I loved this book! Adriana Locke has hit this one out the park! Palmer and Cole are relationship goals! The meet cute at the beginning was amazing. On a bet, Cole goes over at the bar to get Palmer's number. But she is a single mom and only looking for long term relationships. Cole screams hot one night stand. Palmer's son, Ethan, has a ball team in need of coaching and Cole is not playing professionally any more. So Cole coaches Ethan's team in hopes of scoring a spot with Palmer. But small towns have a way of growing on you. Can Palmer and Cole find their sweet spot? Or will Cole's secret tear them apart? Great read! 5 amazing stars

The Sweet Spot - I unfortunately DNF this one. While the description sounded promising, I found the writing a little over the top and the characters uninteresting.

What a great read. I love Palmer and Cole’s story. Love the connection between the two of them and how Cole is there for Palmer and her son. love their ending.

Single mom Palmer Clark will not be sidelined by the new man in town. Sure, the honey-tongued baseball legend is gorgeous, loves puppies, and has charmed his way into the community’s heart, but Palmer craves stability. Nothing about Cole says forever. So why is he so hard to resist?

Cole is swinging through town to visit his parents when he meets the kind of down-to-earth distraction he’s been looking for since retiring from the majors. True, his long-term relationship score is zero. But even though raising his average with Palmer seems impossible, it’s worth a shot.

As promising as the summer nights are, fate turns small-town dreams upside down, and some lessons are learned the hard way. But having faith in love and choosing hope over fear might get Palmer and Cole to the sweet spot they’re looking for. Highly recommend if you want a fun, easy story with lovable characters.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

i am hooked on Adriana Locke stories., This was a good one and didn't disappoint me. Her stories gives me the feels and I want to read more of here stories and liked this one very much. Go and read this now.

This book was emotional, sweet, heartfelt and will give you all the domestic fluffy feels. It is a sport romance, single mom book between a former baseball player and a single mom. Their dynamic was so sweet to read. I loved the way he was into her right from the start and always made it known and despite her hesitance, he always proved with actions that he was there for her and her son. I loved the bond he forms with her son and becomes a father figure for him. This small town romance book gives you the comfort feeling of finding home where you least expect it and it’s perfect book to curl up and binge and feel warm fuzzy feelings because it’s so sweet and it’s also steamy, a little sexy and fun to read. If you love sport romance or single parent books, this is a must read!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the stunning cover that attracted me to this book in the first place.. Anyway, wow I really loved The Sweet Spot! Such a great read and I highly recommend it!

This book will take you along a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Palmer is a single mom who has been through a lot. She tries to co-parent with her son's father, and it continually causes her and her son more pain. She meets Cole, who is a happy, fun-loving recently retired pro baseball player. Despite their instant connection and Cole's persistence, Palmer remains reluctant. We see the unwavering persistence of Cole, and Palmer finally giving in to her feelings and deciding to explore what was happening between the two of them.

I loved how eloquently Palmer's reluctance and her fierce desire to protect herself and her son was portrayed. I felt such a connection to Palmer's journey, her fears, her longing for a partner who could hold her heart and support her emotionally. And Cole was such a breath of fresh air. He's a heart on his sleeve kind of guy, and the way he pursues Palmer and puts her first is nothing short of beautiful. Adriana Locke has outdone herself with this one.

It’s the perfect easy read, small town, single mom meets her match romance. Ethan is so bright and sassy, he is a Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V of his mom. The book flows well, it didn't end with a cliffhanger and overall a great summer read. Palmer is an independent woman and I love the scene where she stands up her stance on Ethan's father who I might say is not the best father figure in Ethan's life. Cole is such a caring guy who falls head over heels in love with Palmer. I love it when the guy is just in love and grovel back to their loved one. AHHAHAHAHAHH

The writing is a little bit off for me but I like the plot so I still give it a shot. The deeper issues with Palmer's childhood are greatly tackled. I think Cole needs to have some more personality in him other than baseball, his great parents, health issue and his love for Palmer (I'm not complaining ahah). Palmer and Ethan have so much depth in their characteristic but Cole feels bland to me. Cole's childhood is also unknown, how he got into baseball. Since when he played baseball. These kinds of details are missing and kinda portrayed that Cole is not as important as Palmer.

The Sweet Spot was my very first Adriana Locke read and I genuinely enjoyed it! I went into it completely blind and am happy I did. I had no idea it was somewhat of a sports romance based on the cover and title alone. I got a little bit of 'Wait for It' by Mariana Zapata vibes from this book. I am a sucker for a single parent trope!

I would say that everything was smooth sailing until around the 75% mark, and then there was a trifecta of drama that was a little too much at once for me. One thing, fine- two, okay, but THREE in a row just made it a little frustrating- especially when everything seemed so calm and perfect leading up to it. But, I do understand the format these books follow and some things just need to happen so they can then be solved and everyone live happily ever after.

Hoping for a Val book next :)

A five-star read that will make your year. This is such a great and compelling read, I adored it, it gave me all the feels and had me sobbing so hard I had to stop reading, not only once, but a couple of times. To me that’s a great read, as I am so emotionally invested in what’s happening between the pages, I forget life and where I am, and end up sobbing at my desk while reading at lunch time. Palmer Clarke, has the world on her shoulders and she has a young man in her life, that just makes you swoon and know he will become a man you would be proud of, that’s how much this story pulls you in. Cole and his simply delightful parents will have you craving meatloaf and wishing your life was in a small town, sat on the bleachers watching the diamond. Do not miss this story, its easily going to be one of the best reads of this year.

