Small town, coming home vibes. Check.
Adventures and hijinks and a $10 million prize. Check.
Well-developed characters with a touch of eccentricity. Check.
Slow-burn romance and witty banter. Check.
Found family themes and Barbie doll cars. Check.
Smooshy, heart-warming, all the feels ending. Check.
This book had everything I didn't know I needed. Don't come here looking for steamy hot bodice ripping romance. There is a love story here, but the roots run deeper than boy meets girl, boy woos girl, boy kisses girl, etc. This is a love story about family and home and community and finding your place with people who truly see you and love you with all your flaws and imperfections. Cozy chick lit? Is that a genre? Can we make it one? This is a playful kind of book, the kind you read when you're in the mood to feel good.

Jess Reid has always relished her hometown of Redford, Georgia. A small town with heart, Jess spends a lot of time with her dad who she’s always had a strong relationship with given her mother’s absence since she was young. Every day life is pretty ho hum, until the town’s richest resident, Jasper Wilhelm, passes away.

But Jasper’s passing brings with it unexpected opportunity, namely in the form of cold hard cash. See, before he passed, Jasper created a competition for the residents of Redford. Now preassigned pairs are clamoring for the chance to be the duo to win it all.

As if the scenario isn’t bizarre enough, Jess gets partnered with Nikki, her long time nemesis in town. Added to the mix is Jasper’s grandson and sole out of towner, Carter Barclay. Carter begrudgingly participates in the game, content in the belief he will win it all in the end anyway. What he didn’t bargain for, however, was someone like Jess playing games with his heart.

The Only Game In Town is The Amazing Race meets Gilmore Girls in the best way possible. If you’re familiar with Waldon’s previous releases you know she’s got a passion for travel and adventure. With her latest release, instead of going abroad to find adventure, she’s brought the adventure home. As the story progresses, we get to see the town, and the contest, through the eyes of various locals, all of which have their own reasons for needing a win, all also reminding the reader things aren’t always what they seem.

If you’re looking for a quirky feel good romance with a splash of fun and hijinks, The Only Game In Town is one game where no reader loses.

The book has multiple characters POV. it's an okay quick romance with secrets that get revealed throughout the story. What would you do for $10 million? Would you team up with your enemy in town? What is your crush was playing against you? This is a feel good story.



*********************************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley**********************************

Set in the small town of Redford, Georgia, this book follows freelance editor Jess Reid and financial advisor Carter Barclay as they are unexpectedly paired up to compete in a game with high stakes. The winner takes home the entire fortune left behind by the town's eccentric benefactor, Jasper Wilhelm. As Jess and Carter navigate their way through the challenges of the game, they also find themselves navigating their feelings for each other.

This is small town charm at its best. The characters are quirky and fun and the banter is great! Chapters take on multiple points of view, not just from the main characters, which I thought was an interesting choice. It definitely gave me some Stars Hollow vibes as well!

This is a closed door romance so if you are looking for spice you won’t find it in this one. This definitely has that Hallmark movie feel to it and it’s most certainly a feel good read if that is what you are looking for.

Overall, a sweet and fun read. I prefer my romances on the spicier side, but I know there are many that would love this one!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy to review! #netgalley #TheOnlyGameinTown

It took me a day or so of mulling this one over to decide how I feel about it. As someone who once lived in a very small town in Georgia and loves the competition trope, I felt I may really like this one! In general, there's nothing all that bad about it. In fact, I did like it for the most part. But I have some things that stuck out at me that I just couldn't get over.

First of all, the premise is super fun. Rich dude passes away and leaves his fortune for the residents of his tiny home town, but they gotta compete for it in a series of ridiculous races and challenges. Great! But then... these people are well into adulthood, but all act like high schoolers. The "popular but misunderstood mean girl" vs the "quirky but emotional weird girl" bullying felt very juvenile. And don't even get me started on the mean girl's weird thing with quirky girl's dad? Also, can we talk about how quirky girl is literally just Jess from New Girl. Her name is even Jess.

The biggest thing for me, though? This was marketed largely as a romance. The blurb even calls it a love story. But really the romance isn't the main focus here at all, it just happens along the way as a subplot.

This book was just... ok for me. If you want a light hearted moment where you escape into a super quirky small town, this is the book for you!

