I used to make an annual Christmas ornament for my siblings and parents. One year my sister said, "that looks too nice to have been made by you." Sigh

#BackhandedCompliments

“I know of no manner of speaking so offensive as that of giving praise, and closing it with an exception.”
— Richard Steele

#Bluesky #RichardSteele #BackhandedCompliments #AuthenticPraise #CommunicationMatters #EmotionalIntelligence #SayWhatYouMean #MindfulSpeech #SocialEtiquette #WordsMatter

Image showing an Advanced Reader Copy review for Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler. This book is available now! My ratings: 4.5 stars and 2.5 spice. The tropes in this book are: 🎾pro tennis romance 👟 rivals to lovers 🎾 soulmate AU (names as soulmarks) 👟 forced proximity 🎾 dual POV 👟 anxiety representation 🎾 sapphic and spicy 👟 lesbian x bisexual FF

Image showing the description of Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler: Juliette Ricci dreams of only one thing: being the best women’s tennis player in the world. She’s worked nonstop with her strict father/coach to prepare for her big chance in the Australian Open. Unfortunately, she’ll be playing Lucky Luca Kacic, an aloof player whose unorthodox style and reigning popularity deeply irritate Juliette. For months they’ve traded sly insults in their press conferences leading up to their showdown on the court, and their first ever match is the most anticipated of the season. But Juliette refuses to let her nerves —or Luca’s annoyingly perfect abs— get the best of her. Meanwhile, Luca seemingly has everything Juliette desires but there’s one thing missing from her life: love. When she shakes hands with Juliette after an agonizing match and sees her rival’s name appear on her wrist, it feels like a cruel joke. Juliette is a spoiled, arrogant brat who wants absolutely nothing to do with Luca or a soulmate. But despite their personal and professional clashes, the two grow closer after late-night massages and one too many shots of limoncello. Their chemistry is tangible, but Luca’s anxiety tells her that Juliette is just messing with her head to throw her off her game, and Juliette can’t understand why Luca is so hot and cold. With the pressure of the world scrutinizing their every move, they will have to decide what’s more important—being together or being number one.

34 | 2025
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This is an absolutely perfect summer romance! If you’ve been looking for a tense, sapphic, sports romance— look no further!! Longer review elsewhere!
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I received an eARC via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
#BackhandedCompliments #NetGalley #bookreview 💙📚

#Backhandedcompliments are hurtful. A #narcissist especially loves to hand them out in public. #Imjustjoking #narcissism #covertnarcissist #narcissisticabuse #narcissistabusesupport #tracyamalone #divorcingyournarcissist #youcantmakethisshitup #passiveaggressive #youcanttakeajoke

#Backhandedcompliments are hurtful. A #narcissist especially loves to hand them out in public. #Imjustjoking #narcissism #covertnarcissist #narcissisticabuse #narcissistabusesupport #tracyamalone #divorcingyournarcissist #youcantmakethisshitup #passiveaggressive #youcanttakeajoke

Latest review: "Surprisingly good." The bar for my work has officially reached the subterranean level. #BackhandedCompliments

Let's talk #backhandedcompliments?
Once at a wedding, a girl told me I looked like 'someone in a catalogue': turns out she meant magazine, but I didn't know for years 😆

i should be concerned about this, i suppose, but i'm too busy giggling. #backhandedcompliments