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Verdict: A light, low-angst debut whose rock climbing is superb — detailed, vivid and easy to follow even for non-climbers — but whose romance most readers found underdeveloped, fast and short on chemistry.
Best for: Readers who want to learn about climbing, with a gentle romance alongside.
Heat level: Fade to black
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.3/5 — a 3.71 Goodreads average across 45 ratings, 3.4 on StoryGraph from 5 reviews, and 4.3 stars across 33 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Coach / student, forced proximity, career crossroads, instalove, low angst.
Calculated Risk is Katherine Rupley’s 2021 debut, a contemporary lesbian sports romance from Bella Books. Leslie McAllister is a former US national rock climber with a steady tech job and a sideline teaching at a climbing gym, until a new position in Boston is on the table. CJ Broadmore is a stuntwoman who has to learn to climb, fast, to land work on a new movie.
It holds a 3.71 average across 45 Goodreads ratings, with 55% of them four or five stars, 3.4 on StoryGraph from 5 reviews, and 4.3 stars across 33 Amazon ratings.
What Is Calculated Risk About?
Leslie reluctantly agrees to train CJ when she sees how determined the stuntwoman is. With very little time, the lessons take them out to the rock, and the attraction is immediate.
But Leslie has to decide whether to leave her comfort zone for Boston, and both women have ambitions, past relationships and family pressure to weigh.
What Works in This Book
- The climbing: Nearly every review praises the climbing scenes as detailed, technical and easy to picture.
- Joshua Tree: Readers say the setting pops off the page.
- Light and fun: Several readers call it a low-angst, not-too-serious afternoon read.
- A different sport: Readers welcome climbing as a fresh subject for sapphic sports romance.
Book Synopsis
A retired competition climber agrees to teach a stuntwoman in a hurry — and each has a big decision about the future.
They must calculate every step and weigh the risks as they climb toward the top and toward each other.
My Review
Rupley’s love of climbing is the book’s strength: readers with no knowledge of the sport say they learned a lot and could feel the rock under their hands. The tone is friendly and easy.
The romance gets far less of that passion. The most common complaint is that the relationship feels hollow or rushed — several readers felt no chemistry or could not connect with the characters, and one jokes about lesbians, first dates and U-Hauls. Others say the drama is thin, the same issue keeps recurring because the pair won’t communicate, and the fade-to-black scenes leave the feelings undeveloped.
My honest note: Read it for the climbing; treat the romance as a bonus.
| Element | In Calculated Risk |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Leslie McAllister (former national climber) & CJ Broadmore (stuntwoman) |
| Core tropes | Coach / student, forced proximity, career crossroads |
| Setting | A climbing gym and Joshua Tree National Park |
| Heat level | Fade to black |
| Length | 222 pages (paperback) |
| Angst | Low |
| Content notes | A controlling family, past relationship complications (per one reader) |
How Spicy Is Calculated Risk?
It isn’t. Readers confirm the intimate scenes fade to black.
StoryGraph has no user-submitted content warnings.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you climb, or want to understand climbing, and like a clean romance. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you want a slow-built, intense romance.
In short: Great on the wall, lighter on the heart.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 22% five stars, 33% four, 40% three, 2% two and 2% one — three stars is the most common rating. Many reviews describe it as an OK debut and say they would try Rupley again, especially for another climbing book.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The climbing first. Second, Joshua Tree. Third, the light tone.
What readers argue about and complain about: An underdeveloped romance, above everything. Second, missing chemistry. Third, thin drama and poor communication.
The comparison worth making first: Switchback, another outdoor adrenaline sport with more drama and heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calculated Risk a good book for climbers?
Yes. Readers who know nothing about climbing and readers who climb both say Rupley clearly knows the sport, and the climbing scenes are the highlight.
How spicy is Calculated Risk?
Not at all on the page — it is fade to black. One reader found that refreshing; another felt it left the romance hard to read.
Where is Calculated Risk set?
Largely around Joshua Tree National Park, which readers say comes alive on the page.
Is Calculated Risk a debut?
Yes. It is Katherine Rupley’s first novel, published by Bella Books in 2021.
Is Calculated Risk on Kindle Unlimited?
Not when we checked; the Kindle edition was listed at $9.99.
If You Loved Calculated Risk, Read These Next
Try Switchback. For more, browse our sapphic sports romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Calculated Risk sets out to bring rock climbing into sapphic romance, and the climbing is excellent. What holds it back is a thin love story. For climbing fans. Check Calculated Risk on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Calculated Risk ranks as a fair debut — strong sport, soft romance.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ 3.71 average across 45 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 55% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.4 on StoryGraph from 5 reviews
- ✓ 4.3 stars across 33 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ Cute start
- ✓ Hollow for some
- ✓ Too fast
- ✓ Poor communication
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3.1/5
- ✓ Mature leads
- ✓ Grow on you
- ✓ Hard to connect
- ✓ Family pressure
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Excellent climbing scenes
- ✓ Joshua Tree setting
- ✓ Easy for non-climbers
- ✓ Debut unevenness
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 2.9/5
- ✓ Lighthearted
- ✓ Low angst
- ✓ Thin drama
- ✓ Pleasant
Heat Level ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5
- ✓ Fade to black
- ✓ Clean
- ✓ Refreshing for one
- ✓ Missed by another
Ending ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Rarely discussed by readers
- ✓ Standalone
- ✓ Low stakes
- ✓ Low angst throughout
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 2.9/5
- ✓ $9.99 Kindle price
- ✓ 222 pages
- ✓ Climbing detail
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
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