This was such a fun and great read.
I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. I was literally kicking my feet with excitement.

🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

4.5⭐️ | 2.5🌶️

A tennis rivalry, soulmate tattoos, and sapphic tension you can feel through the pages? This book had me in a chokehold! 🎾🔥

I was super lucky to get an ARC from @atriabooks and the audiobook from @simon.audio…and I’m still recovering. Despite not knowing the first thing about tennis, I was completely hooked.

Now here’s the real plot twist: I’ve never been a fan of third person POV. It usually puts me at arm’s length. But this? This felt so natural and easy to follow that I forgot I ever had a preference.

The narrators- Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and Jeremy Carlisle Parker, absolutely crushed it. They brought Luca and Juliette to life with just the right amount of fire, longing, and perfectly timed sass. Their delivery made every glance, grudge, and gorgeous banter moment hit harder.

The soulmate element adds a sprinkle of magical realism that gave me all the fanfic vibes (in the best possible way). The slow-burn tension? Immaculate! And the portrayal of anxiety in both characters…so raw, real, and tender.

Sure, the third-act breakup was a little “wait, why are we doing this?” but it didn’t take away from the overall payoff.

If you’re looking for a sapphic sports romance that blends swoony angst, rivals-to-lovers tension, and just a hint of magic, you need to add Backhanded Compliments to your summer TBR ✨

Juliette Ricci dreams of only one thing: being the best women’s tennis player in the world. She’s worked nonstop with her strict father/coach to prepare for her big chance in the Australian Open. Unfortunately, she’ll be playing Lucky Luca Kacic, an aloof player whose unorthodox style and reigning popularity deeply irritate Juliette.

For months they’ve traded sly insults in their press conferences leading up to their showdown on the court, and their first ever match is the most anticipated of the season. But Juliette refuses to let her nerves—or Luca’s annoyingly perfect abs—get the best of her.

Meanwhile, Luca seemingly has everything Juliette desires but there’s one thing missing from her life: love. When she shakes hands with Juliette after an agonizing match and sees her rival’s name appear on her wrist, it feels like a cruel joke. Juliette is a spoiled, arrogant brat who wants absolutely nothing to do with Luca or a soulmate.

But despite their personal and professional clashes, the two grow closer after late-night massages and one too many shots of limoncello. Their chemistry is tangible, but Luca’s anxiety tells her that Juliette is just messing with her head to throw her off her game, and Juliette can’t understand why Luca is so hot and cold. With the pressure of the world scrutinizing their every move, they will have to decide what’s more important—being together or being number one.

This was just okay for me. There are better tennis books out there, and this one just didn't really do it for me. I forced myself to finish it, but I just didn't really see their chemistry. I think this author has promise though. I'll definitely keep an eye out for her next book! 3⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Katie Chandler, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of Backhanded Compliments.

This was a cute book but I think the pacing was a little off, and the lack of time really developing the soulmate lore lost me as well. Juliette was really quite mean to Luca for a lot of the book and I feel like we didn’t get a real explanation besides her just being wildly immature, I guess? I also think I would have preferred not having that third act breakup - the reasoning was weak and the main plot tension could have just been how they would reveal their relationship to the world.

Also - there is such a thing as TOO much tennis in a tennis book. Pages upon pages basically describing each serve in a match.

Additionally I don’t know how to explain it but the epilogue was…weird. It felt so thrown in after the fact and really didn’t add anything meaningful at all.

POV: dual third

You can expect: rivals to lovers, pro tennis players, opposites attract, forced proximity, soulmates, “mine”.

Rep: queer main and side characters, anxiety, panic attack, Croatian FMC, Italian FMC

Spice: 3/5

CW: death of a parent (past), emotional manipulation by a parent

I ended up DNFing at 42% but I believe it was more of a me thing than a certain problem of the book. I nervously want to come back to it.

Through 42%, I wasn’t super attached to the characters yet or the storyline and wasn’t finding myself wanting to pick this book up. I love the thought of it, especially being a tennis fan. Seeing the book help to grow the sport was awesome. I didn’t love the magical realism aspect, it seems a little out of left field but I learned to be okay with it! I was waiting for the spice to hit as well but the tension build up was working decently.

I really enjoyed this book. As both a tennis fan and a romance fan, this book had it all for me. There were some times when the pacing felt a little off, but overall, it was a delight to read!

