Bump, Set, Sparks

by Jennifer Moffatt

Two rival volleyball players compete for the championship in this summer romp full of community, crushes, and confidence building from the author of Flirty Dancing.

Jess loves volleyball—she really does. Playing in Southern California Beach Volleyball League with her best friend Tania is a blast, but their recent losing streak has destroyed her confidence. In fact, a lot of what used to bring her joy—stargazing, hanging with friends at Maggie's bar, and her adorable wiener dog, Fleming—just doesn't seem like enough anymore. It doesn't help that Vivienne, one of Jess's rivals in the league, always seems to be around just when she's feeling her worst. Vivienne is everything Jess isn' beautiful, confident, effortlessly charming, and, most infuriatingly, winning.

When Jess is ghosted again, it's another blow to her confidence. Who better to challenge her than the most confident girl she knows? And as Jess gets to know Vivienne, she discovers there's much more to her than just a pretty face (and wicked serve). But even though there's an undeniable connection between them, they're competing for the same spot in the pro leagues. Jess has the opportunity to build self-confidence and a better life, but she'll have to learn to believe in herself, and the people around her, if she doesn't want to lose everything she's gaining. And there's nothing Jess hates more than losing.

Genres: Romance, Sports, Lesbian, Queer, Contemporary, Sports Romance, LGBT

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2026

About the author

Jennifer writes warm and fuzzy stories about LGBTQ+ people falling in love and wishes there were more of those stories on bookshelves. Her short fiction appears in several anthologies and literary magazines. Her debut novel A HARD SELL, book #1 in the Falling Hard trilogy, came out March 2024 from Entwined Publishing and book #2, A HARD FIT, followed November 2024. In March 2024, she announced a three book deal with St. Martin's Griffin. The first book, FLIRTY DANCING, a gay romcom inspired by Dirty Dancing, released May 2025. Book #3 in the Falling Hard trilogy, A HARD NOTE, arrived July 2025. Her next book with St. Martin's, BUMP, SET, SPARKS, a sapphic rivals-to-lovers romcom released June 2026. Her third book with St. Martin's will be out in 2027. She is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Literary Agency and lives in BC, Canada with her family. Her favourite things, besides reading and writing, are movies, summer, and potato chips.

Reviews

[Sam’s Sapphic Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely your typical rivals to lovers sports romance. With the two MC’s being in a sand volleyball league, they were part of the same friend group but didn’t get along.

I appreciated the definitions at the start of each chapter because I don’t know much about volleyball and the terms did help understand better.

I will point out that this is a slow burn, a VERY slow burn, so don’t expect things to happen in the first half. The writing was decent, but at times I did feel as though the interactions Jess had with others was awkward, or maybe she was just awkward herself.

Jess had a LOT of confidence issues that she let get to her in both her personal life and on the sand too. While Vivienne was portrayed as a confident “idgaf” manner.

There were times where I felt like things were a bit dramatized or exaggerated such as this clip of the book, “Everything but Vivienne went blurry. The crowd vanished. The heat of the sun faded.” It was a bit too cheesy for me to be honest.

It wasn’t a horrible read, but I felt like there was nothing special about it. I didn’t really connect with the characters or had a love for any as well as I didn’t feel a major connection between the MCs, but at least it was there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters. Too much filler. Oddly enough too much volleyball. Overall nothing interesting really happens and I find most of the characters to be bland.

Thanks for the ARC

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it wasn’t about volleyball I would have marked it DNF, which is soooo unfortunate considering how much I was looking forward to it. The volleyball itself was decently written if a bit too focused on game day scoring and less about elite athlete lifestyle. Fun and accurate descriptors at the start of each chapter for those that aren’t familiar with such a minority sport and adds small bits of humour, for that it gets my 2 stars. On the other hand… this wasnt even a slow burn, it was a NO BURN. Written only from Jess’ POV, she seriously lacks confidence (which can be excused and improved through the writing but wasn’t done by this author in a meaningful way), she’s clueless literally 80% of the book in terms of her chances at being with Viv, she also lacks focus for someone with such lofty goals at playing pro. These 3 things absolutely killed any chance at me being endeared to her character. Viv on the other hand, I would’ve loved at least a few chapters from her POV because she’s the opposite in all the areas I mentioned and moves with a real purpose. All the players drink too much throughout there season. Given how long the season is, I wouldn’t exactly expect them to abstain completely but it’s a total party for all the players involved and if the goal is the play pro, I’m not sure I understood the contrasting action of training your ass off and then drinking way too many beers (possibly the worst drink choice of all, like give all the girls some slim G&Ts and make me believe in their commitment maybe??)
I’d also add that all of Jess’ feeling for Viv are stemmed from physical attraction and a bit of stargazing as a mutual interest. There’s nothing written here to make you believe this would be a lasting relationship.
The romance is minimal, they have virtually no alone time, given that the players on tour are also always around, there’s no spice-i don’t know what the recommended reading age is for this but you’re not gonna get detail about the sex after such a long read which is ultimately boring for a sapphic read imo. In addition, there wasn’t really flirting or build up anyway because of the aforementioned cluelessness so maybe the lack of spice fits more aptly cos it’s like you can’t give me an awesome payoff for 0 build up 🤷🏾‍♀️
Hope I get to experience a volleyball sapphic romance with all the elements I love in my other reads but this didn’t even come close to hitting the mark. A real shame.

[Michelle’s Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really surprised by the low rating of this book…. And then I read it. This is barely a romance. They finally get together at 90%. I actually was really enjoying the volleyball in the beginning but it takes up way too much of the book. No chemistry between them.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sports romance set in the world of women’s beach volleyball. Jess McLaughlin and Vivienne Morris love competing in California’s Beach Volleyball League. They have dreams of being invited onto the pro circuit. Jess finds her confidence is lacking after losing games with her partner. And of course the beautiful and confident Vivienne is around to see her at her worst moments. But as the title says there are sparks between the two.

I like volleyball, and even went to state while playing it in high school (regular not beach type). But this book has a lot of volleyball. The games are exciting but to a reader with less interest it may be too much. Jess regaining confidence is great and she even works up the courage to steal a kiss two. But it all comes at a snail’s pace. Very, very slow burn.

