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A review by bizarrebrunette
The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars
CW: Suicide (not described in detail by any means, but still discussed in the book).
Daphne Brink had just signed her divorce papers when she found herself at a Battery baseball game. After having a few beers, she decides it's a great idea to heckle / insult Battery player, Chris Kepler after he doesn't have the best game. Chris looks at her in the crowd and he's photographed crying after the incident. Daphne feels guilty and DMs Chris on social media except she leaves out the part that she was the heckler. Daphne starts to get to know Chris on an intimate level and she starts to fall for him. There is no way this is going to come back to haunt her.
I am not a catfishing fan when it's in romance. However, this book might be the exception. Catfishing in romance can be quite literally romanticized and I didn't feel this way while reading this book. Once Chris finds out Daphne lied, he LETS HER HAVE IT. I don't think Daphne was a bad person or that she was above doing this to someone. She is written as someone who reached out innocently and then the lie was built. She felt she was in too deep to say anything about it. It's not that Daphne's actions were right, but I felt the book did a great job at having characters in Daphne's life politely call her out for this, so it didn't romanticize catfishing.
When I started this book, I felt the interactions Daphne and Chris had were stale. Chris came off as really awkward during their exchanges and he had to grow on me. When I found out more about Chris and what he was going through, I became more of a fan of him. (view spoiler) By the end of the book, I believed Daphne and Chris were meant to be together.
Besides the romance, I liked how baseball was the backdrop for the book. There were several teams mentioned including Daphne and Chris traveling to Minnesota. I love baseball, so I thought it was fun to read how Chris and Daphne were traveling to different places within the US.
I have read several of Alicia Thompson's books and I will continue to do so. This was adorable.
CW: Suicide (not described in detail by any means, but still discussed in the book).
Daphne Brink had just signed her divorce papers when she found herself at a Battery baseball game. After having a few beers, she decides it's a great idea to heckle / insult Battery player, Chris Kepler after he doesn't have the best game. Chris looks at her in the crowd and he's photographed crying after the incident. Daphne feels guilty and DMs Chris on social media except she leaves out the part that she was the heckler. Daphne starts to get to know Chris on an intimate level and she starts to fall for him. There is no way this is going to come back to haunt her.
I am not a catfishing fan when it's in romance. However, this book might be the exception. Catfishing in romance can be quite literally romanticized and I didn't feel this way while reading this book. Once Chris finds out Daphne lied, he LETS HER HAVE IT. I don't think Daphne was a bad person or that she was above doing this to someone. She is written as someone who reached out innocently and then the lie was built. She felt she was in too deep to say anything about it. It's not that Daphne's actions were right, but I felt the book did a great job at having characters in Daphne's life politely call her out for this, so it didn't romanticize catfishing.
When I started this book, I felt the interactions Daphne and Chris had were stale. Chris came off as really awkward during their exchanges and he had to grow on me. When I found out more about Chris and what he was going through, I became more of a fan of him. (view spoiler) By the end of the book, I believed Daphne and Chris were meant to be together.
Besides the romance, I liked how baseball was the backdrop for the book. There were several teams mentioned including Daphne and Chris traveling to Minnesota. I love baseball, so I thought it was fun to read how Chris and Daphne were traveling to different places within the US.
I have read several of Alicia Thompson's books and I will continue to do so. This was adorable.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide