, a única coisa que falhou para mim foi que gostava de ter visto um pouco mais da competição e sentir o nervosismo que vem com um torneio destes.
Recomendo muito este livro, especialmente para fãs de Carrie Soto e que estão à procura de algo mais YA!
I really enjoyed this book, it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
The writing style is addictive and I did not want to put this book down. Really liked the development of the characters, the only thing I will point out is that I wish we got to see a little bit more of the competition in itself but the bits we had were very cool.
Will definitely be recommending this book for awhile.
Este livro segue a história de três raparigas adolescentes a tentarem singrar no mundo do ténis. O livro passa-se durante um torneio e mostra as três a tentar descobrir quem são e o que querem mesmo ser.
Gostei muito deste livro, foi sem dúvida uma surpresa agradável.
A escrita é viciante e não o queria largar.
Gostei bastante do desenvolvimento das personagens, a única coisa que falhou para mim foi que gostava de ter visto um pouco mais da competição e sentir o nervosismo que vem com um torneio destes.
Recomendo muito este livro, especialmente para fãs de Carrie Soto e que estão à procura de algo mais YA!
September 14, 2024
I'd say 3.5 to 4 stars. When I saw the cover, I thought it was more so about tennis. It's more so character driven, which I'm thankful for as I know nothing about tennis. I loved the characters' closeness and their lives playing out. Was a beautiful thing; like the description says similar to "Sisters of the Traveling pants" but in a different way. It's nice to have a group of pals like this to help you navigate life, to become who you want to be and do things you want to do. It is slow paced (in my opinion) and takes a bit to build up to it all but was it was cute nonetheless. While it's closer to a 3.5 stars to me, I rounded up due to Goodreads not having half stars.
November 2, 2024
this was fine. they did not feel like teenagers let alone fifteen yr olds but oh well
April 6, 2024
I prefer to avoid books that are pseudo PSAs. Many writers pen gorgeous stories that encompass the same issues Anna Garcia addresses in THE MISDIRECTION OF FAULT LINES. Instead of incorporating racism into the story, Garcia has the characters tell the reader all about in dialogue. Characters lecture each other about the dangers of eating disorders sounding more like a page from Wikipedia than how teens would talk. These frequent PSAs would have been better if shown rather than told.
I love women’s sports stories and was disappointed that was such a small part of the book. The “bad” characters were stereotypical cardboard characters straight out of central casting without nuance. The bones of the story were interesting. I wish Garcia had executed them better.
The voices of different narrators in the audiobook all sounded similar and I could never distinguish between the voices. None of the readers did adequate male voices, though they spoke British and different Asian accents quite well.
I love women’s sports stories and was disappointed that was such a small part of the book. The “bad” characters were stereotypical cardboard characters straight out of central casting without nuance. The bones of the story were interesting. I wish Garcia had executed them better.
The voices of different narrators in the audiobook all sounded similar and I could never distinguish between the voices. None of the readers did adequate male voices, though they spoke British and different Asian accents quite well.
