This was a highly enjoyable read and I couldn’t put it down. The MMC fell hard and fast and I loved every second of it. Loved the choice of a female athlete as the FMC as well.

4.25 stars, and truly truly truly I love this Big Shots series from Tessa - she’s totally in her pocket and I find myself smiling my way through all these books from her!!!

Redheaded rookie Robbie with a real rapscallion reputation meets D1 pitcher Skylar and his whole life changes in just one week (a little unrealistic but let’s go with it). This girl seems to be the first time he’s not been instantly adored and while he likes her as a challenge - their connection really helps him to grow!! Smart and sporty softball-playing Skylar loves a competition and a plan (and a brooding Irishman) - she’s tough, clever, and takes no prisoners. Robbie is like catnip in her hands - and his willingness to help her out in a pickle brings them together in ways she never would have imagine (due to love of said Irishman).

I genuinely had so much fun in this world of high (low) stakes family challenges, fake dating and lessons in love, hockey and softball, personal and interpersonal development, big appetites, and even bigger gestures!!


Thanks so much to Tessa Bailey, Avon, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️’s rounded up!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!

This book was such a fast read for me, it had everything you could want in a fluffy romance. There was hockey, baseball, a spicy FMC, a golden retriever MMC, and of course a happy ending. I think the only thing that would have made this story 5 stars is if it was more of a slow burn in the sense that she didn’t fall so fast! In this story, the insta-love/fast fall worked as the timeline was one week. However, that’s not my favorite sub-trope!

I truly enjoyed this book and will continue to support Tessa Bailey as she is an auto-buy author for me. I am thankful to have gotten to one of her books first and look forward to seeing this one all over social media!

I picked up this book because I just need a romance that was "fun," and y'all, that's just what this is. There are a lot of tropes at play in this one, but they all work well - What I also liked is with these tropes, you kind of know where things are going to go (as tropes do), but there are also some "twists" in those well-known plot devices that add some dimensions that make you want to keep reading. Having Robbie as a pro hockey star and Skylar as a college softball standout was also provided some great sports layers that again added to the story. Sometimes you come to a book because you're looking for just what you know it's going to give, and that's what this reading experience was for me - in a good way. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this September 2025 release.

Tess Bailey is back at it. I'll admit it. Some of her most recent books weren't for me. But this one? I adored. The fake dating was done so well. The redemption for the former player was done right. Everything was firing on all cylinders.

This might be up there with my top books for Tessa. I do love a hockey romance.


Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I love Tessa Bailey’s books. I love a good sports romance.. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. The nicknames they gave to each other were so cute!

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the ARC via NetGalley!

This book hits the way a Tessa Bailey book should! After not entirely enjoying 'The Au Pair Affair' and 'Dream Girl Drama,' I was nervous about this one; however, this book is the precise right balance of spicy, sweet, and funny. First off, Robbie is great. The about-face he takes from his player ways is somewhat sudden, but other than that, his character arc is enjoyable. I really liked how he stood up for Skylar and protected her, but in a more supportive role than an overwhelming one. Skylar did not have as radical character growth, but it was still there. Everything felt a little fast; you know you're enjoying a book when it goes almost too quickly. However, in this book, a more spread-out time frame would have made sense. I think the bulk of the book is over three weeks, and that is a pretty fast timeline when one of your main characters is completing a personality 180. That being said, it did have me laughing out loud and kicking my feet. It is spicy, as are all of Tessa Bailey's books, but this spice did not feel over the top or gratuitous; it felt authentic to the characters. Overall, this is my favorite of the Big Shot series, and I highly recommend you give it a well-deserved chance.

5 ⭐️ thank you Harper Voyager and Tessa Bailey for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

If you’re looking for a book that feels like your favorite romcom, this is it. I genuinely had such an amazing experience reading this book. I was laughing nearly the entire time and when I wasn’t laughing, I was swooning at the romance between these two.

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan has it all—NHL fame, parties, and plenty of admirers—until he meets Skylar Paige, a tough D1 softball pitcher who sees right through his charm. When he learns she’s pining for her brother’s best friend, Robbie offers to play her fake boyfriend and relationship coach at a family wilderness competition. But between heated contests, sizzling chemistry, and blurred lines, their ‘pretend’ relationship might just turn into the realest thing either of them has ever felt.

Now, I’m not usually one for an insta-love relationship, but this book truly hit different. Pun definitely intended! It’s a quick love story, but it feels like Robbie and Skylar have known each other a lot longer with the way they interact and the easy way they both seem to gravitate and talk to each other. Robbie is a true “love at first sight” character, while Skylar is in more of a “hate to love” boat that quickly changes with the intimate setting.

