I had midlevel expectations going into this book seeing as I didn't super care for this author's first book, but was very pleasantly surprised!

I am a big baseball fan so a romance set against the backdrop of MLB felt like it was right up my alley. The main relationship issue in this book was just a MASSIVE miscommunication which normally I don't love, but I found myself not caring as much as I thought. Both main characters had their flaws and were pretty aware of them. The pacing of the book and relationship were pretty good as well!

Definitley would recommend to romance readers!

Daphne is attending a baseball game that she was SUPPOSED to go to with her husband, now ex husband. She gets drunk and “heckles” a player from the home team, (who does that??) at the game. She unknowingly mentions something that upsets him, and he cries at bat.

Chris is struggling since he lost his brother, and his playing is being affected. He has no one to talk to about his grief, his dad won’t talk about it and Chris keeps it all bottled up from his coaches and teammates. One night after the disaster of a game where that woman really hit a nerve, he opens his DMs him on IG to find a message from someone named duckiesbooks. They apologize for what he went through and connect with him on a level he hasn’t had in ages.

Daphne is the anon. account, but forgets to mention she was the heckler. So Chris unknowingly makes friends with his heckler, and Daphne feels forced to keep her identity hidden. They continue to connect over Dms and eventually text.

Daphne has family who works for the baseball team, and somehow ends up with a temporary position til the end of the season. She is working alongside Chris, and she has no idea how to handle an online anon. Friendship and a real life working relationship.

I have never been so invested in the “when will she get caught in her lie” trope before. It was so wonderfully done I can’t believe it. I was anxious for Daphne the entire time she was living her double life and felt sorry for Chris as he developed feelings for both women, and didn’t know what to do.

I resonated with the heartbreaking aspect where Chris is trying to handle his grief and panic attacks but failing, and Daphne encouraging him to see someone to talk to about it. Men have anxiety and grief just as much as women do. Chris being a pro athlete really hit the nail on the head that anyone can struggle mentally and emotionally, even the rich/athletic/famous/masculine ones.

The third act break up was exactly where I knew it would be, but really enjoyed reading how they both got through their heartache and worked on themselves as a result. It truly resonated with me that someone isn’t going to ask for help, no matter what someone close to them says, until they realize they actually need it.

I wanted to love this one, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I didn't buy into the romance and never felt connected to the characters. Way too insta-lovey for me!

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Is it really even summer without a little baseball?! In this one Daphne needs to escape her heartbreak and what better way than at the ballpark? However, after a few too many ballpark beers she starts heckling a player and doesn’t expect to actually hit a nerve. When she reaches out after to apologize via social media she fails to acknowledge the fact that she is the heckler. This was a fun one!

This was the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump!

I quickly became invested in the characters and their dynamic after Daphne heckles Chris at his baseball game. Daphne DM’s Chris to apologize for what he went through, but accidentally leaves out the part where she admits that she was the heckler 🙈

Their secret correspondence through DMs and text messages were super fun and I loved how vulnerable Chris was with Daphne. Chris was really such a gem ❤️

I love how Alicia Thompson creates characters that are real and relatable. If you’re looking for a sports romance, I’d definitely recommend this one!

Very cute and fun. I enjoyed both main characters and their relationship. I also liked that it was a baseball themed sports romance since those aren't as common as hockey or football books.

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson is a charming romantic comedy that cleverly explores themes of connection and deception. The story revolves around Daphne, who, after a tough divorce, finds herself heckling baseball player Chris Kepler, only to later apologize to him online without revealing her identity. Their budding relationship takes a complex turn as Daphne's initial deception complicates their growing feelings for each other. This playful yet poignant tale offers a fresh take on romance, reminiscent of classic rom-coms, and showcases Thompson's knack for creating relatable characters and engaging dialogue​.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
SPICE: 🔥🔥

I’m always in my baseball era and I knew I was going to enjoy this one. Hidden identity when done right is a trope I absolutely love, and this one had a huge focus on that aspect of the couples relationship. You are going to have to love miscommunication trope though to get into this book though, because it’s a huge part of the book.

But you know what makes this book worth the read: CHRIS KEPLER. This man is swoony book boyfriend material and his vulnerability just drew me to this man like catnip.

TROPES
✨ Baseball Romance
✨ Hidden Identity
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Workplace Romance
✨ Mental Health Rep

Daphne and Chris “meet” when Daphne’s I’ll time heckling of the baseball star cause him to spiral. Feeling terrible she writes a letter of apology and the two connect only, he doesn’t know she is his heckler. Daphne starts falling for Chris and doesn’t want to hurt him by revealing the truth.

This book made me happy with the deep emotional connection Chris and Daphne formed but also stressed me big time knowing the secret Daphne was keeping.. Still the book was a good read, the spice was great (I did get a little pick that he still didn’t know who she truly was) and the ending was a great payoff.

What made this book was Chris though. The mental health rep was so good in this book and really added emotional depth. Chris was a top tier man and the ultimate book boyfriend.

Now, I am usually not a major sports romance girly, but I so enjoyed this fun, romcom! Any book that references both Theranos and my favorite book, The Phantom Tollbooth - you got me!

Overall, I loved the premise of this book - a heckler and a baseball player get together - both off and online. Like many, I don't love that dishonesty and hidden identity is the basis of the relationship, but this was still an engaging story, and I ended up enjoying it.

This book tackles some heavier topics, namely suicide and mental health, but handles them with care and nuance - and they truly are there are pivotal moments in character development - and not just thrown in for shock or minor plot progression.

I loved the dual POV and thought the audiobook was exceptionally done.

this was a super quick and fun read. it wasn't my absolute favorite but I had a fun time with the tropes that were included!

If there ever comes a day where I do not want to talk about Alicia Thompson books, I fear that means I will be dead.

The Art of Catching Feelings was such a phenomenal book. You should read it for the following reasons:
- it’s perfect
- Chris Kepler
- Chris Kepler’s butt

In all seriousness, Chris and Daphne’s story is so sweet. These two are both learning so much about themselves and watching the character development happen as their love story unfolds was one of the best things. This book deals with processing grief, moving on after divorce, friendships, family and some really good baseball. Alicia’s writing is so good that I genuinely forgot I was reading a book for a second and was rudely reminded that these are fictional characters.

I truly loved this book and could not recommend it more.

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC 🫶🏻

Yeah…this wasn’t it. In theory, this would be the perfect book for me. deceit. dishonesty. catfishing. whatever you want to call this book, it wasn’t true love. if we are 70% through the book and you’re still lying to the person you’re falling in love with (instantly, might i add) then it’s not my kinda story!

This was a quick, fun read. I enjoyed this while reading, but honestly, I wasn't as pulled into the relationship as I would have liked tobe. It was cute but nothing particularly special about it

I started this one and it just felt.... immature? She's heckling some dude, like grow up? And then he cries? It was just very cringe for me - we love a sensitive guy but this wasn't working for me.

Spicy, flirty, and fun! It was a fun take on a forbidden/enemies/friends to lovers romance. This book really combined a lot of tropes and it worked surprisingly well!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC and opportunity to review this book.

I love reading Alicia Thompson's romances and seeing each book get better than the last. I was weary of a sports romance and particularly a baseball romance because it's just not my thing but she made me a convert!! Baseball was firmly at the center of this story and as someone who has never seen a single game, I still understood and enjoyed myself while watching Daphne and Chris' story play out. As Nora Ephron's #1 fan, I simply cannot NOT read any You've Got Mail variation out there. This one was perfectly sweet, endearing, and human. In order for a You've Got Mail misunderstanding to work, you have gottttt to care about and empathize with the deceiver. Daphne is such a sweetie (big lovable Tom Hanks energy) that you can't help but preemptively forgive her for her sins. I personally have never been too crazy about Thompson's MMCs but Chris Kepler had big Emily Henry MMC energy, which is the highest compliment I can give a man. Thank you to this book for making me kick my feet with glee and being the reason I'll swipe right the next time I come across a minor league baseball player on a dating app just in case.

Alicia Thompson strikes again with this cute and emotional summer baseball romance!

When Daphne Brink goes to a baseball game with her best friend days after her signing her divorce papers, she gets drunk and heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kelper, who cries. Racked with guilt, Daphne slides into his DMs to apologize. But she forgets to do one thing: identify herself as the heckler. After going through an emotional and grief-stricken few months, Chris checks social media and sees a DM from "Duckie" and responds. Soon Duckie and Chris are messaging each other constantly, sharing things about themselves they haven't shared with anyone else. But when Daphne gets a job with Chris' team in real life, and their feelings continue to deepen online, Daphne worries about Chris finding out the truth about "Duckie."

I'm a huge fan of epistolary romances, probably because I love You've Got Mail. So when I read the blurb for this book, I was already in. Having read Alicia's other two books, which I loved, I couldn't wait to read her spin on the epistolary trope. I think Alicia really knocks it out of the park. It was such a great premise. And just like in You've Got Mail, we watch Daphne and Chris fall in love online and in real life -- the best of both worlds.

Alicia does a great job of giving Daphne and Chris their own emotional journeys that they have to come to terms with in order to get their happy endings. It's also such touching how both of them help one another heal.

Now, if you're not a fan of lying/hidden identity, you might not be a fan of the premise. But, the book is so emotional and sweet, and you can't help but love Daphne and Chris.

It was the perfect summer read and I highly recommend. I can't wait to read Alicia's next book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was not the book for me unfortunately. DNF about a quarter through because I couldn’t handle how ~ quirky ~ Daphne is. I couldn’t stop cringing at the opening scene of her reading at the baseball game and then getting drunk and screaming with the guy next to her. I’m not a fan of messy characters.

I have really mixed opinions on this one... I'm always looking for more baseball romances so I wanted to love it. But, I found this one easy to put down and walk away from. It's definitely not bad, but I wasn't obsessed like I wanted to be. However, I did like the way that the author handled sensitive topics.

This had a ton of promise - a heckler and the athlete she heckled in a You've Got Mail situation? What a fun concept! I had fun reading this book - it had the elements of sports romances I enjoy. However, it's only been a few days since I finished it and I've already forgotten pretty much all of it. It was fun, but nothing to write home about.