January 9, 2024
a really beautiful self discovering and journey of three young girls figuring out their place in the world and in the tennis world. i think this book did an amazing job shedding light on parents death, eating disorders in sport, and inappropriate relationships between coaches and athletes. these are issues we are always hearing about in a daily basis and i think it was so important to include them. i do wish this book was marketed differently. it was said to be "the sisterhood of the traveling pants" vibes, and it was not. i went in expecting certain vibes and was met with the opposite. i think it would've been more fascinating if we got to see more of the tennis aspect. overall this was a cute book (:
thank you netgalley for the arc <3
thank you netgalley for the arc <3
July 24, 2025
3.5! read this in like 2024 but just remembered it now
May 7, 2024
What I liked:
-female friendships
-three Asian girls from different socioeconomic backgrounds with very different personalities
-reminds me of QUEENS OF NEW YORK
-I love the message of “taking up space” YES especially for Asian girls ❤️🔥❤️🔥
-not overly focused on romance
Imperfections:
-covers a lot of topics (grief, racism, family expectations, eating disorders, etc) because of the three POVs, but most are mentioned superficially
-female friendships
-three Asian girls from different socioeconomic backgrounds with very different personalities
-reminds me of QUEENS OF NEW YORK
-I love the message of “taking up space” YES especially for Asian girls ❤️🔥❤️🔥
-not overly focused on romance
Imperfections:
-covers a lot of topics (grief, racism, family expectations, eating disorders, etc) because of the three POVs, but most are mentioned superficially
March 3, 2024
Anna Gracia writes the BEST messiest girls ever. Here, three Asian American tennis players compete in a tournament. These three are across the AA diaspora and each have their own issues while also managing expectations in terms of the tournament. Of course, not all is what it seems. But these highly relatable characters will have you rooting for each of them, to get their heart's desires.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
dnf
March 29, 2024dnf @ 25%
rep: Vietnamese-American protagonist with diabetes, Taiwanese-American protagonist, protagonist of Japanese descent
I liked this author's debut (when a lot of other people didn't, which was valid, it just worked for me) but hated her second book (but chalked that up to her trying to write a trashy 2000s book because it was for an MTV imprint). Honestly I know if I finish this one, there will probably be at least some character development. but it must be said that she writes these same self-hating asian-american protagonists, and that can only go so far for me. Add in the fact that there are THREE main characters who are self-hating in different ways in this book, and I just can't bring myself to go on.
I was going to say that the three povs do read fairly distinctly but then I thought about it and honestly it was just Alice's pov that read differently because she's grieving. However, this was made more apparent by the fact that her chapters are filled to the brim with metaphors. Once I noticed that, I couldn't stop noticing it.
Shout-out to having a Vietnamese-American main character I guess but she also annoyed me the most. Maybe because I'm Vietnamese so I didn't exactly need the explanations, but I feel like all the explanations about her character and Vietnamese culture were so over-explained. I actually made the decision to dnf the book after the chapter where she's telling her love interest why her name is Leylah Lê. Let me just tell you why: her actual first name is Ha, Vietnamese names are surname-given name so her name is actually Lê Ha, and so she goes by Leylah because it's the closest thing to her "actual" name as she can get.
First off, she didn't seem to be following Vietnamese culture super intensely and I'm pretty sure (I guess this is an assumption on my part) that she was born in the US so it just does not make sense to me why she would be following the Vietnamese way of ordering names, like is that just me?? Even if you personally ordered your name that way, when you go to school and stuff they will still order your name the American way??? Maybe if her parents had chosen it but I'm pretty sure she picked the name. It just doesn't make sense!!
And let me leave you with her piece of dialogue that 100% contributed to me throwing this book aside:
who uses the term race traitor except for [redacted] who calls themselves a race traitor i hate this so much als;kdjf;
rep: Vietnamese-American protagonist with diabetes, Taiwanese-American protagonist, protagonist of Japanese descent
I liked this author's debut (when a lot of other people didn't, which was valid, it just worked for me) but hated her second book (but chalked that up to her trying to write a trashy 2000s book because it was for an MTV imprint). Honestly I know if I finish this one, there will probably be at least some character development. but it must be said that she writes these same self-hating asian-american protagonists, and that can only go so far for me. Add in the fact that there are THREE main characters who are self-hating in different ways in this book, and I just can't bring myself to go on.
I was going to say that the three povs do read fairly distinctly but then I thought about it and honestly it was just Alice's pov that read differently because she's grieving. However, this was made more apparent by the fact that her chapters are filled to the brim with metaphors. Once I noticed that, I couldn't stop noticing it.
Shout-out to having a Vietnamese-American main character I guess but she also annoyed me the most. Maybe because I'm Vietnamese so I didn't exactly need the explanations, but I feel like all the explanations about her character and Vietnamese culture were so over-explained. I actually made the decision to dnf the book after the chapter where she's telling her love interest why her name is Leylah Lê. Let me just tell you why: her actual first name is Ha, Vietnamese names are surname-given name so her name is actually Lê Ha, and so she goes by Leylah because it's the closest thing to her "actual" name as she can get.
First off, she didn't seem to be following Vietnamese culture super intensely and I'm pretty sure (I guess this is an assumption on my part) that she was born in the US so it just does not make sense to me why she would be following the Vietnamese way of ordering names, like is that just me?? Even if you personally ordered your name that way, when you go to school and stuff they will still order your name the American way??? Maybe if her parents had chosen it but I'm pretty sure she picked the name. It just doesn't make sense!!
And let me leave you with her piece of dialogue that 100% contributed to me throwing this book aside:
I sigh wearily, so he knows just how much this is inconveniencing me. "Asians have split opinions on whether we should adopt an 'Americanized' name to make our lives easier. Let's just say certain types of people, who it's not a problem for, can get a little high and mighty about it. So saying 'Leylah Lê' reminds me of what a race traitor I am."
who uses the term race traitor except for [redacted] who calls themselves a race traitor i hate this so much als;kdjf;
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2024
2024 reads:66/124
okay 1: i love this cover
2-i enjoyed this more than boys I know
I liked how this was less about romance and more about identity, finding yourself, family, etc etc
there are some tws I would check before reading
alice was my fav- such a cinnamon roll?idk the right word but I loved her and her story
there wasn't anything super crazy that happened it was just a nice chill read :)
also finally getting through my arcs and read this just in time for it to be published april 2!!!! so keep eyes peeled for that lol
okay 1: i love this cover
2-i enjoyed this more than boys I know
I liked how this was less about romance and more about identity, finding yourself, family, etc etc
there are some tws I would check before reading
alice was my fav- such a cinnamon roll?idk the right word but I loved her and her story
there wasn't anything super crazy that happened it was just a nice chill read :)
also finally getting through my arcs and read this just in time for it to be published april 2!!!! so keep eyes peeled for that lol
July 30, 2025
didnt fill the Carrie Soto sized hole in my heart💔
April 23, 2024
2☆
I'm a bit disappointed, I was expecting a tennis version of Haikyuu (sports anime for those who have no clue what I'm blabbering about). However, there. was. no. tennis. I swear there were barely any scenes in the book where they actually played a game. The book focused more on the issues of child athletes - the drugs, grooming, etc, which is fine but not what I was expecting or wanted.
Other than that, I didn't really care about the characters. Leylah was the only one I was semi-interested in. I could barely tell them apart, thankfully there were chapter titles with their names.
Overall, not for me.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a bit disappointed, I was expecting a tennis version of Haikyuu (sports anime for those who have no clue what I'm blabbering about). However, there. was. no. tennis. I swear there were barely any scenes in the book where they actually played a game. The book focused more on the issues of child athletes - the drugs, grooming, etc, which is fine but not what I was expecting or wanted.
Other than that, I didn't really care about the characters. Leylah was the only one I was semi-interested in. I could barely tell them apart, thankfully there were chapter titles with their names.
Overall, not for me.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 4, 2024
3.5 stars
This review is based on an ARC of The Misdirection of Fault Lines which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel+Ink/Peachtree Teen).
YA isn't my go-to genre these days, and in fact, I had glanced over, read the blurb, and discarded this book once upon a time whilst perusing NetGalley. But there was something striking, a little niggling in the back of my mind, a something that drew me back to the site, hoping the book wasn't yet archived. I found it, requested it, nervously waited, and was finally granted an ARC (thank you!!!). I am so glad I went back for this one; The Misdirection of Fault Lines does not disappoint!
This is one of those melancholy, yet inspiring, thrilling, couldntputitdown YA tales that centers around teens with "real problems". What Anna Gracia does right, she writes characters in their struggles while maintaining their individuality. That is, these characters are still unique and vibrant, and they have struggles, but the struggles do not define nor label them.
Now, I didn't really get the The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants comparison; I don't see these girls being more than casual text/social media "friends" in their separate futures. I'm gonna chalk that up to "marketing scheme".
The Misdirection of Fault Lines will be a hot spring/summer YA choice! I mean, hot weather, sporty girlies, strong character leads? C'mon.
I would really like to explore this author more; she may bring me back to the YA-verse.
Title: 5/10 - I don't really get it but it has the cadence of popular titles of late
Cover: 12/10 - so crisp, so fresh, so K-pop(???)
