I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Hachette Audio.

Bex Martin’s racquet club is her entire world. But the business she inherited from her mother has started to feel more like a sinking ship. That is, until Nikolaus Karras—a former tennis bad-boy with an ego as big as his serve—makes himself at home on her courts.

Niko has something to prove, and a high-stakes pickleball tournament is just what he needs to get back in the game after a career-ending injury. When he is finally able to set his ego aside to ask for Bex’s help, everyone assumes that they are a couple—on and off the court.

But she needs the prize money to save the club, and he needs a win to restore his reputation. So now they have a fake relationship as well as a doubles partner that they can not seem to resist. Game on!

All's Fair in Love and Pickleball was such a fun read. It was a literal love letter to the sport of pickleball. There were so much great banter and sweet moments. Nico was the definition of a book boyfriend. I liked the fun, flirty, and competitive aspects of their relationship and enjoyed how their romance developed. I do wish we got to have Nico's POV in the book as well. But one of the downfalls was a third act breakup. I personally hate third act breakups, and this third act conflict was so unnecessary and was timed poorly. I knew this book dealt with grief but I was not sure why it was not a bigger part of the plot. It was also weird to base an entire story around a tournament, only to gloss over the actual winning game. Overall, it was still enjoyable, and I feel it will probably be a great summer romance. If you love pickle ball or any type of sports romance, you will probably like this one.

Read this and immediately played pickleball for the first time!

I absolutely loved this book - especially the chemistry between our MCs.

Tropes included:
-grumpy x sunshine
-enemies to lovers
-fake dating
-hurt/comfort
-cinnamon roll MMC

I also loved the inclusion of the mental health rep and our meddling senior citizens!

I got the opportunity to listen to the audiobook and it was AMAZING!
I don't tend to read many sports romaces because the sport I love the most is soccer and there's not lot of those. Most of them are probably about hockey and I don't understand the rules yet (because we don't play that in Peru, were I live), so I don't get to enjoy as much as I could. That's one of the advantages of this srory. It's not about the sport but about the relationships between the MCs and the community they are living in (even if it is temporary)... and that's how fake dating becomes real.
This is a slow burn romance, there will be spicy time but it will take a while (and waiting is worth it).
I hope the author and the narrator work together again. They were a great team!

Thanks to NetGalley and the editors for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I havent read a lot of sports romance and I knew nothing about pickeball so going into this one felt like stepping out of my confort zone, however I enjoyed it so much, they explained the game very easily and the chemestry between the protagonists seemed logic and smooth, not too forced, a bit predictable but its part of the genre.

*Sports Romance
*Fake Dating
*Amazing Chemistry

This was definitely a fun book! While I do not play Tennis or Pickleball, I enjoyed reading about Bex and Nico, and how they work together (and fake date)!

This book is the perfect definition of a beach read. It's a fun and flirty story and I enjoyed the narration of the book as well.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley this advanced copy of the audiobook. I initially picked this up because I had interest in reading something from this author, but is book was not for me at all. This is a sports romance where you have to really enjoy the sport(s). I have no experience or interest in Pickleball or Tennis so I probably should have not picked this up. The characters felt so flat, each person had one bad thing happen to them in their past and now that is the one thing that impacts all of their decision making now. The romance escalated from annoyance to obsession in the span on two seconds. The third act breakup pissed me off so bad. It took so long to get through this book I low-key should've DNF'd but wanted to give my NetGalley feedback so I didn't.

This was such a fun and entertaining listen
the
narrator brought all the sass that was needed and I enjoyed every moment and every accent W never imagined pickle ball could be so steamy I can't wait to read more by Kate Spencer

3.75 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the #gifted copy of this audiobook.

I had an absolute blast with this one. It was short and sweet sports romance about a tennis player and a pickleball player. It was a short timeline that dealt with navigating grief, finding yourself and finding love in one sweet package. I'm always a sucker for older meddling people in a story and this had all of that and more.

