In this steamy sapphic rivals-to-lovers romance with a magical twist, two fiercely competitive tennis players—uptight Juliette and effortlessly cool Luca—find themselves reluctant soulmates thanks to a fated tattoo that appears after their long-anticipated match.

The beginning totally hooked me! The banter was sharp, the chemistry sizzled, and the tennis backdrop made everything feel fresh and fun. I absolutely need more sports romances like this! Luca’s anxiety was also portrayed with care, and I really appreciated that.

But around the halfway point, the pacing started to drag, and I found myself less eager to pick the book back up. The soulmate tattoo element (which I didn’t realize was part of the story going in) isn’t my favorite trope, and in this case, it made the romance feel a bit too forced by fate rather than earned through emotional connection.

Still, there’s plenty to love: sapphic tension, enemies-to-lovers vibes, and a unique setting. A strong start with some stumbles, but a solid read overall!

I chose to finish this book based on the first 25% so I can only speak to that part of the book. The true love marks didn't seem necessary to the story at all and really threw me off. I would try this author again in the future but just didn't think this story was for me.

This was sadly not for me… I did enjoy the tennis parts, but the magical soul mark thing had me a little confused and took me out of rooting for this couple as a true romance… probably should have looked more into the plot before picking it up, but hopefully it can find its readers who do enjoy rivals-to-lovers sports romance with a speculative twist!

I really struggled with this one. It took a while to get into and I really didn’t connect with the characters. Sports romances are hit or miss with me and I just didn’t care for this one. This is through no fault of the author. I think I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it.

I will recommend it because even though it didn’t connect with me I think it will with the right audience. I am interested to see what the author writes next.

I really enjoyed this book. Seeing the progression was very beautiful. The soulmate marks were interesting and the “lore” behind them too. Can’t wait to purchase so I can go back and annotate my favorite parts!

Cute and fun and original premise! This one was unexpectedly charming and I ordered it for my library.

I really liked the concept of Backhanded Compliments - rivals-to-lovers with a bit of magical soulmate lore thrown into a professional tennis setting. That said, while I appreciated the characters and the slow-burn arc, this one didn’t fully land for me.

The tennis elements are front and centre, and I genuinely enjoyed that. It felt authentic and gave weight to both Luca and Juliette’s motivations. Their careers, support networks, and emotional baggage were all well sketched, and I liked that their connection wasn’t just about the magic soulmate bond - they had shared experience, ambition, and eventually, trust. That said, the pacing dragged for me. There was a stretch where I actually put it down for a few days before picking it back up. It’s a very slow romance, and while that sometimes works for me, I found myself wanting just a little more emotional depth and urgency between them.

Still, there was a lot to like here. Luca was easy to warm to, and Juliette’s edge made sense the more we learned about her. The soulmate element was interesting but didn’t add much to my overall experience — the real strength of the book was in the grounded, messy, human moments between them. A solid debut, and I’d definitely be curious to see what the author writes next.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

this was just fine. i really had high hopes for this one since i feel like tennis has been having it’s moment as of late (i’m looking at you challengers). but unfortunately i truly just struggled to make my way through the book, constantly feeling like i was dragging my feet through the story.

i think the toughest thing was wrapping my head around the fact that there is literal “magic” in the book for something only marketed as a contemporary romance. and maybe that’s on me for not really paying attention to the fantastical twist comment in the synopsis. but besides that one remark, i fully thought the soulmates piece was just a vague descriptor about their romance. you know, metaphorically. and not that there is literal soulmate markings that people have! so that definitely threw me for a loop a bit, and was the basis for not only the premise of the book but, to me, a lot of what the romance was using as a foundation. it felt like at first a lot of their attraction (romantic and sexual) was solely due to their soulmate connection. and the majority of their relationship issues/arguments stemmed from that factor.

i don’t know… for a key reason for why they were drawn together (and somewhat forced to interact), it really just felt lacking to me. and unfortunately, that feeling carried throughout for me.

i do feel like there was a set up for livia to have her own book next since (mainly) her romance story wasn’t really finalized (nor claudia either while i think about it). i do hope that was intentional and that this becomes a set of interconnected series for the ricci sisters, maybe? and maybe we can get more insight into the soulmark “magic system”. but that’s just me being hopeful that all of the loose ends were intentional. guess we’ll see!

This ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The first thing that hooked me in this book was the soulmate concept. I love soulmate tropes and I have never seen it in a sports romance before. I thought that made this book very unique. The trope was written very well and I loved how the idea of soulmates was different for every character. It made all of the characters feel very three-dimensional. Every character also had a realistic amount of flaws and positive traits.

Katie Chandler is very good at tossing up some drama in the story which also highlights how developed her characters are. During these scenes the emotions of each main character is written very thoroughly. As a reader, you can feel and relate to the intensity of Luca's anxiety and Juliette's passion.

One aspect that I really appreciate about this book is the anxiety rep in it! It is very relatable and written genuinely. I was able to relate to Luca during the moments that she was experiencing anxiety.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the genuine attraction of the main characters to each other. I also loved the different settings that took place all over the world and getting to know the side characters. Some of my favorite scenes were when Luca and Juliette were getting closer to each other and taking care of each others injuries.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of Sports Romance, Fantasy, or are new to either of the genres.

As someone who gets way too invested during Wimbledon every year this was a fun read for me! Luca & Juliette go through almost the entire tennis season throughout this one. But also, I'm not sure if it's just because the book was written in 3rd person but I did find the writing a bit clunky. The book in itself can almost feel like fan fiction (in both a good and bad way) with the magical realism element and the messy plotline but it was definitely entertaining!

Always fun to delve into the sporting world for a romance as the competitive passion brings a lot of fire to relationships. This story was especially fraught as the two tennis rivals are also soulmates. Now, I’m not normally a fan of speculative romance, but the concept of fated soulmates being on-the-court is just too much to resist. Even though it’s a sweet romantic concept, the passion between Juliette and Luca leads to chapters upon chapters of very spicy scenes. If that’s not your jam, then a good quarter to third of this book will not be for you.

My two-star rating for Katie Chandler's Backhanded Compliments is frankly generous, as I found the book simply awful and couldn't wait for it to end. The premise of Juliette Ricci and Lucky Luca Kacic's rivalry-turned-romance felt incredibly forced and cliché. Juliette, the "spoiled, arrogant brat," and Luca, the "aloof player," are so irritatingly one-dimensional that any potential for genuine connection is lost. Their "sly insults" and "tangible chemistry" read as nothing more than manufactured drama, especially when Luca's "annoyingly perfect abs" are highlighted as a key detail. The constant harping on them being soulmates made my eyes roll so hard I thought they'd detach. The conflict felt entirely contrived, with Luca's anxiety and Juliette's hot-and-cold behavior serving only to drag out a painfully predictable plot. By the time the inevitable "being together or being number one" dilemma arrived, I was already counting down the pages until I could be free of this tedious read. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

A debut sapphic sports tennis dual POV romance with a magical fated mates twist that had me captivated from start to finish and is perfect for fans of Carrie Soto or authors like Anita Kelly. I especially enjoyed how much tennis features in the book and Juliette's bighearted family of fellow sister tennis players. While the book felt a touch long the audio narration by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and Jeremy Carlisle Parker really brought the characters and their accents to life. I'm excited to see what Katie Chandler writes next! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I do believe this is the first soulmate AU in trad publishing I've read. I liked the concept, but I wish it had gone a little more in depth with the soul mate marks than it did. While I enjoyed the rivals to lovers aspect and the tennis immersion, I think the story went on a little longer than it needed to. I loved the anxiety rep and that they were able to have a frank discussion about therapy and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Erm… I fear I did not like this from the beginning. I tried very hard to enjoy but the magical realism right up front really threw off the story for me. Normally I love magical realism but it just didn’t work here and I couldn’t find a connection throughout the story.

When I saw a sapphic tennis romance with Challengers comparisons, I was immediately obsessed. Backhanded Compliments is an exciting new sapphic romance for fans of tennis and the soulmate trope!

Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the soulmate trope worked in this story. This was my first time reading that trope in a published novel and it might just not be for me. That being said, if you love a fated mate/soulmate story, you will probably love this one!

The tennis elements were so detailed and added a lot to the stakes of the story, and helped to advance the narrative. My knowledge of the sport is pretty limited but I still enjoyed the descriptions of the games and the players’ experiences!

Overall, this was a 3 star read for me but I’m excited for this book to find its audience!

This book was so fun for Pride Month! As a person who used to play tennis, it was really fun seeing a sports romance from the perspective of tennis players and making them SAPPHIC?? Absolute perfection!! I can't wait to read more by this author in the future!

Juliette Ricci is the third sister in her family to become a professional tennis player. Se is very hard on herself and pushes herself to be the best female player. She is in the final of the Australian Open playing the most important game of her career so far and facing Luca Kacic. They have both been taunting each other in interviews and their first ever meeting on court is explosive.

Their match does not help their rivalry and when the shake hands at the end they both realize their soulmate marks get activated, and although they both suspected it might happen it takes them by surprise. The next few months and events have them interacting and it takes them both to come to terms with their feelings and learning to read the other.

I love a good sports romance, and this being both queer and with a soulmate trope was a great set up. I loved the chemistry and the journey both the characters went on. This book felt so real because both the characters were so messy but could not stay away from each other. The tennis was great and so were a lot of the side characters. The relationship had such a nice progression and it felt earned.

Sharp, sassy, and full of laugh-out-loud moments. This book nails workplace politics and social dynamics with humor and insight. Some characters veered toward caricature, but the fun tone and satisfying arc made up for it. A breezy, smart read.

This was a good sporty wlw romance with a little magic. As someone who knows nothing about tennis, all the matches and sport lingo were well done and easily understood. Some of those matches had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see who won, especially that first game between Luca and Juliette. Then we get to see these rivals find their soulmate in each other, which was a magical twist. I liked Luca and Juliette as tennis players, but I don’t think their relationship worked. The only thing that seems to pull them together is being soulmates and beyond that it doesn’t seem like anything else draws them together. However, once they accepted their fate, I did like them together and seeing them and how they helped each other. This is good for a debut and would definitely read another book by the author.