ATY 2024 Reading Challenge: a book published in 2024
POPSUGAR 2024 Reading Challenge: a book about women’s sports
This review is based on an ARC of The Misdirection of Fault Lines which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel+Ink/Peachtree Teen).
YA isn't my go-to genre these days, and in fact, I had glanced over, read the blurb, and discarded this book once upon a time whilst perusing NetGalley. But there was something striking, a little niggling in the back of my mind, a something that drew me back to the site, hoping the book wasn't yet archived. I found it, requested it, nervously waited, and was finally granted an ARC (thank you!!!). I am so glad I went back for this one; The Misdirection of Fault Lines does not disappoint!
This is one of those melancholy, yet inspiring, thrilling, couldntputitdown YA tales that centers around teens with "real problems". What Anna Gracia does right, she writes characters in their struggles while maintaining their individuality. That is, these characters are still unique and vibrant, and they have struggles, but the struggles do not define nor label them.
Now, I didn't really get the The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants comparison; I don't see these girls being more than casual text/social media "friends" in their separate futures. I'm gonna chalk that up to "marketing scheme".
The Misdirection of Fault Lines will be a hot spring/summer YA choice! I mean, hot weather, sporty girlies, strong character leads? C'mon.
I would really like to explore this author more; she may bring me back to the YA-verse.
Title: 5/10 - I don't really get it but it has the cadence of popular titles of late
Cover: 12/10 - so crisp, so fresh, so K-pop(???)
ATY 2024 Reading Challenge: a book published in 2024
POPSUGAR 2024 Reading Challenge: a book about women’s sports
April 1, 2024
The Misdirection of Fault Lines by Anna Gracia was for me, as a tennis player, filled with nostalgia, rage, laughter, sadness, and a wish for more as I joined Alice, Violetta, and Leylah as they competed at the Bastille in a weeklong tournament that could change their lives.
Plot
Let's get my one gripe out of the way...I wish the timeline of the book had been longer than a week. I would have loved to watch the external and internal drama unfold in the lives of our players and on the court for longer, with some more intricate scenes of gameplay. That being said author, Anna Gracia, did a fantastic job navigating the intersectionality of friendships, race, grief, societal expectations, and more in this book. I enjoyed every second of it and did not want to put it down!
Setting
The book may be set at the "Bastille," but not the one you are thinking and I only say that because I was also thinking of Paris, France. Surprise! This book takes place in Florida at a tennis complex called "Bastille," and is inspired all around by French design and history. The descriptions set the scene and brought to life the feel of the tournament. I pictured the campus as something akin to Wimbledon on a smaller scale but with French architecture. As a teen tennis player, I would have loved to have taken part in this kind of tournament experience based on the setting and imagery found in The Misdirection of Fault Lines.
Characters
The characters of Alice, Violetta, and Leylah were well-developed and brought 3 distinct vibes and personalities to the book and while each character had their trials to overcome the one that I connected the most with was Alice. Watching her process the grief and in turn looking at how the death of someone important, like a parent, can truly affect our relationships with family, friends, hobbies, and ourselves was heart-opening and sometimes overwhelming. These types of characters hold such importance to me and add the connection that I seek when reading.
Overall
This book was one that I wish I had had growing up when I played tennis more frequently and was involved in tournaments and school sports. I loved the intersectionality of the story but also the humor, camaraderie, and ultimately the hope for the future the characters gained at the end. It's a solid 5-star read from me and one that I will most likely pick up for a reread in the future.
The Misdirection of Fault Lines by Anna Gracia will hit shelves this Tuesday, April 2, 2024! The perfect YA contemporary to add to your Spring and Summer reading lists!
*I do want to note that I cannot speak directly on the Asian American perspective of this book and strongly suggest seeking the reviews of others on this tour as well as the reviews of others when the book is released for a more well-rounded look at this book*
Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Colored Pages Book Tours for the ARC and for letting me be a part of the online book tour!
