Many thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
2.5 stars
First of all, this is absolutely not a romance novel! There is an on-page kiss 3/4 of the way through the story. This is basically Gilmore Girls residents on a scavenger hunt. It's cute, it's sometimes funny, but it is in no way romantic, hence the low rating - if it's advertised as a romance, that's what I want to read. I was expecting so much more. There is a major health issue with one character that is magically resolved off-page. And that epilogue - my gosh, why didn't ANY of that happened during the book? I loved this author's previous work and will definitely read her future books, but this fell flat in too many ways.

Set in in a small town in Georgia, The Only Game in Town centers around a scavenger hunt arranged by affluent resident Jasper Wilhelm. Upon Jasper's death, residents learn of the scavenger hunt, which leads to a $5 million dollar prize for one winning pair. Assigned with Nikki as her partner, the main character Jess navigates the clues while being bossed around by Nikki, who has held a years-long grudge against Jess.

The summary of this book sounded great--a romance that involves a town-wide scavenger hunt with a big prize. Alternating POVs between Nikki, Jess, and Jasper's grandson Carter, it was hard to get through this book because Jess had no backbone when it came to Nikki's insults and bullying throughout the book. She and Nikki are in their mid-20s and have the maturity level of high schoolers. I didn't find it realistic that Carter would be interested in such a weak pushover unable to defend herself from such a vindictive woman. As such, the rest of the story took a back seat to my disbelief and I give the story 3/5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Lacie Waldon for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a quirky, unique, easy-to-read and fun romance! Jess is from the small town of Redford and Carter is the grandson of Redford’s own Jasper Wilhhelm (who is essentially the really hold rich guy of said small town). When Jasper passes away, Carter returns to Redford for his grandfathers funeral and to handle his estate, meeting Jess. However, Jasper has one last game in store for not only his grandson, but the entire town of Redford. His Will states that his fortune, of 10 million dollars, will be left to the winners of a final competition. The only snag? Your partner is the one person in town you hate. Meaning every small town rivalry is brought to the forefront, including Jess’ when she is paired up with Nikki, who has made her life awful since high school. But Carter is also tossed into the ring when he is paired up with a local person to compete for the prize money as well!


I loved this book! I found it super cute and fun to read. I loved getting several points of view throughout the story. I thought the premise was unique, silly at times, but still had just enough romance to keep me intrigued. The small town dynamics were perfectly displayed. Carter and Jess were lovely characters. I loved that they didn’t always react they way that I expected them to, instead surprising me along the way. I also liked that Nikki found a father figure in Jess’ dad instead of a love interest! Overall, this isn’t a top tier romance book for me, but it was a cute and quirky read that I really enjoyed! It was also a closed door romance for those who wish to keep things clean!

Thanks netgalley for letting me read this book, it was a fun and uplifting boom and was pretty enjoyable

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was, in a word.... fine. Nothing really stuck out about it, the romance isn't particularly compelling, and the characters are (for the most part) a bit one dimensional. It's not spicy, which is fine, but it's so cloyingly, Hallmark movie sweet that even I was turned off by it.

Also, the main character doesn't have much personality beyond being quirky and different" She's essentially Jess from New Girl, but she's... Jess from Redford. Actually, I'm pretty sure she's just Jess from New Girl.

📖 THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN by Lacie Waldon 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  

💕I like Lacie Waldon's previous books, and I was really looking forward to reading this one. Romance, puzzles, and adventure? Yes, please! 😁

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book, but somewhere in the middle it finally gripped me. This small-town novel is a fun story with cute, embarrassing moments. My only wish is for it to have more romance. It felt more like lighthearted women’s fiction or maybe just general fiction. I liked all the characters (even Jess’s nemesis Nikki and all the quirky ones), but I think four POVs was a bit too many. 

I'm looking forward to reading more books from Lacie Waldon.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of The Only Game in Town. The premise of this story is really fun. A town comes together to win a prize left by a beloved community member. Despite there being some good opportunity for drama, the story was pretty even keeled and perceived drama was resolved quickly. I enjoyed the multiple POV and thought that added depth.

I had a hard time getting invested in this book and until about 45% I considered DNF, except I really wanted to know what happened. I stuck with it and the story was sweet. The culmination was a bit anticlimactic but rewarding. The dialogue was strong but there was what felt to me to be a lot of superfluous background and detail.

I recommend this for lovers of closed door, sweet romances with a fun story and low drama.

I was super excited to be able to review this book! This is set in a small town in Georgia which is very close to what my actual real-life town is like. This book had real Sweet Home Alabama vibes with a Georgia twist. In short, a small-town girl starts to fall for the big-city guy who comes to town because of a death in his family. Here is the twist instead of the city guy getting everything in the will he gets nothing. His wealthy grandfather left everything to the small town but the only problem is the people have to compete for the prize. Yes, I said to compete. This was the best quirky novel I have read in a very long time and I loved it. I will be buying a physical copy to be putting on my shelf

i usually really like lacie waldons books but this one was the expection..
first of all i know it’s a fun book but the premise was just ridiculous and unbelievable like it did not make sense and the whole thing felt crazy
the pacing was slow and weird and when it was about the romance, it all happened super quickly which felt like the romance was being forced on us.
otherwise this is a fun read if you really enjoy na adventure

DNF. I got about 65% through and couldn't get through it. I thought I could put the story premise aside but I just couldn't get past the saccharine plot and the one dimensional characters. This read like a Hallmark movie with not a lot of nuance in the characters. Jess and Carter have a lot of insta-love insta-attraction going on which I found really unrealistic, and for all the innuendo I was surprised when this turned out to be a closed door romance.

***

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishing team for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There was a lot of small town adorableness here to enjoy. I liked the competitions and Jess and Carter's romance. I'm not sure why we had a few chapters by Ross thrown in? I felt like he could have been omitted, but then again, maybe that was to help balance out the few Nikki chapters? I also wanted more of an ending than what we got in the epilogue.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun concept for a book! I love a little competition between characters haha. Very cute characters in a charming small town. Not as much romance, but it was still a great read!

Thank you NetGalley and Lacie Waldon!

I received an e-ARC of this book and I was really excited as the description sounded really cute and the cover of the book seemed fun.

Jess is from the small town Redford where a wealthy man named Jasper Wilhelm has passed. He loved the town of Redford and created a game for the town to win $10million. His grandson, Carter, comes to town for the funeral and joins in on the games.

Jess is teamed up with her used-to-be friend, Nikki. They don’t get along very well, so it will be interesting to see them as a team. Carter is teamed up with a local named Bryce.

There are a series of games to order to determine who the winner will be. Who will win?

I gave this book a 3 star review because I didn’t feel so much emotions with the book. I didn’t really see the romance/chemistry between certain characters. Some of the conversations seemed unnatural, but overall, it was a cute story. I personally liked the interaction between Jess and Nikki.

The Only Game in Town is wildly different from both The Layover and From the Jump, and I love that Lacie Waldon can write such different books and characters while keeping her beautiful writing style.

This doesn’t have the cinematic setting of The Layover, nor the crackling chemistry of From the Jump, but those things don’t detract from the story. What this book does have is a broad cast of small town characters with such depth that I felt as if I knew them all. It felt like i was there competing in the games with them.

I loved this concept and can’t wait to see what comes next from the author!

I give this 4.5 stars rounded up.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This was a quick and cute read! It has small town charm and a engaging story

I read The Only Game in Town in almost one sitting. It's packed with lovable characters, a charming small-town atmosphere and so much chemistry. It was the perfect comfort read for a rainy afternoon.

I’ve loved every book by Lacie Walden so far, so it’s no surprise this one was amazing as well! This takes place in the small town of Redford where everyone knows everything. When a rich community member dies, he creates a town-wide game to win a $10 million prize. We’re following Jess: a book editor who loves her town, Nikki: her sworn high school enemy, Ross: Jess’ loving father, and Carter: the grandson of recently deceased and new to town.

This story is so much more than a typical love story, but instead about friendship, family, and community. Definitely add this one to your bookshelves when it hits stores!

THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN is a perfect read for those who love Hallmark movies set in small towns. It would be an especially fun read for those who like closed-door romances.

For me, however, THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN was disappointing. It wasn't a terrible book. It was quaint and cute. But it fell flat for me compared to Lacie's two other novels.

THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN is geared more towards women's fiction. The romance between Jess and Carter takes a backseat to, well, the game in town.

The story is told from multiple points-of-view and I wished for only two points-of-view: Jess and Carter.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Putnam Group for an e-copy of THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN to read.

I rate THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN three out of five stars.

Great weekend read. Nothing better than a small town and the tales that come from it. Great characters, good growth, and a great time!

This was a cute book! Is it a romance? Probably not, but I love a small town-centric story. I'd definitely read it again, and loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.