although I don't know shit about baseball and don't care about the sport at all, this was a pretty solid read, especially if compared to the other two kindle unlimited books I pick up this week (not me starting to make use of my 6-month subscription offer when there are only 20 days left of it). the characters are well-realized, at least for a contemporary romance, and the writing doesn't make the laziest choices, which, again, it's a breath of fresh air in the genre for me. even the dialogues are relatively smart and have a natural flow most of the time.

as for the cast, both mc's --rookie Nico and veteran Jake-- have relatable backstories, the baggage they bring with them feels real, and their motivations and struggles (anxiety, internalized homophobia, fear of coming out to family and the public, and losing passion for a sport you're great at) aren't cheap. the rest of it falls to the sidelines, but I particularly liked Jake's mother. 

so why did I take two stars? as usual, the biggest problem was that I started to lose interest as soon as the characters got together; but here that made me realize their relationship, despite its strong foundation, lacked yearning in general and wasn't as sexy as it could be with the obvious age gap and the protagonists' preference for light BDSM. my favorite of their sex encounters was the messy kiss against the wall in Nico's childhood bedroom, just because of all the whispered truths. unfortunately, the tone of it didn't last; and the first sex scene had such a lame start, wasted such a crucial moment, I almost gave up on the book lol. 

additionally, while Jake's reason to be currently detached from his work was well revealed in a sensible use of flashback (another thing I usually hate, btw), without being thrown into the reader's face, the resolution of this issue came out of nowhere. it felt weak and didn't add much to the romance, to the point I wished Jake's love interest was the straight old friend and teammate he'd broken ties with, because THAT would've definitely brought more yearning to the table. especially considering that the "lost friendship/unrequired love from childhood" plot line with his actual love interest wasn't convincing: maybe another flashback here would've been useful, because one summer crushing on your big brother's teammate shouldn't make you love him, not when he barely thinks about that time (now that I think about it, there were 4 old friends of Jake showing up in this book). Nico's coming out was also rushed and his family dynamic could've been better presented given its importance to his mental state. 

moreover, I missed a team bond (the fact that Jake spent most of his career in San Francisco before being traded against his will, but the author didn't bother with goodbyes, like, at all?). the ending, with the change in Jake's perception of winning, definitely requires that. besides, exciting games* and meaningful interaction with the team are the first two things after forced/forbidden proximity I expect from a sport romance. however, I'm always grateful when there's no miscommunication in the story, and the title of this one has a cool reason behind it, so 3 stars it is.


* well, perhaps for people who actually know how baseball works they were exciting.