Classic enemies to lovers with lots of discussion on real problems in the sports world. Really enjoyed this listen.

The plot of this novel was very well set up. I enjoyed the way it clearly had intentions to speak on sexism in sports and the brutal training regimes athletes push through. I also held on to the curiosity I had around Mateo and Scottie’s dynamic, and wanted to witness the way Scottie grew as a character and took hold of her own autonomy. Yet, I unfortunately feel as though the romance overshadowed the rest of the character development or chance to explore more family dynamics and individual experiences. Niko oftentimes would not allow Scottie to have a moment of her own, instead becoming aggressively overprotective of her and also showing a level of ownership that made me cringe. The number of times he says some variation of “I won’t share you with anyone else” or “I want you to forget all the other men you’ve ever been with” or “you’re mine, only mine” I know were meant to show him as a sexy bad boy, but only registered with me as that he was sl*t-shaming her and believing that she was his property. I was frustrated with his character and how he moved the story along, especially in the way he approached sex with a “tell me to stop and I will”, which is not an approach that feels like it takes consent seriously.

The ending felt a bit rushed in order to make it a happily ever after, and there felt to be many important discussions in this book that were overshadowed by the blossoming romance that I wouldn’t entirely consider healthy, albeit kinda cute sometimes.

3.5 stars

A solid book, especially if you are into sports romance. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the main characters. Also a big fan of the he-falls-first protective vibes Nico gave off. Scottie had a lot to prove, and the development sets it up well. The dynamic with her father and proving herself was a great secondary (almost primary) storyline.

Narration: solid duet narration. Both narrators were easy to follow, even with Scottie's accent.

I listened to this book on audiobook and really enjoyed it. I usually don’t like book where the narrator has an accent but I actually found myself enjoying Scottie’s British accent.
Nico and Scottie were an unlikely pair and actually only paired up because they shared a mutual enemy but it turns out they found exactly what they needed in each other. Nico stood up for Scottie and made her start to do the same thing for herself and showed that sometimes first impressions are not correct. Scottie pushed Nico after his injury but really made him see there are more important things and sometimes it’s ok to have some fun. The banter was fun and I loved watching them fall back in love with tennis. Fun read!

I play mixed doubles with my husband so this book intrigued me. I was also a fan of Carrie Soto is Back. This book is an enemies to lovers story with a pretty good tennis come back story as well. I enjoyed both of the main characters and especially liked Scottie’s wit. There are a few very spicy open door scenes. Sometimes I think that these type of scenes are too crass and very cringy but I was ok with the scenes in this book. I prefer thriller and horror over romance novels but I definitely enjoyed this one. I listened to the audio version and I liked both of the narrators. Mary Jane Wells and Patrick Zeller did a great job! They were easy to understand and their voices were interesting. It was easy to tell when a new chapter starts and who the narrator was. 4 stars for me!

Clean Point is such a great tennis romance with a solid plot and characters that feel real and relatable. It touches on some heavier themes, but they’re handled so well and just add to the story. The romance didn’t feel like the main focus, but Scottie and Nico’s chemistry is off the charts and fits in perfectly. Their growth, both together and on their own, is so satisfying to watch.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC. If you enjoy sports romances, I would highly recommend checking this out!

Not all sports romance are made the same (and that's okay)!

Clean Point was a tennis romance written by someone who is clearly passionate and well-informed about the sport. The plot was well written and the characters were complex but relatable. This story deals with a few darker themes that added immensely to the character development without feeling icky because Meg handled them with care. I really enjoyed how this book was definitely more plot focused and the romance just kind of came in as a little cherry on top.

(ALC provided by NetGalley) This started out as a very typical forced proximity, enemies to lovers, age-gap, sports romance but it really kicked out about 50% of the way through. The spice was limited but more intense than expected based on the writing initial! Enjoyable read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🔥/3

The biggest issue I had with the audio was issues hearing the male narrator at times. Not sure if that just a me thing?? Took longer for me to finish than it normally would because I could only listen to it with headphones in

Thank you NetGalley for the alc, but unfortunately this book was not for me. The main character seems bratty, and everyone is either poking at her complaining about what she’s done wrong, which I know was in the TR list but made the narrator sound whiny. The banter between the love interest seems forced and unbelievable.

Carrie Soto is Back but make it spicy and british.

I loved this one! It’s giving redemption and finding yourself all at once and who doesnt love a good comeback story!

Scottie and Nico were downright combustible and i ate it right up! There was a lot at play here, but it all flowed and told a whole, complete story of each character individually and together.

Sports Romance is one of my fave subgenres and this one really hit all the marks, bravo!

After a doping scandal two years ago, disgraced Tennis player Scottie Sinclair, is approached by her old coach to stage a comeback. The twist, instead of only playing singles she is now supposed to team up with her manipulative and estranged father's former rival in mixed doubles. Unsure she can and wants to withstand the scrutiny and hate from the Tennis world at large and that of her new doubles partner Scottie needs to decide if running away from the sport she loves for the rest of her life is the only choice she has left.... or, is it time to take a stand?

This book is filled with witty banter, moments of self-doubt, and an exploration not only of the sometimes unrealistic standard athletes are held to but also the extra scrutiny and sexist standards female athletes are often held to.

4/5 stars for the story
3/5 steam

3/5 stars for narration (the narrators felt a little mismatched to me. It does work on a cultural difference level to some extent - emotional greek-american vs reserved English - but Mary Jane Wells's level of emoting is very low key and that in comparison to Patrick Zellers more guttural intimate scenes can come across as a bit jarring at times. Each narrator on their own was fab... to me they just felt a little mismatched.)

What to expect: sports romance (both are athletes), age gap, enemies-to-lovers (the enemy of my enemy...), close proximity, forced proximity, protective mmc, family betrayal, dual pov, banter and hilarious and awful unflattering nicknames...

Trigger Warning/Content Warning: manipulative parent, discussed non-consensual doping/drugging.

This was cute...
However I don't think I would recommend the audio. The male narrators volume was very inconsistent. He would start this whisper voice to where I could hardly hear him then he would go back to normal voice and it would be so loud from me having to turn it up.

Tennis 🎾 rivals
Enemies to lovers
Famous tennis player(s)
Emotional

Thank you for this ALC

Thank you to Harper Audio & NetGalley for an ALC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first tennis romance, and it did not disappoint! It was also such a unique storyline that I hadn’t even seen done before in a Sports Romance, so I really enjoyed that. I listened to the audiobook, which had dual narration that was so engaging. The FMC is British so I did have to slow her chapters down a bit to be able to understand with her accent.

Nico & Scottie have a great storyline of enemies, to friends, to lovers. Their relationship was sweet to watch blossoming, especially because Nico was so protective over Scottie. Any Sports Romance girlies will enjoy this read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC of this!

I really enjoyed Nico and Scottie!!!! The connection they had from the beginning was perfection. I was not big on the nickname Scottie was given (well any of them), but I understood why Nico called her what he did and eventually it was kind of cute. I loved the stealing of the baseball cap and the adorable cats! It was just an overall good time and it had a great audiobook as well!

My first ALC from Netgalley and wow i’m hooked! I loved reading this book but it hit a hundred times harder with the audio. The narrators crushed this, the feelings and emotions came through instantly. This is the tennis romances for the ages; the drama, the banter, the chemistry and deep of these characters is truly heartwarming.
I loved Scottie & Nico’s story from the start, watching them grow individually as characters but most importantly watching their relationship blossom had me soaring with love. The banter and pining of these two…wooooof!!! Forced proximity did its job with these two, while giving us an inside look into the healing they were giving each other. If you love an enemies to lovers, banter, emotional depth and spicy chemistry— then this needs to be your next listen in 2025!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC. Really enjoyed this tennis romance in the beginning but the last 25% started to drag a bit. It could’ve been shorter. Enjoyed the banter between the main characters and there was a decent amount of spice (hello town car scene).

I think John’s character could’ve been flushed out a bit more. He didn’t seem to have Scottie’s back most of the time and seemed more invested in Nico. Also, kind of seemed like the brand deal plot line disappeared. Would’ve liked to see them push back with the brand more and maybe tie that in to the discussions of the abuse allegations. Did really like the commentary in the book about the types of questions the press poses to men vs. women. I haven’t read other books that tackle that subject.

dnf 16.2%

thank you netgalley for the arc but this was not my cup of tea 😭 i just could not connect with the characters or the storyline. the narration was okay, a little bit too bland for me, words just blended together? this was not carrie soto i'll tell ya that

Oh what fun this was! This hit all the right spots for me...tenns, rivals to lovers, forced proximity, great banter, and humor throughout. Loved everything about it really, plus no 3rd act breakup!

my first 5 star read of 2025 <3

clean point follows scottie and nico, a new tennis duo who both have traumatic pasts due to injuries and betrayals. the media thinks they’re together so because of sponsorships they decide to pretend they hang out while training together but in fact they fall in love <3

i’ve seen clean point multiple times on instagram but i didn’t read the blurb because i wanted the plot to be a surprise, all i knew was that scottie would have to train with nico for some reason and prove herself to the world. NEVER IN A BILLION YEARS I’D GUESS THAT IT WAS ALL BECAUSE THE WORLD THINKS SHE’S A CHEATER ALL DUE TO HER DAD DRUGGING HER WITHOUT HER CONSENT LEADING TO FAILED DRUG TESTS. sorry i hate her dad.

once i started reading i knew it wouldn’t disappoint me at all !!!! i didn’t get to read it last year because it wasn’t available on my ku but i got so excited when the approval email for the alc arrived !! mary jane wells and patrick zeller, the narrators, portrayed the characters so well !!!!!! i had so much fun listening to them and i’ll definitely pick up another audiobook that they narrate !!

scottie and nico had a rollercoaster romance but i enjoyed every single second of it !!! like please them trying to deny their feelings?? them playing and training together?? helping each other?? healing with each other?? ganging up on jon?? protecting each other?? and the baseball cap? oh. my. god. they were everything to me and i bet i’ll be rereading clean point soon ! they’re my winners and champions <3

i’m legit excited for the rest of the series to release and omg wdym dylan’s next??? i thought oliver was going to get back together with ava but honestly it’s her loss !!!!!!!

thank you to netgalley, harper audio and meg jones for the alc !!!

Clean Point is the story of Scottie, a professional tennis player coming back from a two year ban after being stripped of her Wimbledon title for using PEDs, and Nico, a tennis legend returning to the court after a serious injury sidelined him. When their former coach suggests they team up for doubles, they reluctantly agree and instantly clash. As they learn more about each other, they learn to respect each other and (of course) end up falling in love.

Meg Jones does it again!! What a fantastic debut to the traditional publishing scene. Scottie and Nico’s banter was ✨top tier✨, and the tension was just right - the dual POV fed perfectly into it. Nico’s (eventual) soft spot for Scottie was so sweet, and their progression from rivals, to civil professionals, to friends, to more felt very natural. I also thought Scottie’s character and backstory were very well fleshed out.

The audiobook narrators did a fantastic job portraying the story - highly recommend this as an audiobook!

Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!