I love the sporty romance and I will definitely be reading more of Libby Hubscher in the future. I loved the characters and the romance scenes. Very well done.

This was amazing and I lobed loved how their romantic aspect of this story develops unhurriedly from one page to the next, forcing us to take note of every single detail, every single word, to fully absorb each moment in all its ‘slow burning’ glory.

Baseball … my favorite sport. But, it’s Boston and I’m a Yankee fan. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this opposites attract sports romance.

The story starts off in Boston with cannoli and ends with come painful decisions that truly weren’t painful at all. When you chose to love someone who loves you back just as much, that decision can’t be painful at all. I loved the give and take, push and pull throughout the story. It was sweet at times and hard to handle at times. The interactions between Sophie and her dad were so heartwarming and heartfelt. They truly made me smile. The slow burn between Sophiei and Jonas was wonderful to watch.

Play For Me did touch my heart. It was well written, interesting, funny and romantic. It was a cute, romantic story.

"Play for Me" by Libby Hubscher promised a wild ride with Sophie, who was helping a famous pianist rediscover his musical mojo. But, hold up – it got a bit bumpy along the way.

First off, Sophie's job – it felt like she was taking on tasks that needed a superhero cape, not just a piano tuner's toolbox.

Then there's the Sophie-and-the-pianist drama – the guy was a bit of a grump, and Sophie was like a dog with a bone, trying to win him over. It left me wishing for a bit more nuance in their relationship.

And wait to get me started on Mr. Pianist's refusal to look into fixing his hands before meeting Sophie. Dude, your hands play the piano! That's like a chef refusing to use a stove. It left me scratching my head.

After wrestling with these quirks, I tapped out at 65%. The story just didn't hit the right notes for me. It could be a case of different strokes for different folks, but this tune didn't jam with me.

Play for Me by Libby Hubscher

Sophie Doyle, a head athletic trainer for her favorite baseball team, finds herself at a New England boarding school where her roommates are all men, including a handsome man who plays by his own rules. After losing three World Series games, she is forced to apply for an open trainer position at an arts-focused boarding school. The only available room is a glorified closet in an apartment with three men: Jonas Voss, an attractive orchestra teacher, and his two rambunctious roommates. Sophie faces both big-time talent and problems, including her own troubles with Jonas. With optimism, Sophie tries to win over Jonas and help the kids she's growing attached to. Will she succeed?

This was a sweet, lovely, and simple story that handled heavy and difficult topics with ease. It felt a bit dragging, and I was expecting a bit of smut with all the angst that we got to see between them. Sophie was good, and so was Jonas, but both of them came with baggage, or rather, a knockdown by life. The dialogue and lines of Jonas were swoon-worthy. He too was amazing and heart-melting.

The supporting characters were amazing, fun, and caring, while at the same time being meddlesome. Such friends as Astrid are rare to find. Tyson was a great kid, another character I loved. The plot setting was beautiful and unique.

This was a heartwarming story that I enjoyed reading and would recommend to everyone. Especially for those who love grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, and slow burn with beautiful and gentle romance.

I am looking forward to reading more from the author.

Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Why Did I Wait So Ling to Read This Book?!’ Play For Me, by Libby Hubscher, had been sitting on my Netgalley shelf for ages, (thank you @berkleypub for the free #gifted ebook), and I finally decided to give it a go. I LOVED it, and I’m mad I didn’t read it sooner!

Play For Me is a grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, enemies to lovers romance between Sophie, a sports nut that just lost to her dream job as team trainer for the Red Sox, and Jonas, a musician. Sophie finds a new job as athletic trainer at a boarding school and is sharing an apartment with three guys. Two are awesome, and the other is Jonas. Jonas is the music teacher and the first thing he does is yell at Sophie for playing the random piano that’s sitting in her bedroom. Sophie isn’t sure if Jonas is just a jerk or if there’s more to his story, but as they get to know each other, the chemistry is evident.

I believe that Libby Hubscher will be an auto buy for me. This is yet another book from her that I have thoroughly enjoyed. What I love most is that this dives deeper than just a romance and leaves me waiting for the next book to be released!

PLAY FOR ME was such a delight to read! I loved The New England setting, and the writing was full of laughs and told with such heart that I’ve come to know from Libby’s style of writing. The romance was so sweet, and I loved watching the slow build story take shape from strangers to friends to lovers. The characters were flawed and relatable, and Sophie was one of my faves!

WHAT TO EXPECT
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-baseball and music
-New England school setting
-friends to lovers
-forced proximity

🎧pairing the book and audiobook, the narration was great! I would definitely recommend them both.

