Steamy, funny, and full of heart—classic Tessa Bailey. The chemistry leaps off the page, the banter is sharp, and the romance balances spice with real emotional depth. A fast, fun read that had me grinning and swooning in equal measure.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the eARC of one of my favorite series! Big Shots encompasses such a cool intersection of sports and love, and Robbie and Skylar are no exception. Robbie Corrigan is everything to be totally honest, his humor, his willingness to be open, and his love leap off the page and make this so enjoyable to read. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Madden and Eve in the next book!

Sports romances where the girl is also one of the sports people sign me up!

I love the real aspects that were added in this book like friends getting so wrapped up in their life that they sometimes forget to check in or tell major life things. This is very true at least in my life.

This is exactly what I want when I read a Tessa Bailey book. It’s got heart, it’s got humor that anyone would laugh at, and it’s got just the right amount of spice to the romance.

Her big shot series with how it has now started to unfold has become one of my most dear and favorite series. I read them when I’m needing the kind of humor she puts into her books. I can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve next but I know for one thing it’s going to be addictive and perfect in every way.

4 stars
2 on the spice scale

I had a really fun time reading this spicy sports romance. It is the fourth book in Tessa Baily’s Big shots sports series. It was a lot of fun, plus seeing a number of past characters, and there were quite a bit of fun competitions happening throughout the whole book. I really liked Skyler, the female main character. She was an amazing softball pitcher, had great banter with everyone, tough in a lot of ways, but very self-conscious when it came to certain things. I really liked that Skyler was also an athlete and was not just focusing on the pro hockey players. Robbie was ok, it took a bit to like him as a character and his development, and I did really like his growth. The family competitions were super entertaining; I loved all the events and would have liked to see more people involved but it was a lot of fun. The spice and the relationship development was good. I liked the buildup and some of the super uncomfortable moments and flirting, had me in giggles. I thought the ending was a bit rushed, especially the romance, but overall, I had a great time reading this and flew through it.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Pitcher Perfect was such a cute sports romance! I hadn't read one yet where both main characters were professional athletes, so I really enjoyed the understanding and dynamic this created between the two of them. Robbie and Skylar as a couple were everything!! As someone who always felt like the odd one out in my family, I heavily identified with Skylar and her romance with Robbie regarding her family felt like I was reliving my own. I'm very lucky to have found my own love, but seeing a character feeling how I did and witnessing how the right person can instill the confidence that there's nothing wrong with you made me feel so touched and so, so happy. I think Tessa Bailey is probably the master of initiate scenes, like I don't think I'll ever get over some one them! Pitcher Perfect was a delight to read, I loved getting to follow Robbie and Skylar. I can't wait to see this series continue (hopefully)!

Thank you to Avon, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early and finished copy!

I absolutely raced to read all the books in this series to be caught up to read this ARC and I am absolutely in love with this fun, quirky and lighthearted series.

Robbie and Skyler were just so much fun and I am always happy to read a fake dating story! For me this trope is such a staple in my romance book consumption and Tessa didn’t disappoint! Robbie being down bad for Skyler was swoon worthy if I’m being honest and I love the idea of “she’s the one” and I’m changing all my ways for her.

Skyler’s backstory is a little sad! Her ultimate feels like the odd man out in her family causing her to feel the need to constantly prove her worth and success to them. Skyler’s slow progression to finally seeing Robbie’s passion for her was so sweet and really fun to read about.

This book definitely got spicy a little later than some of Tessa’s other books BUT the yearning and tension was so good. I absolutely loved this book and I just love this series!

Thank you, Tessa, HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!!

4 ⭐ Why was this so gooooddd?
This kinda shocked me for two reasons:
1. I “wished” for this on Netgalley, and as a book reviewer with no booktok, booktube, or book influencer presence on social media like at all, so hell yeah thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc!
2. After books 1, 2, and 3 kind of let me down in some way (be it disgustingly cringe nicknames or ‘question your own morals for even reading them’ sex positions), this one hit??? Really??? The one about the man who wore an “Orgasm Donor” sweatshirt in books 2-3????

But with its set up being an “ode to women in sports everywhere” and taking inspiration from Simone Biles, Ilona Maher, Caitlyn Clark, etc., it makes sense! I enjoyed reading Skylar’s relationship with sports and how it being her whole life became a double edged sword- giving her self-confidence and structure and discipline, while also making her insecure and unconfident socially.
And as a reader who loves the ‘acts of service’ love language, Robbie was incredibly endearing! You can’t ever escape the instalove allegations with a Tessa Bailey novel, so I knew what I was getting myself into and it didn’t really bother me. Plus, I’m glad their third act conflict was less of a miscommunication than a mistake they both needed time to come to terms with and grow in themselves!

