Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan is a young adult (high school age) novel about a couple of athletes trying to excel on their respective paths when they clash on the field. Both grieving the loss of a loved one and both were under immense pressure to perform during their junior to senior years in high school leading to expected angst revolving around sports, college applications, and the desire to prove they can handle it all on their own. The two first dislike but respect one another then become reluctant friends quickly evolving into something more. Ivy is an official and June is a baseball player so there is an element of secrecy due to the ethical issue. The two mains are strong-willed and caring individuals dealing with their baggage. They struggle a bit to figure out how to navigate all of the complications the relationship brings but ultimately, they find love leads them to understanding and they are willing to do the work. I quite enjoyed this story with its strong, goal-oriented teenagers learning they can accomplish their goals and still be there for one another as well. There are some misunderstandings, selfish words, and heartfelt honest dialogue. Both mains also have an enviable best friend staunchly in their corner. I liked the inner monologues and how sweet the two could be with each other. It was a quick and easy read. It wasn't perfect but I am a fan of Jennifer Dugan's work and will certainly read more.
#HEA #enemiestolovers #sports #highschoolangst #foundfamily #dysfunctionalfamily #loss #grief

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin YA Readers for this eARC!

This was a very cute sapphic sports romance! Our two main characters are both dreaming of careers in sports but in different ways. Ivy wants to be a professional ref one day and June wants to be a professional baseball player. Their paths cross when Ivy is the umpire at one of June's games. They're both trying to make their way in a male-dominated field. They start out as somewhat enemies and then bond over the grief of losing a family member.

I enjoyed this book and how it addressed the grief process of losing someone. I definitely recommend if you enjoy sports romance books with a slight enemies to lover trope thrown in there.

3.25 stars, rounded down
——————

This book was a lot deeper than I expected it to be. The synopsis portrays it as a cute romance, but it features death and trauma pretty heavily. I was unprepared.

This book has a fun plot, something that plays into the current trend of sports romances while adding the unique concept of ump and player. I enjoyed the idea of the story, but again, it was more heavily focused on trauma than I expected it to be. It adds to the plot in ways, but it also took away from it. I found myself not being able to focus on the relationship between Ivy and June because the grief they faced took such a center role. I enjoyed how the book handled grief and trauma, the different ways it affected people, but again, it was unexpected and heavy. There was too much trying to happen at once, with the sports elements, the romance, and the grief. The writing felt sort of simple.

I didn’t love our main characters. I wish they had more time to be developed, especially developed as enemies, before they got together. Their relationship was sort of forced and took a backseat to their individual struggles and grief cycles. I wasn’t rooting for them like I expected. There was a lot of unnecessary miscommunication to force angst and it just didn’t work for me.

Overall, I didn't love or hate the book. I can see it's appeal to readers who enjoy a good sports romance, but it was just a little too heavy and unfocused for me personally.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that Ivy and June were together for a lot of the book so there were a lot of scenes of them spending time together.

The jump from not liking each other to dating was so fast. It also felt like they didn't like each other? Like they did not want the best for and sort of resented one another.

I don't think June's father's behavior was forgivable, but it was a very brief apology and then everyone moved on??

Not for me, but I do think there were some good parts.

I really liked the start of this story and the romance idea between a pitcher and a ref. However, I found their ages unrealistic. I think if they were aged up, this would have been a hit. There was just too much angst for my taste and the FMCs were really unlikable to me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

One of the strongest aspects of this book was the individual struggles both Ivy and June were going through (grief, family, injury, future prospects, etc). It is refreshing to read queer YA books where the central conflict of the story has absolutely nothing to do with homophobia! It’s just teens being teens.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the most connected to the two’s relationship. I’ll excuse some of the messiness of their relationship and the miscommunication (or lack thereof) because they are teenagers. However, they very quickly went from being “enemies” to lovers and I really struggle with insta-love.

I’ve seen books by Jennifer Dugan floating around in the queer YA space for years but this is the first I’ve picked up. Though this wasn’t my favorite YA romance, I would try more by the author especially if I’m on the lookout for a sapphic story.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc!

Would you ever risk giving up your dreams just to date a hot girl? (I would btw, just for the record) Ivy and June both take risks to be together in Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan. The only female umpire and the only female baseball player meet for the first time and sparks fly despite their relationship being against all the rules.
A frequent complaint I have in books is that there are too many plot point. This is not the case here. I could have done with more, literally everywhere. Plot, setting, characters. They all fall very flat for me. I was not rooting for June and Ivy, I was so excited for any cracks to form between them. That’s not what you want in a romance.
That being said, y’all know I love queer books and books that are unapologetically queer with literally no homophobia. I liked the depictions of grief and how losing different people affects everyone differently. Jennifer Dugan is a must read author, even if this one missed the mark for me.
Playing for Keeps got 2.75 ⭐️ from me! It published April 30!
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Playing for Keeps" by Jennifer Dugan is a thrilling sports romance that had me hooked from the start. June and Ivy's journey from rivals to lovers is captivating, and their struggle to balance their ambitions with their forbidden attraction kept me eagerly turning pages. Dugan's storytelling prowess shines through, making this a must-read for fans of sports-themed romance novels.

I’ve truly enjoyed this story. I struggle with separating June and ivys voices. It’s so important to have queer YA stories that put women in sports. This is a 4 star YA read for me

I loved reading an LGBTQ+ sports romance without adult themes. We need more sports romances where the sports component is actually relevant to the story. That said, the sports elements took away from the story in my opinion. The romance felt more like a subplot these girls were going through instead of the cornerstone of the story. I kept waiting for a sparkle with this story that never came. The part of the story I struggled with most was the harping on the triggering parts of the story. There were a few times I debated DNFing it for my own well-being. I loved the representation and how it gave something different to the genre, that is the best part. Overall it wasn't my favorite story but I would totally recommend it to middle-grade or early young adult readers.

I knew going into this one that Jennifer Dugan is amazing and she did not disappoint in her newest novel! This sports sapphic romance is simply perfect.
Clay is a super devoted baseball player (not softball!) who's starting to crack under the pressure of her parents' expectations and the little problem of a huge shoulder injury. Ivy is a young umpire looking to break into the professional referee circle and be among some of the few females to do so. This story is so empowering because both of these girls want to do outstanding things in the world with their talents. It's fun to see their competitive sides when they're together but they also both have deeply rich backstories that add so many levels to this story. Their two best friends are amazing and I hope they get their own book so they can shine too! This was a little slow at times and some miscommunication threw me off (my least favorite trope) but other than that I really enjoyed this one! It's a super sweet sapphic YA romance l'd absolutely recommend!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: YA contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet sapphic romance with heavy topics

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Sapphic sports romances
More heavier YA reads
Baseball player / umpire
Enemies to lovers
Insta love
Forbidden romance
Dual POV

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Mental health discussion
The cover!

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The characters frustrated me at times!
Miscommunication
I wanted more romance

(3.5 stars, rounded to 4)

My heart broke for June & I spent the whole book wishing that someone would see that this girl was not okay. I had to stop reading multiple times because she reminded me so much of myself. Even at the end when everything put itself back together again I wish she would have addressed her mental health in her healing journey.

I feel like parts of this book were too rushed. I would have preferred if it was a little more fleshed out, especially Ivy & June’s relationship.

First, I want to thank Jennifer Dugan, NetGalley, and Penguin/Putnam for this eARC!! This was my first J. Dugan book and hope to pick up more in the future.

Ivy and June, two teen girls dealing with grief in their own ways, their struggle with their families, figuring out their futures and themselves. Umpire & player who shouldn't be together, end up getting together! I mean it sounds too good, the cover is stunning, I love relatable characters who overcome life's challenges. I was ready to get into this!

Something important to note about the girls though, their love story was more of an insta-love. They saw each other and kind of fell right into a messy, complicated relationship. Their first date was definitely one for the books. Besides the insta-love trope and messiness, I felt overwhelmed as a reader when it came to the grief and pressure in the story.

Grief is hard and having people force certain ways of dealing with it isn't necessary but throughout the entire story I felt the girls were stuck in a limbo state of grief when it came the the family members they lost. Not having healed nor really grieved them. It was like feeling their pain for them every time it came up. Maybe it's just me (I hope not but seeing other reviewers some other people have mentioned this feeling too). Also, the pressure from Ivy's mom was sooo much. I understand needing to have a plan or at least an idea but this lady was down Ivy's throat. I guess this was part of the relatability but I wanted to add this in here because I was not a fan of her mom and I am usually a fan of secondary characters.

I have to be honest this was very hard to get through. It felt veryyy real and relatable and maybe this is why sometimes certain YA's hit home with a lot of people, me included. Dugan does a beautiful job with allowing us readers get to see the true complexities of Ivy and June. Just raw and unfiltered.

