This is a sweet and charming, slow burn, opposites attract baseball romance. I really enjoyed it, I was invested in the characters and their relationship and their banter was really fun

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley.

I so wanted to love this book. As a former softball/baseball player this seemed right up my alley. If I’m being honest, I think I love the sport too much to love this book too. As a romance book it was good, but didn’t blow me away. I found myself skipping the sex scenes to find out what was happening with the baseball plot.

Also, there were some things that I disliked. The main character was apparently so skinny the main male character could fit his hands entirely around her? Is she an actual Barbie doll? Where’s her organs at? She’s also constantly in her catchers squat in Louboutin heels and pencil skirts??? How? Shes supposed to be above average height for a woman (please ignore that most female catchers are stocky and short). Again, I just feel like I enjoy the sport too much to properly love this book.

Incredibly, I feel like it needed more baseball. For a baseball book it takes place entirely over the winter break!

A good book, not my favorite.

it’s a good day to talk about a lovely sport romance and it’s even better when our two main characters are opposites that attract each other that guess what? they will absolutely fall in love!

frankie,our sport analyst,and charlie,(the eagles new manager),banter was very entertaining and lovely especially because at the start well they weren’t exactly in good terms… and seeing how they started to connect was so satisfying!! from their attraction that gave a lot of good tension and…spicy scenes for the fans :) and also a lot of cute and intimate scenes because of how charlie for example was so understanding,caring and patient about frankie’s feelings and work situation while frankie understood charlie’s fears and struggles and sometimes it’s just so refreshing to read about certain aspects in a sport romance that presents a lot of different aspects!!

there aren’t a lot of baseball books that i have read but for the baseball fans and sport romance in general well this for the ring could be your next read because it’s a very very valid and lovely romcom perfect for a different escape :) just go and pick this one… the cover’s already serving the perfect vibes of the book in my opinion 😁!

a lot of thanks to netgalley and the headline team for sending me the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!!

Despite not being a sports fan, I came away with an appreciation for baseball and fans after zipping through this book. I just couldn't put it down with its world-building. Refreshingly, the story was set between seasons with the action focused on Frankie and Charlie trying to rebuild the team.

Frankie and Charlie had a spark and were so well suited to each other, but Frankie resists due to not wanting to be accused of sleeping her way to the top. I liked that they were open about their attraction and talked Frankie's resistance. Charlie was such a sweetheart, trying to re-orient himself after decades of his identity being a pro-baseball player, but also patient and understanding of why Frankie can't be with him. Frankie understood Charlie's struggle having to find new dreams after losing hers - from being told she had to switch from baseball to softball once she turned 12, to becoming the best university catcher but having her Olympic dreams dashed after softball was removed from the games.

However, at times the tension regarding the pitch to sign Kai Nakamura didn't build enough so the plot kinda felt like it was floundering with a bit too much push/pull, instead of building up the final pitch. I think it just needed to raise the stakes a bit more or explore in greater depth the misogyny women face. One of the strengths of this book for me was the detail regarding Frankie's pitch and the way she manages to wheel and deal at a high level.

Overall a charming, slow-burn sports romance with two characters that I became invested in.

Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the ARC.