Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 301 pages
Author: Amanda Schimmoeller
Publisher: ABS Publishing
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
I hit it out of the park in the friend department. The dating department? Not so much.
After a series of horrible first dates, I’m convinced it’s time to give up on my search for love. But when my best friends convince me to try out a list of twenty questions to fall in love, I decide to give it a shot.
I go on a date and test out the questionnaire, but it seems the only answers I get are the ones leading me back to my friend, Austin Bradford, who also happens to be the star shortstop for the Louisville Mustangs.
Despite all my desperate attempts to convince my best friends otherwise, I’ve had feelings for Austin since we met three years ago. Which also happened to be the same night he friendzoned me.
When I have to attend my cousin’s destination wedding—who, might I add, is marrying my jerk of an ex-boyfriend—Austin insists on going with me. I tell myself it will be fine, just a friendly vacation. Maybe I can even bury all my feelings for him on the beach.
Except, the time I spend with Austin has me questioning if the heated looks he’s sending my way are real, or if the Caribbean sun is making me hallucinate.
I wish he would give me a clear sign, because I refuse to put my heart on the line and risk our friendship without knowing if our love story will be a grand slam or a strikeout.
I Wish He Would is a friends-to-lovers baseball romcom with sizzling chemistry but no explicit content. It’s the fourth book in the Sweeter Than Fiction series, following four best friends finding love.
Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.
ADORED.
I think this is my new favorite of the series. I just had a blast reading it and flew right through it. I continue to enjoy this friend group and the way they show up for each other. It’s filled with kindness and saying the hard thing even when you don’t want to hear it.
I’m usually on a struggle bus when it comes to friends to lovers romances, and YAY, this was not the case here. I liked the realizations for Austin and Alyssa. It wasn’t riddled with miscommunication and focused on the intentional choices needed to see if their could be a romance relationship between them.
My small issue was some of the antagonists came off a little ridiculous in demeanor and such. But otherwise nothing major.
I loved that this had a dash of fake dating and baseball games mixed in with a destination wedding (+ a few of my favorite tropes popped up too!). I loved the baseball content!!! There were multiple swoony moments that had me gushing. The banter is fun and the whole lighter vibe of the book just feels right.
Overall audience notes:
- Sports romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: none that I remember
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