ARC FOR THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN

3 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley, SMPRomance and Lacie Waldon for the gifted copy!

To start, I want to say that I LOVE Lacie Waldon. Her first two books I was a huge fan of, and From the Jump was one of my favs of 2022. I had high hopes for this book- and while I liked the end a bit more than I thought, I spent 3/4s of the book waiting for it to be over because I thought it was weird and I didn't like the characters. I almost DNF'd but the last 30% of the book got better and I really enjoyed the ending.

I have absolutely adored Lacie Waldon's other novels, but 'The Only Game in Town' was a bit of a let down. I enjoyed it well enough, but it lacked the charm that I felt her other books had.

3.5 stars, rounded up

The Good
- The romance is cute. I'll give them that - I enjoyed
- The competition was, while weird in concept, well-executed; the tasks were fun and brought out the characters personalities

The Meh
- I felt like there were just too many POVs to really feel connected to any character
- This concept just felt way too far fetched, and made this book steer from a contemporary romance into Hallmark Movie territory with cheesiness

Overall, this is a cute story, and perfect for a lakeside read. It's not my favorite of Waldon's novels, but it's still enjoyable.

Thank you to Lacie Waldon, GP Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Only Game in Town
by Lacie Waldon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please this need to become a movie! I can’t explain how much I enjoyed this book! It’s a sweet and fun and yet interesting and catching. This book is about family, friends, neighbors, and love. It’s about a small town and how the people are more than just neighbors, they’re like family. And just like family have ups and downs, so does Redford, “Georgia”.

The book talks about an old guy, Jasper, loved by the town, that had just passed away. During his funeral, his lawyer step up and tell everyone in town that Jasper had left 10 thousand dollars for the town. Everyone gets excited, but then he tells them that to win the prize there would be a game, and only one team, with two people will get to win, 5 million each. But what they didn’t know was that Jasper had already paired them up…with their personal enemies, and one could only participate if the other agreed too. Jess of course was paired up with Nikki, the one person in town that hated her. Besides this, there’s also Jasper’s grandson Carter, from Atlanta, that somehow is participating in the game. With the game and the prize in their eyes, they have to work together with their ‘enemies’, let go of whatever they had between them, plus there’s the love sparkles going on between Jess and Carter that is just so adorable!

[stop here if you don’t want spoilers]
The game is very fun to read! The first game is a scavenger hunt, the second one they had to keep one hand on the wall the whole time, them there was the pie eating competition, the hike and then going downhill in a Barbie car, and the final one was to reconstruct the Community Center. The competitors don’t know the rules, only the lawyer does, and they will be surprised with the results. And the ending is very very cute!!!!!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Nothing ever changes in Redford Georgia according to Jess Reid, who grew up there and still lives there. After the death of the town benefactor Jasper Wilhelm, the town finds out he had designed a high stakes game for the people and the winner would receive his entire fortune. He also paired everyone up with a partner. Jess is paired with Carter, the grandson of Jasper.
This was a quick fun read and was very entertaining. You find out each characters reasons for competing in the game and it makes them more relatable. The romance between Jess and Carter was also a great part of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

A small town millionaire, Jasper Wilhelm, dies & leaves directions to complete a community challenge to win $10 million. There’s a twist— he paired everyone up with their “enemy”. Jess is the town sweetheart, but her partner Nikki has always been “Team Nikki” & willing to take down anyone who gets in her way. As in most small towns, there’s a long list of supporting characters getting in everyone’s business. This is a story about a group of people coming together and forming true community in the town they live.

I enjoyed Lacie Waldon’s other books: The Layover & From the Jump. I really wanted to love The Only Game in Town, but it fell a little short for me. This book is categorized as romance, and I think that was a big part of my disappointment. The romance was very minimal and more of a side note than the main event. The second half of the book picked up a lot, but overall I wasn’t invested in the characters or relationships. Of course, these are just my opinions, & this could be your next 5⭐️ book 🤷🏽‍♀️

Thank you Netgalley & Putnam Books for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have been Gilmore Girls and Hart of Dixie fan since the shows aired because I love whimsical towns filled with eccentric townies. The Only Game in Town takes place in Redford, a town not that dissimilar to Stars Hollow or Bluebell.

