Not all sports romance are made the same (and that's okay)!

Clean Point was a tennis romance written by someone who is clearly passionate and well-informed about the sport. The plot was well written and the characters were complex but relatable. This story deals with a few darker themes that added immensely to the character development without feeling icky because Meg handled them with care. I really enjoyed how this book was definitely more plot focused and the romance just kind of came in as a little cherry on top.

(ALC provided by NetGalley) This started out as a very typical forced proximity, enemies to lovers, age-gap, sports romance but it really kicked out about 50% of the way through. The spice was limited but more intense than expected based on the writing initial! Enjoyable read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🔥/3

The biggest issue I had with the audio was issues hearing the male narrator at times. Not sure if that just a me thing?? Took longer for me to finish than it normally would because I could only listen to it with headphones in

Thank you NetGalley for the alc, but unfortunately this book was not for me. The main character seems bratty, and everyone is either poking at her complaining about what she’s done wrong, which I know was in the TR list but made the narrator sound whiny. The banter between the love interest seems forced and unbelievable.

Carrie Soto is Back but make it spicy and british.

I loved this one! It’s giving redemption and finding yourself all at once and who doesnt love a good comeback story!

Scottie and Nico were downright combustible and i ate it right up! There was a lot at play here, but it all flowed and told a whole, complete story of each character individually and together.

Sports Romance is one of my fave subgenres and this one really hit all the marks, bravo!

After a doping scandal two years ago, disgraced Tennis player Scottie Sinclair, is approached by her old coach to stage a comeback. The twist, instead of only playing singles she is now supposed to team up with her manipulative and estranged father's former rival in mixed doubles. Unsure she can and wants to withstand the scrutiny and hate from the Tennis world at large and that of her new doubles partner Scottie needs to decide if running away from the sport she loves for the rest of her life is the only choice she has left.... or, is it time to take a stand?

This book is filled with witty banter, moments of self-doubt, and an exploration not only of the sometimes unrealistic standard athletes are held to but also the extra scrutiny and sexist standards female athletes are often held to.

4/5 stars for the story
3/5 steam

3/5 stars for narration (the narrators felt a little mismatched to me. It does work on a cultural difference level to some extent - emotional greek-american vs reserved English - but Mary Jane Wells's level of emoting is very low key and that in comparison to Patrick Zellers more guttural intimate scenes can come across as a bit jarring at times. Each narrator on their own was fab... to me they just felt a little mismatched.)

What to expect: sports romance (both are athletes), age gap, enemies-to-lovers (the enemy of my enemy...), close proximity, forced proximity, protective mmc, family betrayal, dual pov, banter and hilarious and awful unflattering nicknames...

Trigger Warning/Content Warning: manipulative parent, discussed non-consensual doping/drugging.

This was cute...
However I don't think I would recommend the audio. The male narrators volume was very inconsistent. He would start this whisper voice to where I could hardly hear him then he would go back to normal voice and it would be so loud from me having to turn it up.

Tennis 🎾 rivals
Enemies to lovers
Famous tennis player(s)
Emotional

Thank you for this ALC

Thank you to Harper Audio & NetGalley for an ALC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first tennis romance, and it did not disappoint! It was also such a unique storyline that I hadn’t even seen done before in a Sports Romance, so I really enjoyed that. I listened to the audiobook, which had dual narration that was so engaging. The FMC is British so I did have to slow her chapters down a bit to be able to understand with her accent.

Nico & Scottie have a great storyline of enemies, to friends, to lovers. Their relationship was sweet to watch blossoming, especially because Nico was so protective over Scottie. Any Sports Romance girlies will enjoy this read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC of this!

I really enjoyed Nico and Scottie!!!! The connection they had from the beginning was perfection. I was not big on the nickname Scottie was given (well any of them), but I understood why Nico called her what he did and eventually it was kind of cute. I loved the stealing of the baseball cap and the adorable cats! It was just an overall good time and it had a great audiobook as well!

My first ALC from Netgalley and wow i’m hooked! I loved reading this book but it hit a hundred times harder with the audio. The narrators crushed this, the feelings and emotions came through instantly. This is the tennis romances for the ages; the drama, the banter, the chemistry and deep of these characters is truly heartwarming.
I loved Scottie & Nico’s story from the start, watching them grow individually as characters but most importantly watching their relationship blossom had me soaring with love. The banter and pining of these two…wooooof!!! Forced proximity did its job with these two, while giving us an inside look into the healing they were giving each other. If you love an enemies to lovers, banter, emotional depth and spicy chemistry— then this needs to be your next listen in 2025!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC. Really enjoyed this tennis romance in the beginning but the last 25% started to drag a bit. It could’ve been shorter. Enjoyed the banter between the main characters and there was a decent amount of spice (hello town car scene).

I think John’s character could’ve been flushed out a bit more. He didn’t seem to have Scottie’s back most of the time and seemed more invested in Nico. Also, kind of seemed like the brand deal plot line disappeared. Would’ve liked to see them push back with the brand more and maybe tie that in to the discussions of the abuse allegations. Did really like the commentary in the book about the types of questions the press poses to men vs. women. I haven’t read other books that tackle that subject.

dnf 16.2%

thank you netgalley for the arc but this was not my cup of tea 😭 i just could not connect with the characters or the storyline. the narration was okay, a little bit too bland for me, words just blended together? this was not carrie soto i'll tell ya that

Oh what fun this was! This hit all the right spots for me...tenns, rivals to lovers, forced proximity, great banter, and humor throughout. Loved everything about it really, plus no 3rd act breakup!

