Thirty Love by Tom Vellner
Releasing March 10, 2026
Rating: OBSESSED
Thirty Love is PERFECTION! The love, the family, the emotions, the tennis, EVERYTHING.
Tennis star Leo has come so close to his dream of winning the U.S. Open. But, pushing 30, he has a lot going on, from being closeted and struggling with whether or how to come out, wanting to take things a different direction from his dad (a former tennis champion who now has MS and coaches him), and dealing with the very frustrating and very hot Gabe—the guy who gets under his skin and who he can’t figure out how to beat.
I could not have loved Thirty Love more! Leo and Gabe have my heart. The enemies to friends to lovers energy, tension, slow burn, feelings, banter, and beautiful moments really did it for me. But really, Leo’s journey is everything. Thirty Love is told in third person from Leo’s perspective, focusing on his growth, self-discovery, what he wants to share with the world, what he wants from himself, how he can love and respect his dad while trying to do his own thing too, and of course the slow build of Leo and Gabe’s love story.
And the tennis? This author really knows tennis—he calls himself a mediocre player in his bio but he knows way too much to be mediocre and I didn’t notice a single thing about the tennis that was wrong. He gets the nuances, the lingo, the attitudes, everything, and made it so exciting. And I LOVE the first line of Thirty Love—something I treasure about tennis.
Next, the supporting characters added so much to the story: Leo’s parents, his friends and found family on tour, the villains. And I loved how the book included real people and real issues—icons like Billie Jean King get mentions, and there weren’t many fake names mixed in.
If that’s not enough, stay for the peeing koalas with STIs….
Finally, the end was BRILLIANT and I felt like I was there too (and boy would I love to be).
I was lucky enough to get an e-arc of Thirty Love from NetGalley (all thoughts and opinions are mine alone) but guess who needs to pre-order this asap???
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