Reviews with content warning for Grief - Play Along

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Play Along by Liz Tomforde

34 reviews

one_more_chapter96's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The perfect mix of romance and comedy with some real life hard hitting emotions sprinkled in. Isaiah is perfection and I adored him whilst also loving Kennedy and her development. Such a sweet and sad story, but with a cute ending. Super enjoyable.

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amanda_reads13's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

After a drunken night in Vegas, Kennedy and Isaish wind up married. Unfortunately for them, what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas as the news of their marriage makes headlines and word gets back to their boss.

I really enjoyed the progression of Isaiah and Kennedy's relationship. Kennedy was afraid of opening herself up to others and Isaiah managed to slowly tear down her walls. I wish we had delved deeper into her relationship with her family, maybe a few flashbacks or something? Just to give us a real understanding of her past. Isaiah always puts up a happy front, afraid to let people what is behind the smile. Kennedy helps him see that compassion and concern for others are actually his strength.

I found parts of the story to be kind of repetitive and felt like it could have been cut back a bit.

Isaiah and Kai had a really difficult childhood. After their mother died in a car accident, their father left them, and Kai pretty much raised Isaiah. To say they are close in an understatement. I LOVE the relationship these two men have. They are so supportive and encouraging of each other. Throw in Miller, Max, and the other friends, this gives such a warm hearted found family vibe. I think that Isaiah's panic attacks/anxiety was handled well, but I wish that there would have been a conversation about him getting help earlier. Yes, they could not afford when he was a kid, but he certainly can now.

Kennedy grew up in a cold home, void of love. She was expected to marry for business and was basically forced into an engagement. Her family, with the exception of her step-brother Dean, have zero respect for any life choices she has made and do not support her at all.

I actually really liked the epilogue. I love that it mentioned him going to therapy for his trauma, but I wish that it had mentioned Kennedy going as well. I also like that they are taking time for themselves as a couple and not rushing into having a baby.

Tropes: he falls first, teach me, marriage of convenience, co-workers, found family

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yoohanna's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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courtnetto's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Taken me quite a while to finish this one because I’m at that stage of motherhood now where my little one is teething and needs a lot of comfort!
Anyway, onto the review. Liz Tomforde does it again with another 5 star read. This book follows Isaiah and Kennedy’s journey as they end up drunkenly getting married on the anniversary of Isaiah and Kai’s Mom’s death. However, when they wake up Kennedy realises what they have done and tries to get their marriage annulled.
It’s around this time, that they decide to “play along” with their marriage to their team and the managers in order for one of them to not get fired (Kennedy), and they claim that they had both had a thing for each other for years and now was the right time for them to get married. But secretly, their agreement was that they would remain together for the season and then as soon as the season is over, Kennedy can take another job in San Francisco and they will get a divorce. Overtime though, due to the more time that they spend together, Kennedy finds herself falling in love with her already husband.
Kennedy eventually goes for the interview in San Francisco and upon returning, there is a storm going on outside, much to Isaiah’s dismay as it just reminds him of when his Mom died. Isaiah was frantically calling her and everyone of his loved ones to make sure they were all okay and not out driving in the storm. But the only person he could not get in contact with was Kennedy. He decides he’s going to go to her apartment to see if she’s okay, but she then steps out of the elevator soaking wet from running to his apartment in the rain.
True love, right?
This is when Kai finally announces his retirement from Baseball which only causes Isaiah more heartbreak as he now has to continue this sport without his big brother by his side. During this time, the rest of the team and even their wives realise just how in love with each other Kennedy and Isaiah are. Kennedy receives a phone call which is from the team in San Francisco offering her the job, which she sadly turns down as she realises her home is there in Chicago with all of the people that she loves. However, she tells Isaiah that she didn’t get the job. It’s Dean that reveals to Isaiah that actual truth about the job. Isaiah tells Kennedy that she is to go and follow her dreams, and to not let him hold her back thus issuing her some divorce papers while telling her to have the weekend to think on it.
She then returns to the clubhouse on the Monday and finds Isaiah, giving him back the envelope but he can’t bring himself to open the envelope. Kennedy eventually has a meeting with Reese and Mr Remington about her position at work and tells them that she won’t be returning, as she is going to find a job at a university or college until another team within the city gets a vacancy. This is when they tell her that actually, they’d like to become the Head of Health and Wellness as they’ve fired Dr Fredrick for mistreating Kennedy… thanks to all of the team complaining to them about his treatment towards her. Kennedy is reluctant to take this job at first, saying that Will should take it. But little did she know, that they had already had a meeting with Will and he told them that Kennedy should take the position. It was agreed that because she was there first, she should have the job. At the end, Kennedy makes Isaiah open the envelope and read what she had wrote on the dotted line for signatures.
This is when he realises that he’d actually got the woman of his dreams and that she wasn’t leaving him after all, they would remain together forever.
We then get an epilogue of 2 years later where Isaiah is reminiscing of their marriage 2 years ago, while they are now getting ready to get married in the exact same spot, on the anniversary of his Mom’s death, on Max’s birthday and the anniversary of when they first got married!
I really loved the character development in this book, it was lovely to see how people can mature overtime and realise their feelings for another person. Tomforde really has me feeling for Kennedy at points in the book, such as describing how her ex would tell her things that made her feel rubbish about herself etc. This isn’t something I’ve dealt with personally, but I know people that have and it just makes me feel so bad for them.
Anyway, this is well worth the 5⭐️ that I have rated it and I would 100% read it again if given the chance to!🩷

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