I love that LGBTQ books are getting more and more mainstream publishing. But for me the romance has to take more of the focus than the game they are playing. The characters are likable and the ending works. But I needed the story to be more romanced focused to rate it higher.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy and I am leaving an honest review.

[Angie Miale · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve been looking for more sapphic sports romances, Bump, Set, Sparks is worth checking out. There still aren’t nearly enough queer romances centered around women’s sports, and I love seeing books like this making their way into the genre.

The story follows volleyball rivals Vivian and Jess, two teammates whose competitive streak pushes both of them—and their team—to become better players after a rough start to the season. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the team’s determination and camaraderie. The friendships, perseverance, and competitive spirit felt authentic, and I genuinely enjoyed watching the team fight its way back.

I also learned far more about volleyball than I ever expected! Jennifer Moffitt clearly knows the sport, and readers who already love volleyball will likely appreciate just how much of the game is woven into the story.

Where the book lost me was the pacing. There’s simply a lot of volleyball. While I expected the sport to play a major role, it often overshadowed the romance, making the story feel longer than it needed to be. Vivian and Jess don’t truly become a couple until nearly the last 10% of the book, so the rivals-to-lovers payoff felt delayed after such a long buildup.

That said, once the romance finally arrived, I really liked Vivian and Jess together. Their relationship felt believable, and I only wished we’d had more time to enjoy them as a couple.

Jennifer Moffitt is a good writer, but I don’t think she’s found the story that fully showcases her strengths just yet. I’ll happily pick up whatever she writes next because I think there’s a standout novel in her future.

Overall, this was a solid 3-star read for me. If you’re looking for a romance that spends as much time on the sport as the relationship—and you’ve been hoping for more sapphic sports romances—this one may be exactly what you’re looking for.

⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the free advanced reading copy!

[Wynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so adorable. I loved how many characters there were and how much volleyball there was. This was a painfully sloooowwww burn romance like we got all the feels and it was definitely drawn out. There were definitely a bit of unnecessary bits in this book, specifically some scenes with Tony that maybe we could have done without. I enjoyed how it was a big build up to the end but I kind of was able to guess what was going to happen as the foreshadowing for Tania was wayyyy too strong. I think the characters were complex and it was interesting to peel back the layers of both FMCs. There was one big thing that I would have liked to have been different and it was the timing of them being together. I think it could have waited just a little bit longer as the initial get together fell a little bit flat for me unfortunately. The bigger moment happened later and I think it would have had a greater impact if that was the first time they got together as well. Overall, super fun sapphic read about volleyball and would definitely recommend for sports lovers wanting to read an FF romance! 4 ⭐️ for me

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.75 stars

Unfortunately, this book felt clunky and surface level, the characters were one dimensional, and the pacing seemed off. It wasn’t all bad and it was a quick read but I wanted to like this so much more.

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Review coming soon.

[mackenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ehhhh. i wanted to love this so bad - like, two volleyball players falling in love! rivals to lovers action! yes please! but it was sort of written in a really weird way overall to me? the pacing felt off, and as much as i love a slow burn, this one felt like it wanted to be a slow burn but didn't know how, so it just threw in a bunch of filler for the majority of the book before the characters finally got together. the writing sometimes felt... stunted, i guess? and overdramatic at points for sure. overall a really quick read but also, just like, meh.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc!

[Holly_bookbanter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bump, Set, Sparks 6/23

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. This is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This is my first book by this author but I am a seasoned queer romance, and sports romance reader.

Overall Thoughts:
This book was so fun and lighthearted. I loved learning about the world of volleyball, a sport I had zero knowledge about prior to this book, and really enjoyed seeing the strong growth of the FMC not only professionally and personally but also emotionally.

Spice Level:
Very little spice. Closed door scenes with some discussion of kissing and sexual activity but not graphic.

Characters:
Lots of FMC’s here with most of the characters being part of the volleyball league. Our FMC Jess is anxious, self doubting/self sabotaging, and a people pleaser. She really struggles with so much overthinking; always questioning if others are having negative feelings about her or wondering if she is even capable of succeeding. It’s hard to watch but she slowly learns to begin to trust herself.

The love interest in this enemies to lovers is Vivien, a spicy, confident go getter with no qualms about being a winner. She comes off annoyingly perfect and a bit of a spoiled brat but you realize that’s not really who she is and you can’t help but like her.

The supporting characters are the standard friends except for Nelson, the fabulous gay neighbor who watches her dog when she’s busy. He needs his own book!

Romance and Chemistry:
This was a very slow burn with lots of tension and angst working between them for a good portion of the book but you could tell early on that while they had misread each other it was easy to see there was solid chemistry somewhere between them.

Writing Style and Pacing:
I enjoyed the easy going writing style and the headings in the start of each chapter sharing some stats and volleyball info. The pacing is good if a little slow in the front end but I didn’t mind it.

Setting and Vibes:
Mostly in Southern California in the beach areas playing volleyball info the hot sand. All the beachy vibes with hot girl summer style.

Content and Triggers:
Cursing
Minor sexual content
Alcohol
Family issues

Final thoughts:
This was a really fun sapphic sports romance with interesting characters, fun dialogue, rivals to lovers, found family, slow burn, anxiety rep, summer beachy vibes, gay energy, weiner dog love, and everyone’s favorite trope- one bed! Definitely add this to your summer TBR!

Ratings:
3.5/5
.5/5 spice

[Kelly||sketchbooksandsoftbacks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This definitely got the volleyball boost from me! As an avid volleyball player since I was 10 years old through present day, the sport is super prevalent and important to me. The author did a great job representing the sport and being authentic to the nuance and rules of the sport.

I didn’t love the writing style and I was very caught off guard with the texting not being separate from the normal dialogue. The journey the main character Jess went on was relatable, but often over explained or drawn out in a way that I could no longer relate.

This was also a very slow burn and closed door romance. Not that this was an issue in anyway, but I would describe this book as an open door sports romance!

Recommend for hardcore volleyball players!

[thisBandherbooks ✨☀️🌻Buffy🌻☀️✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf at 50%. 🫣😬. Boring and no chemistry. Wondering if they ever get together?! Kudos for getting st martins press to back it though I guess.

