Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad books for the opportunity to read this, but this book was just not for me.

Let’s leave it at that.

Out of His League is a fast paced sports romance with just the right amount of humor and angst. I was a little taken back by the insta-love but if you're looking for a light read then this is the perfect pick for you.

This book had all the elements to be an amazing story, but overall it was a miss for me. Unfortunately, there were too many subplots happening at the same time and none of them were consistent enough to draw me in. Even though the cute premise had a lot of potential I quickly found myself disconnecting from the characters due to the odd pacing. Had there been a few more hundred pages to allow Gretchen and Josh's relationship to grow a little bit more, I would've enjoyed it a lot better! Nonetheless, Out of His League was a pretty fun read because it reminded me of my Wattpad days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Gretchen is a sommelier from Toronto headed to Las Vegas for a wine competition when she runs into her favorite major league baseball player, Joshua Malvern, at the airport. He’s being sent down to a minor league team and in a foul mood. Wanting to show him a little kindness, instead of asking for an autograph, she buys him a cup of coffee. It’s love at first sight, with him touching her and barely being able to look away, upgrading her economy seat to first-class so she can sit with him, and the new couple spend the entire flight canoodling. Then when they land in Vegas, they spend a very hot, steamy weekend together, before a miscommunication drives them apart.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. And there quite a few things I liked about it. The premise sounded really promising, but I should have given the fact that it was a Wattpad book a little more consideration.when requesting it. This feels like a loosely plotted fan fic of a sports romance… if that’s your cup of tea, you’ll likely enjoy this book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Overall, it was an ok book - a quick read - but it just felt a little flat and unmemorable. The instalove trope, in my opinion, always feels unrealistic and a shortcut for the development of a relationship. There is the inevitable miscommunication that leads to a third act breakup, but then something brings them back together. Not that most romances don’t end in a standard HEA, but this one followed the script a little too closely, and felt just a shade too predictable to be truly enjoyable.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one was cute. Loved the main characters. Would recommend.

This is actually pretty damn cute and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It read a lot like I imagine fan fiction would, but I liked it all the same. It started out on the slow side, but after a short while I was sucked in.

Gretchen, a big baseball fan, spots her favorite baseball player, Josh Malvern, looking distraught at the airport. Instead of asking for an autograph, she buys him a coffee and comforts him on his temporary demotion to the minor leagues. They are both en route to Vegas and after Gretchen’s kind gesture, Josh invites her to sit next to him on the plane. They have this palpable attraction and end up seeking each other out multiple times on their stay in Vegas.

This book falls under the “just a hookup” to insta love trope, which I didn’t mind under the circumstances. The pacing was well done. This is definitely more of an escape read (most celebrity/sport romances are, IMO). I was also pleasantly surprised by the level of spice this one packed in.

This was a good book, but it was quite predictable with the main crisis feeling a little forced. I wouldn’t expect two individuals in their late 20’s and early 30’s to fall victim to a simple misunderstanding, which is why this ultimately lead to a 3 star rating.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wattpad books for the ARC of this!

Unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me, though the cover is super cute and the synopsis caught my eye. The romance started off very whirlwind, which I can totally understand and isn’t the biggest turn-off, but I just didn’t feel like there was much relationship building at all, just a lot of “best sex of my life” between the characters. I don’t want to go into more to avoid spoilers, but around the middle it really lost my interest. I felt like I had to push myself through the rest. The writing itself wasn’t great for me, though I can definitely see parts that had promise. I hope it finds its way to people who will enjoy it more than I did.

1.25 stars ☆ As I started reading this, it was going so well. They mentioned Toronto and I smiled a little because that’s where I lived. The coffee scene was cute and then after that, it went downhill fast.

I didn’t like this at all. Their relationship was so quick and rushed. Like this part where it is only 11% from the book and they already kissed- likeee what?? where’s the build-up? the chemistry?

“𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨,“ 𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧.

They only just met like a few hours ago and then they’re already kissing and saying stuff like this?? um anyway.

another part on 17% from the book…

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚,“ 𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙,𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙧. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠, 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙠, 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙃𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙃𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥.

“𝙉𝙤𝙬,“ 𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙜 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙘𝙝. 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚.

why are we going too fast?!!! And most of the time it was cringey-

A good thing about this book was it’s short since it’s only 250 pages but maybe that’s why their relationship was happening so fast?? Still, I just can’t- but this book’s cover and synopsis catch my interest right off the bat. Like, look at the cover !! It’s soo cute but on the inside? I felt betrayed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry, I had to DNF at 18%. It read like fan fiction. First, it was insta love/lust of a famous person. Oh I’ve had this day dream too. In fact, I think mine occurred at an airport. Then miraculously she was upgraded to first class and a fancy hotel room. Pure Cinderella story here. A famous person is immediately charmed by you and attracted to you and the perks abound. But then the first sex scene was the cherry on top for me. Two seconds of “foreplay” and she instantly orgasms upon penetration. Twice. No, this book isn’t for me sorry.

I didn't realize this was a re-release. I read the original on Wattpad. Not super impressed. Josh and Gretchen get together super fast and spend most of the book "doing it". Unfortunately, I feel like those scenes are so underwhelming that they're cringey, and their chemistry forced. Cute cover though!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The book cover and premise drew me in but I had a hard time with the insta-love connection and the characters fell really flat for me. The conflict wasn’t unique to others I’ve seen before and executed poorly. I thought the baseball aspects were interesting and done pretty well. I would have liked to learn more about Gretchen and her career rather than the majority of her plot line being sex scenes and a blubbering mess. Although this book wasn’t a good fit, I appreciated the opportunity to read this arc.

