This book transports us to the 1950s. Hettie Carlin is a journalist for Harlem Heights. She has recently committed a significant error, and her boss has graciously not fired her. Instead, he gives her a new challenge. He wants her to write pieces about the growth of African American tennis star Althea Gibson, who dislikes journalists and needs to get more positive coverage.

It is a struggle because Hettie knows very little about tennis. She also knows Althea, and their relationship hasn't been great in the past. They have a history. Hettie will need to overcome this in order to gain Althea's trust and keep her job.

I was unfamiliar with Althea Gibson, but this novel provided an excellent opportunity to learn about her as well as this period in American society, including how it could have felt to be a person of colour in tennis at the time, what difficulties arose in daily life for simple things like getting a hotel room, what was going on with the civil rights movement, and the influence of personalities such as Martin Luther King.

It is fascinating to watch Hettie and Althea's conversation and see their very different perspectives on the subject. Hettie wants Althea to become a societal symbol and voice for African Americans. Althea simply wants to be famous and dominant in her sport because of her talent, not because of the colour of her skin. An excellent rally between the two, with informative insights on the subject and a fascinating expansion of mind for both ladies over time.

The book was sometimes a little slow for me, but it was extremely engaging and provided an excellent historical context. It was a fitting tribute to a strong woman and excellent athlete who was not only the first Black athlete to win the Grand Slam in 1956, but also became the first to compete on the Women's Professional Golf Tour.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUk for the advanced copy of this story.

After reading The Butterfly Code I was looking forward to reading this story and it did not disappoint. Set during the civil rights movement Hettie, an aspiring journalist of colour has ambitions to see her words in print. When she makes some self promotional decisions with her stories on the bus boycotting she is given one chance to redeem herself and keep her job.

Sport is the topic she has been given to cover but this is another challenge for Hettie as she has been assigned to cover Althea Gibson a female tennis player of colour in a white persons world. Althea is only interested in tennis and winning and doesn’t care about journalists, political views or Hettie as they have a history.

Watching the barriers break down between Hettie and Althea was really interesting. I think Althea changed Hettie more than the other way round and although Althea was definitely subject to hateful treatment she kept to her stance with Hettie in that she would not take a stand and was only there to play and win tennis games.

The time period was really interesting and portrayed in a thought provoking way. I understood the view points of Hettie trying to persuade Althea that she could do more for the people that had helped her get where she was and take more of a stand in the civil rights movement. I also understood Althea’s view that she would win matches and the rest would follow and that she was a tennis player rather than a civil rights activist.

A really engaging and enjoyable read which I would recommend.

Following her novel Codename Butterfly based on the exploits of the black singer Josephine Baker in WWII France the author again uses a figure from the mid 20 th century this time the tennis player Althea Gibson. Using the fictions relationship between Althea and a female reporter the author portrays the immense difficulties faced by a young black athlete in 1950’s America.Althea’s story is told alongside the that of Hettie Carlin the fictitious reporter and in this way way the author is able to highlight the overt racial prejudice in the USA and also in the UK . As a story it is good as a piece documented social history in a readable way it is excellent. Although winning Wimbledon twice Althea was never accepted as a member of Wimbledon due to her colour.
The author is to be admired for the way she tackles the subject of racism and the way she highlights the accomplishments of black American female athletes.

What an interesting and enlightening read this book is. It’s very different from my more usual fiction reading, based as it is, on the true story of Althea Gibson, the top African American tennis player in 1950 in New York. Hettie Carlin is an ambitious young journalist, also an African American, and is desperately trying to get a scoop to salvage her career. The two women have ‘history’, having been in the same school at the same time. This leads to so much friction between them, as they are very different personalities, with different values and goals in life.
The women encounter serious issues around racism, in their working life and life in general, putting them in real danger at times. How differently they are treated from young white American women, which is so hard to read about now. The book is written as of its time, USA 1950, and the initial attitude to Martin Luther King is not the adulation that most of us remember. He was viewed very differently when he first came to prominance, particularly by the media.
Hettie’s strenuous efforts to persuade Althea to attach herself to his promotion, in order to be a role model for young black people, lead to serious conflict between them.
The historical accuracy indicates meticulous research by the author, whilst the characterisation of the two women is excellent, resulting in a very engaging book. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advance copy of this book.

This was about a game that I love watching on TV, tennis. Set in 1950 when women had to hold wooden racquets which were heavy and wear clothing that really wasn't suited to the game. A very Interesting historical story which I enjoyed immensely. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for access to this arc.


I love the historical details in the story. The clothes, the cars, the family relationships (I love Hettie’s grandmother) and dynamics. But not everything is wonderful. A road trip across the South highlights the everyday dangers that African Americans (period terms are used in the book) face even when they have a Green Book with them. Despite the fact that Althea is winning tournaments and after she is ranked first in the US, she still faces racism and barriers due to her being African American.

