Down The Line

by Raine Gocneal

Alexandra Cadiz has been in love with Olivia Smythe for as long as she can remember.

Born into sporting royalty, her twin brother dominates the men’s tennis tour, her mother is a tennis legend, and her father an Olympic triathlete. Rising fast on the women’s circuit with her signature ice-queen focus, she looks untouchable to the world, yet she guards one secret tightly: everything began with a childhood crush on Olivia Smythe, the girl who first made her want to pick up a racquet in the first place.

Olivia Smythe is also a young rising star and ranked world No. 2 in women’s tennis; driven, disciplined, and unshakably focused. Every victory is her way of staying steady, every loss a reminder of what she’s sacrificed to stay on top. To her, feelings are a luxury she can’t afford, especially the kind that make her heart race faster than any match ever could.

When their paths cross, what begins as an unexpected encounter slowly turns into something that neither can define or deny. As Olivia chases the summit of her career and Alex begins to question whether her true path lies in triathlon instead of tennis, both women must face a choice: chase the lives they’ve been building, or risk everything for the love that could change everything.

Genres: Contemporary

393 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2026

About the author

Raine Gocneal is usually reading, watching films, daydreaming about new story ideas, or getting distracted halfway through one plan and onto another. She is endlessly curious, constantly seeking adventure, and quietly longing for a journey that might change everything (or at least make a good story out of it).

Reviews

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Sapphic Romance

I heard about this book on instagram stories, and my guilty pleasure is sapphic tennis romances, so I had to pick this up. Overall, I thought that this was a solid book, but it’s not one that I would pick up to re-read.

I thought that the setup for the romance was fantastic. While it was a little cliche at points, I was definitely drawn in. The main characters had fantastic chemistry, and I adored their banter via text message. The balcony scene was also so memorable.

Unfortunately, where it fell short to me was the actual relationship itself. I found that the story was lacking in both emotional intimacy, as well as physical intimacy. This made the story read more like a YA novel, which I’m not sure the author intended. Furthermore, I felt like the relationship was not fleshed out enough. It felt like the author was telling us they were in a relationship, rather than showing us that they were in one. Conversations that clearly occurred were mentioned, but we never got to actually see them.

[C_Tries2Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story : 3/5
Spice : 0/5

I was very excited for this ARC because I am an avid tennis player/pickleballer, and this book delivered on that aspect.

What really worked for me was that the author included a glossary which is helpful for those unfamiliar with the sport, dual POV, and the side characters! The writing and pace of the tennis scenes were well done. And, I loved that being queer/gay while being a famous athlete was so normal - no one made a big deal out of it.

But because both protagonists played tennis for most of the book, some POVs were very confusing. I had to scroll back multiple times to see which POV I was reading. I also thought the book was 100 pages too long. The "conflict" the protagonists dealt with was boring, and to me, not needed. There were several spots in the story where I thought it could have ended - many chapters felt repetitive.

For those that want a cozy, sporty sapphic romance, this is for you!

For those that don't care for spicy books, this is also for you!

Thank you to the author for letting me be an ARC for this book. Great first book, and I will be interested in future releases.

[Steven Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Thank you, Raine, for providing me with an advanced copy of your debut, Down the Line. It was an absolute pleasure to read.

This is a Dual POV sapphic sports romance featuring tennis and triathlon. If you know nothing about either of those sports, don't worry. Raine has provided a small glossary of terms which I greatly appreciated!

As an avid tennis and sapphic romance enjoyer, there is simply not enough that combines the two! The stakes, the grind, the swings (and misses), and the grueling, lonesome schedules and travel are all there. I could so easily fit Olivia and Alex into the 2023 schedule as they ramped up to tackle the 2024 Olympics all while attempting to balance a Life which you hear about all the time from real life players.

