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Moonshots & Milkshakes: A Charming YA Wholesome Romance Featuring Baseball, Fake Dating, and Unexpected Love
One campaign. One championship. One summer that changes everything.
Maddy Gibson has a seventeen‑step plan for her life — a color‑coded roadmap to change the world, one meticulously plotted milestone at a time. Winning Student Council President is supposed to be her big beginning, the moment she finally steps out of the background and into the life she’s been building toward for years.
Then a single swing — a reckless fly ball during an unapproved practice — knocks everything off course.
Theo Beckett is the boy everyone notices: star athlete, hometown favorite, future legend. Until one mistake threatens to cost him everything he’s worked for…and Maddy is the only one who knows the truth.
Suddenly, the golden boy’s future is hanging by a thread.
When she corners him with a deal — a fake relationship to boost her campaign in exchange for her silence — it feels like a clean solution. Temporary, controlled, and simple. No complications.
But the more they pretend, the more the lines blur and the cracks begin to show. In their stories. In their defenses. In the versions of themselves they’ve been trying so hard to protect. And somewhere between staged moments and fake smiles, something real begins to take shape — something neither of them expected.
As the campaign heats up and the final inning approaches, Maddy and Theo are forced to face the truth they’ve both been avoiding: Some futures you plan. Some futures you fight for. And some futures find you — in the person you never expected, in a moment that changes everything.
Moonshots & Milkshakes is a standalone YA rom-com featuring a fake relationship with cute, clean and fun vibes. It's perfect for fans of Alexandra Moody, Kasie West and Jenny Han.
Maddy Gibson has a seventeen‑step plan for her life — a color‑coded roadmap to change the world, one meticulously plotted milestone at a time. Winning Student Council President is supposed to be her big beginning, the moment she finally steps out of the background and into the life she’s been building toward for years.
Then a single swing — a reckless fly ball during an unapproved practice — knocks everything off course.
Theo Beckett is the boy everyone notices: star athlete, hometown favorite, future legend. Until one mistake threatens to cost him everything he’s worked for…and Maddy is the only one who knows the truth.
Suddenly, the golden boy’s future is hanging by a thread.
When she corners him with a deal — a fake relationship to boost her campaign in exchange for her silence — it feels like a clean solution. Temporary, controlled, and simple. No complications.
But the more they pretend, the more the lines blur and the cracks begin to show. In their stories. In their defenses. In the versions of themselves they’ve been trying so hard to protect. And somewhere between staged moments and fake smiles, something real begins to take shape — something neither of them expected.
As the campaign heats up and the final inning approaches, Maddy and Theo are forced to face the truth they’ve both been avoiding: Some futures you plan. Some futures you fight for. And some futures find you — in the person you never expected, in a moment that changes everything.
Moonshots & Milkshakes is a standalone YA rom-com featuring a fake relationship with cute, clean and fun vibes. It's perfect for fans of Alexandra Moody, Kasie West and Jenny Han.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2026
About the author
Alleece Balts
6 books58 followersAlleece Balts is a clean YA author who loves crafting swoony, wholesome stories for teens and anyone who enjoys a sweet escape. A lifelong reader, she believes in the power of uplifting fiction and characters who choose kindness, courage, and connection. She lives in Minnesota with her family, where she balances writing with the joyful chaos of motherhood, a steady supply of tea, and a mild obsession with the color blue.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2026
Cozy, happy and a delight to read.
July 24, 2026
If you've enjoyed books like "To All the Boys I've Loved Before", you're going to enjoy Moonshots & Milkshakes.
I was curious before reading this to see how much baseball would be involved and how much the love story would be developed. I'm happy to say there was the perfect amount of each.
The baseball involved in this was story not hard to understand and really helped flesh out who Theo is and his character's history. I'm not a very sporty girl, so I was very glad to find this aspect of the book easy to follow and easy to root for.
Hallmark movies and "instant love" are absolutely not my thing. Reading the soft unfolding of hope, excitement, and attraction between Theo and Maddy really drew me into their story and I wanted to see them overcome the odds they were up against.
This book reminds me of summer, the possibilities that new friendships hold, the excited panic-y feeling of new attraction, and that life isn't a straight path, no matter your age.
I was curious before reading this to see how much baseball would be involved and how much the love story would be developed. I'm happy to say there was the perfect amount of each.
The baseball involved in this was story not hard to understand and really helped flesh out who Theo is and his character's history. I'm not a very sporty girl, so I was very glad to find this aspect of the book easy to follow and easy to root for.
Hallmark movies and "instant love" are absolutely not my thing. Reading the soft unfolding of hope, excitement, and attraction between Theo and Maddy really drew me into their story and I wanted to see them overcome the odds they were up against.
This book reminds me of summer, the possibilities that new friendships hold, the excited panic-y feeling of new attraction, and that life isn't a straight path, no matter your age.
July 26, 2026
Perfect summer pool/beach read! I loved this!! It was so well-written, and I loved the character dynamics. The Student Council President speech was wonderfully done! I did not see that coming!!
Parts of this were a little predictable, but in a cozy “hallmark-esque” way. (It was in the same manner as when we know who will end up together in a hallmark or Lifetime movie.) I didn’t think it ever played out cheesy!
The development of all three main characters was beautiful!
One note: I now want some break offs in this universe!!
Parts of this were a little predictable, but in a cozy “hallmark-esque” way. (It was in the same manner as when we know who will end up together in a hallmark or Lifetime movie.) I didn’t think it ever played out cheesy!
The development of all three main characters was beautiful!
One note: I now want some break offs in this universe!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews