Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This took me a bit to get into, because let’s be honest the MMC does not come off great from the beginning. But I do love the redeemable playboy trope, especially when he falls first and boy does he fall hard. I loved seeing a FMC being a top athlete in Softball, it was a fun change from Ice Skating or Gymnastics. Skylar and Robbie’s competitiveness made their connection feel more real, and a way to see each other in ways that others overlooked. This ended up being a great way to spend my lazy Saturday. Now I just want that Madden and Eve book…

For the most part, a fun and light sports romance--perfect for fans of the fake dating trope. The couple seemed cute enough, but it did seem like things were happening so fast. The story takes place over a much more compressed timeline than I'd expected from the blurb; other than the epilogue, it's about three weeks from the time "Rocket" and "Redbeard" meet until they are completely loved up. Two of those weeks they are barely together, and she spends much of the week in which they are together convinced that she's in love with someone else. It's virtually insta-love on his side of things, and he does a ton of things that make him quite lovable to her. It makes sense she'd fall for him...just maybe over a slightly longer period.

Fans of the series will appreciate appearances from the Boston Bearcats we've seen in earlier books. And based on breadcrumbs here, there will be at least two more books in the series.

This one’s a deliciously addictive ride from Tessa Bailey, packed with her signature sharp wit and scorching chemistry. I loved how the romance slowly builds from their fiery clashes to something tender and honest. The way Robbie and Skylar push each other to grow while battling their own vulnerabilities felt so authentic. I’m all about romances where the characters are flawed but fiercely determined to be better for each other, and this delivered that beautifully. The writing style is witty yet tender, with dialogue that feels natural and sparks with chemistry. I found myself rooting for them hard and laughing out loud at their banter. Overall, this book left me glowing and happy.

Cheesy at times, but I love a romance where the guy falls first and falls so much harder. He was obsessed from the start and I was here for it. The third act break up felt weak to me and I could've done without it. It also set up some side plots for future stories, which is expected in romances, but it their inclusion felt kind of sloppy and half hearted - there was some serious opportunity for adding depth to the story and making a strong base, but instead since the main characters didn't really seem to care, it made them seem like terrible friends.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I have enjoyed this series and was excited to see that she focused on Robbie and Skylar. I loved that it blended the previous books storyline and gave us their perspective in that moment. I loved the dynamic they had - both super competitive athletes and great banter. I really enjoyed all the different relationships. The dialogue and actions within those relationships seemed pretty realistic. I did feel like the progression seemed unrealistic but it didn’t necessarily take away from the story. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I am excited to see where the next book in the series goes.

Enemies to lovers, Fake dating, Hockey Romance and MMC falls first… sign me up! I absolutely loved the chemistry between Skylar and Robbie. I loved their dual POVs. I loved seeing an MMC that showed real vulnerability and knows how to do a true romantic gesture to get the girl. Chefs kiss! Tessa Bailey really delivered with this one. Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley for this ARC!

Tessa’s books are an interesting thing to me. I like the ideas behind the plot, but the payoff usually doesn’t land hard for me. Fake relationship to make someone else want them is a fun trope, but Robbie’s insta love for Skylar wound up being too much for me. They barely knew each other. I’m glad though that it looks like we are getting a book for Madden and Eve.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

In the fourth book of this series, we are re-introduced to one of the rookie “orgasm donor” hockey players from the second & third books, Robbie! We also meet the sister of the guy that flirted with the girl from book 3, Skylar! This book is an enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating sports romance. It combines the sports of baseball and hockey! I loved this book so much, Tessa is so great with writing spicy scenes but also developing the characters! Skylar brings home Robbie for their annual family games to help Skylar with flirting and other training sessions to get her childhood crush to finally notice her. I loved how Robbie integrated himself into the family and made them see Skylar for who she is!

I really enjoyed this one. It was very sweet and fun! And the spice was plenty good. My only complaint was the insta-love. Still a great read!

