Okay so real talk — the plot had me hooked, until it didn't.
The pacing flew, the stakes were high (like, pickleball-glory-on-the-line high), and I was fully invested... which is why the ending felt a little too abrupt. I kept swiping my screen thinking, wait, that can't be it? I needed one more chapter - just a little more sweat, drama, and on-court chemistry before jumping to the epilogue.
And look, I know third-act breakups are a staple in rom-coms, but this one? It didn't land for me. It felt more like a checkbox moment than something that genuinely fit the characters or their arc. A total tonal whiplash from the swoony, flirty build-up we'd just had. I'm usually team can we not just talk this out like emotionally intelligent adults?
— and this breakup confirmed it.
That said, if you're after a light, summery palate cleanser with a fresh twist (pickleball romance? yes please), this delivers. It's fast-paced, fun, and full of heart. My first Kate Spencer read, but I'll definitely be checking out what she writes next.

This was such a fun, lighthearted rom-com which is perfect for a summer weekend read!

We follow Bex, who’s determined to keep her late parents’ racquet club afloat, and Niko, a former tennis pro with a reputation for on-court temper tantrums. When Niko starts training at her club and a journalist walks in on a very steamy moment, the two find themselves fake dating to save face. Add in a high-stakes pickleball tournament, family legacies, and a fake relationship that might just be real and it’s a match!

Bex is driven, independent, and easy to root for. I especially loved her found family — the over-65 club members who support her with love and respect. The chemistry between her and Niko is great, even if it leans a bit into insta-love. Their banter was snappy and fun, and the emotional beats around grief and legacy added just enough depth.

The only downside? The third act breakup felt a little tired and rushed, and the pickleball tournament — a major plot point — was glossed over in summary. I would’ve loved more time spent exploring the dynamics of that competition.

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will definitely be picking up more from Kate Spencer.

Quick and easy romance. I have never really heard of pickle ball but I like the author and this sounded a]fun. A cute and and easy read.

[3.75 stars] all’s fair in love and pickleball was a quick fun read! this was the first time i’ve read about pickleball in a sports romance and kate has made me want to give it a go!

i really enjoyed bex and nico’s back and forth banter, their dynamic was my favourite part of the book. i also really loved the found family aspect of the club, it felt like they’re all such safe spaces for eachother.

i felt that sometime’s bex was too stubborn for her own good and that there was a bit too much unnecessary drama towards the end, however it is all worked out quite quickly!

this is nice and easy read if you’re in the mood for a quick sports romance to get you through!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

It would’ve been four stars but the third act break up felt so silly and unnecessary to me.

The fmc as much as she was funny and headstrong she was also rlly stubborn for no reason at all? She would be wilfully ignorant about things that were so obvious it was too annoying.

The mmc had me cackling over his clap backs pls their banter was hilarious. Best thing about the book for sureeee.

Overall this was a fun book and helped me get out of my slump quickly!

ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC! ♥︎

A sports romance based around Pickleball - yes please!

Bex is on a mission, especially after her mother's death, to save the Pickleball business that has been in her family. With courts needing repairs, the bill is climbing and Bex knows she needs to find an answer. When former tennis champion Nikolaus proposes they team up to enter a pickleball competition, Bex negotiates the cash prize in her favor if they win. Will they?

This was quite a fun read. I do enjoy a sports centred romance and diversifying it up with pickleball was entertaining. Our main characters had great chemistry together and I loved reading their witty banter.

This was such a lovely read. I loved the whole storyline! And of course Bex and Nikolaus🥰 their chemistry was instant! And i loved their banter/bickering! It was also very interesting to read about pickleball (ive never heard much about it) and how it brought the group together💛 Loretta and Ed were the cutest! I loved them🫶🏻! I really enjoyed this ARC read and i will definitely read more of this authors work! Thank you to netgalley for this ARC Review in exchange for my honest review🩷

3.5 ⭐

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Quercus Books and Kate Spencer for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

All's fair in love and pickleball is a contemporary sports romance, that follows Bex, a 26 yo pickleball instructor and owner of Sunset Springs Racquet Club, and Niko, a pro tennis player getting ready to come back to competitions after a life changing injury.

This was my first Kate Spencer book and I can say that I really enjoyed it! It was a nice read, full of funny but also emotional moments. I liked reading a sports romance outside of the usual sports, and it was fun learning something about pickleball!

Bex and Niko are great characters, they have their moments but I found them to be overall enjoyable. All the side characters, especially Deb, are great and add a lot to the story. I loved how everyone joined forces at the end! The ending was really nice, I kinda expected it to go that way but a few elements still surprised me.

It was nice to read a sports romance that was wasn't the usual hockey, football, other typical team sports.

This was a cute sports romance about Bex who is trying to keep the Racquet Club she inherited from her mother afloat and her mum's memory alive. Enter Niko, former pro tennis player who's aunt trains at said Racquet Club and where Niko will be training to revive his tennis career.

Niko has something to prove and Bex is trying to save the struggling club so their early interaction are filled with fire. When they agree to enter a pickleball tournament to save the club their chemistry tips into something steamy and a reporter assumes they are together. Bam - we are in fake romance territory.

I warmed to Bex as a badass pickleball player and coach trying to teach the grumpy pro a thing or two. The story is entirely single POV from Bex but do get glimpses of Nick's interest in her as he slowly opens up and lets down his guard.

The training for the tournament and the crew of supporting seniors at the club had a very sports movie montage feel to it which made for a fun read.

Bex has a moment of naivety leading into the third act drama was and whilst there were some heartfelt moments and some decent chemistry between the leads, and a feelgood ending I did want more emotional depth.

All in all a fun, 4 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for giving me a chance to read this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having zero idea what pickleball was before going into this honestly made it so much better. The start of this is a little hectic and crazy. Their meet happens basically instantly and it is perfectly scrunchy in the way I love enemies to lovers to instantly snipe at each other while their inner monologue tries to work out why the other person is so attractive.
Once you get into the meat of this book it slows down from crazy to nice chill romance pace and while I have zero interest in playing pickleball myself, if it was life or death, I feel I would stand half a chance because you know I LOVE a sports romance that actually gives you sport! There are so many details about this book I loved and the fake dating scenario and mental conversations that Bex has with herself over it is just perfect!
Also, what could be cuter than the found family of a bunch of OAPs being the most supportive chaotic besties ever and honestly I want to join their book club ❤️🫰🏼

This is the third book of Kate Spencer's that I have read and much like the other two I absolutely adored this! The main characters were so likeable and I loved their flaws that they showed each other and the growth displayed throughout the novel.
The wit and banter was also off the charts, safe to say I am a huge Kate Spencer fan!

All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball is a cute contemporary romance with a fun, light-hearted tone that makes it an easy and enjoyable read.

The story follows Bex, who has inherited a pickleball facility from her late mother. She’s managed to keep it going for a couple of years, but now the place is in desperate need of repairs and the finances are beginning to buckle. Enter Niko—her grumpy new nemesis-slash-love-interest, who also happens to be a famous tennis player. He’s in need of a PR glow-up, so the two strike a mutually beneficial deal that, unsurprisingly, starts to blur the lines between fake arrangement and real feelings.

Bex and Niko have strong chemistry, but I will say—the fake dating with real feelings happens quickly. There isn’t a lot of slow burn or tension-building. It’s not a dealbreaker, but I did find myself wishing for a bit more build-up to make the emotional payoff feel richer.

One element I really appreciated was Bex’s late-in-life ADHD diagnosis. Seeing things from her perspective—how she builds strategies and routines to manage it—adds a thoughtful layer to her character. It’s handled with honesty and warmth, and I found it refreshing to see this kind of representation in a contemporary romance.

Confession time: I knew almost nothing about pickleball going in. It’s just not something that’s on my radar. But honestly? It sounds kooky, fast-paced, and genuinely fun. I actually want to give it a go now—and any book that makes you curious about a new hobby gets bonus points in my book.