I loved the soulmate magic infused into our world aspect of this - i feel like it allows some of the magic of a romance novel to expand in a way that's fun for me as a reader. This sapphic sports romance is definitely heavy on the sport - especially in the beginning. There were long chunks of the book describing tennis games in detail, and since tennis is a sport i'm not particularly familiar with i got lost pretty easily a fair few times and had to keep reading in the hopes that context would lead me along. It did most of the time - if you like your sports romance light on the sport this one isn't for you, BUT if you've been looking for a great queer tennis romance definitely pick this one up!
I feel like this book also does a great job of balancing the rivals to lovers chemistry that can be a fine line to walk, adding good tension in the moments between Luca and Juliette that happen before they give in to their attraction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

As someone who grew up playing tennis and has followed international tournaments on TV for ages, I loved reading a sapphic romance set on the courts! It was so much fun to spot all the little details I recognised from real tournaments, even with the dates shifted to fit the narrative (as the author clarifies at the start of the book).

The characters were generally fun, although I found Juliette insufferable for the first third or so of the story - she was bratty and outright mean to Luca for absolutely no reason! I'm glad she eventually thawed and started reflecting a bit more before speaking. Luca was my favourite - I really enjoyed reading her character development and learning more about her struggles with relationships, anxiety, and past experiences. Her bond with her coach was especially sweet.

The romance is rooted heavily in the idea that the two women are soulmates (a surprising but interesting touch of magical realism!), and I felt we weren’t given enough other reasons for their connection to develop early on. That said, once the spark began to grow, I could definitely feel the chemistry between them, which made it fun to read.

I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy sports romances and sapphic love stories, especially with a unique twist!

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review!**

3.5 stars rounded for star rating

I really enjoyed this!! First of all, I LOVED how tennis heavy this was. As someone who plays tennis and watched the tennis circuit all year, I loved having the inner monologues of Juliette and Luca and I think it added a lot to their characters. I did struggle to get into this book for a bit and I think was because of Juliette's unlikeable characters (which I know was intentional). HOWEVER, I loved the growth that both characters had, individually and in their relationship. Touching quickly on the magical realism, I wasn't expecting it which is definitely my fault. Because of this, it kind of threw me for a loop and made it a bit difficult to get into the book. Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what else this author writes.

Backhanded compliments is a rivals to lovers tennis sports romance! Luca and Juliette are rivals but they’re also soulmates! There was lots of tension, chemistry and spice. If you’re a huge tennis fan I think you will eat up the play by play scenes. Which for me I struggled to keep reading on because I felt like it slowed the story. After the 60% mark I felt like the story got a little flat. But I love the magical realism aspects of this story and would definitely read more from the author.

I was so excited for this one but unfortunately it didn’t entirely work for me.

For starters, the dual POV was not as distinct as I would’ve hoped. I found our two character’s voices to be a bit too similar, which ended up taking me out of the story at times.

Overall I also just was not a fan of Juliette. It made it a bit tough for me to root for her.

I loved the idea of soulmates and this universe that is much like our own, but as it stands it unfortunately didn’t bring much more to my overall enjoyment of the story. I was hoping it would be a bit more fleshed out, but this mostly just reads like any other contemporary romance as this aspect didn’t change much else about the universe in the book. It felt a bit like a plot device to bring the characters together.

There were sections of the story that went on a little too long as well, but that is more of a personal preference.

Finally, classic miscommunication which is never my favorite!

Definitely still pick this up if you’re interested. I desperately wanted to love a sapphic enemies to lovers and I know a lot of readers will definitely enjoy this one!

Backhanded Compliments started with some great tension and chemistry between Juliette and Luca. As the book continues, both of these characters give me "mean girl" vibes, and I didn't care for either of them. This book had great potential, but fell flat for me. I'm disappointed because I was looking forward to this book. I will not be posting this review on my social media accounts as I only promote books I love there to keep the space positive for everyone.

Backhanded Compliments was such a struggle for me. I was sucked in easily by the concept of a sapphic tennis rivals-to-lovers romance, which sounds so fun and to my taste - but was more dubious about the soulmate/soulmark trope that I've never been a fan of when it shows up in fanfiction. Unfortunately, the weakness of this plot device overcame my appreciation for the romance and sports side of things.

The sports element is done well - unlike some sports romances I've read, there's enough actual sports in this to justify the label - but the characterization suffers a little for me. A quarter or so into the book I still couldn't tell the two protagonists apart; plus, both their enmity and attraction felt too high, too quickly, without development or reasonable justification for either.

But ultimately, it's the soulmark trope that I just can't enjoy. It feels like a goofy cheap device to force the characters together, but there are other factors in their lives pushing them together (namely the tennis matches!), and I'd be far more interested in seeing their feelings, both antagonistic and romantic, develop through those means than through the soulmate mark.