Jess, a girl raised by a young single father, moved back to her hometown after college to stay close to those she loved, but she always had dreams of something more - her job in publishing is her dream but not at the level she once desired.

After the local philanthropist Jasper passes away a town game is announced for the opportunity to win 10 million dollars - the catch is that everyone is matched into teams with their town rival.

Carter, Jasper's grandson, is captured by Jess and the jovial nature of the Redford townspeople and is caught up playing the game as well. But the game leads him to become enamored with Jess.

The story is happy go lucky and an excellent read.

Thank you to Lacie Waldon, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Lacie Waldon has become one of my favorite new authors. I think her last two books were fresh, the MCs had great chemistry (and some spice), and the secondary characters rounded out the books nicely. The Last Game in Town, her third book, is funny and smart. I think the storyline about Jess and her town was way more important than the chemistry between Jess and Carter.

Jess is the book editor who lives in her small town with quirky characters and Carter is the grandson of Jasper, the town’s wealthy benefactor who just passed away. Carter is in town for the funeral and subsequent will - only to find out that Jasper has established a series of games for a duo to win $10 million at the end of it. Duos were picked by Jasper and seemingly, enemies were paired together. Jess and Carter, along with their teammates, band together to try to win the games.

The Only Game in Town is less a romance and more about a quirky small town and its characters. The dialogue and the situations were entertaining and I enjoyed the book. If you’re looking for a book about a small town and a closed door romance, this one might be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this eARC. The Only Game in Town comes out March 21st, 2023.

While I did enjoy this book, it wasn't until the second half that it really picked up for me. The first 50% or so was very slow moving and unlike both of Lacie's other books. I prefer her previous two greatly to this one. There were too many secondary characters and it was hard to keep up with all of them - the second half focused more on a smaller group and was therefore more developed and a much better read. As always, thank you to NegGalley for the ARC!

I’m the biggest fan of scavenger hunts and shenanigans and small town romances so it really is no surprise this book right here is my first five star read of the year. I also have a thing for stoic men smiling and smirking at a living ray of sunshine, so this book was *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏽​​​​​​​​
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I loved Jess and Carter and the way they both grew both together and apart. Their romance was sweet and natural and a very good slow burn I and the citizens of Redford couldn’t get enough of. Their journey both to each other and into themselves was a delight to read about and I love them both so much, I kind of want to be their single friend that hangs around sometimes.​​​​​​​​
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Another thing I loved about this book is the fact that we got the POV of secondary characters and I wish it was something more authors did. It was fun getting into the head of the other characters and such a plus to an already lovely book.​​​​​​​​
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Don’t even get me started on the setting. Redford is the kind of town I would love to live in if I were to ever live in a small town. I was all but packing my bags by the end to drop in for a visit and drop in for a small town romance of my own. ​​​​​​​​
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This book is the perfect read if you love a small town romance with an excellent enemies to friends subplot (Nikki was one of my favorite parts of this book. Sue me)and a colorful cast of characters in an even more colorful setting.

The Only Game in Town is a funny, charming romcom that leans heavy on the "quirky small town" and "forced proximity"/"opposition to lovers" tropes. The story is written from multiple POVs, not just the two love interests, which added a lot more depth. The amount of detail that Lacie Waldon devoted to fleshing out the town full of oddballs and strange traditions and intricate lore seems to have gone unappreciated or even resented by many reviewers, but I loved it -- intense love of this weird little town is integral to the plot of the story, so of course the reader needs to know enough about it to fall in love as well, and fall in love I did.

