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Heavy Hitter
The beloved New York Times bestselling author of Birds of California hits it out of the park with this smart, sexy, thrilling take on the celebrity-athlete story—a funny, sizzling, ripped-from-the-headlines romance between an international pop star and a major league baseball player who thought his best days were behind him.
Taylor and Travis. Jennifer and A-Rod. Marilyn and Joe. When a professional athlete and a megawatt star fall in love, the world is obsessed . . .
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.
Lacey and Jimmy are polar opposites. But could this be the forever after they both need?
Taylor and Travis. Jennifer and A-Rod. Marilyn and Joe. When a professional athlete and a megawatt star fall in love, the world is obsessed . . .
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.
Lacey and Jimmy are polar opposites. But could this be the forever after they both need?
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 20, 2024
98 people are currently reading
14k people want to read
About the author
Katie Cotugno
19 books2,344 followersKatie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of seven messy, complicated feminist YA love stories, as well as the adult novel Birds of California (Harper Perennial, 2022). She is also the co-author, with Candace Bushnell, of Rules for Being a Girl. Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild, the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee, and the Kentucky Association of School Librarians, among others, and translated into more than fifteen languages. Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Argestes, as well as many other literary magazines. She studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University. She lives in Boston with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
October 11, 2024
★2.29 stars★
listen, i could potentially get behind a Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce retelling, but the author did not add ANY creativity to the story - a story which i already didn't care for because i don't honestly give a shit about celebrities and their meretricious relationships.
Lacey was obviously meant be Taylor but it was so copy & paste that it was literally painful to read and gave the same cringe feeling of your grandmother trying to recreate a tiktok trend that was over six months ago
Jimmy was... less obvious and I actually wonder if he was meant to be Jason Kelce which is... so weird
but aside from those issues, the characters completely lacked chemistry and depth. the 'banter' felt so forced and one dimensional
also, when will authors learn that baltimore is more than just crabcakes jesus christ
listen, i could potentially get behind a Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce retelling, but the author did not add ANY creativity to the story - a story which i already didn't care for because i don't honestly give a shit about celebrities and their meretricious relationships.
Lacey was obviously meant be Taylor but it was so copy & paste that it was literally painful to read and gave the same cringe feeling of your grandmother trying to recreate a tiktok trend that was over six months ago
Jimmy was... less obvious and I actually wonder if he was meant to be Jason Kelce which is... so weird
but aside from those issues, the characters completely lacked chemistry and depth. the 'banter' felt so forced and one dimensional
also, when will authors learn that baltimore is more than just crabcakes jesus christ
August 24, 2024
Everything I wanted it to be! 😍😍😍
November 5, 2024
This was a very challenging read for me. I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. The pacing was weird. The interactions between the 2 MCs was off to me. I didn't feel like they had a good connection or chemistry. The plot was MEH- more focused on the characters that I couldn't wrap my head around. We have Lacey who is a superstar and ends up having a random hookup in a dive bar in NYC- is that realistic?? I think not. Now she is wanting to stay in touch with her hookup Jimmy who she seems to know but at the same time knows nothing about baseball (confusing much??). Then we have Jimmy who is about to retire from the MLB but decides to see where this thing goes with the superstar that is Lacey. He is all in, then gets freaked out. He wants to go out with her but then realizes he can't handle it. He was too wishy washy for me. He made Lacey feel small and unimportant but then realized what he was losing and wanted her back. One good thing- this was a short one. Bottom line- I would not recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 16, 2025
I didn’t love either of the main characters and thought their relationship lacked depth. It was a short and quick read but not my fave!
July 13, 2024
I really wanted to like this, but I was, unfortunately, underwhelmed by the book.
I loved the idea behind a celebrity x athlete relationship. I’m definitely someone who keeps up with celebrity gossip (do not shame me!) so I love any romance books about this, especially when one of them is clearly modeled after Taylor Swift. I’m not a Swiftie, but I’m not not a Swiftie…basically, I’m too old to identify as one, but I would totally be one if I was younger. There, I said it.
Moving on, I did like how Lacey was not always what she appeared. I liked that she was incredibly smart and always had to think in order to outwit the paps and her crazy fans, although it was super sad that she was having to deal with some of the stuff she did. I liked that she was a good girl with a sailor’s mouth. Not sure why but that juxtaposition was crazy cool to me.
When it came to Jimmy, I liked that he was “normal” in the sense of a late-thirties man. He was not described as having jaw-dropping abs or a V of any kind. Instead, he had a little bit of a tummy, thick arms, and athletic muscles. So, basically, the dream fuck-me-and-then-snuggle-me partner. I did like his snark as well, but he took it to the point of being hard to talk to instead of just funny.
There were a lot of things I felt just weren’t covered, like his drinking problem, his brother’s death, his strained relationship with his mother, her strained relationship with her mother, her relationship with her assistant, her lack of friends, and their relationship depth overall. While I enjoyed them getting to know each other over phone calls because it was super cute, I found this was the only time we got to see them interact outside of their fights in person. I wish we had a lot more interaction between them.
