Pitcher Perfect is exactly the kind of rom-com I devour in a single sitting. Tessa Bailey delivers another steamy, laugh-out-loud, emotionally satisfying hit with Robbie and Skylar’s story: a fake-dating, opposites-attract romp that’s as swoony as it is spicy.
Robbie is the kind of charming, cocky hero who could easily come off as too much, but Bailey gives him real heart beneath all the swagger. His emotional depth and unexpected vulnerability won me over quickly. And Skylar? An absolute gem. She’s smart, fierce, and refreshingly no-nonsense, a heroine you root for instantly. Their chemistry crackles from the start, and the banter between them is pitch-perfect (pun very much intended).
The wilderness competition setup was a fun twist on the fake-dating trope, creating some hilarious and heartfelt moments as they navigated challenges, both physical and emotional. And of course, this wouldn’t be a Tessa Bailey book without a serious dose of steam. Prepare for some blush-worthy scenes that still manage to feel intimate and character-driven.
Overall, this was a wildly fun, sexy, and surprisingly tender romance that hit me right in the feels. Highly recommended for fans of sharp banter, fake relationships that turn all too real, and heroes who fall hard.

Thanks for the free galley, Avon Books! This is only the 2nd Tessa Bailey book that I have read and I will say they are a fun ride. Robbie was goofing and fun loving but hiding behind that was vulnerability. Skylar is headstrong and knows she’s capable but it was always to be impressive to her family and keep them satisfied. In their chance encounter at the baseball game, I loved their quick banter between each other. After devising the plan to get them to the Page Stakes games in Rhode Island with Skylar’s insane family, I knew it was gonna be a fun and goofy ride with these two. Although I’m not a huge fan of the insta-love of it all, I think Robbie’s golden retriever attitude of wanting the best for Skylar and the both of them learning to trust each other in their own way may the book fun. Skylar realizes her mistakes in the end and her plan for the grand gesture that she knew would mean so much to Robbie was so cute. Did a s** scene in the middle of the forest make sense? Maybe not but it was fun. A fun time was had reading. Did their relationship feel a little rushed? Yeah, but it developed in the time that made sense for them. I think I’m just such fan of a slower burn that fast burn books take me by surprise.

"Pitcher Perfect" by Tessa Bailey is a delightful and steamy sports romance that hits all the right notes. This book follows Genevieve "Gen" Ford, a bubbly and determined baker, as she navigates a fake relationship with hotshot baseball pitcher, Dominic "Dom" Russo.

Bailey's writing is witty and engaging, making it easy to fall in love with the characters. Gen is a relatable heroine with a big heart and a passion for her craft, while Dom is the brooding, charismatic hero with a soft spot he tries to hide. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the fake dating trope is executed perfectly, leading to plenty of humorous and steamy moments.

The story is well-paced, balancing the romance with Gen's personal journey of building her baking business. The baseball backdrop adds an extra layer of interest, and Bailey does a great job of incorporating the sports element without overshadowing the romance.

One of the highlights of "Pitcher Perfect" is the banter between Gen and Dom. Their witty exchanges and playful teasing create a lighthearted and fun atmosphere. As they spend more time together, their fake relationship evolves into something real, and their emotional connection deepens.

Overall, "Pitcher Perfect" is a home run for fans of sports romance and fake dating tropes. It's a fun, flirty, and heartwarming story with characters you'll root for and plenty of steamy scenes to keep you hooked.

3.5🌟 this was a fun, easy read! I was able to just zip right through it. I really enjoyed the banter. The fake dating trope is always one of my favorites. There was a little enemies-to-lovers but that ended pretty quickly. I wasn't a big fan of Robbie's quick change from womanizer to devoted, monogamous man overnight. The same thing with Skylar's family; they all seem to change their habits after one discussion. I think it helps to just read it, enjoy the setting, the friendships and the fun and not read too deeply into it.

If you read other books in this series, it's fun to see a lot of the events from another perspective! I love that in this series, Tessa Bailey has firmly broken away from the "miscommunication" trope that so many romance novels use as the point of conflict. Partners openly communicate, even when it's hard for them, and work up to proving themselves trustworthy to each other. I love how both characters want to be better, but also love each other for who they are and who they push each other to be. Funny, sexy, enjoyable to read.

