Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review – this post may contain spoilers.
Pitcher Perfect (pub date Sept 2025) by Tessa Bailey is a very classic Bailey fake dating sports romance with her signature spice, banter, characters and pacing. Whenever I read one of Tessa Bailey’s books I am pretty much certain that it will deliver on all fronts. Pitcher Perfect is the fourth book in the Big Shots series and follows ice hockey NHL star Robbie Corrigan and division 1 softball pitcher, Skylar Paige who is more than determined to never be in the same room with the dirty player that he is!
Right from the beginning, I was drawn into the competitiveness of sports and the egos of the characters with their fighting talk and need to win. I was entertained all the way along and didn’t feel the pace was lacking. I liked that characters from other books in the Big Shots series are mentioned like Burgess, Sig, Chloe and Tallulah giving the world more depth. I really enjoyed Skylar’s interactions with her brother Elton and how relatable their sibling dynamic was written. Both Skylar and Robbie are very competitive sports people and this make an interesting dynamic between them both especially during the Paige stakes competition with Skylar’s family. There were also a few tender moments between Skylar and Robbie that talked about not feeling good enough and being an over achiever, which gave a lot of emotional depth to their characters. Ultimately, their relationship helped each other to grow as characters, to demand respect from those around them and feel that they’re just as worthy which was really sweet. This is what makes these characters so well crafted, they are athletes that push themselves to be the best but are still flawed or have insecurities.
The fake dating trope was fun, but I didn’t feel that Skylar’s crush, Madden, had a lot of depth or much page time which made it hard to understand why Skylar was in love with him and it was almost obvious who Madden was actually in love with. That also being said the subplot with Skylar’s best friend Eve felt a little disjointed from the main plot – I’m hoping that storyline is explored in a future book. I was also a little surprised at how much Robbie’s personality changed because of his love for Skylar, especially in a short span of time. I wasn’t as convinced by the change in heart from Skylar not liking Robbie to confessing her love for him, while still crushing on Madden. I think I needed a longer time frame for their relationship to have built up for me to become fully invested. Also, I would have liked more friction between their characters at the start instead of Robbie just falling in love with her at soon as he meets her in the softball vs hockey game.
Overall, I enjoyed Pitcher Perfect and it kept me hooked from the start and was an easy read. I’m not sure if I was as invested in the romance as maybe I’ve been with some of her other books, but was still a fun read.
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