Laid off.
Deanna Perry (Dee) is a terrible bartender, but after a ten-minute meeting derailed her career aspirations, she’s low on options. Years of hard work, climbing her way to the top in a male-dominated field—gone in a day.
Evicted.
Dylan Brooks has thirty days to find a new apartment. The plan? Couch surfing and storage units. Until Dee suggests they help each other out…temporarily. He needs a place to stay. Dee needs a roommate to help with bills while she finds a new job.
But with their best friends’ wedding day fast approaching, the lines begin to blur as sass and sarcasm turn into shared moments of vulnerability, and their temporary agreement starts to feel like a lifeline. With their friendship changing into something more, their agreement to help one another find dates for the upcoming celebration proves to be more difficult than expected.
Dee and Dylan are known for their confidence, endless sense of humor, and loyalty to their friends and loved ones. But when life decides to change the beat, Dee is left struggling with her past, while Dylan fights the same silent battle he always has, forcing them to decide whether they can lean on each other.
(ARC Read)
Playing the Backbeat was my first Jane Hayes book, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. What I found was a roommates-to-lovers romance overflowing with witty banter, laugh-out-loud humor, and some of the sweetest, most genuine moments between two people simply learning how to be there for each other. That balance is what made this story so memorable.
“Why be boring when we could be enemies?”
Dee and Dylan are the kind of characters who feel like they’ve known each other forever, even when their relationship starts shifting into something more. They’re both masters at hiding behind jokes, sarcasm, and quick one-liners, using humor to keep everyone from seeing what’s really going on beneath the surface. Watching them slowly realize they don’t have to carry everything alone was one of my favorite parts of this book.
And Dee? She is hysterical.
Her internal monologue had me stopping more than once just to reread a line because I was laughing too hard. Whether she’s openly objectifying Dylan (“Help. I can’t stop objectifying you. Please put a shirt on, you sweaty, sweaty man.”) or comparing her basketball skills to “a lion…with knitting,” she’s effortlessly funny without ever feeling over-the-top. Even the running joke about feeding the nonexistent cat had me grinning every time it came back around.
But underneath all that confidence and chaos is someone who’s quietly falling apart, and I loved how Jane Hayes peeled back those layers. Dee puts on a fearless front for everyone else, while Dylan understands that sometimes the loudest people are carrying the heaviest things.
“Don’t discredit what you’ve already done, just because the chapter ended. It’s still something to be proud of.”
Dylan was every bit her equal. He’s patient, quietly devoted, and so willing to hand Dee every piece of his heart without hesitation. One of my favorite moments in the entire book was when he opened up to her about living with OCD and anxiety. Dee never tried to fix him or offer empty advice. She simply asked how she could help. As someone who also deals with anxiety, that moment resonated deeply with me. Sometimes the greatest comfort isn’t someone solving your problems—it’s knowing they’ll sit beside you while you carry them.
“I can’t help but feel like my entire life has been me on a waitlist. Waiting for the real thing to begin.”
Their relationship felt incredibly balanced because they were mirrors for one another. They understood each other’s coping mechanisms, called each other out when needed, and constantly built each other up without judgment. Their chemistry practically leapt off the page, but what made them so compelling was the unwavering support they gave each other. They became each other’s safe place without fanfare or conditions, and that quiet, steady devotion made their relationship feel incredibly real.
“I don’t know how anyone could see you and not love what they find.”
The supporting cast deserves its own round of applause too. Their friends and family created such a warm, hilarious atmosphere, and I loved that everyone else seemed to recognize what was happening between Dee and Dylan long before they did. Watching them think they were fooling everyone was comedy gold.
Jane Hayes found such a wonderful balance between laugh-out-loud humor, swoony romance, and conversations about mental health that felt honest and compassionate. It never felt preachy—it simply showed what unconditional support can look like when you find the right person.
By the time I reached Dylan’s words—
“You make me want to be brave. To ignore the doubt, ignore the uncertainty, ignore every stressful thought that demands to be heard and instead just allow myself to fucking live. I want that.”
—I was completely sold.
Playing the Backbeat is funny, heartfelt, romantic, and full of characters who remind you that love isn’t about fixing someone, it’s about standing beside them while they figure things out. This was an absolute joy to read, and I can’t wait to see what Jane Hayes writes next.
Release Date: August 7th, 2026
Thank you to Jane Hayes for the ARC read!