Tropes: Forbidden Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Sports Romance, Loss in the Family, Forced Proximity, Miscommunication
CW: sibling death, parent death

This was a story that was cute but had some very serious concepts on dealing with grief and moving on from the death of people that are close to you. June is a pitcher for a baseball team and wants to follow her parents dreams for her- playing baseball in college.
Ivy loves refereeing and wants to be a female ump after she finishes high school. When she gets moved to umping the baseball games at her job, she runs into June. The female pitcher with an attitude problem and a killer arm. When Ivy learns that June uses the umps changing room after games, and starts getting to know her- she notices that her tough exterior is just that- a tough exterior.
June pushes herself because of the dreams that her parents have laid out for her- so much so that she has an injury and has let it get to the point where she can't play without being in pain.
When Ivy invites June to a party after a game, their relationship starts to develop when they both realize that they have lost someone close to them, and are having to determine what they want to do after high school- and if it is really their dream.

Their relationship has miscommunication which I think is understanding- they're in high school and both have trauma that they haven't dealt with. I enjoyed the sports aspect and that they were both kind of "breaking the glass ceiling" and blazing a path.

I liked that both the girls had to work through their relationships with their parents and come to terms with how they wanted to live their lives. This is a big thing that a lot of high school kids have to learn and do. Coming of age stories are one of my favorites.

I had one issue with the book- 75 mph fast balls would not cut it in college for a baseball pitcher. So the entire concept that June was able to play in the major leagues would never be plausible.

2.5/5

This was such a change to what I've been reading recently, that it was refreshing yet frustrating. I personally am someone who enjoys reading YA. I love when authors are able to really capture the trials and tribulations of growing up while creating a sense of joy and nostalgia.

I have to say that this was way heavier than I was anticipating. While there were moments of queer joy in this sapphic story, I felt overwhelmingly sad and frustrated for these MCs the entire time. The plot did feel incredibly realistic as someone who grew up playing competitive sports; however, it felt overshadowed by the toxicity of the MCs parents and their respective grief.

When looking at reviews for this book, there were a lot of people saying that this is fun and lighthearted when that couldn't be further from the truth. A good amount of the story leans on June pushing through an extremely dangerous injury while also combating the unrealistic expectations that her father has on her professional career. Not to mention, both are dealing with the loss of a loved one from cancer. On the other hand, you have Ivy who is struggling with getting her mother to understand her true passion in her life while feeling like the secondary character. Their family is also grieving the loss of Ivy's brother from cancer as well, which causes her mother to become overbearing.

Grief isn't linear and we all grieve in different ways; however, it truly overshadowed the main plot and the relationship between Ivy and June.

I really think if Jennifer focused on Ivy and June's growing relationship rather than the grief, miscommunication, and unhealthy expectations from their respective parents, this would have been so much better.

Thank you Jennifer Dugan, Putnam and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy Jennifer Dugan's writing style. It's easy to fly through and enjoy in one sitting. This book is about two girls falling in love and what that entails when both of them are in the same male dominated sports realm, Ivy being a referee and June being a pitcher. I do have to say I see a pattern with Sapphic stories where the girls always get together really fast, which isn't a huge problem but I with their was more angst. But you see the problems that arise with their developing relationship as they keep it a secret and have to navigate new feelings while also dealing with pressure from parents and friends alike. Was pretty predictable but tge journey is always enjoyable to read.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Add Playing for Keeps to the list of books that made me cry. It was such a beautiful and heart wrenching portrayal of grief and how grief affects our relationships with everyone around us. I was particularly drawn to June, our star baseball player, because of just how pressured she felt by everyone around her to be the best.

June and Ivy’s romance was so sweet and heartfelt. I genuinely felt their connection and how much they cared for each other. I felt like I was back in high school crushing on jocks and stressing over the future. It was truly the most adorable YA romance I’ve read in a very long time.

A queer baseball story sounded like a story tailored just for me, but unfortunately "Playing for Keeps" failed to deliver.

The main characters, June and Ivy, felt two-dimensional and each had one personality trait and that's all we got from them. I wanted to know more about the girls to understand them better, but the story never fleshed them out. The romance suffered from the same issues. They immediately dislike each other when they meet, but almost by the next time they hang out, they're dating. It's too quick and the readers have no idea what they actually see in each other as their encounters are almost always being frustrated with one another or being resentful.

I almost DNF'd the book around the 40% mark but finished it because I kept hoping it would improve and live up to the expectations the premise set.

“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. Jennifer Dugan really has a knack for writing characters that have no business being together, but you really want to root for them anyway. Both of the main characters were really well developed outside of their romance, but I do wish there was more pining and slow-burn vibe because they got into a relationship really quickly. This book also showcases grief in its rawest form, the way that it hits you so long after a person has passed. It also shows numerous ways of dealing with grief, from June's outbursts to her father's mood-swings to Ivy's mother's pressure. and I think that this is important, because grief isn't linear and doesn’t look the same for everyone. It doesn't just happen for a few days after someone dies and then goes away, and I think Dugan did an amazing job at showcasing that through this book. I enjoyed that this was dual POV. It was great to be able to get inside both June and Ivy’s heads to read their thoughts and it made it easy to see why they fell for each other. 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 Jennifer Dugan, Netgalley and Penguin for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I look forward to reading Jennifer’s next book!

Unfortunately while this had a lot of promise in the first 3-4 chapters, it quickly went downhill for me.

The insta-dating felt really strange given how these characters interact and while there were some heavy family themes introduced, it never felt like the story committed to exploring them fully. They were more like passing vignettes used to explain each of their poor behavior or coping skills.

The romance itself didn’t really sell me and felt very confusing. I couldn’t understand or pinpoint how or why things changed so abruptly for June, and Ivy felt like she was too accommodating. Then we just fast forward past their early days which felt like a missed opportunity to see how they begin to settle in with each other and their new feelings for each other.

I struggled to feel engaged or committed given they got together so early in and with so little resistance or consideration for the consequences of their coupling, given how committed each of them supposedly is to the sport and code of conduct. Overall I think this just lacked clarity in bring big a cohesive and well thought out and paced plot.

Rating: 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.

While I was really invested in this book, I found that the main character, June, was one of the most insufferable characters I’ve ever read. While I understand her backstory and a lot of the time felt bad for her I couldn’t get past most of her decisions and how she tended to whine about everything that happened to her.

On the other hand, Ivy, was the exact opposite to how I felt about June. She was adorable, sweet, and absolutely someone I was excited to see whenever her name came up in the book.

I loved June and Ivy’s relationship and the overall storyline even if at times I debated putting it down. I’m glad I didn’t though, but this wouldn’t be a book I would read again.

i thought this was a pretty good book. i liked the start of their romance, and i was especially invested in the second half. i just did not like june as much as i wanted to. i found her to be really selfish, and while she did grow, i just didnt feel like she adequately apologized for or acknowledged the pain she caused. some of the references and phrases that were very modern weren’t my favorite either, because i think they will put too much of a timestamp on the book and make less accessible to readers years in the future.

4 stars

This was a super cute romance. June and Ivy both were flawed, and I love how the author explored that and it helped with the plot. I wish that both of their dreams came true and would play out, but other than that it was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

“She told me not to plan for our breakup, but I wonder how she’d feel about me planning for our forever.”
I thought this one was super cute, I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it early! I feel like this book definitely fit in the category of a sapphic sports YA contemporary romance, I can definitely see high schoolers really enjoying and connecting with this book!
One thing I will say about this book is June, as a character was, honestly, infuriating. She was annoying, at times whiny and just all around unbearable at times but honestly, I still found myself rooting for her. Similar to Ivy, other main character who I’ll get to, June has been through a lot in her life. More than anyone, let alone a child deserves to deal with, but June certainly does not handle or mange her trauma in a health way. I think that’s what makes June so easy to root for, while kind’ve still disliking her, because she’s real. She emotions are raw and at times reckless but also, I know June is going to get a lot of haters when this book comes out but I see her. I feel for her, not everyone’s emotions and trauma are dealt with in a healthy way, but I think June overall had a lot of character growth and that’s a main thing to take away.
Ivy on the complete other hand is easily very lovable and I can see her grabbing everyone’s heart. She was selfless and gave so many to others, chronic people pleaser perhaps- but genuinely just had a heart of gold. I can see a lot of people relating to Ivy’s story and her struggles.
I also thought the aspect of her wanting to be a sports referee and the discussions of mental health among athletes and the harm that spectators can cause was really important and well written. Too often referees get overlooked as humans and I think Ivy, being a teenage female referee, discussing the harassment she endured from parents and crowd members is a very serious issue in the sports world and was brought to light very well in this book.
This book is also heavy in the discuss of grief, it’s definitely not a light fluffy romcom. I really appreciated how this book demonstrates that grief is not linear, it’s different for everyone and just because things look a certain way that doesn’t mean that’s how they actually are. My heart aches for June and Ivy throughout this story.
Overall I really enjoyed this book! While I can see this not being the book for everyone I think it’s a fun ride! If you’re looking for a fast pace YA that is certain to piss you off (because June will) but also make you laugh and tug at your heart strings I would definitely recommend this read!

