i am living for the tennis romances this spring and can’t wait for more this summer. i hadn’t heard of this author before and now i’m so glad i requested this ARC!

I loved the characters and the premise of this one so much. Two rival tennis stars in a world where some people have soulmarks---the name of their soulmate---on their body, and they can discover upon touching someone with that name if that person is truly their soulmate or if it's a different bearer of the name. Juliette and Luca were so different and yet their chemistry and complimentary personalities shone from the beginning, even before they realize they are each other's match, on and off the court.
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Thank you to the author and the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Tennis rivals… but they were soulmates??? In this sapphic romance we meet Juliette Ricci and Luca Kacic, two rivals who are working towards the same goal: becoming the best tennis player. After reporters insists both of them of saying something about each other (and of course nothing good comes out of it), they start an intense (and not romantic at all) bickering (more like beef) which heightens the tensions between both of them: ending in a very intense tennis match in which they find out they are each other’s soulmate. Because yes, there is a type of magic realism and people have tattooed in their skin the name of their soulmates: if they choose to look for them or not, that is their decision. As Juliette and Luca are compelled to work together more often, they also grow closer. But Juliette is reluctant to let the universe decide who the love of her life should be, and she is definitely not letting this get in her way of becoming the new number one tennis player, but what will happen when everything she thought she knew starts falling apart?

This story was a rollercoaster for sure. The author’s writing style is quite natural, easy to read and follow; although the tennis matches are indeed more difficult to understand if you have zero idea of tennis (like me). However, it is absolutely possible to get a general idea of what is happening, and dictionaries exist for a reason too. This is a book about tennis, so really if I did not understand something was more my fault than that of the author, she is writing a tennis romance not a guide for tennis. Curiosity led me to take a look at some tennis matches and they really are intense for sure. The descriptions are quite detailed, not only for characters but also for the environments in which they were, their fears, feelings and thoughts too. Interestingly, I found a bit strange the 3rd person pov from one protagonist or the other, it felt just a bit too much as a barrier between the characters and me, but that of course is about personal taste. Sometimes, there is an abuse of the use of first/last names, I felt like there should have been a more constant change between pronouns, names, or just other types or referring methods as we could find in the same sentence Juliette’s name three times for example. Can very easily be corrected though, so once again, not a big issue.

Regarding the plot, although the magical realism part was not always referred to or mentioned, there were some crucial moments in which I absolutely adored how the fantastic part was introduced. There is a scene where they are at a National Museum in Italy, and the author introduces the concept of soulmates and having a written mark on your skin throughout history, so seamlessly, so casually… I was EATING IT UP. It may or may not be accurate, I couldn’t care less as an english literature major, I have a very general idea of Italian history but incorporating your own lore into history was so interesting to read about. It also did not feel as a lecture, but introduced as a topic during a conversation. Loved that scene for real.

For a more negative aspect, sometimes we found out about things because we were told, instead of shown. Traits about some character’s personalities were presented only through telling, or were once mentioned and never again shown or proved, which is quite common and a normal thing to forget about mostly for starting authors. Keeping a very detailed diagram about character’s every trait both told and shown should be of help. Although there can be some minor issues with this part, for the most part I felt the characters were very real. You can hate them, love them, think they are annoying etc. but they felt quite realistic. We get to know their fears, where their reactions come from, and of course we are going to feel some type of way about it, whether it fits out values and morals or not. But for the age they are supposed to have (mid 20’s) and for the type of life normally professional athletes have (0 social life outside a very closed circle or family due to early focus on the sport), they were acting quite naturally. There is also character development, mostly Juliette who for sure can be seen as the more “childish” in character due to some of her actions. She learns many things through this story, and we learn alongside her, and she applies what she has learned to her life; so she ends up being much more mature at the ending and we get to see her go through the whole process.

The angst is THERE guys, is present and it lasts for longer that I thought it would. Y’all know how lately every rivalry rooted couple has like 3 pages of hating each other before making out, but Juliette and Luca’s angst LASTED. There is physical attraction from the very beginning, and no one can blame them for that when we have to hotties in tight clothes and sweating all day every day playing tennis. I. Would feel things too for god’s sake. What I mean is that the tension coming from their rivalry, confusion between physical reactions and not wanting to have heartfelt feelings for each other… it keeps them separated for a while. And although the book description says that this is a STEAMY romance… the smut is NOT present until everything is developed between them. I believe the first scene is at about 60%? Or even later, so if you are looking for a book full of sapphic smut… this is not for you.