Sports romance is not everyone’s cup of tea (it’s not even mine half the time) but when it’s done well, you gotta love it!!

Everything I love about a Tessa Bailey book and it was honestly tame for her. I gobbled it up!

Robbie was my favorite kind of MMC. A man with flaws, that owns it, grows, accepts the FMC for everything she is and more, and loves it when she’s mean to him.

This was fake dating done perfectly 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

The one liners hard me dying 🤣

"Really? Maybe I should be calling you
Rocket."
"Nah, you're going to be calling me Big Daddy later.”
☠️☠️☠️


"Why didn't you lie?"
Mildly insulted, he drew back. "I wouldn't tell you I know how to listen to yes and no, then lie to you in the same breath."
❤️


I think this might be my new favorite Tess Bailey book 🤭

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for an advanced copy of Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey.
Pitcher Perfect is book #4 in the Big Shots series. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I enjoyed the 1st in the series but not the 2nd or 3rd.
This one is about Skylar, a softball player and Robbie, a NHL star. Robbie's character was introduced in the previous books. He's better known as one half of the "orgasm donor" twins, an immature playboy without a serious bone in his body. I actually ended up really loving Robbie! He had great growth and there was much more to him than meets the eye.
This is by far my favorite in the series. Insta love is not a favorite trope of mine but it was done well here and I found it sweet. Cheesy and cringy at times but a fun read!
4⭐️

Tessa Bailey books are an auto buy for me, so when I discovered this was a Read Now choice, I ran to NetGalley!

I’ve been so busy with other arcs that I haven’t had time to read books 1-3, but this can be read as a standalone!

I was sold the minute I found out this was a softball FMC x hockey playboy MMC 🤭

Instead of falling in love at first sight, I would argue that Robbie fell in love with her at the very first word she ever spoke to him. He was a goner!

The family wilderness competition threw me for a loop, but I loved every second of it.
I adored the rivalry between these two! The character development was amazing between the two characters and felt genuine, and the chemistry was off the charts. This is undoubtedly my favorite book that Tessa has written!

This book is a standalone interconnected with the Big Shot series in the same time line as the previous books.
It starts off with Skylar's brother recruiting her to play baseball against hockey players. Robbie, a rookie hockey player is fun and full of quick comments and their banter from the game is so great.

Skylar is tricked into a date with Robbie and there he agrees to help her with making her brother's BFF jealous by being a fake boyfriend.

I am not a fan of love triangle and glad this didn't turn into one. I love Robbie and Skylar together - they were just so much fun. Robbie seems duchy at the service but he truly is not and I love seeing those layers being shed.

This was just a bit too insta love for me but nonetheless it was enjoyable and fun. I also love seeing the other couples make an appearance here.

Thank you @avonbooks for a copy of this.

Tessa welcomes yet another flirty, sexy addition to her sports romance “Big Shots” series. I really enjoyed this one! If you enjoy fake dating, he-falls-first-and-harder, and forced proximity then you should pick this one up. I’ve been waiting for the rookies to get their own books since Fangirl Down and this did not disappoint. Tessa’s books are always fun and full of heart and she continues to be an auto-buy author for me.

⚾️ Fake dating
⚾️ “Flirting” lessons 😏
⚾️ Reformed player
⚾️ Forced Proximity

3/5 🌶️ Open door romance

Thank you to Avon books for the early review copy!

Pitcher Perfect is the fourth installment in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots series, delivering a charming blend of sports romance and fake dating tropes. The story centers on Skylar, a shy Division 1 softball pitcher, and Robbie, a rookie hockey player with a reputation for one-night stands. Their arrangement to pose as a couple for media attention soon blossoms into genuine affection.

I really enjoyed Pitcher Perfect! It was a great rom com. I loved that both the FMC and MMC were athletes, a pitcher and a hockey player. It was great how they were able to connect and relate through their shared experiences as athletes. Robbie was so sweet to Skylar. He paid attention to her. For instance he noticed she liked orange juice, something her own family didn’t keep in the fridge.
I loved the moment when he stood up to her family about Brown and Boston University. And I absolutely adored how he fell for her first and was willing to do anything for her. The daily "penciled-in" events they shared were a fun addition to the story, especially the parts where he taught her about things couples typically do, since he was more experienced. Loved this book that I will be purchasing on release day.