This is a sweet contemporary fiction that focuses on town life and is told through multiple POVs during a slightly ridiculous competition after a town benefactor dies. I thought this was a fun well written books with great characters and an interesting story to tell.

I will say the blurb IS misleading - this is a book about small towns with romance thrown in, isn't not a romance that it's being marketed as. I don't think this is the author's fault, but more of a marketing problem so I don't think it's fair to dock points on what is a well written but definitely mis-categorized book.

This book is quintessential small town fiction - everyone has a complicated gossipy backstory and I was wholeheartedly invested in knowing everything about everyone. I saw the twists coming the moment people started getting paired for the competition, but this is a book for people looking more for that warm, optimistic, sunshiny book than surprises and twist endings. It's heartfelt, well written, and just a fun book. I loved it. This is for fans looking for a nosy, quirky (potentially co-dependent) town like those on Gilmore Girls or Heart of Dixie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.

Jess works from home as a freelance editor in the quaint little town of Redford, Georgia. While at the local bar, The Staple, Jess sits next to someone she has never seen before, Carter. He is going to the funeral of Jasper Wilhelm. Everyone in town loved Jasper. He was the unofficial mayor and he would help anyone with anything.

Of course, the one day Jess left the safety of her home, Nikki and her minions walk in the bar. Nikki is a quintessential bully. Cruel for the sake of cruelty. Cutting remarks about why Jess’s mom left her father all those years ago, her looks & clothes, her job, and more. Carter saves Jess from Nikki after her laptop is “accidentally” drenched in a drink. Turns out, Carter is Jaspers grandson and an overall good person. He might have given up his trust fund, quit the family business, and moved to Atlanta, which led his parents to disown him, but he loved his grandfather dearly.

Jasper anonymously helped people in the town of Redford, and Carter helped him do so. The first person Carter was asked to help…Jess! They paid for her college education. Even though Carter doesn’t live in Redford, he was hoping his grandfather would choose him to continue the legacy of aiding townspeople in need. Instead, Jasper is giving his town one last gift…or a game to be exact. The winner of the game will get the remainder of his fortune — ten million dollars. Jasper dictated teams of two. He paired people who do NOT get along. So, of course Jess and Nikki were paired together. Carter was selected to play and was paired with the bartender of The Staple, Bryce.

Who will win he ten million dollars? Will Jess and Nikki become friends? Will Carter stay in Redford? Will anyone fall in love? Will there be any shenanigans?

I’ve read Lacie Waldon’s other books and enjoyed them. This one I loved. The town and townspeople were everything I’d hoped for in a quirky small town. The scavenger hunt clues were fun. Oh, and the race down the mountain…the choice of vehicle was superb. This book was such a good time. I usually can’t stand bullies, but … between people sticking up for Jess (so she isn’t facing it alone) and some of Nikki’s actions, I didn’t mind so much.

If you need a quick escape, a few laughs, some tears, and an excellent cast of characters…dive right into this book.

TW-death of family member, bullying, illness of family member, alcohol abuse.

Okay, I love Lacie Waldon. From the Jump was a 5-star read for me. This book, however, fell short. Only Game in Town is listed as a romance, yet there is none. Instead, the story centers around a small town coming together as a family. While the story's premise is unique, every other chapter is a different character's POV leading to a lack of depth for the main characters. The book's ending was anticlimactic, and I felt no closure for any of the characters. I will, of course, still read Lacies' books in the future, but this one was for someone else.

I received this ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you, Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this book.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙤𝙣

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦 3/21/23

Jess Reid is a free-spirited romance editor who loves her small town of Redford, GA, her dad, Ross, and who does her best to avoid her nemesis, Nikki. Carter Barclays is the reclusive and stodgy grandson of the town’s wealthy resident and benefactor, who just passed away. At Jasper’s funeral, the entire town gathers to pay their respects and are informed that Jasper has left the town ten million dollars - but actually, he left it to two residents…

To determine which two, Jasper has devised a series of challenges in which the residents would compete. Pie-eating, hiking, racing, nothing is off-limits. As Jess and Nikki face off against their neighbors, Jess finds herself falling for Carter even as she has every incentive to win the prize at the end.

This was a lovely romcom that definitely had me smiling! Think Stars Hollow meets a toned-down version of The Amazing Race🤗

*What I liked:* Jess’ attitude, the town residents, Ross, Carter, and Nikki (I actually think Nikki was my fave!). I also really enjoyed having more than our MC’s points of view!

*What I was meh about:* Jess’ quirkiness, the closed door romance aspect (I like my 🌶️🌶️🌶️ lol), and having Nikki crush on one person but not following through there.

So if you’re in the mood for a cute, heartwarming and quirky small town romance, make sure to pick this one up next month! Thank you so much to @netgalley, @putnambooks and @penguinbooks for this e-ARC!

The Only Game in Town is a lovely small town romance filled with a wonderful cast of characters! When Jasper, the richest man in town passes away, he stipulates in his will that there will be a competition among the townsfolk to win $10,000,000! Hilarity ensues, sworn enemies and rivals are paired together, and are those sparks that we see flying between hometown girl Jess and Carter, Jasper’s grandson? I was thoroughly charmed by this sweet romance and all of the Redfordonians who live on its pages.

I LOVE LACIE WALDON, but I was disappointed by the content of this novel and am therefore struggling to review this. One one hand, it was a lighthearted romance read with some fun small town action. Small town romances are not my favorites in the least, but I was willing to give it a chance because it's Lacie Waldon.

Her previous works are contemporary romance, heavy on the romance. I was expecting the same for The Only Game in Town, but instead the romance really took a back seat in favor of a character analysis of everyone in the town more fitting with Women's Fiction. This is not inherently a bad thing, but I feel like it was marketed the same as her other books. I was also very thrown off by the plethora of POVs we got in this book. I found myself not caring for many of the characters. I was really only expecting (and wanting) POVs from Jess and Carter.

I enjoyed this book! I have read Lacie’s other books and enjoyed them so I knew I’d like this one too.
I liked that the story was told through four point of view instead of just one or two. Made it a little more fun and different. It would have been better in first person instead of third person narration. But that’s a personal preference. The premise of the book was fun! Small town competition to win millions of dollars? Sign me up!
When I went into this book I was under the impression it was a romance and while it has romance in it, that is not the main premise. I was fine with it but can see how it could be disappointing to someone looking for a romance.

Overall, enjoyed and would recommend this book! As well as Lacie’s previous books.

This is a very cute and fun read centered on a small town that is in for the shock of a lifetime when their longtime benefactor dies and leave behind instructions for the town to hold a competition with teams he personally picked. The winning team wins 10 million dollars but the catch is that he has paired people that teams that are enemies! One main character, Jess, is teamed with her high school enemy, Nikki and they can only compete for the prize if they stay on this unlikely team! This book was a fun, fast and interesting read. I really enjoyed the relationships it highlighted as well as the refreshing, small town feel.

A sweet story about people figuring out belonging -- where they want to be and who they want to be -- mostly through the magic of small-town Redford and main heroine Jess. I know there are a lot of books out there about eccentric millionaires hosting scavenger hunts/contests. This isn't the kind that dwells into a lot of brain puzzles, just into the transformation of people to get to their HEA.

Fun and nice read between 2-3 stars our of 5.

Dnfed at 25%

I enjoyed the whole small town and game aspect of this story but for some reason the povs were annoying me. Even when the main character was talking about herself, it was still in like third person. I wasn’t liking how so many povs were in the book so far because it made it harder to know who was who. There may have been a reason why the dad and the bully’s POV were in the book but it didn’t
feel like it was going to be a romance story. Too much was happening but not enough for the story if that makes sense. I was really excited for this book because I love small town romance but sadly this one wasn’t it.