I did wish to have gotten a little more storytelling at the end or even a few more scenes with Robbie’s family, but I did feel satisfied with the ending regardless! An absolute gem and I loved the fact that Skylar was this big bad softball player with a soft center that Robbie completely pulls out of her with the effort he puts in for her.

An absolute love as someone who played softball growing up and through high school and knows the pressures! If you like sports romcom with fake dating, and an MMC that puts food away like nobodies business, this one is for you!

Wow, Tessa does it again, I mean awesome. Great characters and storyline, perfect spice amount. Just great all around. I loved this book. No lagging at all. I’ll be adding this to my library as soon as it’s released. Thank you Avon & NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to Tessa Bailey, Avon, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If Tessa writes it, I will read it. That is a rule that I love by, and I am so honored and thrilled that I was able to read this before it comes out.

It has everything you want and more. Spice, comedy. drama, etc. I laughed so hard multiple times while reading.

Also, the cover and sprayed edges are amazing. Can't wait to get a physical copy in my hands!

This was my favorite since the first book. I loved both main characters and I loved seeing the previous characters in this story so much. Skylar is one of my favorite FMCs too. Thank you for granting my wish!

Pitcher Perfect
Genre - romance
Rating - 4⭐️

Thanks @avonbooks for the advanced digital copy - this releases on September 9🙌🏻

Quick breakdown
🥎🏒Sports romance
👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨Fake dating
😡Enemies to lovers
❌Reformed playboy
💪Strong FMC
🌶️ Banter and spice

The fourth installment in the Big Shots series, this is one of my favorites yet. These books work fine as standalones, but the series gives more context to some of the characters, so I do try to read in order. Honestly, when I saw Robbie was getting his own book, I was a little unsure, as he had a bit of um, a reputation in previous books in the series. I was so pleasantly surprised though - he for sure met his match in Skylar. They were sweet together and a couple I was rooting for almost instantly. I did want to shake Skylar for her reasons behind the fake dating, but she was a strong, independent FMC, which is so fun to read. For a spicy romance with a strong plot line and lots of competition, I’d definitely recommend!

Ready for Madden and Eve’s story next, who we met in this book🥰

#tessabailey #pitcherperfect #romancereadersofinstagram #romancereaders #romancereadersofig #newbookalert #newbookrelease #sportsromance #sportsromancebooks

i liked this!! ROBBIE IS TO. DIE. FOR. i can not stress that enough. he is down BADDDDDD for skylar & so freakin sweet and funny and is a goal bf. anything skylar tells him he EATSSSS IT UP. AND HIS MOUTH I STGGGGGG 🤤🤤🤤🤤

skylar is a sweet bbg and i need her to be my bestfriend thank youuuu

i think the set up of this book was great, i loved the competitive nature! i will always love fake dating, so loved that aspect. i will say, i do believe it moved WAYYY too fast though. he was in love with her from the get go (understandable) and she hates him BUT legit she “loved” him within like .. a week?

thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review via netgalley. all opinions are my own <3

Skylar has been crushing on her brother's best friend Madden since high school, but he's never noticed her. What can she do to get Madden's attention at her family's annual Page Stakes competition? Bring home a fake boyfriend should do the trick, right? Enter Robbie, a professional hockey player with a reputation for being a playboy. Since Skylar's best friend, Eve, can't be her partner in the games this year, her fake boyfriend Robbie is the next best thing. We see Skylar struggle with her family dynamic, as the only one in her immediate family to not go to Brown University, but constantly being reminded of it. She's a star softball pitcher at Boston University, but that never seems to be enough for them. As the games progress, both Madden and Robbie start showing their true colors, and soon, Skylar may not want to fake date Robbie after all. Robbie is starting to catch feelings for Skylar, but will his playboy reputation and past get in the way?

This book was cute, and I enjoyed Skylar and Robbie's banter. Though seeing the way Skylar was treated by her family was tough, it was also nice to see growth in her family throughout the book. Skylar was a great FMC, and I loved her confidence and how strong of a woman she is. Robbie definitely came off as a playboy and womanizer at the beginning of the book, but as I kept reading, he grew on me. The spicy scenes were hot, but there was just the right amount for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the e-arc!

Forever obsessed with Tessa Bailey. The Big Shots series is fueling me. I need more of them! I need all of them. Give me Elton’s book please!!! Skylar and Robbie are to die for. He falls hard and fast and never recovers. I love that in a man. This one has all the tropes. Fake dating. Sex lessons. One bed! I couldn’t put it down.

This was my first by the author and it had me laughing out loud most of the story! The banter between the characters and one-liners were hilarious!

I loved that the first impression we have a Robbie is a total playboy and we see how much he grows throughout the story! It is the same foe Skylar, but in a different way, which was just as satisfying to see.

The fake dating element and spice lessons felt a little predictable, but it definitely didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the story!

I totally want to go back and read the first few books in the series and I can't wait to see what comes next!

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!