This book is the best kind of fever dream. Juliette and Luca are tennis ‘rivals’ (I find rivals a strong term… it’s very one sided) as well as soulmates, dictated by the markings on their inner wrists. They could not be more different people - Luca is stoic while Juliette is emotionally propelled. Yet they cannot seem to keep away from each other.

I loved this book. For 368 pages, it reads like it’s a lot longer. It definitely skewed my time read statistic. The best part is that this is going to be super popular this summer if the tennis-oriented ads I’ve seen recently predict trends. Think Challengers (of course) meets every cartoon covered sweet romance you can think of. It also reminds me of the short form videos depicting soul ties that circulate Facebook - lowkey, kind of into it? I wish we got more background on how the soulmates in this universe work, in addition to the excuse to get these two to feel each other. I would’ve loved some more exploring into the physical effects of a soulmate’s touch.

I’d say 90% of the climax and interest in this book stems from one person in the relationship (whenever they were ready to call it that). My brain was thinking “5 stars 5 stars 5 stars” repeatedly… until a certain person taking multiple steps forward decides to take a massive step back. Fair warning - This book does have a third act breakup which is resolved with a frustratingly small conversation that takes me back to my high school relationships. Anyway - the frustration of believing this character was better than this proves my rating, despite this one instance falling a little flat.

8/10; HIGHLY recommend for poolside this summer

I was excited for this story since I’ve never read a tennis romance before and am always looking for more FF main characters as love interests. I think for me I could not connect with these two as they felt sort of like mean girls. Usually with one being the mean grumpy and the other the kind sunshine you see a relationship growing and can feel it but with this one I just could not. I did like the tennis aspect though. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A little about me: I have loved sports as soon as I was capable of grabbing a basketball plushie with my grubby infant fingers. Over the years, I’ve played it, watched it, breathed it, got my heart — and body — broken by it, then continue playing anyway. So when I stumbled upon this sapphic sports romance, Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler, I tapped that ARC request button with my grubby adult fingers as quickly as I could.

Backhanded Compliments is about two exceptional tennis players at the top of their games and the tennis world, both navigating the fame and pressure of competitive tennis. Juliette Ricci and Luca Kacic find themselves pitted against each other as rivals, which they internalize themselves, making their interactions fraught, and often, outwardly resembling ‘mean girl’ tendencies. Perhaps the JUICIEST part of the book’s premise is the existence of *soulmates* — at some point in time, the name of your soulmate will appear on the inside of your wrist. Imagine finding out that your bitter tennis rival — someone you’ve poured in all your anger, frustration, jealousy, energy to hate — is in fact, your soulmate.

With the dual POV (Juliette’s and Luca’s), Chandler offered a glimpse of what off-court challenges could look like for real life athletes. I enjoyed how author described the potential life off the court for athletes like Juliette and Luca. I mean, it’s already tough being a competitive tennis player, let alone be in the top 10 in the global rankings, without the added interpersonal challenges off the court. For Juliette, dealing with the pressure of upholding the “family business” / tradition of tennis — where your sisters are also in the pros, having your dad as coach. For Luca, feeling alone and viewing tennis as the only thing she has.

Putting on my academic hat for a moment, the impact of social media on the mental wellness of, frankly, everybody —though more pronounced for public facing individuals such as female competitive athletes — is astounding. We see a little bit of the stress in the book - especially with the first couple of lines:

“It starts as all vile things do.
On Twitter.”

Not only do these characters experience decades of physically transforming their bodies, the daily grind of perfecting their crafts, they face the scrutiny of social media and online social spaces. Hostility against cis and trans women is rampant online. The combined affordances of anonymity and potential for virality of all sorts of online content can make social media spaces extremely damaging and traumatic. The mental and emotional tolls of the competition while having every movement and behavior captured, scrutinized, circulated, and memorialized in social media can collectively add to extreme stress that characters Juliette and Luca experience. /academic hat off

The glimpses into Juliette’s and Luca’s lives and experiences were done with significantly more drama and much less character depth for us to understand characters’ underlying motivations for their actions/behaviors. While I am the type of reader who will often suspend disbelief whenever a central theme/concept (e.g., soulmates, identical marks) is briefly introduced at the beginning because I enjoy the slow burn of unraveling it throughout the book, for Backhanded Compliments, I was left wanting. There were a lot moments and plot points introduced throughout the book that were left unresolved and unexplained. Even the back and forth relationship drama between Juliette and Luca felt contrived. At one point, I wasn’t sure if the feeling was reminiscent of anxious-excitement over watching a Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka rally during the US Open, or anxious-dread watching a slow-moving train wreck and I just want it to be over already.