*many thanks to Berkley, Netgalley, and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review

I thought this book, Play for Me by Libby Hubscher, was so cute. At first it really gave me “New Girl” vibes then it took on a lovely life of it’s own.
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I really enjoyed the relationship between Sophie and Jonas, opposites attract and grumpy/sunshine is such a popular trope right now. I think the supporting characters really helped make the book even better. Sophie’s dad is fantastic, everyone should have a dad like him. The roommates were a lot of fun, I would love to hang out with them.
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Admittedly, a few things in the book puzzled me and I just had to go with the flow of the book, it wasn’t enough to make me throw the book or put it down. But just know that a few things just don’t add up, and it’s okay with me.
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My very quick synopsis is this; Sophie loses her dream job as a trainer for the Boston Red Sox, her boyfriend of four years, and access to her favorite pastry shop all in one fell swoop. With nowhere else to go, she accepts a job as the athletic trainer at a private school in New Hampshire. She moves into an apartment with three fellow faculty members, all men. Two are immediately her best new friends and the third is a dark cloud who hates her existence in the apartment. The third one is Jonas. It is an interesting school year, to say the least.

I love books set at boarding schools, but this was a DNF from me. I could not get interested enough in the characters to care about their stories. I gave it a couple good tries, but it wasn't for me.

this was cute! if i’m being honest though it was one of those books i read and then completely forgot everything about it.

Review 4.5 ⭐️
I fell in love with Libby Hubscher’s writing when I read Meet Me in Paradise. I was a little nervous going into this one, wondering if it would be just as emotional. Sophie Doyle has lost everything at the same time and finds herself in a new town, working at a boarding school and living with 3 roommates. One of her roommates, Jonas, is not thrilled and they don’t have the best first meeting.
This was such a good enemies to lovers romance and I loved the banter between Sophie and Jonas. The forced proximity with their living situation made their tension much more fun. Another thing I loved about the story was the debate between sports and the arts. Both require you to use your body in a way that it is not normally used and I love how Sophie and Jonas came to respect what the other does. As far as the emotional plot line, no tear jerking moments. However, the relationship Sophie has with her dad is truly heartwarming. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a romance mixed with sports and music.

When Sophie's job as an athletic trainer for the Boston Red Sox (and her relationship and her apartment) goes caput, she retreats to a New Hampshire boarding school for the arts, hoping to take some time away from Boston for people to forget about her entirely and maybe revamp the school's sports program in the process. With included housing and food, it seems like a pretty sweet gig, that is until she realizes that her three roommates are men and one of them is the grumpiest--and most attractive--humans she's met. Jonas, the school's orchestra director and former concert pianist, is a tough nut to crack, but Sophie is determined to win him over.

I had been hesitant to read this book, putting it off for months, because... well... I went to a New Hampshire boarding school. And I was so worried this book would screw it up, totally misrepresent it, and the state, and the entire lifestyle. But I was shocked at how accurate it was. Part of me wonders whether Libby is a pen name for one of my classmates lol. It really, truly, nailed it and that made me love the book more. And for those of us without a personal connection, there's plenty to love: a sunny, sporty heroine with a grump, musical hero; a beautiful setting; the very best friends you could ask for (Sophie's BFF is a famous actress who went to the school and the other two roommates are wonderful); holiday cheer (though it's not a, per se, holiday romance)... all in all, I really, really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

I always love a boarding school setting, usually from the students perspective, but this had that same inviting and cozy vibe. The slow burn between Sophie and Jonas was A+, and the fact that there’s no third act breakup? ELITE. I also loved what each side character brought to the story.

The “sports vs music” friction was a bit heavy handed at times, but bringing up the differences let us explore the wonderful similarities between musicians and athletes.

Libby’s writing is in the same vein as someone like Abby Jimenez for me - propulsive and readable. This was a quick two day read for me, and I enjoyed the story a lot.

This was a surprisingly fun read! I loved the chemistry between the main characters. Would recommend for rom-com lovers.

Sophie, an athletic trainer, loses her job with the Red Sox after she makes a questionable call to bench a star player. She takes a new job at a private school and is surprised to find out all of her roommates are men, one of which can't stand her...or so it seems. Sophie sets out to win over Jonas and help the kids she’s growing attached to. But when her relationship with Jonas moves to the major leagues and plans change at the end of the season, they have to choose whether they are playing for keeps.
Engaging story and great characters. Look forward to reading more by Hubscher.

After the reading the description, I had to read this book. I love a good grumpy sunshine romcom especially one that mentions the Red Sox. This was such an adorable story. The storyline and characters were well written.

The soft shimmering sensuality of Hubscher’s voice is intoxicating, subtle yet bold in the way she makes the reader feel each tantalising increment of desire between the characters, but it is her ability to give them genuine emotional depth and complexity that leaves a lovely, lingering effect long after we close this book. A true rare delight!

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing Group for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract, friends to lovers

I liked this one. I had a bit of trouble connecting with the characters as much as I wanted to. I just didn’t get into them much as a couple. I liked the story and the concept. I do recommend it.

This swoon-worthy, poignant romance lifted my feet off the ground! Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract and friends to lovers tropes harmonized into heartfelt concept with adorable main characters and sweetest, huggable supporting characters.