my first 5 star read of 2025 <3

clean point follows scottie and nico, a new tennis duo who both have traumatic pasts due to injuries and betrayals. the media thinks they’re together so because of sponsorships they decide to pretend they hang out while training together but in fact they fall in love <3

i’ve seen clean point multiple times on instagram but i didn’t read the blurb because i wanted the plot to be a surprise, all i knew was that scottie would have to train with nico for some reason and prove herself to the world. NEVER IN A BILLION YEARS I’D GUESS THAT IT WAS ALL BECAUSE THE WORLD THINKS SHE’S A CHEATER ALL DUE TO HER DAD DRUGGING HER WITHOUT HER CONSENT LEADING TO FAILED DRUG TESTS. sorry i hate her dad.

once i started reading i knew it wouldn’t disappoint me at all !!!! i didn’t get to read it last year because it wasn’t available on my ku but i got so excited when the approval email for the alc arrived !! mary jane wells and patrick zeller, the narrators, portrayed the characters so well !!!!!! i had so much fun listening to them and i’ll definitely pick up another audiobook that they narrate !!

scottie and nico had a rollercoaster romance but i enjoyed every single second of it !!! like please them trying to deny their feelings?? them playing and training together?? helping each other?? healing with each other?? ganging up on jon?? protecting each other?? and the baseball cap? oh. my. god. they were everything to me and i bet i’ll be rereading clean point soon ! they’re my winners and champions <3

i’m legit excited for the rest of the series to release and omg wdym dylan’s next??? i thought oliver was going to get back together with ava but honestly it’s her loss !!!!!!!

thank you to netgalley, harper audio and meg jones for the alc !!!

Clean Point is the story of Scottie, a professional tennis player coming back from a two year ban after being stripped of her Wimbledon title for using PEDs, and Nico, a tennis legend returning to the court after a serious injury sidelined him. When their former coach suggests they team up for doubles, they reluctantly agree and instantly clash. As they learn more about each other, they learn to respect each other and (of course) end up falling in love.

Meg Jones does it again!! What a fantastic debut to the traditional publishing scene. Scottie and Nico’s banter was ✨top tier✨, and the tension was just right - the dual POV fed perfectly into it. Nico’s (eventual) soft spot for Scottie was so sweet, and their progression from rivals, to civil professionals, to friends, to more felt very natural. I also thought Scottie’s character and backstory were very well fleshed out.

The audiobook narrators did a fantastic job portraying the story - highly recommend this as an audiobook!

Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

I am guilty of loving a good sports romance and this one did not disappoint! I could not stop listening once I started. GO SPORTS!! This book was a fin read/listen. The narrator did a wonderful job. Enemies to lovers and forced proximity are my favorite tropes and this had BOTH. It’s even better since there is a vendetta / revenge plot involved. It really kept me on my toes. I thought this was going to be a typical sports romance but this one was much deeper than I expected with topics of parental abuse, disordered eating, sexual harassment, and slut shaming which were handled with care. I highly recommend picking this up if you are looking for a steamy, deep, fun, enemies to lovers, age gap, sports romance!

Second chance romance?!? COUNT ME IN. this book was everything to me. Had me feeling all the feelings and I absolutely loved every single moment of it. 5/5 recommend.

3.5✨ rounded up.

A sporty, spicy, enemies to lovers romcom. While I did enjoy it, I wouldn’t say that I was captivated. I felt like it was a bit long and drawn out.

I would say this gets a 3 out of 5 chili pepper rating 🌶️ the spicy scenes were good but again, listening to the audio just gives me a bit of the ick.

There was quite a bit of character development but several parts of the romance felt forced. I do feel like I would’ve enjoyed this a bit more if I knew anything about tenis. The scores were like 15 love this, 30 love that… which is cute but means nothing to me. Are those points? What’s the score? Who’s winning? Do they kiss now???

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC!

Every so often a book comes along and you just connect.

This is one I connected with so deeply, and honestly I have little in common with it.
I am NOT a recently shamed tennis star. I did not just find out I was being doped behind my back and lost a Wimbledon title. And I have not recently decided to run all over Europe, partying to forget my pain.

But, that's where we find Scottie Sinclair, former tennis prodigy, when we meet her. What I love here is that Scottie is the main character in a sports rom com, sure there will be a MMC, but I LOVE when sports romances focus on the female athletes and their struggles, and this book shines a light on the inequality and high expectations put on female athletes as part of the storyline- LOVED IT.

Now- I'm not complaining when Nico Kotas enters the story. He's older, he's grumpy and all he cares about is getting his last singles title before his knee injury really puts him out to pasture.

So when their former coach decides these two should compete in a doubles tournament, neither is convinced it could work.

Insert all the grumpy/sunshine, age gap banter you can imagine. I literally smiled for DAYS reading/listening to this one. Their chemistry is off the charts and Meg Jones had THE BEST sense of humor while writing for these two, the plane scene literally made me die laughing. I'm dead.

So, I really did not want this one to end. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline and the way the spice unfolded. It's already one of my favorite reads of 2025. So thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the ALC of this, I enjoyed every minute.

This was such a cute tennis romance. I would say it didn’t quite feel “enemies to lovers” as the description stated more “rivals” or even just mild annoyance. There was very little time even that they disliked each other. Anyway beyond that nitpicky feeling about the description I enjoyed the book and felt connected to the characters. You could feel the desperation to win as well as the romantic tension between the characters!

Huge thank you to NetGally for letting me listen to this audiobook! I thought that this book was super cute and romantic, it has great subplots of going through different hardships and struggles but how to overcome it and standing up for yourself and your needs! This book had some spice to it but it wasn’t too much which I think was perfect!