First, I want to say, I know nothing about Pickleball. After reading this, I know just a little, but you do not need to know anything to thoroughly enjoy this book. This is a single point of view story about someone finding themselves again. Brooke was heartbroken after a recent breakup and feels this leads to her writer's block. Little did she know, a little good coaching would lead her in the right direction. Owen is a perfect counterpoint to Brooke; he is patient and calm, while she feels confused and erratic. This is a slow-burn, and the payoff is well worth the wait. I loved how Brooke found herself and took responsibility for her mistakes. I liked how their relationship developed from friends to lovers, it gave depth to their relationship. This is a well-written story, full of hope, empathy, redemption, and love. I had such a good time reading this book. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

4 stars.
This was a cute book. MCs are readers (who doesn't love that?!), ex-tennis pro, pickleball coach, romance writer (ghost writer).
I liked that this was a new and different setting and concept. It was unique.
Our FMC, Brooke, is the ghost romance writer. She is in a writing slump since her breakup and needs to get back into the game! She ends up deciding she needs to learn Pickleball, where she meets a coach and a cute guy she wants to impress.
MMC - Owen. The Pickleball coach is going to help Brooke impress a cute player. He takes his job seriously and the sport. Our grumpy, but actually a teddy bear, MMC, gives Brooke lessons for free just so he can see her. I love Owen.
The love story between Brooke and Owen is so charming and sweet. There is humor, sexual tension, and a charming relationship.
The characters were well-developed. I was able to connect with Brooke for the most part - I did feel that the heartbreak over the 4-month relationship that ended at the beginning was a little bit dramatic and unrealistic, but who am I to judge - lol. Owen was so perfectly written, again, I LOVED him. I do think the dynamic with Kai was drawn out and continued for too long, maybe that was me, but it started getting on my nerves when Brooke continually brought him up to Owen.
The plot was structured well. Some of the pacing was a bit slow in some areas, but the author recovers.
The book is written in Brooke's POV, and I loved this; it just works so well in this plot structure.
This is a fun, quick, and sweet read. Perfect for a Fall TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

Checking a pickleball book off of my sports romance list! ✔️

Brooke, a romance ghost writer, begins playing pickleball to try and get out of her funk when she spots her new muse, Kai. To impress Kai, she starts taking lessons from Owen. As her lesson go on, the tension slooooowly builds. She gets her HEA in writing and real life.

The story felt a bit rushed and left me unsure if I loved the book or not. Overall I’d give it a 3.5 ⭐️ and 1.5 🌶️. Thank you, NetGalley/Avon and Harper, for the ARC!

This was such a cute and quick read! A book about pickleball is definitely a new one and I found myself really enjoying how the author balanced the sport and the romance without getting too lost for people not really interested in pickleball. I also love how it was explained in simplistic terms making it easy to follow along. The plot was super cute and unique.

I do wish the love triangle aspect wrapped up a bit sooner and that we were able to see the main characters really shot one another a bit longer. I don’t feel like we got to really know them beyond the surface level and sometimes it made it different to connect with the FMC and I found myself wanting to shake her sometimes. Owen was so cute and I was rooting for him the whole time. I love how kind and patient he was with her even when she was so sure her fantasy was what she wanted.

All over this was so fun. It did take me a bit longer to get through but I am looking forward to what this author writes next!

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager!

I'll admit I was nervous reading a sports romance centered on pickleball, but I'm shocked to report that this was actually sort of cute? I thought the balance between the romance and the sports was very equally yoked and it didn't feel like it was too sports heavy. I also appreciate the way the author gave us the sports in dummy terms and didn't come to the story with the impression that the readers understood what pickleball is.

I thought the characters were well flushed out and their motivations made sense in context of the story. Even though I thought Brooke the fmc was slightly messy, it sort of added up with the chaotic way that her life was going. Owen was very cute as well and I liked how he was just super supportive from the beginning and wasn't so down bad that he allowed Brooke to mistreat him during her messy period.

On that note, I get that Brooke needed to have a reason to get over her writer's block, but I didn't really buy that a 4 month relationship would destroy someone this badly. Like how well do you actually know someone after 4 months? And you're that upset over it that you sabotage a romance for yourself because of it? I guess....

I think the whole Kai thing went on for too long. I get that he was her imaginary muse, but the way she was thirsting over a man she literally had never spoken to for like 70% of the story while ignoring the guy who was clearly in love with in front of her face was starting to grate on me. Almost every time her and Owen would have a moment, she'd bring up Kai and it's like REALLY?????.