A meet cute romance!

Baseball player Joshua Malvern was at the airport because he was being sent down to the minor league Las Vegas team to rehab his injuries because he wasn’t ready to retire yet when he run into Gretchen Harper when she bought him a coffee. Gretchen Harper was on the way to Las Vegas for a wine competition when she ran into her favorite player Joshua Malvern who looked like he needed something nice.

Out of His League is a good meet cute romance where Gretchen and Josh meet at the airport and he upgrades her to sit next to him on the plane and they spend the weekend together in Las Vegas. But things don’t go smoothly because that make it a really boring romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this book was only sent to me as a PDF version so I could not read it on my Kobo since there was no Epub format. I'm unsure how I can access this book. However, it seems like I book I would greatly adore so I'll be sure to read it when it is officially published later next week. I'm looking forward to it and I appreciate the opportunity to be given this ARC. I"ll be sure to discuss this book on my TikTok page (@readsbyrachel) once I read it!!

I rated this 3 stars because I was unsure how to rate but this seems like a fair score. I'll be sure to update it once I finish the book

The cover hooked me, as I love a good sports romance. Baseball and romance, well, put the two together and I’m definitely reading it! The cover may have been what drew me to this book but the story kept my attention. Gretchen is a sommelier that travels for work often and Josh is a professional baseball player headed back to the minors. Their paths cross when they have a chance meeting at the airport. Both are headed to Vegas and from there it’s an instant connection. There is a point in the book that a misunderstanding becomes miscommunication and that really effects Gretchen and Josh’s relationship for a time. Without any spoilers or going into it specifically I felt that this bump could have been resolved with a conversation, a heartfelt talk between the two. It definitely didn’t stop me from continuing to read or see how Gretchen and Josh get their happy ending which of course they do. If you are a fan of baseball romances, and insta- love, you will enjoy this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/ 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, this was a cute, simple, easy read. It felt rushed in some parts and the relationship between the two main characters felt a little too shallow or superficial. There were definitely some steamy parts I appreciated and the secondary characters were great.

Out of His League by Caroline Richardson
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I am going to be completely honest.
I couldn’t care less about real life sports.
But give me a good sports romance and I am INVESTED.

Gretchen Harper spots her favorite baseball player, Joshua Malvern, at the airport looking like he’s had a less than stellar day and decides to be bold. She buys him a cup of coffee and, will later confirm, it was the best cup of coffee she ever purchased.
This was a super enjoyable, fast paced romance read and you will likely want to binge it in a day so DON’T start it at 10 pm. Gretchen and Josh were so cute and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of their story. Fair warning, this book does include a pretty heavy case of insta-love but it was exactly what I wanted to read so it did not bother me one bit. :)

Out of His League will be out April 5th and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for sharing an arc with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

The story quickly jumps into the love story between a fan and her favorite MLB player. I wish there was more of a slower build as by the fifth chapter they already had been together three times. While this is something every sports fan probably dreams of, parts were unrealistic. I found myself wishing that her friend was dating a silicon valley techy rather than an earl, which seemed like it was out of place.

I like a steamy, open-door romance, but this book was ALL STEAM, NO STORY.

The characters had no depth and the book just skipped overwhelmed anything meaningful fof the sake if mire steamy scenes .

DNF

*2.75 stars

I almost DNF’d this book at 15%— it was so cringey. Gretchen sees her favorite baseball player at airport who was just booted to the minors. She decides to buy him a coffee (knowing his exact order — coffee with cream, no sugar) and they immediately hit it off. From there he upgrades her to a first class ticket on the flight to Las Vegas and they’re smitten. It felt too much like insta-love which is not my cup of tea.

Thankfully it picked up after that and I was intrigued to see where this went. This book felt very fanfiction-esque to me, so while it was a fun ride, I could not take it that seriously. I will say it left me with a smile on my face though. The cuteness factor definitely brought this up a bit for me.

Read this if you are looking for a quick, fun read centered around baseball. Also, there’s a good amount of spice

I just finished Out of His League by Caroline Richardson. Thanks to Netgalley and Wattpad for the gifted eARC.

Out of His League is a romance about Gretchen Harper and she is a pretty predictable woman who doesn’t take risks. But she comes face to face with her favourite baseball player Josh Malvern at the airport and buys him a coffee. Now their sexual chemistry is off the charts from the first moment they meet each other. What starts as a one night stand ends up moving into a weekend fling and potentially something more.

This was a story that had a good premise but there were things that fell a little short for me. I loved the baseball theme and really liked the Canadian content. Although team names were changed, Caroline was totally inspired by the Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre (even calling it the Dome!!!). I totally read this in one sitting and although there were some relationship challenges and misunderstandings the steam did not disappoint. The sexual content in this story happens right from the beginning. Neither Gretchen or Josh normally act upon lust but within the first 12 hours they are hot and heavy and cannot get enough of each other. Was their relationship perfect? Totally not but if you enjoy a steamy romance then this novel is for you.

Out of His League publishes on April 5th, 2022. If you like supporting Canadian authors and books with steam then I say you should try this one on for size!

The bare bones of this story was really good. I was interested in the plot and it did keep the story moving. I thought the author relied a little too much on the sexual chemistry and not enough on the dialogue between the two characters. It wanted to feel a little more of their emotions behind their decisions and attraction for each other. Losing some of the steamy scenes with dialogue would have been really helpful to take this book to a 4 or 5 star level.