User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
5 stars 
“Different can be good.”
THIS is my favorite Meghan Quinn book to date. There was nothing I didn’t love about
The Dugout. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me swoon, and made me smile so big. I never wanted to put it down, I had such a great time reading this book!
Milly Potter is the queen of baseball. She grew up with three brothers and she knows her stuff. Her biggest goal is to eventually be a coach. She and her two best friends, Shane and Jerry, never miss a baseball game at their college and she’s knowledgeable and a bit obsessed about the sport.
She’s now a senior and has her first big run in with a ball player. In the panini line of all places. It’s a bit of an awkward run in, and the next one isn’t much better. It doesn’t help that it’s with Carson Stone. Carson is one of the hottest players in school, but he’s had some trouble with his swing lately, due to an injury. Milly knows she can help, but she doesn’t know how to offer. Eventually, she becomes his personal coach and it changes his game and life forever.
This book made me laugh so hard. It was seriously one of the funniest books I’ve read this year. Carson and Milly were both hilarious, and I loved the banter she had with her two best friends.
Shane: She’s totally crushing.
Jerry: *Clasps hands together* Carson Stone is so dreamy.
Shane: *Fans self* All those muscles.
Jerry: *Wipes drool* And the way he grips his . . . bat.
Milly: Are you two morons done?
Jerry: Yes.
Shane: No.
Shane: *Tweaks nipples* Ohhhhh, Carson . . .
Shane: Okay, now I’m done.
It was so much more than just a hilarious rom-com. It was sweet, endearing, and punched me right in the gut more than once. I would say the first 75% is really light and fun, but that last 25% really got to me. I wasn’t expecting it to be that heavy, but it was. It got real fast and I was so emotional reading. It was a hard time for both of the main characters, but I could understand why it happened the way it happened and by the end I was happy with how everything turned out.
As much as I loved both Carson and Milly, one of my favorite characters of this book was Cory Potter. Cory… that sweet man needs his own book asap. I’m dying to read more about Milly’s older brother who just happens to be a single MLB player and the worlds best brother. He and Milly’s relationship was sibling goals and he was honestly the best!!
If you’re looking for a hilarious sports romance that packs a punch, pick this up. The best sports romance I’ve read all year, for sure. I adored Milly and Carson and this book is a 5 star favorite!
“I mean that, you were the greatest thing to ever happen to me.”
Rating: really liked it
separating your characters for over a year is not a valid conflict, meghan quinn!!!and this is the second book in this damn series where she pulls that shit. but let's start from the beginning.
this book is about carson and milly and their relationship. it was a little bit of a harder book to get into because i didn't find carson as charming as knox was in the first book in the series but i was eventually won over by the relationship development. seriously, meghan quinn does a great job at slice of life moments and giving her characters things to bond over.
but it all goes to shit at about the 80% mark. i don't know if it's lack of creativity or if she genuinely thinks it's a smart idea but having your characters have some sort of falling out and be separated for 2-10 years at a time is not cute. people do not just "pick up where they left off" in a romantic relationship after that kind of time spent apart. it's unconvincing, lazy, and ruins REALLY good dialogue and prior relationship development!!! cut it out!!!
this book isn't terrible. i think i liked the first one more. mostly i'm just annoyed, bye.
Rating: really liked it
*****FIVE STARS*****{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
Milly’s interesting, different, and possibly dangerous to my heart. I can feel it deep down. She was brought into my life for a reason and not just to help my swing, but something so much more than that.
If you’re looking for your next fun and sexy five star read, then
”THE DUGOUT” is the book for you. I love a good sports romance/romantic comedy, with just the perfect dose of angst to put me through a little emotional torture as well. Not only did this book have all my favorite elements it also had the perfect charismatic Hero and a truly loveable Heroine. This is a book that you will get so completely lost in that you won’t even notice the time that has passed while reading it.
Carson Stone was one of the hottest second basemen in the world of college baseball. In his junior year, he was on the fast track to being the #1 MLB draft pick, but then an injury to his Achilles tendon put his dreams of the major league on hold. A year later, his injury has healed but his batting performance has become less than stellar. Carson is in desperate need of some help. He never would have imagined the tiny college coed with the cute freckles and nervous stutter would be his ultimate coach.
Milly Potter grew up in a family that breathes, sleeps and eats baseball. Her father and three older brothers all played the sport and her oldest brother is one of the hottest stars in Major League Baseball. Milly has a part-time job as an athletic trainer for Brentwood University’s golf team and also coaches little league in her spare time. She goes to every Brentwood University baseball game and spends that time taking videos of the players' performance so that she can study their moves and determine where improvements are needed. She knows exactly what Carson’s problem is and when she successfully shows him where he’s making his mistakes, he is completely shocked and impressed. Milly helps Carson improve his game and soon he's back to being one of the #1 MLB draft picks.
Carson is incredibly drawn to Milly but has a hard time reading her, and Milly is equally attracted to Carson but is convinced he's placed her in the friend-zone. Once their romance takes off, and life couldn't be any more idyllic for the two, Carson and Milly’s relationship is put through the ultimate test and the most awful angst ensues for what seemed to be an eternity for me. Will their love survive?
Here are my overall ratings:
Hero:
5Heroine:
5Plot:
4.5Angst:
5Steam:
5Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine:
5+++++”THE DUGOUT” releases on September 19th! Make Carson Stone your date for this upcoming weekend!
AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/30v08us
AMAZON CA: https://amzn.to/2kSRIP0
AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2mpG92d
AMAZON AU: https://amzn.to/2mjMPyF
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars Where to start ..
As of right now, I have almost finished this series
(currently reading the 8th book - The perfect catch - and I’m only getting started on all the reviews because I’ve been quite lazy to write them lately) and I have to say it’s been overall an enjoyable experience because the writing and the banter is always on point.
There have been (1)some which are
(much) better than others, (2)some which I liked despite not being totally on board with some aspects of the plot or the characters, and (3)one which was sweet, wholesome with the perfect dose of drama to complete the picture.
This book is definitely in category (2) and (1) meaning it was much better than some utter disappointments in the series
(and surprisingly, no, I’m not talking about book one), but it had some issues. Again we are put in a situation where there is a 3 year separation and was made to seem like it wasn’t that long which I suppose makes sense because both lead characters were fresh out of college and working hard at starting up their careers - so between that and dealing with heartbreak - I guess time did really fly. Now,
I wasn’t all that bothered about the time jump and the break up but I was kinda bothered at how the hero got to decide when and how he was gonna reappear in her life. Overall I’d say this was sweet and I loved reading about the progression of that relationship until the end when Carson had a personality transplant and turned into some egotistical, selfish, emotionally immature college dude. It ended on a good note but I wouldn’t have minded a different conflict to get the plot along.
— some small spoilers ahead — He realised he acted truly despicable towards the heroine, and sent her a text after months in which she tried to contact him and be there for him with no response from him. Now, his text was met with a neutral response I would say and what does this man do? He doesn’t try again. He waits years - yes, years to get his head together and then when he’s ready he just pops back into her life and kinda expects to start everything back up. Him being disappointed and defeated after 2 conversations in which she blew him off - yes dude, that’s normal. What did you expect? If you want something from someone you work for it day to day, in the open, where they can see and recognise the effort. Also, it’s a trend in this series that others meddle in order to get the leads back together and usually that involved them convincing the heroine that she should just forget whatever he did and more on with him because she still loves him - and she usually does give in without much of an effort or apology from the hero. I wish others would stay out of their friends and family’s relationship and let them have an organic reconciliation.
Anyway, I don’t wanna harp on about that particular issue, because I could - I just can’t stand the audacity.
Apart from that though,
Carson was actually really likeable and lovable for most of the book. And Milly was the same. I can’t say I love the whole “
I’ve never had friends who were girls because I was such a tomboy and never enjoyed anything girly so I never had anything in common with girls” — I think we are way past writing that kind of female narrative. Despite that lovely nugget, Milly was actually sweet and nice.
Another complaint is that there is absolutely too much baseball. And I mean pages after pages of technical descriptions of the sport and the positions and how to improve on technique - I mean, I mostly blocked that out for 2 reasons: 1.I know nothing about baseball and 2. Even if I did know, I’d still be bored to tears with the amount of pages dedicated to the intricacies of it because I’m here to read romance.