Still. With all of that said, without spoiling anything…. the ending made me *SWOON.*

Overall, Backhanded Compliments is fun! It’s for fans of sapphic sports romance who enjoy enemies-to-reluctant soulmates-to-lovers dynamic. The ensemble / supporting cast is lovely too. The book also offered, perhaps unintentionally, a social commentary of the role of social media and online spaces on the mental wellness of female athletes. A bit of content warning for toxic and challenging parental dynamic (verbal abuse), depression, and abandonment, third-act breakup. Although I’m rating this book at a 3 1/2 stars, it’s still a nice addition to the growing list of sapphic sports romances that we all want and crave.

Thank you to Netgalley, Katie Chandler, Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review!

For Katie Chandler's debut novel, I think this was fairly well done! Following two tennis rivals, Luca and Juliette, in a universe where everyone's soulmate's name is written on their wrist, we get to see the characters grapple with their feelings while committed to playing a back-breakingly intense sport.
While I enjoyed the premise of the novel and truly adored the complex characters, I think this book could gain a lot from going more in-depth on Juliette and Luca's backgrounds and individual growth. Although noted as a rivals-to-lovers, there was a lot of tension between the characters from the get-go, which seemingly almost immediately turned into something more. I would've loved to see more of their rivalry.
Despite my critiques, this is my first saphic novel I've read and I hands down enjoyed nearly every moment of my read. The way the characters long for each other was so raw and real that it felt like, as a reader, I was there in the moment.
I look forward to seeing how Katie Chandler grows as an author in the future!

Things I liked: I loved all the characters in this book and how complex they were. I liked seeing the unique dynamic between Juliette and all of her sisters, as well as her dad. I liked seeing their friendship with Remi. I liked how much depth there was to each character, like Luca’s fear of abandonment with Vladimir and Juliette’s relationship with her dad.

Things that I would have changed: It felt like there were a lot of loose ends and incomplete storylines. For example, what happened with Luca’s parents growing up? Who was Livia dating? Most importantly, we skipped over why exactly there are soulmarks to begin with and how they work. It felt like we were supposed to know right out of the gate and I was immediately thrown off at this random piece dropped in and the mechanics of them are still a mystery. I also felt like it was rushed in some places and slow in others and I wasn’t exactly in on all of the choices the characters were making (see: Juliette on the boat).

All in all, it was a quick and entertaining read, but was a little too loose with the plot for it to be more than average to me.

Backhanded Compliments has all the ingredients I usually enjoy: enemies to lovers, a sapphic romance, and a bit of fantasy (which was a bit of a surprise) but unfortunately, it just didn’t click for me.

The writing is solid, and the premise is unique, especially with the soulmate twist layered into a high-stakes tennis rivalry. I appreciated the emotional depth both characters brought, especially Luca’s vulnerability and Juliette’s fire. That said, the tennis-heavy setting made it hard for me to stay invested. While I generally enjoy sports romances, I realized tennis just isn’t a sport I connect with as a reader, and that lack of interest made it tough to stay engaged with the story.

This one wasn’t for me, but readers who do love tennis or slow-burn tension between fierce, complex leads might really enjoy the ride.

2 stars – Just not my match

Pros- Steamy scenes are fun, fast paced and vivid match descriptions, put me in a spring/summery mood. If you're looking for rivals to lovers with extra tension, this book has it.
Cons- Too slow of a burn and the rivals aspect was a bit overdone to me. Juliette and Luca's dynamic just read a bit too hostile, so it felt forced. The fantastical element with the soulmate bond just felt out of place to me personally, though I know plenty of people enjoy that trope.

Backhanded Compliments followed two tennis players, Luca and Juliette, who lived in a reality where people are born with their soulmates' names tattooed on their bodies. The two have a dynamic rivalry that changed into something more than just competition against the backdrop of tournaments, practices, and training camps.