*Thank you PenguinTeen and author for a e-arc of this book! All opinions above are 100% my own!*

3.25 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for an advanced copy review of this book in exchange for my unbiased, honest review.

This book was so fun and lighthearted. I needed a fluffy read and this book was just what I needed! I've been into sports/romance type books lately and this book delivered:)

It was a bit slow at times for me personally, but I still enjoyed it and recommend it if you're into sapphic romances and need a light, fluffy read<3

Rating: 4/5 stars

I really liked this book. I love the complexity of both Ivy and June, and how they navigate life and high school following family tragedies. They find solace in each other and their chemistry and undeniable. It was really interesting to look into their lives and how they try to live up to what they think they need and how they manage to apply for college and get through senior year, especially when they try to follow outside their own dreams and what they want.

I do wish that Ivy and June had more enemies before lovers, and more of a build up, but I loved them regardless. I loved watching Ivy learn to ask for what she wants, and watch June learn to release all the pressure from living up to her parents' legacy.

I definitely would recommend if you want a quick and light-hearted read with messy characters and a definite YA feel. It's a great reset book without it being completely unrealistic.

i wanted to like this so much bc sports! and sapphics! but unfortunately it just didn't work for me :(

reading this felt like reading a messy first draft rather than a book in the final stages of editing before publication... i had 2 major issues with this book. the first being the characters. i love mia and javonte as supporting characters but the main character and the love interest were practically the same person just with vaguely different goals. there's a LOT of commonalities between them and just not enough differentiation between their voices for a dual perspective book. half the time i had to go back a few pages to the start of the chapter to confirm which POV i was reading.

another thing is the horrible miscommunication trope being used as a way to drive the plot / reach the climax of the story. there is SO MUCH miscommunication (or rather lack of communication at all) between the MC and LI that i was just yelling at both of them in my head the entire time. eventually they realize this and communicate better but of course they have to go through the dreaded third act breakup first. SIGH it's annoying

I really enjoyed this book as a sapphic YA romance, with lots of teen angst and lots of queer success and joy. As a warning, this book was very grief centric with both main characters having lost members of their immediate family, and that’s a frequent plot point. While overall I think the book was fairly joyful, it definitely had many emotional parts.

I also really appreciated that both MCs were women pushing the barriers in male-centric sport fields. Neither of them had a lot of pushback from being a woman or from being queer, which was a nice contrast to most other books I’ve read with women in sports. All of the tension was built up due to other things.

My biggest frustration with this book was the first couple of chapters. The author spent a lot of time setting the scene and building up the characters, but it felt very ‘telling’ rather than showing.

Overall I would recommend this book, and I look forward to reading any future books by this author!

This sapphic forbidden high school sports romance was so cute. I'm not a sports person at all and found this book to be so enjoyable. I really loved the similarities and differences between Ivy and June. I love that both girls are just trying to be the best they can in their male dominated roles. They are so good for each other. I really want more sapphic romances like this!!!

This was a fun read. I enjoyed Jennifer Dugan’s exploration of more positions in sports than being athletes. I enjoyed seeing Ivy and June’s relationship amidst the grief they carried in their personal lives.

This was such a great enemies to lovers romance. Sports are competitive, but even more so between these two rivals. Their heated exchanges quickly become something much more than sport.

First I want to give a huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an arc reader!

Let's all take a moment to appreciate that cover art.

Overall I really enjoyed my reading experience with this story. Ivy and June both have big dreams and can be inspiring in their own ways. I did find Ivy to be a little more likable; although, they both could be really frustrating at times. Much of the conflict could have been avoidable with a little honesty and communication but 'real life' is like that too. This story did a good job touching on grief and the pressure we put on ourselves. Recently I have found a love for sports romance and this was just enough to satisfy that without being "too much". This is just want I needed to pull me out of my slump.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam and Sons for the gifted copy!

This was a fun lil YA read. It’s sporty, it’s sapphic, and it’s a quick read!

An aspiring umpire and a baseball star form an unlikely bond and have an instant chemistry, but they aren’t supposed to date.This was a fun read, a sometimes sad read, and overall really enjoyable.