Pitcher Perfect is exactly the kind of fast, flirty, sports-romance chaos I expect from Tessa Bailey. Enemies-to-lovers (kinda?) with fake dating, all wrapped up in the ridiculous chemistry of a cocky NHL rookie and a heroine who would genuinely rather be anywhere else than in his orbit. 4 stars, fun, quick, and satisfying, even if it didn’t totally wreck me.

Robbie Corrigan is living his pro-athlete fantasy, rookie year, fame, and zero accountability, until he meets Skylar Paige, a D1 softball pitcher who is aggressively unimpressed with literally everything about him. Their first meeting? Fully adversarial. And it only gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective) when he volunteers to be her fake boyfriend to help her win over someone else.

And listen, on paper, I should’ve rolled my eyes. But Tessa Bailey makes this setup work. The banter is exactly what I needed, fast, petty, a little mean in that “we’re definitely going to make out later” way. Robbie is a walking problem, and Skylar is not here to fix him, which I respect.

What I loved most is that for all his cocky posturing, Robbie is so obviously gone for her from the jump. He can’t even pretend otherwise. He shows up, he tries (so badly), and you can see exactly when the “just fake dating” line blurs for him. Skylar, on the other hand, is holding on to her skepticism like a life raft, and watching her walls slowly come down was genuinely satisfying.

If you’re into:
✨ Enemies-to-lovers (I mean it's at least dislike-to-lovers)
✨ Fake dating that turns into actual longing
✨ Sports romance that feels authentic but not bogged down in stats
✨ Heroes who are cocky disasters until they absolutely are not

Then Pitcher Perfect is worth the read.

Thank you Tessa, Avon and NetGalley for this ARC!

I have been sitting in this for a while but I think I made the right decision by DNFing this book.
I read the first 33% and just wasn’t feeling it and I think that it was partly my fault not knowing it was in 3rd POV which I struggle to read. I would still recommend this book because I enjoyed the part of it I did read but could feel myself not wanting to pick it up at times but regardless of not being able to finish it because it in 3rd POV the writing was still amazing

This was such a great sports romance! I was all in from the start. There were so many laughs and the banter was on point—I couldn’t stop smiling. I’ve always loved opposites attract stories, and this one delivered. Add in fake dating and forced proximity, and it was everything I enjoy in a romance.

I was loving the whole thing from beginning to end. Even though the family dynamic felt a bit off or frustrating at times, it didn’t ruin it for me. I actually think it made the romance stand out more. I was so glad these two found their way to each other.

It honestly felt like I was there, watching it all happen. Seeing how things changed, how the tension turned into something real—it made me feel like I was part of the story. Just terrific.

I love a Tessa Bailey book and this one was no exception. I went in pretty blind and it took a turn that I wasn’t expecting as I did think we were gonna be getting a brother best friend story from the first couple of chapters however I quickly realised that I was actually getting a hockey romance which honestly was even better . I loved Robbie and Skylar together and even though it was a bit insta lovey and their relationship progressed very quickly I still had so much fun with this book.

A super easy, fun sexy romance novel, perfect to enjoy sitting in the sunshine by the pool. Tessa Bailey does what she always does best! The characters are funny and engaging, a very fun time.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. The setup had promise, being a sports romance with a fake dating twist and some instant sparks between the leads… but something didn’t quite hit a home run for me. The chemistry was there, but it all moved a bit too fast for my taste. The MMC basically instantly vows to change his ways after laying eyes on the FMC for 0.3 seconds. The storyline fell a little flat for me and I struggled to connect with the characters.
I liked the idea of two athletes from different worlds clashing and connecting, but I wish there’d been a little more depth beneath it all. Still, fans of quick-burn, opposites-attract stories will probably find a lot to enjoy here.

Tessa Bailey has done it again with another steamy filled romance filled with some of my favourite tropes.

Pitcher Perfect is another book following a member of the Boston Bearcats Hockey Team, and this time, it's Robbie's moment to find love.

Robbie and Mailer have been a hilarious duo popping up in the previous two books with their nickname 'The Orgasm Donors', and it was a real joy to see behind the humour and crude jokes.

Robbie and Skylar had brilliant chemistry and after he clocks her at the baseball game between the Hockey players and the Baseball team it's love at first sight, well for Robbie at least!

This addictive romance features fake dating and a slight enemies to lovers. This book will have you giggling and blushing.

Thank you to Harper360, Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.

Flirty, fast, and full of fun. Bailey delivers her signature blend of banter and steam, this time with a sporty twist. The romance hit all the right notes, even if the plot was a bit thin. Great for fans of feel-good, high-chemistry rom-coms.

Thanks so much to HarperCollins and Tessa Bailey for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a fun read, I loved the dynamic between Skylar and Robbie, and the chemistry was so fun, not to mention the hints at the next couple.

I loved their meet cute and honestly, the way he was down so bad, it kept me turning the page. The way Robbie uplifted her amidst the family chaos was so heartwarming, thoroughly enjoying this series!

This is my first Tessa Bailey book in this series and I really enjoyed it! I love fake dating and when he has liked her the whole time and this delivered :)

Thank you so much to Harper360 for the e-arc!

4.5 stars ROUNDED UP!!!!

THIS LOL THIS HAD ME KICKING MY FEET GIGGLING.

First off, I would bareknuckle fight for Robbie purely for his dry, not missing a beat sense of humour and the banter he and Skylar had. *MWAH!* Chef kiss with the way they would hit off each other and it just went flirty from the get go. Not really enemies to lovers more like I can't stand you but help me to lovers LOL Skylar asks Robbie for his help and some lessons in how to make her older brother's best pal finally notice her AND WELL....IT CAN ONLY GO FROM THERE AND IT'S JUST GREAT

AND! He falls first, and he falls hard. HARD.

This was great! And apparently part of a series which I will dive head first in to but can be read as a stand alone!

2.5 stars
This one had a lot of fun tropes I usually love, but it didn’t quite work for me. The writing felt a bit flat, the steamy scenes were more cringey than swoony, and the third-act breakup didn’t feel earned. I struggled to stay engaged and, even though I’m normally a fast reader, it took me nearly three weeks to finish.

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

I went into this book expecting fire: flirty banter, fake dating chaos, maybe a little enemies-to-lovers tension with a slow-burn payoff. I mean—Tessa Bailey, sports romance, cocky hockey player and fierce softball queen? It should have been a homerun.
Instead, it felt like someone hit fast-forward on a plot that barely had time to settle before it sped through every romance trope in the playbook.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t enemies-to-lovers. Robbie and Skylar barely knew each other before the whole fake-dating scheme started. There was no real conflict, no tension, no emotional build-up—just instant attraction, insta-kissing, and insta-feelings. And while I'm not totally against instalove, here it didn’t feel earned. It felt rushed.
Robbie is meant to be the charming, wild rookie with a hidden heart of gold. Skylar is the strong, focused athlete immune to his charm. On paper? Perfect. In execution? Meh. I couldn’t connect to either of them, and the pacing left no room to breathe or buy into the romance.
Also, the wilderness retreat family competition? Felt random and overly convenient, like it wandered in from another book that forgot to bring emotional stakes with it.
Tessa Bailey has written some favorites of mine, and I’ll definitely keep reading her work—but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea. It tried to juggle too many tropes at once and ended up dropping the emotional core somewhere along the trail.
Final thoughts? If you’re looking for something light, fast, and trope-filled without too much depth, this might still scratch an itch. But if you're hoping for her usual magic—chemistry, character growth, that slow-burn satisfaction—this one might leave you wanting more.

Pitcher Perfect is Tessa Bailey at her swooniest – sexy, funny, and bursting with chemistry from page one! The banter is top-tier, the romance hits all the right notes, and I was completely obsessed with the will-they-won’t-they tension (spoiler: they will and it’s glorious). The small-town vibes are cosy, the characters are lovable in their own chaotic ways, and the whole thing reads like a romcom you’d want to watch on repeat. Honestly, it’s pure joy in book form – five stars, no notes, I adored it! 💕⚾

OMG did i say i was a big fan of Tessa Bailey No?!! i ment i am a huge fan . A big big thank you to the publishers Avon and Haroer360 for asking me to review the book ,yes of course i was jumping around like a mad woman .

