I wanted to love this a lot more but unfortunately, it was just an okay read for me. I’m a little obsessed at the moment with Taylor and Travis inspired romances and on that front, this delivered. A pop star and a professional athlete falling in love just itches my brain the right way. And I LOVED that Jimmy is a thick boy baseball player! But the relationship development fell a bit short and left me wanting just…more.

Which sucks because this had really good bones. It just didn’t go all in like I wanted it to.

This book is perfect for fans of celebrity gossip and love! Also, fans of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce! The story follows an extremely successful pop singer and a professional baseball player who meet each other one night in a club. Between their crazy busy schedules and own personal demons, they find love in each other through similar lifestyles.
The only thing I didn't like about this book was the third person POV.
This book was really cute and the spice was a 2/5 on the 🌶️ scale!

Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the ARC!

Heavy Hitter was like reading fan fiction (in the most complimentary way - I loved it!) I found myself getting really involved in Jimmy and Lacey's love story and I did not want to put the book down. I am a huge baseball fan and this felt like the perfect story made just for me.

Thank you again for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for giving me this book to review for my honest opinion.

I really liked parts of this book and then there were other parts that fell a bit flat. I’m not normally a baseball fan but k did really like that part of the book. However some of the side characters weren’t my favorite.

This book was so much fun! I loved that it was Taylor/Travis coded and I had so much fun noticing the similarities and differences between them. I loved their chemistry and loved seeing their vulnerabilities in the relationship. I thought Lacey the female main character was such a badass and amazing. I do think that it could have been a bit longer to be able to finish the full story a little cleaner. But overall, it was such a fun read! I would recommend it to romance readers especially if they are swifties.

It fell flat for me at the end of the day. Could not make it past the first few chapters. The formatting of the ARC and the writing style combined made it a difficult read.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I liked the premise of this book. The idea was so fun, but it really just felt like a weird fan fiction of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. It feels weird when it's too close to a story everyone knows and my brain spent the whole time trying to figure out what the references were to TSwift and which were totally made up. In that way, it felt really unoriginal and like we were putting words in their mouths cause they are real people we don't know. The characters were interesting but I can't tell if that's cause I already felt like I knew them or they were unique. Overall, this was one long Tswift conspiracy book and not as fun as I was hoping. Nothing bad in here, but not for me.

With four chart-topping albums, Lacey Logan is a superstar whose life no longer feels like her own. Her every move is photographed, videoed, and dissected online, and her carefully curated Instagram feed studied by fans worldwide. To maintain her privacy, Lacey skillfully controls her narrative, showing fans and paparazzi what she wants them to see.
But when Lacey discovers her boyfriend is hiding two devastating secrets—a bad cocaine habit and a pregnant girlfriend—she begins to lose confidence and control of her own story. Then big-shouldered baseball player Jimmy Hodges, a former Rookie of the Year when Lacey was in high school, walks into the bar where she’s venting to a friend. With his shaggy beard and unfashionable button-down, Jimmy is the opposite of the picture-perfect guy Lacey thinks she wants. Soon, sparks fly and inhibitions go out the window when Lacey dares to take some chances.

I had heard about this book on social media, that it was a cute quick read, so I decided to give it a try. It was definitely a quick read, which I appreciated. I didn't mind that it's Taylor Swift fan fiction, and I appreciated the fact that they changed the sport from football to baseball (I understand baseball better), but this just wasn't the book for me. I didn't get invested in any of the characters or any of the plot. I thought that something more would happen with Lacey's mom, but that storyline quickly died out. It was interesting to think more about what public figures go through in today's world, especially the lack of privacy and need for security. I think that this is a good book for people who like romance and Taylor Swift. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this ARC!

Heavy Hitter swings for the fences with its sizzling romance between a world-weary pop star and a down-on-his-luck baseball player. Lacey Logan, navigating fame and heartbreak, meets Jimmy Hodges, a former Rookie of the Year with a rugged charm that’s far from her usual type. Their chemistry is undeniable, and Cotugno crafts some truly steamy moments.
While the premise is juicy, the execution sometimes feels a bit formulaic, and the story doesn’t always hit the high notes. However, the witty banter and heartfelt moments keep you turning the pages. If you’re a fan of celebrity-athlete love stories with a touch of reality-show drama, Heavy Hitter"is worth a read—just don't expect a grand slam.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Lacey Logan is a huge pop star, used to living out her days in the limelight. When she experiences something traumatic, she channels her angst into lyrical litany for her legions of fans to dissect and devour. So when her ex does her dirty, she knows just how to “shake it off” and move on.

One day she meets Jimmy Hodges, a baseball player with his own string of hits. Against all odds the two hit off, neither expecting it to be anything bigger. Yet some keeps drawing these opposites back to one another- succumbing to late night texting (and sometimes sexting) in between games and gigs. Aware their feelings run deeper, they make plans to take their relationship to the big leagues. But do a paparazzi loving pop princess and aging baseball player have what it takes to hit a home run?

Make no mistake, Heavy Hitter will undoubtedly draw timely comparisons to Taylor and Travis’s entanglement- and understandably so. There’s a fine line between fact and fiction, and this story definitely pushes the boundaries. Aside from this comparison, I didn’t love the insta love trope and had a hard time rooting for these two in the long run. A short story, it also ended abruptly, not totally rounding the proverbial bases. Leaving readers with a few lingering questions and a lack of substance, Heavy Hitter fails to really hit it out of the park.

