This was such a heartfelt, swoon-worthy sports romance!
Daphne is a new divorcee who knows next to nothing about baseball. After having one too many beers at a game, she heckles Chris Kepler and makes him cry. She DMs him to apologize only to fail to identify herself as his heckler and when he responds, they strike up a friendship. When Daphne starts working with the team in real life she has a hard time dealing with her guilt and ends their online relationship.

Daphne and Chris were great together. Chris was a caring, cinnamon roll of a man struggling with loss and Daphne’s a bit of a mess but completely relatable.
I wasn’t always the biggest fan of her decision making but I couldn’t actually be mad at her. Their connection was so genuine and her fear of losing that was understandable.
The chemistry and angst were just so good!

I loved their text conversations as “Duckie” and Chris and how vulnerable they were with each other.
The mental health rep in this was so well done!
The closer they became, the more anxious I was for her to tell him the truth. I do wish he’d found out sooner but I was happy with how everything worked out because that ending was PERFECTION!

The Art Of Catching Feelings: ⁣
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Thank you @prhaudio @berkleyromance for my gifted copies! #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner ⁣
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“If you love something, there’s no reason to deprive yourself of it. Love’s not a superstition. It’s not a game of failure.”⁣
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I’m sorry, but I thought I was the only one who felt this way about Fastball’s 90s banger? Are we like a kindred spirit Alicia Thompson? Also, my husband once told me in an argument that for a Communications major, I’m horrible at clear communication, so I’d like to invite Daphne to the same miscommunication/com major party. Hello. ⁣
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If you take out the entire “I’ve been lying these entire time and can’t find a way to tell you” miscommunication/dishonesty trope, it’s a 5 🏃‍♀️ for sure. But the “just tell him already”s got very loud and very insistent, so we’re gonna knock it down a bit. Also, I feel like it someone is that sketchy in not talking in the phone. ⁣
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The audio was amazing. Kristen Sieh has got the dubious husky male lead and male goofy best friend down pat. It was very fun listening to the different characters. This is a little bit tamale spicy, so as always, wear headphones if you must, or don’t. Do you boo.⁣
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Overall, I don’t do miscommunication tropes, but here we are, really enjoying and liking this one. Is The Art of Catching Feelings the exception to the rule? I believe so. ⁣
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Out June 18th.⁣
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QOTD: What sports team do you cheer for? Don’t do sports, that’s ok! What is your ideal snack?

The Art of Catching Feelings by @aliciabooks is a must read if you love sports romance or enjoy baseball.

⚾ Probaseball MMC
⚾ Broadcaster FMC
⚾ Secret Identity
⚾ He Falls First
⚾ Lots of chemistry
☕🔥🔥 Spicy
**There are also other sensitive subject content (please check trigger warnings).**

One night out at the ballpark will leave Daphne having to make amends. Is she able to show remorse for the damage she's caused? When the opportunity strikes she must decide if she'll reveal her identity or continue the charade.

Chris Kepler loves to play baseball but is still trying to work through a painful loss that sometimes gets in the way of his game. What will happen when a fan impacts his game?

This is a tender story about navigating through loss, overcome dissapointment, defeat, and finding a space to share feelings.

The way Alicia writes captures the tenderness and complex layers in the world of social media. Lines are blurred, trust is broken, and family expectations are challenged.

I can't wait to read her next book!

There is a lot to like about this book. To start, the male lead is a well rounded man, with emotional depth and compelling character. In other words, he’s not some postage stamp of a man. He’s got complexities, and I think seeing leading men like this in our romance novels is important.

I also found the other main characters to have depth, and I liked them all.

For me, though, the book moved slowly and I had to push myself through it.

In spite of my complaints about the book moving slowly, I think a lot of fans of contemporary rom coms, especially sports romances, will enjoy the depth of the main romance and the depth of the characters.

Thanks to @prhaudio and @berkleyromance @berkleypub for the #gifted ALC and eARC.

The Art of Catching Feelings
By Alicia Thompson
Narrated by Kristen Sieh

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 3.5/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 (0-5)

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 It’s written in third person dual POV, so one narrator works, and the narrator is a good storyteller.
🤩 Baseball romance!
🤩 I love how we start right away at the baseball game, Daphne celebrating her divorce.
🤩 The heckling is hilarious but brings all the feels fast with Chris’ reaction.
🤩 The storyline is captivating and so very cute.
🤩 The social media chatting/texting is very cleverly written as part of the plot.
🤩 The miscommunication/deceitful secrets didn’t bother me at first just built anticipation, excitement, and fun.
🤩 Lots of laugh-out-loud moments.
🤩 That first phone call. That first kiss—I’m a sucker for elevators.
🤩 Daphne and Chris are hot!!
🤩 Chris is total book boyfriend material—caring in all the ways. “Why don’t you want me to, sweetheart?”
🤩 Amazing friends.
🤩 The mental health representation.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I think it might have been my limit when the miscommunication/deceitfulness went on way past the halfway.
🤩 Which is too bad because EVERYTHING else is perfect: the Sharpie drawings, the on-field and sidelines of baseball season fun, the steamy goodness and intimacy.
💫 Some actual practice (steamy goodness) after the time apart would have been good.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. Right from the start I was more frustrated with the miscommunication and lies than intrigued to see where things go. The budding romance seemed almost immature for the age of the characters and it definitely turned me off. I ended up DNFing at about 80 pages in.

I love me an Alicia Thompson book! This was such a cute romance and it was just so easy to read. Overall I really liked the characters but I would say I was frustrated with the FMC times (a lot of times.) However, I did appreciate the character development and thought the pacing of the book was well executed. The story was entertaining and felt realistic. I would recommend this book to other romance lovers

This book made me care about baseball, which is the highest praise I can give a book. I absolutely loved this story, the characters felt so real and relatable to me. I dont always love a secret identity trope in romance, but I really felt for Daphne and why she felt she had to keep her secret from Chris. I also didnt mind the 3rd act breakup, I thought it was a necessary part of their relationship arc. I laughed and cried throughout this book, I highly recommend it.

Chris was an interesting character. The way he was via text was different from how he was in person, which is very relatable I think. I loved that it was finally a sports romance for baseball. Randy was a fun character. Daphne was eh. She could have been lovely, but I hated her scheming ways. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope, or secret identity via lying. Other than that, I felt like the book flowed smoothly and the characters were authentic. I loved the banter and romance, the realness.

I really enjoyed this book, but there were definitely some things that I was not a fan of.

The plot revolves around a lie for most of the story. I don't love this in romance books because it stresses me out a bit. The whole issue could have easily been resolved, which was very frustrating at times, but other than that, I had fun with Daphne and Chris's relationship.

I thought it was sweet how thoughtful and kind Chris was with Daphne. He really took the time to get to know her, and it was obvious early on that he couldn't get enough of her.

Many warm moments in this book kept me reading on despite my frustration with Daphne's deceit.

Overall, I gave this a 3.5/5

Believe it or not this was my first sports romance, and I really loved it! Time to go binge Alicia’s backlist!!!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

Guys, I like sports now! But really, this felt like you really got to learn about baseball and sideline reporting rather than just the love interest happening to be a third baseman. I liked the epistolary elements, especially mixed with the classic You've Got Mail trope. But Alicia Thompson also mixed in messages about mental health throughout that gave me the warm fuzzies. (Not to mention the mutual masturbation scene on the phone fogging up my earbuds) The family and team dynamics were delightful and Randy deserves the WORLD. But Daphne and Chris were no slouches either.

I think, unequivocally, this is the best yet from Alicia Thompson.

I am so in love with this book. It was such a unique set-up that I haven't read before. The writing by Alicia Thompson was so well done and I really felt like I was peeking into Chris and Duckie's text conversations. I couldn't put the book down, anxious to find out how it would be revealed that Duckie is also Daphne. The baseball elements were so genuine, too. I'm now wondering if I should get into baseball this summer :) The familial relationships were beautifully done. Representation of loss, grief, divorce, and anxiety all added a beautiful element to the story. I have nothing negative to say about this book! I'm a new ALicia Thompson fan and will be running to read her other books now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and found myself rooting for the characters even amongst all the secrets and lies. Chris really was a Book Boyfriend™️ and deserves the world. I struggled with Daphne’s lies and just wish she would have said something sooner. :/

Huge thanks to @berkleyromance for the advanced copy! ♥️♥️♥️ I am such a fan of Alicia and will continue to read whatever she puts out!

