You know I love a sports romance and even though I barely understand tennis (lol), I definitely enjoyed this sports romance!

Backhanded Compliments follows tennis pros Juliette and Luca as they compete on the pro circuit while fighting their destiny as soulmates. Things heat up on and off the court as they go from tennis rivals to something more.

While I enjoyed this story, I found the conflicts too drawn out and the characters weren’t differentiated enough to really feel like a wide variety of characters. Maybe my other issue is I really enjoyed Carrie Soto Is Back and I think TJR did a better job of writing/explaining tennis in the context of the book? Either way, solid read and really sweet concept of pre-determined soulmates.

In the beginning, I was intimidated because I don’t know very much about tennis and the first few chapters are quite heavy with tennis action and jargon, but I was pleased that that wasn’t a consistent trend throughout the book. I felt like the third act breakup and some of the other father-daughter conflict was a little underwhelming and resolved too quickly without as much drama as I would personally have liked but I still enjoyed the plot overall. 3.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to Atria Books, Net Galley, and Katie Chandler for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A sport sapphic rivals to lovers romance with a supernatural soulmate twist? Sign me up! When reading the blurb of this book, I was so excited to dive in! I’ve been trying to read more queer stories and so this one was right up my alley especially because I also love a good soulmate trope.
Our two rivals, Juliette and Luca, are both amazing tennis players, winning many matches and a few titles. Which should make them both happy, but Luca is looking for love and wonders if her soulmate mark that spells out Juliette is actually pointing her towards her rival. Whereas Juliette is also curious about her soulmate mark but wants nothing to do with it, she wants to choose who she loves.
When they finally play against each other in the Australian Open, and realize their hidden connection, tensions and tempers rise. Angry outbursts and words they wish they could take back threaten not only their budding connection, but their tennis careers as well.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. I liked the dual POV where we were able to see into both of their thoughts. I think I connected more to Luca, in terms of her anxiety and how she held herself. But also resonated with Juliette in her strive to perfection because of her overbearing coach/father.
I think what I struggled with the most was the pacing. Some parts just dragged on and despite it being a slow burn, I didn’t feel that fire between these two. Sure when they get together it’s hot but it also didn’t feel realistic. Missing that true connection.
I would still recommend the book as a cute sapphic romance, but just takes a bit to build interest.

If everyone reading my review doesn’t buy this book immediately, I will be Very Upset (and you can quote me on this). I will be, in fact, Deeply Unhappy and even Disturbed. Because this is THE BEST WLW ROMANCE NOVEL I HAVE EVER READ!!!

In essence, this is about soulmates who are also tennis rivals. What more could you ask for?? I giggled, I smiled, I frowned, I cursed and shook my fist at the sky (mostly because of Juliette. Girl, you know what you did). Each and every character, no matter how minor a part they played, felt flesh-and-blood-real. Nobody lacked depth. If they made mistakes, I understood exactly I honestly have not read a contemporary romance like this since “Red, White, and Royal Blue.” I loved the magical realism element of soulmates/soul-marks - in fact, I loved it so much, my only complaint is that I wish there had been ~more.

The whole book contained beautiful lines like this: “The thought of being known and loved anyway makes her breath catch, her heart hammer against her breastbone, and a deep throbbing ache bloom in her chest.” In fact, the final line (don't worry, I won't spoil) is hands-down the best final line of a romance novel I've ever read. Such a fantastic tie-in. I was GIGGLING and KICKING MY FEET like a seventh grader texting her crush!

However, in the name of honesty, I’ll say that the first half of this book was 5 stars and the second half was 3 stars. At times it got unbearably cliche/corny/cheesy, but also I came into this knowing it was a rom-com, so I can’t complain too much :) My main gripe is with the fact that Luca forgives Juliette for her wrongdoings FAR too easily for my taste. Juliette didn’t do nearly enough to earn her forgiveness. Like, homegirl should’ve been on her knees, begging and pleading, for everything she put Luca through. Luca has her own faults, sure, but Juliette was disproportionately more selfish and mean-spirited, and the end of the book didn’t completely convince me that she deserved Luca and her love. Especially *minor spoiler* knowing Luca’s deep-rooted abandonment issues.

