I have read a few Tessa Bailey’s books before but none from this series, and I am so surprised about how fun this book was! Probably one of my favourites from the ones I have read. Definitely recommend it if you want a lighthearted romance.

I think this might be my favourite in the Big Shots series - and I never thought I’d be saying that about one of the sperm donors, but here we are.

Robbie Corrigan is the biggest red bearded teddy bear and watching him fall for Skylar was a joy to read.

Tessa Bailey brought a whole load of fantastic characters, a weird family hunger games style competition, a guy who would literally do anything for his girl and her usual spice! It’s a wonderful combination and a delightful read from start to finish.

I’m as shocked as TB that Robbie and Mailer have depth - but I am here for it! Can’t wait to see what she has in store for Mailer.

Huge thanks to Avon for the ARC.

The is was so much fun! I read this in one sitting on my day off from work and it was the perfect way to unwind :) it was swoony, hot and hilarious with a cast of really endearing characters. I loved how obsessed Robbie was with Skylar from the very beginning and did everything in his power to prove himself to her, while Sky was a delight. I really enjoyed her dynamics with her family, it added a nice element to the story and enhanced the romance, too.

This series is the first time I’ve delved into Tessa Bailey’s books (I know I’m seriously late to the party) but I’ve just had the best time with every single one so far. They’re fun and feel-good, a little ridiculous and the perfect way to escape into your head for a while. Can’t wait for Mailer’s book, I need it stat !!

In the past, Tessa Bailey has been hit or miss for me. But this one was a hit! I love a sports romance, and to have both main characters be involved in high level sports was extra fun. I loved the insane competition of Skylar’s family and am thankful that my family, though competitive, has never done anything similar. There were a couple of loose storyline threads that could have been tied up, but this was a quick, easy read—and now I need to go read the rest of the Big Shots series! Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Harper360 and Avon Books for the ARC of this book! This one was a fun addition to the Big Shots Series and if you're a Tessa Bailey (or just a romance fan in general) I think you would enjoy this one! It was a fast and fun sports romance and I read the entire thing in one day! The main characters were likeable and the premise of the book being a yearly family competition was quirky but fun! I have enjoyed every Tessa Bailey book that I have read and though this one wasn't my favorite of the series, I definitely still recommend it! Check this one out of you want a fun escape and like the following romance tropes: fake dating, enemies to lovers, and sports romance! I will be looking out for Tessa Bailey's next book after this one! I always enjoy her stuff!

Tessa Bailey never misses and although this isn't my favourite of her books, I still absolutely devoured it.

The tropes in this book are perfect, enemies to lovers, fake dating and throwing in some spicy lessons as well, yes please to all. And the spice is executed perfectly as usual, Tessa Bailey really just gets dirty talk

Robbie and Skylar get off to a rough start when she hears him talking about his extracurricular shenanigans and this colours her view of him (which, fair enough). I do wish that a bit more time had been spent on this, Robbie's internal reflections on this were perfect, his realisation that he had become someone he didn't recognise or respect in his encounters with women were really good to read, but it did leave me feeling like if he hadn't met Skylar, nothing would have changed. I'd have loved a little more exploration of this kind of hook-up culture and locker room talk between Robbie and Mailer. I'd have happily had more Robbie and Mailer scenes all round tbh. However, I can't really complain because the way that Robbie saw Skylar and quietly but firmly stood up for her, and stood beside her, was everything. The BU shirt scene is every kind of love that I want to see in a romance novel.

The only thing I'd have enjoyed more time on is Skylar realising how different her feelings for Robbie and Madden were. It felt like she fell out of love and in love incredibly quickly and I'd have preferred if there was just a tiny bit more emphasis on her realising why Madden wasn't for her and that she'd romanticised the idea of him in comparison to how real and solid her feelings for Robbie were. I'd love to get to read Madden and Eve's story though, if that's in the pipeline at all.

Overall I really enjoyed this, I can always rely on a Tessa Bailey book to help me escape reality in the best possible way and this was no exception.

I'd previously loved Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer & Hook, Line, and Sinker, so when I got an email about Pitcher Perfect, I was pretty excited — especially since I love hockey. Full disclosure — I haven't read the other books in this series, and so my enjoyment of it may be influenced by that. Unfortunately, this book fell very flat for me; I was really frustrated with the fact that Skylar's contempt for Robbie stems out of him bragging about his conquests and that Tessa Bailey didn't use this as an opportunity to unpack locker room culture. There were several other things that I was also irked by (the fact that a hockey player asked out his GM), and many hockey inaccuracies (no professional hockey player would participate in a wilderness competition + risk getting injured the week before playoffs) but what really was frustrating for me with this book was how Skylar started the book in love with someone else, by the halfway point (like two days into this wilderness competition) in love with Robbie, and by the end willing to move in with him. I think this book frustrated me more than anything — also, is Sig dating his stepsister? I have some questions about that.

Always enjoy a Tessa Bailey book, and this one was no exception. Robbie and Skylar started out in entertaining fashion and the hate-to-love aspect of their relationship was done very well.

I really enjoyed the characterisation of both protagonists, and seeing how they grew over the course of the story, although I would’ve loved to have seen more of a reunion/showing up by her parents, and perhaps seeing her loosen up a little bit.

I’m not a huge lover of “insta-love” so it was hard at times to buy into the fact the characters were desperately in love within about a week since meeting each other, so I almost wish there had been more time between when things kicked off. Similarly, I felt like Eve was a bit of a throw away character and I didn’t really feel like she was adding much to the plot - outside of a potential sequel.

Still, despite that, I thought the romance was well written, the plot was entertaining and I loved the family dynamic. Seeing Robbie champion Skylar to her family, truly see her and show up for her, made my heart melt.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC for this book!

So this was sadly not my favourite Tessa Bailey book.

Robbie meets Skylar towards the end of Dream Girl Drama, the previous book in the Big Shots series. There's immediately a connection between the pair, though not necessarily a positive one. Pitcher Perfect starts from that point, with the two main characters going on a date together after Robbie wins a bet. He finds himself agreeing to help her get the attention of her brother's best friend, Madden, who she's had feelings for forever. Although Robbie, a perpetual player, senses there's something special about Skylar, he takes this chance to help her find romance with another man. Any opportunity to spend more time with her is a good idea in his books. After a week of competition with Skylar's family bonds them, Robbie and Skylar both realise there's more to their relationship than Robbie tutoring Skylar in attracting Madden. But Robbie's past complicates things, he's never settled down before, and anyway, isn't Skylar in love with someone else?

I did enjoy some elements of this book, namely the classic fake dating and teacher / tutee dynamic which I think Tessa has mastered in her books. I also loved the cameos from the previous Big Shots characters. Chloe & Sig and Tallulah & Burgess are welcome in any books from now on honestly.
Perhaps following on from those two novels (which I LOVED) is why I didn't enjoy this one so much.

Which takes us to the less than positive aspects. I'm not a fan of insta-love which is totally personal preference - but it seemed like love at first sight for Robbie and Skylar really wasn't that far behind.
Following on from the previous two books which featured Robbie and Mailer, I was hoping to see some of their friendship explored a little. But there was maybe two interactions? And they didn't give me best friend vibes at all - just slightly disappointed because they were some of my favourite interactions in the previous novels, though small, they were funny and showed the characters' personalities.

Lastly, and I'll be honest, I'm being quite picky here! There were quite a few modern slang / modern language used throughout the book that are going to age like ice cream left in the sunshine. Aka, not going to read well in about 5 years. It kind of took me out of the story a little when I kept noticing these references to phrases that I think are used predominantly on social media.

That said, if you like Tessa Bailey's other works I'm sure you'll enjoy this. As always, she delivers on the smut. Just not my favourite, and definitely not the best in this series. I'll be intrigued to read the Mailer romance when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for the invite to read this eARC.