Read this if you like: Instalove, dual POV, sports romances, spicy scenes 🔥

Gretchen Harper has always been practical. Dependable, solid, predictable. She's a sommelier on her way to Vegas for a wine competition when she decides to take a risk. She buys coffee for gorgeous professional athlete in an airport.

Being sent to the minor league is just the first of Joshua Malvern’s many worries. He’s got an injury that won’t heal and his entire career and future are on the line. When a beautiful woman offers him coffee, that simple kindness is exactly what he needs to lift him out of his funk. He asks her to join him in first class, not expecting to end up joining her in bed. What starts as a one night stand ends up holding the promise for so much more.

Instalove isn't my favorite. It's just too rushed. The character development on Gretchen was good. Joshua needed more, in my opinion. The spice was great. The conversations and relationship building were lacking. Miscommunication tropes are awful. Just TALK. It was good, fast read, but could have been better.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Caroline Richardson, and Wattpad for the ARC! ❤

1.5 stars

I began reading this book since it mentioned Toronto, and I'm a sucker for cute covers but after the coffee scene, which was the only adorable part. It felt like everything went downhill. I wasn't aware that the book has the instant-love trope, which made me want to DNF that instant, but I pushed myself and continued. Another was the sudden changes of povs which I usually love but were scattered all over the place and not very organized, leaving you confused. Later, I regretted that because things like "she growled" or "purred" came out, which was my breaking point. I skimmed the rest 100 since the book was only 250 pages long. Also, there was an incredulous amount of smut which I'm also not the biggest fan of, and they did "it" literally a few hours after they met, which went me going, huh!? The only other somewhat cute part I could think of was the coffee scene when the male lead said, "She's worth every damned bit much of my career, Harv." Since I was expecting a bit more due to the cover and synopsis, I was sad I was let down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on April 5, 2022.

This book was exactly what I wanted out of a Friday night read! A very quick read (I finished it in one evening), that immediately drew you in with the chemistry between Gretchen, a sommelier who normally is a very practical girl, and Josh, a professional baseball player who has come to a tough spot in his career. When they happen to be on the same flight to Vegas, sparks fly and both of their worlds are suddenly rocked by the other. Overall, I enjoyed the way the story played out between Gretchen and Josh. There were some parts that I wish would have been more fleshed out (such as Travis’s plot line, and why Josh was so untrusting), but I did not go into this read expecting a deep plot so I was not bothered by it. There are some definite spicy scenes, so if you prefer closed door romances this book may not be for you. I hope to see a sequel to this book starring Gretchen’s BFF Sharla. If you’re looking for a fun weekend or beach read this is a great choice!

DNFed at about 20%, my fault for requesting this book without reading the full synopsis and basically just loving the cover.

It’s not that I’m not a fan of instalove but this was a little too much for me. The formatting of the ARC I received was giving me a headache with how it was spaced out so that’s another negative, just not at the book itself.

Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy for my review.

I’m a sucker for cute lil romance books like this one! This was just the book I needed to read this week. A quick read that makes you feel the comfort of watching your favorite rom com.

Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad books for the opportunity to read this, but this book was just not for me.

Let’s leave it at that.

Out of His League is a fast paced sports romance with just the right amount of humor and angst. I was a little taken back by the insta-love but if you're looking for a light read then this is the perfect pick for you.

This book had all the elements to be an amazing story, but overall it was a miss for me. Unfortunately, there were too many subplots happening at the same time and none of them were consistent enough to draw me in. Even though the cute premise had a lot of potential I quickly found myself disconnecting from the characters due to the odd pacing. Had there been a few more hundred pages to allow Gretchen and Josh's relationship to grow a little bit more, I would've enjoyed it a lot better! Nonetheless, Out of His League was a pretty fun read because it reminded me of my Wattpad days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Gretchen is a sommelier from Toronto headed to Las Vegas for a wine competition when she runs into her favorite major league baseball player, Joshua Malvern, at the airport. He’s being sent down to a minor league team and in a foul mood. Wanting to show him a little kindness, instead of asking for an autograph, she buys him a cup of coffee. It’s love at first sight, with him touching her and barely being able to look away, upgrading her economy seat to first-class so she can sit with him, and the new couple spend the entire flight canoodling. Then when they land in Vegas, they spend a very hot, steamy weekend together, before a miscommunication drives them apart.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. And there quite a few things I liked about it. The premise sounded really promising, but I should have given the fact that it was a Wattpad book a little more consideration.when requesting it. This feels like a loosely plotted fan fic of a sports romance… if that’s your cup of tea, you’ll likely enjoy this book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Overall, it was an ok book - a quick read - but it just felt a little flat and unmemorable. The instalove trope, in my opinion, always feels unrealistic and a shortcut for the development of a relationship. There is the inevitable miscommunication that leads to a third act breakup, but then something brings them back together. Not that most romances don’t end in a standard HEA, but this one followed the script a little too closely, and felt just a shade too predictable to be truly enjoyable.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one was cute. Loved the main characters. Would recommend.

This is actually pretty damn cute and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It read a lot like I imagine fan fiction would, but I liked it all the same. It started out on the slow side, but after a short while I was sucked in.

Gretchen, a big baseball fan, spots her favorite baseball player, Josh Malvern, looking distraught at the airport. Instead of asking for an autograph, she buys him a coffee and comforts him on his temporary demotion to the minor leagues. They are both en route to Vegas and after Gretchen’s kind gesture, Josh invites her to sit next to him on the plane. They have this palpable attraction and end up seeking each other out multiple times on their stay in Vegas.

This book falls under the “just a hookup” to insta love trope, which I didn’t mind under the circumstances. The pacing was well done. This is definitely more of an escape read (most celebrity/sport romances are, IMO). I was also pleasantly surprised by the level of spice this one packed in.

