4.5/5 rounded up! Secondly, thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Webtoon Publishers for the advance reader copy! I feel like this is a romance with a lot of coming-of-age elements!

As a certified Auntie, phew these teenagers were GROWN AF - bars, drugs, sleepovers, oh my (my parents' Black household would neverrrrr!!)! I was not expecting that part at all, but it made for a realistic and engaging story! Both Cree and DeAndre are so precious and are just trying to do their best - however some of their conflict would've been resolved if their prefrontal cortexes were developed LOL. But as someone who loves mess?? Babyyyyy, this book did it for me! This book hooked me in immediately and I struggled to pace myself reading it, because I just wanted to inhale it! I felt like I was watching this all play out on a Facetime Call!

One Sentence Review - After a very heated debate and mutual dislike for one another, Cree and DeAndre form a very unlikely friendship that helps them navigate high school relationships (both romantic and platonic), difficult family dynamics and pressures, and more!

Whitney is such an engaging author! There were many parts where I had to put the book down and take some deep breaths - because phew the babies were going through it! I wish we could've gotten just like an epilogue or just a little more with Cree and DeAndre, but that might be me being greedy! I also loved all of the characters - Like all of the Ballers and Troy were so dynamic and complex. I want all of them to have their own spin offs!

Would recommend this to a person who likes ENGAGING & Drama filled YA romances that feel like a reality tv show, enjoys enemies to lovers tropes, with great main and side characters!

In this YA contemporary romance, Cree Jacobs can’t stand the arrogant, overhyped Ballers Club at Moorehead High, especially DeAndre Parker, the talented and charming leader of the group. But when a heated argument in class sets DeAndre on a mission to change Cree’s mind, he starts to break down her walls, leading to an unexpected friendship that grows into something more. As their rivalry shifts to romance, Cree must navigate her feelings for the guy she swore she’d never fall for.

Chileeeeee, Cree was giving "nah I'm good" and not tying to believe the clear signs around her, but as her & DeAndre begin to spend more time together, she finds herself falling for him.

This is a book I will be thinking about for a while. There was so much complexity with every single character in this story. I saw someone write this was an enemies to friends to lovers and that’s a perfect way to describe the relationship between the MCs. I NEED everyone to read this YA novel, like make haste y’all.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC.

I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This is a true YA book; the conversations going on in this book were very much high school, and I loved that for the book. I enjoyed following Cree and DeAndre navigate what their relationship was and wasn't, the depth of their conversations, and the conflict surrounding their individual lives. Dre's relationship with his dad and brothers, and Cree's relationship with her dad, stepmom, and best friend.

All the characters had a purpose; they assisted in moving the plot along nicely.

This book just felt good. This was a book that I read in one day; I did housework, came back to the book, cooked dinner, came back to the book. Got in the tub.....SO DID THE BOOK! LOL!

Thank you, Netgalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group | Wattpad Books, and Whitney D. Grandison, for the ARC of this fun read.

This book featured real conversations and situations, and I will definitely be purchasing it for my niece.

A quick read about teens trying to find their place in the world and discovering who and what they genuinely believe in. It's perfect for a quick read in between longer books.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

This book gave me total Love and Basketball vibes and I'm so here for it. Cree and Deandre had me laughing out loud with all their witty comments and digs at each other. This was a slow burn but quick to read and I ate it up.

The enemies to friends to lovers troupe is easily one of my favorites and the progression and evolution of this relationship was done so naturally and beautifully. Once Cree could let her guard down she was able to see her and the super hott "Baller" Deandre weren't so different afterall. Past trauma, strict parents and the pressure to figure out what's next is so relatable to many of us.

Every character in this book is my favorite. The whole friend group is hilarious and watching these kids navigate through life was a ride! Not only that, so many heavy topics surrounding the black community were addressed so eloquently. This was not just a love story but there were so many lessons and hard conversations making this a must read for 2025!!

I really enjoyed this book. Young teenage angst will always be a favorite of mine. What happens when enemies become friends with the possibility for more. Cree & DeAndre form an unlikely friendship after a heated debate in class. We follow them through their last years of high school, while they navigate friendship, strained relationships with their parents and young love. The book is super cute. Seeing the growth in the characters and their relationships gave me all the feels. Thank You to Net Galley for the ARC.

(Rating 4.5 stars)
Wow. This book was messy and full of drama, and I loved it! Whitney D. Grandison is a first-time author for me. I didn't know what to expect, but I'm so happy I took a chance and read it. I'm not usually one for messy characters or third-act breakups, but the banter was hilarious! This book had the same vibes as the movie Love & Basketball. You have two misunderstood characters who judge one another in the beginning. Once they work to understand each other, their blossoming friendship and romance are inevitable. It's a slow-burning romance that's worth the wait.

This book also had a lot of depth! There were different conversations regarding serious topics surrounding the Black community. It was great to see how each topic was discussed, especially between high schoolers. It only added to my love for these strong-willed (and very stubborn) characters.

I also really enjoyed the found family elements in this story. Whitney D. Grandison makes you fall in love with all the characters in her story, not just the main ones.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Whitney Grandison, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

If there’s one thing Cree can’t stand about her high school, it’s definitely the Ballers Club. An exclusive clique of boys who rein over the school’s sports teams. The boys are arrogant and flashy.

