Where is the tension? Where is the yearning. It feels as if we fast forward through all the important parts when it comes to the romance in this romance novel. They hate each other and then out of no where are kissing and telling each other how much they want each other.

However, the ADHD mannerisms are extremely on point. I found the plot of saving the athletic club more interesting than the romance and that was what caused it to be a bit of a disappointment.

All in all this is a low stakes predictable romcom and wasn’t for me. It is still cute and may be for you so if you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc of this book.

All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball is a delightful blend of romantic comedy and sporty sass that brings a fresh twist to both the rom-com genre and the surprisingly cutthroat world of pickleball. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the paddle sport or barely know the difference between a dink and a drop shot, this book will charm you with its wit, heart, and unexpected depth.

The story follows two fiercely competitive leads — one a pickleball newbie with a lot to prove, the other a local legend with a chip on their shoulder — as they're reluctantly paired for a high-stakes mixed doubles tournament. Sparks fly (on and off the court), and what starts as rivalry quickly morphs into flirtation, banter, and eventually something a lot messier — and more real.

What makes this book shine is the way it handles tension: not just romantic tension, but personal growth, vulnerability, and learning to trust someone else. The dialogue is sharp and funny, and the supporting cast — particularly the quirky group of senior players at the local rec center — adds genuine heart and humor. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, especially when the characters’ egos clash mid-game, and more than one heartfelt scene that sneaks up on you.

If there’s a flaw, it’s that the pacing sags slightly around the midpoint, and a few plot turns are a bit predictable. But honestly, that’s par for the course in this genre — and the charm more than makes up for it.

For starters, I don't play pickleball, I never have. But this book made me want to play haha. This book was SO fun! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The characters were lovable and it made me want to keep listening. The narration was amazing too. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Which is superior- Tennis or Pickleball?
And how do two people on opposite sides of this debate learn to get along? (Answer: mostly due to a meddlesome Grandma and a combined disdain for a mega tennis club that is trying to buy out theirs.)

I learned more than I thought about both sports without it being about the sports. The audio was good and kept me wanting to find out how it all worked it out.

It is Bex's mission to save her pickleball club and there is a pickleball tournament that just might be the answer she only needs to find a partner. Then walks in Nikolause Karras, a hothead tennis player on break from a blowup match. If only he wasn't so insufferable.

The opening scene with enemies chemistry ✔️. The slowburn sizzling chemistry before they confessed ✔️. The fire connection once they accept defeat to their feelings ✔️.

This book had everything a rom com needs. Their sexy banter was so much fun, but man, that breakup that came out of nowhere and then the competition that never was...it just didn't stick the landing for me in the end.

I still recommend it, though. Maybe some readers won't be so bothered by that chapter.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

I went into this story with high expectations, especially given the pickleball and small business setting combined with grief from losing a parent.

However, I ended up DNFing it at 76%.

Props to the narrator of the audiobook who makes this story interesting as I’m not sure I would have enjoyed reading this as a physical copy.

For me, the banter and the instant attraction did not work and Nico was quite flat as a character. My favourites were the older supporting characters, who made the story quite fun.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick sports romance, it could be interesting.

3.5 Rounded up - I thought this was a cute romance with some grief plot sprinkled throughout. I did not understand the insta-obsession but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was also spicy!

3.5 Stars rounded up!!

"But you gotta embrace the risk of losing if you want to win. And I think we can win this one, Princess. I think we can win it all.”

This was a lovely dislike-to-friends-to-lovers read. It sounds tropey when you realise it is also fake dating, teammates, and found family, however, it's blended very well and doesn't seem like a lot at all when enjoying the story! The plot and romance are a lot of fun, as well as being super sweet.

Bex is a passionate yet struggling small business owner of her family's racquet club, having inherited the business when her mum passed (check triggers - cancer) before the events of the book. She is juggling and dealing with a lot when ex-tennis pro Niko starts using her club while rehabilitating from not only a career-defining injury, but also a on-court hot head reputation. Everything gets deliciously messy and beautiful from there!

Kate Spencer blended a beautiful, fun and spicy story to make All's Fair in Love and Pickleball. It made for a great read, which I would recommend to any contemporary romance reader. The only reasons for not giving it a higher rating are that I felt that Bex's inner monologue was a bit repetitive at times, which could have been trimmed to get to the point more quickly. As I said, I still recommend, especially the audiobook, as the narration was fabulous!

What to expect:
- Small Business Owner FMC
- Ex-Pro Tennis Player Love Interest
- Fake Dating
- Dislike-to-Friends-to-Lovers
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Teammates
- Processing Grief & Trauma Healing
- Single POV

All's Fair in Love & Pickleball
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely 💯 Loved this fun relaxing LOL book. The Audio was really good. It is a great Beach read. Besure to crab it for your travels! Thank U NetGalley!

I can honestly say this was my first pickleball romance and I was here for it! In All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball, Bex Martin has to team up with Nickolaus Karras, a notoriously prickly former top tennis star, to save the pickleball club her mother left to her.