Rating: really liked it
MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE BOOK BY MEGHAN QUINN! 💕💕💕
OH MY GAWD! I smiled like a loon reading this book. It is the best I’ve ever read by this author!! And that’s saying something, because some of her previous heroes own pieces of my heart. However, I love Love LOVE Carson and Milly. I didn’t think MQ would ever top my boyfriend Knox and then she goes and creates this PERFECTION. I can’t even with how much I adored this book!
The Dugout had me completely in my feelings! I smiled. I laughed out loud. I fell in love!! I cannot stress enough how much I love and recommend this book! Buy it. Read it. You’ll love it!
Here’s what I loved:Duh! Carson. He’s so sweet and endearing. Just an all around good guy! His backstory truly made him come alive for me. Having dealt with similar situations, his character resonates with me in a deeper level. After meeting him in the first book, it was so great to see his story play out. I loved him before, but now I’m in love with him.
Milly is phenomenal. So damn funny! Gah the cookie incident almost made me pee my pants!! I laughed out loud so much, my family thought I‘d lost my mind! She’s so unassuming and completely real. I love characters like this who know what they love or want and don’t let anything hold them back! This is where Meghan Quinn shines. Her characters are some best I have ever read.
Their romance is every single thing! My heart beat a little faster when they first touched. Reading this book felt like falling in love again for the first time. The excitement m the adrenaline rush, it’s all there.
And the feels...oh my god THE FEELS WERE FELT! Another little piece of my heart was stolen!
I give this book my highest recommendation!
Rating: really liked it
THE DUGOUT IS LIVE - ->
AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/30v08us
AMAZON CA: https://amzn.to/2kSRIP0
AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2mpG92d
AMAZON AU: https://amzn.to/2mjMPyF
✓ Damaged Alpha Hero
✓ Wallflower Heroine with heart
✓ Slow Burn with an EXTREMELY hot end
✓ Baseball player with all the swoon
✓ Romantic Comedy that will melt your heart
Carson Stone has one more chance to make the draft and he's starting out the season with one hell of a flop. Angry with his circumstances, he doesn't realize he runs into the solution to all his problems in the dining hall panini line until it's too late. Now he needs to try to figure out how to make sure his soon to be fairy ballmother meets him in the dugout, rather than walk away without giving him a second chance up at bat . . . and at love.
Rating: really liked it
Aw...! What a sweet story. A little too much baseball, but I still do like it very much. How cute is the name Miley. Her crush on Carson is sweet and shy. I fall in love with both of them right where cookies involved in their meet cute moment.
What I want more from Miss Quinn is the fun comedy. That was missing in this book. Oh and also the drift between Carson and Milley. That was weak plot. And the separation? Does it need to be that long just because of miscommunication. And I do not like how rushed it is It felt rushed at the end. I want more grovelling on Carson side. Anyway, overall this book is super cute. A wonderful read on lazy day.
4 stars
Rating: really liked it
3 StarsOverall Opinion: This was cute, but I felt it was a little lacking. I did feel like it dragged some and I skimmed a little. I liked both characters, I felt their connection to each other, but I felt like the conflict was meh. I don't need a lot of angst, but I needed something a little more! I know I'm not communicating this well, but it was just meh. It felt a little too surface level. And that ending?! Yeah, not my favorite. That being said -- I didn't hate it! It did have some enjoyable moments. It was an overall "just okay" 3 star read.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Milly and Carson's story. Milly comes from a baseball family and wants to get into coaching, so one day she ends up giving some advice to Carson, who is coming off an injury and struggling, about his swing. They had an awkward meeting previously and Milly can't quite get over her little crush she has had on him to act normally around him. Carson is desperate to fix what is wrong so he can get drafted, so he pursues Milly to get her help after he realizes she knows what she's talking about. His attraction to her doesn't hurt either. There are some funny moments, some sexy times, and a few sad scenes...and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Milly and Carson's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Alright. It did feel slow at times and I did skim.
Instalove:No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings.
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Carson. I liked him. I understand how grief can cause someone to act unexpectedly, so I didn't fault him for his behavior -- but I can see where some readers might get frustrated with him.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Milly. I really liked her. She was awkward and shy, but I appreciated that she wasn't a virgin and found her confidence with the H.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes (view spoiler)
[They both push away at times and pursue the relationship at times. (hide spoiler)]Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Surprisingly, no!
