Play For Me by Libby Hubscher is a simultaneously emotional yet fun romance novel with enemies to lovers & forced proximity all taking place at a remote boarding school campus. I loved that this book revolved around the two main characters, Sophie & Jonas, & their respective passions of sports medicine & music. The love for their loves was just woven seamlessly into the plot & gave the reader a lovely reminder to pursue their passions.

The set-up for this story was quite unusual with the teachers bunking together living situation at the boarding school but I appreciated it because it felt like something I hadn’t read before. Plus, it created the popular trope of forced proximity, but then it added in the amazing other roommates for extra amusement. The side characters, in general, in this story were just top notch. Between her outrageous & supportive best friend to her phenomenal & heartwarming Dad, the supremely talented student & of course, their couples up roommates, they all brought so much warmth & humor to the story.

As someone who has had a lot of surgeries, recoveries & injuries, I was also impressed with the accurate medicine aspect. The physical therapy & dry-needling bits reminded me of exactly of the experience I went through, so it felt very real.

The pace of this story was perfect with just enough activity to keep it rolling but then it would slow & let you appreciate the view along the way. There was a great combination of personal journeys & hardships that mixed in growth & appreciation into this beautiful love story.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I am waiting for my Amazon review to go live, but I will add it once it does!

Sophie’s life implodes when her decision to keep the star pitcher out of the game ends with the Red Sox losing the World Series. Sophie is fired, and her boyfriend breaks up with her, kicking her out of his apartment. Her name is mud in Boston, so her best friend suggests she take up a job at her old boarding school in New Hampshire for a change of scenery.

However, things are not all bad, as Sophie is a glass-full kind of gal. The boarding school, Monadnock, is beautiful and so is the location. She has a closet sized bedroom in the apartment she shares with three other men, and all are nice except for one: Jonas Voss. The handsome but grouchy music teacher seems to take an immediate dislike to her, but Sophie’s determined to make the best of her situation.

As they cohabitate Sophie begins to see another side to Jonas and he seems to soften towards her, here and there. Sophie discovers her training may be able to help Jonas get back on the career path he had to abandon, and they start working together. Sparks fly, although Sophie’s not sure Jonas feels the same.

Play For Me was a wonderful, slow-burn romance, but there was so much more to this lovely story! Both Sophie and Jonas had their dream jobs taken away and the story examined the repercussions and whether a job alone brings happiness. I was delighted to see both Sophie and Jonas help each other to recognize they had value and could find happiness in many different ways and that there wasn’t just one career path that could bring joy. They had complicated issues, but they supported each other through them, and I just loved that!

Play For Me is the story of a woman, Sophie, a trainer fired from the Red Sox for looking out for the health of a player, who lands a new job at a boarding school in New England, helping the student athletes (and musicians). This book was a big warm hug. I loved Sophie so much for being so resilient and standing her ground and also so empathetic and compassionate. I loved her relationship with her dad, her best friend and her roommates and how supportive they were of each other. Everyone was just huggable. And the romance was the make you weak in the knees sweet kind of romance

Sophie has lost her dream job as an athletic trainer for the Red Sox, her boyfriend, and her house all at once. She takes a job at a boarding school and is shocked to find that her staff housing comes with three male roommates- one of whom absolutely despises her. Will Sophie find a way to make her living situation work?

What I loved:
-adorable side characters/friend relationships
-the character of Jonas. The sweetest book boyfriend!
-side plot with Sophie’s dad and the retirement home. So sweet!

This was such a heartwarming read and I ADORED the relationship between Sophie and Jonas. I want a thousand more books like this!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy!

Looking for the perfect beach read? PLAY FOR ME is fabulous flirty fun with a slow burn romance. It stars Sophie Doyle, a stunning beauty with smarts, who is an athletic trainer for the Red Sox. However, fate deals her a nasty blow after she loses her job, her boyfriend and gets arrested. So, she takes a job as a trainer at an arts-focused boarding school. Sophie finds out there's a lot to learn training kids who need to heal emotionally and physically. However, her living arrangements are much to be desired. She rooms with three men. One of the guys is a hunk named Jonas, who is very irritable. Oh boy, what has she got herself into?

Jonas is a crabby piano teacher who is secretly attracted to Sophie. The other two guys are goofy and fun. Sophie learns to adjust living with three guys and their antics. She develops feelings for Jonas, who clearly doesn't want anything to do with her. They both have problems that they must overcome. Can they ever stand to be in the same room together? Will they ever confess their attraction for one another?

PLAY FOR ME is a special bonding story with a lot of heart. Jonas and Sophie have serious tension from the start, but they become friends along the way. Jonas is very grouchy but has a kind heart. When I learned about his past, everything became clear. Their relationship is more special because of all they go through. The author adds a lot of depth to the plot with all the supporting characters. This is a fantastic book that I didn't want to end. This will tug at your heartstrings!

I really enjoyed Hubscher's previous book, but Play for Me did not quite for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and being able to sympathize with them.

Play for Me was such a cute book!

Sophie has her dream job as the Athletic Trainer for the Red Sox but when she loses her job, she decides to take a job at an arts-focused boarding school in New Hampshire. She's up for the challenge of working here and trying to be nice to her grumpy orchestra teacher roommate.

The beginning scenes in this book hook you, I was laughing on the plane up to Boston reading this. I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, I loved Sophie and Jonas and all of the great characters in the book! The relationship between Sophie and her dad was lovely as well as all of the strong friendships. Plus, I loved that Sophie recognized all of the musicians as athletes and wanted to help them prevent injuries.

Highly recommend checking our Play For Me!

Play for Me is the first book that I have read by Libby Hubscher and it certainly won’t be the last. Play for Me is the moving romance story of Sophie and Jonas. It had me captivated from the very beginning. I loved all of the amazing characters. They felt so real that it was like I new them. I really enjoyed the way that Sophie and Jonas interacted with one another in the beginning, it was so entertaining. I was so glad that they realized what was really important to them and went for it.
I loved this story so much, I didn’t want it to end. This was such a beautifully written story, that I was able to read it in less than a day. I highly recommend this sweet romance to anyone who is looking for a moving romance filled with unforgettable characters.

Libby Hubscher has such a way with words. I adored If You Ask Me, so I was really excited to get a hold of her newest release, Play for Me. Sophie and Jonas are the best *sigh*.

Sophie sets out to win Jonas over when she finds him to be the grumpiest of her new roommates. As you can imagine, everything that happens after she begins to implement her plan is hilarious as much as it is sweet. Hubscher writes such great dialogue, and that, as well as some forced proximity, really builds the tension between these two.

Hubscher also does a great job of managing some tough topics in the story while still keeping up the pacing and sweetness of the romance. I simply love her books. Can’t wait for the next one!

I loved Meet Me In Paradise so I was extremely excited to get the chance to read Play For Me! I thoroughly enjoy Libby’s character development and storytelling, and, spoiler alert, this book was absolutely lovely.

After making a difficult call to bench an injured player in an important World Series game and then getting dumped, Sophie needs a new job and a new place to live. Her best friend finds her a position as a sports trainer at a New England boarding school, solving both problems. The room comes with three male teachers as roommates - two cinnamon rolls and an absolute grump.

Sophie is adamant to win over Jonas, who is a music teacher. As they are forced to spend increasing amounts of time together, they both realize they may have misjudged the other and they may even like spending time in each other’s company.

Libby is so good at writing wonderful characters. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Sophie’s father and his friends. There were so many touching moments balanced with great humor. I found the romance to be both heartwarming and believable, and this is a couple I genuinely believe will have a happily ever after.

I highly recommend Play For Me to fans of romance stories with depth and more series topics. This is a beautiful book, even more so because of the depth and growth that Libby added for Sophie and Jonas as a couple as well as individually.

Thank you to @berkleyromance for an opportunity to read an eARC of Play for Me! All thoughts are my own.

4 When One Decision Changes Everything Stars!!

This is my first book by Ms. Hubscher and I really loved it. This story revolves around Sophie a trainer for the Boston Red Sox and how one decision, made for the right reason, changed everything about her life. At the time, she was sure it was the demise of her career. And then her bestie Astrid makes a call, and Sophie heads to New Hampshire.

I loved it so much when Sophie meets her new roomies at the privileged high school she’s now going to be the Trainer for. The dichotomy of Jonas and Sophie and their initial meeting had me chuckling. I immediately thought this is going to be so good! Their other two roomies Revi and Andy add a lightness to the tense moments in this book which are with regularity. Sophie is athletic and Jonas runs the music department and works with so many talented kids and is not a fan of them possibly getting injured playing sports when their lives should revolve around the instrument they’ve mastered.

The further I read into this book the more I understood Jonas and his crankiness. He definitely has some quirks that drive Sophie to distraction. What’s fabulous though is that as the school year progresses and they get to know each other better, dreams and past experiences are exposed and this changes both of them in astounding ways. The softness we see in Jonas that he doesn’t let many people see, is what makes Sophie falling for him that much easier. While they’re complete opposites, they balance each other so well. And when it comes to their futures, there’s so much that hangs in the balance. One decision either way, could have cataclysmic consequences…. Who will decide what and where will it leave their relationship? When you add in Sophie’s dad who I absolutely fell in love with and a particular student that is equally influenced by both Sophie and Jonas, well there’s a lot of surprises in this story!

I’m so glad I took the opportunity to read this new to me author. I can’t wait to go and read her other books!

After messing up her dream job as the trainer for the Boston Red Sox, Sophie Doyle finds herself needing to escape. She takes a job at a New England boarding school that specializes in the arts (not sports). When she moves into staff housing, she finds herself living with four men. One of those men is Jonas Voss, the grumpy but very attractive orchestra teacher who clearly doesn’t want her there. Sophie is determined to win him over and help the students at her school become better athletes.

I love Libby Hubscher’s writing and how her stories are filled with so much heart and emotion. I thought Sophie and Jonas were incredible together and loved watching their journey from enemies to friends to lovers. Each character had so much depth to them and their chemistry together was incredible. Sophie in particular found a special place in my heart. She had a stroke of terrible luck, but she didn’t let it stop her and never gave up on herself or her dreams. This book left me with a smile on my face and a warm heart.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I really enjoy Libby’s writing. Jonas was too rude and wasn’t someone that I wanted to root for. I felt like Sophie was giving him so much leeway and so many chances and I just didn’t understand why. The chemistry wasn’t something I felt between them either.

Such a fun romance!

Sophie is all but run out of Boston after her job as a sports trainer had her benching a pitcher in the World Series leading to a loss. She takes a job as a trainer at a boarding school to support herself while she figures out life, and how to tell her elderly dad she got fired from their dream job. I adored Sophie. She is fun and sassy!

Jonas is the music/orchestra teacher at the boarding school. He is the grumpy to her sunshine, but I also grew to adore him!

This book deals with some heavier issues, such as elderly/ill parents, abuse, and the strive to be perfect at what you do. But it was balanced by the light hearted romance.

The side characters, both at the school and in their outside worlds were amazing.

I was rooting for these two to get together from their first not so perfect meeting!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance, and Let's Talk Books Promo, for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and allowing me to a part of this Berkley Buddy Read.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
There is a crazy cannoli scene set in Boston’s North End at the start of this book which inspired me to get my favorite cannoli from Modern Pastry - yummo! Athletic trainer Sophie is dealing with the backlash of being let go from the Red Sox, her dream job. Due to a friend’s connection, she lands a maternity leave position at a New Hampshire boarding school. The school is more artistic-focused than athletic-focused, but Sophie jumps right into it. She shares an apartment with three other employees, including a grumpy orchestra teacher.
As a former boarding school teacher, I loved revisiting memories of my boarding school life like the unlimited delicious food and proctoring study hall in the library. And as a Red Sox fan, I loved reading about Sophie’s love of the team. This was a really fun read - witnessing Sophie’s growth and the development of her relationship. I enjoyed the characters and think this would be a great summer read - it was a bit too school-centric for my liking (3 days left of the school year!), but I think that’s just a “me “ thing at this time of the year. It will be available 6/20!

Sophie Doyle has her dream job as the head athletic trainer for the Boston Red Sox when she makes a call during the World Series that gets her fired, her boyfriend dumps her, and the city of Boston hate her. Needing to escape she takes a short term job as a trainer at a New Hampshire boarding school. She ends up roommates with three men, two of whom are wonderful, and the third, Jonas Voss, is gorgeous and surly. With a positive outlook on her new life, Sophie is determined to help her new students, even though they are more interested in music than sports, and make inroads with her attractive and grumpy roommate.

This was the perfect kind of sports romance. The sports revolved around our heroine, who rose to the pinnacle in her field in a male dominated world. When that world blows up around her she doesn’t give up and looks to redeem herself. The second thing I loved about this romance was that our hero Jonas was a musician and didn’t know a lot about sports so they were opposites who attract, but this story also had an enemies to lovers element. The story set-up was great, the character development felt full, and the romance-to-be was a lot of fun to read. Who doesn’t love a grumpy hero?

This novel took two of my favorite tropes, a sports romance, and an enemies to lovers plot and melded them into a fun story. There was also a redemption element for both characters that helped us root for their individual challenges as well. There was a great cast of characters, in particular the other two roommates who were an involved gay couple, and Sophie’s best friend, a famous movie-star. There was plenty of back story and plot to keep even the most jaded reader interested. Truly, this was a breeze to read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Hubscher has totally solidified herself as an auto buy author for me - girl take all my money! While this one didn’t outshine her previous two books for me, it was just such a solid, well written, and heart warming romcom with everything I love about the genre + baseball 😍

What to expect::
•Baseball trainer heroine
•Orchestra instructor/pianist hero
•Forced proximity/roommates
•Opposites attract
•New England, boarding school charm
•Great side characters
•Heroine in life crisis
🔥Closed door

I don't love the cover of Play for Me, and I don't usually read many sports books. But coming off of baseball/softball season for my kids, I was in the mood to read about someone who loves the sport. I finished this book three weeks and four books ago, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to write my review of it. This has become my new blogging-normal since I don't have time or access to sit down at my computer every day like I did when I worked or even when my kids were tiny and my computer was in our dining room.

I felt for Sophie. She worked extremely hard to get her dream job. She worked with a professional, major league team and athletes for the exact team she loved the most. She had memories of her dad taking her to the Red Sox games. Her literal dream job. And because she pulled a player to prevent further injury and the team lost she got fired. And not just that but an entire city blamed her for the loss. Her boyfriend at the time also broke up with her, and since she was living with him, she is now homeless. That's a lot to lose at one time. Thankfully, her friend gets her a job at a boarding school as an athletic trainer.

Jonas has similarly lost his dream job. He was once a professional pianist. But he's quit playing. Now he teaches music at the same school as Sophie and they are suitemates along with another two teachers at the school. Jonas seems annoyed with Sophie from the very beginning. He apparently doesn't open up easily even though everyone seems to like and get along with him. Sophie riles him up more than normal. These two have one of those enemies-to-lovers arcs even if you can't really claim them to be full-fledged enemies.

Sophie and Jonas work together to get Jonas to play the piano again. He's terrified of hope. And Sophie is determined. The side characters and stories were just as important to the overall story. I liked Tyson, but my favorite side character was Sophie's dad. I love seeing well-written parental characters as they are often missing from stories. It's a contrast to Jonas's father and family. Not everyone has a loving support system built into their nuclear family.

There were many questions driving me forward in my reading. And that helped me not want to put this book down. Well, that along with this wonderful romance. Would Tyson choose music or baseball? Would his choice damage Sophie and Jonas's relationship? Can Sophie and Jonas survive long-term if they end up going back to their old dream jobs? Is there a happy medium or place of compromise to be found? What would that compromise be? And would one or both of them feel regret for making their choices? While it's hard to make career choices based on a relationship, what's the point of life without those we love to share it with?

Favorite quotes:
-"A girl can only be spit on so many times before she needs a change of scene..."

-"I find it challenging to breathe around you."

-"You are like a song that my heart has been waiting for. I recognized your melody the moment we met."

Ultimately, I give Play for Me 4 Stars. I loved the relationship. I didn't want to put this book down when I had to. I read it as quickly as possible, and if I remember correctly, I even stayed up late one night to finish it. The questions about the outcome pushed me forward just as much as the relationship did, in the best way possible. I did have a few questions about the logistics of Sophie's athletic trainer job, but those were probably best to chalk up to something I shouldn't think too deeply about. Have you read Play for Me? What did you think? Let me know!

When athletic trainer Sophie Doyle loses her job in spectacular fashion and needs to leave Boston in a hurry, she retreats to the anonymity of a position at an arts focused boarding school. One of her roommates is orchestra teacher Jonas Voss who has his own reasons for leaving the spotlight to move to New Hampshire and is not too happy with his new roomie.

This was a quick, light read perfect for summer reading. I enjoyed the dynamic between Sophie and Jonas and seeing them work through their past issues. The story features:
--grumpy /sunshine
--forced proximity
--workplace romance
--closed door
There are several great secondary characters and an epilogue to round out the story. Add it to your summer TBR.

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

Play for Me is a delightful read that mergest sports and music to build a symphony that hits it out of the park!

Play for Me is an utter delight. It crosses a sunny sports obsessed trainer with a grumpy classical pianist. And let’s just say they don’t get off on the best of terms. If you love forced proximity enemies to lovers then you need to read Play for Me. This was my first read by Libby Hubscher and I can’t wait to dive into her backlist.

Sophie and Jonas are two characters who I enjoyed spending time with. Play for Me is written from Sophie’s perspective only so we unravel Jonas slowly with Sophie. Both Sophie and Jonas have baggage they are carrying - from parental death to verbal and emotional abuse and failures in their respective careers. I loved watching the two of them fall for each other while helping each other work through their baggage. After all, as adults our lived experience does impact our interactions with others and I love romance stories that highlight that we come into adult relationships carrying our wounds from past traumas - it isn’t up to our partners to fix us but rather to support us as we work on healing ourselves. Sophie and Jonas are a shining example of this.

There’s so much I could gush about the books: the setting (boarding school!), the characters (incredible cast of secondary characters!) and the sexy tension between Sophie and Jonas (just kiss already!) but one of the things that really delighted me was the analysis of similarities and differences between sports athletes and artists. As someone who went to an arts focused highschool I found many of the conversations to ring true - especially musicians and dancers who weren't’ allowed to play sports in case they hurt themselves, for example. I loved the discussion of how artists, like musicians, should treat their bodies the same as athletes, as well as Jonas and Sophies many conversations about students' futures and how to mentor them. I would have loved a Sophie or Jonas at my school when I was a teenager!

Play for Me hits all the right notes.

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.