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Verdict: A warm, spicy wheelchair basketball romance with standout ADHD and disability representation, great banter and a sport that is actually central to the story — held back only by a third-act breakup some readers found unnecessary.
Best for: Readers looking for disabled and neurodivergent leads written with care, fans of golden-retriever-meets-black-cat dynamics, and anyone who wants a sports romance with real game time.
Heat level: Not rated (readers call it spicy; romance.io has no steam score yet)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.0/5 — a 4.33 Goodreads average across 30 ratings and 4.35 on StoryGraph from 10 reviews)
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, second chance at a first date, friends with benefits, injury recovery, found family, grumpy/sunshine, sports romance, series romance.
Rebound Play is Sasha Brennan’s April 2026 contemporary sapphic romance, the third book in her Courting Blizzards series. Lucy Adams, a professional basketball player sidelined by an ankle injury, tries wheelchair basketball to stay in the game — and discovers that the club captain, Naomi Saiki, is the woman she accidentally stood up on a first date.
It holds a 4.33 average across 30 Goodreads ratings, with 86% four or five stars and none below three, 4.35 on StoryGraph from 10 reviews, and 4.7 stars across 13 Amazon ratings. Most of the detailed reviews come from advance readers, so treat the numbers as early, but they are consistent: readers love the representation and the chemistry.
What Is Rebound Play About?
Naomi is finally putting herself first. After years of moving for her ex-fiancé’s career, she has settled in Cardiff, taken bold steps as a freelance videographer and gone back to the wheelchair basketball she loves as captain of the Comets. Her first reluctant try at dating again ends with Lucy never showing up, and Naomi deletes the app.
Lucy, 31, hates standing still. An injury has put her Blizzards season and her sense of self in doubt, and her ADHD — which is how she missed the date — leaves her beating herself up. When she turns up at wheelchair basketball training, she struggles with the new sport, gets the cold shoulder from the irritatingly attractive captain, and decides to win her over. Friction turns into friendship, friendship into something more, and then both of their pasts catch up with them.
What Makes This Sports Romance Work
- Disability representation: Readers repeatedly say they have rarely read a sapphic romance with a wheelchair-using lead. Naomi dominates on court, and one reviewer loved that wheelchair basketball is treated as the default, with the “running game” as the alternative.
- ADHD from the inside: Lucy’s harsh internal monologue, impulsivity and the gap between intention and impact struck readers as honest rather than performative. Several said they saw themselves in her.
- Banter and chemistry: The golden-retriever-and-black-cat dynamic is a favourite, from teasing at training to charged moments in the car.
- The sport itself: Readers who knew nothing about wheelchair basketball say they learned a lot, and the play sequences and team dynamic of the Comets are well drawn.
- Families: Naomi’s family from Japan and Lucy’s loving relationship with her stepdad and half-siblings add warmth, alongside the found family of the team.
Book Synopsis
A season-threatening injury. The lingering effects of a past relationship. One summer to heal from it all. Naomi Saiki is finally putting herself first. When Lucy stands her up on her reluctant first foray back into dating, she brushes it off — right up until Lucy turns up at her wheelchair basketball club and does not even recognise her.
Lucy Adams is not happy if she is not moving forward. Injury rocks her identity and casts doubt over her basketball career. She tries wheelchair basketball and struggles, with no help from the club captain, who gives her the cold shoulder. Determined to prove Naomi wrong, Lucy goes on a charm offensive. But with their pasts haunting them and their basketball dreams on the line, they will have to decide whether love is worth the risk.
My Review
What sets Rebound Play apart is how naturally it builds its representation into the story. Naomi is not a lesson; she is the best player in the room, a captain with standards and a woman rebuilding after a toxic relationship. Lucy’s ADHD is not a quirk; it is why the book starts with a missed date, and why she keeps misjudging herself. Putting a temporarily injured athlete into a disabled athlete’s world gives the book a natural way to show everyday ableism without lecturing, and readers noticed the prejudice Naomi deals with both subtly and openly.
The romance moves at a satisfying clip. Lucy falls hard and fast, as she admits herself, and Naomi’s guardedness slows things just enough. The enemies phase is short — Naomi gives Lucy a hard time without ever being cruel — and the relationship moves steadily into a friends-with-benefits arrangement before either will admit it is more. Readers praise the spicy scenes and the chemistry throughout.
The main criticism is the third-act breakup. One reader found its trigger a little petty: one lead jumps to conclusions about a decision the other makes, after an earlier conversation about boundaries. Another called it frustrating and a bit excessive, though she understood both women were reacting from past trauma. A third thought it was well set up and cheered at the outcome. Beyond that, the Cardiff setting plays a small role, according to a reviewer who has lived there.
My honest note: If you have been looking for disability representation in sapphic sports romance, this is one of the best places to start. If third-act breakups are a dealbreaker, know that one is coming, but it is resolved well.
| Element | In Rebound Play |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Naomi Saiki & Lucy Adams — wheelchair basketball captain and injured pro player |
| Core tropes | Enemies to lovers, missed first date, friends with benefits, injury recovery |
| Setting | Cardiff, Wales — the Comets wheelchair basketball club and the Blizzards |
| Representation | Wheelchair-using lead, ADHD lead, woman of colour lead |
| Heat level | Not rated — readers call it spicy |
| Series | Courting Blizzards #3 — happily ever after, third-act breakup |
| Content notes | Ableism, past toxic relationship, sports injury |
How Spicy Is Rebound Play?
Readers are clear that it is spicy. One reviewer rated it three chilli peppers, another said the explicit scenes were really well written, and others single out the spicy moments and chemistry. I Heart SapphFic lists it as hot and steamy. Romance.io has only one rating so far and no steam score, so we have not given it a heat rating.
On content, expect moments of ableism directed at Naomi, the effects of her past toxic relationship, and Lucy’s injury and self-criticism linked to her ADHD. StoryGraph has no community content warnings for the book yet.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want disabled or neurodivergent leads written with care, you enjoy a sunshine lead chasing a guarded one, and you like sport that matters to the plot. It is on our neurodivergent sapphic romance and sapphic sports romance lists.
You may want to skip it if: you avoid third-act breakups, or you want a slow burn with a long enemies phase.
In short: Rare representation, real chemistry and a breakup you will either forgive or not.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
This is a new indie release with a small but very positive readership, much of it advance readers of the series; a web search surfaced no Reddit threads. On Goodreads the split is 46% five stars, 40% four and 13% three, with no two- or one-star ratings. StoryGraph readers tag it emotional, hopeful and lighthearted, and all of them call it character-driven. I could not find an audiobook.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The disability representation first. Second, the ADHD portrayal. Third, the banter and chemistry. Fourth, learning about wheelchair basketball.
What readers argue about and complain about: The third-act breakup, above everything. Second, how quickly Lucy falls. Third, how little the Cardiff setting features.
The series question worth asking first: Readers who started here had no trouble following it, though a few earlier plot points are spoiled. Readers of the whole series say this is one of its best entries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rebound Play a standalone?
It is book 3 in Sasha Brennan’s Courting Blizzards series, but readers say it can be read as a standalone, with only minor spoilers for the earlier books. Lucy appears in the series before getting her own story.
Is Rebound Play spicy?
Yes. Readers describe it as spicy, and one reviewer gave it three chilli peppers. I Heart SapphFic lists it as hot and steamy. Romance.io does not have enough ratings for a steam score, so we have not given it one.
Does Rebound Play have a third-act breakup?
Yes. Several readers mention a third-act breakup, which some found a little frustrating or petty. It is resolved, and the book ends with a happily ever after.
What is the disability and neurodivergent representation in Rebound Play?
Naomi is a wheelchair user and captain of a wheelchair basketball team, and Lucy has ADHD. Lucy is also temporarily disabled by an ankle injury. Readers praise both portrayals.
Where is Rebound Play set?
In Cardiff, Wales. Naomi plays for the Comets wheelchair basketball club, and Lucy plays for the Blizzards, a professional basketball team.
If You Loved Rebound Play, Read These Next
Try Hoops & Heartstrings for another basketball romance, or see our books like Cleat Cute list for more neurodivergent sports romance. For more, browse our disabled sapphic romance and neurodivergent sapphic romance lists, the sapphic sports romance hub, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Rebound Play sets out to be a sapphic sports romance with a disabled lead and an ADHD lead, and it succeeds: the representation is thoughtful, the wheelchair basketball is central, and Naomi and Lucy have real chemistry. What holds it back is a third-act breakup that not every reader bought. For anyone looking for this kind of representation, it is worth it. Check Rebound Play on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Rebound Play ranks as a very good sports romance — standout representation and chemistry, held back slightly by a divisive third-act breakup and a small reader base.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ 4.33 average across 30 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ No Goodreads ratings below three stars
- ✓ 4.35 on StoryGraph from 10 reviews
- ✓ 4.7 stars across 13 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Missed date to second chance
- ✓ Short enemies phase
- ✓ Friends with benefits
- ✓ Third-act breakup
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.3/5
- ✓ Naomi strong and guarded
- ✓ Lucy relatable and chaotic
- ✓ Supportive families
- ✓ Found family on the team
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Honest ADHD interiority
- ✓ Clear play sequences
- ✓ Balances sport and romance
- ✓ Setting underused
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Healing from a toxic past
- ✓ Injury and identity
- ✓ Everyday ableism
- ✓ Hopeful tone
Heat Level — not rated
- ✓ Readers call it spicy
- ✓ Three peppers from one reviewer
- ✓ Hot and steamy per I Heart SapphFic
- ✓ No romance.io steam score
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Happily ever after
- ✓ Breakup resolved
- ✓ Frustrating for some
- ✓ Well set up for others
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Banter holds up
- ✓ Series fans rank it highly
- ✓ Paperback and Kindle
- ✓ No audiobook found
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