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Two Can Play That Game
Not yet published
Expected 17 Nov 26After a chance courtside encounter, a fake relationship between a rising influencer and a WNBA star gets a little too real in this swoony sapphic romance.
Chelsea has never cared about sports. But when she’s invited to sit courtside at a New York WNBA game, she welcomes the break from her usual routine. What she doesn’t expect is a basketball nearly colliding with her face—or the six-foot-four hottie who jogs over, flashing a heart-stopping grin, to retrieve it.
Adrienne “AD” Davis is a player on and off the court, notorious for their inability to stay in a relationship. Still, something about Chelsea sticks with them—even though their instant connection can’t bring AD to offer more than one night.
But AD’s agent makes a Chelsea should pretend to be AD’s girlfriend. It’s a strategic move. AD, hoping to retire after this season, needs to lock down some brand deals—but their identity as a Black, nonbinary lesbian with a messy dating history makes sponsors wary. Chelsea, a sex-positive influencer, is ready to pivot her platform, and this feels like the perfect next step. With Chelsea’s network and AD’s star power, they could both strengthen their public images. Once the season ends, they’ll go their separate ways.
As the ruse starts to work and their connection deepens, Chelsea finds herself on unsteady ground. Falling for AD wasn’t part of the plan, and if she lets herself get too close, she might lose the future she’s finally starting to build.
Chelsea has never cared about sports. But when she’s invited to sit courtside at a New York WNBA game, she welcomes the break from her usual routine. What she doesn’t expect is a basketball nearly colliding with her face—or the six-foot-four hottie who jogs over, flashing a heart-stopping grin, to retrieve it.
Adrienne “AD” Davis is a player on and off the court, notorious for their inability to stay in a relationship. Still, something about Chelsea sticks with them—even though their instant connection can’t bring AD to offer more than one night.
But AD’s agent makes a Chelsea should pretend to be AD’s girlfriend. It’s a strategic move. AD, hoping to retire after this season, needs to lock down some brand deals—but their identity as a Black, nonbinary lesbian with a messy dating history makes sponsors wary. Chelsea, a sex-positive influencer, is ready to pivot her platform, and this feels like the perfect next step. With Chelsea’s network and AD’s star power, they could both strengthen their public images. Once the season ends, they’ll go their separate ways.
As the ruse starts to work and their connection deepens, Chelsea finds herself on unsteady ground. Falling for AD wasn’t part of the plan, and if she lets herself get too close, she might lose the future she’s finally starting to build.
304 pages, Paperback
Expected publication November 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 20, 2026
Sapphic WNBA romance?? I’ve been saying for months that the world needs this and now we have it and it’s fantastic!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to my angel, Zakiya, for letting me read and review this book early. All thoughts are my own!!
Zakiya N. Jamal writes phenomenal and unapologetically queer romances, and I thank her every time!!
Two Can Play That Game follows Chelsea and AD as they fake date each other to boost their online presence. AD needs more sponsorships for when they retire, and Chelsea is trying to switch up her content. Together, they create a fake relationship that is mutually beneficial, in more ways than one. 😏
Chelsea has built a brand as a sex and dating influencer. She loves it, but she’s ready to add some new things into the mix. I loved how much she loves what she does. Just because her work looks a little different doesn’t make it any less valuable, especially as a queer Black woman. AD is nearing retirement and unsure if that’s the way they want to go. They love basketball, but they don’t want to be forced to stop playing because they’ve pushed too hard and gotten injured. They want to leave on their own terms. I loved how much our main characters love their jobs. They’re both passionate and driven, and I appreciated seeing that in a romance novel.
The two had instant sexual tension, and they acted on it. 🤭 I really enjoyed watching the emotional side of their relationship build over the course of the book. They had some really tender moments of opening up to each other, and it was very sweet. They’re also both very sexy, and I was having to put my e-reader down every now and then to screech and giggle before I could continue.
Watching Chelsea connect to the other players’ partners was very cute! I loved that they folded her right into the group, and I loved getting to see their dynamics play out. I loved the friendships in this book in general, and I would read a book about each of the side characters/couples from this book.
I loved seeing Stella and Max again!! I’m so happy to know that they’re getting married and still madly in love (obviously they would be as their book was also a romance, but it’s nice to have on page confirmation).
I will be patiently waiting for whatever Zakiya writes next!!
Zakiya N. Jamal writes phenomenal and unapologetically queer romances, and I thank her every time!!
Two Can Play That Game follows Chelsea and AD as they fake date each other to boost their online presence. AD needs more sponsorships for when they retire, and Chelsea is trying to switch up her content. Together, they create a fake relationship that is mutually beneficial, in more ways than one. 😏
Chelsea has built a brand as a sex and dating influencer. She loves it, but she’s ready to add some new things into the mix. I loved how much she loves what she does. Just because her work looks a little different doesn’t make it any less valuable, especially as a queer Black woman. AD is nearing retirement and unsure if that’s the way they want to go. They love basketball, but they don’t want to be forced to stop playing because they’ve pushed too hard and gotten injured. They want to leave on their own terms. I loved how much our main characters love their jobs. They’re both passionate and driven, and I appreciated seeing that in a romance novel.
The two had instant sexual tension, and they acted on it. 🤭 I really enjoyed watching the emotional side of their relationship build over the course of the book. They had some really tender moments of opening up to each other, and it was very sweet. They’re also both very sexy, and I was having to put my e-reader down every now and then to screech and giggle before I could continue.
Watching Chelsea connect to the other players’ partners was very cute! I loved that they folded her right into the group, and I loved getting to see their dynamics play out. I loved the friendships in this book in general, and I would read a book about each of the side characters/couples from this book.
I loved seeing Stella and Max again!! I’m so happy to know that they’re getting married and still madly in love (obviously they would be as their book was also a romance, but it’s nice to have on page confirmation).
I will be patiently waiting for whatever Zakiya writes next!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc
I really enjoyed this story. Both AD and chelsea developed as characters just as quickly as their relationship did. AD's vulnerability and Chelsea's openness really resonated with me. As a fan of the WNBA it was interesting to see the "life of a WAG" in a league that is made up of a great many queer people. AD reminded me of BG, AT, and Natasha Cloud rolled into one. I was glad that their relationship was handled delicately even with the online aspects of a fake relationship. It made it to the point for me that the relationship was almost instantly believe able because of the physical chemistry. Making the emotional intimacy unfold at a nice even pace. I will say the one and only thing that threw me off were the team names. I would have prefered that all the team names be changed, rather than just the rebels.
I really enjoyed this story. Both AD and chelsea developed as characters just as quickly as their relationship did. AD's vulnerability and Chelsea's openness really resonated with me. As a fan of the WNBA it was interesting to see the "life of a WAG" in a league that is made up of a great many queer people. AD reminded me of BG, AT, and Natasha Cloud rolled into one. I was glad that their relationship was handled delicately even with the online aspects of a fake relationship. It made it to the point for me that the relationship was almost instantly believe able because of the physical chemistry. Making the emotional intimacy unfold at a nice even pace. I will say the one and only thing that threw me off were the team names. I would have prefered that all the team names be changed, rather than just the rebels.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was cute, and I think it was my first WNBA romance, so that's also pretty fun. I liked Chelsea and AD both as individual characters and as a couple, though I did find myself missing a bit of the queer friend group dynamics from Sparks Fly. I also have to mention that it was a little weird/offputting that the NY Liberty got a new name/mascot (NY Rebels in this), but they were playing a bunch of real teams. Personally, I prefer when all the teams are fictional, but if it is going to be a mix of real and fictional, I think it just works better when the fictional team belongs to a city that doesn't already have a real team. Anyways, definitely recommend this to anyone looking for diverse sports romance!
June 21, 2026
Review of advanced copy received from the author
Thank you Zakiya N Jamal for the arc and for writing this book!
Sapphic romance in NYC featuring a WNBA player? many things I love wrapped into one.
Really enjoyed this book! Both leads were engaging and likable, as were the supporting characters in Chelsea’s friend group and AD’s teammates/the WAGS. This was a funny, cute, and enlightening read (for someone that doesn’t know many NB folx personally). I think this book did a great job blending the sexy scenes into regular scenes so it didn’t feel forced when they fell in love.
And the steamy scenes were STEAMY.
10/10 my first read by Jamal but won’t be my last
Thank you Zakiya N Jamal for the arc and for writing this book!
Sapphic romance in NYC featuring a WNBA player? many things I love wrapped into one.
Really enjoyed this book! Both leads were engaging and likable, as were the supporting characters in Chelsea’s friend group and AD’s teammates/the WAGS. This was a funny, cute, and enlightening read (for someone that doesn’t know many NB folx personally). I think this book did a great job blending the sexy scenes into regular scenes so it didn’t feel forced when they fell in love.
And the steamy scenes were STEAMY.
10/10 my first read by Jamal but won’t be my last
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Full review to come, but 4.5 rounded up for me, this was YUMMY bye
7.4 update - thank you to NetGalley and the author for this e-arc!
Let me tell you right now - Two Can Play That Game is my FAV romcom of the year - and I say this as someone who doesn't usually read romcoms 😂
This story follows Chelsea and AD after a meet-cute at one of AD's games. This introduction leads to a bit of mutually beneficial fake dating, and oooooweee did I eat this UP 😂
Two Can Play That Game was flirty, sexy, and you could feel the chemistry RADIATE off the page between this duo.
Truly had SO much fun reading this!!! If you're looking for a fun, spicy, sapphic read that feels like an early 2000s movie IN THE BEST WAY, read this, thank ya!! 💕💕
7.4 update - thank you to NetGalley and the author for this e-arc!
Let me tell you right now - Two Can Play That Game is my FAV romcom of the year - and I say this as someone who doesn't usually read romcoms 😂
This story follows Chelsea and AD after a meet-cute at one of AD's games. This introduction leads to a bit of mutually beneficial fake dating, and oooooweee did I eat this UP 😂
Two Can Play That Game was flirty, sexy, and you could feel the chemistry RADIATE off the page between this duo.
Truly had SO much fun reading this!!! If you're looking for a fun, spicy, sapphic read that feels like an early 2000s movie IN THE BEST WAY, read this, thank ya!! 💕💕
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews