I was so excited to read this story! The cover and description caught my eye and hooked me in. However, this was not the book for me...

My biggest problem with this story was the writing style. It felt like someone knew about all of the cliche romance phrases and stuffed them all into the opening of this story. The writing had no voice to it. I recommend the author work on their writing technique and pacing.

The characters has no reason for how they were attracted to each other so quickly except for the fact that they were in a romance book. They moved too fast without any sense.

Overall, pacing and writing style were my main problems with this story.

I wanted to read this book for two reasons: the cover is really cute and the male lead is a baseball player (I love baseball). Unfortunately, the actual book wasn't for me, and I read it fairly all things considered, but I struggled.

First, there isn't really much of a plot to this besides them figuring out long distance with both of their jobs, but even that is so minor because they actually don't really do anything to figure it out - things just kind of fall into place, when they complain about how they don't know if it'll work but they want it to. Additionally, for such a short book, there is way too much smut in it for my liking. If you like that sort of thing, maybe you'll enjoy this more than I did, but I prefer little to none, and this was way too much for me. So that is definitely a me thing.

Also, I don't know if the author really knows anything about baseball because there were so many inconsistencies and things that were just plain wrong whenever the sport was mentioned. I did enjoy that he played the sport, but it was kind of a mess to be honest.

So there wasn't really a plot, the characters weren't developed outside of their lust and insta-love for each other (seriously - they were in love with each other after one night), and one of the main reasons I wanted to read this was not done well, so overall, this didn't work for me.

thank you so much for the ARC of this book and getting a chance to give my input on it.

What can I say about this book? It is a.m. romance novel that has such a great backbone! I thoroughly enjoyed being wrapped up in the storyline. Also, I didn’t hate any of the characters in any point in the book so that’s saying a lot lol I would definitely love to see this one translated in into the big screen because the characters are so dear to me now. I love everyone from Gretchen and Josh to Neptune and Travis! I think if you are looking for a good romance novel you will enjoy it. I definitely give this one 4 1/2 stars which for me is a big thing!

I'll be honest, the formatting was hard to follow, so it took me out of it a bit, but I'll try to keep the reviewing to ust the story.
It was a fine story. I liked both the leads, but i think their story was a little rushed, and I might like them as characters more apart than I did as a couple.
The writing could be a little inconsistent and hard to follow at bits, but when it got on track. it was nice to read, and even fun.
I could see this author growing into a really engaging story teller, so I'll keep my eyes open for the future!

This story was cute, although the beginning was little slow paced for me. Nevertheless, it was a fun steamy read helped me get out of my reading slump. The chemistry between Josh and Gretchen is swoon worthy. It is a bit of insta- love but it feels so right. She is kind, sweet, and sexy., and on the other hand our hero seems quite stand-off (at times) Also, I loved the dual POV in this book, although, it was written in the third person narrative, and at times gets a little bit confusing for me to get as to who's perspective it’s from...
Despite the sexy romance it’s the friendship between Sharla and Gretchen, that has left me all jelly here, like, c’mon that is the sort of friendship everyone deserves and need in their lives. Henceforth, it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the eARC
"You aren't a mess, but if you were, you'd be my mess."

3 stars

This book is exactly what it promises. It's sports romance, one weekend stand turned lovers and swoony romance .
Let's start off with what I enjoyed. I loved seeing the Canadian rep and mention of cities outside of Toronto as a Canadian girl myself. I thought the main character was likeable, especially towards the last half of the story.
I thought Josh, the main love interest and Major League Baseball player, was to die for. He was a little stand offish with a soft spot for our female main character. Josh is the perfect male lead for a sports romance.
I also enjoyed the last half, by about 200 pages I wasn't able to put the book down and I was just dying to get to the end.
One of my favourite parts about this book was the dual POV, though because it was all written in third person it could get a little bit confusing as to who's perspective it was.
Can we talk about the friendship between Sharla and Gretchen, I mean now that is the kind of friendship everyone needs in their life.

With that being said, there are a few things about this book that didn't suit my personal taste, and that's okay!
I didn't love where the book started off, I felt like I was thrown right into the world with very little context as to what was going on. I wish that the story had started just a touch earlier.
This book also contains insta love, which is not a personal favourite trop of mine. I wish their relationship had been a bit more developed before Josh all but confesses his love for her.
The writing also felt underwhelming at times, but this seemed to have been fixed in the second half of the book which is probably why I enjoyed that half a lot more.

