The Only Game In Town is a fun, quirky book, not specifically a romance but definitely with a strong romantic subplot between Jess, the small town girl whose roots are deeply planted in Redford, NC and Carter, who grew up in a wealthy but emotionally bankrupt family and has never really felt that any place was his home. The only connection he has had to true family was his grandfather Jasper, a millionaire who lived in Redford and secretly helped out the townsfolk through anonymous grants.

Now that Jasper has passed away, Carter expects to be the main benefactor of his estate and fully intends to continue helping out the people in Redford with it. However, much to his surprise he learns that instead, his grandfather set up a competition open to anyone in town for a grand prize of $10M but with a few non-negotiable rules determined by Jasper in advance. Carter is determined to win, but so is just about everyone else in town, including sunshiny Jess whom he met on his first day in town and is quite attracted to. Let the games begin!

I really enjoyed this book. It was told not only from Carter and Jess's POVs, but also a couple of other residents which added another layer to the plot. The games were mainly fun although there was also some pretty cutthroat competition going on, not surprising given the magnitude of the prize. In the end, this was a book about relationships, how to strengthen them, make new ones, and mend ties that have frayed. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

this book was so cute!
living in a small town in georgia myself, this book was easy to get involved in.
if you like gilmore girls, then i really think you’ll enjoy this.
the romance was so cute, and the characterization was done really well also. i think sometimes it can be a bit confusing when there’s a lot going on, but i feel like the author did a good job of making it clear.
i highly recommend this!

This one is a little different than Lacie’s other books. I would say this one is less a romance book and more about the town as a whole. There are four POVs in this one, the two MC’s, Jess and Carter and then Jess’ father and Nikki who is her childhood nemesis. I didn’t fully see the point of using Jess’ dad point of view and Nikki’s. It would have been better with just Jess and Carter.
The basis of the book is that a whole small town is competing for 10 million dollars, which the game was fun to read but I think the 4 different POVs made it hard to get really invested in anyone. It’s a fun read but definitely not my fav from Lacie,

Summary: When Reford’s very eccentric benefactor Jasper Wilhelm dies, his nephew Carter comes to town to oversee his last financial endowment. Turns out there is quite a bit of a catch - the townspeople will need to compete in a series of games in order to win Jasper’s remaining fortune. Among those playing, freelance editor, Jess Reid, quickly catches Carter’s eye.

Thoughts: The Only Game in Town features a close look at small town life and the deep meaningful connections formed between community members. I enjoyed seeing the town root for Jess to win the competition and even more, I really loved seeing how Jess and her enemy Nikki were able to overcome past misunderstandings in order to work together and achieve their goals.

Although the romance is not very prominent, Jess was a character I definitely rooted for so having a potential love interest in Carter gave me even more of a rooting interest. That said, I do wish there was a litttttle bit more romance so that it didn’t feel quite as insta-love. None the less, Lacie Waldon is an auto-buy author who can do no wrong, so I will of course be recommending this book as well, with the caveat that you know what you are getting when you go in (expect women’s fiction, not romance).

One final note - the audiobook is so good. A full cast led by Brittany Pressley…need I say more? I think this would make a fantastic immersive read, listening to audio while reading the physical or ebook, and would recommend that as the best way to read this fun, adventure filled romp.

Read if you like:
•small town life
•enemies to friends
•insta-connection
•adventure stories
•strong father/daughter relationship

A huge thank you to Putnam Books, PRH Audio and Lacie Waldon for the advanced copies of The Only Game in Town in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not your typical romance, and that was fine by me! I loved that we not only got the POV from the MC's but from a few others in the story. We think we know everything, but we never do! When Jasper dies, he leaves the money to the town, but they have to compete to see who will win! He pairs them up with their rivals and that's where the fun happens. When they think they have the worst luck ever and things are not going their way, it turns out that he knew what was best for them. Sometimes you just need to face the thing that is haunting you and it will put your fears to rest.
Carter is in town for his grandpa's funeral but also joins in on the fun. He can't help but fall for the crazy girl Jess, that everyone seems to love, well, except her partner. Jess had come home to be with her father, she has no dreams outside of her little town. Everything here feels like home to her and she doens't ever want to leave. When she starts to get closer to Carter, who is from the big city, she knows it is only fleeting.
Jasper hoped to pass on his love for the town to Carter and hoped that he would find a family there too. The book was just so uplifting and at times, very emotional, but true to form, it has a perfect HEA.
Thank you to Penguin, Lacie Waldon and Netgalley for an early copy.

This one started out with a solid premise—a game of riddles and escapades taking place in a small town. The prize? A LOT of money as stipulated in an old guy’s will. It kinda gave me Inheritance Games vibes, but slower moving and geared towards an adult audience. HOWEVER. This book just didn’t do it for me.

I think my main issue was the writing style. There was a lot of “telling” and not “showing.” There were also a lot of passages that had super long, introspective thoughts that could’ve been slimmed down.

Jess (FMC) was too good and too perfect and too quirky—it made her unlikeable. And Carter, the love interest, was a little bland. And even tho everyone in town are all grown adults, there were so many references to the way characters were in high school that seemed out of place.

But you know who my favorite character was? NIKKI!! Surprisingly, considering she was set up to be the “mean girl.” But she seemed real and added some needed spark and snark, and I liked her scenes a lot actually 😂

Overall, kudos to the author for such a fun idea for a book and for the clever riddles and games. But for me, it just didn’t end up working on page :(

It took me a while to read this book by my usual standards, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It wasn’t what I was expecting. Based on the blurb, I thought the pairings for the contest left behind by Jasper would be different. It made things more unique and interesting the way it played out though.

Jess gave me all the Jessica Day vibes, which I loved. She’s bright, in intelligence and personality, she brings positivity and spirit to everything that she faces, and she has a good heart. Carter is serious and rigid when he arrives in town, but one interaction with Jess and it’s obvious his facade is going to crack the more time he spends around her. I liked their interactions with each other, and I liked that Carter appreciated and was completely endeared by Jess exactly as she was. I loved that she didn’t feel the need to tone down her personality. She was comfortable playing it up even more to bring Carter out of his shell and light to his gray.

Nikki threw me off a bit. She starts out as, honestly, a pretty terrible person, and when I got the a chapter that was from her POV, it was a little off-putting. I didn’t want to spend more time with her character. My opinion shifted as the book progressed, though I’m still not sure I loved that some chapters were from her POV. Yes, the gave more insight into her character, but they disrupted the flow for me.

The game the book centers around was fun and made sense at times, but also was bizarre and seemed so chaotic at others. It really plays into the ‘quirky small town’ vibe. It comes to a heartwarming conclusion, but I think there were too many people involved and it made it difficult to really feel much of a connection. I would’ve liked a little bit more one-on-one time with Jess and Carter with less focus on the game or their time together being led by some fallout from that day’s event.

Overall, this was a fun, small town book with a side of medium-light romance. I thought it was sweet and entertaining.

I enjoyed the challenges and the competition in this one. But that’s ultimately the main story, not the romance. There was a lot happening, that really wasn’t necessary to the story. I also did not enjoy the multiple POVs. Sadly, this was a miss for me

This was super cute!

I went into this expecting something different. I assumed that Carter and Jess were going to be paired up and have a kind of rivals to lovers storyline with them finding out they worked well together. So I was shocked when it was revealed Jess was working with Nikki, her longtime enemy and bully. I wasn't sure of this at first, but I loved it. I love how Waldon found a way to make this book stand out and be different from so many other romance books out there.

I loved the relationship between Carter and Jess. I felt the pacing was perfect and made their love story believable. A lot of romance books move so fast and by the end it leaves me feeling like I didn't get enough of the build up. But, Carter and Jess were definitely a slow burn that was beautifully written.

At first, I was confused by the POV's of other characters such as Nikki and Ross. But, after reading them, I feel they added a whole other dynamic to the book. This book is a romance, but that wasn't all it was. It was a story about Nikki finding a place she could belong again and forming an unlikely friendship with Ross. It was really cringy to read the scenes about Nikki hitting on Ross, and I was so thankful for him turning her down. I would not have been able to keep reading if that had become a thing.

