Quirky, zany, a little crazy, funny, and an ode to small towns that make you feel like you belong.
The middle of the story dragged a little and I wasn’t sure where it was going but I ended up liking the book!

3.5 stars

There were a lot of POVs so it took a bit to get connected to the characters. I didn’t get into the romance as much from the story, it seemed to be more about the game.

Some books are like a breath of fresh air amid a sea of anxiety, and this story was a welcomed escape from every day life each time that I picked it up. I’m not sure I would label this a romance so much as contemporary fiction with a love story tangent, but it was delightful nonetheless. Incredibly wholesome, full of characters I found myself cheering on throughout, do yourself a favor and give The Only Game in Town a try if you enjoy slow burning novels of close knit towns, tender romance, witty banter, and reconciled relationships.

This book was nothing what I was expecting but I so enjoyed it! It had an Inheritance Games vibe mixed with quirky small town characters and a romance. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved how the game unfolded and how the teams were determined. Throw in some shenanigans, a heartwarming father/daughter story, and a city slicker slowly seeing how charming small town life can be and you've got a great read to curl up with!

I like this Author’s writing, but this book fell a little flat for me. I found it pretty boring. I did like the multiple POVs and the small town setting. There was a serious issue in the book that wasn’t taken seriously, in my opinion. Overall, I was disappointed in this one.

DNF at 30%. I loved From the Jump, and even though I knew going in that this book was going to be "not a romance" and have different pacing, I still couldn't manage to get into the book or stay focused enough to read it. I was just clicking through the pages on my Kindle.
I think this book may be good for readers who like multiple POV, who like some adventure and mystery with their romance, and love the charm of a small town. I will read other books by Lacie in the future, but this one just did not capture my attention enough to be invested to finish it.
Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy.

Wholesome, sweet, and a fun story but I was wanting more romance and felt like the storytelling was a little off. Maybe because of all the different povs but all in third person- I didn’t feel like that added much to the story. I think the first half of this book was really strong but it felt flat in the second half to me- I wanted more connection and depth but a lot of the miscommunication and relationships felt petty or lacking. If the romance had kicked in stronger at 40% I think this could have been a lot higher but they seriously didn’t kiss until 75%! I would label this women’s fiction not romance.

Overall, I enjoyed it but I liked The Layover a lot more. It is closed door, very little suggestive content and very little language. I really appreciated that in this day and age. I think a lot of people will enjoy this, just go in expecting more of a women’s small town fiction than a romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I loved this book so much. Lacie has such a great gift on bringing to life a whole town in this story. It felt wholesome and uplifting and the sweet romance parts made it even better.

I liked the cast of characters, some really reliable ones and some unbelievable but so true to the real world. The interactions were hilarious at times and the game was on when I knew who would win the big prize in the end.

A beautiful story about what human beings means when it comes to a big community that is brought together not only for the win but for helping each other and acceptance. The love story is not missing and this book could easily be made into a hallmark movie.

Arc review

What a quick, fun read! This book had me laughing out loud with some super fun challenges in this competition! I loved how Jasper paired up the teams. It was so heartwarming how some of the friendships were mended through this game.

I loved the small town setting…it had a Sweet Home Alabama kind of feel to it. All of the great characters that really made this book special. I absolutely loved Carter and Jess was so much fun with her colorful clothes/outlook on life.

I really enjoy Lacie's writing style. This is the second book that I have read of hers and I can't wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam & Lacie Waldon for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

this wasnt really my taste personally. there was so many different povs going on personally it was hard for me to follow.

I enjoyed Lacie Waldon's previous books, so I was excited to see that she has a new book out! "The Only Game in Town" centers around Jess, a quirky and creative freelance author who loves her small hometown and her single dad. When the town's main benefactor passes away and his grandson, Carter, comes to town, things are sent into a tailspin. Everyone is shocked when the $10 million will states that whoever wins the town-wide game will earn the money. Not only that, but enemies must be paired together and learn to get along in order to increase their chance to win the prize. Jess and Carter consider themselves opposites, but are surprised to find that they have good chemistry and sparks begin to fly.

I enjoyed the original story line of this book and thought the romance between Jess and Carter was really cute. I also really liked the side characters and enjoyed the character arcs they had as well.. Overall, this was a really fun and cute romance! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A fantastic new twist on the enemies to lovers trope. Carter and Jess are competing against each other (and a whole town of people for a million dollars, but from the very beginning they can’t help but like each other. And they can’t resist helping each other, which in a competition for that much money is not necessarily a good thing. Their banter is perfect. During their conversations I would get giddy sometimes, anxious to hear what they would say next, and little stomach flips.
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This book has the grumpy sunshine trope, and oh my goodness, it is so satisfying. Jess is a book editor, and she looks at the life she’s living as if it’s a book she’s editing. Which is such a great way to find another perspective and overcome obstacles. And as a reader, this outlook makes it so easy to love her.
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This small town story is so descriptive and has such a close-knit community that every reader will fall in love with Redford, just like the male MC did. Perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls, as it has the same relatable small town feeling.
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P.s. Jess and I have the same taste in alcoholic drinks. 😂 “The woman won’t touch anything that doesn’t taste like liquefied Jolly Ranchers. She’s got the palate of a toddler.”

Thank you @netgalley, @putnambooks and @bookswithnopictures for the ebook of Lacie Waldon’s latest, The Only Game in Town, which published today. All opinions are my own!

If you like small towns with their many characters, father/ daughter sweetness, and a little romance, this may be the book for you!

I love the cover, the writing, the epilogue, the idea of a city-wide contest, and I think it’s unique that Waldon chose to have four POVs in this book. I assumed a side plot was heading in one direction and was surprised and happy when it went another. The main character, Jess, was a bright and colorful dresser, but I have to say that I wish the rest of the book was as colorful. I absolutely liked this book, but I kept wanting MORE. More from the side characters, more humor, more romance, more contests, etc. I can see many, many people not being so greedy and being happy with it just the way it is.

My absolute favorite Lacie Waldon book is From The Jump and it has kept its #1 spot.

Closed 🚪, mentioned but off-page
3.5/5 ⭐️
Location: Redford, Georgia
#TheOnlyGameInTown

Soooooo cute!!! I absolutely adored this sweet little book that swept me away! I would happily read anything this author writes

Redford, GA is just like every other small town until its wealthiest and most eccentric townsperson dies and leaves an unusual request in his will. Rather than leaving his vast fortune to a family member or even his beloved town, Jasper Wilhelm wants pairs of residents to compete to win his money. The other catch is that prior to his death, he arranged a list of the residents to be paired off to participate.

The Only Game in Town is an opposites attract romance. The adventure themed plot is fun and fast-paced. The storyline follows Jess Reid and Carter Barclay as they reluctantly join forces in order to secure Jasper’s fortune. As a family member, Carter feels that he is entitled to the money. Jess only wants to be able to help her father who single handedly raised her.

The Only Game in Town is a delight start to finish. The different levels of the competition range from silly to wild. There are so many fantastic characters outside of just the two MCs. The banter and chemistry between Jess and Carter is there from their first meeting and only grows stronger throughout the story.

I have read both of the author’s other novels so I had high expectations for this one. I was not disappointed. I look forward to listening to the audiobook once it is released.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)!

My favorite books have unique storylines and interesting, lovable characters. The Only Game in Town has both and so much more. The story takes place over 1 week, is told from 4 viewpoints, features a small town of relatable residents (that I am dying to visit by the way), and asks the reader to suspend reality just a bit, The romance is sweet (closed door) but not the main attraction. The best part for me is the game itself. I absolutely love the adventure, high jinks, and fun-filled competitive spirit that all the townspeople bring to the contest. Once again Lacie Waldon has written a supporting cast of characters that I have fallen in love with - and I really wish she would start writing sequels or trilogies. But until then, I’ll keep reading anything she writes, because she’s fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This book gave me all the Stars Hallow feels! So much so that I may or may not have started watching Gilmore Girls…again. A small town with all fun quirky characters you fall in love with. The friendships, complex relationships and the towns little rivalries were entertaining. I really enjoyed the multiple POV format- it made it easier to understand Jess and Nikki’s relationship and the growth they have not only in their relationship but individually as well. The banter in this book is top notch and I was rooting for Jess and Carter from the jump! The story is fast paced, easy to binge and so much fun. Although the main focus is definitely on the game Lacie seamlessly tied in a bit of romance. This is the second book I’ve read from Lacie Waldon and she is definitely on my list of auto-buy authors!

Lacie Waldon is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. I really appreciate the way that she writes humor and chemistry, and The Only Game In Town also added an extra something in creativity and intrigue. I also appreciate that the romance isn't overly explicit but still sizzling and beautiful.

I was really excited to read this book as the premise sounded like so much fun!
To quickly sum up: a wealthy resident of a town passes away and leaves some money behind to two people. The catch? In order to win the money, a series of challenges have been created and the town's residents paired up. To make it more interesting, the pairs were decided by the wealthy benefactor, who paired up enemies, forcing people who don't really get along to work together if they want to win.

The book's romance focuses on Jess, a book editor who was born and raised in the town, and Carter, the grandson of the wealthy benefactor (Jasper) who arrives in town for the funeral but then is roped into playing the game when he is paired up with the owner of the local bar.
To put a different spin on things, the author has made this book a quadruple point of view, so in addition to Jess and Carter, we have Ross, Jess's dad, as well as Nikki, Jess's enemy and teammate.

This book definitely had some laughs, particularly with some of the more ridiculous challenges the townspeople had to undertake (racing down a hill in kid-sized jeeps, for instance), and some more serious moments, particularly as Jess learns some information about someone important to her.

The romance didn't quite feel like the A-plot here, but it was nicely done. It is a closed-door romance, so don't expect any explicit sex scenes. The book (apart from the epilogue) takes place over the course of a week, so the romance wasn't quite insta-love, but pretty close to it.

Overall, it was fine for me. I was really thrown off by the quadruple point of view and don't feel that it was necessary for the book. I also felt that the time jump between the end of the book and the epilogue was pretty big and there was potential for some lovely scenes in the time that was jumped. I also found I had to suspend reality for a bit with the notion that so many people in a town could take time off work for a week with no notice. Some townspeople clearly couldn't do that, but still, it required a bit of imagination.

Thanks to NetGally, Putnam/PenguinRandom House, and the author for an early copy of the book. Opinions are entirely my own.

LacieWaldon has done it again with this fun and energetic novel! It has a little bit of everything from family drama, romance & adventure! I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and found the characters relatable. If you’re looking for an entertaining & feel good read, then you need to read this one!