This book made me feel like the victim of a bait and switch. I settled in expecting a juicy enemies to lovers story about tennis rivals only to suddenly find myself reading about soulmates, not a choice I would willingly make. Unfortunately this book only reinforced my preconceived aversion as it seemed to rely on the fact that the characters were fated and didn’t bother to develop the relationship. I was disappointed and left wishing for the book I thought I was getting.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book! It was sweet, sexy, a lot of fun. It's going to be such a good summer read, once the weather turns nicer. I want to read a hardcopy of this while laying on the dock, sipping a sweating glass of lemonade.

I'm a sucker for soulmates fanfiction. I was curious how the soulmark thing would work in a traditionally published novel, just because I'm so used to the framework of AO3, where the expectation is you already know the characters and believe they're are cosmically intertwined. I shouldn't have worried, because Chandler sweeps you into this world so quickly, gets you invested in these two hyper-competitive, flawed, interesting ladies like its nothing. I feels like reading your favourite comfort fic, but you get the fun aspect of exploring new characters and new settings. I cannot say if the tennis is accurate, most of my tennis knowledge comes from rewatching Challengers for the nth time, I can say it is written in a way that is engaging and exhilarating.

I also really appreciated how the complications in the relationship are resolved through clear communication. The dialogue for most of the book was great, but it did feel a little like therapy-speak by the end of it (like last 30ish pages), but I will allow it because sometimes therapists are right when it comes to communication and relationship building.

Cutesy, spicy, and of course--athletic! The soulmark element was a bit confusing for me as it was the only magical realism-esque element and a HUGE plot driver. In the novel description, it introduces the soulmark in the following way: "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." I took this to mean a handwritten Sharpie name, not a mystical birthmark both women were born with. It made it difficult to sink my teeth into the otherwise contemporary mundane world. Comparisons are unfair, but I did find myself missing Taylor Jenkins Reid's portrayal of the sport of tennis. I found Reid's descriptions more accurate and compelling. Still, I love a queer romance and the MCs were strong, fully realized baddies! Recommend to die-hard romance readers as a beach read.

I had a lot of hope for this book, and think it would have been perfect had it not been for the soulmate trope. I know that it was an integral part of the plot, but I think it only hindered what could have been an amazing queer romance. With the soulmate trope aside, it was cute and witty and a great book, but it was spoiled by the trope. Instead of being drawn to each other naturally, I just felt like they only got together because they had this tattoo telling them to.

Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler is the perfect summer read for fans of enemies-to-lovers stories with a twist. Juliette Ricci, a driven tennis player, is locked in a bitter rivalry with the popular and enigmatic Luca Kacic. Their chemistry is undeniable, even as they clash both on and off the court.

The unique twist of discovering a soulmate mark adds a magical layer to their developing romance, making the slow-burn relationship even more captivating. Despite their differences, late-night massages, limoncello shots, and undeniable chemistry bring them closer together. The mix of humor, passion, and personal growth makes this a fantastic read.

If you're looking for a steamy, heartfelt sapphic romance, Backhanded Compliments is a must-read!

Thank you, NetGalley & Atria Books, for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Backhanded Compliments.

Prior to reading this I'd seen some reviews that lowered my expectations of this book. I try not to read reviews because once I see the bad ones it makes me not want to read whatever book I was originally looking forward to. But I'm a sucker for rivals to lovers so I dove into this anyways and honestly? There were maybe a few parts at the beginning that I was like uhhh...?? But I kept reading and at a certain point realized I couldn't put it down and was really enjoying it.

I felt Jules and Luca's connection immediately and really enjoyed them trying to navigate and figure it out. I think the book could have stood on it's own without the soulmate aspect but I think the romantic in me loves the idea of another person destined for you. And the steamy scenes? I was not mad at those, that's for sure.

Honorable mention to all the side characters! They were all super fun and I could definitely see the opportunity for some spin off books that I would definitely read (REMI!).

All in all, the relationship building and growing kept me hooked and I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this book.

I received this Ebook A.R.C. of Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, Katie Chandler and all applicable parties for the opportunity to read and review this work.

**Trigger Warnings**
Anxiety/Panic Disorder, Mentions of Parental Loss

Summary:
Luca Kacic and Juliette Ricci are fiercely competitive tennis rivals, each on the climb in their careers–and soulmates. Juliette does NOT believe in soulmates, nor does she want one, she wants to be a winner- a champion. Meanwhile, Luca is looking forward to the love and acceptance that comes from your soulmate as she hasn’t felt valued in years, which makes it a devastating blow when Juliette rebuffs her so completely and harshly. Luca doesn’t understand why Juliette won’t give her a chance, and Juliette doesn’t understand why Luca is so obsessed with soulmate culture. Juliette’s parents aren’t soulmates, and their relationship is just fine.

However, both Luca and Juliette end up competing in the same competition under the same mentors and are forced into close proximity where they can’t help but be drawn to each other. They both will have to learn to let go of anxieties and jealousy if they’re going to find middle ground together.


Review:
Overall, I enjoyed this read. It was light enough for me in between more intense fantasy works, to be really refreshing. I did find that it was very repetitive at times. Namely in Luca’s internal monologues. I also felt that the characters didn’t really have much, if any, character growth? It came off to me as though the conflicts they faced were very easily resolved with sad eyes and minute apologies. While the concepts of the soulmates, and the idea were very interesting–it was also mentioned at one point that a person could have two soulmates and I wish this would have been touched on more. Maybe Chandler is saving this for a spinoff book? I did enjoy the read, but I’m not sure it will be a reread for me.

Thank you again to NetGalley and associated parties for the opportunity to read Backhanded Compliments. Here’s to a successful release day on June 10th 2025!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5, OMG I went into this book somewhat blind aside from knowing it was a sapphic, tennis, rivals-to-lovers. I completely glossed over the blurb and the fact that this was a fated mate read and when I started reading I didn't know how to feel about it but it really sucked me in! This book had everything I wanted and more, tennis, italian summer romance, angst, and dare I say found family... it was too good. Definitely a spring/summer read that'll make you want to spend time by the beach with the ones you love most 🎾👟💚

I was really excited to read this book because the description sounded so unique and refreshing. The idea of two tennis rivals discovering they’re soulmates during the season felt like such an interesting concept.

The story follows Luca and Juliette, two fierce competitors who realize they’re reluctant soulmates. As soulmates, they share benefits like faster healing and mutual support, which forces them to rely on each other despite their mutual dislike. Even though they can’t stand each other, they need each other’s help throughout the season.

The book starts off with intense tension and chemistry between Luca and Juliette. Watching them go from rivals to sharing a team, house, and even a room was entertaining at first. I definitely enjoyed the banter and drama in the beginning. However, as the story progressed, it started to lose its spark.

One of the biggest issues for me was the characters themselves. Both Luca and Juliette gave off strong “mean girl” vibes that never really softened or evolved throughout the book. Even after they got together, their attitudes remained harsh, making it hard to connect with them. Their relationship felt forced, as if the soulmate trope was the only thing keeping them tied together rather than genuine chemistry or emotional growth.

Overall, while I loved the concept, the lack of character development and unlikable personalities made this a disappointing read for me. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC of Backhanded Compliments.

I feel on the whole that I'm not the right audience for this book, and I hope it finds that audience--I am excited to live in a world where fun, speculative, sapphic romances are a thing, but unfortunately felt I know too much about the AO3 soulmate tropes and not nearly enough about tennis to click with this one. It just wasn't what I was hoping it would be, and that dissonance left me feeling disconnected further from the characters.

DNF at 60%. Heartfelt and fun, the heads have explosive chemistry, and I loved the tennis tidbits—the author knows her tennis and it shows. This book is a lot of fun, but I felt like it dragged a bit too much for my personal taste in the middle with the will-they-or-won't-they part and ended up not finishing between a lot of life things happening at the same time, but fans of pining will enjoy it a lot.

