Gold by Chris Cleave

Olympic cyclists Kate and Zoe have been rivals and best friends since they met at the Elite Prospects Programme at age 18.  Kate missed the 2004 Athens Olympics to stay home with her baby daughter, Sophie, and took a miss again at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Sophie was diagnosed with leukemia.  Instead of competing in front of the world with her husband and her best friend, Kate chose to be the one to take her very ill daughter home.  Zoe took gold in both Olympics - as did Kate's husband (and Zoe's old flame), Jack.  At age 32, this will be Kate, Zoe, and Jack's last Olympics.

All three are planning to go out in a blaze of gold glory - until the Olympic Committee changes the rules, and only one female cyclist will be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

From the author of the best-selling Little Bee comes this gripping, heart-wrenching, and surprisingly funny story of family, love, friendship, and fierce competition.  Driven, self-destructive Zoe, sweet, feisty fighter Kate, their tough-as-nails coach Tom, and determined, Star Wars-obsessed Sophie (who is pretty sure that her returning leukemia is just a side effect of the midochlorians in her blood turning her into a Jedi) all have to figure out how to shift their worlds to the rules change without crashing their lives out on the track. 

This review is based on an advanced reader's copy received from the publisher.  Gold will be published on July 10, 2012.