Nonetheless, this is still a book I think the younger crowd would enjoy!!!

♡ Secret Relationship
♡ Star Pitcher x Umpire
♡ Queer Sports Romance

While baseball might not be my favorite (apologies for those who love it) this book had my interest. Gay sports romance will always have a special place in my heart and this book lived up to the hype for sure.

Two main characters with big dreams in the sports industry, Ivy working on being a famous official referee and June working on becoming a professional baseball pitcher, they fall for one another rather quickly. Working through things like the pressure and stress of being woman in typically male-dominated fields create some strain and problems with their relationship at times. Their romance is a bit messy sometimes, Ivy being the umpire for June’s team and doesn’t exactly start off on a great note, a dash of enemies to lovers at the beginning.

Having a point of view from a referee/umpire was a unique twist to this story. The references to the sports industry were nice too, how few women there are as referees or even how few women there are playing baseball at a more national level. While this was a rather rom-com worthy romance book I didn’t really care for all the fights between the main two characters. I’m sure it was just to create more tension and show how stubborn both characters were, but it just seemed a bit too juvenile at times; even if they’re seniors in high school snd it’s kinda expected in a YA novel at this point.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read with realistic and lovable characters. This book also dealt with things like family loss, one of the main characters dealing with a serious injury and ignoring it due to the pressure she was under to be the best. Both characters deal with major stress and grief in general, but it did end on a good note and things seemed to come together by the last chapter.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a
POV: Duel, First Person
Release Date: 30, April 2024
Rep: Lesbian (Main Character), Bisexual (Main Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters), BIPOC (Side Characters)

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and Cursing
Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, and Medical content

Thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for allowing me access to the book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters of the story and how it ended.

I think this month was just an off month for me with books, because I couldn't get fully into them like I normally do.

I still enjoyed this book overall, I just didn't love it.

I recently started getting into sapphic books this past year, so I was excited to read this. I think I'll come back to this book again and give it another shot, but for now it's a 3 star read.

Jennifer Dugan hit a home run with this one!

Ivy is has dreams of becoming a pro-ball referee while June is a pitching phenom, beguiled by a shoulder injury that doesn’t seem to be getting better. Their paths cross when Ivy ejects June from a game for unsportsmanlike conduct, and a bad attitude.

After butting heads initially, the two girls realize they have quite a bit in common. Both are trying to live up to their parents’ lofty expectations while dealing with grief. The two are in a balance act, entering into a clandestine romance despite the obvious conflict of interest at the heart of their relationship.

Ivy and June are sweet together but struggle to communicate. They both have huge dreams and grapple with how their relationship will impact their futures. The stakes feel high, and conflict genuine as their relationship eventually gets in the way of their plans for the future. Ivy is willing to give up a huge opportunity to umpire a big tournament allow June to shine, creating a rift between them. You can't help but root from them to be able to have it all, especially as girls in traditionally male-dominated past-time. Luckily this one has a happy ending - Jennifer manages to create another heartwarming teen romance!

Thanks to Net Galley and Putnam for the ARC.

Playing for Keeps managed to capture something that I don't think gets recognized a lot. It is amazing to be a woman who breaks barriers and works twice as hard to be in a field that is traditionally male but it's also ok to say I don't want to deal with that pressure.

June plays baseball and Ivy wants to be a ref. They are both dealing with odds stacked against them and family pressure. It is interesting to see them talk about it and I loved that they connected over their experiences with loss.

I found June a bit of a difficult character to like. I think it's because she can be a bit self-centered (like a lot of teenagers) and I was raised to be very much overly less sacrificing more like Ivy. I related more to Ivy and liked seeing her learn to communicate her needs.

🌶️ - Kissing only.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Playing for Keeps is sapphic, cute, and an easy to read, happy ending YA book. June and Ivy are likeable and relatable. Did I understand the sports parts? No. But that's okay, because I understood what it's like to be a teenage girl in love with another teenage girl. The book deals with grief and anxiety, and living in a world where expectations are unfairly placed on young people. It resonates strongly with the current trials of being a teenager, weaving in the loyalties of friendship and the complications of parents.

I was a little surprised at how quickly the main characters get together, but when things got rocky, I understood why the timeline happened the way it did. The reader really roots for June and Ivy to get back together as they each struggle through their own trials to finally rekindle their romance and support each other.