Adriana does it again! Absolutely love love everything she writes. Thanks for the ARC Netgalley and Montlake!

Oh my goodness this book broke me!
Palmer is a single mom who has a son called Ethan. Cole is an ex baseball player and they collide in eachother's lives. This is a small town/baseball romance story with so much heart. I liked how honest and straight up this book was - no games and no unanswered questions. The characters are all incredible even the side ones had purpose. It flowed so perfectly.

I will read anything Adriana Locke writes. She’s one of my fave authors hands down. I always know I’m going to get a charming story with a little spice and an HEA. When I saw the cover for this I thought it was cute but never dreamed of the story that would be behind it. The heartstrings that this book pulls left tears in my eyes. The reality of the conversations between Palmer and her son’s dad were like replaying conversations I have seen with my friends. The love and sacrifice Palmer has for her son was felt through the pages. You can’t help but root for her to get the dreamy retired pro baseball player (even if he has a secret). If you aren’t looking to read one of her series I would highly recommend this standalone if you have never read Adriana’s work. I know this is one I will reread for sure.

4.5 Stars
The Sweet Spot was a good time from start to finish. I was smiling from the first chapter and interaction between Palmer and Cole. Their banter was highly entertaining. I loved how Palmer stood up for what she wanted out of life, and how Cole found his ideas on what he wanted changing to fit what he needed in retirement. The inner thoughts and rationalizations they both had worked perfectly. I loved Palmer and Cole falling in love.

Palmer was a great mother, and I admired her bond with her son Ethan. Cole also had a cute relationship with Ethan. I enjoyed how Cole and Ethan bonded over baseball, Palmer, and Cole's parents. The one thing that I thought about a lot while reading this book was Ethan. There were times he acted and talked like a twelve-year-old and there were times he came across as way older. I had a hard time deciding if those older feeling times truly fit a twelve-year-old, no matter what they had been through in life.

Overall, The Sweet Spot hit that sweet spot for me. I'm enjoying all these new books Locke has been putting out. Her writing grows, improves, and sweetens with each release.

Prepare to have your heart stolen in all possible ways.
Fear of having your heart broken and trust is a main component in this sweet story. Sometimes it’s the little stories that pack the biggest punch.

Palmer is trying to do the right things and protect what is most important to her in her life, namely Ethan, and her heart.
Cole is trying to figure out the rest of his life and keep his life to himself, secrets and all. However, he finds something and someone he wasn’t searching for. That makes him question himself and his life choices.
Meanwhile you will fall in love with Ethan.

That’s all you’re getting from me. You need to read this story for yourself to get the full enjoyment. Normally, I’m not a big highlighter. This time I highlighted so many parts. I surprised myself. I couldn’t put it down. This is definitely a book I will be reading again. Adriana hit it our of the park on this one. It’s a grand slam on all counts!

This book was everything! I love Adriana Locke books but this one was definitely her at her best. I could not put this book down.

The Sweet Spot is about Palmer, a single mom to pre-teem Ethan, who is basically getting through life on her own. She has no family, her ex is a deadbeat dad who doesn't help with their son, and she finds herself working and worrying constantly to keep everything afloat. Thankfully she has the found family of her small town. One day a handsome stranger walks up to her at a restaurant and asks for her number. The gorgeous, flirty man turns out to be recently retired baseball legend Cole Beck. While Cole is kind and handsome, Palmer is looking for a long term relationship and stability while Cole is just in their small town to see his family before returning to his home in California. Soon the attraction between them becomes too much to ignore, and both Cole and Palmer start to let down their walls and fall for one another. But will this just result in another heartbreak for Palmer when Cole leaves?

I LOVE single mom stories and this one was so honest and real. Palmer's concerns were ones I know all too well. You could feel her love for her some and need to protect him leap off the page. Palmer was such a great character with so much depth you couldn't help but root for her to finally get her happy ending. And then there is Cole. He is sweet and kind and such a complex character. You heart aches for him at times and the internal struggles he deals with during this book. I loved his mom and dad and his best friend Fish and how they all rallied around him to help him find happiness.

The sense of found family and community in this book was fantastic and made it such a great read. Overall I LOVED this book and anticipate I will definitely be reading it over and over again. This is one of those feel good comfort reads that just makes your heart smile.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the EARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

! Adriana has a way to get you hooked from the very first page! You fall I love with all her characters! They come alive and you feel like they are people just like you and me .

This book is by far one of my favorites she has written ! How could you not fall in love with Parker and Cole! I love single mom Parker looking for her forever but not willing to accept anything less that what she wants anymore . Her son Ethan , having a son that age was very relatable to me , he made me laugh at several times during the book all while melting your heart. And then well and then there is Cole. Retired baseball legend. You really feel Cole’s inner struggle, but have to keep turning the pages wondering what was going to happen and why he retired so abruptly.
I can not begin to express how much I really enjoyed this book! I wish I had more to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Adriana Locke for allowing me to read this ARC

This was classic Adriana Locke.

Single mum and small town are my absolute kryptonite, and boy did Adriana deliver. There was the perfect amount of romance, conflict, chemistry and banter to keep me reading throughout the night. Not only was the romance perfectly done, but the relationship between her son and Cole had my heart MELTING.

100% recommend.