Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

In this story, we follow Skylar and Robbie, two competitive athletes with undeniable tension from the start. So when they agree to fake date to help Skylar win over her longtime crush, it’s not exactly a surprise when lines start to blur. Between the challenges, the flirty lessons, and the forced proximity, their fake relationship quickly starts to feel very real.

Sky is a total badass and I loved reading about a strong female athlete taking the lead. Robbie, the rookie hockey player for the Bearcats, is instantly infatuated with her and is trying so hard to change her (very valid) impression of him.

This all takes place over the span of like 1-2 weeks. We go from “you’re annoying” to “I love you” real fast. It’s definitely a wild timeline, and normally I’m not a fan of the insta love trope, but it totally worked for me here. They opened up to each other in ways that felt genuine, and it made their connection so much stronger. Their chemistry was instant, but it never felt forced or unbelievable.

Sky’s trust issues where understandable, but also a little frustrating. She kept hyper-fixating on their physical connection, no matter how many times Robbie tried to show (and literally tell her) he was serious about her. I’m not going to judge her too hard though, because even I had a hard time shifting the way I saw Robbie. I literally pictured him as a child, especially after the way him and Mailer acted in books #2 and #3. So yeah, imagine my shock when I started to warm up to him??? Reading about his character growth was so refreshing and now I now have a soft spot for him.

I’m honestly so glad I decided to continue with this series. Tessa really brough back the magic from book one. The fake dating setup, the dating lessons, and the soft emotional moments were super fun to read. I highlighted so many things in the book, I was laughing and kicking my feet a lot.

Read if you like:
🥎 insta love
🥎 faking dating
🥎 reformed playboy
🥎 competitive athletes
🥎 dating lessons

Final rating:
4 ⭐️
3 🌶️ (steamy with several descriptive scenes and explicit language)

⚾️A home run for this romance⚾️

If you have enjoyed the other books in the Big Shots series, you will love this one! Place your pre-orders now, as you won't be disappointed 🥰

It is full of cute nicknames, spark, a guy who falls first, fake dating, and just the right amount of spice. What else can you ask for? 😂
Both characters, Skylar and Robbie, were simply adorable! By the end of the book, they both matured emotionally and mentally and learned valuable lessons about themselves.

This book was amazing from start to finish. I really enjoyed it. You do not want to miss it.

Unfortunately, Pitcher Perfect was a big miss for me. From the opening pages I was already disliking both characters, and that continued throughout the rest of the story. This felt like jamming as many tropes as possible into one story, and not even doing them well.

I haven’t read the rest of this series so I wasn’t sure what to expect but this was a fun quick read. My biggest gripe was that the entire book takes place of the span of less than 2 weeks and that makes their relationship highly unbelievable to me. The professional athlete unrealistic schedule also was taking me out of the book. Great if you’re looking for something light & spicy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Home Run of Heat, Heart, and Humor!

Thank you to Net Galley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Tessa Bailey knocks it out of the park with Pitcher Perfect! From the very first page, I was hooked by her signature blend of witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and emotionally grounded storytelling.

The romance between Robbie and Skylar is electric—equal parts playful and passionate, with just the right amount of slow-burn tension and payoff that made me want to reread their best moments again and again. Bailey’s knack for crafting lovable, flawed characters truly shines here, and the emotional arcs felt both satisfying and authentic.

The baseball backdrop adds a fresh, fun dynamic, but the heart of the story is all about love, growth, and second chances. It’s steamy, heartfelt, and hilarious in all the best ways.

Fans of Bailey’s earlier works will fall head over heels for this one, and new readers are in for an absolute treat. Pitcher Perfect is exactly what the title promises: a perfect hit.

My new favorite in this series and I highly recommend!

4.5 stars
Based on the previous books in the Big Shots series, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Robbie Corrigan and his infamous hoodie. But boyyyyyy let me tell you. This was my absolute favorite out of the series. I love the banter, all the tropes (fake dating, enemies to lovers, one bed) and the redemption! I wasn't sure of the insta-lust/love and the timing of the professional hockey season but taking into consideration the ages of the characters and that it is fiction - I chose to suspend reality and just enjoy.
There are so many side characters that I hope we get to see in the future!

Thanks NetGalley and Avon!

This was a cute continuation of the Boston bearcats storyline. I really like Skylar and Robbie’s story. He sets out to teach her how to attract and keep a man, but they both end up learning about themselves and growing as characters.

I absolutely love Tessa Bailey and the Big Shots series, but I was slightly worried if I would connect with this book as much with it being about Orgasm Donor #1. This honestly might be my favorite book in the series since Fangirl Down. Tessa's writing and spice once again were great, and I now can proudly say Orgasm Donor #1 has redeemed himself in my world.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tessa Bailey for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 45%

Pitcher Perfect had the setup for a fun, spicy fake-dating sports romance—cocky red-headed hockey player meets badass sassy softball pitcher? I was ready for tension, banter, and some serious steam. And to be fair, the concept had potential. But, I tapped out. The MMC, Robbie, leaned so hard into the frat boy energy that it felt like reading a college locker room fantasy. Skylar had grit, sure, but she was so hung up on another guy that I struggled to root for the romance building in front of me. Also, the humor? Very hit-or-miss—more juvenile than charming.

🚨FANGIRL DOWN HAS BEEN DETHRONED🚨

I got an early copy of Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey (thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks), and I ATE IT UP. Robbie Corrigan is a cocky NHL rookie with the confidence of a man who knows exactly what he’s doing - and a reputation that precedes him, and Skylar Page is a D1 college softball pitcher with ice in her veins and absolutely no experience in love.

So when she brings him home to Rhode Island for a week of fake dating and asks him to teach her how to be intimate, already head over heels Robbie enthusiastically agrees.

The result is fireworks. Pure, unadulterated fireworks. The tension! The chemistry! The love triangle that ensues!

But underneath all the steam is something surprisingly tender. Skylar’s vulnerability, Robbie’s obsession-level devotion, and a love story that feels earned and electric.

The athlete-vs-athlete angle adds another layer of fun and, at times, complication. Easily the hottest book in the Big Shots series. Robbie Corrigan now lives rent-free in my brain.

Preorder Pitcher Perfect before it drops in September. You’ll thank me later.

#PitcherPerfect #TessaBailey #BigShotsSeries #RobbieCorrigan #SportsRomance #FakeDating #ARCReview #SoftballRomance #HockeyRomance #PreorderNow #RomanceReaders #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt

When player (both on & off the ice) Robbie runs into a girl who isn't instantly charmed by him, he makes it his mission to impress her. With an opportunity to fake date Skylar to make another man jealous, Robbie takes the job. During their time together with Skylar's family, they compete as a team in a family competition, all while practicing dating to make another man jealous and denying their feelings for each other. Within the story, you not only get sexual tension, humor, and banter, but you also are along for a journey of self-discovery for the characters throughout the story.

Tessa Bailey BOUNCED back with this book in the series, and I am happy! I loved that although it started as a lust attraction, you got so much more. I love the depth that Robbie discovered about himself throughout this book. I love this ginger hockey player so much, and I was WAITING for his book, and it did not disappoint! The concept of the "third act breakup" was a good one and a reasonable one, but it resolved a little oddly for me. I appreciate that the entire plot wasn't lost to smut and spice. I had fun reading this book and experiencing Skylar's family with Robbie, and their yearly family competition was a fun experience!

I have a feeling Mialer or Madden will be the next books, and I am okay with either!

Thank you so much to Avon for an early copy of Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey! 💖
Okay so Ms. Tessa Bailey has done it again! 🥳 I think this may be my favorite of her series because every single one of these books in the Big Shots series are absolute bangers! And Pitcher Perfect?!?! Definitely my second favorite in the series (which is way more impressive than it sounds because idk if anything will top Fangirl Down 😂)! Pitcher Perfect has fake dating, a hockey MMC x softball FMC, a reformed playboy male main character, and a "I'll be different for you"/"you make me want to be better" kind of vibe! ALSO, Robbie (once he gets out of his womanizer era) is SUCH a good book boyfriend! He does so many swoony things and supports Skylar in ways that are so HOT! 🥵 I read this book SO fast (and it felt like it went by so fast too) because I was obsessed! It yanked me out of a reading slump and I just adored reading about Robbie and Skylar's love story! 🥹 I also really loved Skylar's character because as a type A, planner girlie, I love her sharing how she feels and Robbie supporting her (and wanting to buy her fun planner supplies like tape and stickers)! 😭
I cannot WAIT for another book in this series and I hope to see more sports representation (and maybe get to see the MCs from Fangirl Down again too 👀)

Loved this book and this series! I don’t know which is my favorite at this point, I feel like they all just keep getting better! Love Skylar’s character and the carryover of the hockey players from the previous books! Well done

I really enjoyed this book by Tessa Bailey and thought it was a great read. This book follows Skylar and Robbie who first meet at a baseball field in terms of a bet. Skylar wants nothing to do with Robbie because he talks about his womanizing ways. Robbie wins the bet and asks to take her on a mini date and Skylar reluctantly agrees. At this mini date Robbie finds out that Skylar is in love with her brothers best friend and agrees to help her find ways to learn how to flirt and get his brothers best friend to fall in love with her. While helping her they both some how develop feelings and they need to discover what to do about it. Thank you NetGalley for this early copy in exchange of my honest review. Publishing date of September 9, 2025!

