A sports romance book where they are both successful athletes?! And where the coaching extends beyond the game?! Skylar longs for a lasting relationship but knows she needs help in seduction. Playboy Robbie steps in, offering to fake date her and coach her in the ways of love. Many comedic and eventually romantic moments ensue as the two find that they have more than the love of sports and competition between them. Although I haven’t read other books in this particular series but am familiar with earlier novels by the author, I was still treated to a plot that was fast paced and fun, banter that was top-notch, steamy hot spice and a good time with smiles. I always enjoy “the moment”when the enemies turn to lovers and the fake becomes real, and this story had both.

3.75⭐️
I can always count on Tessa baileys books to be fun and offer the perfect form of escapism! This wasn’t my favorite from the big shots series but still really liked it and I hope madden and eve get their own book and that Mailer does as well!

Tessa Bailey has done it again, she has me read a sports romance and I totally enjoyed it. I loved how the MMC is head over heels and is very vocal while the FMC is doubtful but comes to terms with the love that he has for her. In a way it reminded me of the feels from It Happened One Summer.

She had me at “fuck you.” Hahahaha

My favorite quote: “Besides pitch like a Hall of Famer, what are you into?”
“Cannibalism”

I’m completely obsessed with this story! Queen Tessa has truly delivered with the imperfectly perfect, he-falls-first MMC. I adored Robbie and the way his love for Skyler deepened as he learned to really listen to her. And Skyler? Absolute badass, owning her role as a pitcher for Brown University. The whole book was hilarious, swoony, and undeniably steamy. Without giving anything away, this was such a fun read and I’d recommend it to everyone!

When Skylar meets Robbie at an epic baseball v hockey showdown - she never expects to be writing a detailed to-do list for the two of them to make her crush notice her.

I loved Skylar and her to-do list!! As a paper planner girly I felt SEEN. Robbie is a reformed playboy seeing him become all that he can be and was made to be when he meets Skylar was everything .
I think these two would have a long happy life together post epilogue as they mature and reach their dreams together.

* reformed-playboy
* inexperienced-FMC
* sports-romance
* dual-sports-romance
* bedroom-lessons
* fake-dating

I think this is officially my favorite book in this series so far. Everything about this book happened to hit just right for me. I loved the banter as Robbie and Skylar went from enemies to fake dating. I also really enjoyed that Robbie helped Skylar understand her worth and to not feel less than for not fitting with the family traditions. It was also incredible how he always had her back and stuck up for her even with her own family. While I’m not usually big on insta love, this felt like a natural progression with the chemistry they already had and then the amount of time they were spending together for her family competition. It was great to see cameos from previous couples and how they helped Robbie understand his feelings and relationship with Skylar. I also enjoyed the sneak peek we got into the next book in the series. I’m so pumped for that couple.

Literally read this within 24 hours of getting this arc, Tessa’s books are so steamy, I love them so much. I loved the banter between Skylar and Robbie, and their open communication. I feel like every romance book has a miscommunication trope nowadays and it was refreshing to see two character sharing their feelings so openly.

Pitcher perfect was one of the best sports romance books I have read in a while! If you are a lover of the Windy City series by Liz Tomforde, I think that this should definitely be next up on your TBR! Pitcher Perfect can be read as a standalone (which is how I read it) or as the 4th book in the Big Shots series. This book is about Skylar, a badass softball player who sometimes moonlights as a baseball pitcher when needed, and Robbie who is a player on and off the ice. These two meet and immediately Skylar is uninterested in his player attitude. Naturally, one thing leads to another and all of a sudden these two are fake dating - Robbie volunteering to help her make her long-time crush jealous by pretending to be her boyfriend during a week-long trip home with her family. If you don’t think that this is a formula for love then you are dead wrong!!!!!!!! This book is sweet, laugh out loud funny, and OH SO SPICY! You will be begging miss Tessa Bailey for more after this one!

Pitcher Perfect was light-hearted, fun, feel-good, fast read. It was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump, and had me smiling the whole time I read it.

The story follows NHL rookie Robbie and collegiate softball player Skylar, who first meet at a pickup baseball game. Overhearing Robbie's "locker room talk" Skylar instantly dislikes him, thinking he's a womanizing player. Robbie, instantly smitten, will do anything to spend more time with her and change his image. Including being Skylar's fake boyfriend for a week during her family's yearly competition games--all so she can make her brothers best friend, who she's in love with, finally notice her. After being forced to spend together, Skylar learns that despite his past, Robbie is a good guy. Spending more time with her confirms what he already knew, he is head over heels for her, and will do anything for a chance at being her real boyfriend. Will he ever get a chance, or is he just setting himself up for heartbreak?

This book truly felt like a 2000s rom-com, and I loved it. Sure, some of it was far fetched and in the back of your mind you knew this could never happen in real life. But it was fun! Light-hearted! Cute! I love to see a yearning man, and boy oh boy did Robbie yearn for Skylar. Despite the light-hearted, silly nature of the book, I found Skylar to have a lot of depth. Her character really drew me into the story, and her insecurities were so relatable. I saw a lot of myself in her, and it was so inspiring to see an insecure, guarded, nervous heroine in the spotlight. I felt the same with her need to be perfect and not disappoint her family. Chasing a finish line that is always out of reach is something I deal with in my every day, and seeing it in a character was oddly emotional. All that to say, Skylar is my favorite female main character of Tessa Bailey's, and I hope Bailey continues to write female characters with such depth in the future.

Pitcher Perfect was the perfect book to read Labor Day weekend. Quick and fun, and one guaranteed to get you out of a reading slump. I can honestly say I can't wait for the next book in this series, and to read Madden and Eve's story. If you like flirty, fake dating, golden retriever male characters who fall first and hard, and/or forced proximity, this will be the book for you. Thank you to NetGalley + Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! Expected publication is September 9, 2025.

This was my first book in this series & I loved it! Funny, fast-paced, so much longing & chemistry. Robbie, pro hockey player and Skylar, college softball star pitcher, meet accidentally at a baseball game between hockey & baseball players. She is not impressed but he’s knocked sideways by her immediately. She’s not interested in dating him but happens to need a partner for her family’s annual competition. And maybe if they’re fake dating, she can make her childhood crush fall in love with her. Robbie is up for all of it while secretly pining for her. Fake dating at its best. There’s only one bed! But what I really love is their connection & yearning. It was completely believable to me. It’s steamy and fun. I smiled the whole time & devoured it in a day! Can’t wait to go back and read the other books in the series. Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the advance e-book!

Tessa girl I love you!! Knocked it out of the park here (get it???)

Such a fun and easy read and I’m really loving this series. I see the setups for future books too and I’m ready👀

I’m not usually a huge fan of like love at first sight, but this just had me like giggling and kicking my heels. Like did Skylar call him out and Robbie immediately recognized it and changed his behavior? Yes, but that’s why I love an MMC written by Tessa. Because they’re amazing.

I kind of can’t believe that TB had me actively rooting for one of the silliest guys (aka Orgasm Donor) that I’ve been laughing at for the last 2 books, but Robbie clearly has a heart of gold and I really liked him and Skylar together. They just brought out the best in each other.

Skylar is very type A and Robbie is kind of the opposite. But they’re just so similar (in terms of competitiveness, yes) but also in just wanting to be taken seriously. Skylar kind of feels like she’s not living up to her family’s expectations, even though she is super successful. And Robbie has been the rookie and is tired of feeling like everything he does isn’t enough to prove himself.

I don’t love when an FMC is like still in college and the guy is older, but it works here because Skylar is a Division 1 pitcher, and short of being a former D1 pitcher she needs to be in college to accomplish that.

Truly Tessa is an autobuy author for me, and I’m excited for what I am guessing will be Mailer, Madden, and Elton’s stories coming soon??

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this eARC! Pitcher Perfect is out 9/9/25!

Pitcher Perfect was a delicious late summer romance pick with endearing characters and great open-door spice. Chock full of witty banter and tension, Tessa breathed new life into old favorite tropes including fake dating and reluctant enemies to lovers. I felt Madden’s storyline was a bit too predictable, but it didn’t detract from Skylar and Robbie’s storyline. The family game element was fun and fresh and I really enjoyed our MMC’s defense of our FMC. Robbie was a swoon-worthy reformed rake (a personal favorite). I also really enjoyed that Skylar was not an annoying FMC and, while a bit naive, it felt like there was substance to her and rationale behind her decision making.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advance copy!

Pitcher Perfect is a fun, steamy contemporary romance with plenty of humor and sizzling chemistry. Tessa Bailey delivers entertaining banter and engaging romantic tension that make the story easy to enjoy. The characters are charming, and the story moves at a brisk, enjoyable pace, perfect for fans of spicy rom-coms.

That said, the plot can feel predictable at times, and some character development is a bit shallow, which keeps certain emotional beats from fully landing. While fun and engaging, the story leans heavily on familiar romance tropes and doesn’t offer many surprises.