Very sweet, predictable, light-hearted romance. Easy read and the characters were very enjoyable. Hope to see some future books for side characters.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC. This was a nearly immediate DNF for me. It was so incredibly corny and unrealistic that I rolled my eyes so much in the first 3 chapters I gave myself a headache. I love sports romcoms and the book description seemed cute, but this was just awful. I'm surprised this was actually published and not a piece of fan fiction on tumblr. I would give zero stars if possible.

While I'm a big fan of sports romances and Josh and Gretchen were very cute there were many moments where I was confused by the transitions in the book. I found myself going back pages to figure out how we got to location B from location A. I also found that right when I think the book was over it kinda just kept going which isn't a bad thing because there was no drama it was just more cute moments I felt like it could have ended once they agreed to work it out.

I did appreciate how aware Josh was in his anger and his mistakes. There were moments where he knew he needed to take a breather and have a clear head. Also him standing up for what his body needs instead of pushing himself to the point where he most likely wouldn't be able to recover like most athletes was refreshing.

It was a quick read and I couldn't help but wanting more Sharla and Kevin moments. I'm definitely intrigued since they seem to give off grumpy/sunshine vibes.

Gretchen and Josh….can I say wow! Typically I’m more of a slow burn type of romance reader, but the chemistry that was shown between Gretchen and Josh was strong from the beginning, I understand why they moved as fast as it did. I think they’re definitely for one another. Personally I think the conflict was a bit unnecessary considering the short time they knew each other before hand. The supporting characters between Starla, the coach, Neptune, were a joy to read. I also loved that this touched into what many athletes don’t talk about, which is when retirement is among them. The pressure of being a professional athlete is unimaginable, but this author gave some nice insight and wrapped it up with a HEA.

✨BOOK REVIEW

Out of His League by Caroline Richardson was my first pick for #NetGalleyNovember so thank you to @netgalley and @wattpadbooks for my ARC.

PUB DATE: 04 04 2022

SYNOPSIS: When Gretchen Harper sees her favourite baseball player, Josh Malvern, at the airport, she decides to throw caution to the wind and buy him a cup of coffee. Coffee becomes wine on the plane which turns into a one night stand in Vegas of all places. “While stepping out of her comfort zone has never been Gretchen’s style, for a chance at true love she will have to decide whether she will swing for the fences, even if it means striking out…”

Ok, this book was FUN and STEAMY! I love a romance centred around a professional athlete (who doesn’t) and absolutely loved how it centred around a Canadian team, the Toronto Sixers, a fictional take on the Toronto Blue Jays. I do wish we were given a bit MORE; I wanted more character development, more relationship building and more suspense. For me, there was just a bit too much insta-love (the practical side of me has a really hard time believing someone is willing to completely upend their life and career based of 48 hours in the sac). Still, I really liked Gretchen and Josh and thought their romance was cute and steamy and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a HEA steamy romance centred around sports!

This is definitely an insta-love romance, which honestly I didn't think I was going to like at first. The smut is front loaded at the beginning which made it feel like their relationship didn’t have a lot of substance. Which, to be honest I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to.

Later on Josh and Gretchen ran into some of the classic relationship roadblocks when considering how to mold two very different lives together. Though there was some unnecessary drama--if you have a bone to pick with the miscommunication trope you know what I mean--I believed in their relationship by the end.

The chemistry between these two is undeniable and it was enjoyable to see that raw attraction develop into something more. I really loved Josh's character. He was not the typical attention seeking, or former playboy jock.

I'd definitely recommend checking this out if you like sports romances, or are just in the mood for something a little spicier. Thank you so much to @netgalley and @wattpad for this ARC. Out of His League is out on April 5, 2022 and you can preorder your copy now (link in bio).

Why you should read:
✨Cinnamon roll jock
✨A weekend in Vegas
✨Celebrity crushes
✨Insta love/attraction
✨Lots of smut/spiciness
✨Grand gestures

I really enjoyed this. I do think that feelings happened a little quickly, but I don’t fully mind since it is a romance. I think romances with athletes are some of my favorites and I want to read more. This book was cute and made me laugh and smile and the cover is super cute. I can’t wait to see what else this author writes.

When I first started reading it was a bit difficult, but that had more to do with the format it came into my kindle. After downloading the NetGalley shelf app it was much easier to read and enjoyable. Now to the book!

Out of his league is a Rom-Com written in the world of sports and wine, it was cute, really cute. It starts with Gretchen seeing her favorite baseball player at the airport, and instead of going over and asking for his autograph like she originally thinks to do she instead buys him a cup of coffee, and the rest is well history.