My hubby is a hockey player and yes part of his charm for me could relate to the story even better .

The characters i love how Tessa brings them to life in a way you can relate to them , i loved Robbie oh my gosh what a darling he is and the way he will do anything for Skylor I thought was super sweet , i mean who would not want to date him .

The fact the story starts out as fake dating i loved which is one of my favourites .
i also loved the banter very much indeed , had me belly chuckling .

the family game( sorry spoiler here) so much fun and i laughed so much it was brilliant and very competitive like a mini hunger game .

i loved the fact the book had so many tropes to enjoy from fake dating to opposites attract.

Tessa writing you do not really need to ask is wonderful .

i think Robbie and Skyler are one of my new favourite couples for 2025 .

i am giving the book a big romantic 5 stars

4.75💫

Thank you to Harper 360 for the ARC via Netgalley, Let’s get into it!

I am so happy. This book was so good, so perfect. We are well and truly back in the swing of things in with the Big Shots series. Dream Girl Drama may have been a little shaky and I truly wasn’t expecting Robbie fricking Corrigan of all people, one of the godamn orgasm doners to bring it back but here we are. This book just felt well and truly Tessa. The concept was absolutely wild and I have absolutely no idea how she picks these things out of the depths of her mind but the situation that they found themselves in could not have been a better one for the couple in this book.

I’ll start with Robbie because we’ve known him a little longer. I for one have no problem with the whole player thing, especially in this sense. He’s respectful, he’s honest and he says what he means. Yes, he might be a little outlandish and unable to take himself seriously most of the time but it becomes apparent early on that he is very aware that there is a time and a place to put all jokes aside and there’s a night and day change to him on these occasions. I think his mental separation from Mailer throughout this book is a large piece of physical proof of this.

Then we have Skylar, We met Skylar briefly in Dream Girl Drama and outwardly he seems confident, brash and like she knows what she wants but as we get further into the book, We learn that this is only really her public persona, one that I don’t even think she is aware that she has. The way Skylar sees herself is completely different to how the rest of the world does. She seems quite stunted, stuck in at the same place she’s been for a long time unable to move forward, usure where to go, how to move.

We start the book at their initial meeting, the showdown of the bearcats vs the baseball players but this time we get to see more playout and through the previously mentioned wild plot, Robbie ends up spending the week with Skylar at her family’s house competing in with her overly achieving family at their annual competition the ‘page stakes’. The issue being that Skylar has made it obviously that she is in love with her brother’s best friend, Madden and that Robbie has convinced himself and begrudgingly attempted to convince all his friends that he’s doing this, not because he likes her but because he wants to be a good person. Cue the desperation.

The week plays out beautifully, for the reader that is. Both Skylar and Robbie seem to be in a constant state of distress. Robbie very quickly realising he has been lying to himself and that he would do nothing less than walk through fire to be by Skylar’s side and Skylar is a ball of confusion. She has been hung up on her Maden for so long, that I think it’s almost an obsession at this point. A childhood crush that never went away. She’s chastising herself for her feelings towards Robbie, yet those emotions feel very mature and genuine. She truly feels like she has betrayed Madden, even when his trued feelings and who they are directed at are obvious, she just doesn’t see it, the poor oblivious girl.

Overall, I just loved this book. I was giggling throughout. They were both just suck a kick. Robbie is so entertaining in general and their banter was hilarious, the two main characters just played off each other so well throughout every stage of their relationship. The best part of this story for me through was truly the parts where the characters were miserable. I’m not saying I liked Robbie getting a taste of his own medicine, okay I take that back I definitely did. Him laying his heart out in front of all his friends without a smattering of embarrassment, probably just a spattering of some marinara had me giddy. He was so desperate, he was so grovelly but at the same time he still managed to stand up for himself and get his point across. I could not have asked for better.

