Blog Tour Review: Keeping Score by Brittany Kelley

 

Love is on the line, and this goalie is playing for keeps, in this steamy soccer romance from Brittany Kelley, author of Relationship Goals.

Michelle Oxford lives and breathes soccer. After an injury that ended her dreams of going pro, she snagged the next best thing: a position as the director of operations for the LA Aces. And even if it’s not quite what she imagined it would be, it’s still better than cutting out soccer altogether.

The only problem? Carefree, wonder boy goalie, Tristan Gold.

Tristan has wanted more than just friendship with Michelle since the moment he laid eyes on her, but nothing would kill her career faster. When she loses a bet, the team gleefully insists she has to take lessons on “being chill” from Tristan himself.

They couldn’t be more different, but Tristan’s always met her perfectionist tendencies with good-natured goofiness, so she reluctantly agrees. The more time she spends with him, the more she likes what she sees . . . and Michelle starts to think that with him by her side, she could do just about anything—even saying goodbye to the future she thought she always wanted.

Title: Keeping Score
Author: Brittany Kelley

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Expected Publication Date: August 25, 2026

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

You don't see a lot of soccer romances. I was excited for this one. And a goalie? YES PLEASE!

I didn't realize this was second in a series. I do wish I would have read the first book to have some background from regarding the supporting characters. I think it would have been very helpful as I didn't understand the dynamics quite as much as I know I would if I had read that first. As a series reader, I like to read books in order. Even if they are only interconnected. But this one definitely seemed like you needed to understand what happened in the past to see why it was important in this story. I would recommend anyone wanting to read this, read that one first.

This one was definitely fun. I loved the push and pull between the MMC and the FMC. There's a good amount of chemistry, though, again, I feel like I would have understood that more had I read the first book. I can see they were introduced in that book and that perhaps there was some of that tension introduced there, as well. I would have liked a bit more depth to their relationship, though. It felt a little surface level. I would have especially liked to see the FMC's background with having been a soccer player and how they really affected her. The reader is told over and over again how upset she is that she didn't get to go professional but it's not really shown how this it important to the story. More exploration in this area would have made the story more engaging.

I would have liked a bit more soccer in the book. By 50% all I had was practices. I wanted to see the sport and how it was important to the MMC and even the relationship he had with the FMC. When you are a professional footballer (or professional in any sport, really), that sport dominates your life. It's lived 24/7, especially during the season. But that didn't seem to be the case with this book. I almost felt like the soccer aspect took a bit of a back seat. I didn't feel like the author did much exploration of the sport or research into how it actually works. I've been a soccer fan (and coach) for many years, so this part bothered me a bit.

The side characters were fun. I wanted to know more about them. Especially Abigail and Luke, who I see were the main characters in the first book.

I will say if you are a Ted Lasso fan, this book gives those vibes for sure. It was a fun, light, cute romance with banter and chemistry that kept the book moving forward. The characters were well developed and had their own personalities and self-doubt they needed to work through. Kelley did a nice job with them.

Overall this was a fun story and I enjoyed Kelley's writing. If you're looking for a fast, cute romance without a third act break up, and some sports trickled in, give this a try!

Author:

Brittany Kelley writes romantic comedy with a shot of spice. If there's a chance she can tip it into the absurd, still spike up the heat, and get the characters to a happy ever after? Well, she's going to write it. From monster rom-coms to haunted halloween romances and spicy sports romps, Brittany's going to add her brand of humor and heat.

Brittany lives in the northeast US with her family, overgrown garden, and too many pets to name here. 

For rights and subrights inquiries, contact Ashley Reisinger at Triada US Literary.