⚽️ Soccer Sportsmance
🎬 Athlete MMC x Celebrity FMC
🎻 Fake Dating (Him) to Revenge Dating (Her)
🐈‍⬛ Grumpy x Sunshine
🦞 Anxiety Rep

I love Brittany Kelley and the books she writes! This newest release might be her best romcom, I was constantly giggling! I couldn’t get enough of Luke and Abigail and how quickly they fall for each other. Luke is GRUMPY to his core but Abigail is the chaotic and hilarious sunshine that breaks through his storm cloud. If you are a fan of “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” you will get a kick out of this book when Abigail finds out Luke was forced into dating her. Seeing how hard Luke had fallen for Abigail while battling his guilty conscience for how their relationship started had me feeling a range of emotions from giddy to anxious. This story was the perfect balance of humor, mild angst, swoon and steam! It was a quick paced and fun read, that kept me engaged and wanting to race through the pages.

This was SUCH a good time! The banter was next level - it was so funny, I was kicking my feet/laughing the entire time. It was like Ted Lasso/How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days had a baby, and it was this book. I wish I could wipe my brain and re-read this book whenever I'm sad, I loved it so much. 1000/10.

Thank you Brittany Kelley and NetGalley for the arc!

Yo-Yo Ma? Stop. I can’t breathe. 🤣🤣🤣

As stated, this did have a Ted Lasso feel. It also had a hint of She's All That and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. It was all witty, sweet, a bit dirty, and so very swoonworthy. All good things which helped make a good story.

Abigail’s ADHA brain was incredibly relatible. Reading her internal monologues jumping from topic to topic to topic felt as if you were reading a narration from a normal fifteen minutes in my life. It was like reading my thoughts on paper, just without the paparazzi. Luke was harder to get a good read on. He was supposed to be an ass, but he wasn't. Instead, he came off as an introvert who is forced to be social because of his athleticism. It would have been nice to have more caveman and gruff tendencies spewing off of him seeing as he was labeled the bad child.

Their conversations of sexy time wants and needs had me howling. Not the nitty gritty parts, but the Q&A of how it all should go down. The baby would shoot me a look every time it happened that said “I am trying to be a gymnast here. Please refrain from making any anynoise.” 😆

When the guys were in Vegas and the reference was made to Savannah and Tyler, my face broke out into the biggest smile. Go Beavers!!! Still wanting a shirt to represent for the team. Or a hat. That would get more use with this Florida sun.

I digress…

Now time for a few things that were ehh for me. Abigail’s behavior after finding out Luke was forced into dating her was crap. Not saying Luke didn’t deserve some retaliation, but her way of doing it was more childish than justified revenge. Maybe taking him to a place to where they both donned those beautiful silicone mermaid tails would have been better. Still silly rules, the lobster can still be in the scheme, with some weird theatrics of course. The way she planned it here was annoying, making me want Luke to leave her. Not because she won, but because no one wants to date an unhinged adult adolescent. No one wants to date a child. Even if they were an ass who deserved to be taught a lesson.

Luke was a good boyfriend. He was dumb and wrong for agreeing to fake date Abigail, that is a fact. He could have come to her with the issue. She then could have made the decision if she wanted to help him out. Just think of the possibilities on how to piss off the owners if they worked together. By lying about it all, it made his temper tantrum when she came clean about it all seem selfish.

Having more sleazy, awkward moments with the owners would have made the reader hate them more. You could tell were crap humans from the small interactions we had with them. Truth, there wasn’t a lot of interaction with them which made it hard to feel for Luke when he said he “had to” agree to the fake dating. It would have been more impactful when Michelle dropped her truth bomb as well.

📚✨Book Review✨📚

Relationship Goals
Author: Brittany Kelley

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Notes: I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I Liked:
⚽️ Ahhh there is just something about a sexy soccer player that reels me in. This book is no exception. 😉

What I Didn’t Like:
⚽️ I really wanted more of a grovel from Luke. Every good book deserves a massive grovel scene!

⚽️This sounds odd out of context, but the Gollum scene. Listen, I get the purpose but it was a bit TOO fake for me that it made the story go from kinda realistic to ridiculous.

Final Thoughts:
⚽️ Another fabulous sports romance from Brittany Kelley. Her books are always fun and spicy reads with strong female main characters.

#bookreview #reviewsneedlovetoo #readforeverpub #unpopularopinion #booktok #bookstagram #bookfriend #books #bookish #booklover #instablog #romancereader #romcom #fantasybooks

If you're looking for a true grumpy / sunshine, little bit of unhinged, overarchingly grade A rom-com, pick this book up! Brittany Kelley is absolutely hilarious and this heartwarming book makes you want to root for them from the get go.

