This swoon-worthy and poignant romance lifted my feet off the ground! The enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract, and friends-to-lovers tropes harmonized into a heartfelt concept with adorable main characters and the sweetest, most huggable supporting characters. It also approaches many sensitive issues and health disabilities, including Parkinson's, emotional abuse, and grief, in the most realistic and informative way. I proudly announce this as my favorite Libby Hubscher book!

Sophie Doyle is a hot-blooded, competitive, giving, badass, determined, and optimistic heroine that each reader can easily adore. At the beginning of the book, we witness how she loses her job as head athletic trainer of the Red Sox after making the decision not to let the team's star athlete play, which resulted in the team losing the World Series again! She loses her job, her boyfriend, and her temper on the same day, which results in her finding herself arrested for putting her cannoli in a place where an obnoxious Red Sox fan's head was located!

Thankfully, her best friend, movie star Astrid, not only saves her from spending more time behind bars but also finds a quick solution for her unemployment and homelessness (she was living with her ex before he packed her suits and kicked her out) by arranging her a sports trainer position at an arts-focused boarding school in New Hampshire, where she also graduated. Without thinking further, Sophie accepts the job, which requires a different living arrangement she didn't consider: she has to live with three male school teachers! Thankfully, two of her roommates are cinnamon buns, a lovely gay couple, but her third roommate, a music prodigy teaching music and looking like a model, is grumpy and grouchy as hell. Ladies and gentlemen, let's meet and greet Jonas Voss, who berated Sophie at first sight for playing something on the piano and acted like he hated her guts!

Sophie is adamant to win him over, even though he did something unacceptable by eating all those waffles at the breakfast bar! Their forced proximity pushes them to spend more time together. Sophie realizes that Jonas is a generous, kind-hearted, and emotional man who disguises himself behind his brooding behavior. He suffers from a hand disease that doctors couldn't diagnose, preventing him from playing the piano. Sophie slowly destroys the walls he built around himself by extending her helping hand to find the best treatment for him as she also deals with her father's worsening health condition and the gnawing guilt feeling for not telling him the real reason behind her moving to New Hampshire.

The growing romance between Sophie and Jonas is genuine and heartwarming. I loved how their characters evolved and how they broke their barriers to help each other's burdens. The ending was also beautiful and deserving of many happy tears! My emotions are everywhere. I absolutely recommend this sentimental, well-written, and healing romance story. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this poignant book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A athletic trainer finds herself fired from her dream job as the head athletic trainer for her favorite baseball team, dumped by her handsome boyfriend, and without a place to stay. Now she has applied to work as a trainer at an arts-focused boarding school in New Hampshire. The only available room is in a glorified closet in an apartment with three guys... and one of them immediately dislikes her when meeting her. Jonas Voss is the music teacher at the school, he’s grumpy, and he dislikes Sophie the moment he meets her... or does he? Sophie wants to get Jonas to like her, she’s got sunshine optimism and wants to win him over but nothing seems to be working. Or so she thinks, as they spend more time together and get to know each other more, Sophie realizes that she might have been reading the signs wrong and that her grumpy roommate might actually be in love with her. This was a sweet story with a grumpy x sunshine trope, forced proximity, and filled with healing and support. Jonas and Sophie support each other through the difficult moments in each other’s lives and it was a sweet read. This was an easy read and I think if you like the tropes mentioned then this is definitely for you.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Will be posted to GoodReads and StoryGraph
WIll Post on June 13th, 2023, 1 week before release day as asked

4.5⭐️

This book was so good! Jonas is the blueprint for a man in every way! He is kind, British, calls her by her last name and love, is a musician, and is good with kids. I have concluded he is just perfect. Sophie is the cutest human being ever! I strive to have the optimism she has as well as how much she cares for everyone! I love how they both bond through the kids and help each other through their issues. They are both so caring and kind, there were made for each other! I loved Andy, Revi, and Astrid because they pushed so hard for Sophie and Jonas to get together. All the little things Jonas did in the beginning of the book made my heart melt with how sweet he is! This book was super cute and I definitely recommend it!

Favorite Quote:
“Remember to breathe, Jonas,” I said. He met my gaze. “I find it hard to do that around you.”

This was so FRICKING CUTE?!?!

You all know me and you know I love my well-done tropes. Grumpy x sunshine. Enemies (to friends) to lovers, forced proximity. This has them all and then some! And Sophie and Jonas are so sweet it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs.

Sophie Doyle is hunkering down as a trainer at a New Hampshire boarding school to escape the abrupt and humiliating end to both her career as an athletic trainer and her relationship and life in Boston. Her roommates - fellow instructors at the school, are lovely and welcoming. Well, two of them are. The third, the brooding and anti-athletic orchestra conductor, Jonas Voss.

Right off the bat (see what I did there) these two keep each other on their toes. Jonas is secretive and blunt and curmudgeonly, and Sophie is earnest and honest and determined. And though her sunshiney disposition may furrow his brow, it’s very apparent to everyone around them that they are exactly what the other one needs.

As the two tentatively become friends (if only to make their living situation less excruciating), they end up realizing that they’re more alike than they ever could have thought, and that sometimes, compromising doesn’t have to mean losing out on the best things in life.

PERFECTION! This book absolutely blew me away!!

Sophie had her dream job working as an athletic trainer for the Boston Red Sox. That is until she made a call during the World Series that got her fired and dumped. Needing a place to live and work, she ends up at an artsy New Hampshire boarding school not knowing a thing about working with high school kids, especially those that prefer music over sports. Further, when she moves into staff housing, Sophie finds herself with three male roommates, one of them being grumpy Jonas and from day one, she is on his bad side. That is until she starts helping him overcome his fears and slowly his walls begin to break down.

What I loved:
-The grumpy/sunshine dynamic and he falls first
-The New Hampshire prep school setting and all of the students on campus
-The full cast of side characters, including Sophie’s best friend Astrid, her roommates Revi and Andy, and her father and his nursing home crew
-The father/ daughter relationship, which was was tender and heartwarming
-How the story combined sports, specifically baseball, and music in the most perfect way. I have never read anything like this and couldn’t get enough
-The concept of musical fitness where Sophie treated and prevented injuries in devoted musicians and improved physical resilience. It was so interesting !
-Jonas’s transformation from the grumpy, closed-off roommate to the soft cinnamon roll hero
-All the forced proximity, library dates and training sessions between Sophie and Jonas
-How the story dealt with some heavier topics but the overall tone was still light, making it a perfect summer beach read

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley. Pub date 6/20/23

There is something about Libby Hubscher's books that just speak to my soul and Play for Me was no different. Sophie was having the worst day ever. After being fired and thrown in jail for "assult" she knows she needs to get out of Boston and find a new path.
Enter her best friend Astrid. She has the best idea, her alma matter needs a new trainer and Sophie would fit in great, but the school isn't for athletics, it's for the arts so there may be a little bit of a disconnect. She moves into staff housing with Andy, Ravi and the grumpy Jonas. From day one she is on his bad side and has no idea what she did to deserve it but she is determined to get him to like her.
Liking her isn't the problem for Jonas, overcoming his fears is. As Sophie begins to break down his walls and help him achieve the thing he wants most, will he leave her for his dreams or are his dreams right in front of him.
This was told in Sophie's POV, but I didn't have a problem understaning Jonas and how gone for Sophie he was. We could tell early on that his gruffness towards her was just him fighting feelings. As he opened up, he was the softest cinnamon roll hero and I was absolutely in love with him. These characters were so flawed but so relatable. They had open discussions and miscommunications but dealt with them in such a mature way that I loved reading. If you want a romance that will give you all the butterflies and a hero you can mark as your next book boyfriend, pick this one up now.
Thank you to Berkley, Libby Hubscher and Netgalley for an early copy.

I absolutely loved this book. This is peak heartwarming, from the music to the baseball to the grumpy/sunshine dynamic and he-falls-first… readers, prepare to become puddles by the time you finish this. Sophie was simply good- kind to children, but still tough and independent, and so smart. And our Jonas has so much depth and sweetness under his tough exterior. The setting was almost its own character— I love New England, and reading about Boston and New Hampshire in fall and winter was pure magic. This is a perfect romance novel, and I would sincerely give it more stars if I could. Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for giving me this arc so I could give my honest opinion— and that opinion is that Play for Me is going to be an instant classic. This underdog story WINS.

📚𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: Play For Me by Libby Hubscher📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Sunshine and grump
Baseball and music
Forced proximity
It was always you
Only one bed
Funny side characters

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
This was a cute, easy, happy contemporary romance read. As a music teacher with a husband who works in Major League Baseball, there are so many parts of this book that I absolutely related to and loved! This also had so many of my favorite tropes, including sunshine/grump and forced proximity. The side characters were funny, and added many cute moments with SoJo. We need a spin off book about Astrid for sure!

This book dealt with a few heavier topics, including difficult relationship with parents and self love after epic failure, but overall this was a really light read. There’s not a lot of steam, with one or two fade to black scenes without a lot of detail. Are there some cliched, romantic moments? Sure! But I enjoyed it all the same and it was perfect for a relaxing read on my snow day at home.

Play for Me is one of those books that just makes you smile while you read it. This was my first book by Libby Hubscher and I enjoyed her straightforward writing style! Her scenery depictions were spot on and I felt like I was there the whole time. I also really enjoyed the plot- the romance, the character growth and how real it all felt.

What I loved:

-Grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity
- I couldn't help by love Sophie from the moment she threw a cannoli. But watching her grow and find herself throughout play for me, just seemed so wholesome to me.
- Sophie and Jonas together. You could feel the chemistry from the first moment they met and I loved to watch them grow together as a couple.
- I love sports romances, but had never read a baseball romance. This was a great first for me and I really enjoyed the baseball setting.

All in all, if you're looking for a grumpy/sunshine sports romance, be sure to add this one to your list!

A massive thank you to NetGalley, Libby Hubscher, and Berkley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Aw, my heart is so full after reading this! Incredibly cute and inspiring. Total win if you’re a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope and forced proximity. I liked the main character’s profession as a athletic trainer, too. And Jonas! Sweet, sweet Jonas. I enjoy a romance book that is more than a love story and while I totally shipped Jonas and Sophie, I enjoyed the story of resilience and grit even more. The book starts with broken characters and Hubscher succeeded at delivering the story in a light, heartwarming way. I really liked her book Meet Me in Paradise and thought I was in for some serious tears again but I was pleased with how this story went. I wouldn’t be opposed to a book about Sophie’s best friend, Astrid! Overall, a fantastic read that I’ll definitely recommend to other fans of contemporary romance.