I don’t know where to start. I went in blind as I always do with books and not read reviews but I wish I had.

The catfishing gave me the ick. It wasn’t even miscommunication, she had opportunities to come out with the truth and she still decided to lie. I’m all about miscommunication tropes too but straight out lying not once but twice. No thanks. It was about 60% when the truth finally came out and not because she wanted to tell him.

Also Layla, what a not so nice B word. She was constantly tearing Daphne down and her brother doesn’t do anything either (he seemed like he was good for nothing too).

Everyone feeling sorry for Chris but he knew what he was doing too. Daphne wouldn’t share her name, photo, any real details or even talk to him not be phone but he fell in love? Delulu much.

Don’t get me wrong I’m a sports romance girly through and through. But this wasn’t it for me.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced readers copy of this book.

Batter up! He slides in to home while she slides into his DMs. If you love a good baseball story, you'll love this one.

Alicia Thompson has quickly become a favorite author. After reading "Love in the Time of Serial Killers", I was pumped to get an advanced copy of her new baseball romance. She and I share a sense of humor and I totally feel like I am the target demographic for her writing. She's funny, a little cheeky, and the characters are lovable.

I docked one star for the unnecessary lack of communication. While I really enjoyed the overall story, I found that poor communication frustrating. Will I still recommend it? Of course!

[SPOILERS]
TL;DR: Heckler makes the baseball hunk cry. She anonymously apologizes in his DMs, friendship blooms, he falls for mystery internet woman. They're forced to work together - TENSION. She digs herself deeper into a hole by withholding truths. He's torn between internet girl and real girl, she knows and he doesn't. Internet girl leaves him high and dry - he's crushed, falls for real girl. Truth comes out, everything falls apart. Have no fear... Happy Endings for Everyone!


📚Trope(s): He Falls First, Grumpy/Sunshine, Secrets/Withholding Truths
What you get: ⚾️🐱📚🎥🎤
⭐️Plot: 4/5
🔥Chemistry: 5/5
🌶️Spice: 4/5

I have a serious thing for baseball players, so this book was like catnip for me. I loved everything about it!

Chris and Daphne were amazing together, and I adored how their relationship unfolded. The side characters, especially Chris's teammates, were wonderful, and the baseball aspect of the book actually seemed mostly plausible. Coming from an obsessive baseball fan that lives for the 162 game season, that is very high praise.

There was also a very well written and emotional mental health storyline that gave this book a little more seriousness.

If you enjoy a good sports romance, then this one is a must-read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

“You’re the book I want to reread. For the rest of my life.”

This book made my anxiety ramp up to the highest levels, like my goodness. I knew going in that the main trope would be miscommunication, “hidden identity”, and rely heavily on deceit. I absolutely knew that’s where it was heading but I didn’t realize that it would weigh so heavy on me! I needed these characters to just fess up!

Daphne was so messy. Such a messy and chaotic character! She was precious and I wanted the best for her, but there were points where I wanted her to come clean so badly so the entire story could be happy and it could all be resolved! Chris was so wholesome and you just wanted to hold him and give him the world on a platter. He had gone through so much and to be an outsider looking in knowing how it was eventually going to happen was so difficult.

I know it’s such a polarizing trope! BUT! I will say - the romance between Daphne and Chris is actually so hot and so freaking sweet that it is absolutely so worth it! There are gonna be times you want to scream at Daphne for being a chicken but you know it’ll all work out in the end 🫶🏼

Daphne is going through a rough divorce when, after a few too many ballpark beers, she heckles a baseball player during a game...who promptly begins to cry. Coming to her senses later, Daphne reaches out to the player on Instagram with a long apology where she accidentally forgets to note that she's the one who heckled him. The player, Chris, has been privately mourning his brother's suicide for months, and so when he gets Daphne's somewhat anonymous online message (he knows her only by her handle, Duckie), he opens up to her in a way that wasn't possible in real life. But when Daphne gets a job working with the media team for Chris's team, they're suddenly interacting in person (and naturally sparks start to fly), though Daphne can't find a way to reveal that she's also Duckie.

There's something a bit hard to believe about this book, when the entire premise could've been fixed with a quick "oh, btw, I'm the one who heckled you, sorry!" DM. Otherwise, the relationships and personal hang-ups seem fairly realistic, and it's a generally fun book. I just wish it didn't have such an easily fixable premise!

I enjoyed this book a lot!
I thought that it was fun and summery.
I am a sucker for baseball everything, and I think this did a great job of capturing the excitement of baseball.
The character was well done too!

4.5 stars!! I absolutely adored this book. Not only does this book have a sports romance, it has great representation of mental health, super fun main characters, great side characters, great banter and some great spice!! This book truly has it all. Daphne is the best and so is Chris. I loved the plot structure of this book, and honestly found the plot a unique twist on something classic like a sports romance.

