
Backhanded Compliments
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
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Jeremy Carlisle Parker
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By:
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Katie Chandler
A steamy sapphic romance with a fantastical twist about two bitter tennis rivals who realize they are reluctant soulmates—perfect for fans of Expiration Dates and Here We Go Again.
Juliette Ricci dreams of only one thing: being the best women’s tennis player in the world. She’s worked nonstop with her strict father/coach to prepare for her big chance in the Australian Open. Unfortunately, she’ll be playing Lucky Luca Kacic, an aloof player whose unorthodox style and reigning popularity deeply irritate Juliette.
For months they’ve traded sly insults in their press conferences leading up to their showdown on the court, and their first ever match is the most anticipated of the season. But Juliette refuses to let her nerves—or Luca’s annoyingly perfect abs—get the best of her.
Meanwhile, Luca seemingly has everything Juliette desires but there’s one thing missing from her life: love. When she shakes hands with Juliette after an agonizing match and sees her rival’s name appear on her wrist, it feels like a cruel joke. Juliette is a spoiled, arrogant brat who wants absolutely nothing to do with Luca or a soulmate.
But despite their personal and professional clashes, the two grow closer after late-night massages and one too many shots of limoncello. Their chemistry is tangible, but Luca’s anxiety tells her that Juliette is just messing with her head to throw her off her game, and Juliette can’t understand why Luca is so hot and cold. With the pressure of the world scrutinizing their every move, they will have to decide what’s more important—being together or being number one.
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1) Soulmates are very much real and most people are born with a magical tattoo of their partner's name on their wrist that permanently changes color the first time they touch.
2) There's no Canadian Open.
Slightly Magical World of Tennis
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Both MCs were fantastically flawed and easy to root for, even Juliette in the beginning—you understand where she is coming from. I loved a lot of the secondary characters (especially Juliette’s sisters and Remy) and loved that they felt fleshed out too. There was a great balance of the romance, and character work individually for both of them and the secondary characters. The tension between the MCs was palpable and it was a really great example of a rivals to lovers dynamic that makes sense. I am not a sports persona and don’t know much about the rules of tennis, but I really enjoyed what was in the book here! And I think if you already love that, this will hit even more for you. It was a great use of the soul mark trope (which is hilarious that it’s made its way out of fandom spaces and into the mainstream). I really liked the way Katie Chandler did the minimal worldbuilding for it but centered it in a way that makes sense to readers who might be unfamiliar.
All in all, this was a blast and I’m sad it’s over.
Wonderful competitive soulmate story
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