This is my third Lacie Waldon book and so far I think it falls in the middle. In the beginning, I looovveed the premise. I am a sucker for a small town game & some romance. Much of the book was fun, & I agree, it feels like a warm hug! I really loved the small town quirky-ness, the various competitions. Overall, it was a fun vibe. I think were I have my qualms is with how fast paced the book is, among other things. I wish the end moved a bit faster. I found myself skimming near the end, and I wasn't fully connected to the love story. I also didn't love the "I'm in love with your father" vibes from Nikki at the beginning... it was weird. I also wish that the girl who gave an allergic reaction to the guy was recognized & fully punished for her wrong-doing.
All of that being said, it was a fun, light book. I just wish some things wrapped up a bit nicer.

The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon is a sweet small town romance. Jess has grown up with her just her Dad and now lives down the street from him. She came back to Redford, Georgia after going to school in New York and now works as an editor. Carter lives in Atlanta and works in finance. He has come to Redford for his grandfather Jasper's funeral. They are both now in a high stakes “amazing race” type game to distribute his grandfather's fortune.

This delightful character driven story was an enjoyable escape for me, and the sweet romance between two opposites was fun to watch. The well developed characters were endearing and I enjoyed their alternating POVs. The author does an amazing job capturing so many different personalities, stories, and the conflicts of living in a small town. The high stakes game to win Jasper’s fortune was very hilarious to watch and reminded me that everyone has a story.

The Only Game in Town is a great read with themes of family, learning to love those around you, and remembering that everyone’s story is complicated. I enjoyed being a part of Redford, Georgia and may need to go back and visit. I highly recommend The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

This book gave me the perfect small-town feel!
I loved Jessica, she is bright, funny, and literally the most colorful person in town. The first time she meets Carter she takes him on a tour of the town, and how she describes it and its residents brought them all perfectly to life.

When Jasper the Patriarch of the town dies he stages an elaborate competition, where every resident of the town is paired up with seemingly the worst possible partner to become the winner of a boatload of money.
Jessica is paired with her nemesis Nikki, and has to compete with her new friend Carter who is also Jasper's grandson. We get multiple POVs which really helped you get into the head of the characters.
The competitions and what happens during them are funny, and the banter between all the characters had me laughing out loud. One of my favorite parts was the Barbie Jeep... I will let you discover why. You should really experience that scene in real-time.

The romance was beautiful and heartwarming, and I loved every page of this book. I will absolutely be adding Lacie Waldon's other books to my TBR.

The Only Game in Town is Lacie’s third book and it was so entertaining! I’ve loved all of her books so far and can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next. If you haven’t read any of her books, what are you waiting for?
• The town benefactor dies and leaves $10 million dollars to the town. The catch is, to get it, you have to compete for it by participating in a series of challenges.
• Before his death, Jasper paired up the people of the town for these high-stake games where the winning duo takes home the prize. Each person was paired with their arch nemesis which sucked me in immediately because I couldn’t wait to hear the fun banter that I knew Lacie would incorporate into the story and see how it all played out. This setup allowed for great character building and really gave us a chance to get to know each one so well.
• Sweet, closed-door, opposites attract, small-town romance that focuses on family and friendships.
• Multiple POV’s and fun/quirky characters.
• I thought the premise of the high-stake games was such a clever and fresh idea and so fun to read about the wacky challenges.
• You’ll fall in love with Redford and the community!
• What’s a romance without the……Happily Ever After

🎧 I went back and forth reading and listening to The Only Game in Town thanks to @prhaudio. The multiple narrators really brought the story to life and gave it an extra edge. I would highly recommend listening to it if you get the chance.

I am obsessed with Lacie Waldon's books and this one did not disappoint! It feels a lot different from her other two, but somehow still gave me everything I wanted! I loved watching Jess and Carter fall in love, I loved watching Jess and Nikki find their friendship, and I loved watching Jess and her dad really cement their bond. The whole cast of characters is just delightful and I loved the whole set up with the game. So fun and creative and this was such a great read!

I'm so sorry to say but I hate this book. It should have only been from Jess and Carson's pov. The other pov's were not necessary. They took me out of the story and made me stop caring.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I don’t usually rate books two stars that I actually finish, but I just feel like there were plot holes I couldn’t ignore in this one. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I will start saying the one thing I did like about this was Carter and Jess’s awkwardly, cute courtship. I didn’t think they had a ton of chemistry, but I was rooting for them.

I feel like I wanted to know so much more about back stories. I wanted WAY more info on Jess’s dad and why he would keep his secret. And also Carter’s family was a big ole mystery.

Overall, I think this book had a promising premise, but too many plot points that didn’t add up.

I really enjoyed The Layover by this author so I’m not never going to read her again, but just a bit disappointed.

Thanks to Putnam for the copy of this book!