Ok, this book was really cute and I definitely enjoyed reading it. It definitely wasn't my favorite of the series, but it was a fun read. As always, Tessa Bailey knows how to write her spice. Those scenes were great. However, overall I felt the least connected to these characters compared to the others in the series and I'm not really sure why. I do always enjoy the fun banter and romcom shenanigans! I would definitely recommend reading it, it just wasn't my favorite from the series. 4 stars


**This arc was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A hockey -softball crossover. Yes. Sign me up! Once again Tessa nailed it. Pitcher perfect is the 4th book of her big shots sports series featuring characters from hockey, golf, baseball &softball. This was a delicious slow burn , enemies to lovers , shared bed, fake relationship, & dare I even say it 3rd act breakup. We meet our softball star Skylar who's suddenly found herself in an interesting partnership with Hockey playboy, orgasm donor Robbie. The way they pull the best out of eachother while also learning about themselves and working on their own baggage, is really the icing on the cake. Spicy spice, a grand gesture happy ending , and hilarious banter make this a definite read!

Tessa ily & you've really done it again this time. I am absolutely obsessed with these two. I think this one might be tied for my favorite Tessa book ever! I loved seeing Rocket become more confident in herself and Redbeard losing his player ways. If you love Tessa books, you'll love this one too!

Read if you like:
- fake dating
- MC down SO BAD for his girl
- sports romance

Thanks so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

ugh I had the absolute best time. I love when interconnected stories are truly interconnected. if you are looking for a positively spicy, reformed playboy, sexy lesson, fake dating sports romance this is 1000% for you. Unreal, I loved it so much as expected.

Tessa Bailey's novels have historically been very hit or miss for me (softball pun intended hehe). I absolutely adored "Fangirl Down." It was one of my favorite romances of last year. Meanwhile, I could barely get through "Dream Girl Drama". I liked "Pitcher Perfect," it was definitely another hit for me. However, maybe not a home run.

For me, Skylar was the best part of this book. I thought she was incredibly relatable and I really enjoyed the arc about her relationship with her family. I also really appreciated the representation of a female athlete in what's branded as a sports romance. Her incessant pining for her brother's friend bordered on cringey, but damn if her insistence of holding a candle for a guy who clearly isn't into her wasn't so so real.

Generally, I liked Robbie. I know some people won't like this, but I actually appreciated how quickly he realized the wrong of his earlier rakish ways and amended. While he went through a lot of character development in the book, I did think there was a lot of telling rather than showing this development. As certain points he felt more like an accessory to Skylar's story rather than a character in his own right, but I think it's ok for the book to primarily be about Skylar. Also I hate to say this but Tessa Bailey's MMCs are all a little indistinguishable.

As a former softball player, I was especially excited to read "Pitcher Perfect". Something I would have liked to see a little more of in the book was sports moments. One of the reasons I loved "Fangirl Down" so much was the big moments of sports triumph mixed in with the romance (in golf, of all things). "Pitcher Perfect" primarily takes place before the softball season begins and during a break in the hockey season, so there was no real sports happening. Especially with a female athlete at the helm of the novel, I would have loved to have seen more of her experience. I wasn't a pitcher, so I can't speak to the accuracy of Skylar's experience of feeling isolated from the rest of her teammates. However, this almost felt like a bit of a cop out to me. Softball pitchers are still an important member of the infield and she may still bat. Catchers and pitchers have a special relationship. given that her brother's friend that she was into was a catcher, I would have LOVED to have met a catcher from her team (or literally a single person on her softball team). FMCs are allowed to have more than one friend!

Also, and this is super nitpicky, but in softball pitchers do not pitch from a mound.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️the fact that Tessa Bailey wrote a romance book between a softball pitcher and a hockey player is literally everything to me 🫶🏼🫶🏼 as someone who pitched for 9 years, I think this is the first romance book I’ve read about a fellow pitcher (and by fellow I mean one who is much better than I ever was okay? I peaked in high school)

He falls first (HARD), fake dating to make another man jealous, a womanizer changing his ways— this book was so fun!! I have been loving Tessa’s dive into the sports romance world, and I ate this one up! The growth of not only our main characters, but also Skylar’s family, was simply beautiful.

Thank you to Avon and netgalley for the arc!!