One of the things which sometimes took me out of the story were either unrealistic conversations which felt unnatural. They sometimes feel a bit forced, a bit more like monologues or made up conversations than something you could hear in real life. Once again, I believe this can be either a personal taste, or an issue which can easily be solved by reenacting in real life with another person, or letting beta readers advise you about it. Could also add to that some incongruity in some scenes? Like someone being seated between a free seat and a seated person and then two new people are seated beside the person in the middle. The addition of another chair between them, or specific details can solve those moments which can be misunderstood quite quickly.

Overall, the novel is enjoyable, interesting and quite original with the soulmates in tennis part. The characters feel real, at least our two main protagonists, and although the author might need to polish some parts of their writing, the talent and ideas are there. Now, please, for the love of GOD, I need a book about VLADIMIR. I NEED IT. GIVE IT TO ME NOW.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity of reading this book!!

I was 50/50 on this read. I think the tension fell flat for me, but I really loved the premise and the beginning sections of the book.

The first thing you have to know is that soulmates are real. Certain members of the population are born with a first name outlined on their wrist; the outline fills in when they first touch their soulmate.

Juliette Ricci comes from a family of tennis pros and is striving for her first Grand Slam win.
Luca Kacic, dubbed “Lucky Luca” by fans and the press, is neigh-unbeatable. Press, fans, and the Ricci family alike consider them rivals and watch their Grand Slam match eagerly. After the match, the competitors shake hands and discover that they are each other’s soulmate. Luca is open to a relationship, but Juliette insists she wants to choose who she loves. Over the rest of the tennis season, the two must navigate their growing feelings for each other with their career ambitions as they learn to open up to experiences in life besides winning.

Told from alternating points of view, the reader gets insight into both characters’ lives and some of the difficulties they have in opening up to each other. Over the course of the novel, they build trust with each other and also build new friendships with other tennis players. Juliette learns that she doesn’t need to isolate herself to be a strong competitor, and Luca learns that investing energy in relationships can be worth it – not everyone is going to leave her. It’s nice to see both characters’ growth, especially as it impacts their existing friend and family relationships.

Overall, I found this to be a compelling love story and an enjoyable read, even though I found Juliette really self-centered at first. The open-door sex scenes were intimate, emotional, and hot.

I really wanted to like this book, but it fell a little flat for me.

The characters were hard to follow - the book switches POV in third person, both main characters are referred to randomly as either their first or last name (realistic, but hard to follow), and there’s a lot of side characters on the tour along side them.

The story itself also skips around a little, making the storyline difficult to really get into. I found there wasn’t quite enough info on either their relationship or tennis to really root for them, but too much to just bypass.

This book has all of my favorite things! A sapphic tennis romance with a magical realism element? What else could you want??
Luca and Juliette were cute and well matched. I could really feel the growth they each had as individuals and a couple.
We got a lot of Juliette and her family which makes sense because they were more involved in the tennis world but I do wish we got a wee bit more of Lucas background.
This was a great debut novel and I do look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc for my honest review!

3.5 stars. It was exactly what I expected, all the tropes—sports romance, rivals to lovers, soulmate marks, miscommunication, etc. I like knowing what I’m getting into and this delivered. It was fun!

Thank you, NetGalley, Atria Books, and Katie Chandler for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

first of all, thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for this arc!

unfortunately it’s going 2.5 stars for this one. as someone who played tennis for almost 10 years and loves the magical realism of ashley poston books, i was so excited for this one based on the description

the beginning of this book reeled me in quick, but around 50% the plot started to feel repetitive and the fmcs were annoying me.

i wanted to love this one but truthfully i found myself skimming the rest of the book :(

In general, I do love a little sprinkling of fantastical elements in my stories of any variety. In this queer sports romance, there is that present, but I found the execution of it overall... confusing? Backhanded Compliments is the story of two rival tennis players who find themselves to be soulmates, and it is that soulmate piece that had me going "what is going on here?"

In this world, you get the name of your soulmate as a mark on your body, and then when you meet and see your name on them, you know. But that being mixed in along with media interviews and high stakes tennis matches simply felt out of place and bizarre. Truthfully, it seemed that the author saw the popularity of Challengers (2024) and went "I am going to do this with lesbians" but didn't quite have the full vision to make it happen. Juliette, as a main lead, was unbearable to read I am afraid. There was a lot of telling over showing in the writing. Don't get me wrong, I understand one cannot demand literary perfection from a delightful popcorn book, but in this one it wasn't qutie hitting for me.