This was a good book, but it was quite predictable with the main crisis feeling a little forced. I wouldn’t expect two individuals in their late 20’s and early 30’s to fall victim to a simple misunderstanding, which is why this ultimately lead to a 3 star rating.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wattpad books for the ARC of this!

Unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me, though the cover is super cute and the synopsis caught my eye. The romance started off very whirlwind, which I can totally understand and isn’t the biggest turn-off, but I just didn’t feel like there was much relationship building at all, just a lot of “best sex of my life” between the characters. I don’t want to go into more to avoid spoilers, but around the middle it really lost my interest. I felt like I had to push myself through the rest. The writing itself wasn’t great for me, though I can definitely see parts that had promise. I hope it finds its way to people who will enjoy it more than I did.

1.25 stars ☆ As I started reading this, it was going so well. They mentioned Toronto and I smiled a little because that’s where I lived. The coffee scene was cute and then after that, it went downhill fast.

I didn’t like this at all. Their relationship was so quick and rushed. Like this part where it is only 11% from the book and they already kissed- likeee what?? where’s the build-up? the chemistry?

“𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨,“ 𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧.

They only just met like a few hours ago and then they’re already kissing and saying stuff like this?? um anyway.

another part on 17% from the book…

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚,“ 𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙,𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙧. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠, 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙠, 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙃𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙃𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥.

“𝙉𝙤𝙬,“ 𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙜 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙘𝙝. 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚.

why are we going too fast?!!! And most of the time it was cringey-

A good thing about this book was it’s short since it’s only 250 pages but maybe that’s why their relationship was happening so fast?? Still, I just can’t- but this book’s cover and synopsis catch my interest right off the bat. Like, look at the cover !! It’s soo cute but on the inside? I felt betrayed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry, I had to DNF at 18%. It read like fan fiction. First, it was insta love/lust of a famous person. Oh I’ve had this day dream too. In fact, I think mine occurred at an airport. Then miraculously she was upgraded to first class and a fancy hotel room. Pure Cinderella story here. A famous person is immediately charmed by you and attracted to you and the perks abound. But then the first sex scene was the cherry on top for me. Two seconds of “foreplay” and she instantly orgasms upon penetration. Twice. No, this book isn’t for me sorry.

I didn't realize this was a re-release. I read the original on Wattpad. Not super impressed. Josh and Gretchen get together super fast and spend most of the book "doing it". Unfortunately, I feel like those scenes are so underwhelming that they're cringey, and their chemistry forced. Cute cover though!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The book cover and premise drew me in but I had a hard time with the insta-love connection and the characters fell really flat for me. The conflict wasn’t unique to others I’ve seen before and executed poorly. I thought the baseball aspects were interesting and done pretty well. I would have liked to learn more about Gretchen and her career rather than the majority of her plot line being sex scenes and a blubbering mess. Although this book wasn’t a good fit, I appreciated the opportunity to read this arc.

A meet cute romance!

Baseball player Joshua Malvern was at the airport because he was being sent down to the minor league Las Vegas team to rehab his injuries because he wasn’t ready to retire yet when he run into Gretchen Harper when she bought him a coffee. Gretchen Harper was on the way to Las Vegas for a wine competition when she ran into her favorite player Joshua Malvern who looked like he needed something nice.

Out of His League is a good meet cute romance where Gretchen and Josh meet at the airport and he upgrades her to sit next to him on the plane and they spend the weekend together in Las Vegas. But things don’t go smoothly because that make it a really boring romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this book was only sent to me as a PDF version so I could not read it on my Kobo since there was no Epub format. I'm unsure how I can access this book. However, it seems like I book I would greatly adore so I'll be sure to read it when it is officially published later next week. I'm looking forward to it and I appreciate the opportunity to be given this ARC. I"ll be sure to discuss this book on my TikTok page (@readsbyrachel) once I read it!!

I rated this 3 stars because I was unsure how to rate but this seems like a fair score. I'll be sure to update it once I finish the book

The cover hooked me, as I love a good sports romance. Baseball and romance, well, put the two together and I’m definitely reading it! The cover may have been what drew me to this book but the story kept my attention. Gretchen is a sommelier that travels for work often and Josh is a professional baseball player headed back to the minors. Their paths cross when they have a chance meeting at the airport. Both are headed to Vegas and from there it’s an instant connection. There is a point in the book that a misunderstanding becomes miscommunication and that really effects Gretchen and Josh’s relationship for a time. Without any spoilers or going into it specifically I felt that this bump could have been resolved with a conversation, a heartfelt talk between the two. It definitely didn’t stop me from continuing to read or see how Gretchen and Josh get their happy ending which of course they do. If you are a fan of baseball romances, and insta- love, you will enjoy this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/ 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, this was a cute, simple, easy read. It felt rushed in some parts and the relationship between the two main characters felt a little too shallow or superficial. There were definitely some steamy parts I appreciated and the secondary characters were great.

Out of His League by Caroline Richardson
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I am going to be completely honest.
I couldn’t care less about real life sports.
But give me a good sports romance and I am INVESTED.

Gretchen Harper spots her favorite baseball player, Joshua Malvern, at the airport looking like he’s had a less than stellar day and decides to be bold. She buys him a cup of coffee and, will later confirm, it was the best cup of coffee she ever purchased.
This was a super enjoyable, fast paced romance read and you will likely want to binge it in a day so DON’T start it at 10 pm. Gretchen and Josh were so cute and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of their story. Fair warning, this book does include a pretty heavy case of insta-love but it was exactly what I wanted to read so it did not bother me one bit. :)

Out of His League will be out April 5th and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for sharing an arc with me in exchange for my honest opinions.