This story is about a firefighter and a hockey player...BUT, the unique twist is that Adina is a Black female firefighter and Solomon is a Black hockey player, which you don't typically see happen in the real world. Both individuals are suffering major losses and not doing a great job overcoming their grief. Can they work through the pain together or will it be enough for them to lose out on a second chance at love?

I absolutely adored this story! This was my first time reading anything by Naima Simone and she blew me away. I loved everything from the descriptions of each character to their inner thoughts that let their personalities shine through. There was excellent mental health representation throughout and even comments about how therapy is stigmatized (in general and even more so with Black communities). The quotes in this book were *chefs kiss* and now I will be reading anything Naima Simone puts out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded up

Played is a sports romance, with dual perspective of Adina and Solomon. This book has a more series tone with some heavy and important subjects throughout, please check trigger warnings before picking up. Adina is a strong independent woman, who has dealt with a lot, she got some great family support. I liked following her perspective, especially following her as a firefighter. It was very cool. The romance was ok for me, most of the time I was not really feeling their connection on a romantic level but more of a connection focused on both of them dealing with traumatic loss of a loved one. I did like the plot and the flow of the story, there was repetitiveness in regards to several subjects. Overall, I found this book interesting and I really liked a number of aspects as well as somethings that did not work for me that's why I rated it a 3.5 stars
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Plot: This book follows a firefighter, Adina, who finds someone's personal journal when she responds out to a fire at the local hockey stadium. Instead of, I don't know, not taking it, she takes it and reads it and discovers someone else (Solomon) who is grieving and his thoughts echo her own. Adina does return the journal to Solomon and he is understandably angry, but very slowly, the two of them wind up becoming a lot closer. Solomon's wife died prior to the start of the book (hence the journal where he's talking about grief) and Adina is grieving the loss of her fiancé. I wouldn't say there's a ton of plot beyond that set up, though it should be noted, there's also a sub-plot of workplace harassment from a fellow firefighter that is heavily rooted in misogyny.

What I Loved About It: I like Naima's writing a lot. She does angst quite well.

What I Struggled With: The characterization in this book just... Something about it meant that I never quite believed in these two together. But more than that, I really need authors to stop including harassment for no good reason in their books. It's so hard to read. Plus, honestly, Solomon is such an asshole sometimes and 90% of the time it seemed like he wasn't even trying to be? I just didn't really love him.

Would I Recommend This: Yes, if you're in the mood for an angsty read and the workplace harassment subplot won't bother you the way it did me. And, well, if you have KU. The audiobook was a pleasant enough listening experience.

I really enjoyed the narrators of the audiobook.

It took me a minute to get into the story. Once it started to take shape I enjoyed it.

Book contains
- second chance at love
- woman in a male dominated field
- grief management

Heart wrenching Grief
Single dad
Love
Pain
A black firefighter x black NHL player

This wasn’t a sports romance to me. I feel like it focused more on the main characters dealing with grief and them both going through the process of dealing with that grief. Which isn’t a bad thing at all, I just thought there would be more of a sport’s romance

see now, you can't have a cover like this and call this a sports romance when there is literally no sports mentioned at all. one of my biggest pet peeves with sports romances is when the sport is hardly mentioned or we see no sports action and this falls under that category. i also wasn't a huge fan of the how much religion was included in this (but i know that's more of a personal issue than anything). and finally, where was the romance? these two had zero actual chemistry. their "romance" was purely lust. and there were several subplots that were handled the wrong way. this was a disappointment!

This had a bit of a rough start because I didn't like the way he spoke about her. It got better as the book went on but it just threw me off. They were actually cute together and were clearly dating without calling it that. The way she interacted with Khalil was adorable and she's going to be a fantastic stepmom.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I feel a little like I am in the wrong lane (or too much in the right lane?) to give a review on this book. I am a hockey wife so I think the lack of actual hockey and ins/outs of the professional hockey world was hard for me because there is a LOT to write about. Also, I'm not sure if it is fair for me to give feedback on a book surrounding a black couple. Personally, the use of "lil mama" gave me shivers in all the wrong places but I completely understand that I am reading this as if I were the female because duhhhh, who wouldn't want to be ;)
I love the diverse characters and I LOVED the banter. I think this book was extremely well written. For most sporty spice girlies, this will be very well received!

I didn’t finish this book fully, I got about 50% through and just couldn’t do it. The religion I felt was being pushed at me, and as someone who is non religious I didn’t enjoy it in the slightest. I also feel like the book lacked the sports aspect of a sports romance, which is highly disappointing given that I love sports romances. I also feel the only diversity in this book is that some of the characters are black, no other diversity to be seen, which is upsetting. Overall I definitely didn’t feel like this was the book for me. Would I pick it back up? Maybe! If it was revamped!

Not sure I would call this a hockey romance but the second chance at love trope hooked me and kept me reading. The therapy representation was nice to see but I wasn’t always a fan of Solomon’s behavior which made it hard to be fully invested in the relationship.

Adina is a woman who has always faced adversity both when it comes to who she is and gaining respect in her career as a firefighter. In the aftermath of a fire, she locates a journal and from what she read she senses a kindred spirit however the owner of that journal is not happy that she is privy to his innermost thoughts and feelings, so they do not get off to a great start.

Solomon is a professional hockey player who is still struggling in the aftermath of a tragic loss which has left him a single father. He doesn’t know how to handle the attraction and feelings he is developing for Adina and his actions reflect that, but he does find a way to make peace with himself when it really matters.

Adina is an independent character who learns that asking for help is a strength and not a weakness even if it was a long time coming while Solomon was able to open his heart even if he fought it every step of the way. This is a story about love, loss and moving forward despite how difficult it may be.

•Dual POV
•Sports romance- hockey
•Overcoming grief
•🌶🌶

Not my favorite but I think this may work for someone who has lost a spouse and is looking for love again.

3 stars

good romance and loved how they found love and each other. They survived their trials and found their way back to each other. another great romance.

3.75 stars. This was a very cute romance. Adina and Solomon can connect with their tragedy from life experiences.

I really like books about hockey! But this book just wasn't for me. I couldn't stay focused on the book and the story. But it's because of the business in my life.

An emotionally unavailable man? Yes please. The characterisation in this book was fantastic, unique and totally wonderful. I enjoyed getting to know Solomon especially, and I warmed to him quite quickly. I liked Adina's character, she was likeable but I didn't adore her like I was hoping to. I think Simone fantastically conveyed the growth of the characters in their own way, which made me root for them individually.

The characters are what encouraged me to carry on this novel, as I didn't particularly enjoy the plot. Overall a good sports romance with likeable characters.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Beautifully written and soulful, Played tells the story of living with grief and love, in a world that is sometimes set to tear us down. Adina and Solomon were easy to empathize with, easy to love, easy to understand. I loved watching them reluctantly fall in love with each other, heal themselves and crawl out of the darkness and towards a life of light.

Many thanks to Montlake, Naima Simone, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a beautiful hockey romance between Solomon and Adina- both recovering from lost love and heartbreak. Such a great read!

Sports romance? Sure. Make it hockey? Absolutely count me in!!
This was a great little enemies to lovers hockey romance involving two very strong and brave main characters. They have both been through so much and watching their relationship unfold was beautiful.
Additionally the way that they each were dealing with grief was so inspiring. Love can go on…

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 03 September 2024