The epilogue was where I swayed a little, it was just so cheesy. It went past the level of level of mush I am able to deal with I’m being honest but that the anniversary surprise and the kite on the dogs is probably the only things I would change in this whole novel. I don’t know how I feel about Catch her if you Can yet. Madden is alluring to say the least, but that’s mainly because all we’ve really seen of him is a major sulk, a fireman’s carry and him punch a wall but I do think there’s a lot more going on in the lofts of his head that we’re yet to wonder into. My qualm is more with Eve, I get why she wasn’t around much in this book and that is totally understandable, what I don’t get is that if she is Skylar’s best friend, either she knew about her crush on Madden and decided to just not tell Skylar that she never had a chance with him for some unknown reason and let her dwell on the possibility for literal years or Skylar never felt like she could tell Eve, which is possibly not strictly Eve’s fault but it doesn’t raise some red flag’s about their friendship overall. We will see…

This is the perfect summer read! It's an enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, sports romance and is the fourth in the Big Shots series, which is a set of interconnected standalones. I really enjoy Tessa Bailey's work in general, and this didn't disappoint in terms of smut and witty banter.

We've met Robbie before in previous books, and I was so thrilled to get into his book. I really enjoyed his relationship with Skylar and absolutely devoured it in one sitting. Robbie redeemed himself in the end, and Skylar is an FMC you can root for who goes through such a journey throughout this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Another brilliant read from Tessa.
Her books never fail to brighten my day and put a smile on my face. They’re such good fun and Pitcher Perfect was too! I enjoyed the silly Page Stakes challenge to throw our pair together. I enjoyed seeing Robbie try to come to terms with how he’s been acting and how to change that - reformed playboy is always a great trope. And Skylar was great too, although I wasn’t quite as sold on her backstory / issues with her family. They were a little bit frivolous.

It’s not gonna change your life, but it definitely will make you smile! I’m loving this series and can’t wait for my next Tessa fix!

A combination of the very best tropes – fake dating, sport, he falls first and forced proximity. We definitely do not have enough baseball players in the sport/romance genre, but baseball AND hockey? Thank you, Tessa.

Skylar, a competitive baseball player, suffering from the inability to live up to family expectations, is struggling with a case of unrequited love with her brother’s best friend. And what better way to win him over than a little bit of fake dating? MY FAVOURITE TROPE. But I’m getting ahead of myself...

Because Robbie Corrigan, NHL rookie and stereo-typical hockey playing womaniser sets his sights Skylar when her brother brings her along to pitch against the Boston Bearcats during a testosterone filled game of men determined to prove that their sport is better.

However, bragging about his conquests to his teammates becomes a serious ick for Skylar, that she agrees to put aside for her own gain. Coming from a family with an annual competition, Skylar finds herself a partner down. But she does find herself with a golden retriever hockey player who is willing to help her gain experience, compete and win over her brother's friend.

Robbie will agree to just about anything to spend time with Skylar, even if that means helping her in her romantic quest for somebody else.

I loved both Skylar and Robbie, the Type A personality of Skylar and Robbie’s golden retriever energy was the best combination. Two very competitive strangers getting to know each other through forced proximity. A little better than planned.

“This wasn’t real, no matter how much he wanted it to be. She was there to learn from him, not to make an actual connection.”

This was such a fun and easy read. It had the perfect amount of character development. Enemies to lovers helping each other through a journey of self-discovery and confidence? Yes please.

“Just... boom.”

I’ve always loved Tessa’s writing but the tension and inability to ignore the growing feelings between the characters was so prominent throughout Pitcher Perfect, it had me screaming at every chapter.

“Finding your person was a miracle and once you did, keeping them close was pure necessity.”


If you’re looking for something steamy to get your feet kicking at the inevitable slow descent to all-encompassing love, this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper360 for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

📚 Book Review 📚

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. As soon as I saw my approval I jumped straight into this one.

Robbie and Skylar were amazing! The sarcasm, tension and humour had me grinning from ear to ear. Skylar's family are certifiably insane. The yearly competition they hold isn't for the faint hearted but if anyone can handle then it's Robbie.

If you're a fan of fake dating, he falls first, forced proximity then I highly recommend you read this. It's fun, sexy and highly entertaining.

I can't wait to see which couple is next in this series.

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