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.

Some of my FAVORITE moments:

When he leaned down, when he would have kissed her - every pinprick of her nerves celebrating in response, flashing hot and wild, rushing - he stopped before their lips could meet, searching her eyes with an intensity that blocked her next inhale.

"Tell me everything you want," he demanded, dragging their mouths together roughly. Oh my. "Tell me every fucking thing you want and need."
==
"Who made you her spokesperson?" Elton wanted to know.

Robbie rolled a tense shoulder. "I’m not qualified to be anyone's spokesperson, but I’ll tell you this. When I notice something making her sad, you can bet your ass I’m going to say something about it. That's my girl.”

God, it felt so good to say that out loud. Even if it wasn't true yet. Felt true, though. Felt as real as the sky overhead.
==
"Okay." Resigned, he nodded. Planted both hands on his hips and regrouped. "Okay, I hear what you're saying. You need time to believe I’m for real. That's fair, even though I hate it." He'd never looked this serious. Not since she'd met him. "Just tell me you have feelings for me. Tell me I'm not crazy."

Oh God. Admitting she had feelings for him would only encourage him to pursue this relationship - one that would absolutely lead to her getting hurt when he eventually decided to go back to his wild bachelor ways. Hurt was putting it mildly, too. He'd cut her off at the knees, wouldn't he? Yes. Because she had been developing feelings for him. Sneaky ones. They'd been nipping at her heels since day one. Now they were fully grown, biting her everywhere. Stealing chunks of her preconceived notions about Robbie. Chunks of what might have been her resistance.

"I have feelings for you," she whispered.

He remained still as a statue for long moments, before the breath came whooshing out of him, his big body falling forward, hands planting on his knees. "Holy shit. I was only giving myself ten to one odds." It took him some time to straighten and slow his breathing down and all Skylar could do was watch in fascination. This reaction .. . it was all for her? "What about him?" Robbie's voice had dropped way down in pitch, his eyelids hooded as he observed Skylar closely, seeming to hold his breath again. "You still got feelings for him?”

"I don't know," she said, truthfully. And hey, "I don't know" was a huge downgrade from a couple of weeks ago when she would have willingly thrown herself in front of a train for Madden. She'd just never expected the train to have unruly red hair and an appetite that rivaled the passengers of a medium-sized cruise ship.

The fact that her feelings had been massively - and troublingly - downgraded didn't seem to satisfy Robbie in the slightest, however. In fact, his jealous expression as he backed her up against the kitchen counter made her shiver, her neck losing any semblance of strength, head falling back when he spoke against her ear. "Give me ten minutes in the dark with your panties off and you'll know. I’Il get you over him underneath me."
==

I loved this book so much. Those moments I shared aren’t even CLOSE to the best or hottest parts of this book. I would have finished it in a day if I didn’t keep rereading passages and entire chapters. We have Skylar and Robbie, both who first made appearances in Dream Girl Drama. I loved even the glimpse of their interaction in that book and when I found out that they were going to be the featured couple in the next book, I squealed as if I was 10 years old again watching New Kids On The Block’s “Hangin Tough Live” VHS (who are, appropriately, from Boston - or the Boston-ish area). Sig, Chloe, Burgess, Tallulah, and Mailer all make guest appearances, and the scenes have so much humor in them, I literally giggled out loud. While this book can technically be read as a standalone, you’ll miss out on the full depth of these relationships—and honestly, a bit of the magic of what makes these people so important to each other—if you skip the earlier ones.

Robbie is an affable ladies' man who does not realize the ire he has drawn from so easily using women for sex, and he happens to be a rookie in the NHL. Robbie’s appetite is an entire hilarious personality on its own. Skylar is a driven college softball athlete who is in love with her brother’s childhood best friend, Madden, and has a bit of an inferiority complex. They all grew up together, but she has never crossed from the casual friendship threshold into confidante, so she doesn’t really know much about Madden, who is in the baseball minor leagues with her brother. At first sight, Robbie is captivated by Skylar because nearly the moment he lays eyes on her, she mouths an obscenity at him because she’s just overheard him loudly and disrespectfully gloating about his sexual conquests. I completely believed that a guy accustomed to women falling for him easily would be fascinated by someone, who happens to be an attractive female athlete, who immediately dislikes him. Skylar is initially thrown by Robbie’s constant and overt flirting with her because she is insecure about her attractiveness. She doesn’t think she’s an oaf, but she definitely does not think she is some alluring, sexual creature, either, something Robbie realizes and is stumped by. Robbie realizes the only way he is going to get this woman to spend time with him is to trick her into it, and he does it ADORABLY. He quickly learns Skylar is in love with Madden. Robbie, desperate not to let Skylar slip out of his life completely, hatches a half-baked plan to fake-date her—partly to stay in her orbit, and partly in the ridiculous hope that he can redeem himself in her eyes and maybe change her mind about him. He accompanies her on a weeklong event with her family to do just that. And with that, cue the swoon-worthy moments that slowly (and irresistibly) pull Robbie and Skylar closer together.

