Catching Feelings by Maren Moore Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Roommates to lovers

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Found family

➮ Sports romance

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

After an "accidental" hook-up, Viv is distressed to learn that she is stuck with Reese Laundry. Reese is the All-Star Catcher at Orleans University. He is rich, handsome, connected, and charming. Viv is the only girl on campus that doesn't fall at his feet. With an unfortunate curveball in life, Viv and Reese become roommates. As they get to know each other better, maybe Reese isn't so bad?

Best Quote From the Book

“I don't get what the big deal is. Everyone's so annoyed that I am being an over-the-top cat daddy, but I can't help it that I love her. I'm a proud helicopter cat dad."

My Thoughts

This book opens up with an absolutely fantastic playlist! It has songs for everyone from pop-punk to Taylor Swift. While this book isn't about music, the songs in the playlist are actually relevant to the story. It's been a while since I saw a story with a good playlist so it was a pleasant surprise when I opened the story. 

I love the combination of a writer FMC and a baseball player MMC. They naturally go together quite well and do what they can to support the other's passion. Reese's sister is also a huge reader so I love the representation of girls bonding over books. 

As a huge sucker for good banter, this book left me very satisfied. Reese and Viv's teasing felt very natural and funny. There is an inherent level of comfort in their quips that demonstrates how well the characters play off of each other. You can tell Moore took a lot of time and care to explore the dynamics of the relationships between all of the characters.

The found family in this book are all so supportive of each other and show up when they need to. Their trust and bond propel the growth in the book.

Honestly, there is almost nothing I would change about this book. The only thing I wish was different is their wonderful vacation getting quickly cut short. One of my least favorite romance tropes is when the main characters are finally having a nice time together and something comes along to quickly end their happiness. I would love to see a book with a fully played-out nice vacation, date, trip, experience, etc.

This story is absolutely spicy and is not the book for those who aren't into spice. The spice genuinely contributes to the plot and helps the story move along so I wouldn't recommend skipping it. There are also some truly funny spicy moments (all I will say is body wash, if you know you know).

In sum, I really enjoyed this book and it was an easy 5-star. Do I think it will be a book I remember forever and ever? Probably not, but at least in the short term, I found it quite excellent and well-balanced. I particularly love the character dynamics and how they shape the plot. It wasn't just that plot points were thrown onto the characters, they were actually navigating various changes.

I received this book as part of a Valentine PR arc team. My review is honest and voluntary