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Play the Game
Naomi Sullivan is retired. Technically.
After an on-court injury took her out of the professional tennis tour just over a year ago, Naomi quietly made peace with the fact that her tennis career was over. And she’d always had a Plan B to be a physiotherapist; it just happened earlier than she planned. Nine years at the top wasn’t a bad run.
That is, until a chance encounter with the current men’s tennis British Number One puts playing back on her radar, and the one thing she doesn’t have in her trophy cabinet.
An Olympic gold medal.
And with the Madrid Olympics just over a year away, now is her last chance.
Sam Reed is too young to be jaded by his career, but on the cusp of twenty-five, that is exactly how he feels. Playing isn’t fun anymore, and the longer he’s on the tour, the worse his relationship with his dad—and coach—gets.
Accidentally slamming a ball into the coffee cup of one of the reasons he chose tennis in the first place might change that, though.
The proposition is to double Naomi’s chances at winning gold, she and Sam should pair up for her final year on tour and play mixed doubles.
Naomi gets a chance to end her career on her own terms and in a hopeful blaze of glory. And Sam can remember that playing tennis shouldn’t feel like a chore, nor be his sole purpose in life.
And the two of them might find that their on-court partnership can also work off court.
After an on-court injury took her out of the professional tennis tour just over a year ago, Naomi quietly made peace with the fact that her tennis career was over. And she’d always had a Plan B to be a physiotherapist; it just happened earlier than she planned. Nine years at the top wasn’t a bad run.
That is, until a chance encounter with the current men’s tennis British Number One puts playing back on her radar, and the one thing she doesn’t have in her trophy cabinet.
An Olympic gold medal.
And with the Madrid Olympics just over a year away, now is her last chance.
Sam Reed is too young to be jaded by his career, but on the cusp of twenty-five, that is exactly how he feels. Playing isn’t fun anymore, and the longer he’s on the tour, the worse his relationship with his dad—and coach—gets.
Accidentally slamming a ball into the coffee cup of one of the reasons he chose tennis in the first place might change that, though.
The proposition is to double Naomi’s chances at winning gold, she and Sam should pair up for her final year on tour and play mixed doubles.
Naomi gets a chance to end her career on her own terms and in a hopeful blaze of glory. And Sam can remember that playing tennis shouldn’t feel like a chore, nor be his sole purpose in life.
And the two of them might find that their on-court partnership can also work off court.
- GenresRomance
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 2, 2026
About the author
Sophie Thomas
6 books43 followersLondoner. Writer. Reader. Breaks the rules of grammar far too often for someone with an English degree. Enjoys getting idiots to fall in love and kiss each other (and get secret tattoos for one another).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 11, 2026
Loved this cute little read!!
Such an easy read, loveable main characters and side characters. LOVED the pacing, the articles in-between chapters and the dual POV! The plot was cute and it was amazing seeing the characters overcome their obstacles and win but have fun above all else!! Love me some Sophie Thomas, thank you for this ARC!!
Such an easy read, loveable main characters and side characters. LOVED the pacing, the articles in-between chapters and the dual POV! The plot was cute and it was amazing seeing the characters overcome their obstacles and win but have fun above all else!! Love me some Sophie Thomas, thank you for this ARC!!
June 13, 2026
I guess I’m into tennis now? Like, the “following the athlete through different tournaments” kind?
No, I won’t start watching any real life sports, but I got really invested in these characters’ tournament journey.
It’s not my first book by Sophie, I’m already familiar with the writing style and yes, it delivered once again, or dare I say it gets better with each book? Maybe I’m just a bigger fan with each release.
This is a tennis romance and tennis is quite an important part of it. If you like sports romance but don’t like when the sport actually happens on page - this book is not for you. But if you don’t mind or are here for it - you’ll love this book!
As I said, I’m not a real life sports fan, but I got really invested and was rooting for both Naomi and Sam in their matches.
What to expect:
-a lot of tennis
-coming back from injury
-healthy family dynamics and approach to the sport that is their job
-not the healthiest family dynamics (when dad is the coach)
-he’s down bad
-they are both oblivious and think the other one is just nice, not flirting
-he’s jealous
-NO miscommunication
-NO third act breakup
-reverse age gap (*but there is no big emphasis on the age so you can forget the exact characters age)
-slow burn
-spice that is a bonus, not main focus of the plot
-NO unnecessary drama 🩷
-friendly and healthy relationships with opponents (no rivalry just to add drama to the plot; I love good rivals storyline but there are so many books out there with such trope that I appreciate this book not having unnecessary and “usual” drama)
There were cute moments, a smiled a lot, bit my lip, felt deeply, swooned, got teary, simply the whole package.