Owen had valid reactions to the way Brooke was doing him dirty, especially after the halfway point, but I appreciate that they were both able to see how they were treating each other and course correct without any massive 3rd act miscommunication. Always appreciated lol.

I don't know, this was very sweet. Hate to say it! Owen was supportive of Brooke's writing and her learning a sport, and Brooke was supportive when it came to him coming out of his shell. They felt like a good couple once all the drama was over. It wasn't super steamy which worked well for what they had going on. For once the sex didn't derail the plot and we actually saw the sports lmao.

Overall I liked it. It didn't quite reach holy grail for all the reasons I mentioned, and it didn't really make me want to play pickleball but I would definitely tell my friends to read this lol.

I really enjoyed this book but MAN did I not like the FMC for a majority of it. I didn’t love the love triangle aspect because of Owen’s past and really wanted him to just Be Happy.

This book was a quick read and super fun. The sports aspect was a focus, but didn’t overpower the story. Honestly, it made me want to try my hand at pickleball lol what a disaster that would be. I’m not familiar with pickleball, so I wasn’t critical of the jargon or play like I would have been for a sport I am familiar with.

Full Goodreads review to come.

3.5/5 - super cute, fun, and quick read! I was able to get an ARC! As someone who also recently got into pickleball within the past year i connected with Brooke as a beginner to the sport. When she was talking about her break up with Leo and said, “Leo would know that it wasn't actually my birthday. He'd asked me about the date and then recorded it in his phone, but we'd never shared a November.” that was SO HEARTBREAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!! perfect way to describe being with not someone for an entire calendar year. I was smiling so hard when her and Owen finally figured their issues out. I was rooting for him the entire time because I knew Kai wouldn’t have lived up to her fantasy of him (not his fault - she set high expectations for essentially a complete stranger). Also I would’ve liked to see more detailed when Owen and Brooke hooked up. I felt like Owen would be a dirty talker and it just seemed short? But I understood there were was so much tension that it was consuming them so they just let their actions do the talking. also Brooke choosing Howard as her pickle ball partner for the tournament??? Adorable!!!! Overall enjoyed this book!

If you're looking for a quick pallet cleanser, look no further! This book was fun, and the Pickleball setting was something different. I could've done with fewer puns, but overall, it was cute. Worth noting that this is not the most emotionally complex book, but was the perfect break from some of the longer books/series I've been reading.

Overall, I would recommend this for someone looking for a fun take on a contemporary romance.

📖 / 4⭐️

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions! #PickMe #NetGalley

Cute and charming rom-com that was a great palate cleanser. Brooke is a bit awkward and frustrating at times, but Owen is a delight.

I wish this book had about 25-50 more pages of Owen & Brooke actually in their relationship together and having some of the necessary conversations needed to resolve some of their miscommunications rather than all the pickleball talk. I know nothing about pickleball, and after this book, I still don't really feel like I know all that much. While it does make up a large portion of the plot, I know the terminology but not definitions. So don't ask me what a dink is or where the kitchen is cause I know they exist, but I couldn't tell you what they are.

But would recommend. It was cute.

Special thanks to NetGalley & Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read & review this ARC.

loved this romance of a writer needing to get out of the funk and gets lesson on pickleball with Owen and trying to meet another guy. she ends up falling for Owen and working on the book. loved that she went out of her comfort zone with the coach and found love. Loved this romance and about trying new things.

I loved this book! I cannot say enough good things about it. Especially with pickleball becoming popular the last few years this book has a sport theme I have not seen very often. I also enjoyed how much we got to see them bond and grow together throughout.

The story explores themes of identity, relationships, and personal growth, making it a thought-provoking and emotional journey.

I highly recommend "Pick Me" to anyone looking for a compelling and well-crafted story. It's a must-read!

The cutest, quickest read to pull anyone out of a reading slump!

I was in a serious slump, and this book completely turned things around for me. I loved Owen—he’s the sweetest, most thoughtful MMC. He cared so deeply for Brooke and was willing to put his own feelings aside just to make her happy. There were definitely moments where I wanted to shake Brooke and yell, “He’s perfect for you!” But watching her come around and finally realize how amazing he was and her do some of her own pining was worth it. The HEA was so cute and the pickleball aspect was perfectly done. I’ll definitely be reading another one of her books!

4 stars!

3.5 stars rounded up

even though i enjoyed this book, i cannot get past my personal opinion that pickleball is the least sexy sport ever. however, this book did grow on me!! i enjoyed the relationship between the MCs but felt like we only knew them on a very surface level way. this was a nice quick read for summer!

thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this one. I liked the characters, I enjoyed the plot. I did get a little annoyed that she couldn't see who her real muse was until the end, but still a fun read.

🎙️Live from Court One: It’s Book Review Time! 🎾

And whoa baby, we’ve got a real page-turner in play today. I came into this one expecting a nice little rally of light banter and casual flirtation, this book had that and just a touch of spice.

The match started slow I'm talking dink rally slow as a Starbucks drive through on black Friday. Thought we might be stuck in warm-ups forever. But just when I was about to call a timeout and come back to in a month? Boom it finally started to get good. with a Slow burn activation mid set. The chemistry lit up like a paddle to a power shot, and suddenly I was in it, eyes wide, flipping pages like I was returning serves in a championship tiebreaker.

Now let’s talk intensity. Moments of passion? Oh, they hit harder than a kitchen-line smash. You think you're just vibing and then BAM heartstrings yanked, emotions spinning, and you're sweating like you're two points down in the final game. culminating in a HEA Happy Ending Alert!

The kicker? It’s an author writing about an author. Meta magic, people. Layers on layers. It’s like watching someone narrate their own serve-and-volley rally risky, intimate, and totally engaging.

And between the banter, the longing, and that swoony, slow-build romance? I gotta admit... I’m seriously considering taking up pickleball. Why? Because now I, too, want to meet my own hot bucket hat cutie across the court. I am manifesting my page to life arc here :) klutzs can be sporty right?

This book brought the heat, the heart, and left me ready to rally for love. Game Match Set solid 4 star maybe 4.5 star read I really liked the alicorns. iykyk ;)

This was such a fun, feel-good read! The story follows a super relatable main character who's trying to figure out life and love, plus there’s a cute pickleball twist that I totally appreciated as someone who plays. The male lead? Loved his energy. He was flirty, confident, and just really fun to read. Not overly spicy, but it definitely made me laugh out loud. Perfect if you want something light and entertaining.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I picked up this book because I hadn't seen any romances related to pickleball and was intrigued. Going into summer I figured it could be the perfect quick, fun read. This book delivered!

The premise was enjoyable to read - an uninspired romance writer attempts to learn pickleball in order to make a connection with a cute guy to spark her creativity after a breakup. Enter the pickleball coach who agrees to help her improve her skills and get the cute guy to notice her...it goes exactly how you'd think and I have no complaints. The connection Brooke and Owen build throughout their training was very well done and both characters had strong personalities which were enjoyable to see. Being in only Brooke's POV throughout the story allows you to pick up on her humor and understand the way she overcomes challenges.

The third act conflict wasn't my favorite; however, I appreciate that the story wasn't stuck there for too long before it was resolved. Overall, a perfect read if you're looking for something quick, fun, and flirty (especially recommended for pickleball playing season!).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book just proves that when it’s real, it is easy. It may not FEEL easy because we all tote baggage and scars around with us but…all those Owen and Brooke were easy together. 🫠 I love that the hard was heavy but never unbearable and the way O saw B was so beautifully intentional and safe. It also made me miss the sounds of the City. The characters we're so easy to relate to and I loved the whole story line!

I’m so glad and grateful I got to read this early! I can't wait to get a hard copy when it’s out because I need it on my shelf to read over and over again. ❤️

This is a super cute easy read. Just the perfect length for a palate cleanser between books.

I had no previous knowledge of pickle-ball, but enjoyed that the author used key terms and gave bits of direction about the game itself. It gave me a new understanding of the game and those who play it.

I am typically not a fan of slow burn or miscommunication tropes but the chemistry between the FMC and MMC made it super enjoyable. All characters (main and side) were likeable and relatable. I love that each of them had the FMC best interests at heart all through the book. Conflict was minimal and, in the end, easily resolved.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Brooke and Owen are two really likeable leads and the author does well with making you root for them from the start!

This was such a fun book. I love reading all types of sports romances, so when I saw this book about pickle ball I thought, why not? Plus I love when the FMC is an author. I know some people don't enjoy that, but I'm a sucker for it. Plus the fact she was a ghostwriter made it extra interesting to me. Brooke was a little bit of a mess, but that's what I found relatable about her. Our MMC Owen was such a mystery and I loved learning more about him as the book went on. I still feel like he has some secrets though. Let us in Owen!

I thought the story was a good balance between the sports aspect and the relationship building. The side characters were fantastic as well. This was my first time reading this author and I'm ready to grab another book! The writing flowed really well, the plot was solid and the pacing was spot on. The book is Single POV (her), I would've loved to have had a chapter or two from Owen's POV.