Don’t tell that to DeAndre Parker, the leader of the group. Laidback, good looking, a star on the court, and the son of a retired NBA champion, DeAndre knows his potential and that almost everyone at Moorehead would do anything to be friends with him.

These two would never cross paths or acknowledge each other, but one debate with Cree in class sets DeAndre off, igniting a need within him: no one can resist the Club. Determined to get Cree under his spell, DeAndre begins trying to change her opinion of him as the two strike a friendship. Will it turn into something more.

A heartwarming YA read! Two characters that grow throughout the book and have great dialogue!

Playin’ Hard was a slow burn I’ll rave about every damn time! I was truly invested in Cree’s and DeAndre’s story. Reading how the two of them balanced their differences and eventually they grew to have an understanding to create a friendship was amazing.

This story gave a glimpse of what it might be like as a child growing up in a pro athlete’s shadow. The pressure and commitment placed upon the child to follow in their parent footsteps to become pro too. I always wonder if the athlete’s child actually wanted to play the sport their parent played or was it forced because they might have it “easier” than others to get to that level.

But not only that, the voice this story brought to light regarding teenagers but specifically young men learning about love was powerful. I’ll always believe that a child should grow up in a 2 parent household to have a better balance on life lessons. When a child grows up without one of their parents, they tend to lack certain skills and values. Seeing how DeAndre’s didn’t have “motherly love” explained a lot behind him not knowing what love truly was and how to love those around him.

Very cute tale of YA FMC & MMC going thru the ups and downs of being teenagers in high school. Love that it’s centered around two people that usually wouldn’t be together yet they have enough in common to make it worth it.

I feel like I got bored pretty often :( but I wanted to love it. In the end, it was an okay book. I’d recommend it to ya lovers

True rating: 4.5 ⭐️
I was SO invested in Cree's and DeAndre's stories! It was great seeing their indifference to each other and what they thought the other stood for progress into a mutual understanding of the other thus blossoming into a friendship. If you want to read something that feels so high school yet complex in a way that feels life-like, I would highly recommend you check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Webtoon for sending me an arc!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
DNF @ 31%

This book had pretty forced and telly writing, and I honestly couldn't stand any of the Ballers. Yes, that included our MMC, DeAndre. I couldn't understand why Cree was suddenly okay with them either.

There were some interesting things going on, like seeing the pressures of having a successful NBA father with a single-minded focus for his sons, or how Cree started to let in her stepmother. I THINK this book had in mind arcs it was going for, and who knows? Maybe those arcs will end up good.

But I was just so done with not seeing the Ballers trip on their faces and cringing at all their try-hard-above-others remarks. We get it. You don't believe in high school love and are at least honest that you're just wanting to have some fun. That doesn't mean all of your dialogue or internal thoughts have to make you seem like sucky people 🙄

So, hey, if your read the entirety and I ended up missing some awesome growth, then great, but I cannot bring myself to stick around and see it.

a BIG NO! As soon as I got to “Are you a feminazi?”

I like YA but this was...SO HARD TO GET THROUGH.

I think it's a cute concept but wasn't executed well.

Stopppp. This was the cutest book ever!! I really didnt think I would devour it the way I did. The friend group? The cat and mouse game? The complex family dynamics? I was here for all of it. I really loved the boys and how they grew over time. This was just so adorable 😩 My only beef was the last 10% of the book. I wanted more of Cree & Dre just being happy together

Playin Hard is enemies to lovers in one extraordinary book! We follow the journey of the players, in this book we meet DeAndre and female boss Cree. They are polar opposites, therefore causing tension which we can tell where this story will go *cue the giggling*

With the way that DeAndre was introduced to us, he really seemed to be such a demanding character and so persistent to find Cree, and in the way he pursued her, it was definitely a way in which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Even Cree's friends were pushing her to be with Dre and after how hard she worked for her life to build up her comfort, I fif not like how he kept chasing her and pushing her buttons and eventually Cree did agree to be with him, but it just wasn't in a good way for her.

Along with this, I feel like the unexpected pregnancy would have been enough for Cree to run the other way from DeAndre, yet she didn't, however it took so long for DeAndre to really carry his weight and what he needed to do to care for the situation. And along with this, I feel like in this case, it would have been better for Cree to run the other way and save herself from the mess of DeAndre.

I do understand there is an audience that could be interested in the drama, but as a basketball fan, this was not the basketball romance that I was expecting and therefore soemwhat upset me. I do appreciate the way that Grandison wrote Cree and the boss she is. So Cree is definitely one of my favorite characters who is such a boss after what she has gone through.

Thank you to NetGalley, Whitney Grandison and Wattpad books for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes, you may start a book that is incredibly bingeable. It'll have you not caring if you have work tomorrow (although you will highkey regret it in the morning); and if you are lucky, you will have a good time. "Playin' Hard" was that book for me. Unexpectedly, this was pretty good. These kids are grown as hell though. Other than the strip clubs, famous fathers, hooka lounges, etc. this environment reminded me of my own high school even down to the talent show. What really impressed me was the topics covered in this story. The discussions regarding black culture and family dynamics were done well. Also, the banter between everyone felt genuine. Had me laughing at some of the jokes. You know, I think I will go ahead and check out Grandison's backlog.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

I love the cute cover! It was a good young adult book. It shows when we think things are one way it’s really not. I enjoyed the main characters getting to know each other.