I do wish the epilogue was from either Carter or Jess' POV. I didn't like how their story ended so abruptly, I wanted more of them as a happy couple after Carter decided to stay in Redford.

The Only Game in Town was a very fun and engaging read. It has the best line up of characters including nosy neighbors and high school enemies. It takes place in a small southern town in Georgia and reminds me of my hometown. The game that the whole town played to win the prize money was so ridiculously funny. I highly recommend reading this book! On a side note, I would rate it PG (i.e. 80s Top Gun) There's a few innuendos and some crude language. I didn't notice an overuse of profanity.

This is the kind of book that makes you fall in love and smile through your tears at the the end. It has a lot of lovely things: friendship, found family, Barbie jeeps, and even a little bit of romance.

In The Only Game in Town, residents of Redford, Georgia are mourning the loss of one of their most influential members, Jasper Wilhelm. That mourning is joined by merriment when they learn they have a chance to win Jasper’s fortune. He’s devised a plan to keep the town smiling even after his death, but as the townspeople are split into teams, the townspeople aren’t so sure they want to be a part of the scheme. To make it worse, a Redford outsider also joins the game to try his hand at winning the fortune.

This story has a whopping four POVs. When I got to the third character, I thought “this is gonna be a lot”, but it worked. I really liked being able to read more than just the two perspectives you’d encounter in a romance novel. It just solidified that that this was so much more than a romance. All the characters that were featured got a chance to shine, and the story was better for it.

I really liked the setting of this story (and yes, I may be impartial because it was fun to hear the Georgia references, but I stand by that.). It was a true small town, with everyone in everyone else’s business, and the petty feuds that come with having nothing better to do. It was nice to see the world as it could be, with people supporting each other and loving each other and giving each other the second chance we all deserve.

There was a relationship that gave me pause while reading, and it kept me from giving the book five stars. I’m happy with how the author resolved it, but it made me a little uncomfy along the way.

I really liked this book, and I was sad when it came to an end. Luckily, this is my first book by the author, so I’m excited to read whatever else I can get my hands on.

I really liked the setting of this story (and yes, I may be partial . It was a true small town, with everyone in everyone else’s business, and the petty feuds that come with having nothing better to do. It was nice to see the world as it could be, with people supporting each other and loving each other and giving each other the second chance we all deserve.

I really liked this book, and I was sad when it came to an end. Luckily, this is my first book by the author, so I’m excited to read whatever else I can get my hands on.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Lacie Waldon for this ARC copy of The Only Game in Town in exchange for my honest opinion and review!

This was my first Lacie Waldon book, and I was initially drawn in by the Inheritance Games vibes! I love the illustration on the cover - which promised this reader a ride of a lifetime.

This small town romance was a cute adventure that seemed to give piece of everyone. There were so many lovable side characters in this small town - and it was quite interesting to get some of their POV's within the read.

This story was very interesting, and had me turning the page to find out more - but I will admit I was a tad let down that there was not more actual romance in it considering it was advertised as a romance! This was a cleaner read which many will love - but be aware of this when going in if you may have other expectations going in.

thank you to netgalley and putnam for the opportunity to read an advance copy. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

there genuinely isn’t a single thing about this book that i liked, which is incredibly disappointing because i really enjoyed from the jump. the premise of the only game in town is fun, but it’s unsuccessful on just about every front.

jess, our main character, is immediately ‘not like other girls.’ she doesn’t like traditional fashion, bc she’s so quirky and weird! she’s sooooo clumsy! she’s so jess from new girl that even her name is the same! she’s even a redhead like every boring not like other girls MC. carter in the beginning is—fine. bland. much like jess, he’s your archetypal romance LI. he’s a Man so he doesn’t feel Emotions, of course. while i found him insufferable, it wasn’t even close to the same level as jess.

but let’s talk about how, at 5% in, i almost dnf’ed. jess is 26 years old, and her high school bully is still bullying her over some slight from when they were kids (and when you find out the slight the bully is still mad about, it gets even more ridiculous!). these are whole entire adults. it’s a tiny town and these girls never really left, so it is admittedly pretty realistic, but god is it infuriating to read. and, to make it better, carter has to save her from the bully the first time they meet? which, fine, i get it, but let’s really start out early with jess having no agency. jess’s fixation on a high school rivalry continues further into the book, because of course we can’t have her or the bully emotionally age beyond 18.

and let’s continue on the bully for a minute. the bully, nikki. is only a bully bc her dad left and her mom’s an alcoholic and she’s jealous of jess :/ can you please make a mean girl mean without daddy issues, emotional abuse, and envy? or at the very least not reduce her character to just that? and, of course, since jess is just a copy paste of jessica day, she just forgives nikki for bullying her the second she stops doing so without any apologies or even addressing it at all. and the worst part is i actually like nikki! she’s definitely the only character i can tolerate!

as for the romance, it’s lust at first sight, but it’s mutual, so it’s actually kinda fun switching povs and having both their opinions on each other just “they’re hot”. but it turns to insta love quickly, because of course it does. the problem is that they don’t really interact all that often, especially in the first half, and there isn’t much chemistry largely because it jumps right into these big feelings without any development. similarly, the main conflict is ridiculous, overblown, and annoying. it’s also resolved in like, five pages. their first kiss and first time both happen the same night immediately after jess gets a concussion. with the most absurd conflict in between where neither of them acted like an actual human being.

(and i have to share this fun line: “Beneath his perfectly buttoned shirts, Carter had become an insatiable beast who had ravaged her until she was left whimpering with satisfaction.” what the actual hell.)

as a note, too, i’ve seen other reviews point out that this isn’t actually a romance book despite being marketed as such, and i can confirm, it’s definitely contemporary fiction with a romance subplot. definitely misleading.

the main plot centers around the will of the town’s zany benefactor who’s recently passed. jasper’s game is—kinda fucked up too? he poses it as some big generous donation to the town that he’s supposed to have loved, but instead it’s a donation to two people who jump through his hoops well enough. he pairs up everyone who hates each other in some weird arrogant belief that he can fix everyone’s problems from beyond the grave. and getting everyone’s hopes up just to either callously or maliciously schedule the game so that most of the town can’t play is a little cruel to boot. it’s gilmore girls meets the inheritance games which maybe could’ve worked but didn’t.

in the vein of this not, in fact, being a romance book, there are too many povs. including jess’s dad as a pov character was very uncomfortable, and nikki’s pov really pushed it over the line of too many. it went from being a romance novel, as advertised, to some hodge podge ensemble cast.

oh! and then it gets super weird! for a while it’s set up like she might make the dad and the daughters HIGH SCHOOL BULLY love interests. horrific. it’s one sided (technically—they have surprisingly good chemistry and many of their interactions do not come across as platonic on either side) but jesus god what the hell. part of this plot includes jess getting slut shamey, which is predictable but still disappointing. nikki and ross have great chemistry which is extra frustrating.

also there’s inexplicably a subplot where someone tries to commit actual murder, and someone keeps it a secret, because girl code.

and, finally, i have to speak my truth. carter and nikki have better chemistry and would make more sense.

I think some readers will really enjoy this one, but unfortunately I’m not one of them. The story itself was interesting, I liked the small town vibe, but I was so bored throughout this whole book. It just never clicked for me. There was never a moment where I was excited to see how things would play out. Jess felt really immature to me for being an adult woman. If she had been a YA protagonist, MAYBE she could have gotten away with it, but it was just annoying in this context. Nikki really frustrated me. I didn’t find her bullying and meanness funny at all. She did redeem herself a bit towards the end, but not enough to fully change my thoughts on her. Carter was the only one that didn’t actively bother me, but he had the opposite problem: he was so bland. There was not one interesting thing about him. Honestly, the books’s one saving grace was the townspeople like Luanne and Sally and Ross. They reminded me of the people of Stars Hollow and I found them really entertaining. But the main characters, pacing and execution of the story just left me dragging through most of the book. There were a few cute moments, but overall this missed the mark for me. I wish I liked it more. I was really excited for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't my favorite of her novels, but overall I did enjoy it. The story felt fresh with a plot line that hasn't been overdone by other authors. There were a few areas that felt a little muddy but that may have been because I was reading to quickly, wanting to find out how it would all come together in the end.

Jasper Wilhelm has passed on. He was a wealthy member of the town of Redford. His grandson Carter has come to Redford for his funeral. Jasper was estranged from Carter's mother and Carter was disowned by his parents when he didn't want to work in the family business. Jasper is leaving 10 million dollars to be split between two residents of Redford and he had devised a game to determine the winners. Jess is a resident of Redford and meets Carter when he arrives in town. There are several feuding members of the town and Jasper pairs some feuding people together as a team to participate in the challenges to win the money. Good story!

Sucha fun and lighthearted read! I really enjoyed that there wasn't a big issue that they had to work out; It was nice to see that there was a problem and they were able to get through it. The games were such fun and all the characters are a hoot! I only wish I was able to witness all the games.

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! It has everything: friends, enemies, small town charm, romance, competition, and great characters! The Only Game in Town starts when Jasper, a rich man in Redford, dies. At the reading of his will, the town discovers he has set up a game for them to play - in pairs he has chosen - to compete for 10 million dollars. No one is happy with who they are paired with. Sworn enemies, business rivals, ex- friends, are all put together. And everyone is suspicious when Jasper’s grandson gets to play and he’s not even from Redford! What follows is a story filled with amazing characters, clever humor, and a small town coming together and having fun.

This is my third -and favorite- Lacie Waldon book, and I can’t wait to read more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Nothing ever changes in the small town of Redford, Georgia. Ever since Jess got her degree and came back home, she can count on the steady safe life of her hometown. But then Carter Barclay comes into the bar, charming her and defending her against her childhood bully and she can't help but be drawn to him.
Carter is only in town for the funeral of his grandfather Jasper, the town's secret benefactor. Instead of a traditional will, Jasper has devised a competition where the townsfolk are paired off for a series of games. The winners will receive 10 million dollars. Even though Carter is an outsider, he's included in the game and the longer he stays in town, the more he falls in love with the town and its quirky residents, especially Jess. How can he even think of returning to his boring, lonely life in Atlanta?
This is a story of finding home where you last expect it, of coming together for a purpose, but especially about forgiveness and love. I thought this was a really sweet clean romance. The competition was really fun to read about, especially the scavenger hunt and Barbie jeeps!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nothing ever changes in Redford, Georgia. That's what freelance editor Jess Reid loves about her hometown--and part of what keeps her from leaving. Content taking care of her father, a car mechanic who singlehandedly raised her after her mom skipped out, Jess is resigned to a safe, unremarkable existence...until Jasper Wilhelm, the town's eccentric benefactor, dies suddenly and leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime. Financial advisor Carter Barclay has been too busy to visit his grandfather in Redford, but he's heard countless stories about the town and its zany residents from Jasper. A small, insular town in Georgia is the last place Carter expects to be spending his summer--but it seems his grandfather had one final trick up his sleeve. At the funeral, it's revealed that Jasper has devised a massive, high-stakes game for the people of Redford, with the winning duo taking home his entire fortune. The catch? He's already taken the liberty of pairing them up. As tensions of all kinds rise between Jess and Carter, and the life-changing prize looms closer, the two must decide what they're willing to risk to change their lives. A love story full of spirit and hijinks, The Only Game in Town is a funny, quirky homage to the people we get to call home.

I really enjoyed Lacie Waldon's last book From The Jump and was so excited to get her next book. The premise seemed cute, but I just had a hard time getting invested and staying interested. I found myself skimming a lot. The premise was just too wacky and predictable. I enjoyed. Jess and Carters love story, but it was very slow and relatively uneventful. It felt like a secondary plot to the games itself. If you are looking for a quirky small town, slow burn romance, this book is def for you!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.