Bryce and Jake are two troubled souls searching for happiness. When Bryce’s life fell apart she moved to a small town. There she meets Jake, who has moved home unwillingly. The plot follows the path as these navigate a tremulous relationship. It is at times funny and absurd as family and friends interfere. It wraps with a happy ending as Bryce and Jake settle into the community.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bryce and Jake’s meet cute is the opposite of sweet, in the small town of Wackernagel. Bryce has left her job, and her home after divorcing her husband. To say she’s a mess is a little bit of an understatement. When she approaches Jake about pretending to be her fake boyfriend, he’s apprehensive, but agrees to go along with it for his own reasons. He’s back in Wackernagel after living life as a free spirit for 10 years, and avoiding his family. What starts as a fake relationship of convenience for two people who need to appear happy to everyone else in town, turns out to be way more complicated than that.

We watch Bryce and Jake both struggle with personal struggles, family issues, trauma, and ideas of commitment.

I will say I loved the HEA in this story, and I did enjoy getting to know Jakes family. However, most of the story was pretty depressing, and both Bryce and Jake were miserable. At times it was hard not to roll my eyes at the things they both did. So not my favorite romance, but a sweet and quick read!

Bryce Barrett is keeping a low profile in a small Midwest town after she was passed over for a deserved partnership at a Chicago law firm. She is running out of money and options when she meets Jake Warner who is working security at a local resort. For reasons that make sense in the story they fall into a fake dating relationship. Her so she can appear less needy to her ex-husband and him to get a break from family pressures. Jake is a free spirit and has spent the last ten years traveling and is planning to only stay in town long enough to get money so he can leave again. But of course Bryce and Jake fit well together.

The story is enjoyable and covers some deeper topics than I was expecting. Trigger warnings for suicide, opioid addiction, medical emergencies. The two mains are likable although Jake is often moody and broody. His family is very manipulative and I thought his sister was obnoxious. I think the quick resolution, the book is on the shorter side, didn’t do justice to the problems set in the story. Bryce gives some very solid legal advice to a client and then it is just dropped. Jake has one conversation with his old high school friend and ten years of angst goes away. And I don’t think a major university is just going to let someone become a coach because they played a sport well ten years ago and he is the previous coaches son. People get degrees and work their way up to those jobs. I seldom complain when things wrap up neatly but this is too easy.

The story is likable but I wanted to care more about the HEA. Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

📚: Playing for Keeps
✍️: Julie Hammerle

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

My first official ARC and what a great start! Thanks, NetGalley!

Bryce Barrett and Jake Warner are both running from their lives. Bryce quits her job and she escapes Chicago to move to Wackernagel, IL. Jake has been on the run from his former life for a decade, only returning to Wackernagel for financial support. They meet under crazy circumstances, and quickly pretend to be a couple to fool the people in their lives.

This book gets a little heavy at some points. There is a warning at the beginning, but I will tell you I was triggered by the mental health/suicide aspect of the story. The author does a great job reiterating the importance of self care, while also allowing you to feel raw feelings surrounding this subject.

This is the first book I read from this author, and I assure you it won’t be my last.

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookbabesara

I actually really enjoyed this book!

I fell in love with Bryce and Jake (and all their baggage) immediately! After some unfortunate circumstances, both Bryce and Jake end up in a town they both don’t want to be in, and the hilarity ensues! Fake dating trope, terrible ex husbands, and a whole whirlwind of family drama!

Pick up this book if you need a laugh or just a heartwarming read!

This book was WAY too "family drama" for me. Additionally, there was a ridiculous level of manipulation going on in the story, and I don't care for that as a reader.

That said, it was a clean read, the main characters work nicely together as a team, and there are some nice moments of communication and understanding.

Overall, not one I'd pick up again, but there are definitely readers out there who will like it.

Loosing a good friend to suicide changes Jake view on life and family. He's going to see the world and not get tied to down to home. Bryce is living a hermit life after being embarrassed at work. The beginning to of the book till about 50% in was enjoyable to read. I feel the second half of the book was a let down. It read as though it was a cliché.

2.5 stars

*******************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*********************

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

I don't know how to write this review without making it seem like I had issues with the heavier topics in it. I didn't.

But. And there is the dreaded but...romance is an escape, at least it is for me. And, for the vast majority of this book, I just found Bryce and Jake to be sad, and I felt bad for them, and I think I felt a little drawn into their despair...which I guess means it worked for me and I believed the characters.

The issue I had is at about 75% percent, it was almost like the author realized the book, which was relatively short, was a romance and needed a happy ending, so all of the things I had started to buy into, and their struggles, were sort of just...gone.

The issue? As a reader, I was invested in the characters, so at that point, I felt like the resolution was just too...easy? Perfect? Simple?

I guess what I am saying is if a story is going to be about imperfect characters, I don't want them "fixed" at the end. How does that work in a romance? No idea. But, that said, I didn't think it worked here.

I am unable to recommend this title.

A clean, fade-to-black romance with a smallish plot and a few laughs, all while dealing with some of life's more solemn issues. This was a cute read, but I did find the first-bit kind of bland and the pace quite slow. It was hard to get into a first, but there was a point where the book took off and I got quite interested. I didn't find this book to be as much of a Rom-Com as the blurb suggested. It did have some quite humorous moments but there weren't loads. It was quite heavy in some parts of the book, as several issues were dealt with throughout. I found that this book had a real woman with mature problems, not the standard shallow, early 20s girl, with superficial problems. Those of which I find quite regularly in romance books. Jake's responses sometimes seemed a bit unnecessary and immature, especially with his whole leaving for a decade thing. However, I found that both Jake and Byrce had quite a good growth in their character's personalities and the way they navigated their hardships. Which in the end did make me quite enjoy reading about them. I loved that this brought a new light on mental health in sports and how people could help support others in that area. I also absolutely loved what the dad had done to change the way basketball was coached, it was so pleasing to see he not only adjusted his ways but transformed the way the game could be played.

"You had no choice. You're not bound to me by any contract or obligation. You could've told me to fuck off if you wanted to."
She was right. He could have. And yet he didn't."

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book wasn’t for me. It wasn’t BAD I just really didn’t like Jake’s character so that really too me out of things. He was really frustrating. Meh

When Bryce Barrett gets passed over for promotion to partner at her fancy Chicago law firm in favour of a snotty-nosed, know-nothing idiot who just happens to be the Mayor's nephew she doesn't take it well. In fact she may have incinerated her career. Now she's retreated to the house her ex-husband bought in the tiny midwestern town of Wackernagel he grew up in (she might have been petty enough to ask for it in the divorce) and is sticking it to The Man (assuming that this means watching every episode of The Gilmore Girls, wearing sweatpants and eating Cheetos - can I also say I've never eaten them but they sound vile).

On a visit to the local ice-cream parlour to buy essential ice-cream provisions, Bryce attracts the eye of a concerned citizen who calls the local security for the gated community in which she lives (cripes these are special snowflakes if they've never seen a woman in sweatpants and novelty slippers binge-eating ice-cream). Jake Warner was born and bred in Wackernagel (I apologise for all the asides, not sure what has come over me, but why do authors insist on having their towns called silly names (please don't tell me it's an actual town)) but he's spent the last decade as far away as possible roaming the US. Now he's back, but only until he's repaid his father, and then he'll be off far from home once again - because 'reasons'. His temporary job as security guard for a gated community is easy work, but when he's called to deal with a possibly violent vagrant woman scaring customers at the ice-cream parlour he feels compassion for the woman who is clearly dealing with some issues.

A chance encounter with Bryce's ex and his new girlfriend leads Bryce to claim that she and Jake are dating, which he goes along with because he can see where she's coming from. When Bryce's power gets cut off because she's not been paying her bills (or opening her mail - see, I'm doing it again), they come to an agreement, Jake will help her renovate the house to sell and in return Bryce will pay him the realtor's fee which will help him repay his father. United in their desire to get out of Wackernagel as soon as possible the two of them become friends - or maybe more.

I've read a few of Julie Hammerle's novels before and I've always appreciated the way she portrays more mature women with real problems and grown-up reactions, which is why I requested this book. Unfortunately, this didn't really work well for me for several reasons. First, Jake blames himself/his father for something that happened - it is this that has kept him away from home for a decade, but frankly his logic is that of an eight-year-old, not a grown man. Second, Jake's family are so irritating I would have left town as soon as possible to get away from them. Third, Bryce's slob phase was too extreme - closer to mental breakdown territory - and I've read better.

Overall, it was okay, a pleasant enough read but after only a few days I could barely remember the plot.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I have to say this book had some love-hate portions in it for me. You see, I hate being manipulated and I hate reading about it too! This book is loaded with some family drama that for me was frustrating and just ish.

But to balance it out Hammerle added humor, compassion, and understanding. The two characters worked so well together with their attempts to hide and disassociate from the world and their families. I loved Jake and the way he understood and stood by Bryce.

Hammerle touched upon a few emotional and tough situations in Playing for Keeps that we have to experience in order to understand the characters. However, she tempers that by building their connection, support, anticipation, and steam as we progress. And plenty of humor too!

This story is a clean romance with a great plot, and lots of laughs, but loads of emotional baggage to get through. The HEA totally makes the story worth it all!

