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A review by peterparker
Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One thing about me is I love Baseball another thing about me is I love Jennifer Dugan, I've read almost all the books she's published.
Playing for keeps is a young adult baseball romance that follows two main characters. Ivy is set on her dreams of becoming a famous official referee. June dreams of becoming a professional baseball pitcher and she pushes herself to be the best even when it's hurting her. When they start crushing on each other it becomes an ethics nightmare as Ivy is the umpire for June's team. Will their relationship make it or will June leave Ivy striking out?
While this is not my favorite from Jennifer Dugan it still manages to be a cute little YA romance. The main issue I have is with how many fights the two characters have. I get it creates tension but there's already a lot going on in this book that I could've dealt with a bit more cute moments.
I absolutely loved the baseball references and how a woman playing for a baseball team would be treated. It's really encouraging as I never knew a single women baseball player growing up. I didn't even know there was a U.S women's national league! I also loved learning more about women officiates. I really don't pay much attention to referees, or umpires so this was a nice way to learn more about them.
Overall, this was a fun romance book that talked way more about cancer than I expected it to. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Playing for keeps is a young adult baseball romance that follows two main characters. Ivy is set on her dreams of becoming a famous official referee. June dreams of becoming a professional baseball pitcher and she pushes herself to be the best even when it's hurting her. When they start crushing on each other it becomes an ethics nightmare as Ivy is the umpire for June's team. Will their relationship make it or will June leave Ivy striking out?
While this is not my favorite from Jennifer Dugan it still manages to be a cute little YA romance. The main issue I have is with how many fights the two characters have. I get it creates tension but there's already a lot going on in this book that I could've dealt with a bit more cute moments.
I absolutely loved the baseball references and how a woman playing for a baseball team would be treated. It's really encouraging as I never knew a single women baseball player growing up. I didn't even know there was a U.S women's national league! I also loved learning more about women officiates. I really don't pay much attention to referees, or umpires so this was a nice way to learn more about them.
Overall, this was a fun romance book that talked way more about cancer than I expected it to. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cancer, and Death of parent