Plot
Let's get my one gripe out of the way...I wish the timeline of the book had been longer than a week. I would have loved to watch the external and internal drama unfold in the lives of our players and on the court for longer, with some more intricate scenes of gameplay. That being said author, Anna Gracia, did a fantastic job navigating the intersectionality of friendships, race, grief, societal expectations, and more in this book. I enjoyed every second of it and did not want to put it down!
Setting
The book may be set at the "Bastille," but not the one you are thinking and I only say that because I was also thinking of Paris, France. Surprise! This book takes place in Florida at a tennis complex called "Bastille," and is inspired all around by French design and history. The descriptions set the scene and brought to life the feel of the tournament. I pictured the campus as something akin to Wimbledon on a smaller scale but with French architecture. As a teen tennis player, I would have loved to have taken part in this kind of tournament experience based on the setting and imagery found in The Misdirection of Fault Lines.
Characters
The characters of Alice, Violetta, and Leylah were well-developed and brought 3 distinct vibes and personalities to the book and while each character had their trials to overcome the one that I connected the most with was Alice. Watching her process the grief and in turn looking at how the death of someone important, like a parent, can truly affect our relationships with family, friends, hobbies, and ourselves was heart-opening and sometimes overwhelming. These types of characters hold such importance to me and add the connection that I seek when reading.
Overall
This book was one that I wish I had had growing up when I played tennis more frequently and was involved in tournaments and school sports. I loved the intersectionality of the story but also the humor, camaraderie, and ultimately the hope for the future the characters gained at the end. It's a solid 5-star read from me and one that I will most likely pick up for a reread in the future.
The Misdirection of Fault Lines by Anna Gracia will hit shelves this Tuesday, April 2, 2024! The perfect YA contemporary to add to your Spring and Summer reading lists!
*I do want to note that I cannot speak directly on the Asian American perspective of this book and strongly suggest seeking the reviews of others on this tour as well as the reviews of others when the book is released for a more well-rounded look at this book*
Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Colored Pages Book Tours for the ARC and for letting me be a part of the online book tour!
Read
October 15, 2024tw (not all of them): disordered eating, throwing up, death of a parent
Oookay, I've got some thoughts. Maybe Anna Gracia just isn't for me, I haven't really liked either of her books. There's something about the way that she writes teenagers that's really annoying. It kinda feels like an adult telling you how teenagers act (which I mean, it is).
Let's talk about the three main characters.
Violetta
Violetta's mother was a pretty prestigious tennis player before she got pregnant and then she stopped playing tennis. She had Violetta when she was 19 and pretty immediately had her doing tennis. Her main dilemma was that her mother put a lot of pressure on her . Which, okay, albeit she didn't have that hard of a life, that would be tricky Her main coping mechanisms were throwing up and smoking weed. Things that could have been delved into and... just weren't. Her eating disorder habits come up every so often kinda out of the blue and also relate to smoking weed? These things are eventually brought up and discussed but not in any of the real depth they could've been for a book about a teenager and athlete.
Leylah
Now, Leylah's big issue was that she was... a jerk? And she didn't like people? Like, she talks consistently about how she's mean and then gets frustrated at people for not wanting to be friends with her because of it. Like dude what. She gets into this whole fight with a boy because he said that he didn't know Violetta that well and then she saw him smoking weed with Violetta and a whole group of people. *gasp* that's basically him cheating on her. Cause apparently she likes him? That's most of her personality, she's angry all the time. Oh, and she's bad at school, although it's never explained how or why besides not wanting to memorize George Washington facts. I didn't think Leylah's character was very likable and she never had any real growth throughout the book.
Alice
Finally, our sweet, innocent little flower Alice. Her father/coach dies pretty soon before the book starts which makes tennis a difficult thing for her. The book starts with her feeling guilty about her father's death and closed off. Yet, as it goes on, she grows and begins to enjoy tennis again. I thought Alice was the most redeemable character. She has at least some character development and felt the most real.
Anyways. There were other things about the plot and pacing that felt strange but I think they could've been less annoying with better characters. The book wasn't horrendous by any means, it was more a lot of little things that added up.
Five points for the cover though.
Also, if the French Revolution could stop haunting me all the time, that'd be great, thanks.
Oookay, I've got some thoughts. Maybe Anna Gracia just isn't for me, I haven't really liked either of her books. There's something about the way that she writes teenagers that's really annoying. It kinda feels like an adult telling you how teenagers act (which I mean, it is).
Let's talk about the three main characters.
Violetta
Violetta's mother was a pretty prestigious tennis player before she got pregnant and then she stopped playing tennis. She had Violetta when she was 19 and pretty immediately had her doing tennis. Her main dilemma was that her mother put a lot of pressure on her . Which, okay, albeit she didn't have that hard of a life, that would be tricky Her main coping mechanisms were throwing up and smoking weed. Things that could have been delved into and... just weren't. Her eating disorder habits come up every so often kinda out of the blue and also relate to smoking weed? These things are eventually brought up and discussed but not in any of the real depth they could've been for a book about a teenager and athlete.
Leylah
Now, Leylah's big issue was that she was... a jerk? And she didn't like people? Like, she talks consistently about how she's mean and then gets frustrated at people for not wanting to be friends with her because of it. Like dude what. She gets into this whole fight with a boy because he said that he didn't know Violetta that well and then she saw him smoking weed with Violetta and a whole group of people. *gasp* that's basically him cheating on her. Cause apparently she likes him? That's most of her personality, she's angry all the time. Oh, and she's bad at school, although it's never explained how or why besides not wanting to memorize George Washington facts. I didn't think Leylah's character was very likable and she never had any real growth throughout the book.
Alice
Finally, our sweet, innocent little flower Alice. Her father/coach dies pretty soon before the book starts which makes tennis a difficult thing for her. The book starts with her feeling guilty about her father's death and closed off. Yet, as it goes on, she grows and begins to enjoy tennis again. I thought Alice was the most redeemable character. She has at least some character development and felt the most real.
Anyways. There were other things about the plot and pacing that felt strange but I think they could've been less annoying with better characters. The book wasn't horrendous by any means, it was more a lot of little things that added up.
Five points for the cover though.
Also, if the French Revolution could stop haunting me all the time, that'd be great, thanks.
January 7, 2024
What drew me to this book was explaining it was Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets the French Open, and as an honest reviewer, I have to say that isn't what this is. That isn't a critique, rather it's a reality of the story. What this is really about is three young women figuring who have athlete (tennis, specifically) as part of their identity. They're each at crossroads for different reasons trying to figure out if that's what they really want. And that's a big question! Through alternating narrations, this struggle is told through each of their eyes. I will say I wish this did have a bit more tennis. Another reason I picked this up was because I haven't read much about this sport. But it was an interesting look into the world of three young women trying to figure it all out - Then again, isn't that what we're ALL out here trying to do? Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this April 2024 release!
March 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this YA tennis sports story featuring three Asian American teenagers competing in a prestigious tennis tournament. Told from the POV of each of the girls, this story covers a range of topics as one battles an eating disorder, one is struggling with grief over the death of her father and coach and the other is trying to make a comeback. Full of great female friendship, humor and a touch of romance, tennis fans will not want to miss this one. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!
Disability rep: diabetes, disordered eating
Disability rep: diabetes, disordered eating
May 8, 2024
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Featuring multiple POV, The Misdirection of Fault Lines is a story about drive and ambition. It's also about friendship, family, and love. About the forces in our lives that keep us awake at night, get us up in the mornings. There's grief and loss, and trying to honor a memory in name, but not spirit. There's friends we find ourselves leaning on even if we don't want to. And competitive tennis which turns us into products, machines, and lean bodies
Featuring multiple POV, The Misdirection of Fault Lines is a story about drive and ambition. It's also about friendship, family, and love. About the forces in our lives that keep us awake at night, get us up in the mornings. There's grief and loss, and trying to honor a memory in name, but not spirit. There's friends we find ourselves leaning on even if we don't want to. And competitive tennis which turns us into products, machines, and lean bodies
January 8, 2024
Three teens at crossroads is a really cool idea, but I felt the sport aspect was a lot less emphasized than I would have thought or hoped for. I also found some of the problems very hastily handled. Still it was a decent and charming little read. 3.5 ish, maybe 4. Thanks for the arc
April 13, 2024
2.5 stars
I loved the diversity and some of the discussed topics felt very real. It’s just that I wasn’t feeling the writing style, this made it hard to connect with the characters and to really get into the story.