For those curious, the spice was closed door. Once P was in V, we were told to get the F out. Not a problem, just an observation/note for those interested.
I also felt the writing was a bit disjointed at times. I wouldn’t realize what just happened and would have to reread the prior paragraph a couple times. This mostly seemed to be at the beginning of the book but was noticeable on a few separate occasions.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and Katie Cotugno for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.
2.5 stars
I loved the idea behind a celebrity x athlete relationship. I’m definitely someone who keeps up with celebrity gossip (do not shame me!) so I love any romance books about this, especially when one of them is clearly modeled after Taylor Swift. I’m not a Swiftie, but I’m not not a Swiftie…basically, I’m too old to identify as one, but I would totally be one if I was younger. There, I said it.
Moving on, I did like how Lacey was not always what she appeared. I liked that she was incredibly smart and always had to think in order to outwit the paps and her crazy fans, although it was super sad that she was having to deal with some of the stuff she did. I liked that she was a good girl with a sailor’s mouth. Not sure why but that juxtaposition was crazy cool to me.
When it came to Jimmy, I liked that he was “normal” in the sense of a late-thirties man. He was not described as having jaw-dropping abs or a V of any kind. Instead, he had a little bit of a tummy, thick arms, and athletic muscles. So, basically, the dream fuck-me-and-then-snuggle-me partner. I did like his snark as well, but he took it to the point of being hard to talk to instead of just funny.
There were a lot of things I felt just weren’t covered, like his drinking problem, his brother’s death, his strained relationship with his mother, her strained relationship with her mother, her relationship with her assistant, her lack of friends, and their relationship depth overall. While I enjoyed them getting to know each other over phone calls because it was super cute, I found this was the only time we got to see them interact outside of their fights in person. I wish we had a lot more interaction between them.
For those curious, the spice was closed door. Once P was in V, we were told to get the F out. Not a problem, just an observation/note for those interested.
I also felt the writing was a bit disjointed at times. I wouldn’t realize what just happened and would have to reread the prior paragraph a couple times. This mostly seemed to be at the beginning of the book but was noticeable on a few separate occasions.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and Katie Cotugno for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.
2.5 stars
July 23, 2024
Has anyone seen Lexi’s (@newlynova) Dovorced Tier List on TikTok? Because I definitely feel like Lacey and Jimmy would be in the ‘High Risk Cursed Couple’ ranking.
While Heavy Hitter has all the hype and tropes of an amazing summer romance, it falls flat on most of them. The characters are kinda fleshed out but also 2-dimensional at times, the romance is so insta-love but also they fight more than they go on dates (and let’s be real they literally only had one date and it was for PR), and don’t even get me started on the fact that both of them had a family member who had a substance addiction and then barely talked about it except to show how life was hard for the two MCs. I thought we’d left using someone else’s trauma as a plot device back in 2014.
Overall, this book was a quick and easy read that I finished within three hours and it did get me out of my reading slump, but I’ve definitely read better sports romances before and I’ll probably read better in the future. This book plays heavily on the Taylor x Travis themes even if it tries to hide behind the baseball backdrop and honestly reads like a poorly researched fan fiction throughout. Also I hope the published copy will have more of an ending because literally nothing was resolved by the end of the book.
2.5/5 stars. Advanced readers copy provided by HarperCollins Canada. All opinions are my own.
While Heavy Hitter has all the hype and tropes of an amazing summer romance, it falls flat on most of them. The characters are kinda fleshed out but also 2-dimensional at times, the romance is so insta-love but also they fight more than they go on dates (and let’s be real they literally only had one date and it was for PR), and don’t even get me started on the fact that both of them had a family member who had a substance addiction and then barely talked about it except to show how life was hard for the two MCs. I thought we’d left using someone else’s trauma as a plot device back in 2014.
Overall, this book was a quick and easy read that I finished within three hours and it did get me out of my reading slump, but I’ve definitely read better sports romances before and I’ll probably read better in the future. This book plays heavily on the Taylor x Travis themes even if it tries to hide behind the baseball backdrop and honestly reads like a poorly researched fan fiction throughout. Also I hope the published copy will have more of an ending because literally nothing was resolved by the end of the book.
2.5/5 stars. Advanced readers copy provided by HarperCollins Canada. All opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2024
Read Completed 9/9/24 | 1.75 stars
I was SO excited for this because I'm always looking for more baseball romances, but I didn't like this in many ways.
Firstly, this is so heavily Taylor Swift coded that it's gross. I'm not a Swiftie, and honestly, even though this isn't *actually* about Taylor Swift, it made me like her less because Lacey was not a good character. I honestly understood the stress, the need to play ball with the press, how your life totally changes when you have that level of fame. I get it. But Lacey's character wasn't likable. She was boring, she was two dimensional, and she barely had a personality outside of leaning on TS similarities. It was TOO similar and I wish it the author would have created more differences so it didn't feel like fan fiction.
