Tessa Bailey does it again. Writes the most angsty, he-falls-first for a type-a girl, sportsball romance. This is a rom-com of summer reading proportions, even though every book for me is summer reading material. The spicy scenes were spicy, the dialogue was funny and witty, and the tropes were comforting and predictable, which is how a romance should play out. Personally, I liked that the book wasn't too sport-technicality heavy. It was easy to follow as a rookie. But the romance was for the pros.

A reformed player who becomes allergic to other women once he lays eyes on the FMC? Tessa Bailey please continue this series forever

When I tell you I’m obsessed with this series I mean it. Pitcher Perfect was a book I had been looking forward to since before it was announced and I met our couple. This is book is everything you want when it comes to Tessa Bailey! It’s funny it’s steamy and it has a happily ever after that makes you a little swoon-y

2.5 - Really disappointed with this one. We got Robbie and Skylar’s meet cute in Dream Girl Drama, and it set up a fun, fiery, enemies-to-lovers story with a stubborn, feisty pitcher and a yellow lab of a man. Pitcher Perfect did *not* deliver on that. The book started with their enemies-to-lovers meet cute and then it felt like the entire premise of the book shifted, almost like Tessa didn’t know what she was going to do with them when she wrote the scene into Dream Girl Drama and then just tried to make it work into a completely different story.

Within the first two chapters or so, Skylar agrees to bring Robbie as her partner on a week-long family competition at her parent’s house to make her longtime crush jealous. We went from enemies to partners before the book even got going!! And the week of this completion had BARELY started before Robbie, the ultimate playboy, decided that he loved Skylar and she was the one for him. I just cannot fathom that level of insta-love, truly. They both fall in love with each other in the span of a week.

Also, it’s literally the week before playoffs and Robbie leaves to Rhode Island for this. The week before playoffs??? Admittedly I know little about hockey prep but that seems insanely far-fetched! Getting into the playoffs is a huge deal and I would imagine that he should be spending that week practicing, eating right, and not putting himself at risk of injury?

I also felt like we lost Skylar’s fire pretty immediately - she was introduced as this spitfire character and there was none of that in the book after the meet cute. She was shy, insecure, inexperienced, and withered under her family’s pressure. Which would be totally fine except it’s the complete opposite of the Skylar we met in Dream Girl Drama! It felt like her character changed and I wasn’t a fan.

My biggest issue though is the instalove. I think this is the fastest “I love her” that I’ve ever read. Robbie literally wants to propose after what, two weeks? And Burgess and Sig agree with it????? I also felt like our previous leads felt so one-note in this.

It also feels like Tessa tried to shove too many tropes into one book here and it wasn’t successful.

I am really disappointed about this one considering I loved the previous ‘Big Shots’ books. I very openly say that Tessa’s books are a hit or a miss and unfortunately, Pitcher Perfect was a miss.

This novel was so much fun to read. When the FMC wants to make her crush jealous, the MMC proposes that they fake date, during the FMCs yearly family gathering. But low and behold the MMC, might be a little more invested than he leads on. This is a great novel for the summertime. I loved both characters. I would recommend this novel!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to Netgalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

The sweetest! I enjoyed this so muchhhh! Robbie Corrigan has so much personality and heart and you just really believe he’s changed his womanizing ways as soon as he falls for Skylar and you’re just rooting for them so hard. This story was so fun and funny and yearn-y and I found myself to be incredibly *invested* in their HEA! I know no one does spice quite like Tessa Bailey but no one does longing and human empathy quite like her either.

So enjoyable, the story I didn’t know I needed. Five stars!

I received a limited use E-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I have read all the Big Shot series by Tessa Bailey prior to this book. They are fun, spicy rom coms that make you fall in love with the characters. The book is fairly easy to read. Spice level is probably a 3.5 for me. It’s similar to other Tessa Bailey books.

The tropes are familiar, but Tessa adds her own flair. This is a fake dating, enemies to lovers book where he falls hard first. I love some of the lessons Robbie learns in this book about how to treat and respect women. The fact that I ended this book liking him rather than despising him as I did after the past books means Tessa worked hard teaching him some good lessons.

I love the FMC, Skyler. She put on a take no shit attitude, but was far more in depth than that. I enjoyed seeing her develop in the book.