I loved the diversity and some of the discussed topics felt very real. It’s just that I wasn’t feeling the writing style, this made it hard to connect with the characters and to really get into the story.
July 8, 2024
Very very solid 4.5. agree that some conversations about substance abuse, eds, and predatory relationships border on being too 80s PSA but at it's core, i think those topics were explored interestingly. Wanted more resolution on noah/leylah and the alice/wu family situations, but still good.
AND THE COVER ART SINGLE HANDEDLY SOLD ME ON THIS BOOK GIVE THEM MORE JOBS PLEASE
AND THE COVER ART SINGLE HANDEDLY SOLD ME ON THIS BOOK GIVE THEM MORE JOBS PLEASE
May 19, 2024
DNF 18% in. Neither of these MCs is likeable. I just can't get through it.
August 25, 2024
4.5 stars. This was so good. And um, the cover art? One of my favorite book covers ever. 🎾👟🏆🧡
September 24, 2024
It gave Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants vibes lowkey, except these girls hated each other and there were no pants. Anyways. I wanted more for all of them, maybe a sequel?
April 6, 2024
The world of tennis meets sisterhood of the travelling pants, i mean what’s not to find enjoyable about that
Absolutely enjoyed the three main girls of this story. Each one was unique enough to stand out but it wasn’t completely unbelievable that they would each bond over differences and similarities in both their play styles and life.
That being said, the actual tennis setting felt underwhelming with little impact on the story. When games were played, it wasn’t some great challenge despite being a tournament but rather something that the story felt obligated to tell.
Another aspect, and i’ll try and avoid spoilers for this, was one of the girls had issues regarding behaviour akin to an eating disorder and the way the story resolves this is was almost harmful with no implication that the character was planning to seek help from a professional or at least speak about it to an adult??? instead the ending is played off almost jokingly about how she’s able to eat cinnamon rolls and cookies now.
I did enjoy reading the other girls stories however and I believe each of them were important discussions about the issues and pressures faced in competitive sports.
overall, was a fairly easy read that was enjoyable plot, just wish certain aspects were handled in a way that encouraged teens to seek support from professionals about mental health.
thankyou to the publishers for providing me an e-arc through netgalley for an honest review!
Absolutely enjoyed the three main girls of this story. Each one was unique enough to stand out but it wasn’t completely unbelievable that they would each bond over differences and similarities in both their play styles and life.
That being said, the actual tennis setting felt underwhelming with little impact on the story. When games were played, it wasn’t some great challenge despite being a tournament but rather something that the story felt obligated to tell.
Another aspect, and i’ll try and avoid spoilers for this, was one of the girls had issues regarding behaviour akin to an eating disorder and the way the story resolves this is was almost harmful with no implication that the character was planning to seek help from a professional or at least speak about it to an adult??? instead the ending is played off almost jokingly about how she’s able to eat cinnamon rolls and cookies now.
I did enjoy reading the other girls stories however and I believe each of them were important discussions about the issues and pressures faced in competitive sports.
overall, was a fairly easy read that was enjoyable plot, just wish certain aspects were handled in a way that encouraged teens to seek support from professionals about mental health.
thankyou to the publishers for providing me an e-arc through netgalley for an honest review!
January 12, 2024
♟️Rating:2/5⭐
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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
This is one of the books where it wasn’t entirely good or bad but somehow just boring. When I first picked this book up, I was expecting something akin to Haikyuu but a tennis version. I thought I would be able to read through exciting tennis matches coupled with friendship and magic vibes and I was all for it. However, I was devastatingly mistaken when I realised that there weren’t a lot of tennis scenes in it which would make the book far more interesting.
The writing style was pretty mediocre and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. There were lots of instances where the sentences were “I (action)” or “I feel (emotion)”. This kind of made it frustrating for me as a reader since the sentences seem increasingly repetitive. Not a good start to maintain my attention span. On top of that, the writing just doesn’t seem memorable enough. Also, there were some typos here and there but I hope they will get fixed before this book is published.