I liked the baseball, obviously, but I wished it was incorporated more. Lacey only went to one of Jimmy's games and it was a shitshow. She didn't even watch a game on TV, and then she barely did, and it was only to incorporate something negative after the game. We didn't even get any cute feelings of her watching him on TV or watching at a game and being proud of him or excited to see him play. NEITHER of them really cared about each other, if we're being honest here. She didn't care about baseball or seeing him in his element, and he didn't really ask her about her music. They were both boring as all hell and didn't even really seem to LIKE each other.
The baseball parts that were included were so cliche and mostly not common. Jimmy somehow hits an inside the part homerun, even though he's obviously not fast, complaining about all of his joints and how he's 37. It's not called an inside the park home run but why is he sliding into home if it was a home run? Then it happens to a player on the other team -- again!? A kid who hits it and no one can come up with it and he comes all the way home. Look, this is not a thing that happens often, okay. The only thing that happens baseball wise seems to be home runs. We could have some hits and some action outside of that. Then during the playoffs, the whole Orioles team is traveling back and forth from Baltimore to Boston, apparently. I don't think during any away series do players travel back and forth from home and to the visiting ballpark unless it's like Cubs vs Sox and you're already in Chicago. Why are they traveling back and forth before Game 5 of the playoffs to a city that's 6.5 hours away? They're not flying the whole team back every night. That's just not gonna happen.
The only thing I did like was that Jimmy was 37 and and older player. I liked breaking the mold of being young or in your 20s. Even in your early 30s is still very common but 37 is on the edge of retiring, so that was something to shake things up.
They each had a family member that struggled with addiction and Jimmy's brother even died from an overdose, and yet, they don't even really talk about it. It's one short conversation. Jimmy barely seems empathetic that her mom is an alcoholic, and we gloss over the fact that her mom was drunk driving. Aside from Lacey saying one line that she could kill someone by driving and her mom sleeping it off, that was it. Lacey didn't grow at all. She didn't cut things off with her mom or even confront her. She just continues to enable her. She says well, she TRIED to get her a car service so she wouldn't be driving. We have no emotional growth where they talk and she tells her mom how this hurts her, how she can't enable her anymore. Nope. We never come back around. Jimmy's brother only seemed to be there to make his character more sad. We have a surface level conversation about how he got addicted to opioids and how he overdosed, and how his brother was also into baseball. But we don't get to KNOW anything about Jimmy or his family.
This book also had zero romance. The only things these two did was to hook up and have sex. They didn't act romantic towards each other at all. It was all physical and very, very little emotional connection to the point where we got to the third act break-up and I thought this was going to end in a tragedy, and I honestly hoped it would. They were not right for each other at all, and I was actually disappointed to see them together in the end. These two probably both need a lot of therapy and this is a couple that will 100% break up and get into a nasty, horrible fight after this book is over. They didn't resolve any of their issues and that's just going to carry over. They were MEAN to each other when they fought and just saying sorry doesn't mean that it's not going to happen again.
I'm mad how much I hated this. I wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't gotten so far in, but at least it was quick.
I was SO excited for this because I'm always looking for more baseball romances, but I didn't like this in many ways.
Firstly, this is so heavily Taylor Swift coded that it's gross. I'm not a Swiftie, and honestly, even though this isn't *actually* about Taylor Swift, it made me like her less because Lacey was not a good character. I honestly understood the stress, the need to play ball with the press, how your life totally changes when you have that level of fame. I get it. But Lacey's character wasn't likable. She was boring, she was two dimensional, and she barely had a personality outside of leaning on TS similarities. It was TOO similar and I wish it the author would have created more differences so it didn't feel like fan fiction.
I liked the baseball, obviously, but I wished it was incorporated more. Lacey only went to one of Jimmy's games and it was a shitshow. She didn't even watch a game on TV, and then she barely did, and it was only to incorporate something negative after the game. We didn't even get any cute feelings of her watching him on TV or watching at a game and being proud of him or excited to see him play. NEITHER of them really cared about each other, if we're being honest here. She didn't care about baseball or seeing him in his element, and he didn't really ask her about her music. They were both boring as all hell and didn't even really seem to LIKE each other.
The baseball parts that were included were so cliche and mostly not common. Jimmy somehow hits an inside the part homerun, even though he's obviously not fast, complaining about all of his joints and how he's 37. It's not called an inside the park home run but why is he sliding into home if it was a home run? Then it happens to a player on the other team -- again!? A kid who hits it and no one can come up with it and he comes all the way home. Look, this is not a thing that happens often, okay. The only thing that happens baseball wise seems to be home runs. We could have some hits and some action outside of that. Then during the playoffs, the whole Orioles team is traveling back and forth from Baltimore to Boston, apparently. I don't think during any away series do players travel back and forth from home and to the visiting ballpark unless it's like Cubs vs Sox and you're already in Chicago. Why are they traveling back and forth before Game 5 of the playoffs to a city that's 6.5 hours away? They're not flying the whole team back every night. That's just not gonna happen.
The only thing I did like was that Jimmy was 37 and and older player. I liked breaking the mold of being young or in your 20s. Even in your early 30s is still very common but 37 is on the edge of retiring, so that was something to shake things up.
They each had a family member that struggled with addiction and Jimmy's brother even died from an overdose, and yet, they don't even really talk about it. It's one short conversation. Jimmy barely seems empathetic that her mom is an alcoholic, and we gloss over the fact that her mom was drunk driving. Aside from Lacey saying one line that she could kill someone by driving and her mom sleeping it off, that was it. Lacey didn't grow at all. She didn't cut things off with her mom or even confront her. She just continues to enable her. She says well, she TRIED to get her a car service so she wouldn't be driving. We have no emotional growth where they talk and she tells her mom how this hurts her, how she can't enable her anymore. Nope. We never come back around. Jimmy's brother only seemed to be there to make his character more sad. We have a surface level conversation about how he got addicted to opioids and how he overdosed, and how his brother was also into baseball. But we don't get to KNOW anything about Jimmy or his family.
This book also had zero romance. The only things these two did was to hook up and have sex. They didn't act romantic towards each other at all. It was all physical and very, very little emotional connection to the point where we got to the third act break-up and I thought this was going to end in a tragedy, and I honestly hoped it would. They were not right for each other at all, and I was actually disappointed to see them together in the end. These two probably both need a lot of therapy and this is a couple that will 100% break up and get into a nasty, horrible fight after this book is over. They didn't resolve any of their issues and that's just going to carry over. They were MEAN to each other when they fought and just saying sorry doesn't mean that it's not going to happen again.
I'm mad how much I hated this. I wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't gotten so far in, but at least it was quick.
June 6, 2024
This was such a cute book! Very short, read in one sitting, maybe 3 hrs- it could have been expanded on a LOT because the story is so good, but feels unnecessarily rushed!
Other posters have already said it, but this book gives strong Tayvis vibes- if you’re sensitive about that pairing, be warned. If not, this book is a very sweet fictionalized version- even the FMC’s workout regimen is familiar :)
Lacey was so cool and strong- confident without being self absorbed. I loved her personality and looked forward to her chapters. Jimmy is an athlete, but luckily not a boring or overly macho one, as many sports-romance MMCs tend to be. He had a personality and depth that sometimes is missing in other books. Their whirlwind romance was sexy, believable (and realistic for their ages) without being gross. Minor, but present, spice 🌶️.
Some parts felt underdeveloped- the first chapter felt confusing, mentioning several characters with no introduction, but quickly that shook itself out. In the last/HEA/ILY chapter, I got really confused- one person says “ILY too” but (I thought) the first person never said it. Seemed like it was missing something, I even looked for missing paragraphs- I had to go back and use my kindle search- I overlooked the first person saying ILY completely. That’s on me, but it maybe was too rushed! Finally, the ending was too abrupt! Definitely could have used a few more chapters or even just a long epilogue. Is someone telling Katie to wrap it up quickly? It doesn’t work! She’s a great writer, let her cook!
I’ve loved all of Katie’s books so far and I’m very thankful for this ARC! Keep up the great writing.
Other posters have already said it, but this book gives strong Tayvis vibes- if you’re sensitive about that pairing, be warned. If not, this book is a very sweet fictionalized version- even the FMC’s workout regimen is familiar :)
Lacey was so cool and strong- confident without being self absorbed. I loved her personality and looked forward to her chapters. Jimmy is an athlete, but luckily not a boring or overly macho one, as many sports-romance MMCs tend to be. He had a personality and depth that sometimes is missing in other books. Their whirlwind romance was sexy, believable (and realistic for their ages) without being gross. Minor, but present, spice 🌶️.
Some parts felt underdeveloped- the first chapter felt confusing, mentioning several characters with no introduction, but quickly that shook itself out. In the last/HEA/ILY chapter, I got really confused- one person says “ILY too” but (I thought) the first person never said it. Seemed like it was missing something, I even looked for missing paragraphs- I had to go back and use my kindle search- I overlooked the first person saying ILY completely. That’s on me, but it maybe was too rushed! Finally, the ending was too abrupt! Definitely could have used a few more chapters or even just a long epilogue. Is someone telling Katie to wrap it up quickly? It doesn’t work! She’s a great writer, let her cook!
I’ve loved all of Katie’s books so far and I’m very thankful for this ARC! Keep up the great writing.
August 27, 2024
Heavy Hitter
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5
📚 Romance
🎶 The Alchemy - Taylor Swift
One sentence synopsis:
A Taylor and Travis inspired romance… honestly, that’s all you need to know.
Book Review:
This was everything I ever wanted in a Taylor and Travis inspired romance novel. I ate this up so fast! I just loved it. It was the perfect mix between paying homage to our real life famous couple and keeping it fresh and interesting by not copying their story verbatim. You have what you would expect here; the most famous pop star on the planet, a highly successful professional athlete (baseball in this case), Easter eggs and career masterminding, issues with exes, paparazzi, and the complications that come with fame. But everything also felt so fresh and new.
I also really loved @katiecotugno’s writing style here. It felt fresh and interesting and set itself apart from all of the other run of the mill romances floating around these days.
My only complaint is it’s only 227 pages. And there were definitely places that could have/should have been expanded. But who am I kidding, I just wanted more. Where are my other 100 pages Katie?! I feel cheated.
This book was so much fun! Is it too soon to reread it??
✨Thank you @harperperennial for my #gifted copy!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5
📚 Romance
🎶 The Alchemy - Taylor Swift
One sentence synopsis:
A Taylor and Travis inspired romance… honestly, that’s all you need to know.
Book Review:
This was everything I ever wanted in a Taylor and Travis inspired romance novel. I ate this up so fast! I just loved it. It was the perfect mix between paying homage to our real life famous couple and keeping it fresh and interesting by not copying their story verbatim. You have what you would expect here; the most famous pop star on the planet, a highly successful professional athlete (baseball in this case), Easter eggs and career masterminding, issues with exes, paparazzi, and the complications that come with fame. But everything also felt so fresh and new.
I also really loved @katiecotugno’s writing style here. It felt fresh and interesting and set itself apart from all of the other run of the mill romances floating around these days.
My only complaint is it’s only 227 pages. And there were definitely places that could have/should have been expanded. But who am I kidding, I just wanted more. Where are my other 100 pages Katie?! I feel cheated.
This book was so much fun! Is it too soon to reread it??
✨Thank you @harperperennial for my #gifted copy!!
August 27, 2024
HEAVY HITTER is a quick read and you will be right in the middle of this messy and sometimes funny relationship. Lacey and Jimmy are total opposites of each other, but can’t help the pull they feel. They don’t really get to spend much time together and they are mostly in other cities so there are many phone calls, texting, and sexting. Overall, HEAVY HITTER is an enjoyable read and I will say, I wish the story had been longer. There was so much more that could have been added to the story.
You can read my full review at:
https://freshfiction.com/review.php?i...
You can read my full review at:
https://freshfiction.com/review.php?i...
January 19, 2025
Reading this made me feel like I was actively succumbing to a prion disease
August 17, 2024
There was a lack of chemistry between the main characters, and they were constantly either sleeping together, or fighting. There was never really a good scene with them, once we got passed the scene where they first met. Both characters were also pretty unlikeable and bland, and Jimmy seemed pretty immature even though he was in his late 30s.
It was a really short book, and could be read pretty quickly, and this may have contributed to it's shortcomings. So much could have been expanded on, detail and backstory wise, and it should have been expanded on. The writing was choppy, and would skip around a lot without giving any more details. Why are we mentioning trauma that the main characters have experienced, and then never expanding on how it may have affected them and their relationships/why they are the way that they are now and them working on it to recover from their traumas. The ending also fell quite flat, with an abrupt ending, and not really rounding off anything, and I feel like there was no character progression throughout the entire story.
I don't know if the ending has changed at all since the ARCs were sent out, but I do think that it could use some work overall, and with the ending. With the way that things were left off, I can't picture these two characters lasting much longer after the ending of this book.
Thank you to Katie Cotugno, Harper Perennial, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.
It was a really short book, and could be read pretty quickly, and this may have contributed to it's shortcomings. So much could have been expanded on, detail and backstory wise, and it should have been expanded on. The writing was choppy, and would skip around a lot without giving any more details. Why are we mentioning trauma that the main characters have experienced, and then never expanding on how it may have affected them and their relationships/why they are the way that they are now and them working on it to recover from their traumas. The ending also fell quite flat, with an abrupt ending, and not really rounding off anything, and I feel like there was no character progression throughout the entire story.
I don't know if the ending has changed at all since the ARCs were sent out, but I do think that it could use some work overall, and with the ending. With the way that things were left off, I can't picture these two characters lasting much longer after the ending of this book.
Thank you to Katie Cotugno, Harper Perennial, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.
August 29, 2024
In the most offensive way possible, Lacey is kind of a brat 🙄💀 no wonder her boyfriend had a cocaine addiction and a secret relationship
(not a spoiler, it’s literally in the summary)
🤷🏽♀️
Jimmy deserved better ⚾️🫶🏽😌
Jimmy deserved better ⚾️🫶🏽😌
August 10, 2024
I’m almost a little frustrated because this had so much potential!! Why is it only 200 pages?? Give me more
February 2, 2025
I love baseball books so there was no way I wasn't going to try this, even once I realized it was inspired by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I do not care for Taylor Swift and never have. Any information I know about her or whoever she dates has been against my will. (I'm trying not to yuck anyone's yum but I have to speak my truth!!) If I'm picking up on the similarities, they must be glaring to her actual fans. And who knows? Maybe that will be a selling point for them. It was a deterrent for me and nearly impossible to root for Lacey as a result. I contemplated about DNFing at various points but I kept going because of the baseball: Jimmy is planning on retiring at the end of the season and that's not something I've much (or at all?) encountered in baseball romance. Alas, this went a rather predictable route of his team suddenly, magically making it to the postseason and the World Series. And it was pretty clear the author only did cursory baseball research, which was a bummer. Why write a baseball romance if you're not a baseball fan and actually know the game???
