Thank you to @netgalley for the eARC of @CathyYardley ‘s book, Role Playing! It publishes today and just look at that COVER!

I think that absolutely everyone will find a piece of themselves in this book… maybe people who have never found themselves in a book before. There are so many dazzling, sparkly personalities in romance- but here we have a couple of homebody introverts, one who I would describe as humorously crabby with no filter. We have gamers, we have MY NEW FAVORITE- main characters that are 48 and 50 years old (younger people, this will NOT be a problem!). I like to see a little gray hair and I relate to her not wanting to drive in the dark (I feel like this comes with age). We have a single parent to a college kid. A character who, as an adult, STILL has jerk parents that aren’t accepting. Taking care of an aging parent. Grudges. Realizations about sexuality. We have wonderful conversations, excellent banter and a love that we experience, not one that we simply read about.

Why wasn’t it a 5 star for me? There was a lot of teaching about sexuality, which was interesting and many readers may need the education, but I am familiar so it felt a little text-booky at times. I could READ the research that went into it. I don't know a way around it but it kind of took me out of the book a little bit and made me think about the writing process instead of being fully in their world.

If anyone has read this and can tell me what the chapter titles refer to, please let me know! I looked up a few of them- are they all gaming/ TV tropes?

Open 🚪
4/5 ⭐️
Location: Washington state
Note: lots of F words, if that isn't your thing

Role Playing is one of my top contemporary romances this year. Yardley completely exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't be more excited that this gamer romance is now out there for the world to enjoy.

Maggie is anti-social, grumpy, and unapologetically herself. I want to be confident enough to be like Maggie one day. Aiden is a cinnamon roll worthy of her with his thoughtfulness. They are both (mostly…heh) positive influences on each other, and I loved them together. Their online friendship believably transitioned into a real-life one, stumbling blocks and all.

I may have been a little hesitant about their misunderstanding of each other's age, but Yardley executes it perfectly with a plausible explanation. There is also a lot of buildup to their first IRL meeting, and Yardley nailed it. It's one of my favorite parts of the novel.

If you're a fan of grumpy/sunshine and romances between mature characters, this is one you need to read. If you're worried about whether you need to be a gamer or a fan of gaming, don't be. It won't prevent you from enjoying the book if you are not and is a plus if you are. I loved Role Playing and have been rereading my favorite parts. This one is already becoming a comfort read.

This book was really cute. Maggie and Aiden felt like very real people I would know.

I want to be Maggie. I want to live the Bogwitch life. She is so caring and protective of the people she cares about. I really related to Maggie. From loving video games and all things nerdy, to having best friends that live far away and friends that you only ever talk to online. She doesn’t take sh*t and I love it so much.

Who doesn’t love a “hold my earrings scene”?

Aiden really is just a giant bear of a cinnamon roll. He is precious and I want to protect him and keep him safe. He does so much for the people around him and no one takes the time to take care of him. He leads his guild and he does the hard things for his family.

I really appreciated the demi and bi rep in this book. I think this was the first time I ever encountered a demi MC. I appreciated the character's journey.

I loved Maggie and Aiden’s relationship. You always wonder what your internet friends are going to look like in real life and their first meeting was hysterical. I loved watching how it evolved through the book and they just fell into step together so well. You could just see how well they went together. The understanding, the support, the love. It was precious.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Cathy Yardley.

I REALLY enjoyed this reverse grumpy sunshine, dual POV, friends to lovers romance between two middle aged online gamers. Divorced, newly empty nester, Maggie (Bogwitch) and Aiden (Otter) are two single almost fifty year-olds who meet playing computer games at night.

When Aiden accidentally hurts his foot Maggie offers to bring him soup and the two finally meet IRL realizing there isn't quite the age gap they had originally thought and maybe there's something more between them than just friendship.

It was so great seeing older characters featured in a contemporary romance (and gamer geeks on top of it too)! The book also deals with Aiden's sexuality as he struggles to come out as bi to his family, deals with queermisia and forced outing by an ex.

Maggie is amazing helping Aiden with his toxic family and with discovering he may be demisexual or on the ace spectrum. Their discussions about sexual identity were so well done and I loved seeing an older character grappling with these issues as there is no age limit on coming out!

Great on audio narrated by Chris Brinkley and Elyse Dinh and highly recommended for fans of books like Stars collide by Rachel Lacey. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: mild with a couple mostly closed door/fade to black scenes

I love a grumpy/sunshine story and that this one flipped the script with the Maggie being the grumpy one. Aiden was super sweet, being constantly raked over the coals as the caregiver to his mom. However, this one was super slow for me. I love an over 40 romance and the challenges they were dealing with felt very real, but these characters felt immature for their age and I struggled to connect with them.

This had a really cool premise, but it fell a little flat for me.

She's a single mother who just sent her son off to college. She doesn't care for, whaddya call em?, people. He's a nurse who sold his business to care for his dying father and now his declining mother. Through various small town shenanigans, she joins his guild in an online game. Her name is Bogwitch. I know I was 1000% in at Bogwitch.

I loved this book. The characters are older, but both are absolutely adorable. She's a comfort goblin and he's a cozy lumberjack. The scene where they meet IRL for the first time is AMAZING.

One of the things I love about the FMC is her rage. She is so angry and has no figs to give about anything. But it's righteous rage and she will turn it on the deserving. One of the things I love about the MMC is that he is able to build boundaries, finally, to make his life a safe space.

This book is emotional, funny, and totally relatable if you don't always want to people. There are themes of dealing with aging parents and children transitioning into adulthood. It's just so HEARTFELT. Five stars.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was amazing and I loved it! The characters were great and I was honestly in love with both of them. Can’t wait for my physical copy to come! Cathy Yardley fan for life!

Potentially a super cute story about two introverted people connecting with one another and falling in love. The characters were likable, the topics and commentary were interesting and relevant, and it just felt like a ‘feel good’ book I could lay on my couch and read. That being said, it felt a tad slow and the title/cover feels like a completely different book. The drawn characters look to be in their early twenty’s, not as middle aged adults. For the people who barely skim the synopsis (me) this could potentially be confusing. I did like the age range our characters were in, but it didn’t feel like anyone actually treated them according to their age. It was also slow in some places and didn’t fully deliver what I was hoping it would.

This was a great contemporary romance with diverse characters and a fun story. I loved that the hero and heroine were older (50 and 48 respectively), and I really loved that the heroine was a little prickly and needed some help getting out of her comfort zone in terms of meeting people and socializing. I'll definitely be checking out this author's backlist.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
Maggie’s son Kit has gone off to college and she’s all alone. A divorced introvert, she lives on a large property outside the small town of Fool’s Falls where she avoids any social interaction, including grocery shopping. When she joins an online gaming group she thinks the leader is a 20-ish guy. In reality, the leader Aiden is 50, a former nurse who moved back home to care for his elderly parents. Aiden in turn thinks Maggie is his mom’s age.

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Ah, this new story from Cathy Yardley is absolutely gorgeous! Two prickly, introverted and somewhat older main characters. Despite living in the same small town, they haven’t met before, until they do… and the genuine care and love is amazing. Both Maggie and Aiden are dealing with so much baggage from their pasts, and I love how they open up to each other with trust and acceptance. This beautiful and gentle story is so heartwarming and affirming ❤️

My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
Rating: 4.5 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub Date: 7/1

Can I just say how refreshing it is to read a rom-com about people close to my age? This book stole my heart! There’s hilarious banter, LGBTQ+ rep, self-discovery at age 50, diverse characters, and a beautiful friendship between our MCs. Maggie and Aiden were an unexpected delight, and I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

Maggie is a proud and unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit who has been done with love and relationships since her divorce. After promising her son that she would try to change her solitary lifestyle, she joins an online gaming guild led by a charming healer known as Otter. Little does she know, Otter is actually Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist seeking solace from his family struggles. Maggie assumes Otter is a college student, while Aiden thinks Bogwitch (Maggie’s name in the game) is an octogenarian. As their virtual friendship blossoms, Maggie and Aiden decide to meet in person, leading to a series of amusing and surprising encounters. Despite their contrasting, grumpy/sunshine personalities, these two characters find themselves growing closer.

What sets "Role Playing" apart is its genuine portrayal of middle-aged characters finding love and connection. As a fellow introvert in my forties, I couldn't help but resonate with Maggie's journey. I really admire her “take no shit” attitude, and I may have found a new hero! When she almost launched herself over a table to defend Aiden’s honor, I think I actually swooned!

Yardley really captured the essence of these characters; their relatable conversations on topics such as caring for aging parents and rediscovering sexuality in midlife added a layer of emotional depth that was a joy to read. Aiden is still struggling with his sexual identity, and Maggie helps him work through some of his family issues while also helping him to let go of the shame that he’s been living with for years. Their friendship truly warmed my heart.

If you're craving a romantic tale that breaks free from the clichés and offers a refreshing perspective, "Role Playing" is a must-read. Get ready to laugh, swoon, and root for Maggie and Aiden as they navigate the challenges of love, both in the virtual and real world.

Read if you like:
*dual POV
*friends-to-lovers
*diverse characters
*LGBTQ rep
*middle-aged characters
*grumpy/sunshine

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for my advanced copy to read and review.

Aiden is definitely on the list of favorite characters now. There were so many aspects of him I felt myself reflected in. Of course I can’t forget about badass Maggie who takes no shit lol. Their friendship, even when they didn’t know who the other was, was so cute! Both were somewhat cynical about love and relationships at the beginning. The more they spent time together, their feelings grew, to the point that they were both scared of what was happening between them.

I loved watching them grow and bond. Everything they went through, together and individually, was beautiful but also heartbreaking at times.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I can't stop thinking about this book.
I loved everything about Maggie and Aiden and I don't know even know anything about video games and enjoyed those parts as well, it was so fun.
And if I thought that the cover was beautiful, now I think it's perfect with all these little details that are important.
Maggie is such a relatable character and such a role model, I loved how she was unapologetically herself and how Aiden loved that about her.

One of my favorite books of the year!

I'm going to reiterate what other reviewers have said, stick with it. It starts out slow, providing a background to understand the characters, what they have been through, what they currently are going through, setting the stage to their inevitable meeting. And once they meet, it's adorable, comforting, and very powerful. The small town growing up Asian-American in a predominantly white area, influenced by old, stale grudges and deciding that you no longer care what others say to you was very powerful, and though Maggie is a bit more hermit than I am I felt that I connected with her very well. There were many times when my heart went out to Aiden, what he was going through, what his mother put him through but his growth and his healing was comforting.

This cover is very cute, it is part of what drew me to this book, and this arc. I went in thinking I would read a comfy, easy contemporary romance. But don't let this cover fool you. There is growth, a lot of baggage (and some trauma) and a whole lot of don't care/live my life Bogwitch energy.

If you want older romantic leads, Asian-American representation in a small town, LGBTQ+, and a cathartic HEA come find this book.

💫4/5 |🌶️ 2/5 | Friends to Lovers | Slow Burn | Cinnamon Roll | GenX MCs | Online Gamers | LGBTQIA Rep | Diversity Rep

This ARC was provided through NetGalley. Thank you Cathy Yardley and team for offering me this ARC.

Ahhhh! This was such a pleasant surprise 😊 I love a Friends to Lovers and Cinnamon Roll Trope! I wasn’t sure what to expect because our MCs are single GenXers, nerdy online gamers, and introverts; very unique and non-typical but I loved it! I devoured this book. It flowed so well that I couldn’t put it down - no lie, I stayed up til 3am reading this!

Loved Maggie! She’s our half Asian empty nester divorcee who is strong, sassy, snarky, has an IDGAF attitude and one hell of a gamer. And Aiden the perfect cinnamon roll built like a linebacker who is demisexual, overprotective, a great listener, leader of a guild and let me say it - deserves every bit of HEA. Both are homebodies and have awkward tendencies when it comes to social interactions. They both meet through an online gaming guild and have developed a friendship overtime - there’s a story to this and I absolutely do not want to spoil it because it’s hilarious! The interactions Maggie had with her fellow gamers who were mostly college students were amazing!!!

I love Maggie’s relationship with her son Kit. It’s very sweet and heartwarming. The openness they have with each other was so funny and cute. I appreciated how Maggie pushed herself out of her comfort zone and socialize even if every fiber of her being hated it, just so Kit would do the same.

This book was very refreshing, unapologetic, honest, and relatable when it came to the realities of dating in your late 40s. The chemistry between Aiden and Maggie was translated so well and the progression of their relationship was fantastic. The character developments were great; I love how Maggie valued Aiden as a person and a friend. I related to her a lot in terms of her overprotectiveness of the people she cares about – what she did at the wedding was so good and unexpected! Aiden’s journey was my favorite part of the book - how he learned about his sexual fluidity / sexuality and how he started to stand up for himself. What he had to go through in his life - the confusion, the rejection, and isolation. He’s a total cinnamon roll and deserved everything!!!

The one thing I wish we got in the epilogue was more of Davy (and the rest of the fam, I guess) and what had happened with their relationship with Aiden. Other than that – this book was well written, engaging, and funny! Highly recommended!

Yardley's lastest work was a sweet journey for characters on the mature side of romance.

Greatly appreciated the realistic portrayal of mid life with all its complexities and obligations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Gaming. It's the one place that Maggie and Aidan feel comfortable and they build a relationship there. And then they meet. Maggie's had a difficult life and being BOGWITCH on line is her refuge. Aidan has his own issues, including his mom. I'm not a gamer and thus likely missed things those who are will enjoy but I did like this for the unusual setting and for the mature characters, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Talk about adorable, and complete with laugh out loud moments!

I think I say this after every Cathy Yardley book I read, but her writing has such a natural flow to it, I get completely lost in her words.

I loved these characters. Oh Aiden, my sweet Aiden, I just adored him. And Maggie, I want to be her in *mumbles* years. Together, they just complement each other so well, and the way they communicate with honesty is lovely.

This book is full of humor, acceptance, and love. I left the last page with a huge smile on my face.

This book was fabulous! It has so many amazing things in it that we don't get nearly enough of in the romance genre, and I was here for all of it!

Maggie is an introverted, unapologetic Gen Xer whose only son has recently left the nest to attend college. When he seems to be following in her hermit-like footsteps, she offers to be more social if he will. Her super small town doesn't have a lot of opportunities that interest her, but she does manage to find a local online gaming guild. It might be full of 20 somethings while she is 48, but she enjoys it a lot more than the local book club with women of her own age.

Aiden is our 50 year old hero who is just as introverted and leads the gaming guild. He is out of his element lately, back in the town he grew up in taking care of his aging mother who fights him at every turn. He hasn't had the best luck with relationships (his ex fiance is now his sister-in-law), but he and Maggie strike up a friendship in the guild.

This was a wonderful reverse grumpy/sunshine romance that I was totally here for. As a fellow 48 year old introverted hermit, I loved reading a romance about characters more like myself. I thought the conversations between Maggie and Aiden were gold, and I really appreciated the other issues that were touched upon in the book as well. Dealing with an aging parent who isn't very receptive of help was a particularly stab in the heart of my current life that I loved reading about. As well, I really thought that the searching for answers about sexuality at the middle aged stage of life was done with tremendous care.

Highly recommend this one for so many reasons, but the story between these two friends is just amazing! Definitely don't pass this one by.

Thank you to Montlake for providing me with an ARC of this book.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
FMC: Maggie-a divorced single mother of a son who is off to college. She would rather spend her days cooped up inside playing video games than interacting with anyone IRL, but a pact with her son sets events in motion for this introvert to finally meet her match.
MMC: Aiden- a retired single guy who has a twisted home life and escapes through online video games. After started a local online gaming league, he meets a new character, Bogwitch, who turns his life upside down… he can’t figure out if she’s 50 or 90 but their online friendship blossoms and turns into more.
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
HEA: yes
spice: a slow-burn with a few open-door spicy scenes
TWs: divorce, isolation, homophobia, biphobia, forced outing, being outed, racism, death of a parent from car accident (recounted), death of parent by cancer (recounted), narcissistic parenting, manipulation
standalone: yes
final thoughts: while there were some touch-and-go TW/CWs for homophobia the bisexual and asexual community got some beautiful> representation!!!! Maggie listened, informed, and supported her friend while they were navigating their sexuality and how to put it into words and it was so well done. I loved this later-in-life romance of 2 introverts battling the world together.

read this book if you love

💞 friends-to-lovers
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🤐 miscommunication
💓 slowburn
🏡 small town
💏 fake dating
🌈 LGBT+ representation
🤩 curvy FMC
🫡 big MMC
😠 grumpy/sunshine
🍪 cinnamon roll MMC