The spice in this book is on point, I mean they waste zero time in getting to the spice. But it wasn't in a way that made me feel that it was just because there needed to be a spicy scene, you could feel the connection that was being built. I do feel that the drama and a few of the subplots that were in the book midway/near the end felt like an afterthought. Almost like it felt like there hadn't been any "real" drama so they had to throw some in. I felt there could have been other ways and other opportunities to put a strain on the relationship to create that moment of doubt. So the end for me dragged but I am a sap for happily ever after and this book did not disappoint. It did leave the door open for what appears to be a continuation of Sharla and Kevin's story, and I do hope they do. I would like to see how that dynamic works.

Is this a book I can say I would reread? No. Is it one I feel like I will be screaming from the rooftops for every one of my friends to read? Maybe not the rooftop, but there is a good chance I'll suggest it to some. Would I recommend this to anyone looking for a cute and quick romance with a good amount of spice to read? Yes.

Any book that combines my big love for both wine and baseball has me at hello. This one grabbed me from the first few paragraphs and did not disappoint.

Gretchen, a late twenty-something sommelier happens to spot her Major League Baseball crush, Josh, in an airport bar while waiting for her flight to a wine convention in Vegas. She has a bit of time, and noticing that he looks rather down, throws caution to the wind and buys him a cup of coffee. That uncharacteristically bold gesture on her part turns into a few days of fun, or perhaps even more.

Josh is headed to Vegas, because his Big League team is sending him down to the minors at what could be the end of his major league baseball career. He's not very optimistic about his future in baseball, and unlike so many of his colleagues, he's really not the hook up kind, so when Gretchen walks into his life, he's really not looking to hit any home runs, neither personally nor professionally.

I really enjoyed this book because neither Gretchen nor Josh are stereotypical. They have interesting careers, and despite the glamorous worlds that they run in, they are both just good, likeable people with nice friends.

This book had some twists and turns that kept my pages turning and my wine glass filled a I read this book in a day. It' a great beach or vacation read and if you like sports related romance, it's a lot of fun.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my never-held-back opinion!

I really love a good sports romance so I was really excited to read this book. However, this just didn't fully hit the mark for me. It fell flat in a lot of areas. It was very spicy which I enjoyed but I feel like there was a major lack in character development.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC. The beginning seemed very choppy and shallow. I wanted so badly to like the main character more. But her obsession and knowing every detail came off creepy to me. I’m giving 3 stars simply because not liking the main character tainted the whole story for me.
I would definitely recommend to someone who likes their romance novels on the *steamy* side.

Gretchen meets her favorite baseball player, Josh, in an airport and they strike up a whirlwind romance. Gretchen is a sommelier, which was a fun touch and interesting to learn a bit more about! But I have to be honest, I struggled a bit with this one. There were quite a few places throughout that just felt like an excuse to include a sex scene without anything substantial or that served to advance the plot -- which may be what some readers are looking for, for sure! Just wasn't particularly for me. I enjoyed the female friendship dynamic and Josh's career discussions, as well as Gretchen's sharing about her family. More than the lighthearted and sweet romcom I was looking for, it served up a substantial amount of steam. It didn't satisfy my personal tastes but I think it would happily suit a different reader. There is no denying that Caroline Richardson is a talented author and I am so happy for her success from Wattpad! I would definitely be interested in reading future works.

Many thanks to Caroline Richardson, Wattpad Books, and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book is exactly what it says on the tin, in many positive and not-so-positive ways. It reads as fun, lightly developed fanfic, because that is exactly what it is. All the favorite romance tropes are there: insta-lust, one night changes it all, focused hero meets the right woman, wallflower steps out...this hits many of the classics. The “romance” is really more sexual attraction, and that is fine. Books can be pure escapism, it isn't against the rules! Honestly, this book is exactly what would expect to happen when you take a solid, long-form fanfic and smoosh it into book form. I am 100% here for it. Fanfic has tons of talented writers and if this starts a trend of people getting paid for that work, sounds great. This is a great read as long as you know what it is meant to be: a fun, sexy story with a cheery HEA.

Going to be real here... I feel like I was a little bit catfished by this book cover.

I know, I know, "don't judge a book by its cover," but I did (kind of... I also read the description) and I was really not expecting to get such Wattpad vibes from this book. But then I went on Goodreads and realized that was because it was initially published on Wattpad.

There's nothing wrong with Wattpad stories. they just sadly aren't my cup of tea.

The premise of the story and the characters were promising (also I'm a little jealous of Gretchen's career as a sommelier tbh), but, I ended up DNF'ing around 30% in.

I would take my review with a grain of salt - if this is your sorta vibe, give it a try!