This book made me care about baseball, which is the highest praise I can give a book. I absolutely loved this story, the characters felt so real and relatable to me. I dont always love a secret identity trope in romance, but I really felt for Daphne and why she felt she had to keep her secret from Chris. I also didnt mind the 3rd act breakup, I thought it was a necessary part of their relationship arc. I laughed and cried throughout this book, I highly recommend it.

Chris was an interesting character. The way he was via text was different from how he was in person, which is very relatable I think. I loved that it was finally a sports romance for baseball. Randy was a fun character. Daphne was eh. She could have been lovely, but I hated her scheming ways. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope, or secret identity via lying. Other than that, I felt like the book flowed smoothly and the characters were authentic. I loved the banter and romance, the realness.

I really enjoyed this book, but there were definitely some things that I was not a fan of.

The plot revolves around a lie for most of the story. I don't love this in romance books because it stresses me out a bit. The whole issue could have easily been resolved, which was very frustrating at times, but other than that, I had fun with Daphne and Chris's relationship.

I thought it was sweet how thoughtful and kind Chris was with Daphne. He really took the time to get to know her, and it was obvious early on that he couldn't get enough of her.

Many warm moments in this book kept me reading on despite my frustration with Daphne's deceit.

Overall, I gave this a 3.5/5

Believe it or not this was my first sports romance, and I really loved it! Time to go binge Alicia’s backlist!!!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

Guys, I like sports now! But really, this felt like you really got to learn about baseball and sideline reporting rather than just the love interest happening to be a third baseman. I liked the epistolary elements, especially mixed with the classic You've Got Mail trope. But Alicia Thompson also mixed in messages about mental health throughout that gave me the warm fuzzies. (Not to mention the mutual masturbation scene on the phone fogging up my earbuds) The family and team dynamics were delightful and Randy deserves the WORLD. But Daphne and Chris were no slouches either.

I think, unequivocally, this is the best yet from Alicia Thompson.

I am so in love with this book. It was such a unique set-up that I haven't read before. The writing by Alicia Thompson was so well done and I really felt like I was peeking into Chris and Duckie's text conversations. I couldn't put the book down, anxious to find out how it would be revealed that Duckie is also Daphne. The baseball elements were so genuine, too. I'm now wondering if I should get into baseball this summer :) The familial relationships were beautifully done. Representation of loss, grief, divorce, and anxiety all added a beautiful element to the story. I have nothing negative to say about this book! I'm a new ALicia Thompson fan and will be running to read her other books now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and found myself rooting for the characters even amongst all the secrets and lies. Chris really was a Book Boyfriend™️ and deserves the world. I struggled with Daphne’s lies and just wish she would have said something sooner. :/

Huge thanks to @berkleyromance for the advanced copy! ♥️♥️♥️ I am such a fan of Alicia and will continue to read whatever she puts out!

As an avid reader of sports romances, I was eagerly anticipating *The Art of Catching Feelings* by Alicia Thompson. It’s refreshing to see a sports romance centered around baseball, especially when hockey romances seem to dominate the genre. However, despite my high hopes, this book didn’t quite hit a home run for me.

The story revolves around Daphne and Chris, whose relationship develops primarily through text messages driven by the deception trope. While I usually enjoy an instant connection between characters, this one felt abrupt and unconvincing. The quick development of feelings between Chris and "Duckie" over a few weeks of texting left me scratching my head, struggling to buy into their connection.

Daphne, the main character, was a significant point of contention for me. Her decisions throughout the plot were often frustrating, especially the prolonged deception involving the text messages. It felt inevitable that Chris would eventually uncover the truth, and that anticipation detracted from my enjoyment. The narrative relied heavily on these texting conversations, which became overwhelming and monotonous rather than engaging. Spreading them out more evenly could have added to the story’s depth.

One of the biggest challenges for me was the moral dilemma posed by the major miscommunication and catfishing situation. Daphne’s conscious continuation of the deception, supported by some people in her life, made it difficult for me to fully root for her and Chris. While the pair shared some genuinely nice moments, the foundation of their romance is built on a lie felt wrong and undermined my investment in their journey.

Despite my reservations about the storyline, I must commend Alicia Thompson’s writing style. Her prose kept me engaged and moving forward, even when I was frustrated with the plot. This is the third book by Thompson I’ve read, and I believe her to be a talented writer. It’s unfortunate that the story chosen for this couple didn’t resonate with me as much as I’d hoped.

In conclusion, while *The Art of Catching Feelings* was readable and well-written, the core premise of the story didn’t align with my tastes. The deception trope, the rapid development of feelings, and the overload of texting conversations all contributed to my mixed feelings. However, I acknowledge Thompson’s skill as a writer and look forward to seeing what she comes up with next, hoping for a storyline that better aligns with my preferences.

Thank you to Berkley for this opportunity! This was my first of Alicia's books but I have the others ready for me.

Alicia had a beautiful way of writing, everything flows so easily and the pages turned quickly. But the lying. The lying was very hard to disregard and continue to enjoy and root for the couple. I found myself contemplating when it would happen and then was disappointed in the way it happened.

3.5 ⭐️

Did Not Finish.

Daphne signs the paperwork for her divorce and to celebrate she goes to a baseball game—tickets that her ex-husband initially wanted. Then she gets trashed and starts heckling the home team?? Come on girl, you don’t heckle the home team!

And when she “accidentally doesn’t apologize” she just keeps talking to Chris? I can’t with the secrets. I felt like I was in the Scott’s Tots episode of The Office and I could feel the cringe coming at me like a freight train.

And so…DNF.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC and PRH Audio for the free audiobook.

Another amazing book by Alicia Thompson. This one really hit me in all the feels and I wasn't expecting it! I highly recommend it.

this was such a surprising delight! let's get this out of the way--I am typically not a fan of the You've Got Mail trope. or rather, it's rare that they will surprise me because at the end of the day, you KNOW what the third act conflict is going to be. for a book with this trope to stand out, it has to subvert my expectations and this managed to do that while staying true to the premise. there were serious topics dealt with sensitively throughout this book and it made Chris feeling betrayed by Daphne more believable and serious. the romance felt fresh despite being a premise that lends itself to a formula. I think this will be a fan favorite.

I have yet to read Alicia Thompson's work but I've been meaning to and will be prioritizing her backlist!

Oh this book was a joy to read. I really enjoyed the method of communication between the two main characters. Their way of communicating made me feel every emotion they were feeling and I was here for the journey. Once the main villain of the story was revealed the story fell a little bit flat, but some readers may eat that section up. I did enjoy the end and thought the way the story was tied up nicely.

I knew early on that I was probably not the best reader for this book- I cannot bring myself to care one bit about baseball (I have been that person in excellent seats with a book in hand), and once I realized this was going to fully hinge on lying/miscommunication I REALLY had a hard time investing in it. Alicia Thompson captures PEOPLE in her books so well, so Chris and Daphne felt realistic and their chemistry was fabulous, and that is what DID work for me.

I’m conflicted about this book. The whole premise is Daphne finalizes her divorce, goes to a baseball game, heckles a player, starts a penpal relationship with him, works with him, and ends up falling for him. It had to be the miscommunication that I didn’t appreciate

Daphne had a bit of a weak personality. She didn’t want to lead Chris on when she attempted to apologize, but that’s exactly what she did

Chris needed therapy. Long before the trauma that ensued. But him finding out about Daphne shouldn’t have been the catalyst for that to happen

I don’t think I loved the inner character dialogue. It was very long for me and pulled me out of the story more than it kept me in. With Daphne not revealing her true self, I got uncomfortable with the spice scene. Because Chris bared his soul and told her his deepest secrets and feelings. Yet Daphne left out the most important part of who she was. In terms of character POV switch for the chapters, I do think the switch could have been made more clear.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I ate this book up!!! Daphne is our MFC and she was just delightful, so sweet and quirky but not in a cliche way! Chris is our main guy and I loved him so much, he's dealing with grief beyond measure and I loved how vulnerable he was and the journey we got to see him go through as he moves through his grief. The book opens with Daphne going to a baseball game, which she hates (me too girl), but as she starts drinking she gets into the hype and starts heckling poor Chris in a way that reminds him of his recently deceased big brother, he starts to cry in the middle of the game!!! Guess he didn't get the memo that there's no crying in baseball, he of course turns into a meme and it's all very embarrassing. Daphne goes on instagram to apologize, but whoops, somehow she forgets to include that she's his heckler! They start talking and really like each other but she doesn't know how to tell him, only to further complicate matters by starting to work as a social media person for his team! I was on the edge of my seat just waiting for the it all to come tumbling down! You won't be disappointed with how Alicia Thompson handles the mishaps and wraps everything up in a perfect HEA!

The lying and miscommunication completely ruined this for me. How can I be convinced they love each other if she can’t even be honest with him? Immediately no.

Alicia Thompson always has the best covers and the most fun voice when writing. Baseball romances have been making their rounds this summer and this one is definitely a home run (pun intended)

4.5 stars

Another 3rd person POV book, but that’s okay, this one was good too! By a fifth of the way into the story I was already very emotional at all that was happening! The way that Daphne felt after heckling Chris, I have totally had that feeling after arguing with someone or saying something mean to them, even if I felt justified when I said it, the look on their face or how they responded to it, similar to Chris in that first situation, totally sent me spiraling into feeling horrible.

Now this was a major story of not telling someone a secret that could have been solved so much earlier in the book, but I know that it was the plotline in a way, so had to be done that way. And even though I know that, it is why I couldn’t give it a 5 star rating, had to drop to 4.5 instead.

But the chemistry between these two both through text messages as well as in person once Daphne took over her sister-in-law Layla’s job working with Chris’s baseball team was so good. And the steamy scenes had some very steamy bits that I enjoyed, and were perfect for when they were a part of the story and not too much. I loved the awkwardness of Daphne’s rambling at times when she was nervous, it was realistic for me, and reminded me of my own bad habit of oversharing or saying things at the wrong time.

The book made me remember how much I used to enjoy baseball and going to my hometown games for the Kansas City Royals, whether we were having a winning year or one of our normal struggling years. And when the author did name some real teams, I had a little hope maybe she’d name my KC team, but alas it wasn’t to be. All in all this was the perfect read for this time of year, the baseball season, and I loved the romance so much. I’ve wanted to read this author before, and now I know I will have to go back and read some more!

Daphne doesn’t know baseball, but that doesn’t stop her from going to a game. Her pregnant sister in law does media for the team. Daphne gets carried away and heckles a good looking player named Chris. When she apologizes online, she forgets to tell Chris that she was the heckler.
It gets even more awkward for Daphne after her sister in law has to go on bedrest. Daphne takes over the media position, where she has to interview players and travel with the team, and after awhile she and Chris start dating exclusively.
However, Daphne is stuck. Chris doesn’t know Daphne was his heckler,, and now she doesn’t know how to tell him. Will this secret ruin their relationship permanently?
I enjoyed this well written sports romance, 4 stars.

From the publisher:
Daphne Brink doesn’t follow baseball, but watching “America’s Snoozefest” certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize . . . but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message….
Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she’s out?

Thanks to Berkley Romance and and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.