The description of Playing for Keeps (publication day January 6, 2026) by Alexandria Bellefleur pulled me in instantly: a Sapphic romance between two publicists–one for a mega pop star and the other for a respected NFL football player! I thought it was a cute twist on the story that all Swifties think that they know, but of course, we only know what the publicists allow us to. And the book characters are not Taylor and Travis, but I liked how Bellefleur was clearly inspired by them.
It was a quick read for me. I liked Poppy as a character, with her vulnerability about how being raised as a “surprise” baby still affects her as an adult, and I liked Rosaline as well. The texts, social media posts, and article excerpts were realistic, and overall it was great escapist fun. I thought it was interesting how Poppy’s and Rosaline’s relationship was derailed when their employers’ relationship went on the rocks. Couldn’t they have found a way to make it work?
It was weight-neutral as well, especially for a pop-culture/media-focused novel, though Poppy was a new runner, training for a marathon, it didn’t seem to be about weight or body size at all.
Reading While Fat 