I saw another review where someone didn’t like Robbie’s nickname, Redbeard, and I agree. It threw me off so many times. But at the same time, Skyler didn’t like him when she gave him that nickname, so it sort of works. I thought his nickname for her, Rocket, was absolutely perfect.

Lastly, I think I spotted at least two Taylor Swift coded statements and I’m a sucker for that! Not in your face statements, but ones where fans will recognize and appreciate.

Loved this addition to the Big Shots series and honestly might be my favorite! Loved the evolution of Robbie and Skyler's relationship from something seemingly lighthearted and playful to something true and meaningful! I could feel Robbie's genuine ache for Skyler and really felt his love and devotion for her. This book really got me in my feels but also the spicee 🔥🔥 Definitely a 5 star read for me!!

Delightful from start to end. Tessa Bailey really delivers a golden retriever of an MMC with Robbie. Great banter and fun. Love a guy who falls hard fast.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Avon and feel blessed by the Big Shots gods. I’ve loved this whole series and Pitcher Perfect was such a fun read! Who doesn’t love fake dating, love coaching, and a reformed playboy?

Robbie and Skylar’s story had me hooked from the beginning! The competitiveness of the two main characters was perfection. Their easy banter and teasing had me kicking my feet and giggling. I could truly feel how ‘down bad’ Robbie was for Skylar through the pages and enjoyed how their fake relationship developed into so much more. The MMC’s support of the FMC was genuine and showed a deep level of attentiveness for her needs (emotionally and physically 🔥). The Big Shots series has been such a delight! If you’ve read the previous 3 books in this series you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

Rocket & Redbeard forever! 💙

I went into this with some skepticism because I wasn’t a huge fan of Sig and Chloe’s story, but Tessa Bailey has a home run with this one! I loved that Robbie got his own story and it’s with a woman who doesn’t put up with his shenanigans but also, in the end, reminds him of the man he wants to be. I love their love story! Would highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pitcher Perfect - Big Shots Book 4
by Tessa Bailey

I was given the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I own the other 3 books in this series, but I haven't read them yet (my TBR is ginormous 🤣). The internet assured me that they did not need to be read in order, so I went with it. I'm so glad I did. This book was a good time! I started reading it around 9 pm, which wasn't my best decision. I didn't want to stop, but I tried to. My brain wouldn't let me go to sleep, so I started reading again and finished it a bit after 2 am. Who needs sleep, when you have a good book?!?!?

I absolutely ❤️ Robbie and Skylar. From the start, we get immediate banter/clashing/attraction. They are both super competitive athletes and have more in common than what they realize initially. He is a bit of a player but falls hard and fast. He realizes he may not have been living the way he wants to and decides to change in hopes of being the right man for Skylar. She's been in love with her brother's best friend for most of her life. Her parents host a super competitive set of games for the family every year for their anniversary. Skylar's best friend is usually her partner, but she can't participate this year. They devise a plan that he will be her partner for the games and also be her fake boyfriend in hopes of making her brother's best friend realize what he's been missing. We all know how that usually works out 😉. There is a minimal 3rd act break-up, which prompted me to scream out, "Don't get in that truck!" in the middle of the night. Good thing my husband isn't a light sleeper. 🤣 It all works out, though, and we get our HEA. The best part though, he SEES her and UNDERSTANDS her when no one else has ever tried, even her family and friends. 😭

This is a total 5⭐️ book for me! I laughed, I cried, I couldn't stop reading. Now I need to read the other books in this series!

We get all the good tropes, too, in this one.
⚾️ enemies(ish) to lovers
⚾️ brother's best friend
⚾️ fake dating
⚾️ forced proximity
⚾️ one bed

I received an ARC of this book, but these opinions are my own. I would like to thank the author, Tessa Bailey, the publisher, Avon/Harper Voyager/Harper Collins, and Net Galley for allowing me the privilege of reading her work. ❤️

If you like Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Hockey Romance, Reformed Playboy or Love Coach then you will enjoy this book!

I love Tessa Bailey books but this one was a little hard for me to read only because I am tired of the reformed playboy trope. I did like that the FMC was also an athlete and there were characters from Dream Girl Drama so that was a nice crossover. I also love that the MMC falls for the FMC right away.

I liked this story a lot. If you've followed the series, you already know several of the characters that pop up. Skylar is a star softball pitcher. One day, her brother askes her to pitch in a pickup game against a hockey team. There she meets Robbie. For him it's lust at first site. For her, it's loathing when she hears him discussing his conquests in the most locker room way. When Skylar calls him out on his behavior, Robbie realizes that he's become someone he's not that proud of. So he decides to go home with Skylar and compete in her family's annual competition to prove he's not a bad guy. Skylar also asks for flirting lessons so she can hopefully catch the eye of her crush. But then Robbie starts being there for her in the way no one has before and they both wonder if this relationship can last. A cute book, much in line with Tessa Bailey's other books.

The perfect meet-cute moment that can never be replicated! More than meets the eye is Tessa’s specialty. To take a clown of a character who wears Orgasm Donor shirt (great cover art!) and give him depth and substance. Well done! Really enjoyed the strong FMC as well and liked how the forbidden love/brother’s best friend trope was turned on its head. My only issue was how quickly the conflict was resolved. Opportunity for more poignant (and justifiable) tension with regard to trust.

I loved all the books in this series so far and this one is no different! I finished it in less then 24hrs. There were so many laugh out loud moments that made me love this book more . Robbie and Skyler are great together and I loved them so much. I found myself really rooting for Robbie and loving his development. I loved the familiar names that popped up through out the book! So happy I got to read this thank you Tessa and Avon for the opportunity to read this book!!

I went into this with fairly low expectations considering the MMC is a “presumptions dickwad” and “womanizing asshole” in the previous books. I was not excited that this was going to be his story. Then, I find it hard to believe that one conversation in the first couple of chapters is a wake up call to all of his failures and misdeed in life and brings him back to his family roots and values. Like there are plot holes aplenty here and later in the book.

And yet.

None of that really bothered me as I devoured this in two sittings. I liked Skylar and her spunk. The hockey vs baseball rivalry cracks me up. Tessa Bailey has this je ne sais quoie in her writing that makes it addictive and hard to put down (even if you roll your eyes sometimes).

I struggled between a 3 and a 4 star rating because of some of the issues I had with the plot, but ultimately gave it a 4 because I really enjoyed this. It was a fun and light read and would recommend it if you liked the others in this series.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

This one had me giggling literally every page!! Robbie is so hilarious and the banter was just too good!! Such a fun addition to the series!!

This was my first Tessa Bailey book — I know, jumping in at a random time, right? But I found myself unable to put the book down once I got into it! It was so cute and I’m a sucker for a fake dating trope.

The banter between the two main characters was so fun and played on that line of steamy and sarcastic really well.

Robbie was down BAD for Skylar so fast, and I enjoyed watching her slowly fall for him through the book rather than both having insta-love. The way he stood up to her family for her and fought FOR her was so refreshing to read.

My favorite part of fake dating is the “will they won’t they” anticipation throughout the book, and I think Tessa Bailey did that really well here. Experiencing Skylar’s inner monologue slowly turn from Madden to Robbie was so cute as she learned what she deserved in life and love (with a huge help from Robbie’s encouragement).

The multi POV style threw me off at first, but I assume most long-time Tessa Bailey fans already expect that with her books, so that’s a me thing!

Overall, it’s cute and competitive with great banter and steamier scenes (we love a good lesson moment 👀 iykyk)

✨ ARC Review – 4 Stars ✨
I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey, and WOW—I couldn’t put it down! This book hit all the right notes for me: it’s funny, flirty, and full of heart. 💕

With 4/5 for spice, this one definitely brings the heat 🔥, but it’s also packed with charm and emotion. The fake dating and he-falls-first tropes? Two of my all-time favorites—and Tessa absolutely nails them here.

Robbie completely stole my heart. He’s the cocky hockey player with a soft spot only for Skylar, and watching him fall (hard!) was so satisfying. 😍 Skylar was strong, grounded, and the perfect match for him.

This was such a feel-good read, full of laughs, swoons, and all the reasons we fall in love with romance books in the first place. Add Pitcher Perfect to your TBR ASAP—this one’s a September must-read! 🥎🏒📖