Moving on to the characters, oh where do I even begin? The characters felt so artificial and more of like a parody of actual teenagers (imagine teenage characters on Disney shows). Even though the writer did attempt to not make the characters a full on 100% optimist, I can’t help but feel that there was something uncanny about the characters. There’s just something off about the way the characters speak which makes me cringe sometimes. For example, Leylah’s point system and the petty bicker between Violetta and Leylah. Plus, Alice being reckless was just so out of character. Like, you don’t need to do all of these dangerous stuff to be cool for once and destress. Then again, I’m not sure how teenagers in the states speak but I’m 100% sure that teenagers are capable of speaking in proper sentences without using slang.
The character development was heavily rushed towards the end and the romance plot in Leylah’s story was sort of left abandoned at the end. Also, I feel that the author was trying to bring up the issue of racism in this novel but the person who repeatedly made racist comments seemed to make no impact on the characters themselves. In my opinion, us readers were unable to empathise with these characters because of how those comments were just easily swept to the side. I think this was due to how the characters are mainly made up of Asians descent which made it hard to compare between the main characters and characters who are more privileged. I feel like this book can try to have more nuances by actually showing how white people can have more opportunities on court and rob the chances of those who actually deserved it. The cheating scandal was a decent attempt but these incidents could be more impactful if the controversy was dragged out.(like how the Asians characters had to struggle in order to get the justice they deserve)
Overall, this was a pretty mediocre book that was a pretty meh experience for me. I wouldn’t really recommend this book due to how it lazily tried to address racism and age gap relationship issues (This was so uncalled for and it was written in a very iffy manner).
-----------------------------------------
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
This is one of the books where it wasn’t entirely good or bad but somehow just boring. When I first picked this book up, I was expecting something akin to Haikyuu but a tennis version. I thought I would be able to read through exciting tennis matches coupled with friendship and magic vibes and I was all for it. However, I was devastatingly mistaken when I realised that there weren’t a lot of tennis scenes in it which would make the book far more interesting.
The writing style was pretty mediocre and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. There were lots of instances where the sentences were “I (action)” or “I feel (emotion)”. This kind of made it frustrating for me as a reader since the sentences seem increasingly repetitive. Not a good start to maintain my attention span. On top of that, the writing just doesn’t seem memorable enough. Also, there were some typos here and there but I hope they will get fixed before this book is published.
Moving on to the characters, oh where do I even begin? The characters felt so artificial and more of like a parody of actual teenagers (imagine teenage characters on Disney shows). Even though the writer did attempt to not make the characters a full on 100% optimist, I can’t help but feel that there was something uncanny about the characters. There’s just something off about the way the characters speak which makes me cringe sometimes. For example, Leylah’s point system and the petty bicker between Violetta and Leylah. Plus, Alice being reckless was just so out of character. Like, you don’t need to do all of these dangerous stuff to be cool for once and destress. Then again, I’m not sure how teenagers in the states speak but I’m 100% sure that teenagers are capable of speaking in proper sentences without using slang.
The character development was heavily rushed towards the end and the romance plot in Leylah’s story was sort of left abandoned at the end. Also, I feel that the author was trying to bring up the issue of racism in this novel but the person who repeatedly made racist comments seemed to make no impact on the characters themselves. In my opinion, us readers were unable to empathise with these characters because of how those comments were just easily swept to the side. I think this was due to how the characters are mainly made up of Asians descent which made it hard to compare between the main characters and characters who are more privileged. I feel like this book can try to have more nuances by actually showing how white people can have more opportunities on court and rob the chances of those who actually deserved it. The cheating scandal was a decent attempt but these incidents could be more impactful if the controversy was dragged out.(like how the Asians characters had to struggle in order to get the justice they deserve)
Overall, this was a pretty mediocre book that was a pretty meh experience for me. I wouldn’t really recommend this book due to how it lazily tried to address racism and age gap relationship issues (This was so uncalled for and it was written in a very iffy manner).
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