Connor is a poor Law Student who moves to an affluent area one summer to teach tennis lessons, there he becomes entangled in drama with wealthy egotistical people…..I really enjoyed this book! I found it sexy and gripping and really liked the writing style. I can see there is negative reviews but I really liked it!!!

Brilliant - fresh, sexy, funny and intriguing. I loved it and raced through it in no time. I defy anyone not to, with a drink in one hand and a grin all over their face.

summer vibes, rich people problems, romance thrown in ... everything i like in a thriller sort of read !
The novel sort of splits into 2 halves, the first is very much about the vibes and setting and then the latter half takes a much darker turn . The book is FULL of rich people problems and through our protagonist Connor we get to see how difficult it cab be to become immersed in this elite society of people . The novel takes place in 2020 so there's a lot of politics and pandemic and a lot of social commentary which may not appeal to everyone but it's something I love in a literary thriller . This would make a great on screen adaptation with sort of Saltburn / Highsmith vibes .
A great read !

This is not a positive review, I really couldn't get into this book and considered DNFing it as well. The female characters were so badly written, there was no depth to them, I wouldn't be recommending this book, unfortunately.

Conor O'Toole lands what seems like the perfect summer gig as a tennis instructor at a luxurious seaside community, where he plans to save money for his diabetic mother and prepare for his bar exam. But his plans quickly unravel when he gets "Mrs. Robinsoned" by one of the wealthy residents. As Conor tries to cling to the lavish lifestyle he's stumbled into, he finds himself tangled in a web of lies and moral compromises. This fast-paced tale of temptation, deception, and the cost of easy living is as entertaining as it is cautionary, making it a gripping read from start to finish.

I enjoyed this, but I didn't feel it was as odd / weird as Wayne's other books. The storyline was rather similar to Cline's The Guest, which I didn't actually like. The MC in this wasn't particularly likeable but was a well-rounded character, unlike the MC in The Guest.

The storyline was compelling and kept me reading to find out what further troubles were going to arise - I just expected a bit more quirk and this felt a bit too much like your standard domestic suspense novel.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

The Winner by Teddy Wayne

I am sorry to say I really did not enjoy this book. The writing was very plain and almost boring. Everything is set out too plainly, there is no hidden meaning to anything so there is little to no mystery or intrigue to this book. It was marketed as a "page-turner" which I am shocked by as I had to literally force myself to keep reading this. If I had not have been gifted this book by Netgalley, I would have put it down and never finished it after the first 25% because I was pretty fed up at that point. It was a slow-burn that never really ever picked up the pace and when the author tried to include a shocking twist I just became more confused and uninterested than I had been before.

The characters felt very shallow and were only explored on a surface level, there was no deeper personality or motivation to many of them (unless you count being rich). I just couldn't relate or connect with any of the characters so felt frustrated and disengaged from the action pretty much the whole way through. I really didn't like the main character, there was something about him (or more importantly, the way he was written) that made me cringe inside. His actions were also rather weird, if not lowkey disturbing, and it did not come across in the way I believe the author intended.

I rated this book 2 out of 5 stars. I finished this book feeling frustrated, confused and just baffled by what I had just read. Unfortunately this book is not what it is being marketed as, and I really really struggled to finish it as I was bored and fed-up within the first 25%. Thank you to Netgalley and Teddy Wayne for this ARC.

This was a really good holiday read. It's the second pandemic based book ive read since Sea of Tranquility - a concept I didn't think was nessasry but made it relevant. The plot was a real slow burner until the suspense hit half way. The characters have real Mrs Dalloway vibes, some parts were a bit a little spicy. As for the tennis theme, it's not my vibe even though I enjoyed Carrie Soto but I'd say if you're a fan of CS then you must try this. A great read. My first Teddy Wayne book but I heard good reviews about his previous books that attracted me to this. I'm looking forwards to what comes next in his writing career. Bravo.

So when I started this I wasn't sure what to make of this and I've never read anything from this author before.
Conor has landed himself a summer job teaching rich people to play tennis and staying in The Neck. Other reviews have said this is a slow burner but inreally enjoyed the pace. Reading along and the storyline is picking up nicely. Conor is sleeping with one of his students and accidently starts to date her daughter, which now is becoming a dilemma. I kept reading and thinking about how this was going to play out then BAM it just completely changes and I'm left thinking "Omg how on earth is this going to end?" After the 60% mark my anxiety and stress levels just start going through the roof.
Unfortunately this didn't get the 5 stars I was hoping for as I didn't like the ending. For me it was too sudden, I wasn't ready and it wasn't well rounded.
For the majority I really enjoyed this.

