Okay so I was first introduced to this from Wattpad. The version on there and this version have big differences. The first one being this story takes place in college not high school. Which I think is a smart move in general due to the themes they explored in the story. Second the Wattpad version was over the course of a school year vs. just a week. Scenes have been removed or altered dealing with Sadie.

This story is the much better version out of the two. Cam and Maddie’s relationship is still so cute and spicy. You are rooting for them both the whole way through the story. The spice does take a front seat in the book so I wish we got more conversations that helped build the relationship.

The one thing I’m kind of curious about is if this is a whole new series since her Wattpad series has 4 books revolving around cam and Maddie. From what I have gathered It’s this story is now apart of a whole new series.

Overall still a really enjoyable read! If you are looking for a good brothers best friend, it’s always been you HEA this is the story for you!

This book was steamy and romantic with some family drama added in. The forbidden brother's best friend trope is one of my all time favorites in a rom-com and this one delivers on that aspect very well. I do like that the 3rd act conflict in this book is very near the ending and is resolved quickly. I think Maddie and Cameron are so cute together and I love their character growth.

Well done rom-com novel from Deanna Faison. A quick, fun, steamy read. Looking forward to reading more by them in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group | W by Wattpad Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I loved them. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. It got wayyy more emotional than I was expecting. Such a fun spring break romance.

3.5 stars

This one was so bingable- I finished it in less than a day! It was a great brothers best friend, second chance (ish? kinda?), reformed player story that was light and so easy to read. For a debut novel, I thought this was great and exactly what I was needing to read at the time. I'm excited to read more from Deanna in the future!

Read if you like:
- smart girl // athlete boy
- brother's best friend
- have known each other since childhood
- reformed player
- taboo/ hidden relationship

Thank you so much, Deanna Faison for the advance read of this book!

Fans of the Summer I Turned Pretty series will absolutely love this! this book is a cute, steamy brothers best friend romance, who could ask for more? I think Deanna Faison did a wonderful job for her debut novel, I read this in a day and was hooked the entire time!

This book features an adorable plot centered around childhood friends Maddie and Cam, who find themselves navigating a forbidden romance. Having grown up together, their feelings for each other intensified during their teenage years. However, Cam, Maddie's brother's best friend, tries to resist their attraction and pushes her away. Now back home from college, they can no longer deny their undeniable chemistry. While I found myself occasionally struggling with the formatting, unsure whether we were in a flashback or not, overall, this book delivers a delightful blend of cute, fluffy, spicy romance set against a sports backdrop—a combination that's hard to resist!

This book is about two childhood friends, Maddie and Cameron who stopped speaking for 6 years after a death in Cameron’s life alter the way he sees everything and now they’re finding their way back to each other.

Honestly, I am NOT one of the romance girlies. If I see romance as a genre, I stray away from it. But today, I decided to give the book a chance. And I will say, it was something.

Maddie was a better girl than me. If a man tell me he doesn’t have his life together and he’s a walking red flag, I will take that as a hint. NOBODY is worth going to hell and back with. I don’t care how long I have known them. But for this novel, that perspective was needed to pull in the story. If you like romance novels with spice and an enemies to love trope, this book is right up your alley. It’s to the point, run your emotions and properly paced.

I could not get enough of Cameron and Maddie. I literally read this book as much as I could because I needed to know how the book was going to end. It did not disappoint and it even had me to tears around the last little bit. it is very spicy so if that inst your cup of tea I wouldn't recommend it however it is very well written

This was a great and spicy read. I love this take on a brother's best friend romance.

Spring Break is not where Maddie thinks she will get her chance with her first crush after years of not being in touch, but a series of events leads to opportunities.
Cam had a crush on Maddie, but after losing him mother, he really uses football as a focused distraction, and he is known for being a playboy.

The author went spice heavy and, in my opinion, some of the issues could have been navigated more deeply if the author had given them space earlier in the plot.

This book had everything I want in a romance novel! It was well paced and I was able to read it in one day. I just had to know what happened between the main characters. The male main character is very swoon worthy. I also enjoyed the character growth he went through and how his relationship with his dad shifted. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

This book was so cute. I love spicy, cute sports romances. The spice level was out of this world. I'd say this is perfect for fall since it's a football romance. Still, I loved this so much!

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

Maddie and her brother Ethan have palled around with Cameron since he was little, and Maddie has nursed a not-so-secret crush on Cameron. Now that they’re older and Cameron is a superstar football player on the verge of being drafted by the NFL, Maddie watches from the sidelines as he works his way through girls like it’s his job. Things change on Spring Break when Cameron realizes he doesn’t want Maddie to be with anyone else and they decide to strike up a friends-with-benefits relationship. Jealousy, feelings, and intense-dad relationships occur.

I mean, I don’t know if I need to review this book because I am NOT the audience. It’s college-aged, college-minded, and really immature. Cameron is allowed to be a male slut because his mom died of cancer, Cameron can’t say no to Dad because he pays tuition, and Ethan smokes weed and plays video games and doesn’t want his sister to date his bestie even though he wants to date Maddie’s bestie. The whole thing was a little icky for me - I think that perhaps the younger set would read it and appreciate it but it was definitely not for my age group. Cameron was weird and although I can get behind an “experienced” MMC, his sleeping around ways were icky and excused as “boys being boys.” When things happen at the end with his dad, the dad just turns around and is like, “Yes, I am changing who I am 100% right now, everything you say is right.” Relationships do not work like that. It wasn’t my thing - too immature for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

You all have heard of hockey romance, but this book is taking it back to where it all started with football. With childhood friends to lovers and a little forbidden romance, Deanna Faison created the perfect football romance that will leave you teary eyed one minute, and giggling and kicking your feet the next. I am absolutely obsessed with these characters she has created! I loved the body representation in Maddie being described as a curvy character because I feel like there isn’t enough rep for us in romances! She’s a smart and capable female main character who can stand her ground and I just loved her character so much. Cameron was the greatest gentleman and gives off HUGE golden retriever vibes. His story made me cry the most and I resonated with him a lot. The writing was amazing and once I picked it up I didn’t want to put it down! And a second book is now confirmed which I am looking forward to!

Playmaker by Deanna Faison was absolute sport romance fun!

This is the perfect summer romance for lovers of sport romances. I loved Maddie and Cameron's relationship dynamic so much! It was the perfect mix of flirty, steamy and fun. One thing I loved was the tropes that play part of the book like brother's best friend and friends to lovers. I loved how they were childhood friends that things happen and years later they've grown up and the connection between them is very strong. This book was quick paced, I devoured it in a sitting because I could not put it down. I loved that it also goes deeper into their connection and how tragedy and grief bonds them and helps them grow. This book is the perfect sport romance book for the summer when you're looking for something to read that is sweet, wholesome and steamy and will make you giddy and swoon all at once!

This book is a combination of all the things romance readers have been enjoying lately. It has lots of good spice, sports romance and brothers best friend, This story has a sweet friendship and lots of good spicy scenes. What this story unfortunately lacks is a lot of plot but it is a fun easy read.

I will read anything with a brothers best friend trope and spice. 10/10 recommend. Iloved Playmaker. How much, you ask? Well, I read the entire book on my phone after thinking I would just check out a few pages before I could go home and grab my Kindle! I was totally incapable of putting it down. The history between Cam and Maddie, how they grew up together, had me rooting for them from page one. I loved the spice in this book because of the passion between the characters. It all felt very authentic to me, and since l'm not a huge fan of insta-love, this book was right up my alley.
Cam and Maddie face some tough challenges as they navigate grief and uncertainties together, but their story is honestly captivating.
Think fluffy, spicy, sports romance with a totally believable connection between the MMC and FMC. This book is so easy to adore.

This book is a cute, spicy, sports romance that was enjoyable! I loved the relationship between the MMC and the FMC! You will love this one if you love sports romance!

Playmaker: A Hidden Attractions Novel by Deanna Faison
Rating: 3
Vibe: Brother’s best friend
Format: ARC eBook

Growing up, Maddie had a major crush on her brother’s best friend, Cameron, and for a fleeting moment when they were teenagers, she thought he might even feel the same way, until he broke her heart, effectively ending their friendship, too. Now, Maddie is a pre-med student and Cameron a strong NFL prospect, and the two barely speak. However, one party during Spring Break is all it takes to resurface their feelings, and Maddy must decide if having the only guy she’s ever wanted is worth the risk of getting her heart broken again.

In all honesty, this just wasn’t the book for me. It was marketed as a sports romance, but the only tie to sports were references to Cameron’s future NFL career; football was never at the forefront of the novel. There was a significant amount of teen angst for characters in their early twenties as well as repeated conversations focused on sexual experience—this was very distracting for me and made it difficult to connect with the characters. wondered if perhaps the author might be younger than the characters, leading to this disconnect. I also struggled to follow the plot; the story felt largely driven by the physical attraction between the two main characters, and I was looking for something deeper than that, whether it be self-discovery from one of the characters or further development of their relationship. What I did really appreciate about this novel was the exploration of grief and the profound impact it can have on our lives, as evident in Cameron’s character. Additionally, I love how the author showed that family isn’t just a matter of relatives—we all have the power to choose our own family, just Maddie and Ethan’s family embraced Cameron without hesitation.

I truly appreciate the opportunity to have read an advanced copy, but despite my interest in the romance genre, I do not believe I was the right audience for this. Thank you to NetGalley and W by Wattpad Books for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Had to DNF early on due to the judgmental attitude of the FMC. It just became to overwhelming in the story.