Read with NetGalley. You will never be disappointed by a Jennifer Dugan story, and this one is no exception. It's an Enemies to friends to lovers. The way their relationship progresses is so sweet and cute I wish I had a relationship like that when I was younger. These two teens are struggling with who they are expected to be from the ones they love most, one rebels against it while the other feels no choice but to follow in those footsteps. It beautiful watching them grow and discover who they truly are and what they want and learn to have those necessary conversations no matter how difficult. Watching these two come together was something that made me laugh, cry, smile, be angry and I can't wait to read it again.

A book about love, loss, grief and trying to find your way when you're the one left behind. Ivy and June have a few things in common, both lost someone to cancer, both are very into women and both are making strides to be the first woman to make it to the pros. June is shooting for a pitcher position, while ivy wants to be a reff in the nfl. They first meet when ivy is called up to ump for the high school baseball games, she called June out and of course we get a whole rivals to lovers scenario. Their chemistry together is so sweet and I loved that we got both characters pov. I also loved how the author portrayed each character working through their grief. It had me in tears at parts and in stitches at others. Their love story didn't come without its hardships, but at the end of the day they figured it out.

Thoughts and Themes: I've enjoyed several other Jennifer Dugan books therefore I was very happy to get a chance to read this one. I ended up listening to this on audiobook and was quite pleased with the story. I was a bit skeptical about this because sport books are a hit or miss but I have also learned that if there is LGBTQ+ plot as well then, I'll be happy reading.

I appreciated that the author included that both of the main character's parents had high expectations of them that didn't match what they wanted with their lives. I thought it was interesting to see how their parents had these expectations because of the loss that they also experienced.

Character: In this book you are introduced to Ivy and June along with both of their families. You also get to meet some other side characters that play in the games with them and other adults in their lives.

Something that I really enjoyed about this book was the relationship between June and Ivy and how they first bond over having similar histories. I liked that we got to see how they relate to each other as they both lost a loved one recently. I also liked getting the chance to see them navigate their careers and relationships.

I also like how different the two of the main characters are where June's parent has made her feel the center of the universe, but Ivy's parents have made her feel like a supporting character to her siblings. I liked seeing this contrast for the two of them and seeing how this dynamic plays out in their relationship.

Writing Style: This book is told in dual point of view, going back and forth between Ivy and June. I really enjoy that we get to see both of their perspectives about everything. I liked that we get to see how each of them feels about things without the other's influence. I also like that we get to see how other's feel about their relationship and how it's been navigated up to that point.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an eARC of Playing for Keeps in exchange for my honest review!

Playing for Keeps has turned out to be a surprisingly cozy YA rom-com despite the angst that's scattered throughout the plot. The last time I read a Jennifer Dugan book was 2019's Hot Dog Girl, which I remember having fun with. Playing for Keeps is able to draw me in right away due to it being a rivals-to-lovers romance, although I do wish the trope could have been stretched out longer. The point where they progress from rivals to the romantic stage happens surprisingly early on, and it would have been great for that part to be delayed further down the plot. But hey, at least June and Ivy share plenty of charming chemistry—chemistry that helps the book maintain a fluffy atmosphere, even when it weaves angsty material from both teenagers' lives into the plot. The tonal shifts don't come across all that jarringly, which is pleasantly surprising. But I will say that an absence of proper communication does pop up sometimes and leave me responding, "Well, if you two could just talk things out..." I get that they're not meant to be the most mature human beings, but still, it's a cliche that's perfectly capable of getting on my nerves.

Overall, I'm officially rating Playing for Keeps 3.5 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars on Goodreads. After having a comfy time with both this and Hot Dog Girl, I continue to be interested in more of Dugan's work.

Unfortunately I dnf'd this book, it just wasn't for me and moved kind of slow. I couldn't get into it.

This book was very heart felt. This was a really good book. I enjoyed it. This book is YA sports romance. There is also forbidden and secret romance because one is an Ump and the other is a baseball player and dating is against the rules. June and Ivy were there for one another and helped each other grow. Both characters dealt with grief and the challenges of having to live up to your parent’s expectations which I appreciated.Definitely recommend this book.

I just don't think Jennifer Dugan's book are for me. This is the second book by her I have read now, and both have been a one star. Now, I did like this more than The Last Girls Standing but it still just absolutely didn't work for me.
The romance mainly just absolutely sucked ass. I can't even say it didn't work for me, it just wasn't well written AT ALL. After two very short conversations these two main characters have their first kiss that leads to their first date. After that we skip forward a month basically, and they are madly in love, and would die for each other. We just straight up skipped any sort of developement that a relationship is supposed to have. It made all of their feelings just feel so disingenious. The drama in this book is also very hinged on their relationship, and the stakes just don't feel there at all because Jennifer Dugan just didn't put in an effort to make us care about them. Like, I'm sorry your relationship with this girl you barely know is treatening your life dreams? And it's supposed to be a difficult decision between the two? I truly don't get it. Once the third act conflict slips in, and their fight just is a bit too massive for me. I feel like it steered the relationship very quickly in the toxic/slightly abusive environement. Especially with the way things were resolved. It gave me such a massive ick.
Throughout the book I was quite invested in the personal journeys of these main characters. I do think it was quite interesting, but the only thing that was well executed in my opinion were the discussions around grief. Like I mentioned before a lot of the conflict in this book is centered around the relationship, and therefore I just didn't feel the stakes. I also feel like it got very repetetive very quickly. The same thought just was repeated over and over again, until the end when all of the sudden things got resolved. I don't know. It just felt like a let down.

There were some cute moments….but I feel like we didn’t get enough of them.
I wish there was more of Ivy and June actually playing the game.
These people needed lessons on communication lol.

-sapphic bi/les
-baseball
-umpire/player
-sports injury
-family loss/grief

As a lover of Jenniferi Dugan's previous lGBTQ read (Some Girls Do), I was SO excited to read Playing for Keeps. However; I was quickly turned off with all the underage partying and couldn't feel a connection to either character or their storyline arcs. This wasn't a book that I was enjoying thus, I decided "not to finish it" at the 30% mark. Others may enjoy this one however; especially those who want a female led sports read that leans towards YA.

I enjoyed the heart that went into this book. There was great character development and great descriptions of personalities and feelings to help you connect. Beginning to middle I wasn’t sure where the storyline was going but ended up enjoying it. Was a good ending to wrap the story up. Easy YA read.

As always thank you to publishers and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review!


I wish I could have enjoyed this more than I did. The first half definitely had me engaged but near the middle I just felt nothing and it didn't pick me up again until the end. Very well written story, just totally not for me.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the ARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

I adore Jennifer and everything she writes. This was no exception! I had so much fun reading this one. She just has a way of pulling you in and you fall in love with the characters, setting and book. I highly recommend this!

While this comes off like something very lighthearted from the outside, it ends up dealing with a lot of heavier topics, mainly grief. This was very similar to the other Jennifer Dugan books I've read so it didn't catch me off guard and is something that added to my ultimate experience, but is worth mentioning for anyone who might be wary of a heavier read.

I really enjoyed this! As a baseball loving queer, I'm kind of biased towards enjoying something like this. It was fun and unique, not only with a woman in baseball, but also with Ivy's very earnest dream of officiating. When's the last time you saw a referee in fiction, let alone a queer one? I really loved that!

Yes, they could be very frustrating with their lack of communication and yes, they did go from feuding to making out with very little growth, but truthfully, that just feels like teenagers being teenagers to me. I've always found that Dugan can pull off some incredibly realistic teenagers, for better or worse, and this was no different.

Sapphic? Yes. Sports? Yes. YA? Yes. Jennifer Dugan? YES YES YES. I loved her previous titles, and this was no different! Jennifer Dugan is the queen of Sapphic YA love stories.

