The Recommended Reading Order
The Grover Beach Team series (also widely known as the Grover Beach Players series) by Anna Katmore captures the charm, heartbreak, and humor of young adult and new adult sports romance. Because the series features companion novels that retell the same events from different perspectives, choosing where to start can feel daunting. The most rewarding path is to follow the publication and chronological order recommended by the author, which allows you to experience the character arcs and friend-group cameos in their natural sequence.
- Play With Me (2012) – Centers on Lisa Matthews and Ryan Hunter.
- Ryan Hunter: This Girl Is Mine (2013) – The same story as Play With Me, retold entirely from Ryan Hunter's point of view.
- T is for... he's a TOTAL jerk (2013) – Focuses on Samantha Summers and Tony Mitchell.
- Kiss with Cherry Flavor (2014) – A companion novella that acts as an extension to Samantha and Tony's story.
- Dating Trouble (2015) – Focuses on Susan Miller and identical twins Chris and Ethan Donovan, told from Susan's perspective.
- The Trouble with Dating Sue (2015) – The same love triangle story, retold from Chris Donovan's perspective.
- The Impossible Bet (2016) – Focuses on Jace and his neighbor Brinna.
- Taming Chloe Summers (2016) – Focuses on Chloe Summers and Hunter.
Play With Me and Ryan Hunter: The Dual-POV Opening
The series kicks off with Play With Me, introducing readers to Lisa Matthews. Lisa has been hopelessly in love with her childhood best friend, Tony Mitchell, for years. When Tony returns from soccer camp and starts paying attention to a new girl, Lisa joins the school’s mixed-sex soccer team in a desperate attempt to get close to him. However, she quickly catches the attention of the team's swoon-worthy captain, Ryan Hunter, who is determined to show her what real love looks like. It is a classic, heartwarming high school sports romance filled with humor and teenage angst.
Immediately following this is Ryan Hunter: This Girl Is Mine. Rather than moving forward in time, this book retells the entire timeline of Play With Me from Ryan's perspective. Readers get to see his internal struggle, his immediate attraction to Lisa, and the behind-the-scenes actions he took to win her heart. Reading these two back-to-back is highly recommended for fans of the couple, as it adds substantial depth to Ryan's character and explains several plot points that seemed mysterious from Lisa's point of view.
Samantha and Tony's Story: T is for... and Kiss with Cherry Flavor
The third installment, T is for... he's a TOTAL jerk, shifts the spotlight to Samantha Summers, who has just moved to Grover Beach. Samantha is dealing with a chaotic home life, a difficult cousin, and a rocky introduction to Tony Mitchell. Despite starting on the wrong foot, sparks begin to fly between the two as they navigate their shared social circle.
A common point of confusion for readers is the role of Kiss with Cherry Flavor. This book is a novella that picks up immediately after the pivotal kiss between Samantha and Tony, focusing on the emotional fallout when Tony starts to pull away. Important note for readers: Depending on the edition you purchase, the events of Kiss with Cherry Flavor may already be bundled into the second half of T is for... he's a TOTAL jerk. Author Anna Katmore has explicitly noted that if you have read the full edition of T is for..., you already own the content of Kiss with Cherry Flavor and do not need to buy it separately.
The Donovan Twins: Dating Trouble and The Trouble with Dating Sue
With books five and six, the series enters a fun, identity-swapping love triangle. In Dating Trouble, we meet Susan "Sue" Miller, a self-proclaimed book nerd who tries to avoid high school drama. When identical twins Ethan and Chris Donovan enter her life, Sue finds herself torn. She initially sets her sights on the sweet and safe Ethan, but she cannot deny the pull she feels toward the resident bad boy and heartbreaker, Chris. The story is told from Sue's perspective as she tries to decipher her own heart.
Its companion novel, The Trouble with Dating Sue, retells the exact same timeline from Chris Donovan's perspective. It offers a fascinating look at the bad boy's true feelings, his relationship with his twin brother Ethan, and the vulnerability he hides behind his cocky exterior. Much like the first two books, these two are best read as a pair to fully appreciate both sides of the romantic tension.
Rounding Out the Players: The Impossible Bet and Taming Chloe Summers
In The Impossible Bet, the spotlight shifts to Jace, an aspiring college actor. His friends challenge him to a bet: he must get three kisses from his quirky new neighbor, Brinna, within two weeks while pretending to be mute. If he wins, he gets a starring role in their play; if he loses, he has to perform a humiliating stage stunt. The book adds a fun, lighthearted romance to the Grover Beach universe while keeping the tight-knit group dynamics alive.
The series wraps up with Taming Chloe Summers, which transitions into New Adult territory. Chloe Summers, Samantha's cousin, was previously presented as a antagonist in earlier books. This final novel acts as a redemption arc, exploring Chloe's vulnerabilities, her difficult past, and her path to finding love with Hunter. It features more mature themes and a higher level of sensuality compared to the sweet YA romance of the early books.
The Pseudonym Mystery: Piper Shelly vs. Anna Katmore
When searching for physical or digital copies of the Grover Beach series, you may see different author names on the covers. Anna Katmore originally self-published the early books in the series under the pen name Piper Shelly. Over the years, she transitioned to publishing under her real name. Modern editions of all seven books, as well as the audiobooks, are now standardly listed under Anna Katmore. If you run across copies of Play With Me or Ryan Hunter credited to Piper Shelly, rest assured that they are the exact same books as the Anna Katmore editions.
What to Know Before You Start
While each book in the Grover Beach Team series focuses on a different couple and is designed to function as a standalone, reading them out of order is not recommended. The characters are a tightly knit group of friends who frequently pop up in each other's stories. Reading the books chronologically ensures that you won't spoil the outcomes of previous romances and makes the cameos and group interactions much more satisfying. Additionally, be prepared for the tonal shift: the series begins as a very sweet, clean young adult high school romance and gradually matures into steamier, emotional new adult romance by the time you reach Chloe's story in book seven.