Two more minor gripes: the amount of times that the author mentioned Luca’s dimple and Juliette’s curls and their other physical attributes…oh my. If I was taking shots each time, I would be dead.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review <3

Not sure if I’m just in a reading slump or what but unfortunately it was a struggle to get through this book. The characters were slightly annoying and the timeline of the relationships felt like it jumped really quick. The magical aspect of soulmates felt really random to me and like it was thrown in their just to make the book a little different. This book was for me but I like the writing style so I may try another book my this author in the future.

This was a fairly middle-of-the-road read for me.

Let’s start with the things I enjoyed. I LOVED the relationships between the Ricci sisters - heartfelt, loving, antagonistic, and incredibly true to form for siblings. Vladimir and Luca’s relationship as well - even if they aren’t blood-related, they’re still clearly family and care for each other a lot. They serve as a nice foil for Juliette and Antony - blood relatives with a twisted relationship specifically because it’s become too tangled up in the sport. The tennis aspect was fun and interesting, keeping the mood tense and anticipatory even outside our main couple’s relationship ups and downs.

For the things I didn’t enjoy so much…Juliette was a tough character to love. Her sportsmanship at the beginning was abysmal, and her attitude to Luca in general was painful to watch. Even having her perspective, it was hard to justify her actions. Defense mechanisms can have negative effects on others, and just because you’re scared or hurting doesn’t give you the right to lash out at anyone you please. I’m shocked Luca kept coming back when Juliette hurt her far more often than she healed her. That kind of ties in to the next part that fell a little flat for me: the soul bond. I’ve been reading soulmate fics since I was a kid, and I love it when they’re done well. Unfortunately, this one tied into a couple of factors to make it feel like the bond eventually wore both parties down to loving each other, instead of the natural connection they might have found without it. Juliette has a kind of sudden switch-up after most of her meetings with Luca end in fights or running away, deciding that she actually has been in love this whole time and was just scared to face it. Luca, meanwhile, has always believed in the soulmate bond, and has had a bit of a crush on Juliette for a while. But would she have stayed with Juliette despite constant hurt if Juliette’s name wasn’t the one on her wrist?

The romance is cute, especially post-beach date, but it’s hard to fully enjoy when I remember how it started out. I’m glad they reached a point at the end that seems mutually beneficial; it’s just unfortunate it was such a rough road to get there. Enemies to lovers is a great trope, but difficult to execute in a contemporary/non-fantasy setting, and this particular attempt felt rushed and cruel to both parties.

Thank you for the opportunity to review!

I adored the author's writing, especially when it came to describing scenery and tennis. However, I couldn't connect with the characters on the level I had anticipated </3

Truthfully, I picked this book up specifically to read about tennis and what happens behind the scenes for professional players. I enjoyed those parts very much. The first match between Luca and Juliette kept me wanting to read more.

For some reason, I just didn't feel as into the soulmates idea, but I think it could have been introduced in another way to gain more interest/understanding. I also found the pacing to feel a bit off.

Overall, I think Katie Chandler has a way of describing things. I would be happy to explore another novel by her (and hopefully connect with it!)

Who hasn't wanted an easy way to know if you have found your soul mate?... In this story, most people are born with a name on their wrist with their soul mate's name.

The 2 FMC's start out as rivals on the tennis court but soon realize they are each other's soul mates. The only question is, can they leave things on the court and give their love a chance?

I enjoyed this story a lot. The story starts right away with these 2 going head to head for the first time. And after a tough match, they shake hands and see their names on each other's arms. Then they go from disliking each other to trying to be friends and then more than. But then they question if it's all to get a head in the game or if it's for real. It's a quick cute read.

I am so upset that this book wasn’t for me!!! I was so looking forward to this sapphic sports romance with a hint of magical realism, but it just missed the mark for me. We follow rivals Luca and Juliette and they try to make sense of their soulmate bond while vying for the same awards during the current tennis season. I thought this had the making to be an amazing summer read for me but fell short in several areas.

To start, we were dropped in the middle of their tennis match. Don’t get me wrong, I love sports heavy books. I love to get in the weeds about things in general. But here? I felt like we hadn’t established who the characters were enough for me to care about this tennis stuff like it just didn’t make sense and maybe that was just a me thing. That leads me to my next point. This book is told in 3rd person with a dual pov. Especially at the beginning, we were swapping povs so much… like several times a chapter. It was so disorienting and I wasn’t connecting at all with either character. In general, I did not understand the point of this being in 3rd person AND getting dual perspectives. I felt like we missed so much by not being 1st person or just full sending 3rd person.

I made a note while I was reading that at 50% into the book there was very little character development that happened and they felt super one dimensional. That, sadly, did not change for the rest of the book. At the beginning we are told Luca and Juliette are rivals, Luca wants to be with her soulmate and wants to be loved so bad, and Juliette wants to choose who she loves but really wants to focus on tennis and being a champion. This largely does not change for the entire book. As their relationship progresses and changes, those changes just feel very forced and happen so suddenly.

Now let’s circle back to tennis. As heavy handed at the beginning as it was, I was expecting that level of detail and focus throughout the rest of the story. I thought it would be central to their development and relationship. It sort of was but really not to the extent as you would think after reading the first 3 chapters. I wanted to see them on the court battling it out. I wanted to see their rivalry and feel it.

There are so many words and 368 pages of basically nothing happening. We are so in their heads that not much actually happens in this book?? I feel like we should have picked to focus on their relationship developing or the sport of tennis and really stick with one throughout the book. But obviously as I mentioned earlier, we don’t get much of either. Much like the 3rd person versus 1st person perspective, it felt like a cop out and heading bets to just glide down the middle because we couldn’t choose.

Which leads me to my next issue. There are so many things in this book that we are just expected to go along with because the book says they're so. Like… why are they considered rivals? I want more history on that. No spoilers but at one point, they are point blank asked if they are rivals and one of them says “well in a way yeah because were competing for the same awards and were in the same competitions” babes not, that doesn’t make you rivals, it makes you competitors. Maybe that was the point to emphasize they aren’t really rivals at the end of the book. But again, I felt like I was just expected to believe that they were rivals bc they said they were. Additionally, I felt like things were overexplained in the book. It was like the author didn’t trust us to reach the conclusions they wanted us to get to. Please!!!! Trust your reader! I can’t stand when a book, or any piece of media for that matter, doesn’t trust the audience so they have to spell everything out and this book was giving that so bad.

Ok ok ok. The very last thing I’ll say is the dialogue felt stunted in a lot of scenes to me. Like that’s not actually how people talk… I will give this a pass because most of the characters speak multiple languages and I believe english is not their first language, or if it is they speak many languages. So take my complaint with a grain of salt.

To finish off on a positive note, I felt like the spicy scenes were well written and felt raw and honest. I am a firm believer that intimate scenes are vitally important even if there is no spice because we get to see the characters stripped down to their cores (no pun intended). My only issue is that I would have loved to see more in the intimacy department and less in the spice department. Or if the characters had been better developed outside of the spicy scenes, then it wouldn’t have been so bad.

Ugh I was just SO excited for this book like i can’t even explain. But it let me down in so many ways. I think perhaps with tougher editing and guidance this book could have been AMAZING! Like the story is there but just needed some redirecting and someone to start cutting things to make the story better to read. Maybe I’m just being overly critical. Hopefully there are folks out there that like it because I would love to see more stories with queer joy!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author for an ARC for my honest review :) This book is expected to be released on June 10, 2025

admittedly I was completely unfamiliar with the whole fated soulmates concept before this, so it took some adjustment - but I really liked what the author did with it (I thought the museum scene where they discussed the soulmate marks in history was a very cool touch!)

the tennis scenes were fast-paced and very interesting, especially for someone who has never watched tennis, I found it easy and exciting to follow along.

I think the book sort of slowed quite a bit in the middle portion, and I do wish we got to explore a bit more of what draws Juliette and Luca to each other rather than it just being because they're soulmates. I wanted to see more of the traits that push and pull them away from each other, and what made them who they are today, but I think there was just a touch too much tennis and not enough character/chemistry exploration.

I did enjoy the growth their relationship went through and I found the book to be a fun and unique read!

