First things first, I think this is a book about grief more than a romance. There's no mention of that in the description, but both girls have lost close family members (a brother and a mother, respectively) to cancer, and that's a HUGE part of the book. It shapes every major decision both girls make, it leaves both girls with incredibly strained family dynamics, and it is a very core part of the book.

Ivy wants to be a professional referee. June wants to be a professional baseball player. When Ivy is asked to spend the season as an umpire, she agrees, even though she hates baseball: it pays better than reffing the soccer games, and it'll look good on her resume. Ivy and June immediately butt heads on the field, but off the field they find common ground in the fact that they've both lost close family members to cancer and they're both queer.

I want to start by saying that I loved the grief aspect of this book, and for the most part I really liked the sports aspect, as well. Both girls are dealing with parents whose grief clashes with their own, and both feel the crushing weight of expectations put on them as a result. I also thought that the girls acted their age--they were sometimes a bit immature, and they didn't always communicate that well, but they're stressed out high school seniors dealing with a lot, so I did appreciate that aspect.

There were a lot of things I struggled with with this book, and I waffled between 3 and 2 stars. My biggest issue was that a LOT of important things happened off the page: most of Ivy and June's early relationship (spoilers, but they have a first date and then one of them says in the narration that three more dates happen. That's it. We get no more info about those three dates); the resolution with the letters (which is a huge focus of June's POV); and a lot of other huge moments happen off the page, which really lessened their impact. I honestly wasn't particularly invested in the romance because we didn't really see much of the early days; them falling for each other was mostly off-page, and then we jumped straight into on-page tension and I didn't feel like I had enough of a foundation there to really root for them to be together.

I also had a hard time remembering who was who--there wasn't really a different between June's and Ivy's voices, and with it being in 1st person there weren't always a lot of name-usage, so I sometimes got confused about whose POV I was in.

Overall I liked the premise, and I did love a lot of what actually happened on the page, but I think this book would have needed to be like 50-100 pages longer for me to love it. It just didn't quite feel complete without a lot of those big scenes that happened off-page.

Huge TW for death of a brother and death of a mother to cancer, and resulting strained family dynamics. These permeate the book--it's a huge enough element of the book that I am BAFFLED they didn't make it into the description of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Playing for Keeps!

3.75 ★

Playing for Keeps follows two ambitious and strong-willed MCs, Ivy & June, who are on paths to their own dreams that inevitably cross. Ivy is focused on becoming one of the few female umpires to officiate the major leagues & June is the star pitcher of her varsity baseball team, on track to become the first woman to play in the MLB. When Ivy officiates one of June’s games, tensions rise and love begins to blossom.

Dugan is a talented author with a plethora of YA and one adult novel under her belt; Playing for Keeps is the first time I’ve read her work and I am interested in exploring the rest of her catalogue.

With the characters being in high school and this book being YA, I had a bit of a difficult time dealing with their immaturity and commitment to miscommunication. I did have to keep reminding myself that they are kids and would eventually figure it out. The story is still enjoyable and I liked seeing their storylines play out; although I wish there was more of an enemies-to-lovers arc that Playing for Keeps appeared to start heading towards near the beginning of the novel.

A free copy of Playing for Keeps was received in exchange for my honest review.

Since the passing of a member of their family, June and Ivy have both thrown themselves into various activities hoping to survive their senior year and make it the next step where there will hopefully be more room to breath. For June, that means buckling down on pitching for her elite club team with her father overseeing her every move. The field seems to be the only place where the two of them can connect and she knows her deceased mother had hopes of her making it to the pros. For Ivy, it means convincing her mother that she is serious about reff-ing at the professional level and not following the dreams of her deceased brother into college and the medical field. When the two first cross on the field, Ivy behind the plate and June on the mound, sparks fly, but not in romantic way as a wild(?) pitch by June flies a little too close to Ivy's head after she's accused of making a bad call. But when Ivy finds June squatting in the umpires locker room having a vulnerable moment, the walls start to come down and the two find they have more in common then they'd have ever thought possible. Does their budding romance stand a chance in the face of family pressure and goals?

This was a very cute YA Sapphic romance with female characters standing strong in traditionally male sports spaces. It's really what Jennifer Dugan does best. Ivy and June are both empathetic characters readers will root for as both individuals and a couple. I loved the exploration of umpiring as a non-traditional career choice and the information provided about discrepancies in women's representation in the field and more generally in certain areas of sports. Ivy's best friend Mia is am amazing secondary character providing some much needed BFF vibes, common sense advice, and support. Something this novel does quite well is build a whirlwind romance the main characters become swept up in to the point of ridiculousness and Mia comes in with some sage words on balance and a reminder that no romance is worth losing yourself in. It's a little obvious, but a good reminder for readers of all ages.

I loved the idea of this book - an umpire and a hot-headed player falling for each other is such a fun romance idea. But this felt less like a full book and more like something somewhere between an outline and a first draft. I did not care at all if Ivy and June stayed together, and in fact I felt that they shouldn't be together. Not only did their only real bond seemed to be based on tragedy/trauma, but their relationship wasn't developed at all.

This is the second Dugan book in a row that has been a huge disappointment to me. I loved Melt With You and Coven, but this and Last Girl Standing both were pretty bad. I think she and the publisher need to have her take more time on her books, instead of rushing out a YA, graphic novel, and adult romance per year.

Playing for Keeps is an enjoyable YA romance. Set in the world of sports, two young women battle adversity trying to succeed in male-dominated fields and end up falling for each other while also dealing with grief.

I enjoyed the forbidden romance -- umpire and player is certainly a new plotline and I loved the ins and outs of it all. As someone who couldn't care less about baseball, I had no trouble getting invested in both of their storylines.

I do think some of the conversations Ivy and June had with each other and their friends seemed well above their age-range. Maybe that's me underestimating youth, but I certainly didn't talk like that as a teenager. But it was also a weird contrast because the plot was so full of miscommunication, yet they're adult enough to analyze behavior and call each other out on it.

Overall, I enjoyed it! Mostly because I'm a sucker for romance in the sport's world. But also because it dealt with the complex feelings of grief really well while also celebrating first love and queer joy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the arc.

Playing for Keeps is such a sweet YA romance that had me swooning!

For someone who typically reads only NA/adult romance, I was fairly pleased with this new release from Jennifer Dugan. The characters were loveable, the pacing was decent, and the plot was fresh! I also loved the way the author dealt with such heavy topics.

There were some parts of the novel that I felt could’ve been more fleshed out and developed; however, this novel will suit the audience it’s intended for!

Super cute book about an umpire and ball player. Loved that both characters struggled with ‘what is next’ as that is one of the biggest things high schoolers face.

At first glance, this is a basic sports-centered YA LGBTQ romance. But once you delve a little deeper, it tackles themes like the untimely loss of a family member, the pressure placed on student-athletes, vulnerability in relationships and the dreams of breaking barriers in male-dominated fields. The main characters were well-developed, and their relationship was honest with it's bumps along the way. On the other hand, the supporting characters were pretty one-dimensional. The parents seemed distant with their own issues, and the best friends, Mia and Javonte, were solely included in the plot to talk sense into Ivy and June.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book (read it in a day) and would read more by this author.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Overall I enjoyed this cute ya Sapphic romance that also dealt with grief that both main characters were experiencing. CW for death of a parent and sibling.

This book centers around June and Ivy who are a ref and baseball player and their forbidden romance. These two were such a delight to read and I loved their story.

My reason for rating this book as a 3.5 was I just felt some of the side characters (Aiden and the Dad) felt very 1 deminsonal.

Cute romance, loved the vibes, loved the chars it all worked well! Ivy was especially a favorite of mine. Thanks for the arc.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. I’m happy to say that this was by far my favourite novel by Dugan to date. It was a sweet, wholesome YA romance that was sufficiently deep without being morose. A pleasure to read.

CW death of a parent, death of a sibling both to cancer, both off page.

This is supposed to be a cute, YA sapphic, enemies to lovers, sports romance, but I think its a book about two teens experiencing tragic grief, barely holding on, with a dash of romance.

June lost her mother several years before the book starts, as an only child to two baseball loving parents, her and her dad continue an insane training schedule to the detriment of her physical and mental health.

Ivy lost her brother before the start of the book, has parents who can't except it, so they place all their hopes and dreams for the brother onto Ivy. Ivy was on track to go to college and play soccer, but after her brother dies, she realizes she prefers being an umpire, disappointing her parents.

I enjoyed the book for the most part. The first part was fast paced, and cute, I liked getting to know about Ivy and June and their friends. However, once they got together, the book kind of slows way down. And it's page after page of both of them trying to fix each other and themselves. BUT they're 17, so they have no idea how. Just lots of inner thoughts, without much going on.

But the last 15% brought us back, and I enjoyed seeing them come to terms with their grief and working things out.

I thought the writing was strong, especially the way Jennifer Dugan writes about grief, I found myself tearing up a few times. My issue is I went in thinking this was going to be a cute fun sports romance based on the description, and I don't think that's what I got. So maybe this book isn't for me? Idk, anyway, thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC!

This sports themed forbidden romance was very cute but also a little aggravating, Our leads are not great at communicating and it gets a little frustrating but its required for the plot. I really liked Ivy the most she's a Referee/Umpire who wants to make it her career which was pretty cool. Ivy and June had some nice growth but there where some sharp consequences that kinda force it. I also felt the last 15% of the book was a little rush and could have use a tiny bit more fleshing out. Still very much enjoyed the read 4/5

I was so stoked to get this arc from NetGalley, I immediately bumped it up to the top of my tbr. I am a huge Jennifer Dugan fan, especially her YA books. This one really hit in all the ways I expected and I flew through it. I loved the premise (nice to see more sapphic sports romances) and I loved Ivy and June -- I just wish there was more character development throughout the book. Both of the MCs went through so much in their young lives and I was left wanting more from both of them. Would I recommend this? 100% yes, can't wait for more Jennifer Dugan! 3.75 stars!!

This was a cute forbidden love/enemies to lovers wlw queer book. I really enjoyed the story and I thought the characters were pretty well developed! Such a great novel for queer youth. I particularly loved Ivy as a character. I found June infuriating but she had so much heart! They make you want to yell “talk to the other person”.

The novel tackled grief in a very real way and did not shy away from its impact and how it differs between people. This was deftly handled. In addition to this the weight of parental expectations was a key component of the story and I felt really highlighted the way that our dreams and drive can be shaped by our family … not always for the better..

I felt that some section were a little over described and cliche! Overall a great story that is representative of young love from the intensity and the drama of it all and the way it can be all consuming. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely adored this book! from strangers, enemies, into friends/girlfriends, this novel was so stinking cute!!

June and Ivy had one of the cutest stories for the LGBTQ youth to read! I loved seeing their relationship blossom over the pages and being realistic when it comes to relationships and dating in you late teens/early twenties.. I thing Jennifer Dugan did a really nice job touching upon all aspects with this novel!

This is a cute sapphic ya forbidden romance with some funny banter sprinkled throughout. This story follows Ivy a student umpire and June a star baseball pitcher. They get off on the wrong foot but eventually find common ground over shared grief. Ivy is super sweet while June can be a bit rough around the edges. Both Ivy and June struggle with living up to the high expectations of their family. Ivy encourages June to find balance in her life before she pushes herself past her breaking point. I really enjoyed the side characters, Mia and Javonte, who are great examples of best friends that are loyal and supportive. This was a fun read but I wish it was a bit longer so we could see more of Ivy and June together.

Thanks to NetGalley and penguin random house for the arc.

Finally, a book with queer main characters in which the story line has absolutely nothing to do with them being queer. I feel I have been waiting for a book where I can identify with the main characters but also just enjoy a fun heartwarming story without having to trudge through a painful coming out story or general discourse around the fact the characters are gay. Not that those stories aren’t important, but this was a breath of fresh air. I was able to just sit back and enjoy the story!

This is a super cute sports romance between Ivy, who is determined to become one of very few women in professional sports reffing, and June, who is determined to stand out as a woman in baseball (NOT softball). I thoroughly enjoyed the different dynamic of the referee and player. It introduced a different moral storyline that I haven’t read before. While sports are heavily discussed throughout the book, I never felt like I didn’t understand even though I am not baseball or soccer savvy. The author does a great job of incorporating minimal sports lingo and explaining anything that may be confusing.

The main issue throughout the story is the fact that Ivy and June are not great at communicating. They both are dealing with grief, years after their respective losses, and are managing a lot of feelings and pressure at a young age. I was impressed with how well the author addressed how important honesty and communication is as the book wrapped up. I think this is a great lesson, especially for young readers.

This is deff one for the sporty girlies! This is a YA novel, and reads as such.

Things I liked:
-Girls in male dominated sports/careers! Love how normalized it is in the book, and I like that it’s addressed but not to the point where it’s overbearing.
-Enemies to lovers !!! Even though it’s a quick jump to them being together, I enjoyed the tension in the beginning.
-Love how the boys support June and give her dating advice!
-June’s injury, and how it is continued throughout the book.

Things that could be improved:
-I understand that they are highschoolers but I think that the whole conversation about what we are/when are we breaking up when they’re at the restaurant is kinda odd. I don’t think highschoolers really talk like that. Also the near insta love after the kiss feels a bit rushed to me.
-The internal dialogue for both characters at some points (especially June’s) felt a bit tedious to read.