This was a cute, quick read! I liked the pickleball angle and thought the older members of the club were the best side characters for this romance. Bex was a sweet FMC and I loved her tenacity and creativity, especially in her handmade clothes! I enjoyed the fake dating aspect of the romance and was just starting to really settle into their story when the third act conflict kind of blind sided me. I actually had to rewind the audiobook to make sure I hadn’t missed something. I did love the ending and the way everything came together for Bex and Niko though!

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachette Audio for the audio book ARC copy! If you're a fan of Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey, sports romance, or found family trope; then you will love this one! Thoroughly enjoyed it as an audio book.

Good Reads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220175427-all-s-fair-in-love-and-pickleball

All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball was such a cute audiobook. I devoured it in a day & it helped me out of my reading slump!
Grumpy/Sunshine is always a hit for me. The banter was so good & made me laugh out loud many times throughout the story. The romance seemed to happen a little quickly for me, but I still had a good time.

Mia Hutchinson Shaw‘s made it enjoyable (narrator’s can make or break a book for me). Her voice was easy to listen to and distinguish characters. I would love to listen to more from her!

Since my work has a pickleball league, I knew I had to get this ALC! I thought this book would be cute but it turned out to be SPICY.

This book has so many elements I enjoy: enemies to lovers; senior citizen side characters (my absolute favorite); sports action. The ending is incredibly satisfying.

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the complimentary ALC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bex and Nico unexpectedly for both join forces in a pickleball tournament as well as pretend to be a couple. As they spend a lot of time together they get to come in terms with their past and heal their souls.

I enjoy reading romcoms like this one - main characters with heavy past work together on common goal which helps them to find their own peace and build something new. A cute dialogues and some senior citizens help to lighten up mood between some heavy topics.

Mia Hutchinson Shaw is an amazing narrator she brought these characters up to live, conveyed their emotions and more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ALC. This was a wonderful summer listen! Now that she has passed, Bex is struggling to run her mother’s racquet club and make it into the profitable business she needs it to be. Then along comes Niko, a professional tennis player trying to get back into the spotlight. Their competitiveness and grumpy/sunshine dynamic was so charming that I breezed right through this.

3.75 ⭐️ (rounded up for NetGalley)

This was a cute + fun read! (Or in my case, listen)

I really loved their banter & chemistry. However, their 3rd act breakup felt sooo unnecessary to me and definitely was part of the reason I rated it the way I did.

Loved the found family in this 🥹🫶🏼

I did feel like the narrators voice fit Bex in my head which made this easy to listen to!

Thank you to NetGalley + Hachette Audio for the Arc🤗

(3.75/5 stars)

All's Fair in Love and Pickleball is a fun and steamy contemporary sports romance by Kate Spencer.

Bex will do anything she can to save her family's racquet club after her mother's death. Unfortunately, many of the courts need costly repairs and she's not sure where she'll find the funds. One of her regulars happens to have a nephew who is a former tennis champion who suffered a career-ending injury. Perhaps, if they team-up to enter a pickleball competition, she can use the cash prize to fix everything up. And if everyone already thinks their dating, they may as well pretend.

I had a fun time listening to this audiobook! It was easy to tell that the narrator had a lot of fun reading this one.

The banter between our romantic couple was pretty great and I absolutely bought their chemistry. Even before they truly got together, he started calling her "princess," which I always enjoy. The steamy scenes were fantastic, but I do wish that we had gotten Niko's POV along with Bex's. I especially loved seeing a neurodivergent heroine--she has ADHD and I love seeing people like me in books! There was a lovely found family element as well with the patrons at her racquetball club.

Overall I liked the pacing of the book and inhaled it in a day. I didn't know much about pickleball going in aside from reading one other pickleball romance previously. I never felt lost and that could be partly because Bex teaches Niko the game since it's very different than tennis.

There is a bad guy in this story and he is both a little too mustache-twirling, but also a little too absent, which came across oddly to me. But the biggest disappointment for me in this book was the third-act breakup, a trope I generally despise but felt especially egregious and unnecessary here. It really felt shoe-horned in.

That said, I think this is a great beach read or palate cleanser between heavier books. This was my first book by the author, but I'll definitely be picking up more from her!

the only good thing for this book is the wlw side couple, bex's grief for her mother, and bex wants to keeps her racquet club despite that the said club will be on sale.

the rest... a literal snoozefest (or more like cringefest)

the audiobook however, i'm actually enjoyed by this. aside from her narration, i like her tiny sounds she's making.

The banter between the mains is very cute, however the mmc being so quick to anger is a legit red flag for me and I don't see how the fmc wanted to pursue him.
My favorite characters were honestly Deb and Loretta I thought they were so funny and I love an older character still being out and about and doing shenanigans.

This was such a cute book. The last one I read of Kate Spencer‘s books I love to and I can’t wait to read another one of hers. I love a little cute romcom sports romance. Bex and Nico were super cute and I love the way bex continues to want to keep the Pickleball courts open to celebrate her mom.