When the town of Redford, Georgia's benefactor passes away, his grandson, Carter, comes into town. Jess, a romance editor who grew up in the small town and forms an instant connection with Carter - and luckily he has to stick around for a little longer than expected. Turns out the benefactor made his inheritance into a game that the whole town is expected to participate in. Everything shuts down for these (pretty absurd) games to take place, and romance starts blooming. This was a fun read, but maybe a little immature. It read almost a little YA to me - the characters seemed like they were more late teens/early 20s than their actual ages in the book. It was fun and escapist, which is definitely Lacie's MO with her romance novels!

Read if you:
- like small-town settings
- want multiple POVs and storylines in a romance
- need an escapist read filled with silliness

You have to walk into this one knowing it's intended to be fun! A town filled with pairs of rivals competing to win life-altering money... what could go wrong?

Carter Barclay hasn't taken the time to visit his grandfather and now it's too late. His grandfather's passing forces him to visit Redford, Georgia. At the funeral, it is revealed that his grandpa, Jasper, left his entire fortune to the duo who wins an overly complex game of his own design. The catch, Jasper has already taken the liberty of determining the pairs.

Jess Reid is a Redford local, who absolutely adores her hometown with all of its quirky folks. Jess has accepted she will live in Redford for the rest of her life; that is until Jasper shakes things up with this game.

I laughed at some of the wild tasks the townsfolk had to accomplish. The narrators do a great job in this one of adding life to the story with their inflections. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook thanks to @prhaudio and appreciate being given access to the ebook via @netgalley and @putnambooks. I always like Lacie Waldon's books. This one was very different from her others and I appreciated the joviality in this book set across some very serious themes of loss, familial obligation, and honestly, the complexity of life.

I really enjoyed the small town in this book. And I enjoyed all the characters except Nikki. I almost DNFd this book several times because I couldn’t not stand how mean she was. Unfortunately it kind of ruined the whole book for me. I also just felt the overall story was slow and kind of boring. If you like small town feel good stories and don’t mind mean girls then I definitely recommend this.

3.5 stars

This romance features likably loopy small town girl Jess. Her mom split when Jess was little, so she and her dad have a tight bond. The implausible plot brings a stranger to town, the grandson of a beloved town character. The old man left a huge estate but ties up the proceeds in a series of odd competitions pitting town residents against each other.

Lots of folks could use the multi million dollar prize, including Jess and her dad. But is the contest rigged to favor the grandson? And will he break Jess' heart if he wins and leaves town?

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fun ride of a story! I’ve never read a book with so many POVs and multiple stories going on along the same main story but it made for an enjoyable read.⁣
⁣
When Jasper dies, his grandson comes to his small town for the funeral, only to find out that his grandfather wants the town to play games that no one really knows the rules too except for his lawyer to win the money he left behind for the town.⁣
⁣
The teams are made with the towns enemies having to work together to win the money. The town being paired off in this odd way, the games are off the wall, but we get to know the town and the characters and it’s a fun ride. Jess and her dad have a really sweet relationship. Nikki sucks but kind of grows on you. Carter is mysterious and Bryce is kind of funny. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and watching them form bonds when you least expected it.⁣

This wasn’t super heavy on romance but it was really unique and enjoyable.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: The residents of Redford, Georgia are paired up to compete in a series of challenges for a 10 million dollar prize. The catch, the teams are chosen for them and no one is happy with their partner. Jess, a romance book editor, is paired up with her high school bully Nikki while Carter, the grandson of the benefactor is paired up with Bryce. Who will win?


I enjoyed the silly games within the competition, the small town Stars Hollow feel and the four alternating POVs. However, the overall pace of the story was slow, and I did lose interest during multiple occasions. I also found some of the dialogue to be immature (for characters in their mid 20s), and I had tough time getting over the initial bullying scene as it has been years since HS. I would 100% go into this story knowing it leans more towards women’s fiction than a romance. I found the chemistry between Jess and Carter lacking and enjoyed the plot a lot more when I was thinking about the father/ daughter relationship and new friendships.

Read if you like:
-Quirky characters
-Friendly banter
-Small town romances
-Competitions

Thank you Putnam and PRH audio for the ARC/ALC!

This is story has multiple points of view which I haven't read in a while and the small town is the main character. It reminded me a lot of Gilmore Girls.

It takes place in a few weeks' time during this game of sorts in trying to win an inheritance which at the end of the game as usually there is more to it than just the game. I'm trying not to say too much without giving too many spoilers but there are so many laughs and hi-jinks throughout the book. If you like small town/found family romances this is definitely the book for you. I feel like this one is done perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.