The Art of Catching Feelings has cemented Alicia Thompson into auto-buy status for me! With Love from Cruel World was a favorite of mine from 2023, and I think I loved this book even more. After Daphne Brink (aka Duckie) gets a little caught up in drunken heckling at the baseball game, she reaches out to player Chris Kepler to apologize via Instagram (her book account, naturally). Except she forgets to tell him she was the person heckling him. Ooops. It's too late now, right, after they start falling for each other...and working together, as Daphne takes over on-camera interviews for her sister-in-law. Except Chris doesn't know that Duckie = Daphne. It's a hilarious case of mistaken identity and some miscommunication, but Alicia Thompson writes it so well, and I could not stop reading along! I was also lucky enough to receive an audiobook via PRH audio and bounced back & forth between ebook and audio. Narrator Kristen Sieh was phenomenal in bringing Daphne and Chris' story to life. I highly recommend this one for fans of romcoms and sports romances! Note: I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

This was such a great read! I really think Alicia Thompson's writing has just been getting better and better. I was hesitant to read her second book because I didn't really enjoy Love in the Time of Serial Killers. I thought it was just boring, but her second book was better, and now her third book is great!

Perfect book to read during baseball season. I thought it was funny, charming, and cute. A dream scenario to fall in love with an athlete really, minus how they met lol. There are definitely some heavy topics in this so I would suggest checking the TWs first, but overall I loved it and can't wait to read more from Thompson!

Thank you so much Berkley and Netgally for the eARC!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the copy of the eARC!

I knew the moment I started reading Alicia's first book that she was going to be an auto buy author. And now we are into her 3rd book and the feeling is still the same!

Alicia is a baseball fan and you could tell by reading that she loves baseball. I also have to point out that I am a Chris Kepler fan simply for the fact that HE IS FROM PHILADELPHIA (don't think I gasped at the mention of Dorney Park) and in my head he would play for Phillies but I will settle for the Carolina Battery.

Listen, I know miscommunication is not a favorite trope amongst romance readers and with this I have so many realistic questions but I can suspend reality for the sake of the book. I just would like to think in today's society and someone who is a public figure phone numbers and conversations would not be with someone who doesn't have any profile picture on their Instagram. That was probably my only ick with the book but like I said I can suspend the reality for the sake of romance.

"If you knew me in real life, you wouldn't say that."
"I want to know you in real life. You have no idea how badly."

I love the relationship between Chris and Daphne and the book really takes off when they begin to have a constant texting relationship. I love seeing texting conversations in books especially because it's such a common thing that happens in today's culture. Most relationships of all kinds develop through messaging in some way.

I felt bad for Daphne because she was struggling on trying to decide if she should tell Chris the truth or not. There was so much at stake and she knew she was falling further and further for him only making it worse. I love their moments when it would be just the two of them after she started working for the team. Chris was so far gone for Daphne/Duckie and you could tell that he desperately wanted more from her on so many occasions. I just really love the two of these characters and I was rooting for them the whole time and possibly also was screaming in my house for them.

Side note: I thought the conversation between of Chris and his dad was beautiful. I felt Chris's pain of grieving his brother's death and trying to connect with his father and not avoid the topic of his brother.

Alicia's writing makes me believe in love and I love how she makes her characters fall for one another. I need her to write more baseball romances - please and thank you!

PS - I will say this in every review I do for Alicia but if you do not follow or subscribe to Alicia's newsletter - YOU ARE MISSING OUT!

4.5

This book is such a delight! It's full of summery baseball fun, and a hidden identity plot that feels insurmountable, but leads to a beautiful happy ending.

I was so happy to discover a baseball romance! It is my favorite sport to watch but definitely under appreciated in the sports romance arena. With that said, I really was not a fan of the lying/deceit aspect and feel that it really affected my enjoyment of this book.

All in all, this romance was a lot of fun and entertaining. It made me smile multiple times and was quite endearing. If you're searching for your next sports romance, I strongly suggest this book!

I am really grateful to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Daphne and her best friend attend a baseball game to cheer her up. She has been feeling down after her divorce, and a night out is bound to help her feel better. Maybe she should have laid off the beers because she ended up heckling the star player, causing him to have an emotional outburst in the middle of the game.

A sobered-up Daphne realizes her big mistake and ends up apologizing to him via ‘DM’ later without exactly explaining who she is. Now, she is working with the team and has to encounter him every day. The only problem is that he hates her because she is the heckler. How can she get him to like the real her?

The beginning of the relationship is very rocky. Daphne doesn’t know how to confess the truth to Chris. I really wish she had come clean sooner. It would have spared the drama and the ultimate pain. However, it was very fun watching them fall in love twice. They connect online and then finally in person.

I really didn’t know what to expect going into this one. Honestly, I’m not the biggest sports romance lover. Maybe it’s because I don’t actively watch sports a lot, though I find them entertaining. The author does a good job of meshing sports and romance without neglecting either.

