All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball is a charming romantic comedy by Kate Spencer that blends grief, ambition, and unexpected romance on the pickleball court. The story follows Bex, a determined woman still mourning the loss of her mother to cancer, who is fighting to save her family’s legacy — their racquetball club, which is on the brink of closure.

Enter Niko, a grumpy and once-famous tennis star trying to recover both physically and professionally after a career-threatening injury. Hoping to repair his public image and stage a comeback, Niko agrees to help promote the club by playing pickleball. In exchange, Bex gains the attention and support she desperately needs to keep the club alive.

As Bex and Niko team up, their partnership evolves into something deeper, filled with heartfelt moments, witty banter, and slow-building chemistry. The novel explores themes of healing, letting go, and taking risks — both on and off the court.

While the book is undeniably cute and well-written, with endearing characters and fun dialogue, it doesn’t quite rise above other contemporary romances. The plot, though sweet, lacks the emotional depth or narrative originality to make it truly memorable.

Still, All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball is an enjoyable and cozy read — perfect for fans of feel-good romances with a sporty twist, even if it doesn’t completely break new ground.

This novel is a perfect blend of romance, personal growth, and sportsmanship. Whether you're a fan of romantic comedies or new to the genre, All's Fair in Love and Pickleball is a must-read that will leave you smiling long after the final page.

This is such a fun book while also handling sensitive topics like grieving the death of a parent and mental health in an appropriate way.

I picked this book up because I truthfully keep seeing pickleball everywhere lately and thought what better way to learn about it than a romance book!?! This has a really good amount of the sport involved, as Bex is Nico’s trainer. She kinda gets into the rules of the game a bit. I liked that Nico is a tennis player as well and comparing the two made it easier to understand in words.

The romance is undeniably good!!!! The rivals to lovers aspect with fake dating involved, you know I’m already down. I loved the banter between the two of them, I was kicking my feet and giggling. Also the dynamic with the club members had me laughing so hard. I loved all the side characters and the banter between them all as well is hilarious.

The audio book is really well done also. The narrator does such a good job, I could speed it up and still understand her.

I’d recommend this if you love pickleball or if you’re like me and knew nothing. It’s pure fun and chaos!!!!

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the free ALC.

Who could have expected for pickleball to explode in popularity the way that it has? I sure didn't. But I started playing it about two weeks ago, saw this romance written about it, and knew I needed to consume it.

It was so fun and, at times, tense with want. The fued between two former tennis stars and the romance between Bex and Niko was delightful.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book as I have zero pickle ball knowledge (whoops). But this was a great introduction to it! The typical fake dating turned lovers plot line, which was great. The side characters were awesome and so funny, the audio book really brought them to life! The only one thing that bugged me once I was done was and that was the breakup...did that need to happen? was that too dramatic? was it necessary? TBH probably didn't need to happen. 3.5 stars for the book but 4.5 for the audio book!! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for both an early audio copy and e copy <3

Wasn't my favourite book. Some of the FMCs actions at the end really had me questioning her, but I loved the MMCs commitment to the relationship! Story was a bit clunky at times, but overall it was an okay read.

4 stars
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I was honoured to be an ARC listing to All's Fair in Love and Pickleball! Thank you, NetGalley, Kate Specer, and everyone involved in this book/audiobook!

First of all, the Taylor Swift reference in the title? Obsessed.
The audiobook was amazing. We experienced the story through the first-person perspective of our female main character, Bex Martin. The narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, did such a good job! She narrated with so much emotion, and it really brought the story to life. The plot was sweet and unique; I always love a good fake dating trope. I almost gave it five stars, but the third-act breakup knocked it down a bit, but I still definitely recommend it!

This was fun cute rom-com! I didn’t know much about pickleball but learned enough through listening to enjoy it. The author did a wonderful job of hitting the sensitive issue of dealing with the loss of a parent.

All's Fair In Love And Pickleball is a quick read. I love sports rom coms and enjoyed this one!

The characters, Bex and Nico were quirky and fun. Bex is guy crazy and determined, but Nico is hot and cold.

Overall this was an entertaining audiobook. It's fast pace kept me interested, the ending left me hanging and wanting more.

Thank you Netgalley for the Audio book of All's Fair In Love And Pickleball.

Cute love story about a girl, Bex, trying to save her parents' racquet club that was left to her in their passing. Bex rushes to the hospital after hearing one of their club members tripped on a crack in their court. She runs into the member's nephew, world-famous tennis player, Niko, who criticizes Bex's court -- it is in dire need of repair. Niko is also a hater of pickle ball and doesn't believe it's a real sport. Bex knows she needs to repave all the courts, but she doesn't have the money to do so. Bex and Niko come together to play doubles in a local pickleball competition in hopes to win the grand prize money to save the racquet club. In doing so, Niko finds that he falls in love with more than just the sport....

This was a cute, low-spice story about love and loss -- and pickleball! It was a fun audiobook to listen to. Would recommend to any rom-com lovers!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook!

I really really enjoyed this! The story follows a struggling pickleball club owner and a tennis pro whose career was stalled due to injury. Their unlikely partnership is full of sparks, second chances, and unexpected depth. What stood out most to me was the way the story balanced humor with heart. The romance had just the right mix of banter, vulnerability, and tension. I laughed, I swooned, I may have even teared up once or twice - it definitely had me kicking my legs at times! The side cast really had me giggling too, I’m here for Deb as much as I am the actual story!
The narration was perfect, very expressive and helped to augment to emotion of the words - she sounded like a real person and I imagined her as Bex.
I knocked a star off for the unnecessary breakup, but aside from that it felt like the perfect sports romance!
If you love sports-adjacent romances, slow-burn tension, or stories about self discovery, this one’s for you.

🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
📆 Pub Date Jun 03 2025
♥️ Pickleball rivalry
♥️ Falling for your fake boyfriend
♥️ former tennis bad-boy
Wow. This was everything. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this audiobook so much, but Kate Spencer’s writing was made for Audible, and the narration by Mia Hutchinson Shaw brought it all to life. Bex’s character had me cackling; I loved her energy. The pickleball sports romance added an extra layer of charm to the rivalry, therefore creating steamy banter for the two on and off the court. Mia played all roles perfectly for me. I would love to listen to another book by this duo!

I recently started a romance novel only to discover that it really wasn't for me. There was no flow and everything was a bit too convoluted. "All's Fair in Love and Pickleball" felt like a balm to this. The characters were effortless and engaging. I wanted to inhabit the world of the story and learn pickleball alongside a ragtag team of senior citizens. The story is a fairly slow burn enemies to lovers. The only misstep really is an infuriating decision by the FMC in the third act. Luckily the end redeemed her almost entirely and the story had set up enough of her struggles to empathise enough.
The narration was perfect- lively and warm and set the scene entirely.

I prefer to listen to audiobooks only after I’ve read the book myself. Because I got so engrossed with this sweet, fun and charming book as an ebook I just had to try it as an audio experience. Mia Hutchinson Shaw was perfectly cast to bring this book to life. She sounded exactly the right age and has the right vocal tone to bring Bex (and Niko et al) to life. I will def check out other books she narrates.

Plotwise, Bex and Niko were fabulous together. I liked the way grumpy Niko was just such a softie, even from the beginning, always looking after Bex who was so worn from having to do everything herself. Normally I'm not a fan of insta-lust, but the chemistry was so well written, believable and fitting with the characters. Both were contending with living up to their parents, though in Bex's case it was mostly about saving her parent's legacy, while Niko was dealing with a demanding father. I am perplexed, however, as to Bex's naivety to tell Niko's rival the truth. It seemed out of character. I also would've liked Niko's relationship with his dad fleshed out a bit more, also, his decision at the end seemed out of character given he was in therapy and saying that he was chasing his dream for himself, so why did he change his mind? The book also felt like it ended up a bit too abruptly - the build up to the tournament was resolved pretty quickly, but the future of the club still felt a bit shaky. It really needed an epilogue set at least a year or so in the future.