As an avid reader of sports romances, I was eagerly anticipating *The Art of Catching Feelings* by Alicia Thompson. It’s refreshing to see a sports romance centered around baseball, especially when hockey romances seem to dominate the genre. However, despite my high hopes, this book didn’t quite hit a home run for me.

The story revolves around Daphne and Chris, whose relationship develops primarily through text messages driven by the deception trope. While I usually enjoy an instant connection between characters, this one felt abrupt and unconvincing. The quick development of feelings between Chris and "Duckie" over a few weeks of texting left me scratching my head, struggling to buy into their connection.

Daphne, the main character, was a significant point of contention for me. Her decisions throughout the plot were often frustrating, especially the prolonged deception involving the text messages. It felt inevitable that Chris would eventually uncover the truth, and that anticipation detracted from my enjoyment. The narrative relied heavily on these texting conversations, which became overwhelming and monotonous rather than engaging. Spreading them out more evenly could have added to the story’s depth.

One of the biggest challenges for me was the moral dilemma posed by the major miscommunication and catfishing situation. Daphne’s conscious continuation of the deception, supported by some people in her life, made it difficult for me to fully root for her and Chris. While the pair shared some genuinely nice moments, the foundation of their romance is built on a lie felt wrong and undermined my investment in their journey.

Despite my reservations about the storyline, I must commend Alicia Thompson’s writing style. Her prose kept me engaged and moving forward, even when I was frustrated with the plot. This is the third book by Thompson I’ve read, and I believe her to be a talented writer. It’s unfortunate that the story chosen for this couple didn’t resonate with me as much as I’d hoped.

In conclusion, while *The Art of Catching Feelings* was readable and well-written, the core premise of the story didn’t align with my tastes. The deception trope, the rapid development of feelings, and the overload of texting conversations all contributed to my mixed feelings. However, I acknowledge Thompson’s skill as a writer and look forward to seeing what she comes up with next, hoping for a storyline that better aligns with my preferences.

Thank you to Berkley for this opportunity! This was my first of Alicia's books but I have the others ready for me.

Alicia had a beautiful way of writing, everything flows so easily and the pages turned quickly. But the lying. The lying was very hard to disregard and continue to enjoy and root for the couple. I found myself contemplating when it would happen and then was disappointed in the way it happened.

3.5 ⭐️

Did Not Finish.

Daphne signs the paperwork for her divorce and to celebrate she goes to a baseball game—tickets that her ex-husband initially wanted. Then she gets trashed and starts heckling the home team?? Come on girl, you don’t heckle the home team!

And when she “accidentally doesn’t apologize” she just keeps talking to Chris? I can’t with the secrets. I felt like I was in the Scott’s Tots episode of The Office and I could feel the cringe coming at me like a freight train.

And so…DNF.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC and PRH Audio for the free audiobook.

Another amazing book by Alicia Thompson. This one really hit me in all the feels and I wasn't expecting it! I highly recommend it.

this was such a surprising delight! let's get this out of the way--I am typically not a fan of the You've Got Mail trope. or rather, it's rare that they will surprise me because at the end of the day, you KNOW what the third act conflict is going to be. for a book with this trope to stand out, it has to subvert my expectations and this managed to do that while staying true to the premise. there were serious topics dealt with sensitively throughout this book and it made Chris feeling betrayed by Daphne more believable and serious. the romance felt fresh despite being a premise that lends itself to a formula. I think this will be a fan favorite.

I have yet to read Alicia Thompson's work but I've been meaning to and will be prioritizing her backlist!

Oh this book was a joy to read. I really enjoyed the method of communication between the two main characters. Their way of communicating made me feel every emotion they were feeling and I was here for the journey. Once the main villain of the story was revealed the story fell a little bit flat, but some readers may eat that section up. I did enjoy the end and thought the way the story was tied up nicely.