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Thought She Had an Opponent. Unfortunately, She Had a Crush, a Complex, and No Defensive Strategy
“Bump, Set, Sparks” by Jennifer Moffatt is a charmingly sharp novel about volleyball, vanity, longing, and learning to read another woman correctly
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | April 10th, 2026


At dusk and across the net, the book’s real drama comes into focus: not rivalry alone, but the charged distance where envy, desire, and self-misreading begin to turn into recognition.

One of the smartest things in Jennifer Moffatt’s “Bump, Set, Sparks” is that it understands how often desire arrives in the wrong disguise. Jess, a beach volleyball player in Southern California, insists for a good stretch of this novel that she hates her rival Vivienne Morris. She does not hate Vivienne. She studies her. She inventories her. She keeps turning Vivienne’s hair, nails, serve, body, poise, and maddening competence into evidence in an internal case against herself. What Jess calls irritation is really attraction with a clipboard. What she experiences as rivalry is often envy, and what she experiences as envy is really the conviction that someone else’s brightness must mean her own diminishment.

That is a much more interesting engine for a romance than “opposites attract,” and Moffatt knows it. “Bump, Set, Sparks” has all the pleasures its packaging promises: beach heat, locker-room tension, comeback sets, queer bar energy, a beloved dachshund, text spirals, banana bread, wedding chaos, and enough erotic charge to power the boardwalk. But under the fizz is a cleaner, sharper book than its glossy setup first suggests. This is not just a sports romance about rivals discovering chemistry. It is a novel about how a woman mistakes her own longing for hostility because wanting someone already feels too much like losing to them.

Jess is in a bad run when the novel opens. She and her partner Tania are dropping matches, her confidence is crumbling, and everything she once used for comfort has begun to lose its charge. Vivienne, meanwhile, seems to glide through the same world as if the air itself has been ironed on her behalf. She is beautiful, tactically brilliant, seemingly unflappable, and attached to the league’s best team. Jess, who narrates herself as gangly, effortful, too tall, too awkward, and chronically one beat behind the women who look like they belong, turns Vivienne into a verdict. That is the book’s real drama. Before it is a romance, it is a study in self-ranking.

Moffatt is particularly good at showing how private insecurity becomes public behavior. Jess does not merely feel bad about herself in the abstract. She reads every interaction competitively. A flirtation that goes nowhere becomes proof. A losing streak becomes proof. A woman choosing Vivienne across a bar becomes proof. Even success curdles into self-suspicion the second Vivienne is nearby. Jess has so thoroughly installed Vivienne as the embodiment of ease, beauty, and chosen-ness that she cannot encounter her without feeling judged, even when no judgment is actually taking place. She has made Vivienne into the world’s opinion of her.

That misreading would be painful enough in ordinary life. Moffatt’s stroke of structural intelligence is to make it legible through volleyball. The sport is not local color or mere athletic seasoning. It is the novel’s grammar. Jess’s mental life keeps showing up in the wrong read, the late dive, the bad pass, the overcooked swing, the panicked choice at the net. Her game tells on her. Because beach volleyball is a game of exposure, there is nowhere to hide the fact that she is narrating herself into defeat before points are even over. The running chapter headers, with their win-loss records and volleyball definitions, look at first like a cute formal garnish. In practice they are doing heavier work. They keep converting emotion into scorekeeping. Jess’s psyche is always being tallied.


Knee-deep in the Pacific, Jess and Vivienne turn a jar of accumulated losses into a ritual of release, flinging private shame back to the dark water that made it.

The prose serves that design well. Moffatt writes in quick, clean, energetic sentences that know how to land a joke without stepping on a bruise. Her diction is accessible but not mushy, contemporary without flattening everyone into the same voice, and especially good on the comic humiliations of being alive in a body that wants things before the mind has agreed to admit them. Jess’s interiority is funny in exactly the right way: not because Moffatt mocks her, but because self-consciousness is inherently ridiculous once it reaches a certain temperature. The novel understands that embarrassment can be both sincerely painful and structurally comic. That doubleness gives the book a lot of its charm. It never sinks into inert self-pity because Moffatt keeps shame in motion.

She also knows how to handle abundance. This is a novel that likes one more match, one more bar night, one more misunderstanding, one more near miss, one more detour on the route to clarity. That generosity generally works in its favor. The world feels inhabited rather than diagrammed. Tania is more than a trusty best friend, even if she also fills that beloved role. Nelson, the glamorous neighbor and dog-sitter, brings real warmth rather than stock sass. Lee, Chrissy, Shay, George, Veronica Doyle, and the extended orbit of teammates and relatives create a sense of communal life that gives the romance somewhere to happen besides a sealed emotional chamber.

The central relationship benefits from that density because it keeps Jess and Vivienne from feeling isolated into destiny too early. They have to keep colliding in mixed company, on courts, in bars, at practice, at weddings, on road trips, in front of other people. That sociality matters. “Bump, Set, Sparks” is interested not only in desire but in spectacle: women’s sports as performance, public charisma, and local celebrity. Vivienne is not simply attractive to Jess because she is attractive in the abstract. She is attractive because she is watched. She has an audience. She seems to move through the league with the ease of someone already chosen by other people. Jess responds not just to a woman but to a woman in circulation. Moffatt gets a lot of mileage out of that without ever making the novel feel like it is straining for topical relevance.

What gives the book its real lift, though, is the way the romance slowly becomes a mechanism for rereading rather than merely coupling off. Jess does not simply fall for Vivienne. She has to discover that she has been wrong about her. That is a more substantial movement. It is one thing to realize you want someone. It is another to realize you have mistaken polish for contempt, beauty for cruelty, and another woman’s social ease for proof of your own insufficiency. The novel’s romance works because it is inseparable from that correction. Attraction here is not just consummation. It is revision.


On the sand beneath a meteor shower, rivalry softens into candor, and the stars become less backdrop than a language for being seen correctly at last.

Moffatt handles that revision with a nice sense of proportion. Vivienne is not revealed to be secretly meek or miraculously unlike the person Jess has been observing. She is still sharp, disciplined, stylish, confident, and sometimes a little impossible. What changes is Jess’s understanding of what those qualities mean. Vivienne has insecurities of her own, family scripts of success and failure, and her own tendency to convert pressure into performance. The book never entirely abandons the fantasy of Vivienne as dazzling object, and it would be foolish to want it to. Part of the novel’s pleasure is that she really is dazzling. But Moffatt wisely lets that dazzle coexist with a more vulnerable, more human self underneath. Jess does not discover that she was foolish to find Vivienne extraordinary. She discovers that extraordinary people are still people.