Loved it. Would easily buy and re-listen to this audiobook again.

Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

A sports romance based around Pickleball - yes please!

Bex is on a mission, especially after her mother's death, to save the Pickleball business that has been in her family. With courts needing repairs, the bill is climbing and Bex knows she needs to find an answer. When former tennis champion Nikolaus proposes they team up to enter a pickleball competition, Bex negotiates the cash prize in her favor if they win. Will they?

This was quite a fun read. I do enjoy a sports centred romance and diversifying it up with pickleball was entertaining. Our main characters had great chemistry together and I loved reading their witty banter. The audiobook narration was solid too.

I'm not usually a fan of sports romance, let alone know anything about pickleball, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. It was really easy to read and somehow explained a general overview of pickleball to readers like me who know nothing of the sport.

Bex was such an easily likable person with her colorful DIY clothes and bubbly personality. She also somehow relatable for me as I have also lost a loved one from cancer, so I totally understand her desire to honor her mother's memories and legacy. I also loved the dynamics between her and Niko. But what I love the most in this book were the sassy seniors from the club, especially Deb! She was such a fun character and I love her so much!!

As for the production of the audiobook, I'd say it's a 5/5. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw did an excellent job in narrating. Her voice was clear and was just so good to the ear. She had the suitable emotions for the dialogues.

Overall, I'd say this is a cute read and would recommend if you want to try a sports romance that isn't too heavy with the sports genre.

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Author Kate Spencer for granting me this ARC.

RELEASE DATE: June 3
DATE READ AND REVIEWED: June 2

Rounding up (4.5)

Thank you Hachette Audio!!!!! I had so much fun listening to this book.

This book follows pickleball court owner, Bex as she fights to keep open her family business. Professional tennis player, Niko comes into town and meets Bex when she takes his aunt to the hospital from falling at the courts that need fixing up. Niko makes a terrible first impression. But Niko needs to work on his image and Bex needs money to fix her courts up - which results in a fake dating scheme.

This book is full of laughs, pickleball jokes, nosey old people playing pickleball, fake dating, and lots of love.

I finished this in a day and already recommended it to three people to read.

I think the only thing I wanted a bit more of was some build up tension with the fake dating.

The narration was chefs kiss and I was so immersed in this story. Really feel like all characters had unique voices and it was easy to follow.

After the death of her mother, Bex was handed down the family business. Bex had many memories at The Racquet Club, now owning it has it’s ups and downs. It is not doing well financially and are in need of repairs and Bex does not have the funds to do so.

Niko, nephew of Loretta, who is one of Bex’s mother’s long-time friends, is a famous tennis player. He wants to repair his public image so he enlists Bex’s help to join a pickleball tournament to fix his image and she will receive the prize money to repair The Racquet Club.

Tropes/Triggers: Fake Dating, Found Family, Grumpy Sunshine, Sports romance, Death, grief

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes. Bex and Niko are so cute together and they really have good chemistry. Mia Hutchinson Shaw, the narrator, does really well portraying all the characters and her voice was really soothing to the ears.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for a copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review.

As a former tennis player (not like crazy competitive but we're talking high school team), who wants to start doing more pickleball, I definitely enjoyed this book. There were some things I didn't love like her being clueless to intentions of one the bad guys in the story, when I kept thinking COME ON GIRL!! You're going to that guy for help when there is an amazing dude and community wanting to help you if you let them??? But I know that's life, that we think we got it on our own, we have a hard time asking for help, and it's way easier looking at someone else's life...

Overall, I appreciated the themes of meeting expectations, intergenerational relationships, found family, and letting people in. I empathized with her desire to keep the club for not the nostalgia but for the community that it created for those that needed it, including her. The plot was predictable but it was a fun read.

A quick and immensely engaging read centered on (a) recovering pro athletes, (b) saving a family business, and (c) finding love. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!