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.

this was so damn sweet it gave me a toothache from smiling so much. but i also learnt so much from it. the personal growth from both mcs was THERE and it was so real i loved it. i will say though, the miscommunication made me so pissed off!!!! if these two idiots just talked to each other... but anyway. i adored this. it had the perfect amount of cuteness and reality mixed in and i loved it.

I don’t care at all about sports and still this sweet little romance kept my attention! Basically read it in a day-was super into it. Loved the chemistry between Ivy and June, love what they taught each other throughout the course of the book. They both had their own personal growth that allowed them to grow as a couple-they were definitely mature for their age!

first off, thank you to netgalley and penguin for approving me for this book! first arc of the year, baby!

this was really, really cute. aside from some technical errors (duh, it is an arc), i really got into this. jennifer dugan really has a knack for writing characters that have no business being together, but you really want to root for them anyway.

speaking of characters...

ivy was easily my favorite. there was something about ivy that i was really able to connect with (the overbearing parents, perhaps?) that made me truly love her. she was so selfless, and gave up so much for everyone else, and that is precisely why i sided with her for 90% of the book. she is a genuinely well written, well fleshed out character that i adore. if i needed a comparison... ruby, from some girls do reminds me of ivy here, in the sense that they're both like... completely reasonable characters, unlike their counterparts.

june was... infuriating, to say the least. if ivy is ruby, june is easily the morgan of this book. absolutely angering and unbearable. yet... i found myself loving her regardless. similar to ivy, she had been through a lot, but she didn't really deal with it in a healthy way (i don't say 'as healthily as ivy' here because let's be honest, being a chronic people pleaser isn't exactly a healthy coping mechanism either). i think, though, that's precisely why i like her. because while she's very annoying, and makes many wrong decisions... she's very real. i understand her, and i know that when this book releases, she'll have a lot of people who dislike her, and i get it, but let it be known that i will be on her side!

this book also showcases grief in its rawest form—as in, 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. it doesn't just happen for a few days after someone dies and then goes away, and it doesn't look the same for everyone. everyone deals with it differently, and i think dugan did an amazing job at showcasing that through this book.

i really don't know much about sports, but i really enjoyed this. the sports lingo was quite minimal, but when it was necessary, it was always explained in a way that didn't feel info-dumpy, so that's always a plus. this is a really cute ya romance, and i think i would highly recommend it to anyone that wants a quick read with characters that make choices that are bound to piss you off (seriously, jennifer's books are so fun, but if these characters would just speak to each other, half these situations wouldn't happen!)

I loved Jennifer Dugan's books, so of course I am super excited for this YA sapphic sports romance! I'm kind of tired of sports romances where the athlete has an injury and doesn't know how far is too far, but other than that I really enjoyed this one. They start off as "enemies" but it more was just a dislike since they didn't know each other. I haven't read any sports romances with baseball and an umpire, so that felt really unique and interesting to me! The romance was also cute and I liked their side character best friends