REVIEW: Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley

Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley finds grumpy soccer player Luke Wolfe being forced to fake date Hollywood actress Abigail Hunt to get his trade request granted, only she believes their relationship is real. The more time they spend together as Abigail shadows his team to learn more for her new role, the more Luke is surprised to discover that he wants it to be real. Only when the truth comes out, will Abigail still want him?

I started out liking this book, but then it lost me a bit. One thing that bothered me was that Abigail had panic attacks but denied they were panic attacks. It felt like the author was brushing her mental health issues under the rug, which made me wonder why she even mentioned them in the first place if she was going to do that. The story would have worked the same without it. Then Abigail does some completely immature things to try to get Luke to break up with her. I was left rolling my eyes and wondering where did the more mature Abigail go? How did she go so far off the rails? I understand the author may have been trying to infuse some humor into the story, but I found it cringeworthy instead.

This book also contains insta love. I’m normally not a fan of that in general, but if it’s done well, I can tolerate it, which is not the case here. Over a very short span of time, Luke goes from needing to date her to wanting to date her and both having feelings for one another. There was time and opportunity for their romance to be flushed out and built up, but it wasn’t. It felt like their whole relationship and their feelings were rushed, especially since they only seemed to get to know each other on mainly a surface level.

I felt it wasn’t a bad book overall, but it didn’t live up to its potential. This book would be for readers who enjoy sports romances, insta-love stories, and the fake dating and grumpy/sunshine tropes.

Book Info:

Publication: July 8, 2025 | Berkley |

An infamously grumpy star soccer player is forced to fake date a Hollywood starlet, only to develop real feelings for her—just as she learns he was pretending and vows to get even.

Abigail Hunt’s Hollywood dreams could best be described as slow burn…but she’s about to graduate from TV sidekick to dramatic actor. When the esteemed director of what she’s hoping will be her breakout role suggests she do a deep-dive for her part by shadowing the director of a struggling pro soccer team, she jumps at the chance to prove she’s ready.

She wasn’t expecting notorious grump and gorgeous star player Luke Wolfe to ask her out though, and suddenly her research is getting a lot more…hands-on. Their relationship quickly sets social media on fire, and Luke seems determined to prove he’s more than his villainous reputation. But just when Abby is happier than ever—her name in the spotlight and heart in good hands—the other cleat drops: Luke
was coerced into faking their relationship.

Furious, Abby refuses to give him the satisfaction of dumping him—she decides to get even. It’s only a matter of time until she pushes the right buttons.
She just didn’t expect him to keep putting up with it—or to say I love you.