Overall, Pitcher Perfect is an enjoyable, light romance—great for readers looking for humor, heat, and a quick, entertaining read, though it doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

Skylar Page is a Division I pitcher for Boston University who likes every detail of her life planned to perfection. What she didn’t plan on? An early morning call from her brother asking her to pitch a game against the local NHL team—or the playboy, redheaded rookie who shows up and turns her world upside down.

When Skylar’s best friend Eve backs out of their annual family games tournament “The Page Stakes”, she reluctantly teams up with Robbie, the same guy who’s now crashing her carefully structured life. Together, they set their sights on the coveted family Pepsi can trophy and maybe helping Skylar finally win over the boy next door she’s secretly pined for over the years.

I loved this book from the very first page!! Skylar and Robbie are instantly magnetic, and their chemistry is obvious. The banter? Sharp and hilarious. The fake dating trope? Executed to perfection. The open communication made me so happy. This is one of the most enjoyable fake dating rom-coms I’ve read in a long time.

If you’re a fan of fake dating, witty dialogue, sports romances, or Tessa Bailey, this one needs to be on your TBR. I stayed up way too late reading it—and I would do it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

One of my new favorites from Tessa Bailey. I especially enjoyed the anti- miscommunication trope and the spice was dependable and fun as always. Thanks Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you netgalley and Avon for my early copy!

Tessa Bailey did it again, not that I am surprised. I’m obsessed, forever obsessed with her books.

I love fake dating because they always fall in love. If you ain’t like Robbie then I. Don’t. Want. It. He ranks in the top 5 of my favorite Tessa Bailey men.

Rob, oh sweet Robbie! He was filthy and I mean absolutely, positively, a dirty, DIRTY man!! And I ate it up like I eat all the chicken and dumplings at my family get together.

Anywho, I was so tickled when Sky didn’t even up with her “crush” and I’m super excited to see if Tessa writes a story on said crush and E. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a million more times; I will read anything Tessa writes including her grocery shopping list.

5 stars!!!

I’m so lucky to have gotten an ARC of this book. It was everything I was hoping for. I had a smile on my face for most of this story. It was such a cute romance.

Robbie and Skyler’s first meeting doesn’t go well. But he immediately was down bad for her. She woke him up and reminded him of who he wanted to be, who his Grandfather helped raise him to be. That wasn’t who he was putting into the world before he met Skyler but after meeting her his life reset. Skyler is an over achieving star athlete in her own right and she comes from an extremely competitive family. Everyone went to Brown except her and so she has some vulnerabilities even among those who love her most. I loved how Robbie saw her immediately and just showed up for her, supported her and made an effort to get her to see what he saw in her. Someone spectacular.

They have their ups and downs but for the most part this couple was a fun time. Just like the book which was filled with spice humor and vulnerable moments. I started it and couldn’t put it down finishing it in one sitting because I was hooked.

Pitcher Perfect follows Skylar, a D1 softball pitcher who is crushing on her brother’s best friend, and Robbie, a NHL hockey rookie who has a reputation of being a player. Skylar and Robbie come up with the plan to fake date in order to make her crush jealous, and of course chaos and shenanigans ensue from there.

This book is exactly why I love Tessa Bailey books. It’s fun and silly and somewhat over the top, but at the same time it is so full of heart.

This is Tessa’s best book since Fangirl Down. I saw someone else say that Tessa does best when she writes golden retriever men who are just down bad and I 100% agree. From the start I couldn’t put this down and loved every minute of it. The two main characters compliment one another so well and they’re just one of those couples that you know will stay together long after the book is finished.

This book checks all the boxes for me. Strong, take no shit FMC ✅ Down bad MMC ✅ Fake dating ✅ Dirty talk ✅ it was just the perfect book and exactly what I look forward to about Tessa’s books.

Thank you to Avon & NetGalley for the ARC!

I still can’t believe I got an early copy of Pitcher Perfect!! The Big Shots series is my favorite from Tessa Bailey so I’ve been dying to read this one since the story was hinted at in book 3.

I absolutely loved Robbie and Skylar’s story. It’s no exaggeration that I read this book in one sitting. I’m a big sports romance fan but I love this series in particular because it is also funny. The banter made me giggle and it was so fun to get glimpses of characters from the previous books. The wilderness competition was ridiculous but kept me entertained for sure. The ending was maybe a little rushed but I appreciate when a story line isn’t dragged out unnecessarily.

Book one will probably always be my favorite but I think it’s safe to say this one is my second favorite of the series. If you love enemies to lovers, faking dating, and sports romance then this book is definitely for you! Insta love is not typically my favorite trope but since it was one sided this time I think it worked. 4.5⭐️

Thank you so much NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!