A dating scheme goes all wrong when pro hockey player and known "womanizer" Robbie meets the tough, all-star pitcher Skylar and agrees to be her “love coach” to gain the attention of her brother's best friend. But as their plan plays out according to Skylar's carefully crafted “schedule,” the steamy line between real and fake begins to blur. Entertaining with some really fun quippy lines. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Was I waiting for this book as soon as Tessa Bailey announced it on her Instagram account? Yes, I was. Waiting very patiently for the early digital copy because I needed to read Robbie's story. I literally needed to know who was going to make Robbie fall to his knees because he is the literal definition of a playboy.

If you haven’t already read the previous books in the series, you need to. You get a bit of a glimpse of Robbie as he is one of the hockey players on the team. Robbie is so well known for his immaturity and playboy ways that people don’t really take him seriously. Hell, Robbie doesn’t take himself seriously either until he meets Skylar.

It’s not a match made in heaven between Robbie and Skylar when they first meet. Heck, Skylar doesn’t even care for him since she only has eyes for her childhood crush, aka her brother’s best friend. And Skylar is still having trouble getting her childhood crush's attention. Thankfully, Robbie is willing to help her as part of forgiving his terrible behavior.

You already know that faking dating between Robbie and Skylar isn’t going to work, as they plan to. One of them is going to fall deep, and thankfully, it’s Robbie. We always love a playboy falling hard and learning how to fall deeper in love. It’s literally the best romance story to read.

Trust me, Robbie falls so hard that he immediately knows she is the one. He isn’t meant for the playboy ways anymore. Robbie just wants to be with Skylar.

This book went from insta hate to insta love and was somehow still perfect. Cannibalism jokes/threats, fake dating, ‘teach me’ and so much more. A quick and fun read and a perfect addition to the series.

I always devour Tessa Bailey’s books! I was so invested in Pitcher Perfect right from the start. It’s very insta-love, but it honestly works. I really enjoyed both Robbie and Skylar, and I’m super excited for more books in this series (keeping my fingers crossed that it goes on forever!). If you enjoy sports romance with plenty of spice and heart, Tessa’s Big Shots series is for you. 4.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Pitcher Perfect is the kind of cozy, feel-good romance that hooks you from the first chapter and doesn’t let go. Skylar is an ambitious and successful baseball pitcher who’s had her heart set on her brother’s best friend, Madden, but she is also very shy and self-conscious. So obviously she is too nervous to open up about her feelings to Madden. Will he reciprocate? Or does he only see her as her brother’s little sister?
That is why Skylar enlists the help of a flirty redhead hockey player to fake a relationship and spark some jealousy. I loved the plot, adored the MMC, and couldn’t get enough of the banter. The only thing is that Skylar came off a little cold and distant at times, making it harder to fully connect with her emotionally. Still, this book is fantastic and cozy - a perfect binge read!

Tessa does it again! A down bad MMC from Tessa always hits!! This ARC was the perfect early summer/baseball season read!

This book was a lot of fun! First of all, we love an MMC who is completely gone for his lady, and poor Robbie is beyond gone for our girl. I'm not usually a fan of nicknames, but "Rocket" and "Redbeard" were absolutely adorable. We get spicy lessons, an ultra-competitive family, and lots of witty banter.

There were a few areas where I felt the side characters’ stories started to overshadow the central plot, which can sometimes happen with interconnected standalones. The third-act breakup also felt a bit forced and unnecessary.

Overall, though, this was a light, fun, and spicy read that I really enjoyed.

This one is probably my least favorite of this series. It's not bad at all, but if I were to rank them that's how it would go. I really liked Skylar, her love for organization, and the way she could put Robbie in his place. I struggled to really like Robbie, but I did enjoy seeing his growth from playboy to no longer. The banter was fun and had me giggling a few times. Definitely an easy, quick read for me. This book makes me intrigued to see if Madden and Eve will get a book next now and it kinda seemed that way, so excited for that possibility!

✨Book Review – Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey (ARC)✨
Tessa Bailey hits it out of the park with Pitcher Perfect! This sizzling, swoon-worthy romance delivers everything you’d expect from her—witty banter, steamy tension, and characters you can’t help but root for. The chemistry between the leads is off the charts, and the small-town baseball backdrop adds the perfect charm to this fun, flirty read.
Bailey brings her signature heat and heart to the page, but also weaves in just enough emotional depth to make the story linger long after the last pitch. If you're a fan of sports romances with big feelings and bigger swoons, this one’s a home run. ⚾❤️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!