The book’s biggest formal gamble comes late, when sexual and competitive tension fully fuse. By the time Jess and Vivienne become partners under high-stakes circumstances, repression has already failed so thoroughly that the public kiss during the championship match ought to feel absurd. In a lesser novel it would feel like the sort of scene that exists because an audience wants to cheer. Here it works because the alternative has become structurally untenable. These women are already unable to think about anything else. Desire has invaded training, tactics, text messages, eye contact, service lines, and pregame routines. The kiss does not interrupt the athletic story. It is the athletic story, suddenly rendered honest. The emotional breakthrough and the competitive breakthrough are the same event viewed from opposite sides of the net.


At center court, victory and disclosure collapse into the same gesture, turning a championship kiss into the novel’s most public form of self-recognition.

That is the novel’s central achievement. It turns what could have been a merely lively queer sports romance into a book about bad self-knowledge and its repair. Jess has spent the season building an image of herself out of losses, ghostings, awkwardness, and comparison. The person who finally helps crack that image open is the very woman she had cast as its author. That is both funny and moving. Moffatt is very good on the mortification of realizing that the person you thought was coolly evaluating you may, in fact, have been flustered, attracted, and failing to flirt competently for months.

The book’s central limitation is that the final movement grows a little more benevolent than the earlier emotional logic quite earns. Several complications begin resolving in sequence: injuries, retirements, substitutions, career invitations, romantic timing, professional logistics. Each development can be defended on its own terms, and none of them is ludicrous, but together they create a softening effect. A novel that has been so perceptive about insecurity and misreading starts clearing obstacles with a hand that is perhaps too kind. Readers who want more drag in the gears, a little more cost carried forward, may feel the last act occasionally choosing satisfaction over abrasion.

Even so, Moffatt earns a surprising amount of that satisfaction because she has done the harder earlier work. She has established what it would actually cost Jess to stand beside Vivienne without shrinking. She has made the team dynamics feel lived in. She has shown how badly both women want not just to win but to be legible to each other. And she has given the sport enough genuine shape that the matches do not feel like generic adrenaline dispensers between romantic beats. This matters. Too many sports romances rely on the emotional storyline to make the games matter. Here the games already matter. The feelings intensify them.

If the novel has contemporary relevance, it emerges organically from that fact. “Bump, Set, Sparks” understands women’s sports not just as competition but as performance, fandom, intimacy, aspiration, and style. It also understands the queer social world around that competition as normal rather than explanatory. Nobody is flattened into a lesson. Nobody is required to deliver a position paper on identity. These women get to be horny, vain, jealous, loyal, scared, funny, dazzling, insecure, and absurd all at once. That breadth of permission is part of the book’s appeal.

I come down at 88/100, which translates to 4 out of 5 Goodreads stars: a high rating for a novel that is consistently winning in voice, emotional readability, and structural intelligence, even if its last act rounds some corners it might more bravely have left jagged. The score reflects a book with real velocity and real insight, one whose pleasures are immediate but not shallow.

What lingers most is the change in sight. Jess begins the novel looking across the net and seeing judgment. She ends it able to stand in the presence of beauty, athletic brilliance, social ease, and another woman’s shine without treating any of that as evidence of her own insufficiency. Moffatt never asks the stars to become symbolic wallpaper. They remain what they were from the start: distant, steady, available to be misread or properly read depending on the eye turned toward them. What changes is Jess’s angle of vision. She finally stops treating brightness as a sentence. She learns, at last, how to stand under it.


Early thumbnail studies test distance, net geometry, horizon, and charged spacing, letting the image begin the same way the novel does: by asking how much feeling can live in open air.


The faint graphite armature establishes court, bodies, and negative space before atmosphere arrives, proving how much tension the image must carry before color is allowed to seduce.


Here the scene starts to breathe: twilight blues, pale sand-light, and the first emotional weather staining the page while the underlying structure still shows through.


The cover-derived palette in working form: sky, surf, dusk, sand, and afterglow reduced to hand-tested decisions before the final watercolor found its exact temperature.


These exploratory border sketches test how stars, shells, wave curls, and net lines can frame the image without crowding it, allowing ornament to serve pressure rather than prettiness.

All watercolor illustrations by Demetris Papadimitropoulos.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ Interesting story by a new to me author! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jess and Vivian’s are rival beach volleyball players. I learned so much about this sport! I enjoyed the side of romance. The characters, the banter ;) and the relationships between the players were well developed and engaging.

There’s some lovely pining as neither MC thinks their feelings would be reciprocated. Thankfully with supportive friends, connection is achieved!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters in this were enjoyable for the most part. I liked getting to know them more as time went on and see how Jess's life is. I did like the character growth in this as well. I just wished Jess's character growth could have happened a little sooner. She just complained a lot about games, how they played, and Vivienne. I did like how she finally got confidence but it just felt like a drastic change all of a sudden.

So much volleyball! I didn't know anything about volleyball so it was cool getting to learn about it throughout and what the players have to go through with training. I liked how the chapters started with definitions of volleyball terms. But there was just to much of it. I felt like I just started skimming the parts where they played games or anytime Jess talked about where their ranking now. Just to much. I would be cool reading about the first game against Vivienne to see how they effect eachother and then probably the last game or 2 as a finally. More then 3 games being described is just a lot.

Very slow romance build between enemies to lovers. I was hoping for more romance and spice. It felt like by the time they were actually getting together there should have been more of a spicy scene. They also didn't talk much after that about what they had been feeling for eachother the whole time.

Overall it was an okay read if you like volleyball, very slow burn, or just a cute feel good story.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have been eagerly waiting for (queer) volleyball romances to get their moment in the publishing sphere, only to discover this book was a letdown in every possible metric.
Granted, I am coming off a string of mediocre-to-bad romance books, so I am possibly less charitable than I usually am (I rarely give out 1 stars because there is usually something positive I can say no matter how much I did not enjoy the overall reading experience), but that it not the case this time. It was frustrating to read, I avoided picking it up, and the way the book ended had me mad as hell. This almost turned into a hate read.


