Sports romance with spice is my jam!! I love when these two elements come together with a brilliant set of protagonists. Both, our MMC and FMC were brilliantly penned and drafted. I loved both of them.
The plotline was superb, I had a great time reading this. I absolutely enjoyed and loved the book.

A rekindling of love between childhood best friends and a short journey of how to overcome and navigate grief in order to find love.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was truly the characters. Even though Cam was meant to not have the best track record I think he made up for it when we could see his thoughts and feelings through his POV chapters. The chemistry between these two was really strong and I love when we get a sort of second chance romance and there is history shared between the two characters. The parallel dynamic between the brother and Maddie's best friend was also interesting and I think it added a bit of perspective for the main characters.
The spice in this book was also super good and it started out fairly early on and built in intensity. Overall it was also just well written spice.

I wish we had gotten to see a bit more depth in the plot for these characters and also that there had been an epilogue to tell us how it was going with the whole long distance relationship. There was a lot left at the end that we finish not knowing and I think that bit of resolution would have been nice to have.
The flashback to childhood memories was a really great idea and always gives such a wholesome sense to the friendship and building relationship but I think in this case the flashbacks might have been written with the wrong voice for the age the characters were supposed to be in some of them. Also a big thing in this book I wanted more of was the sports aspect. We see Cam work out and talk about his future but there wasn't a ton involved in the football realm to give it that true sports romance feel. It was great seeing the author write about the behind the scenes of being an athlete with the pressure, strict schedule and dieting!

Everything you could possibly want in a brothers best friend sports romance. Especially liked seeing the character growth as well as relationship growth. I feel like it’s so common to only see one or the other in detail .
This was my first Deanna Faison book and I can’t wait for more!

Arc review for Playmaker by Deanna Faison 🌺

5🌟

This book was so freaking cute! I absolutely adored Maddie and Cameron. Their second chance love story was so heartwarming and had my feet kicking and giggling. The chemistry of the two of them was insane and I also enjoyed the flashbacks showing their childhood.

I was excited for this one but it just felt okay. It was better than I expected in some parts and underwhelming in others. I actually liked both main characters. They were both pretty likeable with a flushed out back story alone and together. I don’t read a lot of ‘brothers best friend’ trope romance, but based on this I’d definitely read another.

I think what I enjoyed the most was all the back stories intertwined with each other. It definitely made me want to root for both of them! But what I didn’t like was just the overall pacing. The 3 rd act breakup was unique, but especially near the end I felt that things ended too conveniently.

*ARC REVIEW*

Maddie always had a crush on Cameron growing up but never knew he felt the same way.

When they end up back in their hometown on spring break, they realize how attracted they are to each other. They agree to spend the rest of spring break hooking up in secret, hiding it from their families which backfires on them when Maddie's brother catches on. Find out what happens between them as they navigate if they want to continue a relationship hundreds of miles apart, attending different colleges.

Tropes
- Brother's Best Friend
- Childhood Friend's
- Sports Romance (Football)
- Dual POV
- Friends With Benefits

Spice Level: 4

Romance. Character growth. SPICE. I loved it! I read this in one sitting and loved it so much! I can’t wait to read more from this author!!

This book was great at capturing the reader and rooting for both the male and female characters. Maddie immediately seemed like a woman who you wanted to be happy while Cameron was the playboy you want to see change and fall in love. You feel Maddie wanting to show Cameron what she means to him while Cameron suffering from his own grief he can’t seem to be happy. It was captivating, heartwarming and heartbreaking while leaving you whole at the end.

The only thing that fell flat what the difference in less than 24 hours with his father and the too quick changes. It seemed not genuine. I would have also liked an epilogue. Overall a great read.

I could not put this book down! Playmaker had all my favorite tropes wrapped into a very cute love story!
I really enjoyed the growth and relationship between Cameron and Maddie. This book was very well written and I am obsessed with the cover. This was easily a 4.5 star read for me and I look forward to reading more books by Deanna Faison!



✨brother best friend
✨secret romance
✨sports romance
✨friends, to enemies, to lovers.
✨ childhood friends to lovers


Thank you Netgally for sending me an ARC of Playmaker by Deanna Faison!

It was so hard to put this book down until I finished it! Adorable story and great writing -- but I would love to read the story of Ethan and Maya (her brother and her best friend) falling in love! It's a really cute story but not super sporty - although Cameron (our MMC) is focusing on football and does a lot of training and gym work in the book.

Both characters Maddie and Cameron are struggling with the death of his mother from cancer that happened 6 years before the book starts. When his mother died, Cameron decided to focus only on football and getting into the NFL -- and numbed everything else including his crush on Maddie and broke her heart. Maddie decided when Cameron's mother died that she would become a doctor and tried her best to get over Cam.

Yet years later Spring Break, they cannot control their attraction any longer and secretly begin pursuing each other -- despite Cameron being her brother's best friend, despite Cameron's womanizing reputation, despite their trauma.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Deanna Faison for an ARC of this book!

Cameron and Maddie were such perfect main characters. It was almost enemy to lovers style but with added emotion of sibling friendships and a mother lost at a young age. It fit well in the current trend of sports romance without overly relying on football to take up pages.

This was cute! It was filled with classic romance tropes, also an easy and quick sport romance. I didn’t love the main characters but it was still a good book overall.

overall an entertaining read
fell in love with sports romance a while ago and this one did not miss

Overall I had a good time reading this book, it was a cute easy read that I finished fairly quickly. I was under the impression this was a sports romance, but besides Cam being a football player we don’t actually get any football content. Cam had his issues that he had to work through and Maddie was there for him through it all which was nice to see, but with the short time frame it all just felt a little unrealistic. Cam had major red flags and Maddie had no personality besides being into Cam. I also would have enjoyed if there was an epilogue so we could get a little more insight on how their relationship worked out in the future.

This was a super cute rom com read. After reading the book and seeing the characters descriptions, the cover is a wonderful representation of what I envisioned Maddie and Cam to look like. While it’s too spicy for me to put in my middle school classroom, I thoroughly enjoyed watching their relationship develop from awkward ex friends enemies to lovers type situation.Cam had some emotional trauma that he had to work through and Maddie example is needed to help those around you heal.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great book. Such a quick and easy read. I enjoyed this book. All of the characters are great. Also great story and awesome writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the ARC of “Playmaker” by Deanna Faison.

I like a good college romance novel and when I saw the cover and read the description, I thought I was getting a sports romance novel. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that the MMC Cam is a football player, there is no mention of sports (aside from when he goes to work out or goes on a run).

This story follows the classic trope of childhood friends-to-lovers and the brother’s best friend. Given that they grew up together, I can understand how quickly they end up falling in love with one another. However, I did find the timeline for this story a bit absurdly tight. It’s supposed to take place over a few weeks on spring break and the sheer volume of outings and activities that take place over this time period seems implausible.

I feel like the flashbacks that were written into the story did a nice job of adding a bit of backstory to the characters and their motivations, but I would have liked to see a bit more of these sooner.

There are major flaws with both characters - <spoiler> it’s clear that Cameron really needs to go to therapy. The fact that he hasn’t spoken to a therapist after his mother died and he’s using alcohol and sex as coping mechanisms are major red flags. Maddie is also not without her faults - she is delusional when it comes to Cam and refuses to acknowledge any of the glaring red flags he’s giving off. She also needs therapy if she’s truly as “breathtaking” as Cam consistently claims she is and yet she doesn’t seem to have any real life aside from pining over him. She definitely gives off low-key stalker girl vibes with Cam. </spoiler>

Overall, it was a cute story and it had some good points, and if you’re looking for a bit of fun, you can give it a read. If you’re into sports college romances, however, I definitely would suggest looking for another book, because this one isn’t it.

Holy passion & a little swoon can be found in Deanna Faison's debut book Playmaker. Maddie & Cameron have been friends for years, but through grief, they lost each other until the time was right for them to reconnect & then the fun began. Red flags & baggage were all over their relationship, but their love for each other was strong & communication became key to working through their issues.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book on #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own, but please add this to your TBR list, especially if you enjoy reading romances with a little heat .

3.5 stars

The book was light and overall fluffy, and the hint of football makes it feel like a solid fall read even though it takes place during the spring. The leads were enjoyable and the side characters we are introduced to were more fleshed out than typical, but I just didn't find myself connecting to the romance. In the end they were all too emotionally mature at extremely young ages while also having a real commutation issue which lasted years despite basically living together.

Lastly I wish an epilogue was included so we could get glimpse of the future: Did she make it into med school? Was he drafted?

Thank you Deanna Faison, Net Galley, and Wattpad Webtoon Book Group for the ARC.

This was such a cute story. I’m a sucker for a childhood friends to lovers story, and this one didn’t disappoint. I love seeing them grow and change. The relationship between Cameron and Maddie made me happy. I wish we got a little more flashbacks, as they add to the story. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a feel good story.