My first Alicia Thompson book and it most definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed the writing, the chemistry and the characters.

Slight SPOILER ahead

I hated that the lie went on for SO long. I really, really would've loved to see the characters more in their truth.

But I loved Alicia's writing a lot so I'll definitely be trying her other books!

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson is a new standalone contemporary romance novel. The story in The Art of Catching Feelings is one that does change the point of view between the main characters giving both sides of the story.

Daphne Brink is just finishing up her divorce when she decides she’s going to attend a baseball game, mainly to keep the tickets out of her ex’s hands. As Daphne tries to fit in with the fans around her and let’s admit also to entertain herself watching a sport she doesn’t understand she begins to heckle the players the way those around her do.

When Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler is up and Daphne tosses out one of her new heckling jabs Chris ends up crying on the field. Mortified that her actions hurt someone like she had Daphne tries to private message Chris and apologize but she accidentally deletes the important part of the apology, her admission of guilt, and instead strikes up a friendship over text with Chris instead.

I will admit the whole sports romance thing is not usually one that appeals to me but having read several books by author Alicia Thompson in the past and enjoying them I couldn’t help but take a chance on this one. When finished I was completely happy that I had picked this one up and it was definitely a story I fell into enjoying quickly and didn’t want to put down. The story was humorous while also being heartwarming as the couple navigates their obstacles and I was onboard all the way for it.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I had super mixed feelings about this book - I loved so much about it, but the lying/miscommunication trope drives me absolutely BONKERS.

I loved that it;s a baseball romance, and I loved the characters. But the anxiety I had knowing that Daphne was lying the whole time was too much. I just struggled. I feel like I need to reread it in a year or two knowing how it all pans out so I could appreciate the writing and the HOT chemistry between the characters without the lying hanging over my (and Daphne's) head!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson!

Thank you to the publisher for approving my NetGalley request. This book was read for review, but all thoughts and feelings are my own.

The Art of Catching Feelings is perfect for fans of baseball or those who love the drama on the show "Catfish". I enjoyed the book and plotline, but the frustrations towards fake characters may have impacted my rating just a bit.

This book follows a young woman named Daphne who recently got out of a divorce and is "spiraling". Her sister in law does media coverage for the local baseball team and despite having ZERO clue about baseball, she gets caught on camera heckling our very own romantic lead - Chris (and makes him cry on live television).

Meanwhile, Daphne accidentally starts to catfish Chris by apologizing through an anonymous profile and leaving out the part where she mentions she was the heckler - while also pursuing him as heckler self in person.

However, between all the drama and forbidden romance, it does have some deeper topics such as suicide, mental health, and emotional abuse.

I feel like the author paid respect to the deeper topics and handled them well. So I appreciated when the book got deeper. I will admit though, my frustrations towards our main character's decisions in this book brought me out of the story a bit and made me lower my star rating.

Overall, the book is a fun and engaging read for someone looking for a lighthearted sports romance.

Such a fun baseball romance! I loved Daphne and Chris, and thought their meet cute was so funny. When Daphne gets drunk at a baseball game and begins heckling the players, third baseman Chris Kepler, takes it to heart.

In an effort to apologize, Daphne slides into Chris’ DMs and they strike up a friendship.

The complex characters and entertaining plot kept me engaged and I loved pairing the book with audio.

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, PRH audio, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I know hockey romance books are all the rage right now, but I for one need more baseball romance books, please! Daphne and Chris have great chemistry and are both well-developed characters in their own right as well.

The premise of having a DM-based relationship is a little silly/hard to believe, but this is still a great lighthearted read for contemporary romance fans.


Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I adored this sweet and swoony sports romance! I love a book with humor and baseball!

“I’m running up against client confidentiality here, but let’s just say that men love their dicks until they’re in court against an expert witness who’s holding up items for scale.”

Chris is the Sweetest Hero and I’m head over heels for him. I did want to knock some sense into Daphne when she kept putting off telling him the truth… But.. I Kinda did understand her position.
The Art of Catching Feelings was my first book by this author but it definitely won’t be the last! I’m completely hooked and can’t wait to read more of her books!!
-5 Stars-

A cute story, but I'm not sure if this was the right one for me with the pacing. Writing was super cute and a great sports romance for anyone looking for those! I will be sure to recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

Great sports romance novel. I looved it.

Not my favorite Alicia Thompson story.

Daphne Brinks doesn't know much about baseball. The only reason she is at the game is because her ex-husband all but insisted she give him her ticket. That’s how she ends up drunk and joining her neighbor in heckling the players, except it probably isn’t in good taste to heckle the home team. Worst of all, her ridiculous statement makes the next batter cry.

Daphne tries to apologize and after a brief but pleasant text conversation with Chris Kepler, she realizes that she accidentally deleted the part where she told him that she was the heckler. It should be fine, at least she apologized but when Chris texts again and again, they start to build a texting friendship. Two lonely people, Daphne and Chris are building a comfortable relationship and again, it shouldn’t hurt anyone to keep her identity a secret, right?

When her sister in law, the Battery's sideline reporter, ends up on a medical leave, she wants Daphne to take her place. Daphne agrees. At first, her IRL interactions with Chris are tainted by their first failed interaction but after apologizing to his face, Chris agrees to move on from that day.