When I say I love Tessa Bailey books, THIS is what I’m talking about. So steamy and fun! The rookies have been my favorite side characters since The Au Pair Affair, so I was pumped to get Robbie’s book. Skylar is a refreshing Tessa FMC. A determined, witty, college athlete with a relatable relationship with her planner. I enjoyed the effortless understanding and respect they had for each other’s needs and lifestyles surrounding their sports.

Do I think the speed of their feelings and reforming of his playboy antics were unrealistic? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not. Robbie had it BAD and I ate it all up, no crumbs. “I’ll give you as many as you can fucking stand, Skylar. Swear to god, just set me loose.” 🫨🫠🥵

If you love Tessa’s books, add this to your TBR! Pub date Sep 09 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC! 🫶🏻

Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey, the fourth book in the Big Shots series, features a fun fake dating romance between a pitcher and a hockey player. It’s a great mix of competition and banter, and I loved seeing a female athlete story in the mix.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey follows a pro hockey player and a D1 softball player who embark on a fake dating fiasco to help make her brother's bff jealous, but slowly leads to the duo falling for each other instead!

Such a unique storyline that I absolutely fell in love with and honestly think is an underused trope! This was such a fun ride that I couldn't put down and the banter between the two characters made it even more engaging. Tessa Bailey continues to impress and I continue to eat up each new installment to the Big Shots series!

To the shock of no one, I rated this five stars and absolutely will shout to the rooftops that you need to add this series to your TBR. It only gets better and better!

📚 Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey… I’m OBSESSED! 😍

5⭐️’s

Robbie Corrigan, the NHL rookie with a reputation, meets his match in Skylar Paige, a fierce college softball star. When Skylar enlists Robbie to help her win over her longtime crush (who happens to be her brother’s best friend), things get complicated. Fake dating, love lessons, and a week-long family competition? What could possibly go wrong? 😉

But here’s the twist: while Skylar’s focused on someone else, Robbie’s falling hard for her. Their banter is electric, the tension is palpable, and the chemistry? 🔥🔥🔥

I laughed, I swooned, and I may have shed a tear or two. Robbie’s transformation from playboy to devoted partner is everything. And Skylar? She’s strong, relatable, and utterly lovable.

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book was a home run! ⚾️

#PitcherPerfect #TessaBailey #BookReview #RomanceReads #FakeDatingTrope #OppositesAttract #SportsRomance #Bookstagram #NetGalleyReviewer #FiveStarRead

REVIEWS POSTED 5/31/25:

4.0/5.0 ⭐️
3.75/5.0 🌶️

Publish date: September 9, 2025

We all knows what happens when you make a bet, it turns around on you and becomes something you least expect. Well, maybe not for us, but for Skylar and Robbie, it sure as heck does. She isn’t used to people having her back, that is until Robbie enters the picture like a bull in a China shop and makes a bet with her. Everything takes off from there.

Skylar and Robbie are both competitive and goal driven, which is part of the reason they are so endearing. It is a quick and fun book with some drama and some “get away from her” but also moments of recognizing themselves when they were never given that opportunity.

I liked this book quite a bit actually! This was one of my first Tessa Bailey books, and now I need to go bulk up my TBR 🫣 have you read any of her other books? If so, what has been your favorite?

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books, and Tessa Bailey for this eARC 💕

This book was some of Tessa Bailey’s best recent work. The description of the emotions, the longing, the passion, the friendship and kindness pull the reader in and keeps them turning page after page. I loved the honesty during the third act breakup, it felt close to reality, to how intimate relationship dynamics would play out with a bump in the road. Thank you for inviting me to read, I honestly do not find fault with this wonderful book. It was an absolute pleasure.

Tessa Bailey for the win! Gosh I love her books and SO HAPPY Robbie got a come back story to himself! Her books are an automatic read for me, love that each book build off each other and you learn more about supporting characters, past main characters. The Witt is great, so many times I found myself laughing awkwardly out loud. 100% would recommend this book and any Tessa Bailey book that’s out. I can’t thank netgalley, HarperCollins and Hachette Book Group for allowing me to read and review for my honest opinion. A thousand 5 stars from me.

(3.75 stars) Insta-love, fake-dating, sports romcom between a college softball pitcher and a professional hockey player.

This delivers on what I expect out of a Tessa Bailey book. It’s a little cheesy at parts but laugh-out-loud funny at others. Steamy but also full of tender moments. A little unhinged but in a fun way. It has an MMC who is completely head-over-heels OBSESSED with the MC.

I was skeptical about how Robbie was going to transform from an immature playboy to a viable love interest but he does. When he meets Skylar and gets called out, he quickly identifies and corrects his actions towards women, while still maintaining the goofy, confident, good-nature jokester personality we’ve seen glimpses of in previous books. This transformation happened a little too fast for me, but this story has a very quick timeline so I get why it needed to.

I found Skylar very relatable. I loved how organized and analytical she was and how she wasn’t afraid to call Robbie out when he needed it. She’s smart and clever, but still vulnerable. She’s been starved for support in her life, and Robbie very quickly shows her what she’s been missing by showing up and being 100% on her team.

All romance book are ultimately a fantasy, and in this case the fantasy is that meeting the right person can flip a switch in your brain and rearrange your entire life. With just one conversation, Skylar becomes the center that Robbie’s universe orbits around. Is it a realistic timeline for him to fall this hard, this fast? No, but it’s very satisfying to imagine someone stepping in and identifying all the parts of your life they can make better or easier for you out of sheer devotion.

I loved a lot about this book. It’s cool that they’re both high-level athletes and they can understand the demands of the lifestyle. It was so refreshing to see a male lead that embraced all these new feelings of love and openly accepted and talked about them, instead of lashing out because he didn’t understand them. I also enjoyed the enemies-to-frenemies arc between Elton and Robbie.

My only real complaint is that I wanted more depth, both from Robbie’s journey away from being a playboy and Skylar’s family’s realization of how they’ve been failing her. Both of those plots seemed like they went from point A to point B in the blink of an eye.

Ultimately, I think this could be read as a standalone but I think some parts would be a little overwhelming without already knowing the characters from the last two books. It’s fun! It’s an easy, quick read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light, funny, but still heartfelt sports romance.

4/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

Taking into account that insta-love is one of my least favorite tropes, I still actually found this enjoyable. Tessa Bailey continues to deliver contemporary romances with fun characters and well written spice. So how can you not have a good time? I did figure out the “twist” from the beginning but I continue to enjoy the author’s work. It was a cute book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC! 🫶🏻

What to Expect:
⚾️ Fake Dating
⚾️ He Falls First
⚾️ Dual POV
⚾️ Insta-Lust/Love
⚾️ Playboy/Good Girl

What a fun and spicy sports romance novel! This is the 4th book in the Big Shots series by Tessa Bailey. I found it to be funny, emotional and entertaining. The cover makes it seem like this is just an original sports lovers book, but nope! It is extremely spicy! This book continues on with the fake dating trope, even though the chemistry is definitely there after some of their fake dates. This is a fast paced read that keeps your attention! I found both of the main characters in this book to be lovable, in their own unique way. It is character driven, with both of the characters changing and growing throughout the book. While the main characters grow during this book, so does their love for one another. This book is about self discovery, confidence, the power of love, personal growth and redemption, and developing strong bonds! This enemies to lovers book is one of my all time favorite tropes in a book and this book really nailed it perfectly!

“Pitcher Perfect” is about a NHL player named Robbie and a woman named Skylar, who is a great softball pitcher. Robbie agrees to become Skylar’s fake boyfriend at a family wilderness competition, where Skylar’s ex boyfriend is there. She does this to make her ex jealous! As feelings develop, they quickly question each other if all of this fake dating is real or not? Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Tessa Bailey and Avon and Harper Voyager for this electronic ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and feedback. All thoughts opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on September 9, 2025!

BATTER UP!!! This book made me a liar because I said Dream Girl Drama was my favorite book in the Big Shots series. I have never been so happy to be proved wrong. This story had me absolutely giggling and kicking my feet the entire time. My husband asked what was wrong with me.

I consider it an honor to read Tessa Bailey ARCs and this was no exception. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.