Thank you to Brittany & the NetGalley team for the ARC!

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

FIVE STARS FOR THIS ONE! One of my top favorites of 2025.

What a breath of fresh air! This book is packed with so much fun and so many great moments. I laughed so much during this because Abigail Hunt is the most refreshing lead character I’ve read in such a long time. She had me laughing out loud so many times. Luke Wolfe, Mr Grumpy extraordinaire is the most squishy-est book boyfriend. (I may have made that up, but that’s how it felt for me) Rough around the edges but so damn sweet and caring under it all. These two vibed so much. I really really enjoyed this story. I didn’t want to put it down. This book was entertaining and so full of romance perfection.

Highly recommended!


I hope that the next book is the couple I’m hoping for but either way..I can’t wait for more books by this author.

Highly recommended

I love Ted Lasso and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days! That description immediately drew me in. Unfortunately, I believe the author was a little too on the nose with that description. I found the scenes to be unoriginal because they were too close to scenes in Ted Lasso. The story was so instalust it became unbelievable that all of this happened in the time frame described. I would have loved to delve deeper into Abigail's anxiety and Luke's family. There's nothing wrong with this book, I just wish it were more developed. I feel the more developed part was laying the bricks for what I believe the next couple would be.

This was nice fluff! It was cutesy and lighthearted but there wasn't much that made the characters feel more grounded or real. Was nice when I was reading it but not memorable.

During the first 30% of the book, I was sure this would be a five-star read, but in the end, it didn’t quite get there.

I really enjoyed the writing style and would love to see what else Brittany comes up with. I also really liked the characters—Abigail was such an interesting protagonist, and I had fun seeing what kind of wild ideas she’d come up with. She had a great sense of humor, and there were definitely moments that made me laugh out loud. I also loved Luke—I'm weak for grumpy male leads, especially when there's a kind, soft-hearted man underneath all the cold, annoyed layers.

I’m not usually a big fan of insta-love, but it didn’t bother me here at all. In fact, the chemistry between Luke and Abigail gave me butterflies. The plot was fun too, especially the part where Abigail tries everything to get Luke to break up with her. What didn’t work for me as much was how much of the conflict was based on miscommunication, which is a trope I rarely enjoy.

I was also a little disappointed that we didn’t get any resolution when it came to Luke’s mom. The epilogue didn’t mention how she was doing, whether she got better, or even show her meeting Abigail.

Aside from those two issues, everything else was really well done, and I’d definitely recommend it.

Thank you for the free book, Berkley Romance!

In this sports romance, up and coming actress Abigail is introduced to grumpy soccer star Luke. Unbeknownst to her, he has been pressured to date her to improve his image and bring publicity to the team. However, their chemistry and connection is undeniable. Abigail learns of Luke’s betrayal and decides the best way to deal with his duplicity is by getting even with a scheme of her own.

This rom com was a breath of fresh air and such a fun time! I was truly laughing out loud at the ridiculous antics of the characters, along with the top-tier banter. It is very reminiscent of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, combined with soccer and the grumpy/sunshine trope. I absolutely love when a guy is so gone for the girl and Luke personifies the “he falls first and harder” trope. If you want to laugh out loud, swoon, and escape reality for a bit, this is your book!

I literally haven’t laughed this hard because of a book… ever. Brittany Kelley ALWAYS has the funniest banter and snark - but she outdid herself this time and add in all the pop culture references and you’re going to be laughing out loud. I literally had to TRY and contain myself so I wouldn’t wake my husband up since it’s 1 AM and I could not put the book down. I LOVE characters who say what they’re thinking and have little filter - so Abigail I loved instantly. Pair her with a handsome, grumpy soccer player who unbeknownst to everyone else is actually just a big softie… and you have a recipe for an AMAZING romance and story. I loved Luke right away. I’m not sure how Brittany was able to make us fall in love so quickly with the characters but she did. The story moves quickly and although the characters are witty and say hilarious things…. There is still so much depth to them and we get to see them dealing with some difficult things - ie anxiety, past relationship trauma, sick family members, etc - and it makes them so much more relatable. I honestly already cannot wait to reread this story. I’ll never be able to hear or think Yo Yo Ma or Gollum again without laughing - IYKYK!