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Some parts were laugh-out-loud funny and campy, and other parts very heavy hitting and sad. While both parts were well done, the contrast was a bit jarring and certainly unexpected.

It was a quick read, and the characters were likeable.

Playing for Keeps by Julie Hammerle was such a cute romantic comedy about two strangers, a fake relationship, and a teeny mid-lie crisis.

This is such a perfect rom-com, I loved everything about it.
It has great humor and heart.
A great story told in an amusing and authentic way.
I enjoyed every second reading this book. I loved the characters; who are real and likeable.
I really liked the chemistry between Bryce and Jake.
Hammerle’s writing is witty, engaging, and full of heart, and she has a talent for creating relatable and lovable characters that you can't help but root for.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Entangled/August for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

3.25⭐

Bryce and Jack.
Wackernagel, IL.
Fake dating.
Mid-life crisis.
Small town.
Fade to black.

Thoughts throughout the book:

Discussions of grief, suicide, mental health. Please check TW prior to reading.
Some people can change and deserve another chance.
Family medical emergency—>Not usually a fan of moments when there’s a big revelation and then something goes bad.
I found myself not liking the MCs for the most part of the book but the end was nicely wrapped with a HEA although a bit rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a five-star read that will make you want to stick around. The chemistry in this story is sublime, but its kept well maintained and so well done. Bryce and Jake will hook you; you will just want to take Bryce under your wing and give her a large glass of something tasty and wet, and a huge tub of ice-cream and just make it all better, but the way she does herself gives you inspiration. I could so understand Jake and was so glad he made the choices he did. This is one of those frustrating stories at times, but in the end, it is so well done.

I. Freaking. LOVED. This book. I loved it!! I read it all in one day 😭😭

There's something so refreshing about books that actually take the time to build a romance between the main characters, and that's exactly what this book does.

Bryce and Jake both have their own flaws and emotional baggage, and they're well aware of that. There's motive behind their actions and words that makes sense. They don't just act like assholes to be assholes, which I feel like is something we see so many characters doing these days.

This was an entertaining, easy read, and I highly recommend it. Also... GO BLUE!!

This was a quick read, but it had some pretty heavy topics. I think it needs to have some content warnings posted in the book because I was surprised by some of the topics that were covered.

Jake has been avoiding his hometown for 10 years, but he returns home after all of this time. He's used to being on his own, but now, he's back with his overbearing parents and sister. Bryce has gone through a divorce, and she quit her job as a lawyer when she is passed over for a promotion. She wants to start over, but she isn't handling things well. She runs into her ex husband and his new girlfriend, and she decides to find fake boyfriend: Jake!

As Jake and Bryce start to spend more time together, they see that they have things in common. Both of them are looking for their place in the world and looking for something to keep them in one place. Will they find it in each other?

The book covers heavy topics and focuses a lot on expectations and family. I didn't feel connected to the characters, and it was hard to want to root for them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and Julie Hammerle for this ARC!!

Jake has spent the past 10 years running from his hometown and everything in it - including his family. He's back now against his will, having agreed to stay in town to pay off a debt his parents helped settle for him. As soon as the debt to his parents is handled, though, he's getting the heck out of dodge.
Bryce is also kind of on the run, but this little town turned out to be her destination. She's left behind her life as a badass big city attorney, and is looking forward to her new reclusive life filled with reruns of Gilmore Girls and as much ice cream as her heart desires.
When one of her ice cream runs results in her being stopped by her ex-husband and his new girlfriend, Bryce does what anyone would do between a rock and a hard place - she claims the cute security guard is her new boyfriend. Jake isn't sure what her plan is, but finds himself unable to resist her request, despite the beaver slippers. Since they're both planning to leave town, there's no worry of feelings messing with their arrangement, and it'll help him too. They've just got to make it through the next month, and then they can get back to the lives they really want - nevermind their instant connection and ability to make each other feel understood.

This is my first Julie Hammerle book, and I'm already eyeing my Libby app to get my hands on more.
I didn't expect all the emotions I went through when I picked up Playing for Keeps, but Julie handled them beautifully. As someone who suffers from chronic depression, I recognized pieces of myself in both Bryce and Jake as they battled their grief and struggled to let people in.
Their relationship was excellent, a balance of give and take where they listened and learned how to encourage one another. I also really appreciated their banter, that they could be a source of levity for each other when needed. They may have been fake dating, but their friendship was 100% real from the get-go, and that played a huge role in making them easy to root for.

An entertaining romance. Lots of issues: family, work, spouse, and friends, keep the tale moving along. I enjoyed Julie Hammerle's writing. I am looking forward to reading more of her books. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.