A review by wafflesnweights
Make The Play by Hailey Rodger

challenging emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

PR Nightmare, Book Boyfriend Dream 

Baby, let the fake dating games begin! 

Dedication: For the ones who hold everyone else together. The life of the party. The fixer. The spark. Every version of you deserves to be seen, not just the shiny pieces. Your quiet parts, the tired pieces, the aching hearts. You don’t have to shine to be held.

Zoe (FMC): 29 • PR Exec • Ms. Independent • Career-Driven • Manicures to Match Mood • Stubborn & Sassy • Black Cat • 
Chase (MMC): 25 • NHL Defensemen • Golden Retriever • Protective • Thoughtful • PR Chaos • 

Tropes:
🏒 Pro Hockey Player x PR Exec
🤍 Pro Hockey Romance 
🏒 Frenemies to Lovers
🤍 ONS to Fake Dating
🏒 Banter as Flirting 
🤍 Years of Tension 
🏒 Found Family 
🤍 Text Conversations 
🏒 Team Shenanigans 
🤍 Secret Tattoo
🏒 Ms “I’ve Got This” Meets Mr. “And I’ve Got You”
🤍 Black Cat FMC
🏒 Golden Retriever MMC
🤍 Music Festival Scavenger Hunt

Rating: 💅🏽💅🏽💅🏽.☕️(3.25⭐️) 
Spice: 🌶️🌶️(hand necklace, she’s pierced, 👅, begging, 🍑 play, dirty talk, praise, biting, spitting, crawling, self pleasure, toys as teammates, fun on FaceTime, tongue clean up, snowballing, 💥 in his pants)
T/W: anxiety (on page), emotional trauma (on page), grief (on page), death of a family member (referenced), strained parental relationships (referenced), unwanted following (on page), non-consensual narcotics use (on page), alcohol consumption (on page), violence (referenced)

If you’re a sucker for hockey romance, fake dating shenanigans, and a golden retriever MMC who is down so bad, Make the Play might just hit the spot. Chase Walton is chaos in a jersey. He is funny, flirty, and 100% obsessed with Zoe Carlson, the no-nonsense PR exec who’s made ignoring him an Olympic sport. When a PR crisis forces them into a fake relationship, Chase treats it like a dream come true. Zoe? Not so much.

The group texts, teammate banter, and locker room chaos had me cracking up, and Chase’s dirty mouth paired with his big softie heart is absolute book boyfriend material. But I’ll be honest Zoe and I didn’t fully click. Her trauma is valid, but her walls were fortified, and sometimes I just wanted her to give Chase more than her side-eye. Still, I get it—healing isn’t linear, and this book doesn’t pretend it is.

While it wasn’t a five-star read for me, I appreciated the emotional depth, the top-tier banter, and the reminder that even the most chaotic golden retrievers deserve love, too. I stayed for the hockey bros and Chases’ banter.  

I’m fully invested in this team of chaotic, lovable hockey men. Bring on the next Storm!

Swoony Line: 

“You’re my favorite part of every day. Even the shitty ones… especially those ones.”

I received an ARC copy and wanted to leave an honest review.