I loved the storyline, the writing style, how the characters are written, the family dynamics, 5 stars and can’t wait for anything else Sophie writes 🧡
It was my first tennis romance and while I’m excited for other ones, I think Play the Game will stand out with its writing and execution uniqueness.
No, I won’t start watching any real life sports, but I got really invested in these characters’ tournament journey.
It’s not my first book by Sophie, I’m already familiar with the writing style and yes, it delivered once again, or dare I say it gets better with each book? Maybe I’m just a bigger fan with each release.
This is a tennis romance and tennis is quite an important part of it. If you like sports romance but don’t like when the sport actually happens on page - this book is not for you. But if you don’t mind or are here for it - you’ll love this book!
As I said, I’m not a real life sports fan, but I got really invested and was rooting for both Naomi and Sam in their matches.
What to expect:
-a lot of tennis
-coming back from injury
-healthy family dynamics and approach to the sport that is their job
-not the healthiest family dynamics (when dad is the coach)
-he’s down bad
-they are both oblivious and think the other one is just nice, not flirting
-he’s jealous
-NO miscommunication
-NO third act breakup
-reverse age gap (*but there is no big emphasis on the age so you can forget the exact characters age)
-slow burn
-spice that is a bonus, not main focus of the plot
-NO unnecessary drama 🩷
-friendly and healthy relationships with opponents (no rivalry just to add drama to the plot; I love good rivals storyline but there are so many books out there with such trope that I appreciate this book not having unnecessary and “usual” drama)
There were cute moments, a smiled a lot, bit my lip, felt deeply, swooned, got teary, simply the whole package.
I loved the storyline, the writing style, how the characters are written, the family dynamics, 5 stars and can’t wait for anything else Sophie writes 🧡
It was my first tennis romance and while I’m excited for other ones, I think Play the Game will stand out with its writing and execution uniqueness.
July 1, 2026
I love Sophie’s writing! I love this book! I love Sullivan’s and this new group of characters!! I’ve loved Sophie’s books for as long as she’s been writing them and this was no different. I already cannot wait for whatever comes next from Sophie whether it’s this series or a continuation of any of her others! Whatever it may be I’ll be here!!
While everything felt fast paced and the stakes were high for Naomi, she wanted to make a triumphant return so she could leave tennis on her own terms this time around - the story as a whole felt so SOFT! And uncomplicated! Naomi and Sam were the perfect pair in so many ways! The Sullivan’s were THE sweetest group! I loved seeing them take Sam in with no questions asked. They were immediately supporting him in ways he wasn’t getting in his own life. They also really helped him solve problems that he wouldn’t have been able to otherwise, they gave him a look at another way to live and play tennis and have a healthy relationship with and with his dad.
And SAM AND NAOMI! So soft! So sweet! They were so much FUN! They really brought the best out in each other. They pushed each other, they supported each other! They became SUCH GOOD friends first, really taking the time to know and understand each other! Which paves the way for them to so easily and so seamlessly FALL HEAD OVER HEELS for each other!!
The ENDING! WAS SO GOOD!!! And she has a bonus scene, I haven’t read it yet (bc I should be sleeping at this exact moment) but I already know it’s going to be SO GOOD!!
While everything felt fast paced and the stakes were high for Naomi, she wanted to make a triumphant return so she could leave tennis on her own terms this time around - the story as a whole felt so SOFT! And uncomplicated! Naomi and Sam were the perfect pair in so many ways! The Sullivan’s were THE sweetest group! I loved seeing them take Sam in with no questions asked. They were immediately supporting him in ways he wasn’t getting in his own life. They also really helped him solve problems that he wouldn’t have been able to otherwise, they gave him a look at another way to live and play tennis and have a healthy relationship with and with his dad.
And SAM AND NAOMI! So soft! So sweet! They were so much FUN! They really brought the best out in each other. They pushed each other, they supported each other! They became SUCH GOOD friends first, really taking the time to know and understand each other! Which paves the way for them to so easily and so seamlessly FALL HEAD OVER HEELS for each other!!
The ENDING! WAS SO GOOD!!! And she has a bonus scene, I haven’t read it yet (bc I should be sleeping at this exact moment) but I already know it’s going to be SO GOOD!!
July 7, 2026
I enjoyed this book. I liked the romance and slow burn between Naomi and Sam. I also liked their back stories with their family and tennis journey as it helped both characters feel well defined. Particularly the story between Sam and his dad was really interesting. Tennis was heavily incorporated. A lot of sports romances the sport itself is glossed over but tennis was definitely a main character here as well which I enjoyed though towards the end tennis did take maybe more of a front seat than I would have liked as opposed to romance so keep that in mind but nonetheless this was a good read!
July 12, 2026
I love a FMC sports romance especially in tennis, what an incredible surprise read!!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews