Pick Me was such a delightful surprise. I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover art, but I stayed for the laugh out loud moments. It’s been a long time since the "com" in rom-com actually had me kicking my feet with joy, and Pick Me absolutely delivered. It captures everything I love in a romance: charm, chaos, and a heroine you can’t help but root for, even when you don’t always agree with her choices.

Brooke Murphy is a character who walks the fine line between being a classic “pick me” girl and a clever mastermind, as Taylor Swift might say. She’s funny, charismatic, and delightfully chaotic. Though she's a writer, she often struggles to find the right words in real life, which creates a touching and relatable contradiction. Her journey of self-discovery was both inspiring and heartwarming.

The inclusion of pickleball and the ghostwriter subplot added unexpected depth. These elements weren’t just quirky details; they were thoughtfully woven into the story. I found myself genuinely interested and even learning something new. I’m honestly considering buying a cheap paddle just to give it a try. The narrative was rich in detail without ever feeling bogged down, and each subplot enhanced the overall story.

The relationships felt genuine and well earned. The romance was especially impactful, exploring themes of expectation versus reality and reminding us not to judge a book by its cover, both literally and metaphorically. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own idealized visions of love that we fail to see what's right in front of us. Pick Me is a charming, thoughtful, and laugh out loud funny read that has earned a permanent spot on my “need a good laugh” reading list.

This was my first Netgalley acquisition and I couldn’t be happier .

4.5 ✨ for Brooke and Owen . Not gonna lie, at first B annoyed the hell out of me with her fantasy muse and her dad jokes . It was painful to see how everything she ever wanted was in front of her and she didn’t even notice because she was pinning after a guy she didn’t even knew . Owen on the other hand was perfect . I didn’t like that she almost knew nothing about him, but also was obsessed with the way the supported each other .

“I’ll wait for you as long as it takes” ❤️

This book was so fun to read! Sexy and sweet, hot and cool, it exactly fit the light yet heartfelt feel that I was looking for in a book. I ultimately ship Owen and Brooke and I found that I loved how the story developed over the plot points in the book. Don’t underestimate this romance, it was worth every second! And I love that pickleball was explored too! It made the book so fun!

This was a really cute read! 4.5/5 round up (which I rarely do)

As someone who dislikes miscommunication tropes and does not care for slow burns, I was delighted how the author goes about the former trope. Conflicts were not dragged out too long, and the plot building was done pretty well!

As for this being a slow burn, it had a bit of spice but maybe 1/5 to 1.5/5 spice level? But I still enjoyed the dynamics between the two MCs. I understand that the FMC was not looking for literary inspiration in the right places but it just added to the tension. At the end of the day FMC was trying to pay bills and was desperate to get her writing done so can we blame her?

I was able to breeze through this and found myself kicking my feet giddily. I think the beginning is just the part I cringed a bit but once the plot started to unravel this became a really enjoyable read. This book is not something I would typically grab but I’m glad I found the plot details interesting enough to read this, I had a lot of fun doing so!

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this eARC!

It was kind of hard for me to decide whether I liked this book because for most of it, I really disliked the female main character, but I also think that was kind of the point??? So I think in the end I liked it??

Girly pop is looking in all the wrong places for literary inspiration, chasing down the wrong man, or maybe just the idea of a man, when someone who actually liked her was right in front of her face the whole time. Someone who was kind and caring and thoughtful and wonderful and lovely and sexy and funny, and I could go on and on and on about a hot Pickleball coach Owen. I wanted to SCREAM at her. But again, I think it was the point of the book to have a sort of flipped version of the man typically growling for the woman’s forgiveness??? And have her mess up??? But if that’s the case, I don’t really feel like the female main character graveled enough with how annoyingly she navigated the situation with Owen and the guy she so desperately wanted to be her muse. Especially knowing Owen was in a previous love triangle that ended POORLY.

but anyway, the book was written well and I don’t really have any complaints other than that I just felt the FMC needed to be less messy but who among us isn’t a little messy sometimes? Who am I to judge? I just think she needed to grovel more 😂

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advance copy to review!

There’s plenty of nice stuff here: an interesting setting (I definitely learned a lot about pickleball), a very appealing love interest, breezy writing, a zippiness to all of it, incredibly easy to read … and yet.

The problem is Brooke, who is delusional and blinkered in a way that’s never appropriately or satisfyingly engaged with. A romance book author who has terrible taste in men and projects incredibly complicated fantasies on random himbos? That’s a great idea for a book, but one that Schade is disinclined to investigate, leaving us with a “heroine” who is hard to root for and a HEA that makes us genuinely worried for the lovely Owen. A whiff!

As someone completely new to the world of Pickleball, I was surprised by how much I loved this book—I tore through it in a single day!

Pick Me centers on Brooke, a romance author stuck in a creative rut. In an attempt to reignite her inspiration, she reluctantly joins her best friend for a game of pickleball—even though she claims to have zero athletic ability. That’s where she meets Kai, a passionate player who instantly sparks her imagination. Determined to impress him, Brooke enlists the help of his coach, Owen, to teach her the game. But as their coach-student relationship deepens, Brooke begins to question what (and who) she really wants.

Brooke’s path to finding her muse is full of surprises, self-discovery, and heartfelt moments. This is a story about more than just romance—it’s about growth, connection, and stepping outside your comfort zone.

Pick Me is a charming and refreshing romance with a sporty twist. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book.

3.5 - the story started off really interesting to me but I slowly lost interest. I think the premise was promising and was overall an easy book to read. I would read another book by this author

3.5 stars!!

This book was a fun time! Interesting plot that had a super cute romance. I wouldn't say that it got particularly deep, but with everything that was going on in the story, I don't think was necessary to either! I had the best time reading about two people falling in love over pickleball lessons!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC! As soon as I saw this cover, i knew I needed to read this book! So happy to have received the notification that I was approved to read it!
Pick Me by Victoria Schade is going to be released on November 18th and it's delightful! Brooke Murphy, a cowboy romance ghostwriter in need of inspiration, signs up for a mixed doubles pickleball game hoping it’ll spark ideas for her next book. There, she meets Owen, a grumpy but talented coach who reluctantly agrees to help her learn the game. As Brooke’s pickleball skills improve, so does her writing—and maybe, just maybe, her heart starts falling for her coach too. This book served everything I wanted and more! A romance set around pickleball lessons? Yes please—we need way more of that! The short chapters kept me hooked, the tension was 🔥, and Owen (our swoony, grumpy MMC) totally stole the show. If you're into fun, flirty romances with heart, I 100% recommend—and I’ll definitely be grabbing more from this author! 🎾💘

Brooke, a romance writer in a writing slump, finds her Muse, Kai, in the pickleball court. Everything goes to plan. The meet cute check, Run in the same circle check. To impress him, she takes lessons with a professional coach, Owen.

The premise is great. That’s why I picked up this ARC. A writer taking up pickleballs lesson to impress someone only to fall for her coach. There are too many guys. There’s Kai, the muse. Leo, her ex, which doesn’t come to play but the reason why she’s in a slump, Owen, actual MMC. I don’t feel the chemistry between them. It wasn’t really opposites attract. He’s sporty, she’s a nerdy writer, but they both love reading.

Owen also had trauma of being in a love triangle and doesn’t want to get with Brooke. That’s valid! Brooke was playing him along honestly. While she is still pursuing Kai, she kisses him. He says no and puts space because he knows this is a telltale sign of love triangle. The pining could have work when there is undeniable chemistry or the other man is a jerk.

Kai, the other guy, had nothing particularly wrong. He was a rich guy who went to Yale to continue his family company. He doesn’t like reading 😑 He isn’t a match for Brooke. I don’t think not having the same hobbies as you is a red flag, not respecting your career is though. It didn’t work because Owen and Kai are both equally bland. So, I wasn’t rooting for any of them

It wasn’t bad but I’m just sad because it could be so much more. I see potential.

🏓 Pickleball coach, ex tennis pro
🏓 romance ghostwriter
🏓 love triangle
🏓 both are readers

This book was FUN and whip smart! It sucked me in from literally the first sentence. Brooke was so funny and relatable. And Owen! Whew. What a man. They were hot and romantic and cute and just everything! Such a fun read!

Pick Me by Victoria Schade is a friends-to-lovers, slow burn romcom that was such a fun read! Brooke is an author, currently ghostwriting cowboy romances but struggling with her current novel after a recent break-up. Owen is an elite pickleball instructor who agrees to help teach Brooke how to play, in order to impress a guy and hopefully get her writing mojo back. Although I know nothing about pickleball, I thoroughly loved this book! The build up of the friendship and relationship between Owen and Brooke was so sweet and fun and I loved every minute of it. The author did a great job of incorporating the characters back stories throughout the novel and she had me rooting for these two to finally get together!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon & Harper Voyager, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was super cute!! i’m not a sports romance girlie but this book was such a slay, and now i kinda want to try pickleball....

Pick Me is the perfect summer read! I’m a sports romance girly, but I was hesitant on the pickleball focus instead of the usual sports, but I LOVED it! Brooke is an author who is in a slump after having her heart broken. Her best friend talks her into joining her for pickleball at the local club to get her out of her slump, and Brooke reluctantly tags along even though she’s terrible at sports. While playing, she runs into Kai, who she instantly decides is her romance muse and needs to get closer to him ASAP. She decides pickleball is her in, but she absolutely sucks at it, so what happens? Owen, who is Kai’s pickleball instructor offers to help her learn the game! This book was definitely a slow burn, but I love watching the characters grow and finding out more about both Brooke and the somewhat mysterious Owen! Brooke definitely finds her muse along the way with lots of changes to her writing along the way as she finds herself more confident with the help of Owen! This is definitely a lighthearted, perfect sports read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions and rating are my own!

A student-coach budding romance? Yes! Pick Me is entertaining and easy to get lost in. The story is cute, and I liked the banter between characters. Also, the cover is perfect. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Cute pickleball romance with the perfect amount of tension, character development, and slow burn 🔥💞 this is officially the third pickleball romance I’ve read and each has been different and cute in its own way! loved the romance writer FMC and pickleball coach MMC- could not have picked a better situation than the free lessons he keeps giving her because he wants a reason to see her 🥹🫶🏼 in love.

it was a perfect light and funny sports romance read! definitely recommend it!

Pick Me by Victoria Schade is a delightful romantic comedy that blends the excitement of pickleball with the complexities of unexpected love. As someone unfamiliar with pickleball, I found the sport’s introduction both informative and engaging, adding a fresh twist to the classic rom-com narrative.

The story follows Brooke Murphy, a cowboy romance ghostwriter seeking inspiration after a breakup. In her quest, she dives into the world of pickleball to impress a new crush but unexpectedly finds herself drawn to her gruff coach, Owen Miller. The dynamic between Brooke and Owen is both humorous and heartfelt, capturing the essence of opposites attracting.

What I appreciated most was the character development and the subversion of typical romantic tropes. Brooke’s journey to rediscover her muse leads her to unexpected places, emphasizing personal growth and genuine connection over superficial attraction.

Victoria Schade’s writing is witty and accessible, making Pick Me an easy and enjoyable read. Fans of lighthearted romances with a sporty twist will find this novel a perfect addition to their reading list.

Enjoyed my time with Brooke and Owen. I don’t play pickleball but I liked the sporty, activity dynamic it gave the story. A solid read.