I was having a lot of trouble connecting with the main characters and the soulmate part of this book. There wasn’t enough explanation of that and it was a lot of tennis when what I wanted was more characters. I think there was a lot of potential in the plot and maybe later it pans out more but I needed to know more about these characters and I wanted more about their connection

Katie Chandler’s Backhanded Compliments gives us a romance that unfolds in the high-stakes world of professional tennis. With a charming blend of rivalry, slow-burn attraction, and personal growth, this novel finds its rhythm through snappy dialogue, sizzling tension, and a thoughtful look at the cost of ambition.

What stands out is how the novel balances fierce rivalry with tenderness. The soulmate twist—while bordering on tropey—adds a layer to their relationship, offering both characters a moment to confront the emotional barriers they’ve built in pursuit of greatness. The scenes off the court, including massages and limoncello-fueled confessions, are where the novel truly shines, showing Chandler’s talent for crafting intimacy and emotional nuance.

That said, the pacing at times feels uneven, particularly in the first act where the characters are still being drawn in broad strokes. Juliette’s transformation from prickly competitor to someone capable of emotional vulnerability might feel a little abrupt for some readers. Still, the emotional payoff is satisfying, especially as the characters navigate the pressures of public image, personal ambition, and the fear of being truly seen.

Backhanded Compliments is a sporty romance that manages to be both fierce and tender. Fans of enemies-to-lovers tropes, queer romance, and high-intensity settings will find plenty to love here. It’s a story about learning to let your guard down—on and off the court—and it hits that emotional sweet spot with surprising finesse. Not flawless, but undeniably charming.

Backhanded Compliments was such a fun surprise! I went in expecting a steamy sapphic rivals-to-lovers tennis romance—and got all that plus a fated mates twist I didn’t see coming. Between the high-stakes matches, the Italian summer vibes, slow-burn chemistry, and hints of found family, this book had everything I love in a spring/summer read. Perfect for fans of angsty sports romance with a touch of magic.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book in the beginning. I think it's because the soul mates setup isn't really my cup of tea.

For reading most of the book I just ignored the fact that they were destined soul mates and just focused on them being rivals who find each other hot and then develop feelings. This made it much easier to enjoy the rest of the story.

The relationship was cute and very supportive. I like that we get to see them happy together.

I always love a sport romance where the two people are sometimes rivals and omat other times teammates.

I also loved all of Juliette's sisters.

This book would be good for fans of Cleat Cute.

LOVE!!! If you are into sporty, sapphic, Ashley Poston-esque speculative romances, this is for you! I love a good sports romance, I love a good sapphic romance, and I love a good speculative romance. This one just nailed it. I was obsessed with Juliette and Luca from the start and the soulmate plot line hit for me. They both grew separately and together throughout and I love their love. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately I did not vibe with this book. I thought it would be good as its a sapphic romance with some paranormal elements but the writing missed the mark for me. I also could not believe that the main characters were soulmates. Perhaps if their relationship was more developed or fleshed out I could more easily root for them .

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Before I began, I really thought I would enjoy this book; from the pitch, a tennis WLW romance with the soulmate trope, this book was literally written with me in mind, but unfortunately, it was ultimately a disappointment. I think when it comes down to it, this book needed a few more beta readers and another round of edits. Overall, I am rating this book 2 stars.

As a quick start, the pros. I liked the daughter-father/mentor relationships, and I liked the actual tennis playing (saying that if you have never played tennis you might get confused - this book will not hold your hand if you do not understand the technical elements). If you are a tennis nerd like me and a sucker for explorations of parental relationships, it might be worth a read.

Okay. Now times for the not so good stuff.

My biggest issue with this book is the characters and their relationship, which for a romance really hurts my overall enjoyment / the quality. Both of the main characters seemed super young for their age (like 16/17), rather than 24 and the romance itself is super underdeveloped. The main characters go from borderline hating each other to having extreme sexual tension (no longer not-kinda-little hating each other) in about 5 pages and then go from getting into the relationship (from FWB or “soulmates with benefits” ig) to “I love you's” in 5 pages too. There is no payoff for the conflict within their relationship. The plot just needed to move on so their relationship followed even if it was rushed and contradicted what the character was saying on the last page. It doesn't help that the characters are undeveloped too. Like Luca does not interact with a person she knows who isn't Juliette until ~35% in, so you just have to sit in her head waiting for her and Juliette to interact again. Juliette is definitely the stronger written character, but the more unlikeable one. She often acts nonsensically because the plot needs to get from point a to b and it doesn't make sense for Luca to act that way. And, the characters spend so little time together (like at least 30%-maybe 40% of the book not with their love interest), which was really strange for a romance with no external conflict.

Speaking of conflict, there is no none. About like 50% in, the book tries to make a conflict work, but is so unbelievably contrived. There is really no reason beyond that they are rivals that Luca and Juliette can’t be together and since they really kind move past that at the 50% mark, the rest of the book just struggles trying to find some kind of conflict. And, Luca was such a pushover for most of this book. Like someone would say such terrible things, or start dumb fights, and she would just pretend it didn’t happen. If the main couple fights, they just choose to ignore it, rather than actually talk it out and grow, further harming my perception of their relationship. Also, it seemed like the book was building up a conflict with Luca about her dad, but it doesn’t go anywhere beyond a fun fact session the characters have at one point.

There is also massive info dumbing and world building issues. Look, I like the soulmate trope, especially in cute romance like this, and it’s not that hard to understand. Saying that, I need at least a little of an explanation of how it works. This book only really explains a handful of plot relevant details, but seems to miss out on a lot of important things. Like, seemingly, you can just choose not to be with your soulmate and there is no sense of wanting to be with them if you are apart (which is not really traditional from what I have read). Usually, if a book moves away from tradition it will explain how, but the book just expected me to already know about this form of soulmates.

Finally, the dialogue was the weakest element of the book. At some points, it seemed like characters were not following the last line of dialogue and everyone seemed to talk like highschoolers, rather than grown adults. I cringed at a few lines (especially from Juliette’s dad)

Might be a fun summer read, but not for me.

Further review posted on Goodreads.

I received an arc in exchange for a review.
As a sports lover, especially a sports romance lover, I was super excited when I heard another queer sports romance was coming out. However this one fell short for me. I think the biggest problem for me is that the author is clearly a tennis lover, and expects the reader to be the same. I know nothing about tennis, so for probably 40% of the book, I had no idea what was happening as the tennis terms or ranking system is never explained. I’m happy to google, but it takes me out of reading. Another aspect I struggled with was the soul mate mark trope. I love this in fanfiction, but again things weren’t explained and I felt the author relied on the reader just excepting the trope the way you would reading fanfiction. I also was just exhausted by the constant will they/won’t they trope. Like Luca says she doesn’t want a meaningless hook up, immediately has a meaningless hook up, then gets upset. And this keeps happening.

BUT if you love tennis and will they/wont they, I think you’ll love this book!! It’s just not for me. The writing and banter were all really good, and I loved Juliette’s relationship with her sisters.

3.5 stars but it’s on me

Backhanded Compliments is everything I want in a romance: a fresh, fast-paced premise, emotionally complex characters, and banter that actually crackles. It’s steamy, heartfelt, and funny in all the right places, with just enough angst to keep you rooting for the characters even when they’re being absolute disasters.

Juliette and Luca are rivals in the truest sense. They’re competitive, prickly, and convinced they know exactly who the other is. Watching them break down each other’s defenses and misjudgments was incredibly satisfying. Their chemistry is undeniable, but what really made this stand out for me was how emotionally layered it was beneath all the heat. The soulmate twist added just the right touch of fantasy without ever pulling focus from the grounded, real-feeling relationship at the core.

Also, the sports writing is great. The tennis scenes had real momentum, and the tension on and off the court felt believable and compelling.

I still can’t believe this is Katie Chandler’s debut. The voice is so confident, the pacing so tight, and the emotional payoff so satisfying. I already can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.

When I got an ARC of a steamy, sapphic, rivals-to-lovers tennis romcom, I couldn’t wait to dive in and this one totally delivered! It was a deliciously slow burn, but once it hits, it hits. Luca and Juliette’s chemistry practically leapt off the page, and the banter was top notch.

I also loved the touch of magical realism with the soulmate element- it added a little extra sparkle to the story and made it feel really unique. But what stuck with me most was the theme of choice- that love isn’t just about fate, it’s about choosing someone over and over again. That message, combined with the swoony romance and competitive tension, made this such a fun and satisfying read!