3.5 overall!

I really liked this book! The chemistry between Luke and Abigail was great, and their funny back-and-forth made me laugh out loud. Abigail’s bold personality, mixed with her ADHD, made her stand out in a good way. Some parts felt a little slow, and I got a bit annoyed with all the miscommunication… I just wanted them to talk to each other already! But overall, I still had a good time reading it.

If you enjoy sports romances with a bit of fame drama, you’ll probably like this one too.

This book was so much fun! If you're a fan of the amazing romcoms from the 2000's this book is for you! There were parts that reminded me so much of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (which was one of my favorite movies) with a twist. I haven't laughed out loud so much in a book for a while, so thank you so much Brittany Kelley for that!! I listened to this audiobook curtesy of PRH audio and read the physical book. I'm glad I did because I'm obsessed with how the narrators brought the story/ characters to life!

Their chemistry is unmatched paired with all the unhinged banter/ situations the FMC, Abigail, puts them in is chef's kiss! At one point grumpy, hot, soccer superstar, Luke Wolfe goes over to her house and she's in full blown theatre makeup & prosthetics to look like Smeagol from the Lord of The Rings.
What follows is Abigail becoming Smeagol and both the narrators have to use their best Smeagol voice. It was hilarious and they nailed it!

Sports romance friends, definitely pick this one up! You will fall in love, and I binged it in less than a day!

I enjoyed the first half of the book. There were a lot of funny and cute moments between the MC that has me aw and laugh out loud. I did see the glimpses of comparison to Ted Lasso and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, which was fun at times. And a bit too much at times. I really did not like the third act break up, and all the shenanigans beforehand. It just was not for me.

Oh my GOSH. If you’re looking for a soccer romance with Roy x Keeley vibes from Ted Lasso, with a lot of laughs, look no further!

Tropes:
⚽️ Soccer Player x Actress
⚽️ Fake Dating, but not
⚽️ Grumpy x Sunshine
⚽️ He Falls First and HARD
⚽️ Cat Daddy
⚽️ Revenge Plot

Abigail is an actress, doing some research for her upcoming role with a soccer team. The owners have Luke, the grumpy, unapproachable soccer player, be the one to give her a tour. They’re blackmailing him -if he can get Abigail to date him and cause their ticket sales to go up, they’ll give him the trade he’s been wanting. He falls fast, but too bad Abby finds out it’s all fake. Now she’s about to get even….

Abby and Luke’s story is so good. Luke is trying so hard to be different and be a good boyfriend, while Abby is sabotaging and trying to get him to break up with her for revenge had so many funny moments. Luke melts your heart, and Brittany does such a great job making you want so badly for Abby to believe that his feelings for her are real. I had such a fun time reading this book!

🌶️🌶️

I tried. I hit 67% and then DNFed it. The instalove trope is fine in a lot of cases, but when you find out that this is pattern for the MMC, it kind of takes away from the present story. Add in the deception (there was no pretending it was just a miscommunication) and I couldn’t read it anymore. Luke had so many chances to tell her the truth and Abigail would have been supportive. It didn’t feel like anything real was between them. The bright side was the kitten.
2.5 stars, rounded down.

I sadly couldn't get into this book fully! Some things Abigail did just cringed me out and gave me bad second hand embarrassment even though I know part of her personality is doing/saying what is on her mind. At first I thought Liam was just straight up rude but then he grew on me from how much he liked her and what he was willing to do. I would say the book did end up picking up speed but it did feel a little rushed during the 3rd act breakup when they weren't together.

Relationship Goals by Brittainy Kelley was such a fun read. Abigail is about to reach her dreams of becoming a star with the role of a lifetime. To prepare for the role, she is about to spend time with a struggling pro soccer team, but after a PR mishap, she wants to do everything right. Then the team’s grump and star player asked her out and she says yes. What she does not know and is not a spoiler, the team’s owners make him ask her out to bring their image and ticket sales up.

I loved Abigal so much. She was herself with no regrets, determined and likable but even so she had insecurities and doubts. Luke knew who he was and made no excuses and yet when Abigail saw him, she really saw him. The good and the bad. When he meets her, there is something different about her. She draws him in like no one else had. Even with everything going on in his personal and professional life, there is just something about her. He knew what he did was wrong, but he found himself truly liking Abigail and wanting more. But was it already too late for them? Then she finds out what he did, she is left heartbroken.

Watching these two spend time together and fall for the other was so much fun. They were open and honest with each other and that drew me into their story. It hurt my heart when it all fell apart. This was my first romance by this author, but definitely not my last.

Happy reading!

If you haven’t met Brittany Kelly’s books yet, brace for charm, chaos, and chemistry.

Brittany Kelly has done it again and created an utterly enjoyable, bingable, and downright laughable read that had me snort-laughing at everything Abby did to get Luke to break up with her—before he could dump her.

And this brief summary of Relationship Goals doesn’t come close to telling you everything, but honestly? Why ruin the fun of a finely crafted, banter-filled book. Kelly has a unique ability to take an idea that sounds like it should tip into farce and somehow keep it anchored in the realm of implausible plausibility. I don’t know what kind of magic she’s using, but it works.

The characters—Luke, Abby, and even the supporting cast—are full of messy, endearing flaws, motivations, and real-world emotions. You’ll cheer them on like old friends. When I finished the final page, it felt like hanging up the phone after a three-hour catch-up with someone I’ve known forever.

Thank you Brittany Kelley, Berkley and NetGalley for sharing this arc with me.

Luke is the perfect grump. Abby’s dreams, wit, and neurodivergence hit close to home for me—I saw so much of myself in her.

I read this book in two sittings because it was not just easy and entertaining—it was written with the kind of care and skill that lets you soar inside the author's imagination. Brittany Kelly is an auto-buy author for me, and this book proves she’s transitioned from indie darling to mainstream standout without losing the presence, empathy, and narrative spark that earned her a place at the top of my shelf.

I have mixed feelings about this one. In the beginning, the writing seemed pretty rough (honestly, it was rough all the way through). Both leads seemed really immature and the constant sex/dick jokes got a little old. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate some crude humor, but it made the very few meaningful conversations feel weird. Then, Abigail finds out about Luke only dating her as a publicity stunt, and she goes fully off the rails. The story got really entertaining here, even though I wished they would just talk to each other. The second hand embarrassment was real. It also was very insta-love, and I personally don’t enjoy that trope as much.

This book was a lot of fun!Abigail Hunt starts shadowing a pro soccer team for her upcoming movie role. Luke Wolf is the grumpy bad boy player who's blackmailed into dating Abigail. And when he ends up falling for her, he feels like things are finally looking up. Until she finds out the relationship started off fake and decides to make his life miserable until he dumps her.

I absolutely loved Luke. His reasons for agreeing to date Abigail were understandable, he was secretly a softie under his gruff exterior, and his care and protectiveness toward Abigail were swoon-worthy. She took a little longer for me to warm up to. At first I thought she was just silly and ridiculous, but once I really got into the book it became obvious that she really had a heart of gold. Both characters showed a lot of growth by the end, and I was so proud of them.

This book definitely had insta-love, which I don't mind. But wow they both fell fast! There were a lot of funny parts, lots of teammate banter, and sweet friendships.

Tropes:

🩷Spicy sports romance
🩷Grumpy/Sunshine
🩷Celebrity/sports star
🩷ADHD rep
🩷He adopts a kitten
🩷Insta-love
🩷One-sided fake dating

My first soccer romance! This grumpy/sunshine story was laughing out loud funny, super sweet and spicy. Abigail is unapologetically quirky - I loved her character. Luke is a secret cinnamon roll. I'm hoping for Michelle's story next - she's a badass boss babe in the soccer world!

i wanted to love this one but sadly i struggled to get through it. i also couldn’t stand luke or the third act breakup. it felt very insta-lusty between abigail and luke and i didn’t feel much chemistry. i will say it is a quick read. i switched back and forth between physical and audio. although i didn’t enjoy this one, i will still be checking out more from this author though!!!

abigail is an aspiring actress who jumps at the chance to shadow the head of a struggling pro soccer team to prove she’s ready to a director of a head breakout role. one of the teammates luke (super duper grumpy) asks her out which sets “the media on fire”. luke was coerced into faking their relationship to save his “villainous reputation” and abigail finds out. she refuses to give him the satisfaction of breaking up with him so she decides to get even. will he put up with it or will he be the one to break up with her?

tropes: grumpy x sunshine, fake dating to revenge dating, anxiety rep, soccer player mmc x aspiring actress fmc, dual pov

I really wanted to like this one.

It started well. I liked the setup of a Hollywood starlet trying to overcome an issue she'd had in the past by really putting her all into her research for this film. The grumpy soccer star was mysterious and grunting. I also liked that Abigail, the actress, had ADHD. Unfortunately, those things all kind of fell apart quickly.

The plot which I liked at the beginning, quickly disappeared. Abigail rarely did research and Luke rarely practiced or played. It was never even mentioned what position he played, which was just a weird omission that really bothered me. Most of the book became solely about the relationship and that typically doesn't work for me. Also, Abigail's ADHD, which was mentioned heavily in the beginning, was never mentioned again. It just sort of disappeared, which I strongly disliked.

This was an insta-lust/insta-love plot, but I never really got any chemistry between the two main characters. They found each other ridiculously attractive, which is fine, but then when they are in love after a week with no real context, it's a stretch. I just didn't buy it. The miscommunication was unnecessary and the revenge plot felt weird and juvenile. I didn't feel like either of these people were successful working adults.

I think this book also suffered from being mis-marketed. I thought it would be fake dating with an actress in a sports romance. I feel like it was more of an insta-love, with miscommunication that turns into a revenge dating plot.

Overall, this one had potential, but in the end just wasn't for me. I think if you want a sports romance that's very light on sports, a grunting MMC who loves kitties, with miscommunication and some quirky revenge, then this could be a good book for you.

Roy Kent in book form? I 'll easily take it, and it was very easy to love the cranky soccer star Luke Wolfe in this story! This was a fun one with Abigail and Luke quickly falling for each other, despite Abigail not knowing that Luke's team was pushing for them to "date." When Abigail learns the truth, the revenge plot line was hysterical at the antics she put Luke through.

Once the story gets going, it’s pretty cute. The book is nice little read, reminiscent of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but it was hard to get past some things that just didn’t make sense to me. Abigail is quirky, likable actress sent to shadow a staff-member of the L.A. Aces soccer team, in preparation for her next role. Luke is an uber-grumpy player on the team who wants to be traded to go home and take care of his sick mother. The owners of the team won’t allow him to be traded UNLESS he can get the team some extra publicity and ticket sale money by getting Abigail to date him. Luke and Abigail are goofy and adorable together. Their banter is so cute, but it makes no sense how they got there in the first place. You would think, trying to con this woman into dating him, Luke would pull out any charm he might have, but no. When they meet he’s a jerk, but she still says yes when he asks her out? Why? He does feel badly about the whole plan, so he randomly goes into grumpy mode even once he’s with Abigail and completely infatuated. Why she said yes is a mystery. How his emotional swings don’t giver her whiplash is a mystery. Then there’s the whole issue of, if Luke did bring in more ticket sales, why would a team be willing to let him go at that point? You’ll find yourself rooting for team “Wolfhunt,” but hopefully you can get past these other hang ups more easily than I did. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley publishing for providing me an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, as it has a lot of elements of story's I like, but this one didn't work for me. The actual romance between the two was hot, but the actual relationship wasn't that great. I didn't like the third act break up because it felt so so forced.

ARC review for Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley

Thanks to Brittany, Berkley, and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

Featured tropes: sports romance, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating (for one of them), revenge plot, romcom, a touch of mental health rep

Trigger warning: on page anxiety attacks, workplace manipulation, paparazzi, on page fainting/hospital visit, sick parent

Review: 3.5/5

Wow, what a RIDE! Let's just dive right in.

Things I liked:
- It was fun seeing fake dating where only one of them knows it's fake and the other is clueless to that fact. It's not something I've read before and it was a fun twist to the usual fake dating trope.
- I was really crushing on Luke and Abigail together before she found out about the elephant in their relationship. They started out as a fun couple and, while Luke started with ulterior motives, I liked how unafraid they were of their quick attraction to one another.
- The revenge plot was, admittedly, a little outlandish. Did I still laugh at every mishap Abigail cooked up to try and get Luke to break up with her? Sure did. They were crazy and over-the-top but totally worth it!
- Darren was really living his best life during the restaurant scene, haha. He was really such a fun BFF character for Abigail. I'm glad she had him both in life and on set towards the end of the book.

Things I disliked or missed the mark:
- A unique instance where something good was also something bad. Abigail was so over-the-top with her quest that you were left going, "Really? Seriously? THIS was your greatest idea?" Like, yes, they were funny, but also, damn, it was just absolutely wild behavior.
- I didn't quite get why Luke wasn't up front with Abigail about the whole thing after their first dinner. He quickly realized he really like Abigail a lot and that he truly wanted to spend more time with her. There was literally nothing stopping him from saying, "Hey, so my owners are holding this over my head but I'd really like to get to know you." Whether it was Abigail choosing to play along with the scheme or not, there was nothing stopping Luke from being up front with her and choosing to pull the wool over the owner's eyes.

Overall, while there wasn't a ton I disliked, there wasn't a ton I loved either. This was pretty middle-of-the-road for me but I did appreciate the comedy aspect of the story. That part, while a little much, was fun.

Also, I started this ARC with my eyes but it also released on audio so I finished with an Audible credit and listened. The narrators both did a good job. Both were new to me but I would listen to both again.

If you’re looking for a light and easy read, this one is a great place to start! The plot, the relationship, the spice… it’s so good. And the banter between the two main characters had me CRACKING UP out loud so much.

Famous soccer player Luke Wolfe is known for his gruffness and rude behavior towards anyone and everyone. He has one goal in mind and that’s to focus on his life and get what he wants… and currently that’s to move back to Seattle to take care of his sick mother. Unfortunately his (HORRIBLE 😒) bosses have chosen to make him work for his freedom which comes in the form of fake dating a Hollywood starlet.

Abigail Hunt is desperately wanting to revive her acting career so when she’s offered a great opportunity to get a foot in the door she runs with it. She’s fully ready to invest all her time to be the best that she can, but what she’s not ready for is the grumpy soccer player that asks her out on the first day. All of a sudden she finds herself falling head over heels for the man everyone deems as grumpy and intolerable. Although rough around the edges—she is convinced there’s more to him underneath all his grouchiness.

What happens when Abigail finds out everything she thought was real between her and Luke was just for show? And from the VERY beginning at that. Did he ever even truly like her? And will Luke be able to convince her that although it started out as fake, his feelings became sincere after realizing how amazing she was? Guess you’ll just have to read to find out…

-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-

Here are some of the reason I rated it 4 ⭐️:
There were many aspects of Abigail’s character that were so authentic. As I read I truly felt as though I was getting a look into a real person’s mind. But some things she did later on in the story were just straight cringe and unrealistic. I loved the ADHD and anxiety rep, but I do wish it was given more attention and care. I do think there was wayyy more potential for some character development/growth for Luke throughout the story, and that left me pretty disappointed.

I will say the addition of little Princess… it just made the story so much better. (You’ll have to read it to understand)

Overall the story was good. An easy one to get through and gave me plenty of laughs.

I’m now just waiting for the story of Michelle and Tristan… I already know it’s gonna be so good.

-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-

things to know about the book ↓

⚽️ fake dating
🎭 third act breakup
⚽️ grumpy x sunshine
🎭 soccer star x actress
⚽️ mental health rep

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Brittany Kelley for allowing me to read this arc. These are all my honest opinions in this review.

I've been a Brittany Kelley fan since she started writing her Wilmington Football series.

I received an arc from this series and fell in love with how easy her stories were to read on a sunday afternoon. When I found out she was being published, I was so excited for the chance to read her next story - and it did not disappoint. This was such honestly spot on as a comparison of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days x Ted Lasso. The book was cheesy at some points, but also laugh out loud funny - and I honestly kind of love the cheesiness of it. It made it such a good/easy read and I would recommend this as a summer vacation book 100%

Relationship goals gets a 3.5 stars from me! For starters: this book is adorable! And a cat named Princess? You’re kidding!!🥰

Right off the bat an actress and a professional soccer player romance? I couldn’t request this book fast enough. It has everything you want in a romance: a gruff mmc, a fmc who love gollum and has a sense of humor, and a cute feline side kick. It had the makings of being the perfect rom com, however, it had one flaw that I couldn’t shake!!

The Insta Love😔 This was marketed as a “fake dating romance” which it is…only for the first 5 min. There was mo real “fake feelings” in this book. It just felt like a label being slapped on there just to add it to the masses.

Abby & Luke are adorable. I couldn’t not love them. A couple that watches LOTR together stays together! I wanted MORE steam from them actually :( I saw “steamy romance” and wanted some steam! This just felt like a lot of miscommunication & pranking.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy & fun read and I really liked it! Thank you to Berkley Romance & Netgalley for the e-arc❤️