Meet our star-crossed athletes: Olivia and Alex. Olivia is your hyper focused British tennis sweetheart with eyes maybe too set on the goal. And then there is Alex, the true starburst contradiction, "ice queen" on the outside, warm and goofy on the inside. Love them, they're super cute and they probably need more therapy.

Because I know you will be wondering, there is ZERO spice. Not an ounce of spice. I would go as far as saying there is not even an implication that spice has occurred though it could be inferred. Happy? Unhappy? Ok, cool.

This is a super cute love story between two young women with far too busy lives immersed in two very different sports that embody self-reliance and fortitude. Self-reliance and fortitude. I cannot stress these enough because of how much Liv and Alex embody the concepts to a Fault. They push themselves too hard and they struggle with depending on others to lift themselves out of the mirth. Often, we complain "Well, if they would just talk!!!" but I think it's highlighted well here why it isn't always so simple, which I personally really enjoyed.

What we have here is a lovely debut from Raine Gocneal. If you're looking for a feel good romance or maybe needing a breath of sweeter air to cleanse the palette after something tragic like The Unfinished Line (you broke me, I love you), I can certainly recommend driving one Down the Line.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a bit conflicted about how to rate this book. On one hand, I enjoyed at least the first half and liked the characters. The banter, the backstory, all of that was great. And the chemistry was there.

That said, there were definitely some issues. I finished the book without even knowing what the characters looked like or how their relationship actually worked. There was all this tension and buildup, but the payoff never really landed because their getting together was crammed into these quick summarized flashes that skimmed over the details that I actually wanted to read.

I also don’t usually care that much about love scenes, but here I was left a bit confused. Of course, an author can choose not to include them, but the problem was that there was no hint of intimacy between the characters. It makes you question whether there was any attraction in the first place. Even a simple fade-to-black scene or a subtle hint would have helped a lot.

That said, I did enjoy certain parts of the book. I’m not usually drawn to sports-themed stories, but it didn’t bother me here. I thought that part was well written and engaging.

[Den · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little tennis book, just sapphic love, no angst or tension.

I love the banter between the pair, and between the MC and her friends and family. I have zero clue about tennis so I'm not sure how accurate it all is, but it flows quit well as the setting in this story(the events they go to make for nice meet cutes, etc). Even without knowing the sport, I never felt lost or pulled out of the story.

I do think I'm too old for this book, there is a lot of talk about "crushes", there is blushing and awkwardness, which could be cute at times, but it makes the main characters read really young. There is also some repetition, ie: something happens, and then main character talks to someone else then they re-state what just happened.

Still, I think the author has promise. The dialogue is punchy, there is chemistry, I like the love interest and it's easy to root for the couple.

Many thanks to the author for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love me a sports romance, there's just this grit to it that translates into the romance like no other. And I love me a third act break up, but what was this one?? Letting Olivia think Alex cheated on her for WEEKS? Huh? Why would you ever do that? Then groveling back like she had actually cheated or done something horrible (don't get me wrong I love the groveling but there needs to be a solid reason) when what Alex has done is just lose herself in the effort of competing?? Ok she disregarded the relationship but Olivia also could've played a better part in this. How about actually hearing your girlfriend out when it looks like she cheated? How about trying to figure out what's wrong when she's acting distant and unlike herself?
This sounds like I hated the book but I actually really liked it, the characters were fun, the writing was okay, I just really had an issue with this plot line. Anyway, I'll take every sapphic sports romance I can get, and this was a nice one to read! 3.5

[Phiefer Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first story I’ve read in a long time that felt genuinely easy on the heart. If you're looking for a book similar to Cleat Cute this is a great option. I only have a baseline knowledge of tennis, but the author provided a glossary of all the tennis terms used, which I really appreciated.

It was so refreshing to read a sapphic book where the main characters are already comfortable in their identities, where no one is homophobic, and where loving women isn’t treated as a conflict.

[Cloudnine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how the tennis and the race scenes are written. I also like how the author adds some glossary and a playlist link to listen to while reading it.