Play You For It: A Novel by Samantha Saldivar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a great book. Especially if you’re a basketball fan. I had never heard of the author before. I still haven’t checked to see if this was a debut or not but will as soon as I’m done with this review.

In this sizzling sapphic romance, sparks fly between a sports journalist and her latest source—the first woman to be named head coach of a Division 1 men’s basketball team—but are they willing to risk their careers for a shot at love?

When Jordan D’Amato becomes the first woman named head coach of a top-level men’s college basketball team, journalist Caroline Beck is determined to get the story. After years of scraping her way into the world of sports reporting, Beck knows that snagging the first one-on-one interview with the elusive head coach could be her big break. But Jordan is wary of the media and the attention her historic new appointment attracts, especially as her boss makes it clear that it’s a temporary assignment—and if she doesn’t lead the team to victory, it won’t become permanent.

Beck’s persistence, however, charms Jordan, and she agrees to sit down for an interview. The two women have undeniable chemistry—but journalists definitely can’t fall for sources, and Jordan certainly can’t fully trust the ambitious reporter who has every reason to use her team secrets for the next big scoop. Though they both know it will ruin their reputations and likely also cost them their jobs if anyone finds out they are romantically involved, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

With the national tournament in sight and both of their careers on the line, they must decide whether to take the shot on their budding love story—or walk away from the risky game they’ve been playing for good.

There really was so much to enjoy about this novel. We’ve got the great romance between a college men’s basketball coach and a sports reporter. We’ve got the battle the coach and team endure over the sexist sports director/alumni/press. We’ve got various issues that the players are dealing with. And we’ve got a touch of family drama. It could feel overwhelming as a reader, but it all felt completely natural and believable.

I think the only stumbling block I had was some of the word choices used. Not that they were wrong, necessarily, but that some of them fucked up the flow for me. But at the same time, it was a delight to read something with a more grown-up vocabulary. Sometimes I want to read multisyllabic words and even have to look one or two up. Actually, I almost always want a more mature vocabulary in my romance novels, but it doesn’t really seem like something that’s done in the genre often. So, when I find a book that challenges my brain a little with words, I tend to love it even more.

I’m so glad Play You For It came up as a suggestion on NetGalley. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure I would have missed it. It’ll definitely go on my re-read list.

Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the hook up!




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