I love sports romances, they're my favorite. Tessa Bailey's are more on the romance, a dip in the sports, but she gets it right. You can tell she does her homework about the sport before she introduces her audience to it. I like that about this series. And that she is spreading the sports love by representing multiple sports - even softball (my love).

In this novel, she has a hockey player fall head over heals for a softball pitcher, and I am here for all the spicy and steamy feels! She did a great job of developing Skylar, a softball pitcher super star, and pairing her with a young and ready to grow hockey rookie, Robbie. Robbie's fresh honesty and happy go lucky attitude compliments Skylar's serious but witty personality very well, and the two had fast and quick chemistry that draws the reader into their world instantly. This was an easy book to pick up and immerse myself in.

The drawback was Eve's very minimal storyline, as I felt it was a drop in the water without much ripple. She was there for a purpose, and it was served at the end, but I think perhaps it could have been dealt with more thoroughly throughout the novel. Hints were there, of course, I picked up on them even though Skylar was too dense to figure it out, but Eve's story had a pretty heavy topic related to it and it never developed or became anything but an afterthought in the last chapters. I felt very thrown in to bring the entire novel full stop, without any weight.

In the end, I'll keep reading the sports romances, Tessa Bailey, if you wanna keep shelling them out. :) Perhaps football is next???

Such a fabulous beach read about two competitive sports professionals navigating the world of love and ensuing hi-jinks! I could not put this book down, and if you’re like me and haven’t read a sports romance or Tessa Bailey before, highly recommend this one!! Though this is considered book 4 of the Big Shots series, I dropped in with no knowledge of prior plots, and this works fabulously as a stand alone. And it makes me want to pick up the prior books! I will fully admit, as a nerd by trade, the idea of a sports centric romance turned me off of the genre. But this is a quick read, and is a very cute and SEXY romp!

Warning - the following is going to discuss romance book tropes that appear in the story. If you consider those spoilers, do not continue!

I enjoyed the fake dating scheme, and loved an mmc that was a total simp falling head over heels. The dirty talk? Immaculate. Spice was spicing in this one! And in a way that wasn’t actually overdone, just left me fanning myself. And I think that’s because this was truly just a well balanced romance! Overall the romance plot has a backdrop with so many true to life elements, such as consent and sexual health discussions, complicated feelings regarding parent expectations, side characters / friends going thru difficult life experiences, and what generally healthy communication in a relationship looks like when there is an inevitable relationship complication. And if you’re a fan of High School Musical, that adds to the fun too! Absolutely recommend this one!! Thank you to Tessa Bailey, NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this eARC!

Full Stop. I loved this book. It gave fake dating. It gave he falls first. It gave sexual tutoring. The chemistry between these two main characters was off the charts. I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout.

The way Tessa wrote about how much this man ate had me laughing out loud in a quiet break room many times. She also makes you care so much for these characters and their families that I can’t wait to hopefully see them again in future books.

10 out of 10 highly recommend

Nobody writes a himbo hero like Tessa Bailey. This book was a horny fever dream that I couldn't put down and read in a day. One of my favourite things in a romance is when he falls first and has to work for it because the fmc isn't fully committed, and this had that eagerness in spades. Robbie and Skylar were adorable and the spicy scenes sizzled. For me this was a total hit.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

We were a little nervous… DNF’d the last book in this little series but we’re happy to say this one hit the spot.

After being dragged to a Baseball vs. Hockey baseball game, Skylar happens to catch the eye of one of the hockey players (after he loudly spotlighted his late night adventures with a woman.)

Annoyed at first, Skylar sees that their conversation sparks the eye of Madden, her long-time crush and brother’s best friend, causing an idea to form in her head.

Could this loud and over-the-top hockey player be the key to making Madden finally make a move? Acting on instinct, Skylar accepts a fake date with hockey man (his name is Robbie 😝) and so begins her conquest to win Madden’s affection, while maybe catching some other feelings along the way.

What we loved:
- fake dating (obviously)
- Two competitive athletes MCs
- Family fun/dynamics
- “Teach me” 🥵

What we wished for:
- a little more build up on the romance and less insta love … Sue us, we love yearning…
- More time - the whole book took place over a week. More time makes the love more believable
- I actually - think I would have enjoyed the book more if it was just Skylar’s POV

All that being said, we would recommend if you’re looking for a ~light and easy~ sports romance. Had a fun time, read it in a day!

Special thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

🤍 Mat & Mel

I struggled to get into this one mostly because I thought the family was so obnoxious with their games and it was pretty much my worst nightmare. I've enjoyed the other books Tessa Bailey has written in this series but this was unfortunately a miss for me. I think others will enjoy it though.