Book Review: Play You For It by Samantha Saldivar

Official Synopsis: When Jordan D’Amato becomes the first woman named head coach of a top-level men’s college basketball team, journalist Caroline Beck is determined to get the story. After years of scraping her way into the world of sports reporting, Beck knows that snagging the first one-on-one interview with the elusive head coach could be her big break. But Jordan is wary of the media and the attention her historic new appointment attracts, especially as her boss makes it clear that it’s a temporary assignment—and if she doesn’t lead the team to victory, it won’t become permanent.

Beck’s persistence, however, charms Jordan, and she agrees to sit down for an interview. The two women have undeniable chemistry—but journalists definitely can’t fall for sources, and Jordan certainly can’t fully trust the ambitious reporter who has every reason to use her team secrets for the next big scoop. Though they both know it will ruin their reputations and likely also cost them their jobs if anyone finds out they are romantically involved, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

With the national tournament in sight and both of their careers on the line, they must decide whether to take the shot on their budding love story—or walk away from the risky game they’ve been playing for good.

Jordan is thrown into the position of head coach, of a college men's basketball team, and her life seems to become a whirlwind almost immediately. Some don't want her in that position, or respect her in that position. The team doesn't seem connected, and now there is a new reporter who keeps catching her eye. Beck has always wanted to be a sports reporter, but no one will take her seriously in the position. When she is sent to report on the new coach, she is shocked when she starts to make friends with the women. Now they seem to have deeper connections than just basketball, but dating (or crushing) on your source for information is definitely frowned upon. When they start to explore their non-professional feelings, Jordan and Beck risk getting caught, but also being put into a position that looks really bad to the rest of the world.

Jordan has a darker backstory than Beck. She was kicked out by her military father after coming out and found solace in basketball. She ended up playing professionally, until an ACL injury that led her to coaching instead. She was an assistant coach, up until the moment she isn't. Now she has to deal with how she is perceived by the sports world, while also proving that she knows what she is doing. She has a deep connection with her players, which I thought was really cool. As the book goes on, we see how Jordan sees the team as her family, and how that can be an issue when starting a relationship.

Beck is a sports reporter who is always at odds with the man who has moved up ahead of her. When she starts to get the inside scoop on Jordan's team, she finally starts to prove that she could do this job. But everyone around her seems to be trying to keep her from growing in her job, especially when they sense that her and Jordan might be more than friends. Beck is also not 'out' to her family and is worried about how she will be seen in media if she is going out with the coach of the team that gave her a break. As they both navigate these feelings, and growing in their careers and lives, we get to see how two people can connect and help each other.

One of my favorite 'quirks' of the book is Jordan and Beck 'playing' each other in basketball when they want something. I thought it brought a lot of cute moments to the story and showed how connected they were.

This is a sports romance that has a lot of deeper layers. Both Beck and Jordan have a lot of prove, simply because they are female, but also because they are queer in a world that isn't always accepting of queerness. This book dives into a lot about being a female in a male-dominated world, as well as the feeling of needing to prove yourself. There are also mentions about being queer, coming out and how the opinions of others may impact your openness to others. As well as diving into how to separate yourself from the people who bring you down, even if that is your own family. There are definitely some stronger themes in this book than there are in other sports romance books.

I rated this book 4 out of 5!

Play You For It comes out October 21, 2025!

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