It's a shame that this wasn't a hit for me, as I adored the concept, but this book couldn't quite figure out what it wanted to be. Fantasy story? Sports focused rivalry? Drawn out queer drama?

“Backhanded Compliments” had such a great synopsis that I was really excited to dive in and get absorbed in this queer tennis world with a nice slowburn enemies-to-lovers scenario, but I was surprised with how the book immediately jumped into the action of a tennis match and basically never left. Readers are immediately plunged into an intense and dramatic tennis match, as well as the tension between the main characters who are also love interests. Tennis stars Luca Kacic and Juliette Ricci have both played on some of the world's biggest stages competing against each other. When they become teammates and begin knowing each other more personally, against both their wishes, they discover they may just have feelings for each other that are hard to ignore.

While the novel begins with a heated tennis match, I thought there might be more of a step back and setting of the tone to better understand who each of these characters are, their families, their circle of friends as we better understand why Luca and Juliette can't seem to stand each other. Instead, scene after scene is more tennis matches, and more (overly dramatic, in my opinion) quips about their disdain for each other, plus allusions to an out-of-place concept of a soulmark in which the name of one's soulmate is basically etched into their wrist.

As the chapters went on, this novel felt more like an ambitious idea that could have used more showing and less telling. The chapters became repetitive without much action or separation--readers are often plopped into new locations, new settings, around new characters without any indication a transition is occurring. I wanted more background details, more arcs, more STORY, not just two tennis players forced to be near each other and then randomly kiss even though it doesn't seem like either really wants to.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, however this fantastical elements did take me out of the story a little bit hence the four stars. Overall, I loved the characters of Luca and Juliette and would love to read a series featuring the other characters in the novel!

I really like the premise of this book. The characters grew on me - I didn’t really like either of the two leads at first, even in their own POVs, but further into the story they experienced some growth. The writing wasn’t my favorite. There were some paragraphs where a lot of adjectives were thrown in and kind of muddled the mood, among other things. But again, the story itself was interesting.

This romance was so good! It explored more than just the romance between Luca and Juliette, also discussing mental health and family pressures. Even knowing nothing about tennis, this was so enjoyable. I love sapphic sports romance!

I did not finish this book. I thought the character of Juliette was very childish and the concept of soulmates on the arm does not actually make sense as it’s presented.

I only share positive reviews on my social platform.

Despite being the least sporty person alive (probably), I absolutely love a sport romance and this book was no exception! Not only was I eating up the blossoming love between Juliette and Luca, I was absolutely hooked on the tennis content and now I fully think I can go out there and play myself. 😅😅

I absolutely loved Backhanded Compliments! As someone who rarely feels the urge to reread romance novels, it says a lot that I’m already itching to dive back into this one. Katie Chandler delivers a sapphic romance that’s not only full of incredible chemistry and tension but also packed with heart.

Juliette and Luca’s dynamic had me hooked from the start—the perfect blend of rivalry, slow-burn attraction, and emotional depth. The tennis backdrop made everything feel even sharper and more high-stakes, and the soulmark twist added such a fresh, magical layer to their story.

This book felt like the perfect balance of steamy, heartfelt, and fun, and I truly didn’t want it to end. If you’re looking for a romance that feels both exciting and deeply satisfying, Backhanded Compliments is a must-read.

This book has really poor early reviews, so I'm no longer interested in reading this ARC. I was excited for a fun summer tennis romance but I don't think this book is going to hit the mark. Thanks anyway for the ARC!

A new twist on the classic sports romance! I loved the soulmate concept in BACKHANDED COMPLIMENTS and the way it played out across the sports rivalry as well. There was also a minor minor reference to polyamory which I deeply appreciated as well. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

After an intense tennis match, rivals Luca and Juliette discover that they are soulmates and then things get interesting.
This book was so fun! I liked the banter between our two main female characters, and thought the way they learned to like each other was so cute. The tennis aspect was also super cool! I liked how we got a fantastical twist on this - making it a bit of a magical realism. The book moved a bit too slow for my taste, though thats my only main complaint.
Three stars - thank you Netgalley!