3.5 Stars

My queer heart is so happy to see more and more queer stories published. I had a great time diving into this sports romance with a magical realism twist that felt refreshing. I was so happy to read a story where queerness was never something "weird," but rather it was a normal part of society. The romance was based on so much chemistry and tension. There is something that I love about the small line between "I like them so much/ I hate that I like them so much," and it was expertly tiptoed in this book. And don't even get me started on the sexual chemistry and spice in this book!! 10/10. Loved it. But, besides having amazing hot scenes, this book also shows so well the idea of "being seen by someone you love." The amount of detail present in the details each character will notice about the other and how it made them crush harder was a relatable experience to read about that, not many books put attention into. Another highlight of this book was the mental health representation. We get a deep dive into anxiety disorder and the mental pressure a competitive sport can have. I was captivated by the exploration of the concept soulmates, and I was so glad we got the two points of view, Juliette not wanting to fall in love with someone just because they are their soulmate. And Luca craving the acceptance and love of someone destined for them.

Unfortunately, I did struggle a bit with how much tennis content was in the story. I love diving into the sport, but when around 40 percent of the actual scenes of the book were described play-by-play, it slowed down the story. This perhaps will work with a tennis aficionado, however, it missed the mark with me. Another aspect that made this book a 3.5 instead of a 4 was the resolution of the conflicts in the third act, both romantic and familiar. I thought they resolved too easily and needed more grovelling.

Highlight character: Luca.

Recommend this to fans of rivals to romance trope looking for a fresh queer tennis romance with sizzling chemistry and hotness alongside characters with depth.

1.75 stars rounded up

I was so interested in the premise of this book. There are two women tennis players who have a rivalry and end up being soulmates?? yes please.

I’m so upset that it wasn’t doing it for me. I DNF’ed at 15%, so approximately 50 pages in. Juliette, one of the FMCs was absolutely insufferable. If she wasn’t so undeniably rude and purposely misunderstanding things, I think I could’ve given this more of a chance.

I don’t want to sound harsh, but for someone who has found their soulmate, she is insanely cruel. She claims that Luca, our other FMC, started it because she has said in an interview that Juliette won her match against someone else because they got an injury. Which, honestly, isn’t even that bad. Then Juliette trashes her, loses against her, and then rejects her harshly after Luca tries to talk to her about their situation.

I think there was so much potential with this premise, a sapphic tennis player rivals to teammates to lovers soulmates, but I just couldn’t get past Juliette.

Maybe she gets some character development, but I just couldn’t root for her.

Okay but this cover is so so cute! I was drawn in immediately after seeing it. Then I saw that this book is a sapphic rivals to lovers tennis book? Yes please! But I will say I struggled a bit with this book. The idea is awesome. The writing is also awesome! But I didn’t root for the romance? I had a hard time because these two were just so hostile towards each other. Especially Juliette. She just felt like a mean girl and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to want them to end up together. I also got a little lost in all of the sports talk. Like i think it may have been a bit too much? The book itself felt more focused on the tennis aspects but not the romance aspects.

What would you do if you found out that your soulmate was also your rival?

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for this early copy!! And of course thank you to Katie as well!!

3.75★

sapphic challengers with some ashley poston-esque magical realism!

this was a fun twist on the soulmate concept, making them real possibilities for the lucky few born with the name of their marking their wrist. for luca, it's everything she's dreamed of. for juliette, it would only get in the way of her tennis dreams.

luca and juliette face off as tennis rivals who also happen to be soulmates. juliette deals w the pressure of being 3rd in a whole family of tennis aficionados while luca deals w her legendary plays as merely "luck".

if you really like tennis or the sports aspect of sports romance, this definitely gets into the thick of it. sometimes it was confusing for me as someone who doesn't really know tennis well, but generally, i enjoyed it.

The romance was really cute, I did find Juliette a little bit bratty in the beginning (probably deliberate) but there's definitely growth with their relationship.

Overall, it was an enjoyable sports romance with a little ✨

an honest arc review ♡

I was super excited for this read because it hit so many of my major must-read tropes:
-sapphic
-sports romance
-slow burn
-soulmate trope -- which was a BIG one, because I haven't flagged a contemporary or paranormal queer trad pubbed book that has used this trope before, and it is one of my absolute fave tags on AO3.

This was also marketed as a must-read for lovers of Challengers, which is one of my favorite sports romance movies ever.

So yeah! I was SUPER seated!

Overall, I am very glad that this book exists. We need more adult sapphic contemporary romances BAD, and this one is a great option for people who liked Cleat Cute and Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series. It's definitely goes into more detail of the matches and the mechanics of the game than most contemporary romances, so if you're not down to learn a little about tennis -- or at least be willing to let your eyes glaze over during those sequences in the book -- this might not be the one for you.