This book was terrible on several levels.
Its first crime: it's boring!
Not every book needs to have an explosive start or a fast pace, but this was so dull, I forgot I was meant to be invested in the main character. The writing does nothing to alleviate the problem; it's plain, conveying information in its simplest terms. It doesn't help that the basic POV is paired with a boring external plot. Nothing happens for about half of the book, especially not on the romance front.
If you feel the need to include so many mundane, repetitive scenes, you have to offer something in the text to make them worth your while! But we don't get compelling internal dialogue or engaging conversations with her friends or a deep dive into anything that could deepen our connection to Jess. What we get is the daily life of an average athlete who would get lost in the crowd.

I cannot stress how few relevant things happen or subplots that don't go anywhere. She has a gay, Black friend, Nelson, with whom she essentially shares custody of her dog, Fleming, but their conversation somehow remains surface-level. There is her teammate, Tania, who I actually know more about than the love interest, and that's still a very short list. There's a one-night stand with whom she had genuine chemistry, more than I saw with Vivienne.

Next problem: was this meant to be a romance novel???
People usually only harp on the fact that to be counted as a category romance, a book needs to have an HEA, and while that is true, the overall structure of the story is equally important to make the story /feel/ like a romance. From the first meeting, to spending more time together, learning about the love interest, the growth of their feelings and the emotional build-up into the 3rd act and finale - those scenes should be anchored around the romantic relationship and you cannot get that pay-off when there is no prior investment.
So it baffles me that we spend 60% of this single-person POV romance novel with our only main character, who has
1. barely spend time with love interest
2. does not think about her more often than any of her other rivals or friends
3. is not even yet aware she could (could! not has) develop feelings for the woman
4. goes out of her way not to spend time with her
and I'm somehow meant to believe that there is something romantic going on?! Give me a break. Like, they get the same tattoo for some bizarre reason and no one thinks that's weird? At that point, neither of them saw this as a romantic act or a confession of some kind.
This reads like a contemporary novel with a romance subplot - something I rarely can get on board with.


The final straw: what was that ending?!
Given that Vivienne is more of a background character than anything else, there is more focus on Jess and Tania's relationship. As teammates, they train and play together, are friends, and share the emotional rollercoaster of the volleyball season. I can't exactly say I was invested (again, this book was very dull), but it had more going on than the Jess/Vivienne situation. So imagine my horror when we get into the last 20% of the novel and we are hit with two bombs that change the trajectory of the rest of the story. Major spoiler warning here but I feel it's necessary to explain why it ruined the romance for me. First: Tania wants to retire next season. Alright, I can buy that, we've seen her struggle with her shoulder and talk a lot of plans with her boyfriend George, entering a different stage in her life. Not the best situation but they were out, having earned 2nd place in the state championship.
Second: Lee's pregnant partner is rushed to the hospital and Vivienne is left without a teammate to play in the circuit, and a special rule allows for Jess to move if she wants to. Not only does that change ruin the entire momentum of the original plot where Jess learns to enjoy playing again and regains her confidence but it undermines all she worked for with Tania (and of course, both Lee and Tania are fine with her stepping in).
And now, suddenly it's on: Jess and Vivienne kiss, they sleep together, they have to figure out how to play together in a time crunch, Jess meets her family. It cheapens everything that came before and we barely get to see any of it cause we're essentially at the end of the book. I don't understand how the author thought this would be satisfying in way.


Well, I guess I can say one positive thing: the structure of every chapter beginning with a loss/win statistic and a definition of commonly used volleyball terms that also work as a metaphor for Jess's state of mind was a nice touch.
Oh, and I also love banana bread?

I received an advanced reading copy from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sara. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I love when a sport book makes me go "Wait, do I care about [insert sport] now??" because I'm feeling that way about beach volleyball. This puts the SPORT in sports romance so if you think there's way too much of said sport being featured, maybe pick up a small town romance or celebrity romance etc. Volleyball isn't set dressing here; it's so integrated into the story and I really enjoyed the matches being described.

If you hate Third Act Breakups, well fret not because there isn't one here!!! Because you can't break up in the third act if you GET TOGETHER in the third act. ;) So if you prefer true slowburns with the yearning, the will-they-won't-they, this is it. Because Jess & Vivienne only become girlfriends and have sex* very late into the book.

*(That said, I'm surprised author Jennifer Moffat didn't actually give us a full-blown sex scene, even in the earlier one night stand that Jess has with another woman. We only get the post-coital glow/talk and recounting mentions of the experience. Is this typical of her novels? We deserve some insane cunnilingus after a heavy arc!)

This is the epitome of Am I Obsessed With Her Because I Hate Her or Want to BE Her. I want every Women Being Unnecessarily Catty To Each Other story to end with them kissing. I can see Jess be off-putting to readers at the start. Her initial dislike of Vivienne stems from her insecurities regarding her own physical appearance and perceived lack of skill compared to her rivals. Jess thinks Vivienne has it much easier than herself so her attitude reads like envy. There are cutting remarks she'd made towards Vivienne that even she self-acknowledges immediately after as too mean and uncalled for. Normally, I would be put off by say, a male love interest being assholey to the female protag, but here I think it helps that being in Jess' head and POV lets me see her regret and understand where that hostility actually comes from. It doesn't justify her behaviour at all and I'm reassured that Jess also knows that.

There is a fair bit self-loathing and self-admonishment from Jess before she grows as a person and gains the much needed boost to her self-esteem. So if you feel bogged down by that, I doubt you'd enjoy her journey. Jess to me feels like a mirror held up to women who understandably feel they're undesirable due to what society/media puts on a pedestal. It was also clear to me that the parental neglect experienced her whole life made her feel that her accomplishments and interests don't matter. I empathise a lot with her in this regard due to my own personal experiences and that helped with me wanting to stick with her till she undergoes her inevitable character development.

Also, I adore that her female friends (even other volleyball rivals) help her feel loved and appreciated. Once she comes out of her spiral, Jess' friendships grow all the more stronger and I really enjoy their time together.

On the romance side: I'm satisfied with the evolution of Jess' dislike of Vivienne to Oh she's not so bad after all to physical attraction to love. I think it absolutely helps that Jess has always been so aware of Vivienne's conventionally attractive looks (because she can't help comparing herself), that turning the "She thinks she's hot shit and I feel like a troll next to her" to "FUCK she's so hot that I can't help staring /hearteyes" lesbian panic feels organic and not just instalust out of nowhere for the sake of having them get together.

I would love to have had Vivienne's POV interwoven as well, but I get that it's to mask the Unsurprising And Not At All Unexpected Twist that she also was into Jess this whole time and was not so discreetly trying to get the latter's attention. Since this is Jess' Story, we don't get as much out of Vivienne but the little things slipped in were nice. Like how she aced Fake It Till You Make It while also struggling with her sense of self-worth due to her siblings' accomplishments, and the niche shared interest she has with Jess.

I predicted the ending where they become teammates rather than on opposing teams due to Circumstances and felt it was a suitable culmination of this romance—combining their two great loves: each other and volleyball.

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a nutshell, I thought this novel was fine. Parts of it were entertaining, but other parts just didn’t quite do it for me. I would say its an acceptable read but I probably wouldn’t recommend it. If you like volleyball a lot, then you might enjoy this more than I did.
Ok, lets break it down:

Romance: This is a romance right? Well it was underwhelming. It says its an enemies/rivals-to-lovers situation but it seemed a lot more like a one-sided, “I'm annoyed and whiny” situation instead. The rivals part of the equation was lukewarm at best with a few snippy remarks, and the transition was underwhelming. Now, these two DID have chemistry and there were parts I liked; our protagonist was clearly obsessed with the love interest right from the start which I enjoyed, but they had the emotional intelligence of a pinecone.

Protagonist: 90% of their character traits were “woe is me” and an inferiority complex. It was annoying and frustrating and got repetitive. That said, I did enjoy their character arc towards confidence even if it was a little simplistic.

Love Interest: Honestly I liked her. She was a bit of a black box at times, but I enjoyed this character and the slow process of understanding her better over the course of the novel.

Volleyball: There was too much volleyball for me, and not in a good way. I have read sports romances I liked, and ones I dislikes, and this was closer to the latter. I do not need play by play scenes of their games that span multiple pages, recounting who did a block and who did a spike. I just don’t care that much (maybe I should stop reading books featuring sports?). The emotional aspect I enjoy, along with the competition and their reactions to what takes place. There were some helpful definitions for volleyball terms at the start of each chapter but unfortunately, they were not quite enough for me as they frequently used other terms I didn’t know, hah!

Plotline: ehhhh. They played volleyball I guess?

Side Characters: The side characters I liked. There were several of them and they were as well developed as the main protagonist (which is a mixed review, hah). This felt like a story that took place in a real place with real people, so this aspect was well done.

Side Plots: Honestly better than the main plotline. What’s going on with her partner? Will the guy ever win the grand prize at ring toss? Tell me more about that famous romance author! None of these were huge, but I liked that the novel had multiple things going on (especially considering the main plot was a bit thin).

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

[Laura Carter | Those Book Besties · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Check out our Bookstagram*

Thank you to Jennifer Moffat and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

One thing I often find with sapphic sports romances is that they're usually romance stories with a side of sports. Bump, Set, Sparks was the opposite in the best way possible. 🏐✨ The beach volleyball isn't just a backdrop here—the sport genuinely drives the story and the romance.

The action on the court was so well done, and I loved how the competitive energy carried over into the players' lives off the sand. Whether they were celebrating wins or drowning their losses at the local bar 🍻, the camaraderie between the teams felt authentic and heartfelt. The players may battle it out during matches, but when it really matters, they show up for each other. ❤️

One of my favorite details was that each chapter begins with a volleyball slang term and definition. 🏐📖 It helped immerse me in the sport and made the volleyball aspects easy to follow, even for readers who may not know much about beach volleyball.

The romance follows Jess and Vivienne, players on rival teams. Jess is struggling with her confidence both on and off the court. Her team's season hasn't gone the way she'd hoped, and she constantly finds herself overthinking her performance. 😔 Meanwhile, Vivienne appears to have it all together as a star player on the league's top team—but as the story unfolds, it's clear there's much more beneath the surface than her confident exterior suggests. 👀✨

I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop. The rivals-to-lovers dynamic, combined with the slower pace of the romance, made their connection feel natural and believable. 💕 The tension builds gradually, allowing both characters room to grow individually as well.

Overall, this was a cozy, heartwarming sports romance with great volleyball representation, lovable characters, and a sweet slow-burn romance. 🏐💖

If you're looking for a low-spice, rivals-to-lovers sapphic romance with plenty of beach volleyball and character growth, Bump, Set, Sparks definitely delivers. ✨

[Unpopmary · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

Firstly, I’d like to thank the author and her editor for trusting me with this early read.

This is a sports romance centered on Jess and her life as a beach volleyball player. I’ll try to keep this review brief by saying that, unfortunately, I struggled to truly connect with Jess. At times, her behavior felt noticeably immature for her age, to the point where it occasionally reminded me of a YA novel, which personally isn’t my preferred reading experience. Jess also grapples deeply with self-esteem issues and constant self-doubt, and while I was hoping to see more growth in that area, her character arc didn’t feel as developed as I expected by the end.

Another aspect that didn’t fully work for me was the rivals-to-lovers dynamic. Rather than feeling like a mutual rivalry, it came across as more one-sided. We mainly see Jess’s strong dislike toward Vivienne, her love interest, with dialogue that initially makes Vivienne seem genuinely unpleasant. As the story progresses, however, it becomes clear that Vivienne is actually quite sweet, and that Jess’s resentment stems from rather superficial reasons. Because of this, the romantic build-up didn’t feel entirely natural to me. Even during their more intimate moments, I found myself wanting a deeper emotional connection to truly invest in their relationship. I also felt that the frequent repetition of Vivienne’s physical traits leaned a bit too heavily into shallow territory.

Vivienne, on the other hand, was a highlight for me. She felt more intriguing and had the potential to be a really compelling character, but since the story is firmly rooted in Jess’s perspective, we don’t get the chance to explore Vivienne’s character arc as deeply as I would have liked; which felt like a missed opportunity.

Lastly, I was hoping for a stronger focus on the volleyball aspect itself. While we do get some scenes of Jess and her best friend and teammate, Tara, competing and working toward a championship, I would have loved to see more of the challenges, pressure, and intensity that come with being a competitive volleyball player.

[Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rivals to lovers romance where the competition isn’t just on the court.

Summary

Both Vivienne and Jess play in the SoCal Beach Volleyball league. They are competitors on the court; but could they be more off the court? Not if you ask Jess who has hated Vivienne ever since they started playing against one another, but the more time they spend together Jess thinks maybe she misjudged Vivienne.

My Review

I often find that reading sapphic sports romances that the stories are more romance with a side of sports; but in “Bump, Set, Sparks” the play on the beach volleyball court drives the romantic story line.

The playful game banter continues off the court where the teams meet at the bar to celebrate their wins and drown their losses. The camaraderie of the players is well written and reflects how they keep the battles to the court and after the game is over, they show up for one another.

Each chapter starts off with a definition of a volleyball slang terms; it really helped to set up the reader to understand what was happening on the courts and it makes the sports side easy for anyone who might not have an appreciation for beach volleyball.

The two FMC’s are on rival teams. Jess’ team has not been doing well this year, she has confidence issues with her own play and tends to get in her head. Her lack of confidence extends off the court when it comes to relationships. Vivienne is on the top team in the league and she projects confidence, but maybe what you see isn’t how she actually feels.

If you like a cozy, low spice, slow burn, rivals to lovers story then ‘Bump, Set, Sparks’ will serve you well.

Final Thoughts:

In the spirit of learning beach volleyball slang, here are my final thoughts…

Butter: A perfectly set ball
Campfire: A ball the drops with the players just watching it

Jess and Vivienne circle around one another; neither thinking their feelings might be reciprocated. Luckily, they have friends that provide the “butter” so they don’t “campfire” in this rivals to lovers sports romance.

[Caitlyn Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jess lives and breathes volleyball for as long as she can remember. But this most recent losing streak has not only destroyed her confidence but has sucked the joy out of so many things in her life. But with help from an unlikely source - rival player Vivienne - her win loss ratio might not be the only thing heating up.

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️

Oh where to start, this was a sports romance I could really get behind and I’m VERY picky when it comes to sports romances. I felt like this was a very good blend - neither the sport itself or the budding relationship between our love interests outshined the other.

I was EXTRA happy by the fact that you really got to see the relationship grow between the love interests as well, rather than the insta-love trope that this genre falls victim to more often than not. We get a decent chunk of not-quite-enemies to lovers and the relationship gradually grows into one of not just lust but mutual understanding. And the apparent dichotomy between the two doesn’t cause this massive rift between them during the development of the relationship. Rather the pair come from very different home lives but struggle with the same self confidence issues though neither could really tell.

But more than anything, I loved the character growth we see from Jess. At the beginning she comes off as this down on her luck “oh wow is me, my life is so hard” leading lady because of the losing streak - and granted I’d feel that way too in her position. But rather than her issues being fixed by a lover, she takes the time to fix them herself (with the help of her friends).

Overall a really amazing book and I could not put it down. If you’re a fan of sports romance - especially of books like The Deep End - this is the story for you.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Marcus Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty solid enemies to lovers romance, highlighted by the dive into self-confidence issues of the protag. There's something about the writing that comes across as really unpolished, but in a way that really helps it feel grounded and stands out against the sometimes formulaic writing structures of the genre's bigger hitters, but without feeling amateurish or anything. It was nice and refreshing and I was happily surprised to find myself itching to read it. Devoured this over the course of about 48 hours, which isn't something I can usually say for most books.

The book really shines when we get Jess and Vivi on the page together and I wish that happened a bit more. They have pretty good chemistry and a nice dynamic, and it's really nice to see how quickly they can get on the same page and look out for each other. The scene in the tattoo shop was probably the swooniest of the bunch for me, while Vivienne's handling of Jess's mom is probably the best hook as to why these characters need to be together.

However, the book's cast is pretty massive and, while not hard to keep track of who is who, they can be a little distracting. Troy could've been left on the editing floor and many of the characters just kind of exist as NPC's to set up new scenes for the main character. Also, I appreciate the volleyball scenes and think they're wholly necessary, but the descriptions of every action do run long a bit at times and I found myself skimming rather than trying to project the action in my mind by following each and every movement and impact. It was probably a breeze to read for vb players though, so it's hard to complain.

All in all, this hovered around the 3 or 4 star range for me. Definitely glad I read it and excited to check out Moffatt's other works as well. It's nice to have more books with strong rep without feeling cookie cutter.


Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!

[Bree Burgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bump, Set, Sparks said: what if sapphic yearning happened in the sand, under the California sun, while everyone was sweaty, competitive, emotionally avoidant, and pretending this was definitely just about volleyball?

Respectfully, no one here is normal.

This was such a fun, summery sports romance with beach volleyball, rivalry tension, found community, and one very relatable heroine whose confidence is currently face-down in the sand. Jess loves volleyball, but between losing streaks, career pressure, and comparing herself to everyone who seems shinier and more successful, she is Going Through It™.

And unfortunately for her peace, Vivienne exists.
Vivienne is beautiful, charming, winning, and entirely too good at being everywhere Jess does not want her to be. Their dynamic has that perfect rivals-to-lovers “I cannot stand you, please stop being attractive and competent in my direction” energy.

The romance is definitely a slow burn, but the sparks are there in the little looks, the competitive tension, the forced proximity, and the slow realization that maybe the person getting under your skin is also the person who sees more than you want them to.

The volleyball scenes bring a lot of movement and competition, but what really worked for me was the confidence-building arc. This is not just about winning matches. It is about Jess learning how to trust herself, believe she is allowed to want more, and stop treating every loss like proof that she is not enough.

The vibes are very:
🏐 sapphic beach volleyball chaos
☀️ summer sports romance
🔥 rivals-to-lovers tension
🐾 adorable dog side character supremacy
🍹 queer beach bar community
💛 confidence-building with feelings
✨ slow burn yearning in the sand

It’s cute, sporty, warm, and full of that very specific sapphic problem where two women are obviously having chemistry while insisting they are simply competitors. Sure, babes. Very convincing.