All that being said - if this is a trope you like, you will probably get more of a kick out of this than I did. I just couldn't get into it with that plot device driving the story.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨ Sapphic Adult Romance
✨ Third Person, Dual POV
✨ 3/5 Spice Level
✨ Modern Soulmates
✨ Rivals to Lovers
✨ Standalone
✨ Rep: bisexual rep, Croatian MC, Italian, MC

> micro-tropes and content warnings after review

I wasn’t 100% sure if I was going to like this book because I didn’t realize at first it included the soulmates trope. I am a big fan of sport romances, and I used to play tennis (which I’d never seen before as part of a sapphic sports romances). However, I find the soulmates trope can be a little… cheesy, for lack of a better word. They often require me to suspend disbelief which I’m not always able to do… luckily I was able to do that with this book.

I enjoyed the two main characters, Luca and Juliette. Luca was likable from the beginning. She definitely gave the vibe of a hopeless romantic. Juliette on the other hand was kind of mean… but I felt like she was just rough around the edges. Considering how her father coaches her it is not particularly surprising, and through the book she experiences some character development and growth. I thought both MCs had good chemistry with each other that developed into more, and of course there is the influence of their soulmate-bond. Even with them being soulmates it didn’t feel overly forced as they did have a very important part of their lives in common: professional tennis.

Speaking of tennis, this is definitely a sports romance, emphasis on “sports”. The beginning of the book is heavy on the sports and lighter on the romance. I think this might not be as enjoyable for some readers (especially if you aren’t into tennis), but seeing as tennis is so important to both characters I think the inclusion of tennis on a larger scale makes sense. It is important to note though as it may not be what some are expecting when compared to other sports romances I’ve read where the sport takes a backseat to the romance.

I decided on 4 stars because this was an enjoyable read that I didn’t have any major issues with. I would have like a bit more from the book though. More depth to Luca and Juliette’s backgrounds/character arcs would have made this book even better. Seeing as this is the author’s debut novel, I am curious to see where future works go, and I’d be interested in reading more by Katie Chandler.

(beware potential spoilers below)

Micro-tropes
✨ edging
✨ ✂️
✨ keeping it a secret

Content Warnings
(may not be all inclusive)
emotional child abuse (off page, past), anxiety/panic attacks, explicit content, de*th of parents (mentioned)

Great plot inspiration, unfortunately I wasn't the most invested in this story!

Competitors, tennis, sapphic romance, this hit all the fun themes but was a middle of the road story for me.

I am obsessed with sports romances. I can't get enough of them. Kate Chandler some how knew that and threw in the soulmate trope to boot. This ode to fanfiction elements was a surprise and welcomed change up. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Backhanded Compliments was my first tennis romance but definitely won’t be my last. I’ve always been a big fan of sports romances, especially ones with rivals to lovers. The other trope I love is a soulmate au. There is something so fun about our characters finding their person through coincidence or accident that hits every time.

While I wouldn’t say this was the best romance I have ever read, I did have fun reading about Luca and Juliette and watching their relationship blossom throughout our story. The one thing I do wish we had gotten more of was depth and backstory. I feel like there was more about each character that we didn’t know and could’ve endeared us to them even more.

All in all, super fun sports romance that I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick easy read.

Sapphic rival tennis player romance and soulmate ship? What more could you want? Juliette Ricci and Luca Kacic are two players who are competing to become the women's best tennis player in the world. Yet the only problem is that despite their insults and media fights, they are actually soulmates, with their names on each other's wrists. Juliette is jealous of everything Luca has and she refuses to have anything to do with Luca or even being her soulmate meanwhile Luca wants a soulmate, she wants all or nothing. Yet the more they clash the more they begin to grow close... but can they have a relationship when only one of them can be number one in the competition. I was so excited to read a sports romance with a soulmate AU but this kinda fell flat for me. Like Juliette just didn't feel like she deserved Luca after everything she did. I did not feel the romance or chemistry between these two in the way I wanted. I am all for a soulmate AU but this one just wasn't giving in a way I wanted. I unfortunately just didn't vibe with this and despite me being a tennis player, being someone who adores sapphic romance and soulmate AUs... this just didn't live up to my expectations. While this wasn't for me if you are looking for a unique sports romance, definitely give it a go.

Release Date: June 10, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book sounded really good but I guess I just don’t know enough about tennis 😅 I also didn’t love the magical realism soulmate subplot… I think I would’ve liked it more if they had developed feelings for each other outside of knowing they’re soulmates. Overall it’s a well written sports romance with plenty of spice!

This was such a good slow burn romance! I learned a lot about tennis, and the soulmate aspect of the world was fun and interesting. Luca and Juliette hating each other in the beginning set the story up for a really strong romance. Some bits of the book were a little slow to me, but they were definitely necessary to build the character arcs seen throughout the book. Thank you to Atria Books for an early copy!