Reviews: PLAY WITH ME & THE SWEETHEART LIST

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was filled with lots of naps and great books.  Today I’m back to share my thoughts on two heartwarming summer romances that you’re going to want to add to your TBRs.

Play for Me Goodreads

Author: Libby Hubscher

Publication Date: June 20, 2023

Publisher: Berkley Romance

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

Set at a prep school in New England, Libby Hubscher’s new novel Play for Me follows Sophie Doyle, an athletic trainer, who has just been fired from her dream job with the Boston Red Sox. Sophie had recommended that their injured star pitcher not play, which cost them a World Series title, and it did not go over well with Red Sox Nation.  To add insult to injury, Sophie’s boyfriend, the team doctor, kicks her out since her recommendation contradicted his.  Needing both a job and a place to live, Sophie takes a job at a prep school in New Hampshire.  Here she can lay low, regroup, and come up with a game plan on how to get her job back. What Sophie doesn’t realize is how truly life changing this experience will be.

I adored Sophie from the moment we see her bean a rabid Sox fan in the face with a cannoli after he spits on her food. I loved her feisty spirit as well as her determination to find a new path forward after getting fired. I also really liked how she took it in stride when she finds out she’ll be rooming with three male teachers at the school due to an unforeseen housing issue.  She makes fast friends with two of them, the most adorable gay couple ever, and they become like brothers to her.  The third roommate, Jonah, a surly music teacher, is a different story.  From their first meeting, Jonah is gruff and rude, and makes it all too clear he doesn’t want Sophie there.  Or is something else going on there?

If you enjoy romances that feature tropes like enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, and he fell first, as well as lots of witty banter, you’re going to love watching Sophie and Jonah in action as their relationship evolves from hilariously awkward to something so moving that it actually brought tears to my eyes a few times.

I truly loved everything about this book, but something that especially stood out for me was the found family vibe at the school. Sophie gets the love and support she needs and she also pays it forward to the students she coaches, particularly a charming young man named Tyson, a gifted musician who also happens to have one of the best pitching arms Sophie has ever seen.  That found family vibe isn’t just at the school either; Sophie’s dad also creates a found family of his own, by treating all of Sophie’s friends as if they were his own children.  It was so sweet how they all forged relationships with him and would call him for advice and to chat. He and Sophie are also very close, and their heartwarming, tender moments were some of my favorites from the book.

Play for Me is filled with lovable characters, a swoony enemies to lovers romance, and just so many wonderful “found family” vibes.  It’s truly a heartwarming gem of a book!  4.5 STARS

The Sweetheart List (Sunrise Cove, #4) Goodreads

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

Publisher:  Avon Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

The Sweetheart List is the fourth book in Jill Shalvis’ newest series, Sunrise Cove.  I’m late to the Jill Shalvis party, but I started reading this series last year and it quickly became one of my favorite romance series.  Each book has just been such a heartwarming delightful read filled with characters who are so well drawn that I feel like I know them. I also love the Lake Tahoe setting and I really like how even though the books are all interconnected by the setting, they can all be read as standalones.

The Sweetheart List follows Harper Shaw.  Harper has abandoned her old life, which was no longer bringing her joy, and has come to Sunrise Cove, the last place she remembers being truly happy, looking for a fresh start.  When she goes to pick up the keys to the shop where she’s planning to open a bakery, she has a hilariously awkward meet cute with Bodie Campbell and then can’t seem to escape him no matter where she goes. He not only lives near her, but he also owns the tavern next to her shop, and he and his family are her landlords.  The sparks fly between Harper and Bodie every time they cross paths and you can just tell they could be good together if they give it a shot.

As much as I adored Harper for her determination to get out there and find a happier life for herself, it was Bodie who really stole my heart.  He suffered two major losses while he was away working for the ATF, and when he returns home, everyone else seems to have already finished grieving and moved forward.  It broke my heart to see him struggling so much, but thankfully he has an incredible support system with his mom and his hilarious brothers.  As Bodie himself says, his family loves hard.

I also fell hard for Ivy, the teenage runaway, who has come to Sunrise Cove on a mission.  Not only did I fall hard for her, but so does Harper, who takes Ivy under her wing, and Bodie, who recognizes another soul who is struggling.  Watching these three characters come together like a family truly warmed my heart even more so than the romantic possibilities between Harper and Bodie did.

The Sweetheart List is yet another gem of a story from Jill Shalvis.  If charming settings, quirky lovable characters, hilarious antics involving wild animals, swoony romances, and found families are your vibe, then this one is a must read for you!  4.5 STARS