Playin' Hard

Playin' Hard

By Whitney D. Grandison

Pages

Rating

4.27

Year

2025

RomanceContemporaryYoung AdultSportsYoung Adult Romance

Description

DeAndre may be the king of the court but after one class debate Cree becomes the queen of his heart.

If there’s one thing Cree Jacobs can’t stand about Moorehead High, it’s definitely the Ballers Club—an exclusive clique of boys who dominate the school’s sports teams. The boys are arrogant, flashy, and just way too overrated for Cree’s taste.

Don’t tell that to DeAndre Parker, the unofficial leader of the group. Laid-back, good-looking, a prodigy on the court, and the son of a retired NBA champion, DeAndre knows his potential and that almost everyone at Moorehead would do anything to get close to him—except for Cree Jacobs.

Typically these two would never cross paths or acknowledge each other, but one heated debate with Cree in class sets DeAndre off, igniting a desire no one in the Club can resist.

Determined to win Cree over, DeAndre starts trying to change her opinion of him, and the two forge a friendship that sparks into something more.

Readers of YA contemporary romance, sports romance, enemies-to-lovers stories, and those looking for Black love will be drawn to this title. It’s perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert’s Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.

Endorsements

"10 Things I Hate About You meets Love & Basketball for Gen Z." — SLJ

Playin' Hard by Whitney D. Grandison - Bookist