The narrator did a great job with the story and would listen to other books she narrated in the future.

Closed Door Mods: 23,24

I had such a great time reading this book! It pulled me in right from the start and kept me turning the pages. The writing flowed so well, and I found myself completely invested in the story and characters. It’s one of those reads you just don’t want to put down.
huge thanks to the publisher for sending me an early copy!! I’m so glad I got to read it ahead of the release day and can't wait for the world to get to enjoy it too!!

This was such a fun audio!

Witty, well paced book and a fun listen.

The back and forth between the characters, the clap backs were definitely my fave part of the book, they had great chemistry and I always enjoy the fake dating trope. This made for a great rom com from Kate. And a big shoutout to Mia Hutchinson-Shaw who did a fantastic job bringing this story to life and I’ll definitely be checking more of her audio work out.

The narrator was awesome! I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and their love was sweet! I loved the pickleball setting! I’m so happy they saved the racket club!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC of All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball! This was a super cute, fast paced summer romance and it included PICKLEBALL! I loved all the pickleball chatter and especially the senior citizens friends. One thing that really annoyed me …the way Niko called Bex PRINCESS. Yuck! I also wish we got more of the big pickleball tournament at the end. Overall a fun read though!

What an excellent read! Kate Spencer has such a voice that is all at once vulnerable and strong, lighthearted and deep. This story had enough plot lines and layers without being messy. Steamy but not gratuitous. Highly recommend!

I didn’t expect to end up reading this book with tears in my eyes as I laughed and cried my way to the perfect happily ever after. Niko is the always appealing blend of cool, aloof, snarky, and tough on the outside, but between the cracks you can see rays of sunlight and the soft glow of a steady beating heart. Exactly what Bex needs. Having ADHD myself I loved the representation in this book and the way it's used as a superpower, which it totally is. Bex is a wildly fun, unique character that I couldn't help relating to and admiring, inspiring me to keep working on my own journey. The audiobook, narrated by Mia Hutchinson Shaw, is amazing and a wonderful way to enjoy this delightful romantic comedy.

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!

All’s Fair In Love And Pickleball by Kate Spencer was a cutie little romance about Bex, a struggling racquet club owner, and Nikolaus, a prickly and egocentric tennis star who fell from grace after an injury. Bex is facing a repair bill she can’t afford, but selling the club goes against everything her late mother would have wanted. Nikolaus is in town to help his aunt and is looking for a way to break back into the sports world, but this time with better PR. The two team up with a plan to benefit them both: they fake date and team up for the pickleball tournament that’s coming up: one with a big cash prize. The only issue? They can’t stand each other.

I really enjoyed this book! I am going to criticize it in the same way I criticize most books advertised as “enemies to lovers” though: this really wasn’t enemies to lovers and I feel like it falls more under the miscommunication trope. They both assume they know the other one and can predict their intentions but once they get to know each other they realize they’re wrong and fall in love. That is not enemies to lovers!!! And they’re not truly enemies if they’re making not of how hot and sexy their enemy is!!!!! Otherwise this was a very typical and predictable rom com. There wasn’t much that really stood out to me about it, but I did still definitely enjoy it! You don’t have to be a pickleball person to enjoy this, either. I am one of the few remaining white people who knows jack all about pickleball and I never felt lost in the sauce. If you’re looking for an easy, breezy, cutie little summer read, this one checks all the boxes!!

3.5⭐️

One part pickleball, one part romance, all the feels. I adored this cute rom-com about a grieving tennis and pickleball club owner struggling to save her family business after her mom’s passing. She meets an unlikely ally in a former tennis pro and they agree to form a partnership (both on an off the court). The elderly side characters made me laugh and reminded me of Everything’s Coming Up Rosie. Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced listening copy. This book is available now!

Read this if you like books with:

- Enemies to lovers
- Fake dating
- Pickleball puns
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Found family
- Finding hope after grief

FYI - There is some language and two open door scenes.

story itself was a 3.5 but the narration was fantastic!

