I've never read a Teddy Wayne novel. This one intrigued me so I started reading it and I'm loving it. So much so that I contacted his publicist to arrange having him on my podcast, Writers on Writing. Such a visual writer and a study in how interiority brings characters to life. So glad I discovered this book here! Thank you, NetGalley.

This is a compelling novel set in the exclusive Cutters Neck community near Cape Cod, where Conor O'Toole seeks refuge from his responsibilities in Yonkers by taking a summer job offering tennis lessons in exchange for lodging. In this oceanfront paradise, Conor faces financial challenges until Catherine, a sharp-tongued divorcée, offers him double his rate for additional, secretive services. Conor becomes embroiled in a steamy affair with Catherine while also developing feelings for an artsy girl he meets on the beach. As he navigates this complex web of relationships, Conor's choices lead to a critical mistake that alters the course of his summer and his life.

The novel explores themes of desire, temptation, and moral ambiguity against the backdrop of a luxurious yet deceptive setting. Conor's journey from financial strain to personal and romantic entanglements is portrayed with depth and realism, making this a compelling exploration of human relationships and the consequences of choice.

Fantastically written rich people behaving badly story. No character is even remotely likeable yet they are all fun to read about. This is perfect beach read—the setting is incredible, particularly if you know East coast beach towns well!!!

The Winner by Teddy Wayne is the perfect summer thriller page turner if you like getting really stressed out about fictional stories on vacation. It is about the lives of rich people living in a gated community near Cape Code for the summer. The protagonist is the outside - he isn't rich. He recently graduated from a un-prestigious law school and is there to teach tennis to the residents and then all the juicy drama unfolds. For fans of the tv show You and White Lotus (less the humor and more the drama).

I was immediately drawn in sat down to read a few pages and couldn’t put it down..Full of twists and turns perfect summer read,#netgalley#thewinner

*whispers* I was totally rooting for the murderer.

This is a gem of a book and one of my favorite reads of 2024 so far. This one may not sit well with readers who have a very absolute sense of right and wrong, but I thought the messy morality of it was excellent.

I’ve been up and down on Teddy Wayne’s work. The writing is always exceptional, but my enjoyment of his plots has varied wildly. This one is probably my favorite to date, though I also greatly enjoyed Apartment.

This book is sort of an elevated version of the rich people behaving badly novel, and also an interesting and though-provoking look at how a hero evolves into an anti-hero. Though it’s largely easy to class as Literary Fiction, there’s a quiet intensity to much of the novel that achieves the simmering tension of the best thrillers. It’s almost gothic at times. Which is a very good thing.

In all, a terrific piece of fiction, and probably Wayne’s best work thus far.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars
Happy publication to Teddy Wayne and The Winner! Thank you to Teddy Wayne, Harper Publishing, and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read a gifted eARC of this book for an honest review!

📅 Today, May 28, 2024 is the pub date for The Winner. Be sure to pick up a copy from your local bookstore or Amazon! 📅

If Teddy were a fisherman, his writing style would hook you from the beginning…almost immediately. He keeps the reader engaged and interested in the story line by interweaving characters into complex relationships…or dare I say relations. This would have been a 4 star read for me if the ending was more developed. I was left really frustrated by the abrupt ending that displayed none of the development or complexities mirrored in the rest of the book.

Conor O’Toole, a struggling law student, is in major need of a summer job. He is helping to support his mother who is unemployed and diagnosed with diabetes. He lands a lucky streak when he is hired to teach tennis lessons to John once a week in the small but prestigious community of Cutter’s Neck near Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Conor gets to live in the guest bungalow on John’s property for free in exchange for the lessons. Conor also gets to mingle with the additional guests and residents of Cutters Neck in hopes to build up his revenue stream, offering lessons for $150 an hour. His business picks up a little more unconventionally than one may think. He finds himself in some rather strange predicaments, faced with extremely tough decisions. Does he make the ethical decisions that are needed for him to save face and land the law career of his dreams?

This is a fun roller coaster of a novel with a plot worthy of a grand audience. When one can not pay the bills and receives an offer any guy can not refuse Conor is taken on a ride he did not plan on. Conor becomes one who changes as the story goes yet who wouldn't in his circumstance? Lies do become you in the end.

For a Teddy Wayne novel, there is more plot and less magic here. You're always in expert hands with this author, but The Winner genre-hopped in a way that satisfied me less. A fun beach read, although I missed the character-driven nuance of work like Apartment.

This book is an unputdownable literary thriller that expertly explores themes of ambition, temptation, and the dark underbelly of the elite. Conor O’Toole, a young tennis instructor, finds himself in the opulent gated community of Cutters Neck near Cape Cod, exchanging lessons for luxurious lodging. Struggling to find clients, Conor accepts a lucrative offer from Catherine, a wealthy divorcée, leading to a secret and complex affair.

As Conor navigates this risky liaison, he also develops feelings for a young woman he meets on the beach, creating a tangled web of relationships. Wayne’s masterful storytelling builds tension with every page, culminating in a shocking and irreversible mistake by Conor.

The Winner is a cinematic and psychologically rich novel that skewers the excesses and moral decay of the upper class, making it a must-read for fans of dark, thought-provoking thrillers.

Thank you Teddy Wayne, Harper, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Conor O’Toole has struggled to get ahead most of his life. His one path to a better life has been his skill at tennis. Having just graduated from law school, Conor is drowning in debt and looking for a job. So he accepts an offer to live rent free in a guest cottage in the elite Cutters Neck, a gated community near Cape Cod, in exchange for providing his host with tennis lessons. He hopes to find additional clients for lessons to make more money while studying for the bar. He soon meets and gets entangled with Catherine, an older woman who lives in one of the largest houses in the community. He also meets and begins dating a woman his own age. Somehow, Conor manages both relationships, until his careful balancing act is undermined with consequences that threaten to reshape his future and the lives of the two women.

This is an engaging and well written thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat through the last page.

Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice and twisty slow-burn. Even though I absolutely despised the main character, I thoroughly enjoyed watching his transition. I almost gave up on this book, but I’m glad I didn’t because the ending turned out to be incredibly unpredictable and unsettling. Once the storyline picked up I was hooked! I highly recommend this one!

Conor O’Toole, a struggling young law school graduate, takes a Tennis Pro job in a Cape Cod gated community to make ends meet while studying for the bar exam. Despite his financial burdens, Conor is a likable character with a hint of resentment from his upbringing. As he navigates his path to financial stability, a fateful meeting with wealthy Catherine changes his life's course.

The first half of the book is engaging and well-crafted, drawing you into Conor's journey. However, the story takes a dramatic turn halfway through, leading to unexpected twists and turns that keep you captivated until the end. Teddy Wayne delivers a thrilling roller coaster ride of a story that will surprise and enthrall readers, making it a must-read for thriller fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC!

This surprised me, in a good way! I was expecting a Mrs Robinson slow burn drama, but this had so much more!

After finishing law school at the start of the pandemic, Conor has no job prospects, so he returns to teach tennis lessons for the summer as a way to make ends meet. He's from Yonkers but is intrigued by the wealthy people at the resort near Cape Cod where he moves to teach. When an older client comes on to him and he later gets entangled with a girl his own age, Conor has a lot of secrets to keep as he has dreams of wealth, fame, and of course sex.

This was a very soapy book but was pretty predictable. It had a pretty good pace (which saved it), and everyone loves a rich people, behaving badly, story. If you do, this one is for you. There is lots of drama, sex, money and class issues, and tennis.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Solid 3.5 stars. At first I wasn’t sure about the mix of 2020/Covid and The Graduate vibes, but throw in a New England summer, some plot twists and Triangle of Sadness type class commentary and it had my attention. It’s interesting how Covid and the election are used not just as a plot device, but to commentate on the impact it had on different social classes. A bit slow in the middle, but otherwise an unsettling ride.

The Winner by Teddy Wayne was so engaging and kept me turning pages until the very end!
Well written, fast flowing, just a joy to read!
I enjoyed reading it.
I'd say it's perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I’m surprised I haven’t seen more hype for this book! This book follows Conor, a hard-working law student, as he spends his summer teaching tennis lessons in an exclusive and very wealthy community. Over the course of the summer, he becomes involved with two very different women, and keeping those relationships separate becomes very complicated. The mistake referenced in the blurb doesn’t happen until nearly 60% into the book, at which point I’d say this book shifted from a drama into more of a thriller.

This book was set during the height of Covid, but Covid wasn’t used merely as a plot device. I really appreciated Conor’s astute observations about how Covid affected people in different income brackets so differently, and about how Covid barely crossed the minds of people in the Cutters but it was life or death every day for his mom back home in Yonkers.

I also thought the characterizations in this book were well done. For fear of spoilers, I won’t go into each character in-depth, but the two women could have easily been drawn as stock characters, but instead I felt like they were well fleshed-out. And it was very interesting to see Conor’s character change throughout the time he was away from home.

Four stars! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Wow! What a book. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this eARC. The Winner by Teddy Wayne is a thriller that centers around tennis "pro" Conor O'Toole. He leaves his incredibly modest life in Yonkers for a summer on Cutter's Neck a gated community on the ocean in Massachusetts. Conor soon gets more than he bargained for when he starts an affair with one of the wealthiest older women there but soon starts to fall in love with her daughter. This thriller has spice, murder, and so much gas lightning it could catch on fire. I really enjoyed this atmospheric novel though. As a fan of tennis it was fun to read about. This does take place during the pandemic which was also an interesting story line which really added to the mystery. I highly recommend this book.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. It was a very slow burn, about 60% before the “thriller” aspect kicked in.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collin’s for the opportunity to read this arc