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes (view spoiler)
[They are separated for a while (view spoiler)[1.5-2ish years (hide spoiler)], but there was no mention or suggestion of other partners during this time. (hide spoiler)]Possible Triggers: Yes (view spoiler)
[Loss of a parent (on page) (hide spoiler)]Closure: This didn't have nearly enough closure for me. Their conflict was resolved and then it felt like that was it. How about a glimpse into their future?! I would call this a HFN ending.
Safety: This one should be
Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences.
(view spoiler)
[
- Does Not have cheating
- Does Not have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
- Does have the H pushing the h away
- Does have a separation between the h and H
- Does Not have abuse
- Does Not have a HEA ending (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
I loved this so so much till a point where I just couldn't put up with the separation of 3 years thing. If not for that one point, this would've been a solid 4 stars for me. And I
loved him till the end, I was going like-
"Do guys like this even exist?" but they all fell into nothing with the ending. I'm not saying I didn't like it. The three star rating already says otherwise but I was a little disappointed 🙈
The writing was really good and the story was light and hilarious, with exactly the right amount of depth at places where it demanded it. However, and it's just my opinion, the book didn't deal with Milly's low self confidence as strongly as it should have and I was more than a little disappointed when I wished for her to make him work for it at the end but nothing happened. I wish I could've given this even more stars but-
Words couldn't have described my reaction better than Yoongi did with that sigh, to be honest.
Rating: really liked it
***AVAILABLE NOW***
5 SLOW BURN PERFECTION
I’m going to be honest. Slow burn is hard for me, by Meghan Quinn is the master of it. It NEVER feels like a slow burn. I’m so enraptured with the romance of it all that I’m never bored. I never want to put the book down and walk away, and this series of standalones is quickly becoming my very favorite one from Meghan Quinn.
Carson and Milly together are just perfect. I love them together and individually, which is often rare in the romance world. I couldn’t get enough of them.
The story is perfectly paced with enough humor and romance to be enthralling. Meghan Quinn has developed her own signature humor that has me laughing out loud most times and romance balance of sweet and steamy. I’ll never get enough of her romances, and The Dugout, like it’s predecessor, The Locker Room just hits you right in the feels.
Meghan Quinn is one of my very favorite romcom writers. Her voice is unique, her storylines are fun and swoony, and I’m entertained from beginning to end. You can’t beat that, and I don’t want to try.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
Rating: really liked it
Meghan Quinn follows up her sweet and heartfelt sports romance, The Locker Room, with a story that’s even sweeter, deeper and more swoon worthy.
In
The Dugout, we meet Milly Potter The Baseball Whisperer, shy and awkward kinesiology major who eats, breathes and knows everything baseball but hides behind baggy clothes and an ugly fisherman’s hat. That is until The Carson Stone rudely talked to her in the Panini line, then dismissed her help in the weight room.
But after the injury that cost Carson his starting position and a chance to get drafted into MLB, he can use all the help he can get. Especially from the woman who can actually help him get his swing back. After profuse apologies on his part, Milly agrees to coach him and the two quickly fall into an easy friendship but will they have the bravery to confess their attraction to each other and have the strength to survive the curveballs life will throw at them?
Both Milly and Carson are wonderful additions to Meghan Quinn’s catalog. Milly is kind and smart, but also tough. She’s so very easy to like. While Carson is fun, down to earth, intense and thoughtful. He’s the perfect baseball hero. Even though he made mistakes along the way, I loved how he wooed Milly over and over.
I loved every part of their story, from their rom-com meet cute, to their deep seated connection, their sizzling bedroom and other-room scenes to their angst filled moments. I was totally addicted to their romance. Be ready to swoon, laugh, cry and swoon all over again. A definite home run by Meghan Quinn.
Other notes worthy of mentioning: The knowledge included was spot on. I LOOOOVED Milly’s big brother Cory! Can we have his story pleeeease? Milly’s family was also awesome, but even more great was Knox (from The Locker Room) along with the rest of the supporting characters.
The Dugout is a standalone contemporary romance by
Meghan Quinn. It is a second chance sports romance, told from both points of view with a happy ending.