This is a quick read and not at all a bad book, but I must admit I found it a struggle. I didn't like the writing style, and the characters weren't very engaging so I wasn't very invested in their romance. A bit disappointing for me!

Thank you to the publisher for sending a review copy

I wanted to enjoy Heavy Hitter, as the premise seemed so cute, but it was insanely challenging to get past the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce vibe of it all. I felt like Heavy Hitter was much too fast paced, which doesn't allow the reader to get to know the characters at all. I understand it's YA, but it just felt too bland for me even though there's a steamy scene in every chapter (which I did not enjoy). Overall, although I think it's a cute try, I don't think this book hits the mark on any front.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This was such a quick and easy read! I really enjoyed it. I wish there was more but this book was good! A great summer read!

I wanted to like this one. But I thought it was not that great. It was written like bad Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fan fiction. But Instead of football it was about baseball.

I was really excited to read this as I’ve been super into sports romances and this would have been my first baseball romance!!

It read way too much like a Taylor Swift/travis kelci fanfic. There were a lot of topics in the book where I feel as if it would have made it more interesting ..?? But instead they were glossed over.

When a global superstar meets an MLB catcher near the end of his career sparks fly and thing quickly get complicated as Lacey Logan and Jimmy Hodges try to navigate their celebrity romance together.

I have been seeing a lot of readers who see this as a fictionalize Taylor-Travis story. I cannot disagree that Lacey gave off super strong T Swift vibes, but I felt Jimmy was different. Regardless of who they remind you of, I adored that fact that after one sexually charged meeting, they built a friendship via DMs, texts, and phone calls. This was very meaningful given that they kept their inner circles so small and were often unable to really build a connection out of fear that person would betray them publicly.

Jimmy had declared that this was his final season, his final shot at the pennant, but he had some personal issues that were holding him back. His divorce and the death of his brother still weighed heavily on him. While Lacey was dealing with the fallout from her recent break-up. They found comfort and solace in each other, and I really wanted to see them find a way to build on that and be able to find their HEA together.

I have never been too keen on the celebrity culture, and I always sort of feel bad that their every move is scrutinized by the public and their pain is mined for clicks. That aspect of celebrity was a big part of this story as Lacey and Jimmy attempted to build a relationship. As if the logistics of being in the same place on the same day wasn't hard enough, Lacey was constantly doubting her feelings as she vied to control the narrative. It was all very stressful, but well worth the struggle as they seemed to belong to each other.

I greatly enjoyed reading Lacey and Jimmy's story as I am a huge fan of Cotugno's storytelling, but I felt the ending was a bit rushed. It was easy to see where it could go, but as a die-hard romance reader, I wanted to see it, not just imagine it. Still, this was a fun and sweet romance which explored the ups and downs of celebrity and trying to build meaningful relationships in that world.

I really enjoyed this one and could not get enough. It is very much giving Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, but if he played baseball, in a good way (in my opinion). For everyone who has been craving a sub 300 romance, this is for you! If you are a Swiftie, this is also for you! I loved the length and the premise - it did everything I needed it to do at the time I read it.

Heavy Hitter is about pop superstar Lacey Logan, and is very Taylor Swift coded. She is doing a huge stadium tour with an incredibly long show. We even get the detail that she is training by running and singing the show. We also know she loves giving her fans clues and Easter Eggs to figure out. She couldn't be more Taylor if she tried. She is very fun to read! Our male lead is Baltimore Orioles catcher, Jimmy Hodges. He's a lot less Travis Kelce coded. Essentially, he's an athlete, and that's about it. He does have his own story though throughout the novel.

Like I stated earlier, the novel is pretty short, so I won't go into the plot at all. We have a dual POV novel, which is my favorite in a romance, we get a HEA, and some bits in the middle. It is barely spicy, mostly closed door, but a fun time.

Is this the best romance I've ever read? No. But it is on the lighter side, quick, and fun. Love a baseball romance, love that it is TSwift coded, and happy I read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars….. a quick and fun read for the most part. The FMC was clearly modeled after Taylor Swift which was both okay at times because it added context and understanding to her character but also kind of weird. I am glad that the MMC was not a Travis Kelce clone though because that would have been too weird and an immediate DNF. I did find the way they spoke to each other to be off putting at times and I do wonder if they are actually a good match for each other. The communication at the end was great and really well done though. I was disappointed by the abrupt end that left some loose ties and think the book would have really benefited from an epilogue. Overall; a quick and easy read that I mostly enjoyed. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 7/25/24. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

Superstar Lacey Logan can do it with a broken heart but touring following finding out her long term boyfriend was cheating on her is starting to take its toll. On a rare night out in New York she runs into baseball star Jimmy Hodges and sparks fly. A secret relationship quickly ensues but despite their best effort it can’t remain a secret for long. Can this new relationship survive the intense media pressure?

Okay. This was basically what if Travis Kielce was an aging baseball player and Taylor Swift was from Ohio. I enjoyed the book but felt like it was essentially legally written Taylor Swift fanfic. If that’s your jam then this is your book!

I have devoured all of Katie Cotugno's adult books. Though I have yet to read her YA, I'm intrigued. I always like her premises, and there's something about her writing style that goes down so easily. I like her explorations of celebrity and the pressure it can put on romance. Some of the most interesting parts of this book were the logistics of trying to date while famous. I would have liked it to be even longer/more in depth than it was. I really liked Jimmy's story in particular - his identity crisis as he approached retirement was compelling.