Hawk and Elin were great characters, if Elin could just get out of her own way. I get it with Hawk's past she was a bit hesitant, but he was putting in so much effort with her.

It was a slow start, it took Elin so long to dump Nate, even with the situation they were in. I would have liked to of seen more interaction with Hawk and Elin, the Philly date, the movie night, all the times they spent together were slightly rushed. Then it was back to Elin in her own head again. I wasn't expecting Hawk to be the first one to lay his heart on the line, but he really put all his effort into being there for Elin and being who she needed him to be.

It was a really cute friends to lovers, with great side characters. Elin had an amazing group of teammates/friends that really helped her grow her confidence back and learn to trust her heart. The ending was amazing, I love that Hawk was his normal loud/outgoing self and really went all in!!!

Thank you to Beck Erixson and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy!!

I gotta be honest this book was a little too much going on. Don’t get me wrong I didnt hate it but it was very hard to stay focused throughout the entire book. I think just maybe too much plot? or details? I don’t know I really just could not wrap my head around what was happening as the book continued on and on. I also don’t like that Hawk and Elgin didnt have a relationship really until the last chapter of the book I felt like they hooked up and we got bits and pieces but never anything to concrete to go on. While I did enjoy the story I think maybe less on the things going on around them and more on the couple itself would’ve been nice.

I am curious to see what happens with Thad and Marget as it kind of hinted that maybe that’s a couple for the next book? Overalll the book wasn’t bad but it was very hard to stay focused and not go all over the place with all the side details (ex: the museum exhibit she went to? I had absolutely no clue what was happening most of that chapter). Thank you so much for letting me read it and give my honest opinion though! I

This was cute, but honestly, I don’t like the whole ‘I love you but I’m not gonna say it’ thing.. but the book was fun, Hawk is adorable and I want one for myself tbh

As a former ok soccer player I’m sad I didn’t like this more. This book had so much potential sadly it fell flat. I found myself confused about what was happening. It might just have been me but it seemed like whenever they were apart (which seemed like half the book at least) it was long and rather boring but when they were together everything happened VERY quick. It was giving me whiplash. The ending was cute albeit quick I wish we could have had more moments like that.

2.5 stars. Feeling Ballsy is a story following Elin and Hawk who have been best friends for the past 15 years. After Elin finds out her boyfriend, Nate, is cheating on her, she dumps him and begins dating again. Soon she starts seeing Hawk in a different light and their friends-to-lovers journey begins. First of all, this was a cute concept, and I’ve been dipping my toes into the sports romance genre and really enjoying it. I haven’t come across many soccer romances yet and so I was excited to dig into this one!

I really enjoyed the humor and sweet friendship between Elin and Hawk. And it was easy to understand how Elin felt in her relationship with Nate, although frustrating that she waited so long to voice her feelings.

That being said, I found some of the scenes difficult to follow and a little bit jumpy at times, and I was left feeling lost like I was missing some pieces of the story. There was also a lot of telling, not showing, which isn’t something I gravitate towards in my reading, so I ended up DNF-ing this one.

There were some solid parts that sucked me into the story and were done really though, so I would definitely give this author another shot!

Feeling Ballsy is a sweet story about Elin getting out of a bad relationship with Nate and realizing the chemistry she had with her long time friend Hawk. The story started out kind of slow and I was getting frustrated with how terrible Elin’s relationship was with Nate. But the end of the story was good and the growth between Elin and Hawk was fun to follow.

I'm kind of surprised that Feeling Ballsy has so many low reviews. This book is definitely slow moving, but I do like Elin an Hawk. I don't like that so much of the beginning of the book is her still in her awful relationship with Nate, who is a real jerk. While I did like the book, I didn't love the book. Hawk is a player and since this book is only in first person, we don't get to hear his inner dialogue so that we can believe he has changed his ways for Elin. That was difficult for me, I love hearing dual points of view in my romance books. The ending of the book is good, but I would have liked an epilogue. Solid 4 stars from me. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I was so invested in Elin's happiness. She's so cute. And I love love Hawk. I love their dynamic. It's heartwarming. ⁠
⁠
Definitely worth a read for all the sports romance girlies. ⁠

I was really invested in this story, and couldn't wait until they finally got together. Worth the wait.

I really wanted to like this one, but as many others have said, I just couldn’t get invested. I’m not a big fan of books with an overload of exposition, but for people who are in to books that really walk you through every beat, this might be one for you!

This was my first book by Erixson and I loved it! What a great writing style this author has. I’m so glad netgalley introduces us to new authors. Full of booktok a favourite tropes and one not to miss!

Thank you, NetGalley for sending this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this book was a big miss for me.

Firstly, there were too many uninteresting scenes that didn't really develop the story, it felt like they were there just to bulk it out or hit a word count.
Every single chapter seemed to start with 'I haven't seen Hawk since our last awkward enounter', even though it was never really that awkward?

It was sometimes unclear as to who was speaking which meant I had to re-read paragraphs quite often. There were also times I felt the pacing was a bit jumpy, one minute they're sworn besties, the next they decide to randomly kiss? It felt like there was a lot of missing context and there was no real emotion in any of the dialogue.

Frustratingly, a lot of the language used was confusing and didn't make sense. I think a lot of it was supposed to be funny but came across as something a young teenager would say and not someone in their mid to late twenties.

Lastly, the ending was super rushed and felt really out of left field (no pun intended!) and therefore, it is with regret that I would not recommend this book to a friend.

I am always willing to give authors a second chance, though. I am intrigued to see how the author develops and what she comes up with next!

Thanks for NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review.

This book was a little bit confusing for me. Even knowing the description, I wasn't sure if this was a story about friends who'd loved each other for years or a couple who was getting back together (even though Nate was the WORST). I liked Elin as a character, but she didn't quite feel her age to me and her relationship with Hawk felt romantic from the start. The writing was good, but the character traits over everyone just felt a little off and it kept taking me out of the story. I wasn't sure what the main conflict of the story was, except for maybe low self esteem. Maybe that just hits to close to home for me to find it a fun and interesting story. The soccer backstory was cool and the team was interesting and I loved their dynamic - more of that!

Elin Axelsson is unmistakably the worst goalie in her women’s indoor soccer league. Yet each week, she laces up her cleats, pumps up her teammates, and gives it her all. At least playing soccer means being able to spend more time with her all-star goalie boyfriend, Nate. And her best friend of fifteen years—who’s a total ladies’ man—Hawk.
But when Elin catches Nate cheating, she dumps his ass, and finds herself thrust back into the weird world of online dating. At least she has Hawk to lean on. He has a new woman every week, and is a dating expert. But after a few awkward first dates with other people, Elin starts noticing Hawk in a different light. Except, that can’t happen. She can’t risk losing him, or their fifteen-year friendship if things go sour.
That is, until they manage to fall tongue-first into each other’s mouths. The two form a pact to prevent diving hormones-first into more bad relationships. They’ll hook up with each other, and compartmentalize their friendship. But there are rules: Elin sets the pace, no sex with others while the pact is in effect, and if either develop romantic feelings for the other, they must bail out to protect the friendship. It’s the perfect arrangement!
Until it isn’t.

I received a an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite a cute premise, this was a DNF for me. It has a very "telling, not showing" writing style and I found the male MC a bit cringe.

Honestly, contemporary romances haven't been working for me in general lately, so maybe I'm no longer the right reader for the subgenre.

DNF @ 36%. the story is very slow paced for being an short book. I was expecting more to have happened quicker than it did. I lost interest and didn't feel the connection of the main characters that made me want to continue.

Can we start off by taking a moment of silence for the cover?!?!? I absolutely knew I needed to read this book by how captured I was by the cover and title alone. This book was SOOO good. I cannot recommend it enough. Beck really knew where she was going with this slow burn (but not too slow, just the perfect amount). The characters were great! Bestfriends to lovers is one of my favorites to read and this had everything you could ever want in that trope.

Have you ever seen a book cover and known you needed to read a book? That’s how I felt when I first saw Feeling Ballsy.

After such a strong reaction to the cover, I was even more sucked in by the dedication:
“For the ones who know love is awkward and wonderful.
Those who value their friendships whole heartedly.
And, for those who fell for their best friend.”

Reading this story had me all in my feels throughout. Beck Erixson captured the shift from best friends to lovers so excellently in this slow(ish) burn romance. Both Elin and Hawk were easy to love on their own, but even easier to love as a pair. I laughed out loud, cried, and smiled through this read.

I wanted to like this because of the soccer aspect (I'm a big sports romance fan) but it really just fell flat and didn't get my attention like I thought it would. I think friends to lovers can be hard to do, and I think this was definitely the case here. I didn't see the "love" aspect of it and saw them as only friends. It wasn't the best book, but mediocre.

I was anticipating really liking this book due to the fact it is a soccer and best friend romance but in general it just fell flat and I wasn't even liking it until the last 10% but the other 90% ruined it.

2.5 stars. Ouf, friends to lovers is always a difficult trope for me to read. Without spoiling too much, It was hard to me to view this story as romantic or a story that was moving towards that direction. I liked Elin and how she came into her own throughout the book. I did like Hawk and his friendship with Elin but it was hard for me to separate a few choices he made through out the story.. understandable choices but I wasn't crazy about them. And these choices took away from the romance element of the story. I kept reading hoping it would get better since I felt the potential but it fell short for me. Overall, it wasn't a stand out for me but I enjoyed the world of characters Erixson created and would read if there was ever a series about others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. All thoughts in the review are my own.

This book had a lot of potential. I felt some of this story was confusing. I just didn’t love it. The Friends to Lovers aspect was too long and I became bored with the story.