Thirty Love Audiobook By Tom Vellner cover art

Thirty Love

A Novel

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Thirty Love

By: Tom Vellner
Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin
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Things heat up on and off the court for two tennis rivals in this steamy debut gay sports rom-com, perfect for fans of TJ Alexander and Casey McQuiston.

American tennis star Leo Chambers is determined to win the US Open by thirty, the age when many players feel retirement looming. He’s just a year away from that dreaded birthday, but he can’t find his focus—considering he hasn’t told anyone he’s gay, he’s clashing with his strict coach (who also happens to be his dad), and he still can’t figure out how to beat his longtime nemesis on tour, Gabe Montoya, who, well, hits different. Gabe is playing better than ever, and Leo can’t seem to escape him—and maybe he doesn’t want to escape him.

Leo’s other obstacle is Sascha Volkov, a Russian legend who has such a powerful influence on the tennis world, he would destroy Leo’s career if he found out that he’s gay.

No distractions, Leo reminds himself. But when Gabe makes a shocking announcement, Leo is thrown off his game—in more ways than one. Ready? Play.

Thirty Love is a must-hear for fans of queer sports romances.

©2026 Tom Vellner (P)2026 Spotify Audiobooks Romance Sports
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I listened to this after my Heated Rivalry binger and I LOVED it! Leo is such a relatable character with how he can get worked up about things. I actually had my husband take me out to the tennis court to demonstrate some of the moves they talk about in the book and we had a fun time bonding over impressive one handed backhands and what it means to play at the baseline.

Also the acknowledgments at the end? I don’t know why they like actually made me cry but I found them to be so unbelievably touching.

Loving Leo

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Why is it that I have very little interest in real life sports, but I LOVE a sports romance?? This is the first tennis story I can remember reading in a long time, though, and I adored it!

Thirty Love is told from the (third person) perspective of Leo, a pro tennis player on a quest to win the US Open before he turns 30. In addition to the demands of the sport itself, Leo is dealing with living up to his family's expectations, his father/coach's MS and other health struggles, keeping his sexuality a secret, and his growing attraction and feelings for his rival, Gabe.

The relationship between Leo and Gabe is definitely a slow burn as this story is as much about Leo's personal journey as it is the relationship. It reads a bit like a coming of age story, only with older characters- which is totally valid because we don't all magically figure ourselves out at 18! The characters and their relationships (familial, romantic, platonic, etc.) are complex and far from perfect, which I loved because they felt real and relatable.

This is a good place to mention the couple of things that I wish had been different with this one. First, while I can get on board with 3rd person POV, I still STRONGLY prefer a dual POV. I feel like having Gabe's POV would have gone a long way towards making this feel like a true romance vs. Leo's story that happened to include a romantic storyline. Along those same lines, my 2nd issue was how little we actually get of Gabe and Leo together as a couple. Fine if the book is intended to be more general fiction, but as a romance, I needed a little more relationship development.

Overall, his was a strong debut novel, and I'm excited to see what this author does next! Mark Sanderlin was a fantastic choice for the narration on this one, really enjoyed him,

Lovely Slow Burn Tennis Romance

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I love a good MM Romance. This one is mediocre. The author made a strange choice by writing the book in the present tense, which was a little off-putting throughout the listen. As in, instead of saying "he said" or "he walked over to the door and opened it", the author used the present tense throughout like "he says" and "he walks over to the door and opens it." It is an unconventional choice, but distracting. The entire story is written from only one perspective, so how the love interest/once rival of the main character felt throughout was not explored. I found the main character (yes, this is my opinion only) annoying and for the first several chapters, whiny. His main interest in tennis media was from a website that focused on how tennis players looked and he mentions it incessantly throughout the book and relies on it too much. Being so obsessed with how tennis players looked made the protagonist seem shallow. Not creating an empathetic connection to the main character made the whole story feel distant. There were redeeming qualities, like his concern for his father's health, but not enough to carry the story. SPOILER: The romance that develops between the protagonist and his love interest was not fully developed. Their scenes were limited and the declaration the main character makes at the end of the book wasn't justified because that depth of emotion was never fully explored throughout the story. I am a fan of tennis and I appreciate the detail given in the final match, but I do not think that a romance story should end with that final tennis match being almost the entirety of the final chapter. Closing it out with the two men would have been more satisfying. This is not a horrible book and some touching moments did happen, but not developing the bond between the main character and his love interest in a manner that would justify the public declaration at the end was a missed opportunity.

Mediocre/Little Romance/Strange Tense

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A lot of tennis, very little love. Single pov, the love interest is barely in the book.

This is no a romance

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