[madisyn (bookish verison) · Rating 3 out of 5]

BUMP, SET, SPARKS (ARC) | ★★★☆☆ | KINDLE

jess loves volleyball and being a part of the socal league playing with her best friend tania. but despite all of that their recent losing streak hasn’t really made jess the most confident person and it’s slowly getting to her.

especially when her rival vivienne is surpassing her in everything. somehow vivienne always finds herself around when jess is having the worst time.

after a hook-up that ends up ghosting jess, she’s at her final straw. and yet somehow vivienne lines up in her sight and as she uncovers more about her, maybe vivienne isn’t the girl she thought she was. perhaps she was something more?

i am going to be honest. this book was not for me. i was so excited when i had read the blurb about a rival enemies to lovers but the slow burn was painful and their chemistry made really no sense to me? half of the book unfortunately felt like “filler” and i didn’t find myself having any attachments to the characters (aside from fleming who was really the star of the show — ps he was a wiener dog). i really wanted to love this. there was so much potential but jess honestly irritated me, she was way too “woe is me” in everything and i did actually love vivienne’s character, i honestly wish i got more about her or a bigger arc for her, considering she was the love interest for jess. but their relationship felt extremely rushed at the end and the build-up to it was so overly prolonged (for me anyways…and i am someone who loves slow burn).

thank you to @netgalley and st. martin’s press for the e-arc.

if you’re looking for a fun, sporty, summer romance between two rivals, then i would recommend it! give it a try, you never know, sparks may fly.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars; really enjoyed this cute sapphic sports romance centered around beach volleyball! I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.

I haven't read too many sport romances but I do like volleyball, and I love to support and read queer romances! I also have the same name as the main character so this was definitely something that interested me! We meet Jess, who works as a boardwalk games attendant, but her true passion is participating in the local beach volleyball league with her long-time partner Tania. They're unfortunately currently on a losing streak, and Jess' performance is not only impacted by her insecurities, but also by a fellow player, Vivienne. Vivienne is gorgeous, graceful, and is one of the top players in the league, and Jess hates her! Everything she does is perfect and it seems whenever Jess messes up, Vivienne is either there to laugh at her about it, or hears about it when not there and takes the opportunity to needle Jess about it when she next sees her. But when Jess and Vivienne have no choice but to be trapped with each other in a road trip to a beach volleyball tournament, maybe there's a chance for them to get on the same page...

I loved how much of a slow burn this romance was, as well as the focus wasn't solely on the romantic relationship between Jess and Vivienne, but also on the partnership between Jess and Tania. Jennifer Moffatt does a good job at fleshing out the side characters where they're distinct and memorable, from Vivienne's partner Lee, fellow league player Chrissy, and even Jess' flamboyant neighbor Nelson. I felt invested in everyone's relationship to Jess, and I also really appreciated the secondary storyline of Jess learning to be comfortable with her abilities and secure in her own self-worth and image. The progression of the volleyball season was also nicely done as we followed with everyone's wins and losses and into playoffs and the rest of post-season.

Highly recommend this sapphic beach volleyball romance for anyone who likes any of those genres!

[Zath · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book, I was expecting a competitive, rivals to lovers story. Bump, Set, Sparks is about as far away from that trope as possible and instead left me quite disappointed.

I was stunned at the lack of an in-depth story despite the book’s summary. To best describe this book would be something akin to those beach and Christmas episodes from long running TV shows. We get to see characters in a scene that is pure fluff but has no deeper impact. The book could have been edited down and retooled to inject something meaningful into the overall narrative.

This book being labeled as a slow burn is a disservice. For a slow burn something has to burn. Readers should also be aware that there are other love interests for either FMCs. With sports romance, an author must balance the sport with the romance. This element was the weakest part of the book for two reasons: the romance was lacking and the athlete mindset was not showcased at all.

I really wanted to like this book but there was just not much here. If you have some time to kill and want to experience a SoCal volleyball story (and only that), you will probably be partially entertained by Bump, Set, Sparks. If you are looking for an engaging sports romance story, you won’t find it here.

Read my full review at nostalgiadepartment.com

A copy of this book was provided for an ARC Reader Review. I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.

[Saloni Porwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun reading this book, and I'll admit, it made me slow down to take everything in. Although romance is something present in the book it accounts for a very small portion of the story, and most definitely isn't the focus of the writing. A more accurate description would mean that the story is centered around queer characters, and there is a ton of character development that we get to see over the course of the story.

Like I said, it is very slow burn, so you have to be patient. I myself didn't mind this because I much prefer meaningful relationships and a significant arc in the characters over a plot driven, possibly insta love story. The volleyball aspect of it is pretty strong. Despite me not caring in the least about sports or having any previous knowledge of volleyball in particular, everything is well explained, and I was able to really visualize all the scenes with the matches. And that is huge, because there are detailed descriptions of a lot of matches.

Speaking of characters, I loved Jess and Vivienne, particularly how realistically flawed they both are. The 3rd POV narration is mostly done from Jess' side, and her inner thoughts and internal conflicts felt relatable and made me root for her. Side characters deserve a mention because of how memorable they all were. Jess' partner Tania was one of them, and I enjoyed their relationship. Same goes for Toni and Lee, and Jess' neighbor Nelson. I strongly recommend this book, just a caution to not go in expecting a lot of romance, it's merely a side plot.

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book by the author that I’ve read. I love sports romances and beach volleyball is a sport that isn’t written about a lot. This is a rivals to lovers romance. While I get the rivals aspect of it, I did find it hard to feel like Jess was justified in her hatred towards Vivianne. It seemed more personal and I think a regular rivalry trope would’ve given the same “angsty” feel.

I loved that the author had volleyball terms in the begininngs of the chapters. It really helped and the term that she had would usually show up in that chapter. I don’t know if that was intentional or not, but I really liked it for some reason.

The tension between the characters is palpable. A lot of times when authors identify their stories as slow burns, the couple is together around the 60% mark. This is not the case with Bump, Set, Sparks and I’m so happy for that. I prefer when slow burns are slooooow. This was a true slow burn and the tension that has been steadily rising makes the wait worth it and that much sweeter. I enjoyed getting to know both MCs without the romance, especially due to only having Jess’s POV through out the story.

I do feel like after they got together, things went pretty fast, both in terms of their relationship and the plot. I did want a little of a glimpse into their relationship after they got together and for some things to not be wrapped up so fast.

I will definitely be on the lookout for more of this author’s work! 3.5 Stars