When I saw this mentioned as being like Ted Lasso meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days I was in need of this book 😂 and luckily it hit the mark for me. The build up of the romance between Abby and Luke was great. They are both great characters and clearly meant to be together. I enjoyed the soccer parts of the book and Luke definitely gives off Roy Kent vibes, but the highlight for me was when it started having the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes. I was literally laughing out loud while I read this book. It had the perfect amount of similarities to the movie. It was completely its own story but it had those unhinged moments of Abby doing her best Kate Hudson moments. This book is the perfect blend of romance and comedy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC!

Abigail, an actress studying for her new film role, begins shadowing a soccer team and is shocked when the grumpiest player asks her out on a date. Luke is being forced by his managers to fake date Abigail, and is devastated when he discovers real feelings for her. When Abigail finds out it was fake, she plans to get her revenge on Luke any way that she can.

✨soccer player & hollywood starlet
✨grumpy & sunshine
✨fake dating

"My feet follow her almost of their own accord, as if they can't stand the idea of being away from her any longer."

I liked this one, but I felt like the revenge plot was unnecessary! After the insta-lust/love it seemed a little out of the blue, considering they were together the whole book. I did like the style of writing though & the spice was SO good! I've heard great things about Brittany Kelley's other books and I will definitely be checking them out!

Thank you so much to Brittany Kelley, NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC 🫶🏼

Abigail Hunt, a bubbly aspiring Hollywood star with ADHD, falls for a soccer hooligan Luke Wolfe in this Ted Lasso-inspired novel-length fanfiction piece told in dual points of view. To prepare for a role in a film about US pro-soccer industry scandals, Abigail is assigned to shadow the LA Aces team for a month or so; her assigned escort is soccer's bad boy, the taciturn Luke, who unbeknownst to Abigail has agreed to date her to pull more tickets. Luke asks her out, hoping she'll say no, then tries to act like a mean asshole so she won't want to see him again, but she gives him the benefit of the doubt. Long single Luke is immediately attracted to Abigail’s refreshing uncensored speech and emotions, while she’s dazzled by the hot athlete and is convinced his gruff exterior hides a warm, gooey marshmallow center, and its shyness and anxiety that presents as introversion. Both are a charmingly weird and find they can let their freak flags fly together, whether it's doing Gollum impressions or fostering kittens; both have an unfiltered way of speaking that gets them into trouble, but that the other finds refreshing.

The physical intimacy and the insta-love are exceeding quick, and I didn't find the fast pace of the relationship plausible (The budding friendship between Abigail and Michelle, the team's new director of operations, is more appropriately paced and believable, and a nice counterpoint to the romance). Honestly, it was unconscionable that Luke doesn’t come clean sooner about his directive to fake a relationship as he’s actually falling for Abigail—especially after she discloses that her emotionally abusive ex made it clear he was with her only for what it could do for his own career, and dumped her at the first whiff of a scandal which started her on a downward trajectory. If Luke follows his boss's directive and dates the starlet, he can get off the no-trade list he's been relegated to, and potentially move to the Seattle team and be closer to his mother, undergoing treatment for cancer. And he definitely feels bad about withholding the information that he was told to date Abigail, just not bad enough to be honest--yet. When she discovers what he's done, instead of confronting Luke, she decides to be the worst girlfriend ever so he'll break up with her, but he continues to be accepting and kind to her. And THIS is why I only like very specific enemies to lovers romances: I can't stand people behaving badly on purpose, I find the behavior immature, and the reconciliations unbelievable. Miscommunication or misperceptions giving way to grudging respect, then admiration, then love--that's the key to my heart.

I found it particularly odd that though Abigail knows nothing about soccer, there is little to no explanation of the game, neither rules, traditions, history nor gameplay, just a passing mention of how complicated the concept of “offsides” is. We don’t even know what position Luke plays (I assume striker, since he scores goals). If the soccer part is so unimportant, why is it present at all? Finally, Luke’s character is lifted straight from the award-winning phenomenon Ted Lasso: he’s grumpy Roy Kent to a T, from the ice baths to the knee injury, and his language is decidedly British (he describes himself at one point as a “shit player” and calls the goalie the keeper, instead of the goalkeeper) with no explanation.