Emotional storylines, fun main characters, women breaking barriers. There was a lot to like in this book. The miscommunication trope isn't my favorite, so personally it stayed at four stars.

"Playing For Keeps" by Jennifer Dugan was a cute and engaging read that effectively highlights the pressures teens often face when trying to meet their parents' expectations. The story revolves around June and Ivy, two young women dealing with their own anxieties about the future when they first meet. Initially, they are in opposing positions, leading to less-than-stellar first impressions. However, as they get to know each other, they realize they have more in common than they thought, and they fall in love. The twist? Ivy is an official, and June is a player, meaning their relationship has to stay secret.

As the pressure mounts, their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, leading to a mess of emotions and situations towards the end. Despite the chaos, it was heartwarming to see how everything sorted out. It's a good read for the YA crowd, capturing the intense emotions and drama of teenage life.

While I was deeply invested in this book, I found June to be one of the most insufferable characters I've ever read. Though I understood her backstory and often felt bad for her, her constant whining and poor decisions made it difficult to empathize with her. On the flip side, Ivy was a delightful contrast. She was adorable, sweet, and I was always excited to see her appear in the story.

Jennifer Dugan excels at writing realistic characters, and June and Ivy are no exception. This realism can be a double-edged sword; while some readers might find the characters' actions relatable, others might be put off by their flaws. However, I think Dugan's ability to create such authentic characters is a significant strength, especially in the YA genre where relatability is key. High school seniors often act just as irrationally and emotionally as June and Ivy, but these actions are rarely critiqued in real life.

One thing Dugan consistently does well is crafting characters that evoke strong reactions. In "Playing for Keeps," I found myself disliking both June and Ivy's parents, who added depth to the storyline and drove the plot forward. Even though June reached an unlikable point for me, her eventual redemption made the journey worthwhile. By the end, I was rooting for the romance and hoping for a happy resolution.

If you enjoy books where characters make you want to pull your hair out but ultimately come around and fix their mistakes, "Playing For Keeps" is for you. Despite the frustrations, the story is sweet and satisfying, making it a great addition to any YA bookshelf.

A pretty solid read with some stakes attatched. I really liked the progression of the novel, how the two main characters got together semi-quickly. Then the rest of the book was about their struggles as a couple and trying to stay hidden.

I thought Jennifer Dugan does a really good job of making true to life teenagers in this book. There's a lot of angst about the losses in their life (understandable), but then there's also a lot of angst about trying to sort out what they want to do for college and how to go about it. I liked Ivy, but I wanted her to stop being so mean to her mother regarding college, haha.

I think that Ivy's story was more interesting than June's and I still think that June doesn't really pay much attention to Ivy even though they obviously get back together in the end. I think that they needed to work more on their communication skills and trying to sort out how this would work for them especially since June wrote them off as breaking up eventually on their first date. There was a touch too much miscommunication trope for me.

I liked the sports aspect of it and wish we had seen a bit more of Ivy really doing the referee/umpire aspect of the book and a little less of June's baseball burnout. However, I think it was a very true to life book about the struggles that teenagers go through and trying to live up to parental expectations.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy! I have adored every one of Jennifer Dugan’s books for teens and this one was no different. An exceptional sapphic romcom for teens!

I really LOVED this emotionally charged, dual POV, enemies to lovers YA Sapphic romance from one of my fav authors, Jennifer Dugan. Ivy and June get off to a terrible start when pitching star Ivy walks into the umpire changing room. Under intense pressure, June is trying to live up to her dead mother's reputation, playing while hurt and in pain and finds comfort in Ivy who relates to losing a loved one from cancer, having lost her older brother.

With complicated family. pressures, both girls find some release giving into the sparks between them even though they have to hide their relationship from the league since its technically taboo for a player to date an official. With great supportive friends and important lessons about living for yourself not the memory of loved ones, this was great on audio and a new standout this year. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!