My first pickleball romance 🥹 and as a pickleball girlie I was so giddy that we get a romance that has it as a focus!!

Bex is left running the pickleball club her mom bought after her death & is trying to save it from needing to be sold. In comes a grumpy, injured pro tennis player, Nick, to potentially save the day. He happens to also be one of the youngest people around her as most of them happen to be older pickleball players. A competition is announced at a competing pickleball facility and the two team up as Bex coaches Nick so they can be doubles partners and hopefully win the grand prize. But in between all this, we get some enemies to lovers vibes and some fun banter & tension 🔥

The third act break up/a few things that happened before it really irked me so my rating went down half a point but overall the story was really cute!!

The ending was amazing & it made my heart really happy! And we get soooo many amazing side characters that had me laughing my booty off!!

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Grumpy x sunshine
Pickleball romance

🎾 Review: All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball by Kate Spencer
🎧 Narrated by Mia Hutchinson Shaw

Fake dating? Check. Enemies-to-lovers vibes? Double check. High-stakes pickleball rivalry? Surprisingly addictive.

Kate Spencer serves up a charming, laugh-out-loud rom-com with All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball, a story that blends heartfelt stakes with swoony chemistry and a whole lot of paddle-smacking fun. Bex Martin is the fiercely loyal owner of her late mother’s racquet club, trying desperately to keep it afloat. Enter Niko Karras—a former tennis heartthrob turned pickleball wildcard—whose swagger clashes with Bex’s guarded practicality from the moment he steps onto her court.

When a misunderstanding sparks rumors of romance, Bex and Niko lean into a fake relationship to get what they each need: prize money for her, redemption for him. But as they train together, banter turns into tension, and the line between fake and real starts to blur. Their chemistry crackles both on and off the court, and the buildup is immensely satisfying.

Narrator Mia Hutchinson Shaw brings this rom-com to life with the perfect mix of snark, charm, and emotional depth. Her performance makes every flirtatious exchange and heartfelt moment hit even harder.

Whether you’re a diehard pickleball fan or don’t know a thing about the sport, this book will win you over with its lovable characters, quick wit, and just the right amount of heat. It’s a love match you won’t want to miss.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perfect for fans of fake dating, sports romance, and a little on-court grudge-flirting.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bex is just trying her best to keep her mothers pickleball gym open anyway she can. After her mother passed all Bex wanted was to continue her mothers legacy to feel close to her still. She coaches and runs the gym, just skating by every month. When one of her elder athletes gets injured and her grandson accuses Bex of being responsible with the shape of her courts being so bad, Bex is forced to start looking for ways to make improvements. But with what money? Niko, the grandson, is a famous tennis player who needs somewhere to practice while looking after his grandmother. After butting heads repeatedly, Niko and Bex decide to work together in a pickleball tournament to raise money for renovations.

I liked to see how both Bex and Niko grew throughout the book. Having also lost my mother, sometimes you cling to whatever you can just to still remain close to them. It was good to see how she fought past the greif and learned to start living for herself again.

When it came to the narrator, I thought she did an amazing job with this story.

🏓 Bookish Thoughts
I knew I was going to love this audiobook the second I saw Mia Hutchinson Shaw was narrating. She always delivers, and her performance here was no exception. She always brings so much life to the audiobook!

This was such a fun and quirky romcom! Living in Utah where pickleball is everywhere, I’ve somehow avoided the craze… but after this, I might be reconsidering. And the fake dating? I’m never saying no to a fake dating romcom. Ever. It was charming, funny, and had just the right amount of heart.

🧡 What to Expect
• Fake dating
• Pickleball rivalry
• Small town drama
• Quirky side characters
• Reluctant allies to lovers
• Family expectations

🎧 Audio Score: 5 stars
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo
📅 Pub Date: June 3, 2025

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.