There are some great lines, like describing a rescue kitten as "all knives and spitting hisses" and "I did not have "small angry Frenchman shouts potato at me on today's bingo card, but here we are." There's a militant Pilates instructor, an assortment of seemingly foreign (not American?) teammates, and a fantastic couples in-joke involving cello music. A tiny plot thread about a hospital emergency room and fake marriage comes full circle in a very satisfying way. These brilliant moments are eclipsed by incredibly repetitive word selections: I lost count of how many times Luke grunted (over 40) or Abigail winked (a dozen), and details of Abigail’s ADHD and Luke’s guilt and longing for Seattle are hammered home over and over. The writing is unsubtle and does not give the reader enough credit for their ability to infer; for example, we are told “they could not be more polar opposites,” which was obvious without the author literally pointing it out. Do we need to be told that Abigail served white wine “she grabbed from the store?” No, not unless the details of where she shopped add to her characterizing further the plot, or add detail to setting. It’s extraneous filler. It's the editor's job to point out when the author slips into telling instead of showing, and to impress upon the author the need to vary vocabulary, and to fill in plot holes and missing details. It cost the book a half-star, bringing it's rating to 2 stars instead of 2.5. Relationship Goals has it's issues, but I did want to see how it would get resolved, and I pushed through to finish it.

For better Ted Lasso inspired enemies to lovers romance, try Everything for You (Bergman Brothers #5) by Chloe Liese, which ships a Roy Trent type with a Jamie Tartt lookalike who talks like Ted Lasso, or The Long Game by Elena Armas, which imagines what if Roy and Keely didn’t like each other and got paired up to coach a U-10 girls soccer team. If you want a romance that contains dramatic sportsball play-by-play, try the Him series by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, or even Pickleballers by Ilana Long.

I received an advance readers review copy of #RelationshipGoals via #NetGalley courtesy of #Berkley in exchange for a fair and honest review; a review will post to HLBB on 7/14/2025.

“Shut up,” I tell him. “Only one of us gets to be the neurotic mess, and I called dibs today. You can be Debbie Downer tomorrow.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Relationship Goals is one of my top sports romances. I love Brittany Kelley’s writing and her trad pub debut is contemporary romance perfection.

A grumpy soccer star. A sunshiny actress. He’s the picture of seriousness and control. She is chaotic, silly, and says whatever thought pops into her head.

There is a fake dating situation that leads to the FMC giving “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” vibes to try to end things. The relationship is so cute and sweet and spicy.

I love the chemistry between Luke and Abigail. They bring out the best in each other and are a great example of how you can just be your weird self when you find the right person.

While the book is light, fluffy, and romantic, it also tackles some serious issues, such as ADHD, anxiety, and issues within the world of professional sports.

I could not stop reading Relationship Goals. I am really hoping that there is another book coming because there is definitely a couple brewing amongst the side characters in the story.

Thank you to Berkley and Brittany Kelley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

ARC review in exchange for my honest opinion I really liked that the main female character wasn’t trying overly hard to be quirky but I also like that she was a little bit and the main male character loved that about her! I liked the overall premise of this story but the miscommunication ugh

"𝑯𝒆'𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅."

If you've ever watched Ted Lasso, then you know who Roy Kent is. If you know who Roy Kent is, you now know the personality of our MMC, Luke Wolfe. Luke is a star soccer player who is prickly and even a little mean. But he's also funny and blunt & the banter between him and Abigail is spot on. Abigail is weird and quirky and I kind of loved it!

Miscommunication always frustrates me but there were some hilarious scenes because of it! 🦞

This was a cute, light-hearted, and funny story that went from Ted Lasso vibes to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days!

🚨Huge thank you to Brittany, Berkley, and Netgalley for this ARC!

This book started out so strong for me! I love the Roy Kent/Keeley vibes it was giving for the Ted Lasso fan in me! That and the whole starlet/athlete dynamic was giving Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce and I love an athlete romance. Unfortunately, I just felt like the chemistry here was lacking for me, and it fell flat. I think the book did well when it came to representation in the soccer community and how hard it is for females working in that field! I think there was just more backstory and development needed for the characters to really flesh out their connection!

Sunshine/Grump is one of my favorite tropes and this book delivered. I loved the humor in the book and the witty banter back and forth between the main characters. Fun read!

As a woman with ADHD, this is one of the most relatable books I've ever read. There were so many lines where Brittany Kelley just really nailed what it is like liking with a little chaos goblin in your head that is often hellbent on escaping at the worst possible moment. And how incredibly lovely and romantic to have Luke adore that part of her!

Ted Lasso is a great comp for the grumpy/sunshine romance - Luke is major Roy Kent vibes - but also the team camaraderie between the players. I loved the little peeks at their conversations, the way they all rallied around Luke once he finally opened up to them. Abigail's antics were laugh out loud funny, and yet also filled with tender vulnerabilities she can't always quite manage to hide.

Funny, silly, sweet, and spicy, I had a great time and am looking forward to (hopefully) Tristan and Michelle's story next!