This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Verdict: A cute, pining college basketball romance that sold readers on its yearning and its WNBA-bound heroine. It is also one of the more divisive books on our list: critics call the characters flat, the writing heavy on telling, and the late conflict avoidable.
Best for: Readers who want sapphic college sports, a charming masc athlete and lots of pining.
Heat level: Open door
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.4/5 — a 3.89 Goodreads average across 1,989 ratings, 3.78 on StoryGraph from 376 reviews, and 4.3 stars across 1,161 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Celebrity athlete, viral photo, fake dating (light), commitment-phobe, slow burn, dual POV.
Tip In is Josie Mae’s 2025 debut and the first book in her Lakeside Green Coyotes series, a contemporary lesbian romance set around a women’s college basketball team. Superstar Theo is on the fast track to the WNBA; Maya just wants good grades, a place in graduate school and nothing serious.
It holds a 3.89 average across 1,989 Goodreads ratings, with 68% of them four or five stars, 3.78 on StoryGraph from 376 reviews, and 4.3 stars across 1,161 Amazon ratings.
What Is Tip In About?
Maya keeps things casual with everyone and wants to prove to her hometown that she can handle the Colorado cold. Theo has prepared her whole career for the pros, but never expected to become a celebrity whose personal life fans care about.
When a post-game photo of the two sparks dating rumours, Maya uses it to get closer to Theo — and, she hopes, to get over her crush. The problem is that Theo seems to like her too.
What Works in This Romance
- The yearning: Fans say the pining and first-crush feeling are written beautifully.
- Theo: A clear reader favourite; one reader sums the pair up as black cat/golden retriever energy.
- College athlete vibe: Basketball fans liked the specific collegiate-athlete and student details.
- Dual POV and spice: Readers enjoyed both perspectives and the open-door scenes.
Book Synopsis
A viral photo convinces fans that a college basketball star and a commitment-phobic student are a couple.
Playing along is supposed to cure a crush. Instead, both women start breaking their own rules.
My Review
Readers who connect with it describe a cute, kick-your-feet romance they read in a day, with a lot of heart for a debut and a masc lead that sapphic sports romance needs more of.
The criticism is sharp and consistent. Several readers found the characters flat and the prose full of repetitive internal monologue rather than scenes, with long stretches where the leads don’t talk. Others felt the fake-dating hook barely matters, a six-month time jump jarred, the late conflict was avoidable, and the climactic championship game happens off-page. A few readers mention typos.
My honest note: Sample the first chapters — if the internal voice works for you, the rest will too.
| Element | In Tip In |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Theo, a WNBA-bound college star, & Maya, a student who doesn’t do relationships |
| Core tropes | Celebrity athlete, viral photo, light fake dating, slow burn |
| Setting | Lakeside Green, a college in Colorado |
| Heat level | Open door |
| Length | 441 pages (Kindle listing) |
| Series | Lakeside Green Coyotes #1 — followed by Bank Shot |
| Content notes | Alcohol, vomit |
How Spicy Is Tip In?
Moderately. Readers mention a couple of good open-door scenes; StoryGraph users mostly rate the sexual content as moderate, and one reader found it underwhelming.
StoryGraph users have flagged alcohol and vomit; otherwise it is a low-darkness read.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you love pining, college basketball and a tall, charming athlete. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you need tight, scene-driven writing or a strong fake-dating plot.
In short: Cute and yearning, divisive in execution.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 30% five stars, 38% four, 24% three, 7% two and 1% one. On StoryGraph, 85% tagged it lighthearted and 91% found the characters loveable. A few readers who went on to Bank Shot say they preferred the sequel.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The yearning first. Second, Theo. Third, the college-sports setting. Fourth, the spice.
What readers argue about and complain about: Telling not showing, above everything. Second, flat characters. Third, the avoidable late conflict.
The comparison worth making first: Bank Shot, the sequel, which a few readers rate higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tip In a fake-dating romance?
Only loosely. A viral photo starts dating rumours and Maya proposes playing along, but several readers say the fake dating barely features and has little effect on the story.
Is there a third-act breakup in Tip In?
Sort of. Readers describe a late separation driven by Maya not communicating; some call it unnecessary, others say it isn’t a true breakup.
How spicy is Tip In?
Open door. Readers mention a couple of explicit scenes, and StoryGraph users mostly tag the sexual content as moderate.
Do I need to read Tip In before Bank Shot?
No, but it helps: Bank Shot follows Theo’s best friend GJ, and Theo and Maya appear throughout.
Is Tip In on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, at the time of writing it was available through Kindle Unlimited, or $4.99 to buy on Kindle.
If You Loved Tip In, Read These Next
Continue with Bank Shot, or browse our sapphic sports romance list and the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Tip In sets out to be a swoony college basketball romance, and for its fans it is. What holds it back is writing that tells more than it shows. Try a sample first. Check Tip In on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Tip In ranks as a fair debut — sweet, uneven.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ 3.89 average across 1,989 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 68% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.78 on StoryGraph from 376 reviews
- ✓ 4.3 stars across 1,161 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Great yearning
- ✓ Slow burn
- ✓ Weak fake dating
- ✓ Avoidable conflict
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Beloved Theo
- ✓ 91% loveable characters
- ✓ Flat for critics
- ✓ Frustrating Maya
Writing ★★★☆☆ 2.9/5
- ✓ Dual POV
- ✓ Telling not showing
- ✓ Repetitive monologue
- ✓ Typos noted
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ Tagged lighthearted by 85%
- ✓ First-crush feeling
- ✓ Cute
- ✓ Lukewarm for some
Heat Level ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Open door
- ✓ A couple of scenes
- ✓ Mostly moderate tags
- ✓ Meh for one
Ending ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Epilogue
- ✓ Late separation
- ✓ Final game off-page
- ✓ Series continues
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ $4.99 Kindle price
- ✓ Read in a day
- ✓ Sequel preferred
Affiliate disclosure: Lesbian Romance Reads is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. If you buy through the link below we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
1 thought on “Tip In Review — Is It Worth Reading?”