I really wish this hadn't been inspired by real life celebrities. Perhaps then we would have gotten some actual characterization and emotional arcs instead of archetypes. I don't feel like I know who Lacey or Jimmy really are. They're emotionally distant to the reader, despite the 3rd person present tense. The writing is all tell instead of show. I'm not sure what Lacey and Jimmy see in each other besides hot bodies. We're told they talk on the phone night after night but apparently those conversations are pretty surface level because when their relationship goes public, it turns out they haven't discussed her alcoholic mother or that his brother died of an overdose a couple of years ago. Even once they do learn that about each other, nothing changes. Lacey is as codependent with her mom as ever and it doesn't sound like that's ever going to change. (So much yikes.) And it doesn't look like Jimmy is going to delve into his grief or reach out to his mom more or even make plans for once he retires. So what are they left with??
It's no wonder I don't believe this romance at all as a result. Hope they enjoy their fling.
Characters: Lacey is a 32 year old white pop star and vegetarian. Jimmy is a 37 year old white Orioles catcher. This is set in NYC, Baltimore, and LA.
Content notes: panic attack, alcoholic mother (she regularly drives while drunk), codependency. chronic pain from sports injuries (knees, back, past shoulder tear), stalking by fans (mostly online), mobbed by fans, car accident and minor injuries (hit by paparazzi chasing her car), past infidelity (FMC's ex cheated and got girlfriend pregnant), FMC's ex had a secret cocaine addiction, ageism, diet culture, past STI, STI stigma, misogynist press coverage, homophobic jokes with teammates (not countered), past death of MMC's brother (heroin overdose), past divorce, past parental divorce, weight loss (secondary character), unsafe sex practices (no condom for penetrative sex without discussion of STI or pregnancy prevention; the second time they do discuss that he no longer has chlamydia and that she has an IUD but she doesn't disclose her own STI status and he doesn't state the last time he was tested), on page sex, phone sex, alcohol, inebriation, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction, reference to singer who died in a car accident, reference to character in a movie who dies by suicide
I really wish this hadn't been inspired by real life celebrities. Perhaps then we would have gotten some actual characterization and emotional arcs instead of archetypes. I don't feel like I know who Lacey or Jimmy really are. They're emotionally distant to the reader, despite the 3rd person present tense. The writing is all tell instead of show. I'm not sure what Lacey and Jimmy see in each other besides hot bodies. We're told they talk on the phone night after night but apparently those conversations are pretty surface level because when their relationship goes public, it turns out they haven't discussed her alcoholic mother or that his brother died of an overdose a couple of years ago. Even once they do learn that about each other, nothing changes. Lacey is as codependent with her mom as ever and it doesn't sound like that's ever going to change. (So much yikes.) And it doesn't look like Jimmy is going to delve into his grief or reach out to his mom more or even make plans for once he retires. So what are they left with??
It's no wonder I don't believe this romance at all as a result. Hope they enjoy their fling.
Characters: Lacey is a 32 year old white pop star and vegetarian. Jimmy is a 37 year old white Orioles catcher. This is set in NYC, Baltimore, and LA.
Content notes: panic attack, alcoholic mother (she regularly drives while drunk), codependency. chronic pain from sports injuries (knees, back, past shoulder tear), stalking by fans (mostly online), mobbed by fans, car accident and minor injuries (hit by paparazzi chasing her car), past infidelity (FMC's ex cheated and got girlfriend pregnant), FMC's ex had a secret cocaine addiction, ageism, diet culture, past STI, STI stigma, misogynist press coverage, homophobic jokes with teammates (not countered), past death of MMC's brother (heroin overdose), past divorce, past parental divorce, weight loss (secondary character), unsafe sex practices (no condom for penetrative sex without discussion of STI or pregnancy prevention; the second time they do discuss that he no longer has chlamydia and that she has an IUD but she doesn't disclose her own STI status and he doesn't state the last time he was tested), on page sex, phone sex, alcohol, inebriation, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction, reference to singer who died in a car accident, reference to character in a movie who dies by suicide
September 22, 2024
this is incredibly taylor x travis coded, but not in a good way. jimmy was kind of a jerk, resenting lacey's fame at every turn. the baltimore / orioles rep was fun though since I previously spent two years there.
September 25, 2024
JUSTICE FOR PITCH (2016)
(This book has nothing to do with Pitch outside of aging catchers slowly falling in love with exceptional women. But Pitch had emotional depth and ended abruptly after one season, where as this book had no depth and ended abruptly after some very predictable conflict. Both Pitch and this book deserved to be much longer than they actually are, but I’m still thinking about Pitch 8 years later and I think I’ll forget this book almost immediately, despite the Taylor and Travis of it all. That said, the book was immensely readable! I would say 2.5 stars, but I’m rounding down until Kamala Harris details her plan to bring back Pitch.)
(This book has nothing to do with Pitch outside of aging catchers slowly falling in love with exceptional women. But Pitch had emotional depth and ended abruptly after one season, where as this book had no depth and ended abruptly after some very predictable conflict. Both Pitch and this book deserved to be much longer than they actually are, but I’m still thinking about Pitch 8 years later and I think I’ll forget this book almost immediately, despite the Taylor and Travis of it all. That said, the book was immensely readable! I would say 2.5 stars, but I’m rounding down until Kamala Harris details her plan to bring back Pitch.)
November 4, 2024
This was really fun and easy to read.
I could read more of Lacey and Jimmy.
I could read more of Lacey and Jimmy.
August 18, 2024
4.5 rounded up
This is the sports romance to end all sports romances for all the Taylor and Travis fans out there. Loosely based off a Taylor Swift style megastar, Lacey Logan finds herself falling for a soon to retire baseball player a few years older than her and completely out of her league. This opposites attract, dual POV romance was swoony and oh so fun! I devoured it just a couple sittings and couldn't have enjoyed it more! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: fade to black, mild details
This is the sports romance to end all sports romances for all the Taylor and Travis fans out there. Loosely based off a Taylor Swift style megastar, Lacey Logan finds herself falling for a soon to retire baseball player a few years older than her and completely out of her league. This opposites attract, dual POV romance was swoony and oh so fun! I devoured it just a couple sittings and couldn't have enjoyed it more! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: fade to black, mild details
October 6, 2024
Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you to Bibliolifestyle & Harper Perennial for the free book!
This book is out now.
If you are looking for a quick celebrity & athlete romance, give this one a try! This has been dubbed the book for fans of Taylor and Travis which I can totally see why people say that but I tried to keep the two separate.
I have only read one other Cotugno book and that was more fiction so there was very little romance. But this was spicier than I was anticipating! And from what I saw from other readers was that this was her spiciest book. Makes me anxious to see if Cotugno will do that more in her future works.
I really enjoyed this. Was it my favorite book of the year? No. But I didn't feel like I wasted my time reading it. It geared towards both of my favorite tropes - celebs and sports romance. With playoff season in the works, I was excited to have a baseball romance lined up.
I did do this one via audio and I had the book next to me to reference if needed. It was such a quick listen plus with dual POV narrated by Callie Dalton and Andrew Eiden - you know you are in for a treat! Both of these narrators did a great job with their characters and made the time go by really quick. One could easily knock this out in a day (under 7 hours).
I guess I understand why people have been rating this low but I enjoyed it for what it was. Perhaps the characters could have developed more if it were longer but then other areas might have dragged out.
Content Warnings from Storygraph:
This book is out now.
If you are looking for a quick celebrity & athlete romance, give this one a try! This has been dubbed the book for fans of Taylor and Travis which I can totally see why people say that but I tried to keep the two separate.
I have only read one other Cotugno book and that was more fiction so there was very little romance. But this was spicier than I was anticipating! And from what I saw from other readers was that this was her spiciest book. Makes me anxious to see if Cotugno will do that more in her future works.
I really enjoyed this. Was it my favorite book of the year? No. But I didn't feel like I wasted my time reading it. It geared towards both of my favorite tropes - celebs and sports romance. With playoff season in the works, I was excited to have a baseball romance lined up.
I did do this one via audio and I had the book next to me to reference if needed. It was such a quick listen plus with dual POV narrated by Callie Dalton and Andrew Eiden - you know you are in for a treat! Both of these narrators did a great job with their characters and made the time go by really quick. One could easily knock this out in a day (under 7 hours).
I guess I understand why people have been rating this low but I enjoyed it for what it was. Perhaps the characters could have developed more if it were longer but then other areas might have dragged out.
Content Warnings from Storygraph:
August 4, 2024
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.
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.
July 9, 2024
I highly anticipated Heavy Hitter as I’ve enjoyed Katie Cotugno’s YA books, but unfortunately this baseball romance completely missed the mark for me. The third person POV was not my favorite stylistic choice.
There is no denying this book is Taylor Swift fanfic. The way the main character, Lacey Logan, is described as preparing for her tour includes 9 albums, 16 outfit changes, pyrotechnics, and running on the treadmill singing songs for her 180 minute concert. I’m sorry but that’s exactly what Taylor said to the point that it feels like copying her life?
It was just too weird and cringe inducing for me. The sex scenes then quick fade to black were a little choppy. Jimmy is definitely more distinct a character than being Travis Kelce fanfiction. But his humor coping mechanisms felt ick to me. Also Lacey’s ex was so Matty Healy (but also John Mulaney?) coded.