Amazon -> https://amzn.to/2LxkWgO
My super quick review/recap:
➵ Cover: 5
➵ Hero: 5
➵ Heroine: 5
➵ Sexiness: 4
➵ Feels: 5
➵ Plot: 4
➵ Overall rating: 4.6
* I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author. The excerpts are from that copy. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. *
Stalk me on FaceBook * Instagram * More reviews
Rating: really liked it
Please don’t hate me. I’ve just met the most bittersweet book of my whole year.I skipped the first book in the series because I’ve read reviews about what the author did… only to end up having the same problem with the second one.
Karma is a bitch.I’ll be short because two days have passed and I’m still pissed at that ending.
I loved the first 50%: the slow burn, the greatest cast of friends, the most awkwardly cute heroine, the hero who seemed coherent and gentlemanly, the wonderful sibling relationship (Cory, you are the brother every girl needs). I was prepared to give the story a solid four stars for the smiles, the laughs and how much I loved Milly (h).
In my gut,
I knew something was going to go wrong when I got to the 50% of the book and the romance was pretty much done. I only needed a couple of sweet chapters and an epilogue to go to bed with the widest of the smiles. I should have closed the book before it stabbed my balloon of happiness.
(view spoiler)
[
*Spoilers ahead*
The major reason why I’m angry it’s because the drama was not necessary. The relationship between Carson and Milly didn’t grow, it just stopped dead and then came back to life like it had never been killed. It was not realistic and it didn’t have any depth.
To be honest, I was expecting what happened to Carson’s dad, probably because it was the easiest way to create a soap opera out of nothing. And that’s exactly what I felt: nothing. I haven’t even met the character, how am I supposed to care? The way everything was put there only as an excuse to make Carson turn angry again, in the most OTT way possible. At first I was annoyed at Milly not being there for him, but after everything she did for him? He didn’t deserve her at all. I went from a 4 star reading to fighting for not dnfing it. Being through something as terrible as losing a father is still no excuse to behave like Carson did for over a year. I’m not saying he couldn’t feel guilty, lost or depressed, but the way it was written only reflected how plain the character was. (hide spoiler)] For those who have read the series,
is there any book that doesn’t have unnecessary drama at the end? I really liked the first part of this one...
Rating: 2.5/4
Rating: really liked it
Release Date: September 19, 2019
Genre: New Adult. Sports Romance. College Romance. Baseball Romance.
Actual Rating: 5 stars
I didn't think I could ever
LOVE baseball. Then I met Knox and Carson and well, I guess I am a turned woman. WOW!!! These men are STUNNING. Just like Meghan Quinn's writing style and stories. The Dugout is everything I absolutely needed in a romance book. It's fun, quirky, and comes fresh with an adorable heroine and swoony hero. Carson... Man, what can I say about his character? He's downright CUTE. He's got a chip on his shoulder in the beginning of the book because of a sports injury thanks to a teammate and the way he reacts to the situation is HILARIOUS. Meghan knows how to write these amazing romances with a certain humorous flair and I am LOVING it. I always have, and I know I always will. If you want a book that will not only touch your heart and soul but make you laugh out loud as well then you should drop everything and
READ THIS BOOK. Trust me, you won't regret it. Meghan has always been a top favorite author of mine and she continues to impress me with her novels. I read a lot of romances and when I say she slays each and every one of them I MEAN IT. That's why all of the books I read from her are 5 stars. There is simply NOTHING I can find that I don't like within her novels.
That being said, if you enjoy new adult, college romances with a sports/baseball theme then you won't want to miss THE DUGOUT. And while your at it, make sure to check out THE LOCKER ROOM as well because Knox makes a few (minor) appearances in this one.
Rating: really liked it
So I really liked The Locker Room but damned if Meghan Quinn didn't just bring her A game with this book. I really wish I knew the first thing about baseball so I could throw in a few metaphors for how great this was. It was the perfect new adult, college sports romance with a heap of heat and all the feels.
Carson and Milly were awesome. There is just something about the nerdy girl who knows her worth and a hot jock who isn't full of himself. And as much as I loved them both they were even better together.
I always get this nervous knot in my stomach when everything is perfect by the 50% mark. You just know you're heading for a cliff you can't see the edge of. And as I got further in and things were just getting better and better I thought maybe it was all going to be ok then BAM! I was lying in bed crying like a baby and I didn't see it coming.
It took a while for things to turn around. And I started out thinking I knew what I needed from Carson and Milly to make me happy but I was so happy not getting what I wanted. This was the perfect home run. And the secondary characters just added the icing on the cake.