Chris is the real reason I enjoyed the storyline. He is a masculine guy who has a lot of issues and is somehow very vulnerable and kind. The author really does a good job of peeling back the layers of his character. Daphne is the perfect match for him, as she has been hurt and deserves a loving man.

Overall, a nice read for sports romance lovers. I would pick up another book by the author.

The cover is A+ and I was so hoping to love this one, but I was easily distracted throughout it and I had a really hard connecting with our FMC. I love the dual POV, and I enjoyed seeing the characters work through their trauma and post divorce / death, but I didn’t really believe that a famous baseball player would chat with a weird IG name with barely any photos, and then it just felt like catfishing entire time when she should’ve said something so much sooner… I think lots of people will enjoy just wasn’t for me

4⭐️
2🔥
 
Quick Breakdown:
 
Baseball Romance
Workplace
Epistolary Vibes
Secret Identity
Cinnamon Roll Hero
Friends w/ Benefits
Divorced Heroine
Dual POV
Open Door – Mild to Moderate Detail
 
Thank you @berkleyromance for the gifted eARC and & finished copy & @prhaudio for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.
 
Shortly after signing her divorce papers, Daphne gets drunk at an MLB game & ends up heckling player Chris Kepler. Feeling awful & out of character, she DMs Chris to apologize, not expecting a response, but forgets to own up to the actual heckling. What comes about is an unexpected friendship & connection that only becomes more complex once Daphne starts to work with Chris’s team.
 
There is nothing better than finding a book that makes you rethink one of your least favorite tropes. I typically steer clear of miscommunication & I must be honest, there is a big undertone of that here. Daphne essentially catfishes Chris, although it’s genuinely unintentional. The events of the books felt so realistic, as if the circumstances could easily have happened to me & I couldn’t help enjoying myself. The romance was so soft & full of pining. I adored how Daphne & Chris seemed to help heal each other’s wounds from their previous emotional baggage.
 
Outside of relating to Daphne, Chris was a huge selling point. He is the BIGGEST cinnamon roll hero. Gimme more emotional men who wear their heart on their sleeve, please! He was equal parts hesitant to open himself up, but searching for the right person to open up to, & he found that in Daphne twice.
 
I listened to this on audio. It’s narrated by Kristen Sieh & I instantly became a fan. While this is told in dual POV, both parts are read by Kristen & I love how her voice sounds when narrating male voices. Something about it brought out how earnest Chris is & it had me hooked from the very beginning.

Daphne is having a rough day and is at the baseball game she was supposed to attend with her not ex. Of course she spends the game drinking beers which leads her to some heckling. But when she makes one player cry, Daphne realizes she may have taken things a bit too far. She reaches out to Chris after the game to apologize, only to accidentally leave out the part of the message where she says that she is the person who was heckling him. The two begin an unusual friendship, DMing back and forth through social media. But when Daphne gets a job working with Chris’s team, she isn’t sure how to tell him that she is Duckie, the woman he’s been talking to.

Miscommunication, or rather a huge omission is a big part of this story, so if that doesn’t vibe with you, take this as your warning. I did get frustrated with Daphne at times and wanted her to be honest, but it was not a deal breaker for me. Chris and Daphne were such a good match and despite their individual struggles, it was nice to see them slowly open up to each other and let their walls down. Chris in particular was the star of this book in my opinion. He was the sweetest book boyfriend of all time and I just wanted to give him a hug through most of the story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This was a sweet story that I will recommend to those that love a sports romance. Also perfect for those that like a lead character with something realistic like suffering from panic attacks (as Chris does in this book). I am recommending this one to fans of romance (even for those who don't prefer a sports romance - I think they will find something to like here with Daphne and Chris). This was my first book from Alicia Thompson and I look forward to reading more from her.

Chris Kepler doesn’t wear gloves because he wants to “feel the bat” and I DON’T KNOW WHY I LOVE THAT SO MUCH.

About the book: Reeling from a recent divorce (and from one too many beers), Daphne Brink heckles professional baseball player, Chris Kepler. The heckling footage circulates all of the regional television networks, and partially due to her newfound infamy, Daphne becomes a temporary sideline reporter for Chris’s team, the Carolina Battery.

This book was really cute! There is a massive mistaken identity element, which can be a really tough sell. That kind of dishonesty really rankles me. Like, at one point in this book I said to myself “is this… unforgivable?” But I do think Thompson did a great job of bringing everything together in the end.

I gotta award bonus points for the phone call scene because that one’s going to be living in my head for a loooong time 🥵 After reading this and With Love, from Cold World I can confirm that Alicia Thompson knows how to write a steeeeaaamy scene!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC!

This started out so promising but it was really frustrating that Daphne wouldn't just say who she was. Letting it go on as long as it did was unnecessary and uncomfortable. That said, the baseball setting was fun and the banter between Chris and his teammates was good.