My favorite Tessa Bailey to date!!!

This book had me squealing in ALL the ways and as someone with a weakness for gingers, thank you!! And then you add my favorite sport (baseball/softball) with my favorite sports romance (hockey) AND the fake dating / teaching tropes????? My kryptonite. Binge read this book in four hours. My poor friends will be sick of me talking about this book and the "lessons" Redbeard teaches Rocket long before the books release in September.

I REALLY hate to say it, but I think it's time Tessa Bailey and I take a break. Her books have been super hit or miss for me. The ones I enjoyed, I LOVED, and the ones I didn't enjoy, I REALLY didn't enjoy. I adored Fangirl Down, the first in this series, but since that book, this series has been a miss for me. I can totally get down with cringy scenes with the right romance, but this one just didn't do it for me.

I might take a Tessa Bailey break, let her crank out some books, and try my luck with the ones that rise to the top. Again, I am SO sad these haven't been working for me because I ADORE Tessa Bailey as a human, the books just haven't been working for me!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC!

WOW. oh my god WOW - this is now one of my favorite books in the series. robbie and skylar's chemistry in this book was absolutely amazing, she's a take-no-bullshitter, and he's just in love with everything about her. "who could have guessed the girl whose first words to him were 'fuck you' would end up becoming his everything?"

i loved robbie and skylar's story so much, especially how he's willing to change everything about his infamous reputation he has with mailer just to be with her. (which btw, will be sat for mailer's story when he finally realizes what his best friend & teammates have found.) something about robbie determined to prove to skylar how much he loves her followed by her wanting to reciprocate those exact same feelings even when she's nervous it's not enough really showed how much of a great match they were.

tessa bailey ate with this book ... what an amazing pairing. the storyline, their relationship, the setting, the CONTENT and SPICE?? astounding. astronomical. amazing. this was my very first arc that i've read ever, and i am extremely happy. i loved the writing and how the two first have a rocky start that leads to robbie offering her his help in securing "the guy," but in the end HE becomes THE guy and wins her over (he already had her in the first place.)

Thank you so much for the advanced copy of Pitcher Perfect. I absolutely loved this book. I didn't think that it could get better than Sig & Chloe in this series, but this one was an instant page turner. The chemistry and banter that started from their first meeting throughout the entire book was sensational. I loved the reformed rake turned swooning male lead, Robbie. It also showed how well people like Skylar and mask their insecurities and anxieties by outwardly showing their Type-A qualities. This book also took a little bit of the role reversal and didn't show Skylar distraught and eating ice cream out of the container, sad about their fight, it showed a grown man on his couch with his friends, his face in a lasagna.. and I liked that. It captured how much he felt for her and the toll that their fight took on him. I truly believe that this is the best book Tessa has written since "It Happened One Summer" and cannot wait for this one to be on the shelves of my store!

Tessa Bailey did it again! I loved this addition to the Big Shots series. Robbie didn’t stick out to me in the Dream Girl Drama but he sure made himself known in this novel. He is the sweetest, dirty talking golden retriever that I’ve encountered and I’m obsessed. Skylar is a girl after my own heart with her love for softball and awkwardness around men. 5/5 stars for Pitcher Perfect and it’s rom com, awkward, fake dating vibes. Thank you for allowing me to read early with an ARC!

This was a classic Tessa, so fun! We are still following the Bearcats hockey team, and this time rookie and womanizer Robbie is getting his time to shine. The moment he meets Skylar he knows something is different about her, and that she is worth giving up his bachelor lifestyle.

This had fake dating and dating lessons which I always have a great time reading, so I definitely recommend!

Overall 3.5/5 rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for a review copy of this book, all opinions my own!

I love a good fake dating sports romance, and this one had all the right pieces. Hot hockey player, spicy female lead (she's a softball pitcher), family shenanigans, fabulous friend group, reformed rake turned perfect boyfriend, hilarious banter, great sexy times, and that "falling for each other on the page in real time" feeling that makes you want to kick your feet. I will absolutely be buying a shelf trophy copy of this one on publication day, because just thinking about it makes me smile.

I received a review copy from netgalley (thanks to the publisher and author!), but this opinion is 100% my own.

Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me (and that's OK). Tessa Bailey's writing style just doesn't click on my end, so unfortunately I had to DNF this one.

This book is the next in Tessa Bailey's Big Shots series and it's Robbie and Skylar's story. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers, so I immediately loved their "meet cute" and I was hooked from there! I especially loved the golden retriever/black cat energy that we get from Robbie and Skylar.

Robbie has my whole heart. Things start a little rocky for him, but he falls so hard and so fast that you just can't wait for Skylar to finally see his big heart and deep ability to love. I absolutely love Skylar (she reminds me of me) with her need to please and inability to trust someone's love for her.

As with most of Tessa's books, I could not put this one down. It's sweet, spicy, heartfelt, and funny. Just what I needed for a rainy weekend at home.

I can't wait for the next book in the series! I really hope it's Madden and Eve's book! I'm so invested in their story already!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Every time I read another "Big Shots" book I think it's my new favorite of the series and this was no exception! Loved watching Robbie turn from a comedic playboy into a man IN LOOOOOVE. The story and romance was very sweet, and the evolving family dynamics added some depth to both the main characters. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

I love Tessa Baileys books. Her latest, Pitcher Perfect hit it out of the park! It was a five star book!

Pitcher Perfect is the next book in Tessa Baileys Big Shot series of interconnected stand-alone romances. Our boy Robbie finally is brought to his knees by powerhouse D1 softball pitcher Skylar. And boy does he have it bad enough that he agrees to fake date her so she can draw the attention of her brother's best friend.
What I loved: the pinning during fake dating, the inner monologues of both characters in third person, how Robbie immediately sees Skylar’s value and resets her families opinions of her.
Like all Tessa Bailey novels, there are outrageous comedic scenes that will have you laughing out loud.
This installment might be best in the series.
A world of thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this e-arc.

Pitcher Perfect is a fun, well paced, small town feel-good romance with just the right mix of charm, chemistry, and emotional moments. The FMC is strong and ambitious and the MMC is a confident former pro baseball player.

Their banter is sharp, the tension builds in all the right ways, and yes, the steam level is classic Tessa Bailey.

If you like stories about passion, second chances, and people figuring themselves out while falling in love, this one’s for you.

Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey is a swoon-worthy sports romance that flips expectations in all the best ways, with a baseball-playing heroine and a charming hockey star hero. The chemistry between the leads is electric, fueled by witty banter and genuine emotional connection. Bailey crafts a story that’s both playful and heartfelt, exploring ambition, vulnerability, and the pressure of living up to expectations. The gender role reversal in the sports world adds a refreshing twist, making their dynamic even more compelling. It’s a feel-good, empowering romance that knocks it out of the park.

Tessa Bailey does it again!

This book is the definition of “if my friends were doing it: red flags galore, but I love it for a book”. Skylar and Robbie are truly crazy, but I love it.

A easy smutty read that will have you smiling.

This was a quick read and so good!! I loved the growth of the characters, even though the timeline is unrealistic (it’s fiction for a reason). Robbie comes a long way from living his bachelor life to falling for one girl, and it was a joy to read Skyler’s and his story unfold. Will always read anything Tessa writes!

Tessa Bailey has done it again by making another great book in this series. Robbie and Skylar were so good for each other. He notices things about her that others never did and she brought out a side to him that he didn’t know he had. They were such a cute couple especially with her competitive nature. Having the side characters as well from the other series made the book as well. I will say I’m never a fan of the third act break up or conflict but Tessa always knows how to reel you back in and end the book on a lovely note. I can’t wait to see if there I’ll be another book.

Pitcher Perfect is exactly what we've come to expect from a Tessa Bailey read. Thank you to the author, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Pitcher Perfect early.

Unlikable, strong FMC are always a favorite read of mine & Tessa Bailey writes a good one. I wouldn't call this enemies to lovers because they never really are enemies but fake-dating is always fun.

Is the story believable? No, there is no way any of the storyline would be feasible around hockey playoffs and it's honestly laughable to think it would be. It's another cute, easy-to-read, fun sports romance and I love that the sports doesn't just revolve around the boys.

I’m rating an ARC version of this book!

I was BEYOND excited when I saw Tessa post about the ARC and I’m so happy I got to read it. At this point I’ve read every single book of hers save two, so I’m always itching for more (though now what will I do in September??).

This was fantastic, no real surprise. The competitiveness between Robbie and Skylar was actually so good, especially given their lives as athletes, and the fact that most of this book was a big family competition. I loved all of the parents in this book and the whole aspect of family was really lovely. This would honestly make such a fun movie. I think the plot jumped around a bit with the enemies to lovers quickly becoming fake dating (I don’t think it was enemies to lovers long to be marketed that way tbh), but I still really loved it. I did really like him “teaching her” things too, the planning was cute. I sensed Madden’s situation from a mile away and I’m curious if he’ll get a book. I’m assuming Mailer’s book is next but also thinking Elton may get one too (who was the woman on his phone?).

I do think there were some aspects that felt a little rushed and the book felt different than some of her others, hence one star off, but I still had a great time with it.

This book though was entertaining and honestly a lot more romantic than some of the other books. Robbie was pretty sappy but it actually worked so well with his character and I loved how down-bad he was pretty much from the start. I truly had the best time with this and I don’t know how I’ll handle another Tessa Bailey drought - maybe it’s time to start some re-reads!

I feel like I’m very biased when it comes to Tessa Bailey novels, but I honestly haven’t read one I didn’t love. This one had me kicking my feet and blushing and smiling. I didn’t expect to connect with these characters as much as I did because they were side characters in Dream Girl Drama, but Tessa is such a great storyteller that I was hooked anyway.