Do you remember the scene in Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams' character tells the story of how he met his wife? In one moment, he goes from seeing a Red Sox game with the guys to cashing it all in on a girl he just met. That's the vibe I get from Pitcher Perfect. When Robbie meets Skylar he pushes his ticket for good times to the side to go all in on a girl who really isn't showing interest, but he sees he path forward and he will go after it, no matter what. Even meeting her crazy family, facing his biggest fears, and trying to show the real him, and not the bad boy image he's been waving around Boston. This is a fun one - but, as always, there's a lot of humanity to a Tessa Bailey story that gives you substance with your spice.

Pitcher Perfect is the fourth installment in Tessa Bailey's Big Shots sports romance series and I will say the BEST one yet. That's pretty high praise since I loved Fangirl Down and Dream Girl Drama so much.

Pitcher Perfect is the story of Skylar Paige, life long tomboy and BU starting softball pitcher and Robbie Corrigan, playboy rookie for the Boston Bearcats hockey team. If you've read Dream Girl Drama you know there was a big brawl at a baseball field between the Bearcats and a few AAA baseball players. But we get that expanded and get the first meeting of Skylar and Robbie and it's nothing short of amazing. Robbie is immediately smitten with Skylar but she's in love with her brother's best friend she's known most of her life. As just a way to stay in Skylar's life, Robbie offers to fake date Skylar to make her crush jealous and finally wake up to how awesome Skylar is. Love lessons, a psychotic family competition and plenty of spice make Pitcher Perfect the most fun read of my summer.

While this is a bit of instalove, at least on Robbie's part, I feel like Skylar maintained enough of a professional distance to keep me zoned in. He turns a very quick 180 from his player ways to the devoted and worshipping love interest but they way he was so obsessed with Skylar had me grinning so hard. I related to Skylar so much as growing up a bit of a tomboy myself. The insecurities she felt about dating and herself sounded so familiar! The way she could be so confident about her pitching but was at a loss when it came to flirting melted my heart.

I really wanted to stop the story around the 80% mark because they were so happy and so in love and it wasn't the end. I just knew there was conflict coming and I didn't want to see these two crazy kids experience any of that. But when it didn't happen it just made how much they love each other more and more obvious and I loved that about them.

Overall I ridiculously loved this book so much I want to experience for the first time a billion times over, seriously read this book! Thank you so much to Avon and HarperVoyager for gifting me this ARC and continuing to feed my Tessa Bailey obsession!

Tessa does it again!!

Another amazing book in true Tessa Bailey Fashion! She hit it out of the park with this one (see what I did there!)

These two had amazing chemistry that was off the charts, and the spice was spicin!

I giggled and squealed throughout this book, because I really loved it so much!

Robbie and Skylar moved into the #2 spot of my fav TB couples, and because I loved them so much!

I just love Tessa Bailey!

Not going to lie, I was nervous about Robbie’s story and if I would like it because his character just hasn’t been my favorite, but boy was I wrong! Skylar is also one of my favorite FMC by Bailey. She feels so relatable, and honestly, a character I see a lot of myself in. Her guarded but tough exterior is how many woman feel, but she really does care and wants to please the people in her life. It felt like me when I was in my tomboy era.

Getting to see both characters grow through the relationship they are building felt real.

The fast paced reads Bailey provides are always easy to consume and enjoy, while providing humor that the author always delivers. While not my favorite by her, it’s still one worth reading 📖

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, and Harper Collins for the chance to read this story! It is releasing September 9th, 2025.

I’m a bit shocked but I really enjoyed this one! So far, this one has been my favorite in this specific series! Enemies to lovers, fake dating, insta love, great banter? I was laughing and kicking my feet.

From the last book, I just knew Skylar and Robbie were going to have a whirlwind of a romance and I was very much right. Robbie immediately falls for Skylar (fuk yous are the new way to fall in love 😆) and it just so happens Skylar needs help in seducing her brother’s best friend. Obviously they end up falling for each other and it was great. Their banter made me laugh and the way Robbie shows up for Skylar made me aw. I would have loved to see their talent show act in real life. 🤣 I was so shocked to see this side of Robbie given the fact of his actions before this book. 😅 Things heat up and get spicy. I give it 4 🌶️ out of 5.

I really enjoyed this fun romance and I’m looking forward to reading the next book! Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Tessa Bailer for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.