Backhanded Compliments had an interesting premise, but it did not fully work for me. The soulmates thing was not my favourite, and the constant Twitter references felt excessive. The main characters were often too immature for their age, and their voices were not distinct enough, making it hard to differentiate them. Overall, it had potential, but it was not quite for me.

True rating for this would be somewhere around 3.5 stars. I very much enjoyed the story, and I very much enjoyed the realness of the characters, but sometimes things just fell a tad flat for me. It was deliciously sapphic and I loved the spice thrown in. I think the main thing going against me for this one was that, while I love sports romances, I’ve never been a huge tennis fan, and this book actually does focus a decent bit on tennis. There are other parts of the book that just didn’t do it for me, but I did feel a strong connection in a way towards Luca, the way she acted and the things she said resonated with me, even bringing tears to my eyes on a couple of occasions. Overall good book, but not quite entirely my cup of tea I suppose.

I saw this book on NetGalley and it was available as a read now without having to wait for approval, so that is EXACTLY what I did. I’m glad I read it, and it certainly scratched a little bit of an itch (finally a decent sapphic romance).

3.75 stars

I have kind of mixed feelings about this book but I think overall I enjoyed it. There were definitely some things that didn’t work for me but I did enjoy other aspects of this book.
Let’s start with what didn’t work:
There is a magical realism/speculative fiction/fantasy/whatever you want to call it element to this book and if you are not reading the description VERY closely, you’ll probably miss it. This means that if you go into this book blind or even just skim the back you will probably be very taken aback when it comes up. I tell you this from experience because I absolutely did not expect it. Basically, in this universe, every person has the name of their soulmate on their wrist and when they touch that person the name turns black… yeah, idk. To me it’s giving Wattpad writing prompt or tiktok pov video. It felt very juvenile and a little ridiculous to me. The throng said, it doesn’t actually come up as much as you would think. It’s really only there to give the two main characters a reason to be around each other but I actually think they could have built this relationship without the magical element. It felt like instead of building tension and having the characters be drawn together by their own attraction the author just made them soulmates so they felt like they had to be near each other.
The other thing I didn’t love was that the characters just seemed very similar. They kind of grow into their own people by the end of the book but in the beginning I just could not differentiate them and with the frequent pov changes I kept forgetting who was who.
Despite all of the above, I did not have an overall negative view of the book. I liked the slow burn, rivals to lovers dynamic and liked how they slowly became friends first and then became more. You also get a lot of tennis without it being overly technical and you also get a lot of travel as a result of them being on their tennis competition tour. I also liked the side characters and their dynamic with the main characters.
This is definitely a book where it’s better to know what you’re getting into, rather than going in blind. But if you’re looking for a fun, sapphic, rivals to lovers romance I do think this one is worth giving a chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

I LOVED this book. It was my first Sapphic romance and I can’t wait to read more. The writing was very easy to read (even if I don’t like third person books). I didn’t know anything about tennis and now here I am, wanting to start playing tennis 🤭

This book was provided to me by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Juliette and Luca are soulmates, but also rivals (like actual rivals who don’t like each other), and this to me was rivals to lovers done right. Their rivalry on and off the court created so much tension in a good way. Throughout the book, you are transported through different countries and tennis tournaments as you see Luca and Juliette both growing close together and pushing each other away, dealing with the stress of being a professional athlete while also trying to make choices for their own happiness. This book was a sapphic romance, but was so much more than just a romance, with discussions on mental health and setting boundaries, and there was such a found family aspect as well.

When the two were finally forced to spend time together and get closer, it felt so much more rewarding. It wasn’t quite a slow burn, but there are many almost moments that draw you in and have you rooting for the characters. The idea of a soulmate au was really intriguing to me, and reminded me of fanfiction in the best way! It was different and gave them a reason to start growing closer together.