This is the perfect beach-read thriller, if you are looking for something not too heavy or complex to get your teeth sunk into.

I really enjoyed the premise & characters in this book and the story kept me hooked until the last few chapters, which I felt were rushed and a bit of an anti-climax compared to the rest of the story. I was expecting something outlandish and sensational, to match the sensational and outlandish characters on Cutter's Neck, however I felt as though it didn't deliver this. I also didn't enjoy the covid setting this book took place in.

Overall, however, a great page turner perfect for the summer months.

I'm a longtime Teddy Wayne fan, and The Winner did not disappoint. It was a bit slow off the mark for me, but once we hit the midpoint the set up was all worth it. And the final page!!! I loved it and will be thinking of it for a long time.

This was the perfect holiday read! Set in a mega rich gated community over Covid, it follows a super ambitious tennis "pusher" and law graduate, who's trying to get a job in a convoluted time. With a chronically ill mother who's recently become unemployed to care for and thousands of dollars in debt, he'll do whatever it takes to make his way into the top...

Unfortunately, the prose style of Wayne's didn't click for me. It felt clunky in places and failed to create dynamic characters that would compel me to keep reading. DNF'd at 25%

Overall I enjoyed the book. I wanted to DNF somewhere around 25% as it was super slow and wasn't keeping me focused. I stuck it out, and about halfway or so, it drew me back in and ended up being really good. It was set during the pandemic, and I don't really enjoy reading about that, but still found it an enjoyable book with twists and turns

The book is absolutely gripping and unputdownable. The uber rich setting with mysterious characters is perfect. Love the setting of Cutters Neck, Massachusetts. So a lot of things happens in this book and the intricate details matters a lot. Conor O’Toole is a recent law graduate, his mother is chronically ill. He is struggling to get a job so he accepts the summer job of teaching tennis. Free lodging is too appealing to decline. Catherine is a divorcee and she hires him but when things go horribly wrong with her, Connor gets tangled in the unthinkable happenings, secrets and suspense. Things become complicated and chaotic and take a different turn. While with Emily, he shares a real bond. But Connor didn’t think things will get this complicated and they will tangle him in the perilous web.

Thanks to the Publisher and Author

This is a quick and entertaining read about a young law grad who finds himself in a complicated situation.
The writing style was engaging in the beginning, becoming a bit plain for my taste, and then being engaging again in some chapters.
The pace and the tone are slightly uneven. I enjoyed the introduction to this gated, privileged community with the pandemic at the backdrop, and also the introduction to the characters. I did not read the later chapters as a thriller - though, the plot is cinematic. What kept me going was I wondered what will become of the MC. Hence, it is fair to say that, I enjoyed the character study and the revelations, however, there is a case to solve, lies to be told, sex to be made, and a liar to be invented.
I did not root for any of the characters, but to explore them from afar was mostly fun. Funnily, on a personal note, I read this a week or so after I saw the film, Challengers, and could not help but draw parallels between some of the themes. They are very different in essence though, yet the coincidence made this book more memorable in my mind alongside the writer’s craft.
Story 3.5 stars
Characters ranging from 3-4.5
The ending/resolution 3.5
The writing, although uneven, still kept me reading 4
Overall, thriller lovers would like this plenty. 3.5-4.5 stars

An interesting read about an insider finding a life in the world of privilege. We learn about the struggles of the character and why he needs to do what he does. We see his view of privilege and how he feels the lack of opportunities and wealth stack up against him as he works what he has to get a leg up. We see both his dilemma and what he's prepared to do in order to make the best of what he has.

While it's a bit of a slow burn in the beginning it peaks up and races midway. It's a mix of both literary fiction and thrillers and mixes it up well.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, The Borough Press and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I genuinely think the twist ruined what was a perfectly interesting novel. Teddy Wayne could've leaned into the moral conundrum a bit, made things tougher and tighter for Conor, the working class boy ought of his depth in a gated community in Massachusetts. Instead, the twist changes the whole nature of the novel and it becomes more of the same stuff one has read in the past, which is a real pity because the three principal characters are extremely interesting.

This looks so good! It gives not only White Lotus vibes but also Salt Butn as well. I absolutely cannot wait to share my thoughts on this! Please keep an eye out for a full review. Perfect summer beach book or book club pick

I expected this to be more about social commentary but it switches into a murder/psychological thriller. The pacing is slow at the start and I struggled to believe the change in Connor over a few months from normal guy to the kind of privileged 'winner' he ends up. With hindsight, the Talented Mr Ripley vibe is flagged in the blurb but feels less slick and tense than in the Highsmith original.