REVIEW: Play for Me by Libby Hubscher

In Play for Me by Libby Hubscher, Not to sound melodramatic or anything, but it’s funny how one decision can change a person’s entire life. As head athletic director for the Red Sox, Sophie Doyle was so sure she was doing the right thing when she pulled their pitcher from a critical game. The intent was to keep him from injuring himself further. The result? The Sox lost the game, Sophie loses her job, her boyfriend and their apartment, and is now on darn near everyone in Boston’s most-hated list. With nowhere to go and not much else to lose, she takes her best friend Astrid’s advice and gets a temp job at a New Hampshire boarding school. Should be simple enough for Sophie to lay low and bide her time until she can convince the Sox to take her back, right?

‘People who detest me: Jonas Voss and ninety-nine percent of the population of Boston.’

Only, when Sophie moves into her apartment on campus, things start off on a bad note with roommate Jonas Voss after daring to touch his precious piano…which is located in her teeny tiny room. Thankfully Sophie gets along well with her other two roommates, Andy and Revi, who assure her that orchestra teacher Jonas is a nice guy beneath all the grumpiness. Time will tell. As she gets settled in helping the students, enjoying their company more than expected, Sophie also starts to see the kind and sometimes amusing side of Jonas. There’s something about the Brit–aside from his hotness and even hotter accent–that touches her on a soul-deep level. Maybe it’s their passion for their careers. Or maybe it’s the personal problems they’re both grappling with on their own. Whatever it is, Sophie knows Jonas has the power to either hurt her or make her heart sing. She’s hoping it’s the latter that will be the outcome when the school year ends.

“Do you think me a hooligan or something? I’ll have you know I have excellent manners.”
“I guess you reserve them for people other than me.”
“What can I say, Doyle? You seem to bring out my baser tendencies.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He leaned over. When he spoke, his voice was low and gruff in my ear. “You drive me absolutely mad.”

Play for Me was the perfect example of a feel-good novel. It had a diverse cast of characters I couldn’t help but love and a Grumpy/Sunshine pairing that was top notch. But it was Libby Hubscher’s writing voice that took this to a higher level, making it a fun, heartwarming story I’ll remember long after reading the final page.

Jonas cupped my cheek in his hand. “You are like a song that my heart has been waiting for. I recognized your melody the moment we met.”

Content Warning: View Spoiler »Parkinson’s disease (detailed), emotional & verbal abuse. « Hide Spoiler

Reading Play for Me was the literary equivalent of being wrapped up in a big, cozy blanket. Everything from the New England setting to the wide array of characters and the fact that this was a slow burn, forced proximity story worked exceedingly well together. I’m already a fan of Libby Hubscher’s work after reading If You Ask Me last year. And while the main characters in Play for Me were also an opposites attract couple like Violet & Dez were, the tone of this novel was lighter overall but still had the emotional depth needed to make this realistic.

There was something so charming about Sophie and Jonas–on their own and (eventually) together. Sophie was this bundle of energy, with a sunshiny attitude that could make anyone smile. And she *cared* so much about, well, everyone. It was probably both a blessing and a curse for Sophie, as she put a lot of pressure on herself to take on other people’s problems. But it fit her personality and her chosen career as an athletic trainer. I just adored her scenes with her aging father–who was a terrific guy–as well as with the kids she coached at the school. It was all laced with humor and heart in a way that made me happy, plain and simple.

Then there was Jonas. Oh, my goodness, what a complicated, wonderful guy he was. From his humorous first time meeting his new roommate Sophie and their ongoing scenes fraught with tension, you could tell he was knocked for six by the redhead. I’m a sucker for a Grumpy vs. Sunshine couple anyway, but Hubscher broke the mold when she created this pair. *sigh* I got such a kick out of how hard Jonas tried to keep his feelings for Sophie at bay. And how her optimism, every time life knocked her down, slowly rubbed off on the Brit until he *gasp* cracked a smile here and there. (lol) It was a pleasure to watch his true self unfold as Sophie chipped away at the wall around Jonas’s heart. The man he proved himself to be by the end was exactly who she needed–and deserved–in her life.

QOTD: Overall, do you consider yourself more of a Grumpy or a Sunshine kind of a person? Or somewhere in between?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: June 20th, 2023 | Berkley |

When her new job takes her to a New England boarding school, she’s surprised to find her roommates are all men – including a very handsome one who plays by his own rules.

Sophie Doyle has her dream job as the head athletic trainer for her favorite baseball team (go Red Sox!), a handsome boyfriend, and easy access to the finest cannoli in Boston. When she loses all three and the World Series to boot, she’s forced to apply for the open trainer position at an arts-focused boarding school in New Hampshire. The only available room is a glorified closet in an apartment with three guys: Jonas Voss, the aloof and attractive orchestra teacher, and his two rambunctious roommates.

Sophie knows that training a bunch of privileged high school kids whose idea of a play is A Chorus Line instead of a walk-off homer is going to be a big change from the pro athletes she’s used to. She wasn’t expecting that these students would have big-time talent and even bigger-time problems. Sophie has troubles of her own—Jonas is a full-fledged grump who clearly doesn’t want her near him or the precious piano he never plays.

With sunny optimism, Sophie sets out to win over Jonas and help the kids she’s growing attached to. But when her relationship with Jonas moves to the major leagues and plans change at the end of the season, they have to choose whether they are playing for keeps.