Chandler’s debut novel started out as an engaging read, though the storyline leaned heavily on a trope that is used too frequently. The protagonists, Juliette and Luca, had great chemistry as rivals. However, as the plot developed and the supernatural twist was revealed (which felt akin to the film In Time, but only with respect to the tattoos), both lost their appeal. Luca seemed to lack depth, despite the fact that she was supposed to be the more emotional and sensitive one. Juliette was insufferable at times and I did not believe the growth she underwent in order to find her way back to Luca. The supporting characters were forgettable and their interactions with Juliette and Luca did nothing to save the characterization flaws. The conflict between Juliette and Luca seemed forced towards the middle and end too, as Luca put in more effort into their relationship than Juliette did. By the end of the novel, unfortunately, my eyes reverted to skimming the pages, so I could finish it faster.

Please note that while I found fault with most elements of the novel, it overall was not an unpleasant read— just very dull. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria, as I was invited to read this novel after receiving an e-mail from Atria Books.

I really wanted to like this because sapphic rivals to lovers tennis romance?? Hello, cue the drama. But it kinda missed the mark for me.

Juliette and Luca are professional tennis players and rivals on the court. After a particularly intense match at the Australian Open, they learn their soulmates and the stories follows them through the tennis circuit as they navigate this information.

I felt like Juliette was a bit immature and selfish at times. And that was the main driver for their conflict. Which didn’t make for a very satisfying resolution. Like why now? What changed her mind? Were thoughts that went through my head.

Luca in the other hand, I really liked. She felt like a relatable character navigating life with similar struggles (despite being a professional athlete). I do wish we explored her background a tad bit more but that’s probably because I liked her so much.

The writing style also took a bit of getting used to. The dual POV in third person was surprisingly tough for me and took me out of the story a lot. Also at the beginning the inconsistent use of names for different characters confused me because there were many characters. It also took away the chef’s kiss moment when we go from referencing someone solely by their last name to their first name (iykyk).

That being said I enjoyed the side characters a lot. Especially the sisters but because there were so many some of their stories felt underdeveloped.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I desperately wanted to love this book. Speculative fiction meets sports romance? Sign me up! Especially with the twist being soulmates? It’s a recipe that should be too good to fail. Unfortunately I didn’t love it.
Too much of the technical side of tennis, too little soul magic. The pacing seemed off, and I was more interested in the side characters and their relationships with everyone else than I was with Jules and Luca’s relationship.
You might like this if you love tennis and the technical side of sports, with a dash of character development.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to ARC read in exchange for an honest review!

First and foremost, I have a deep appreciation for tennis-themed sports romances, especially after watching the movie The Challengers a few weeks ago. There's something inherently captivating about the blend of the sport and romance. Especially when sapphic!!

I particularly like the title of the book, and the concept of soulmates marked by fate in this world feels refreshingly unique. Right off the bat, I was drawn into the story, and was completely engrossed for the first 60% of the novel.

There were so many tropes/microtropes I loved to read that were in this novel: competing against each other, forced proximity, massaging each other, support when feeling unwell, offering food/drink that you think your partner would like, and more!

However, I can’t quite identify why, but I found the section between 60-75% somewhat difficult to push through. It might have been due to a sense of repetition, but honestly not sure.

Thankfully, the latter portion of the book reeled me back in and left me feeling deeply satisfied with the resolution.

The spice throughout the narrative was beautifully written, adding an extra layer of depth to the story. I very much enjoyed each scene!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the remarkable character development. I found myself empathizing with both perspectives, wanting to support both FMCs. The story was emotional and uplifting, and as someone with limited knowledge of tennis, I felt completely able to follow along.

🎾Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler☀️

✨Out June 10, 2025✨(Right between Rolland Garros& Wimbledon!)

This book was such a sweaty sexy, romp. Rivals-to-lovers with a speculative twist & a pro-circuit backdrop? Sign me up immediately. The story Dana Fairbanks deserved.

I’ll devour anything even remotely tennis adjacent and thought this book struck the perfect balance between the on-court drama and off-court romance.

I loved the full cast of characters and found them all fully fleshed out and relatable. Prickly, competitive Juliette and sweet, anxious Luca were the perfect opposites attract and I understand how & why they got under each other’s skins and were ultimately what the other needed.

I also LOVED all the Ricci sisters and would happily follow their stories as well (Livia, please?!?) 👀

The settings were all beautifully described & made me want to catch the first plane to Naples (or at least to take a tennis lesson).

This is a perfect read for the summer so definitely keep it on your radar!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for awarding me this arc!

I really enjoyed this! I love unlikeable main characters so even thought Juliette had her moments of annoying me, I understood her choices. Luca was perfect in every way. The only thing missing for me was groveling. The amount of times Juliette hurt Luca was honestly a bit much and I wished she did more to earn Luca’s forgiveness. But other than that I loved! Amazing rivals to lovers and fated mates trope portrayal for me.

Absolutely electric love story filled with jealousy to lust, impassiveness to passion, indifference to adoration. Chandler writes very well-rounded characters, inward and outward, flaws and all. You're sucked into these character's worlds instantly: navigating the professional tennis sphere and visible soulmate marks with the world watching. I loved the way one fell first but the other fell harder. And though these falls had their bruises and cuts, it didn't stop them from falling anyway. The erotic scenes were truly inspired and felt a step above most sapphic smut I've read. You can tell a lot of care was put into it and it made it all the more sexier! A lot of the lines I highlighted showcased the rich language of love Chandler writes. Absolutely stunning depictions of sexuality and devotion.

A critique I have is sometimes the story answers the question before the reader can think of asking one. There were a few moments that were a little too spelled out and left the reader taking a backseat. I would have loved to ponder and revel in the character's thoughts and actions a little more before being told what to think. I also think the side character plots like the best friend and the youngest sister felt a little unnecessary seeing as we didn't have a lot of time for it or concrete details about it.

But overall, this electric debut is a winner and makes me so excited to see what Chandler writes in the future. She understands queer love and mental illness so well, it made the characters and their story very accessible and relatable.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

I genuinely think I would have enjoyed this book more if the "soul marks" part of the story didn't exist and it was just an enemies to lovers novel. I think that you could tell Luca always had feelings for Juliet, but reading from Juliet's POV would be night and day. She had a borderline obsession with Luca which could have worked to easily switch into the lovers portion of the romance, but the supporting characters always negated Juliet's point from the start so it kind of defeated the purpose. While I think the title was very clever, I don't think it had relation to the novel. It was a clever tennis pun related to enemies to lovers, but there was literally no part in the book that included backhanded compliments. I also thought the ending of the book was dragged out. I really wanted Juliet to stand in Luca's box during her match with Octavia and was disappointed when she didn't. I also thought that last match between Luca and Juliet was dragged out. It felt like time in between their reunion and last match was so long. I think this novel could've been better if it was a little more to the point.

1.5 stars rounded down, DNF @ 62%.

I just really didn’t like this book, and I was so excited for it too! It started off fine and I thought it would just get better throughout the book, but it just got increasingly worse and hard to read. I had so many issues with this book, which I’ll briefly explain below:

The tennis: unlike some other reviewers, I didn’t necessarily have a problem with the play-by-play of tennis and the details of it since I used to play tennis for a long time, but I was annoyed when it started to delve into this totally unrealistic view of tennis. One example is Luca and Juliette being about to play a doubles match and saying something like “oh are you good at doubles,” which is just not something pro tennis players would actually say. And also Luca, a right-handed player with a stronger backhand, being told by Juliette to play the deuce side BECAUSE her backhand was stronger, which is the exact opposite of what you’d do in real life, since in doubles you want to stand on the side where your dominant stroke is towards the outside of the court, not inside. But that’s by the by.

Juliette: She was so incredibly annoying, it amazes me that anyone enjoys her company at all. She just gives off the vibe of being a spoiled rich girl who’s never been told no and doesn’t know how to handle being told no by Luca. Luca says initially that she doesn’t want just a physical relationship and Juliette insists that Luca does actually want her, and the whole pushiness of her towards Luca made me so uncomfortable. Like, girl, she doesn’t wanna be friends-with-benefits, leave her alone.

Soulmarks: The only things pushing Luca and Juliette together, two women who have zero chemistry and have mutually exclusive tennis goals, are their soulmate marks on their wrists, called soulmarks. It was the only fantasy element of the book and simultaneously felt like too much and too little, too much because the characters talk about soulmarks SO MUCH and it’s the only thing pushing the two women together, and too little because it was made to be so inconsequential that people could simply ignore it and happily be with someone else (i.e. Juliette’s own non-soulmate, happily-married parents). I also didn't like the little detail that the soulmarks have been around for basically the entire human history, but people didn't really ever find their soulmates until social media was invented, making the soulmarks seem even more pointless.

Writing Style and POV: This book has a dual-perspective, 3rd person limited POV, and it does not work for this story. Since this is mainly a character-driven book over plot-driven, it made the characters feel so distant and hard to relate to. The book was also written in a more tell-don't-show way, as if its readers wouldn't be able to pick up on any details or clues that weren't flat out told to us. And it treated its readers like we had short term memory loss since it would repeat information we’ve already heard. Like, yes, we know Leo is Octavia’s boyfriend, they kissed like 10 pages ago, you don’t need to repeat the obvious.

Steamy Scenes: This might have been the book’s strong point if not for the very cringe-worthy dialogue and narration thrown in at the worst moments. Like a scene would have a good flow to it, but then the characters or narration would say something that just made me have to stop.

Overall, not the book for me. I can see lots of others liked it, I just wish I did too.

I always wished that Carrie Soto was gay. With this book now I get the best of both worlds! Queer women and tennis. Love!

Backhanded Compliments is Katie Chandler's debut book. I'm really excited to see what her future brings as an author. Unfortunately, this book did not hit as hard as I thought it would. The book has such a great premise and the characters are amazing. My only issue was the way they were introduced. The first impression of Juliette was one that I couldn't shake while reading. The transitions between scenes were really abrupt. It felt like I was on a roller coaster. I loved Luca and wish we got more of her backstory. Her relationship with her coach was fun to read. I'm really excited to see future books from Katie.

Bye this book was amazing!! The pacing was perfect, not slow enough to be boring, but didn't feel forced or too fast. I enjoyed reading this so much, the characters were great. I would recommend this book to a friend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy!!

This was my first sports romance and my first F/F romance. So, I am happily shocked to give it a 6 out 5 rating, my first of the year!

I think this story was wonderfully done. I laughed, I cried, I valiantly withheld emotional screams because I have thin walls and scary neighbors and it is somehow 3 am, and I simply fell in love with an amazing story.

This novel has a great representation of anxiety that really made me happy to read, and felt refreshing to read. One of the many reasons to love it. As someone with anxiety disorder who also is queer, I felt seen.

I also had so much fun. I was invested in the characters and understanding their motives and their whys and how I wanted to shake some sense into them. A 5/5 rating on the scale and a 6/5 in my heart. I am excited to see what else the author will do next.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a cute read and a really fun look into what I imagine the tennis world to be! The romance was a slow-burn quality that made every moment between Juliette and Luca more meaningful. Also really appreciated how the author wove in deeper themes like anxiety and panic attacks, it added an emotional weight to the story. The fantastical element of soulmates was a bit confusing at first, but once it clicked, it added a unique touch to the love story. My only wish: a bit more progression with Juliette's tennis at the end. After all the buildup, it would've been amazing to see her win a tournament, riding high on love and self-confidence!

Backhanded Compliments was a true whirlwind of a romance! I absolutely adored this and everything it stood for. A story about two tennis rivals who find out they are each others soulmates discover their way around a messy yet unforgettable romance. This was a truly lonely enemies to lovers trope. I really enjoyed everything encompassing this book. Our main characters were wonderful but the author especially take care to highlight the surrounding participants and characters in this book. Juliette’s sisters were such a pivotal part of the book, making it feel extra sweet and grounded. As well as bringing forth issues such as anxiety, panic attacks and uncomfortable relationships with fathers that cross the line into work relationships. This was all an all a great and original read.

Backhanded Compliments, a sapphic tennis romance.

I thoroughly loved this book! It was so intriguing and tense. The banter was top notch and a loved the little fantasy element of soulmates. It was something that makes this book feel so different from other sports romances I’ve read before.

Juliette was such an intense character and she brings a lot of tension to the dynamic between her and Luca. Luca was so sweet and open but very steadfast in who she was. I loved that they complimented each other very well.

Being rivals to lovers, this was definitely going to bring the heat and the arguments! I loved the spicy scenes but the sweeter more poignant scenes made me melt.

Overall, 4.5⭐️ a great book only knocked it down half a star because I was glazing over during the extensive tennis scenes. They were just a bit too long for me but otherwise, a great romance! Highly recommend.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 😍

I honestly did not love it. While I love when books feature real characters that have real flaws, the swings in emotions were so wild I think it gave me whiplash. I was so anxious for the characters. I didn’t love it. I also found the sci-fi trope of the soulmates really odd. I get that sci-fi doesn’t always explain what is happening but it felt so random and out of place. There was plenty of conflict without that I think.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Very grateful to have been able to receive this ARC on Netgally! This was a sapphic rivals to lovers tennis romance with a magical soulmate element added in. I really enjoyed the tennis aspect and that they felt like true rivals battling their feelings. The soulmates addition threw me for a loop but mainly because it was unexpected. I really enjoyed the family dynamics and mental health representation. For some reason I had a hard time getting through this one. Not sure if it was just me or if I wasn’t clicking with the book. Overall I liked the story and tropes.

A sapphic sports romance featuring tennis, slow burn, rivals to lovers, family conflict, the perfect amount of spice, mental health rep ... oh and surprise!! ✨️magical realism✨️ I won't fib, the soulmate bit threw me off (iykyk) and it's why this one got a 4/5 but once you get deep into the story, the strong connection makes more sense and feels like a fated mates trope. Katie paints a great picture, I felt like I was on the tennis court at times or on on their travels with them.

Overall I would recommend you give it a go, it was a very lovely debut by Katie!