Review: It Happened on a Sunday by Tracy Wolff

It Happened on a Sunday by Tracy Wolff is very much a Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce–inspired romance, pairing a pop star with an NFL quarterback.

Twenty-seven-year-old Matteo “Sly” Sylvester is the devoted quarterback of the Austin Twisters, raised by his grandmother Abuela Ximena and fiercely protective of the women in his life. At a meet-and-greet for pop sensation Sloane Walker—better known to tabloids as the “Black Widow”—a chance encounter sparks something neither expected.

Sloane, emotionally scarred after surviving trauma and tabloid tragedies, hides behind her glittering persona, sweet-tea-disguised bourbon, and a carefully crafted mask of indifference. But Sly’s warmth and Abuela Ximena’s kindness begin to crack her armor, even as threatening letters and stalker behavior escalate in the background.

This isn’t a slow burn—Sly declares his love for Sloane practically on their second meeting. Depending on your taste, that whirlwind passion will either sweep you up or feel too rushed. The book leans into heightened drama with FBI investigations, public scandals, and stalker suspense, which at times overshadows the central romance.

Wolff’s prose sometimes veers purple with lofty word choices that clash with the otherwise contemporary tone, and some of the steamier scenes lean oddly clinical (“head lolling back to bare my jugular” pulled me out of the moment). Still, there are moments of sparkle, particularly the clever Easter eggs of Taylor Swift song titles woven throughout.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, drama-heavy romance that mixes celebrity angst, sports heroics, and pop-culture flair, It Happened on a Sunday will keep you turning pages—though it might stretch your suspension of disbelief along the way.

Rating: 3/5
Tropes: Rockstar, Football Romance, Instant Connection