I could perfectly picture all of the characters and the settings, and just really wanted to be friends with these characters.. I felt attached to the group of characters, and really felt like I knew them. And! The author has made playlists for the book which also really helped me to get an overall vibe of the characters and I think it enhanced my experience!

This book took me a while to finish, and I found that in part due to my busy schedule, but sometimes I just didn’t want to pick it up. It was slow to get into, and it wasn’t for a while that I was able to feel really interested in the characters and their story, but once it picked up I found that it was fun to read.

Backhanded compliments is a book that is perfect for fans of Challengers and just tennis in general. There are a lot of high energy scenes regarding the games that have you wanting to figure out who’s going to win. Unfortunately, as someone who does not know a lot about tennis, I was confused a lot. While some of it didn’t matter too much that I didn’t understand what was going on, there were a lot of scenes that talked about what was going on in the games (sets? matches?) and I felt like I had to pause what I was doing to go search up what something meant.

The timeline of things was not clearly defined, which for some may not be an issue, but I found it to be confusing. I genuinely thought everything had taken place over a month or two, but the book starts in January apparently and ends close to the end of summer. This may also be not knowing a lot about tennis or tournaments, but I still feel like that should be communicated? I assumed this whole book was very insta-love until I realized that it took place over 8-ish months..

Overall though, this was a fun book, and such a cute sports romance. I would recommend this if you are a fan of women in sports, tennis and/ or romances in general, and rivals to lovers.

Before I get into my review of “Backhanded Compliments”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

DNFed at 50%. I’m so disappointed, I’ve been so excited for this book to be released after hearing about it four months ago.

I didn’t feel the connection between Luca and Juliette at all. Both of the characters weren’t too interesting to me and I was pretty disappointed from the get-go.

I also thought that the soulmate trope could’ve been left out. (Yes, it’s a huge part of the plot but it was *so* unnecessary.) This book could’ve been a cute easy rivals to lovers book, had that trope been left out.

I was so excited for a sapphic book surrounding tennis but unfortunately, this book just fell flat.

Book Review: Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler

Few things hook me in a romance like razor-sharp banter, and Backhanded Compliments delivers in spades. Katie Chandler crafts a delightfully witty enemies-to-lovers story where every conversation feels like a verbal fencing match—equal parts clever, cutting, and irresistibly flirty.

The chemistry between the leads crackles with tension, making every snarky exchange even more satisfying. Of course, beneath all the sarcasm and perfectly timed digs, there’s real heart, which gives the story an emotional depth that caught me off guard in the best way. Sure, the characters can be maddeningly stubborn (I may have yelled at them once or twice), but that just made their eventual romance all the sweeter.

If you love romances packed with humor, tension, and just enough emotional chaos to keep you hooked, Backhanded Compliments is absolutely worth picking up.

Backhanded Compliments is a novel that, while engaging in some aspects, ultimately left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. The premise had potential, but the execution leaned heavily on the tennis aspect, making the romance feel secondary.

Juliette and Luca are supposed to be soulmates, but beyond that connection, their relationship felt more like a friendship than a deep romantic bond. While their interactions were pleasant, I never truly felt the chemistry or emotional depth that would make their romance compelling.

That said, there were parts I enjoyed, especially in the beginning. The writing had its moments, and certain scenes pulled me in. However, as the story progressed, I found myself wishing for a stronger focus on the emotional side of their relationship rather than the technical details of their sport.

Overall, Backhanded Compliments had an interesting premise but didn’t fully deliver on the romance aspect for me. If you’re more interested in the sports element than the love story, it might be a better fit for you!

Unfortunately I'm Dnfing this.
I was really looking forward to reading this because i love the idea of tennis soulmates, and it's sapphic. But I have to Dnf I struggled to connect with the characters, especially Juliette. And the main characters seemed to hate each other even when they started getting to know each other. Despite the intriguing premise, it just didn't hold my interest as much as i hoped.

Thank you Atria Books for the arc