Review – Out of Her League

Item: Out of Her League
Rating: 3.5
Author: Emily

Posted June 28, 2026 by Emily in review / 0 Comments

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

TITLE: Out of Her League
AUTHOR: Ava Rani
Publisher: Avon
PUBLICATION DATE: May 12, 2026
Source: NetGalley
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RATING:

"Ava Rani creates the perfect mix of romance and drama!" — People

Don't get mad. Date his favorite athlete.

To make her ex jealous, an ambitious young surgeon recruits a charming star soccer player to be her date to a lavish Parisian wedding—but love might have a game plan of its own, in this stand-alone romance from the USA Today bestselling author of the Biotech Billionaires series.

Dr. Isabelle Mercado is this close to having it all. Top of her class at the country’s most competitive orthopedic surgery residency, a dream career within reach, and a golden ticket to the wedding of the year in Paris.

There’s just one problem: her ex—the one who got away—is going to be there… with his perfect new fiancée.

Desperate to save face (and maybe spark a little jealousy), Isa enlists soccer legend and global heartthrob Austin Cade to be her fake date. It’s the perfect match: after an injury and some unfortunate encounters with the press, he needs good PR and the kind of elite connections this wedding will attract. Plus, her ex just so happens to be his #1 fan. Win-win.

But between champagne toasts, macaron baking classes, and stolen glances under the Parisian stars, pretending starts to feel a lot like the real thing. Isa’s always been all-in on her career—love was never the goal.

But maybe, just maybe… this time, the heart has its own agenda.

TROPES YOU'LL FIND:

Fake dating

Fancy Paris wedding

So. much. banter!

Billionaires and rich people shenanigans

Reputation rehab

Only one bed

Setting the Scene

Review in 10 Words (or Less)

Great romance and characters but had some pacing problems, imo.

Mood Before Reading

In a bit of a reading slump. Was very disappointed with my previous read.

Mood Before Reading

May 20 – June 5, 2026

Review

Out of Her League tells the story of Isabelle, a surgical resident trying to live up to her father’s legacy, and Austin, a professional soccer player at a crossroads in his career. The two end up on a fake dating arrangement to Isabelle’s best friend’s lavish wedding in France, as they try to sort out their own lives.

Full disclosure: I realize now that I was probably still in a bit of a reading slump and more in the mood for something fast paced and plot heavy. Out of Her League does not really fit that criteria, so no doubt, at least some of my level of enjoyment was affected by my own mood.

I was quickly drawn into this audiobook. I really enjoyed the duet and the different narrators for Isabelle and Austin and getting to know both characters.

The story made me smile and laugh and I genuinely enjoyed it.

Except, not going to lie, I did struggle to get through it at times. Mostly due to my mood, but something about the pacing bothered me. And I still can’t really tell where the issue is coming from. Is it the audiobook that I started listening to at 1.25x speed and kept trying to make go faster? Or the slower plot? Or just my mood? Or a combination of it all? Either way, it kind of bugged me. I wanted the story to move slower when it was going fast and faster when it was going slow.

There was a nice introduction and build up to Isabelle and Austin’s relationship, but it felt like they kind of sped through some of the relationship development portion while the inevitable conflict section was slower (and longer). But again, I read this as an audiobook, so my perception could be warped – I started to get frustrated with how much time I was spending listening in comparison to the number of pages I read so I started to gradually increase the speed.

It also didn’t help that as a whole, the story was a little predictable.

Out of Her League really revolves around Isabelle – without her, there is no story. She’s an incredibly smart and sassy character that I loved reading about. But that just made it more frustrating that the resolution to her quarter life crisis was so obvious, even Austin knew it before they even began officially dating. We were all just waiting for her to come to the same conclusion on her own and it was a bit of an agonizing wait, especially near the end. I appreciated Isabelle and her struggles and it was so easy to root for her (and Austin). But it was interesting to read from her perspective when I already knew her final move.

As for Austin, well, he’s pretty much the perfect boyfriend, both fake and real. It was definitely interesting to see the contrast of how he and Isabelle handled relatively similar situations. Both were at a bit of a crossroads in their respective careers. But it seemed like Austin’s was a little… glossed over while the story focused on Isabelle’s. That said, I guess it makes sense in a way since he’s 8 years older and therefore is more experienced and has a better idea of what he wants, while Isabelle is still figuring everything out.

The romance was top tier. Isabelle and Austin have tons of chemistry and I really enjoyed their fun banter. It definitely carried the story. I know, I know, it’s a romance, but I really do think Out of Her League is more centered on Isabelle than anything else. I almost wish it was written as more of a contemporary novel rather than one focused on the romance.

In conclusion…

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the narrations. I loved getting to know Isabelle and Austin and watching their relationship develop, but I had some issues with the pacing and the plotline.