Something to note is that this is veeeery much a (spicy!) slow burn. They sit for quite a while in the rivals phase of their relationship; which, while I can understand how that amps up the tension as they are soulmates and intrigued with each other from that alone, I think it was a drawn out a little longer than it could have been. Relying on the reason they couldn't be together simply being because one of them was too stubborn to see past her prejudice and jealousy was frustrating to read at towards the middle of their relationship development. But given they are two hot headed early 20's athletes, I'm also not surprised that it had to take so long for them to put their differences aside.

All in all, I'm excited for their to be proof that the excitement towards sports romances should absolutely include queer options, especially wlw!! Why should men get all the fun??

I wanted to love this book so much but I don't think I was the right public! Juliette was really mean from the get go, without reason. And unfortunately, I couldn't get over it. I couldn't get attached to either of the main characters. The soulmate idea was interesting, but I still feel like this was the only reason they were together. This just didn't do it for me ☹️

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion 🫶🏽

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC!
I loved the description of this one and was so excited to read it! The tension was fantastic. I loved that this was a sapphic sports romance! It’s not something I come across often (I should probably seek it out more because this was so much fun). I liked the rival to lovers element and they had good chemistry. However, I had a tough time connecting with the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I’m excited to read Katie Chandler’s future work!

I loved this! A spicy sapphic rivals to lovers tennis novel, set in a universe where you have a soulmark of the name of your soulmate. I was a little apprehensive about the soulmark story line and wish there was a little more about that in the book but it made for a unique story. A couple times I felt like the characters grew or changed their minds too quickly but other than that this was truly fantastic.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love sapphic and queer romances so I really thought this one would be a good fit, but I ended up DNF-ing it, unfortunately.

I found Luca and Juliette to both be quite unlikeable and I thought the soulmark aspect tying the two together was an unfortunate choice, as it seemed like a cop-out for the FMCs not having any chemistry.

Overall, I was quite disappointed.

I wasn’t looking for a fantasy twist of literal soulmates. Also, the author made Juliette seem so unprofessional and aggressive, instead of explaining her passion and thoughts during the game. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

DNF, I’m really disappointed as this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025. A sapphic tennis romance sounded right up my alley, but the supernatural element of the soulmate tattoo honestly cheapened it a lot. I just felt like it was really unnecessary. I would have loved to see their romance blossom as normal without a supernatural element tying them together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the arc

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc for this book in exchange for an honest review!
I was really excited to recover an arc for Backhanded Compliments because it combined my love for sports romances with a fresh magical element, but overall, the book was just okay to me. It’s a quick and relatively entertaining read if you’re just looking for a rom-com-esque story, but I didn’t really feel any depth behind either main characters internal voices and the romance was very clunky in terms of pacing in my opinion.
Overall, a pretty fun book with an interesting premise, but the execution was lacking in depth.

4.5 ⭐ rounded up!

sports romance? check! tennis matches described in an engaging and fun way? check! two FMCs that felt fleshed out and stood strongly on their own as well as together? check! and the one that made me pick this book, miss soulmate au core? check!!

so it's not a surprise that i really, really liked backhanded compliments, at all, because what i described above is basically the recipe for success for a book for me. I'll be honest, soulmate tattoo is my favorite trope ever and one that is criminally underrated in the world outside of fanfiction, so finding it in a traditionally published story was refreshing. at first i was begging for some more world building around the brands, but progressing through the story i realized that they weren't a huge part of the plot, just a piece of the world that kick-started it and flavored it in a new way.

i very much enjoyed the writing and the characters, first and foremost jules and luca, that i loved as very flawed individuals who managed to communicate in such a healthy way, and i was pleasantly surprised at how well luca's anxiety was represented. everyone else was also super enjoyable to read, and i am BEGGING for a remi and (redacted) novella! also a whole cast, with a couple exceptions, of female and queer characters, which is just the best to read about.

i would have loved to give this five stars, but the ending dragged a little bit for me, especially in the last 30 pages or so. overall, a fun, adorable, steamy queer romance with a fun twist that even made me do a little lip wobble by the end! ALSO ITALIAN REP!!! 🤌🏻🇮🇹🤌🏻🇮🇹🤌🏻

thank you to netgalley and atria books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!