An entire scene that happened in Dream Girl Drama unfolds again in Pitcher Perfect, and I LOVED IT! We get to see the scene from the POV’s of Skylar and Robbie, and we are let in on what caused the brawl that Sig and Chloe happened upon after catching her runaway dog.

Robbie is so hilarious and fun-loving, but as he and Skylar get close, she begins to see beyond his goofy facade and dejects the idea that he’s just a joke, giving Robbie the same security he begins to give her about her worthiness as a daughter, sister, and woman. Robbie constantly shows up for her and makes it clear he will always be on her side against anyone who even slightly isn’t, her family included. While I believe it was Skylar’s immediate contempt for Robbie that initially spurs his interest and desire to stay connected to her, spending time with her and getting to know her is what solidifies his feeling into something substantial and real. It’s clear he’s not a bad guy, and when it finally hits him that he’s been treating women more like bodies than people, he’s genuinely ashamed. But it’s Skylar, maybe the first woman in a while to be wholly disinterested in him and unafraid to call him out on his shortcomings, who reminds him that the person he’s become was not who he meant to become, and he chooses her to witness the change he’s determined to make.

They are so lovely together. The moments Tessa Bailey built for them to crest their friendship and budding relationship on were so perfectly written that they legitimately belong in some rom-com montage somewhere. This book needs to be turned into a movie. Robbie had some of the sexiest and swoon-worthy lines I have ever read - PERIOD. Tessa Bailey’s ability to write hundreds of scenes describing lust and intimacy that never sound the same has always been so impressive to me. And I’m genuinely wondering how in the HECK has not one of her books been made into a movie, yet? Cinematic universe, let’s get it together, please!

I know that not everyone has the same taste. And that’s okay. I have been guilty of GREATLY disliking a book that others - some DEAR friends - have loved. And guilty of sharing those disgruntled views before in a review. So while I know not everyone is going to have the same AMAZED reaction as I did to this book, I do feel the need to counter the very small number of bad reviews I read about this book. And apparently, I’ve designated myself as the one to defend Tessa Bailey’s honor, so here we go.

One of the critiques was about how Skylar could be so inexperienced at her age after two sexual encounters. How great for some folks that they feel like badasses in the sack after two sexcapades, but there ARE people out there who deal with insecurities that are FERAL, despite how pretty they are. I was halfway decent and a cute size 6 in college, and despite having an entire five fingers to dedicate toward the number of sexual partners I had to help define my sexual prowess by senior year, I was still COMPLETELY so insecure and felt completely sexually unprowessed. (I know unprowessed is not a word, and it doesn’t really fit - but I don’t care. It FEELS right.) (And I blame my insecurities on daddy issues, but that’s an entirely different story.) Skylar grew up being the tomboy, and the bulk of those boys apparently saw her as one of the guys. I do not think her sexual insecurities were unwarranted or far fetched, no matter how beautiful she is. Funnily enough, another review tried to make Skylar sound one-dimensional while describing 4 entire categories.

Let’s break them down: 1. She’s a Type A personality. Type A personalities are driven, intensely focused and driven by results. This isn’t a one-element type of personality. Thousands of hours went into Skylar honing her skills so that she could be the starting pitcher at a D1 university, and the university she attends is no slouch, which means she had to also balance her studies to be good enough to be accepted - which means this girl had to be somewhere in the top of her class and land some impressive SAT scores. And I don’t think it should have to be spelled out in the book for us that it’s evident that this single trait profoundly influences and amplifies many other aspects of her personality, even being a springboard to create other ones. It’s not difficult to imagine the amount of stress someone like Skylar would constantly be under.

Another critique about Skylar’s lack of personality was directed at her inferiority toward her family. That Type-A personality was also partly driven by her very competitive family, where I’m sure a slew of psychological issues were born as she felt like she could never catch up or be good enough, especially when she does not get into the one university that her entire family worships. I think the point of sharing this was to highlight the constant reminder she is dealt with anytime she is at home and why this would overly heighten her insecurities about herself.

Next on the list: apparently people who obsess about planners don’t have a lot going for them. It’s stated that she is obsessed with her planner like that’s some kind of boring detriment. I didn’t think this was an unsatisfying aspect about her. If you go on Instagram and hashtag planners, you will find there is a robust community dedicated to them. For years, I was in that hole. (a very prettily decorated hole that made me more broke but way more organized) I saw the reliability she had with her planner as another subset of her Type A personality and I also saw it as a hobby, because she just didn’t ensure her days were heavily planned, she decorated her planners with stickers and had an array of gel colored pens, which could be a stress relieving activity for her. (I’m definitely superimposing myself here because it was stress relieving activity for me. I literally used to spend hours a week on my planner.)

That doesn’t sound like an empty or half assed shell to me. I would honestly find it difficult to find more than 4 chunk worthy categories to dump most romance heroines into: it’s a rom-com. We need some main basics to clutch about the character, but the main reason we’re reading these books is for the “rom”, the “com”, the “swoon”, and the “HEA”. Exactly how deep do we need these characters to be? And I was actually impressed with these characters. I found Skylar to be tough and endearing and Robbie to be hot and hilarious with his Stouffers lasagnas. (I have never eaten a Stouffer lasagna in my LIFE but it’s on my grocery list because now I need to see what all the hype is about.)

I don’t see the book as not being a traditional enemies to lovers trope as a detractor, and this is not the first book out there partly genred as an enemies to lovers trope where only one of the people actually dislikes the other while the other is harboring secret feelings. I’m usually not a fan of love at first sight books, and while Robbie is definitely almost immediately entranced with Skylar, and later laments that he believes a part of him knew that she was the one, I don’t ever recall him saying he loved her at first. I think her immediate and prominent disdain for him definitely piqued his interest in her. Robbie apparently had women falling over themselves to be with him. He admits he never had to try. I definitely think that was his initial interest in Skylar, and actually getting to know her is what amplified and cinched his feelings for her. And his need to redeem himself to her was also explained: Skyar gave him a verbal shakedown on the kind of man she saw him as: a philanderer who was regularly disrespectful to women. I’m sure he wasn’t entirely unaware of these criticisms, but hearing them laid out so bluntly by Skylar must have been jarring. The harsh clarity of her words likely forced him to confront just how negative his behavior had been. Realizing how disrespectful he’d acted—especially in light of the values instilled in him by his late, beloved grandfather—it's understandable that he’d want to redeem himself in the eyes of the one woman who truly captured his attention. Ironically, she’s also the one woman who finds him repulsive, in stark contrast to the admiration he seems to receive from nearly every other straight woman in Boston.

I get we’re not all going to love the same books, and that’s okay, but I wholly loved this one.

Thank you to Avon for the advance reader copy of Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey.

After getting to see Robbie and Skylar meet in Dream Girl Drama, Pitcher Perfect picks up from that moment. Robbie, learning that Skylar likes her best friend’s brother, offers to be her fake boyfriend and love coach so that she can attract her long time crush.

Pitcher Perfect is an enjoyable, fun, and easy read. It was great to finally get to read Robbie and Skylar’s story after the preview we got for this book in Dream Girl Drama. When introduced, I wasn't expecting a story for Robbie or Mailer but similar to what Tessa outlined the acknowledgements, as soon as I read Robbie and Skylar, I was hoping that they would get a book. If you love Tessa Bailey, you’ll enjoy this next book in the Big Shots series.

This book definitely welcomed me back into the Big Shots series. Tessa Bailey has a way of plucking side characters out of the story that I didn’t have any strong feelings towards, and making me love them once they’re in the spotlight.
Fake dating, Insta love, and a lot of heart mixed together to make a really enjoyable story, I hope to see more of these 2 down the line.