Overall I read this one fast but could’ve DNF’d. It was too short (240 pages) for deep character development and the romance wasn’t super convincing since Lacey and Jimmy barely spent more than a few days together over the course of the story.
Thank you to the publisher Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
There is no denying this book is Taylor Swift fanfic. The way the main character, Lacey Logan, is described as preparing for her tour includes 9 albums, 16 outfit changes, pyrotechnics, and running on the treadmill singing songs for her 180 minute concert. I’m sorry but that’s exactly what Taylor said to the point that it feels like copying her life?
It was just too weird and cringe inducing for me. The sex scenes then quick fade to black were a little choppy. Jimmy is definitely more distinct a character than being Travis Kelce fanfiction. But his humor coping mechanisms felt ick to me. Also Lacey’s ex was so Matty Healy (but also John Mulaney?) coded.
Overall I read this one fast but could’ve DNF’d. It was too short (240 pages) for deep character development and the romance wasn’t super convincing since Lacey and Jimmy barely spent more than a few days together over the course of the story.
Thank you to the publisher Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
September 4, 2024
2.5 stars. This book is cute but it's not done? This was an entertaining first draft for sure, but it needs to be way more fleshed out. Lacey and Jimmy are interesting characters but they feel flat. They both lead such interesting lives but we barely hear about them. Because the pace was so quick, the characters and their relationship never really had time to develop so it felt forced.
I'm disappointed, because I really enjoyed Birds of California. I'll definitely keep reading Katie's books, but this one felt rushed and incomplete.
I'm disappointed, because I really enjoyed Birds of California. I'll definitely keep reading Katie's books, but this one felt rushed and incomplete.
August 14, 2024
2.5/5
Cute. Just cute lol. Definitely a Taylor Swift x Travis Kelce situation, adversely so. The Taylor x Travis of it all is almost a little too in-your-face, but as long as you’re aware of that before going in, I don’t think it was an issue. I knew I was signing up for that lolol.
I loved the idea of a grumpy x sunshine / pop star x athlete trope but this feels so rushed and there’s so much that could have been expanded on. For once I think this would have been better with less smut lolol. Nobody bones this much irl 😭 however it was cute and short and easy and predictable and I’m glad Lacey and Jimmy got their happy ending because they deserve it!!
Cute. Just cute lol. Definitely a Taylor Swift x Travis Kelce situation, adversely so. The Taylor x Travis of it all is almost a little too in-your-face, but as long as you’re aware of that before going in, I don’t think it was an issue. I knew I was signing up for that lolol.
I loved the idea of a grumpy x sunshine / pop star x athlete trope but this feels so rushed and there’s so much that could have been expanded on. For once I think this would have been better with less smut lolol. Nobody bones this much irl 😭 however it was cute and short and easy and predictable and I’m glad Lacey and Jimmy got their happy ending because they deserve it!!
March 6, 2025
Why did I just read a taylor swift inspired published fanfiction and why was it good
October 13, 2024
This is 100% Taylor and Travis fan fiction
November 4, 2024
I am giving it 4 stars because it was fast paced, got me out of a reading slump and was spicy af. Also who doesn’t love a good romance about a catcher 😉😉
Taken out of our modern day love saga of Taylor swift, Lacey Logan is an international pop star who whoo’s the likes of Jimmy Hodges, baseball legend.
Their whirlwind, makes you turn off the audiobook as your driving because you are worried others might here, romance sweeps you off your feet and into a world we only dream about.
It was just what I needed to pick up books again. Maybe not a grand slam but definitely made it to third base!
Taken out of our modern day love saga of Taylor swift, Lacey Logan is an international pop star who whoo’s the likes of Jimmy Hodges, baseball legend.
Their whirlwind, makes you turn off the audiobook as your driving because you are worried others might here, romance sweeps you off your feet and into a world we only dream about.
It was just what I needed to pick up books again. Maybe not a grand slam but definitely made it to third base!
August 31, 2024
Heavy Hitter is a pitch perfect—like what I did there?—sports romance that chronicles what happens when a professional athlete and pop princess fall in love. (Sound familiar?) 10/10, no notes, except maybe one: I need a sequel now to find out what happens to these two in the off season!
February 1, 2025
4 Stars
(Completed 10/15/24)
I'm thrilled to read another adult romance from Katie Cotugno. She made me very happy with her previous two, and I've also liked most of her YA lit. It's one of those strange dichotomies. Usually, I wouldn't pick up a book with a 3.50 or less average rating, but I've been repeatedly proven wrong with Cotugno's stories. Except for one, I've enjoyed all that I've read. I find her realism refreshing and honest. In the end, her writing clicks with me.
Heavy Hitter was a fun and light romance. It was way more sexy than even her two previous adult romances. She writes it well. I don't follow tabloid celebrity romances, so I had the luxury of limited comparisons.
September 18, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. A romance about a nearly retired baseball player and a global popstar that was a quick, fun read.
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