Chris also feels, after his text interactions with his mystery friend, that he needs to stop hiding from the world.  When she doesn't agree to meet with him in person, he is disappointed but then Chris start spending more and time with Daphe.   This leaves Chris conflicted about his growing feelings both for Daphne and for his texting friend, never knowing they were one and the same.

THOUGHTS:
I found my whole experience with this story overshadowed by dread as the more we get to know Chris the more we know he is not going to react well when he finds out that Daphne and his friend are one and the same person. There were things he confessed to his texting friend that he wasn't ready to tell Daphne, including the death of his brother which as caused his spiraling and his crying when she taunted him.  Chris wants to meet his friend in real life but she says no and she starts withdrawing from their friendship, which again makes Chris pretty sad.  Of course, this is because Daphne and Chris are spending so much time together at this point. 

I was frustrated every time there was that perfect opening where she should confess that she is the text friend and she passes it up. Then there would be a perfect bonding moment between them and instead of being happy, the dread would grow because I knew the hurt would be that much greater when the betrayal finally hit.

I enjoyed the other stories by Alicia Thompson but these were not my favorite characters.

This is lighthearted romance that brings a bit of charm to the workplace romance genre. The characters are likable, and the storyline is engaging, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. The chemistry between the protagonists is enjoyable, but there are moments when the pacing feels uneven, which affects the flow of the story.

While there are several funny and heartwarming scenes, some of the plot points feel predictable, and the character development could have been deeper. Despite these minor issues, Its still enjoyable read for anyone looking for a feel-good romance with a few laughs along the way.

Rating: 3/5

Another baseball romance I love. I just adored these two so much. Daphne messing up the message is something i've done, just not on her level 😂 & I adored that she has a bookstagram & all the bookish & pop culture things! Anxious driver, overthinking ... this book is for me! I adore you Daphne Brink!
Chris iso sweet when he wants to talk. & hot & hurting & I just wanted to hug the poor guy! I loved watching these 2 get to know each other through messages & working together & falling for each other. And oh man the spice!!! These 2 are so hot together!! I did have to stop reading for a bit when Chris found out, his reaction broke my heart but he redeems himself eventually. I don't know shit about baseball but still enjoyed that aspect & all the talk about other teams & stats, go Mariners!! & of course The Prospects mention made me cry lol IYKYK! This was my first from Alicia & I can't wait to read her other books!! This book has good mental health rep and dealing with the loss of a loved one. Just an overall great story.

The Art of Catching Feelings was my third book by Alicia Thompson and it may just be my favorite yet! I loved this fun twist on a sports romance and found myself laughing out loud multiple times, Although I felt like the middle dragged on a little, the ending made up for it. I enjoyed reading this one partly in print and partly in audio!

i really wanted to love this one!!! i mean, it opens with a girl reading a book at a baseball game, which is very me coded! she gets drunk and heckles a batter who hears her and has a breakdown... she later DMs him to apologize (and spill her feels) but forgets to paste over the actual apology part, so when they start messaging back and forth (an unlikely thing from jump) he doesn't know she's the heckler... and ofc she never tells him!!!

THEN she gets a job as a sideline reporter and has to interview him IRL all the time but he doesn't know she's the same girl he's messaging/falling for...

it's just so silly and unrealistic but in a way that didn't even feel very escapist or fun? it just seemed half-baked tbh and it took me out of the enjoyment of the storyline. bummer!!!

I actually started reading this as I was getting back into enjoying baseball, so this made the story a little more fun to read. The huge explosion of sports romance makes me nervous because I'm always worried the author will get something important about the sport culture wrong.

I do admit, I got a lot of secondhand embarrassment when Daphne kept lying, especially when she had so many different opportunities to come clean. Chris, the mmc, however was well done, sweet, yet sensitive guy who definitely made me cry.

This probably wasn't the author's best, but I loved the mmc enough to overcome the issues I had with the fmc.

I love a sports romance, though baseball was never one that I actively looked for. However, this did make me enjoy the sport, and I loved Chris. He's sweet, sensitive, caring and truly made me swoon.

Such a cute, sweet emotional read. Loved the hidden identity and friends with benefits thing that Clearly almost always turns into something more 😂 I love it when books have real deep issues in it so they are more relatable.

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson is a charming and heartfelt romance that brings together a professional baseball player and his unexpected admirer in a delightful twist on the “You’ve Got Mail” trope. This novel follows Daphne Brink, who, after a few too many beers, heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler at a game. Horrified by her actions, she reaches out to apologize on social media, sparking an unexpected connection.

What I Loved:
Character Chemistry: The dynamic between Daphne and Chris is electric. Their interactions, both online and in person, are filled with witty banter and genuine emotion, making their romance both engaging and heartfelt.
Humor and Heart: Thompson’s ability to blend humor with tender moments shines through. The story is peppered with laugh-out-loud scenes, especially during their initial exchanges, while also delving into deeper emotional territory.
Unique Premise: The concept of a heckler and a professional athlete forming a connection adds a fresh twist to the romance genre. The backdrop of professional baseball and the challenges they face together make for an engaging and entertaining read.
Overall, The Art of Catching Feelings is a delightful and spirited romance that will leave you smiling. Alicia Thompson delivers a story full of love, laughter, and unexpected connections, making it a perfect read for fans of contemporary romance.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

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