Becka Mack’s contemporary romance novel, Play with Me (2022), is the second installment in her interconnected Playing for Keeps hockey romance series. The story follows Garrett Andersen, a professional hockey player, and Jennie Beckett, a talented dancer and the fiercely independent younger sister of his team captain, Carter. After becoming neighbors, their awkward and antagonistic encounters gradually evolve into a secret, no-strings-attached physical relationship. As they navigate their arrangement, they must confront their growing feelings for each other while hiding their romance from Jennie’s overprotective brother and grappling with their respective past traumas. The novel explores themes of Inauthenticity as a Barrier to Intimacy, Defining an Identity Separate From Family, and Reconciling Independence and Romantic Love.

Becka Mack is the international and USA Today bestselling author of the Playing for Keeps series, focused on the players of the fictional Vancouver Vipers hockey team and their partners. Play with Me builds on the world established in the previous book in the series, with Carter and his wife, Olivia, the protagonists of Consider Me, playing significant supporting roles. Upon its release, Play with Me became a bestseller, continuing the success of a series that has gained popularity through social media platforms like TikTok, where the hockey romance subgenre has found a large and dedicated readership.

This guide is based on the 2024 Slowburn/Zando paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual content, cursing, substance use, addiction, graphic violence, bullying, and death.

Plot Summary

Garrett Andersen, a professional hockey player for the Vancouver Vipers, finds himself undeniably attracted to Jennie Beckett, the fiery and independent younger sister of his team captain and best friend, Carter Beckett. At Carter’s wedding to Olivia, Garrett’s awkward attempts to interact with Jennie, a talented dancer, are met with her sharp wit, and his fear of Carter’s overprotective wrath keeps him at a distance. 

Later that night, they all go to the house Jennie shares with her mother Holly, and Jennie asks Garrett for help with a stuck zipper on her dress, leading to a tense, charged moment. Garrett is caught staring at her by his friend and teammate Adam Lockwood, who warns him to stay away from Carter’s sister. Frustrated, Garrett ends the night by hooking up with Emily, a woman in his apartment building. 

Weeks later, for Jennie’s 24th birthday, Carter gifts her a luxury condo, which happens to be in the same building as Garrett’s. Their first encounter as neighbors is disastrous; Jennie and her family run into Garrett as he leaves Emily’s apartment across the hall early in the morning, earning him the title “Fuckboy of the Year” from Jennie (18-19).

The dynamic between Garrett and Jennie begins to shift on the anniversary of her father’s death in an accident caused by a drunk driver. Sensing Jennie’s grief, Garrett anonymously leaves coffee and hot chocolate outside her door. Later that day, a distraught Jennie discovers that her most cherished possession, a stuffed bunny named Princess Bubblegum that was a gift from her late father, is missing and may have been lost when she was moving. Carter, away on a road trip, asks Garrett to check on her. 

Garrett’s attempt to help her find the stuffed toy leads to a mortifying incident when he opens a box labeled “toys” and accidentally finds Jennie’s extensive collection of sex toys. During a struggle for the box, it bursts open, sending dildos flying, one of which (which Jennie calls “Indiana Bones”) slaps Garrett across the face. 

Their relationship continues through a series of awkward but increasingly intimate encounters. After Garrett sustains a concussion in a game, Jennie drives him home and supervises him while he swims in the building’s pool. She watches from the hot tub, and the evening culminates in her bikini top accidentally coming off and leaving her topless in front of an aroused Garrett. Another evening, their playful wrestling over a Disney movie leads to an impulsive kiss. Flustered, Jennie flees upstairs, and Garrett, following to apologize, accidentally walks in on her masturbating while moaning his name.

Instead of retreating into awkwardness as he has always done, Garrett confronts the situation with newfound confidence, leading to a highly charged sexual experience. They establish a “committed friends with benefits” arrangement with a strict “no sex” rule (119), a condition set by Jennie because of trauma that she has yet to reveal. Their connection deepens as they spend more time together, sharing meals, watching movies, and talking. 

Garrett’s feelings grow into love, while Jennie struggles with her own burgeoning emotions, terrified of being hurt again. Her fears are realized when she runs into her ex-boyfriend, Kevin, at a movie theater. Garrett, seeing her distress and Kevin’s lewd behavior, physically threatens him. Back at Garrett’s apartment, a vulnerable Jennie asks to have sex. Garrett gently refuses, recognizing that she is not truly ready and is using sex as a coping mechanism. This act of respect earns her complete trust, and she confides in him about her past: In high school, Kevin pursued her and then had sex with her at a party while his football teammates watched and recorded it, leading to widespread humiliation and the loss of all her friends. Garrett’s compassion solidifies their bond, but a misunderstanding over a video he takes of her sleeping triggers her trauma, and she leaves, claiming she’s “better off alone.”

Upset over Jennie and a family crisis involving his father, Garrett confronts her when she considers taking a job in Toronto to escape Carter’s shadow, declaring his love. Meanwhile, the secrecy takes its toll, and Carter arrives unexpectedly at Jennie’s house and discovers her and Garrett together. They don’t see each other for several days, and Carter cuts off communication with them both. Later that week, he punishes Garrett by moving him to the second hockey line, which leads to a fistfight on the ice, during which Garrett screams, “I fucking love her!” (441). 

Their confrontation is cut short by news that Olivia is in labor, and they all leave for the hospital. Garrett and Jennie’s secret is finally exposed at the hospital when they, overwhelmed with emotion after being reunited, kiss openly in front of their family and friends. 

In the aftermath, Jennie confronts Carter, explaining the depth of her feelings for Garrett and how he has helped her heal. Carter, admitting his actions stemmed from a fear of her getting hurt, reconciles with her and accepts their relationship. Jennie, now free to make her own choices, flies to Toronto for her job interview but realizes that she wants to realize her dream of opening her own dance studio in Vancouver. Back in Vancouver, she has a final, empowering confrontation with a dance company bully, Krissy, and her manipulative dance partner Simon, cutting them out of her life for good. 

Months later, Garrett and Jennie move into a new house together. Garrett surprises her by revealing he has purchased a storefront for her future dance studio. The story concludes with their friends and family helping them move in. In a private moment, Jennie discovers Garrett hiding a sapphire engagement ring—her mother’s, passed down to him—and teases him, letting him know she is ready for the future. Their intimate moment is comically interrupted by Carter, who flees in horror.