Hettie has standing weekly dates with certain men who always take her to certain restaurants. The man who intrigues Hettie the most is “Lewis” – the steakhouse man. After listening to him pour out his heart for ages about his ex-wife, Hettie realizes that she’s more attached to this man than any of the others. One night she speaks her mind and to her amazement, she learns more about this mysterious man who then comes to her aid and helps her in many ways. Hettie has to grapple with how much she wants to remain a reporter and what she’s willing to do in order to do that. Lewis gives her some sound advice even if he’s slightly appalled at some of Hettie’s tactics.

This then is for me the main part of the book. Hettie’s under pressure to get Althea to say something publicly to help her public image with African Americans and that Hettie can use in a story. Althea has relentlessly refused to become a civil rights activist or make statements about racism even though she has been a victim of it. Althea tells Hettie that she wants to succeed on her own merits and in her own way. She feels she is an athlete and just wants to play tennis. The outcome doesn’t tie things up in a neat bow but I think both women learn something about themselves and stay true to what they feel is important to them. I also enjoyed Hettie’s romance with Lewis (and his daughter) and how Hettie ties him up in knots despite him not agreeing with all her stands.

This book taught me a lot about Althea Gibson through Hettie’s efforts to understand tennis, reach out to Althea, and then travel with her, learning how hard Althea works at her sport and what she faces from a public that either wants more from her or less of her – depending on their skin color. B+

New York, 1950. Ambitious journalist Hettie Carlin is reeling from a scandal and desperate for a scoop to salvage her career when her boss tasks her with covering the meteoric rise of Althea Gibson, the tennis world's newest star, and there's just two Hettie knows nothing about tennis, plus her and Althea have a history - and it's not pleasant. Hettie must convince a media-septic Althea Gibson to allow Hettie back into her life, and it won't be an easy feat. But as Althea's star rises, and she challenges the status quo, she faces media bias, tennis establishment prejudice and discrimination head-on - and Althea soon realises she may just need Hettie, too, in order to tell her own story on her terms.

Set in the 1950s. I can't stand any sport, so who would have thought I would read and enjoy a book that includes tennis? Hettie Carlin and Althea Gibson are both black and have experienced racism from an early age. Althea is the tennis player, Hettie is a journalist. Both women come from the same town. Althea is the first black woman to win Wimbledon. The book has been well-researched. It's interesting and informative. I liked learning about these women. Althea becomes an unexpected civil rights icon, she holds the power to change history.

Published 15th August 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #EmbassieSusberry for my ARC of #TheGameChange in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

Hettie works for Harlem Heights as a journalist. After her last piece that she wrote, which her boss wasn’t pleased about, she feels grateful that she’s still in work and wasn’t sacked.

Now her boss has given her another story to cover. It’s about Althea Gibson who was a Tennis champion.


The story was well written and as I hadn’t heard of her it was an interesting read about the challenges she faced in society at that time.

I highly recommend this book.

Susberry uses the ambitious Hattie, a journalist, to tell part of the story of Althea Gibson, a woman who should be far better known. A star at tennis, she later played and won at golf, Nothing was achieved, however, without struggle and one must wonder how her life and achievements would have been viewed in a more tolerant and progressive time, That said, this is a good historical fiction and a worthy read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I have read the authors previous novel Codename Butterfly. So, I was excited to receive a copy of her new novel ‘The game changer’
It’s the 1950’s. Hettie Carlin is a journalist for the Harlem Heights newspaper. And is lucky to still have a job after the problems she had with the Montgomery Bus Boycott article. But her boss has given her another chance as has assigned her to do an article on the up-and-coming negro Tennis player called Althea Gibson. There are problem though. Both the women have had history as they come from the same town. Althea only wants to play Tennis and she eventually is the first black woman to win Wimbledon, but she seems to have become a poster woman for the Civil rights movement, especially the rights for black people. No fault of her own and Hettie knows nothing about Tennis.
Firstly, I am not a fan of Tennis, so I wasn’t aware of the history of Althea Gibson. Although a bit slow at the start I found this to have an interesting, atmospheric storyline, which is based of Althea and the Civil rights movement. This is researched well and made me want to find out more about Althea after reading this. 4 stars from me.

I raced through this book as I loved the story. It is so different from other books that I’ve read.
I am not a fan of tennis, but I was fascinated with Althea the black tennis player and Hettie the black journalist.
They both experienced racism and the author has written about such a volatile subject in a sensitive way.
Great book!

The game changer is a historical fiction novel by Embassie Susberry.
Being a historical fiction fan I was drawn to this novel as it sounded interesting. I enjoyed the story and liked the characters. I found that in a few places it was a bit slow but once I got past that I enjoyed it. A very interesting read that I would recommend to other historical fiction fans.
💖 Thank you to Avon books, netgalley and the author for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Having loved Code Name Butterfly, I was pleased to be able to read the next book by the same author. This time she is writing about Althea Gibson, the first African American Tennis player to win a Grand Slam tennis event. I’m afraid I hadn’t heard of her before this, as I’m not a tennis fan but I shall certainly remember her name now. It’s always fascinating to read a fictionalised telling of a real persons life and career, the combination of the facts that are out in the world and how the author imagines these stories went. The story is told by journalist Hetty Carlin, who works for Harlem Heights newspaper, and after an incident during the Montgomery Bus boycott needs to pull a great story out of the bag to keep her job. Her editor assigns her the task of getting a scoop on rising star Althea, a task not made any easier by the history between the two of them.

It’s an interesting time in history with Dr Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement coming to prominence. Althea, whether she liked it or not, is coming to the media’s attention and Hettie is determined that Althea needs to make her stand against the bigotry she faces almost daily. Althea only wants to be treated as a tennis player, not judged on her likes, dislikes, opinions or relationships and refuses to pander to the press or the public.

A bit of a slow burner but very well researched and imagined, I couldn’t like Hettie, and wanted to know more about Altheas life than hers, as well as more from Ce-Ce, Morgan and Lewis. Althea was such a strong, determined woman, a real game changer, literally and someone who should be remembered as playing a pivotal role in both tennis and American history. Excellent read. 4 1/2⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An interesting read loosely based on the life of Althea Gibson, an American Tennis champion. Well researched book about Althea from the viewpoint of Hettie a journalist for a Harlem newspaper who was set the task of writing a piece about the player. Not being a great tennis fan and not following the game I must admit I had to Google Althea and found she'd won at Wimbledon in the 50s being a first in so many ways. A great read for any tennis fan and giving a great insight Althea had against the racist and exist society at the time

There’s more than ‘just a game’ at stake here.

It’s the 1950’s and Hettie Carlin is a journalist working for Harlem Heights though she’s very lucky she’s still got a job after repercussions following her Montgomery Bus Boycott article. Instead of firing her though, her editor assigns her the story of the rise of African American tennis star, Althea Gibson. There are two problems attached to this, Hettie knows zero (or should that be love?!) about tennis and as she’s born and raised in Harlem and so is Althea, the pair have history. This might just prove to be tricky to get around. Can Hettie get her scoop when Althea plays Forest Hills or Wimbledon? Can she convince Althea to even talk to her, never mind let her into her life especially as Althea dislikes journalists? Can Hettie convince the public to like Althea a bit more?

I’m ashamed to admit that, even as a tennis fan, beyond knowing the barest bones of tennis facts about Althea I knew very little else about her. This very well researched novel redresses this issue. It gives absolutely fascinating insight into Althea herself, into tennis at this time for a person of colour and is set amidst the historical context of the civil rights movement. These are turbulent times and there’s very good reference made of civil rights protests and the rising prominence of Martin Luther King. Althea faces many challenges not least from the crowds and her ways of dealing with what she encounters is interesting and totally different from the more direct challenges from Hettie.

The characterisation of these wildly different personalities is well done. Both are infuriating in various ways but far from dull and I can admire them both. The vibes and dialogue between them is so entertaining as they racquet back and forth across the verbal net, some comments score aces whilst others hit the net. Hettie believes there’s more at stake here and that it’s part of a bigger picture whereas Althea doesn’t. Both have to fight tooth and nail to get seats at the table and there are numerous obstacles in their path.

The historical context is excellent and it’s interesting to reflect on the role of Althea in women’s tennis as time has elapsed as she is now regarded as one of the all time greats.

My only negatives are that the pace slows at times especially when the focus is on Hettie and her life and little space is given to Althea winning Wimbledon or at Forest Hills and I would have enjoyed that.

Overall, an interesting and illuminating read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Avon Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Very excited for this beautiful and powerful novel of unexpected friendship. I so look forward to sharing a full review and thoughts very soon. I apologize due to some unexpected health issues at the moment I’m dealing with I’m a bit behind with my ususllly schedule, but I’m slowly getting there and very much looking forward to this one.

I was absorbed in this book telling the story of an Afro American hero who due to rising medical costs had to rely on charity towards the end of her life. Despite growing up in Haarlem, Althea Gibson went on to become a Wimbledon and US National Tennis Champion, in a sport that was the preserve of the rich normally. It pictured a dialogue between a journalist who wanted to open up Althea to a suspicious audience. By rights, she should have been an all American hero, but was often shunned and faced discrimination from the establishment continually. The journalist wanted to get Althea aligned to the Civil Rights movement and to become a role model for other black Americans, but Althea insisted on doing things her own way and saying that she was a tennis player, pure and simple and that race, gender or background were not important to her. The book portrayed attitudes to M L King before he became famous and how people initially were suspicious of him. This was an enlightening piece of literature that deserves to be widely read.