If you are a Taylor and Travis fan, you will enjoy this book. It was a quick and fun read that was enjoyable sports/celebrity romance.

I loved watching Lacey and Jimmy navigate their relationship and it was a joy to watch their relationship grow. The banter was well written and was my favorite part of the book.

I do wish there was more on the character development but it was still enjoyable regardless.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I needed it to be a little less Taylor Swift copycat fan fiction and more original story including a separate distinct female pop star. Especially since the mmc was his own distinct person, not too similar to Travis Kielce at all.

I also thought it was much too short for in-depth character development.

It was a fun read for what it was, but I prefer a romance that is a little more serious

2.5 stars rounded up

Super cute and steamy romance! It's giving Taylor and Travis vibes. It's a short read that I devoured in one night!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very cute tropey romp! A lot of ripped-from-the-headlines qualities (despite the publishing timeline) but nothing about that was too distracting. UNFORTUNATELY I do have some issues with the baseball, because there were some distracting inaccuracies there (is Tampa Bay an AL or NL team in this universe? Shouldn't be hard to make that clear!)

This book was cute! Very Tayvis! I am not generally a fan of 3rd person, it always throws me off. Overall, a cute celeb and sports star romance and all that comes with that. It was fun!

this is such a fun, flirty, exciting book! I love a sports romance and a celebrity romance so putting the two together makes the perfect tayvis vibe book!

Lacey and Jimmy are so cute, fun, and tender together. I love their instant connection and how it develops deeper over time. They both have such public work lives that makes their personal lives much less private and they find a way to find a deep, real connection between themselves while being on such a large public stage (literally and figuratively).

Overall I loved this sweet fun story! I flew through reading this and had such a fun time! thank you for the arc :)

3.5 but rounding up! I definitely liked it a lot, but it was a bit hard to get into at the beginning since it started without any introduction of who was who, given it was in third-person POV.

The storyline between the FMC and MMC is cute, and I really got into the book around 20%. I was a bit on the edge of my seat because it is totally true how a relationship with someone as famous as Lance Logan needs to consider all the logistical and PR nightmares it can create for a "not that famous" baseball player. Either way, I LOVED IT! The chemistry was there, but it also felt a bit flat from what I was expecting. Despite that, I read it all and didn't put it down because it was actually really short and to the point!

If you are a fan of Taylor Swift, I can see people loving this book when it comes to her relationship with Travis (since it's the legit celebrity x sports trope). Lance Logan has a very similar vibe throughout the book!

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Katie Cotugno is always a comfort author to pick up and read. Her books are always read with such an easy flow and something to sit and read in just a day or two. This was just perfection with sports mixed in and a must fall read.

No me gustó ni la historia ni los personajes.

Se vieron en persona 4 veces, de las cuales en las últimas 2 ya era novios y ambas fueron programadas por el equipo de ella para promoción y en la última cita terminaron. En la 5ta vez se reconcilian y es el final. Así como sólo tienen interacción 5 veces, sus pláticas son por mensajes o llamadas y el epílogo es de él en un partido, no hay nada sobre ella.

Yo no soy fan de Taylor S. y aun así me dí cuenta de las referencias (desagradables) sobre ella y su novio. No entiendo para que tomar a una persona como inspiración de tu libro, hacerla la protagonista y volverla una insoportable, ¿si no te gusta esa persona para que utilizarla??



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was okay! Honestly not at all what I expected from the synopsis. The plot gave off major Taylor and Travis vibes but baseball instead of football.. I wish we found out if Jimmy won his World Series.

I would like to thank Netgalley for the copy of this book in return for an honest review. Although a short read, this was a DNF for me. The story is mirrored to Taylor Swift/Travis relationship and written in the third person. I’m not a fan of that writing style and it ended up throwing me off and it was basically a fan fiction. I gave it two stars for those that are swifties and want a quick read.

I absolutely loved this book, is my top 5 of the year! I wanted more and didn’t want it to end! The flirty banter, the fun they had together just made it such a great book!

I loved the idea of this book so much but I was annoyed with the immaturity of the FMC Lacey and the miscommunication and middle school drama around Jimmy and Lacey’s relationship. It was just very immature and hard to get through. I had high hopes for this story as I’m a huge Swifty, but I just didn’t love the character development. We were supposed to believe Jimmy and Lacey were in love but they barely even met before that and at their first meeting, she ran away from him after miscommunication in the bathroom. Again, annoying.

This is a total treat for people who are a fan of baseball and Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce!

Lacey Logan is a mega-famous singer whose life is always under the spotlight. (She is literally to the extent of Taylor Swift). When she finds out her boyfriend has been hiding stuff, her world starts to spin out of control.

Jimmy Hodges is a big baseball player who couldn't be more different from the picture-perfect guy Lacey is usually seen with. They are SUCH a fun combo.

The sparks between them are undeniable despite their differences. If you love the whole Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dynamic, you'll find a lot to enjoy here, but with its own unique spin.

"Heavy Hitter" is a super fun, quick read!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

-Travis and Taylor Vibes
-Baseball
-opposites attract

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Here’s the thing, I made some compromises when I got married and will happily root for my husband’s home team of the Red Sox but I am a Baltimore native and he has lived here long enough that we root for the Orioles as long as they are not playing the Sox. Heavy Hitter started out on a really high note and then Katie Cotugno wrote Jimmy Hodges as an Orioles player living in my beloved Baltimore, and it sealed the deal! When he meets a beautiful musician Lacey at a bar one night in NYC, a fun and flirty relationship will have you turning the pages and rooting for these two! Things an absolutely fun and breezy read, filled with lots of laughter. Life isn’t always home runs and number one hits but when you find the right people to surround yourself with you work hard, sometimes things just might turn out alright!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

“He loves her like the bottom of the ninth”

Thank you to Harper Perennial, NetGalley and the fabulous Katie Cotugno for this gifted e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Celebrity romances have kinda been my thing lately and this is a fun one! Is it fashioned after Taylor and Travis… Yes, absolutely but the storyline has its own twists and turns. It is fast paced with a good amount of spice and endearing characters.

Lacey is a pop star and Jimmy is a major league catcher on the brink of retirement. Sparks fly when they meet one night while out with friends but navigating the treacherous world of paparazzi and playoff games is not for the faint of heart.

Heavy hitter is a light and swoon-worthy sports romance. I thought that the characters were adorable and the storyline, while predictable, was entertaining. The banter between Lacy and Jimmy was definitely a highlight and it had me pulling for them to finally realize they were falling in love. If you are looking for a sweet and easy summer romance then this one is a great pick!

Mein Leseerlebnis

Beim Lesen des romance Buches, indem ein professioneller Baseball-Spieler gegen Ende seiner Karriere und eine weltberühmte Musikerin ein Paar werden, gab es für mich ein paar Startschwierigkeiten zu überwinden. Denn zunächst bin ich in keinen guten Lesefluss gekommen und empfand den Schreibstil als etwas holprig. Auch die Dialoge im Liebesroman konnten mich nicht gleich voll überzeugen.

Nach gut acht Kapiteln hatte ich mich etwas an den Schreibstil der Autorin gewöhnt und konnte mich dadurch wesentlich besser auf die Liebesgeschichte und ihre Hauptcharaktere einlassen.

In Bezug auf die Hauptcharaktere kam ich mit dem Helden spürbar besser zurecht als mit der Heldin. Im Leben der Heldin ist alles auf eine möglichst positive Darstellung in den Medien ausgelegt. Jeder Schritt wird genau geplant und mögliche Szenarien durchgespielt. In einer Szene führte dieses Vorgehen zu einer Situation, in der die Heldin im Mittelpunkt stand, obwohl es eigentlich gar nicht um sie ging.

Auf mich wirkte diese Art das Leben zu leben und zu planen als sehr anstrengend und wenig authentisch. Gegen Ende des Liebesromans hatte ich darauf gehofft, dass Lacey die Geschehnisse der letzten Zeit vielleicht mal in Ruhe reflektiert und ihr Leben etwas verändert, das passierte leider nicht. Vielmehr wurde erwartet, dass sich der Held ihrem Leben anpasst.

Die Möglichkeit mehr Freiraum in Laceys Leben einzubauen, wurde gar nicht in Betracht bezogen, wohl auch weil sie ihr Leben als internationaler Star scheinbar wirklich liebt. Für mich ist die Vorstellung solch eines Lebens ein Graus, vielleicht habe ich daher auch mit der Heldin etwas gehadert.

Man sollte bei Interesse an der Liebesgeschichte definitiv kein Problem damit haben, wenn so etwas wie Medienrummel ein großer Bestandteil der Geschehnisse ist. Ich kann auf so etwas in Büchern generell gut verzichten, die ideale Leserin war ich für die Geschichte daher nicht. Ich hätte mich über mehr Szenen jenseits des Lebens in der Öffentlichkeit gefreut.

Am Ende des Romans musste ich leicht ernüchtert feststellen, dass die Liebesgeschichte zwar interessant und ereignisreich war, mich die Beziehung zwischen den beiden Hauptcharkatenen aber nicht so richtig einfangen konnte.

🖤🖤🖤

Für wen?

Wer Liebesromane mit Charakteren, die in der Öffentlichkeit stehen, mag, für den könnte “Heavy Hitter” eine gute Wahl sein.

Cute book! If you love Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, you’ll enjoy this book! The banter and spice were okay but it was more of an emotional story. I felt it would be a good read for those who love the heart of a story rather than a comedy of the story.

Katie Cotugno is a hate to read author I cannot quit. Her romances usually work better for me than her thrillers. I liked this one because it reminded me of one of my favorites by her, Fireworks. It’s still not perfect, I didn’t totally buy into the romance but it was a quick read and nice to read at the beach.

This was the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce book I needed. I could not put it down. I wish the book had a little more about the characters; I didn't feel like I knew them well enough. I also thought the ending was a bit abrupt. Overall, though, a very fun book.