The writing is simple and breezy, making it a great pick for anyone in the mood for a no-fuss romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after. That said, as this is an ARC, I did notice a few word choices that felt slightly off—just a handful of moments where the phrasing didn’t quite land, but nothing that affected my overall enjoyment.

If you’re after a cozy, feel-good romance that won’t fry your brain, this is exactly what you’d expect—and want—it to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

this is definitely the sport of the moment. im seeing it everywhere so i t was nice to see something take it as a part of the story. what Kate managed though as to not make it take over, which looking at social media around this sport, it had the potential to!
the cover drew me in immediately and that gorgeous vibe continued right into the book.
Bex has inherited the club from her mother. its everything to her and her whole life has centred around this club and its fellow members. but its not been doing so well. she has to fight for it but she doesnt know how. enter Niko. hes the up and coming hot tennis player on the scene. or he was until he became injured. and hes definitely not a pickelball fan. or he might be now because he sees what it might be able to do for him. but hes also down on himself and his career, he needs the tournament at Bexs club to work in his favour and give him some of his cred back.
he knows what he has to do so asks Bex to help him out. but wrong end of sticks are seen to have been taken and soon they find themselves needing to fake a relationship and fake a partnership. they both need something from this. they are both in the game but are they really on the same side? well the sparks certainly fly them them on in both on and off the court.
this was a super warming book. i loved how the two characters were forces in their own right. but had to learn to work together and that quickly turned into something a whole lot better to do with being together. a team. their wit was just the right side of fiery and the growing feelings were a joy to watch.
i also love the found family aspect to this book. it felt very wholesome and touched at emotions in perfect incrimants throughout. i especially liked how Kate describes Bex feelings towards the club,place and people all swirling round her feeling for her mum.

This was sweet, sexy and very fun! I loved how pickleball was weaved in instead of being every other word and I adored all of the strong, genuine relationships Spencer creates. I would quite happily read lots of books in this universe! The book flowed really nicely and I appreciated how we got to see Niko develop and change as the people around him did. Kate Spencer really created a slimeball in Freddie and I ate it up!

this was such a cute and fun beach read! perfect for summertime. although u don’t know much about pickleball this book was such a cool sports romance
💗
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5 stars

3.75 stars
After enjoying In A New York Minute by Kate Spencer, I was keen to see what her latest read would be like.
And this was a nice, easy story.
Even though I don't know all that much about pickleball, it was good to see a bit of different take on a sports romance.
I definitely enjoy Kate Spencer's writing style and this did keep my attention the whole way through.
It was more of a enemies to lust (instead of love) and I'm not sure the romance felt all that developed between the two.
It also ended quite abruptly, which I wasn't really a fan of either.
I would have loved an epilogue or another few chapters.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read and I loved getting to read a different type of sports romance. Niko and Bex were such fun characters and I loved their banter and chemistry throughout and how it slowly shifted into love. I also really enjoyed all the side characters. I did feel like parts of the last few chapters were a bit rushed but overall, a really fun, enjoyable read with all the things I love about the romance genre.

This was a funny and quick read. I went into this one blind and I enjoyed it. The relationship between the two main characters did feel a bit rushed and like the readers have pointed out, I can’t see it lasting. Pickleball was a new sport for me and I can’t says I’m interested to learn more.

Haven't heard of this author before but absolutely loved this book. Lighthearted, quick read. I normally like a bit more spice but the few scenes included were enough. As a Brit I hadn't heard of pickleball but it sounds fun!

Tropes - enemies (ish) to lovers, slow burn, fake dating, sports romance.

Trigger warnings - death of a parent to cancer.

I didn’t enjoy this book much😞—everything felt so forced🔫, and the story just wasn’t engaging. The best way I can describe reading this is like eating porridge🥣 (which I don’t like, but I’ll eat it if I have to). It was just… there.

The whole “we don’t like each other” thing? Yeah, that lasted about five seconds before they were sneaking glances👀 and getting all flustered.🤡 HUH. And somehow, they made something as simple as taking a piece of gum tense😖. Like, seriously? Come on, guys, I thought you didn’t like each other!

It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t for me.

Thanks Netgalley and the author for the ARC 🧸💝 ✨