Not going to be a favorite this year but I definitely loved the Black romance rep, the second chance at love between long-separated married characters and the SPICY AF sex scenes. What I wanted more of: emotional depth/growth and better cover art.

I really enjoyed last year's Bet on it and this one was about the same level for me. Good on audio narrated by Lacie Laurel. The lottery win premise was also a fun, unique plot point. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was done very well, and the story was really great and fast to get into. It took me longer than expected to read the title, but I am glad I finally finished. I ended up finishing the last half of the book pretty quickly.

Very much a meh story, which is fine. I didn't connect with it at all so it fell super flat for me personally. Others could feel differently but there wasn't a whole lot of redeeming qualities in this story

As much as I like the unique concepts and fresh voice, this is the second book by this author that I've ended up DNFing, so I think she's just not a good fit for me. I was intrigued by the lottery aspect and I'm a sucker for a marriage in trouble romance, but I struggled with both characters. The hero essentially abandoned his wife, and then came strolling back into her life with nowhere near the level of groveling or communication that he should've needed to get back together with her. The heroine slept with a bunch of people while they were estranged but still married, and that majorly rubbed me the wrong way. I get that they weren't "together" during that time, but she probably should've divorced him before moving on so completely. I just couldn't get behind it. It's also written in third person POV, which is feeling outdated at this point. Even Christina Lauren has switched to first person, so it's always a little surprising when I encounter a romance written in third. Ultimately, this wasn't a good fit for me, but I'm sure some readers will enjoy it.

It took me a bit to get into this one. I liked the basis of the plot and the storyline but I was never really captured to continue reading. I decided to DNF about 33% into the book.

I liked this story. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows but more long, messy, emotional work for the main characters to get from A-Z. Much had been left unspoken since they last saw each other, so the big “why” of it all drove most of the plot. It’s a whole different vibe from the author’s previous novel (in a good way).

Unhappy with her life and how much it’s stagnated, Miri buys a lottery ticket on a whim and ends up winning BIG. I’d react the same way Miri does to winning. For sure, my brain would completely short circuit over what to do with all that money.

Under the guidance of her financial advisor, Miri begrudgingly contacts her estranged husband, Leo - who she hasn’t seen or spoken to in eight years - to offer him a lump sum in exchange for a divorce. An equally dissatisfied-with-life Leo uses this opportunity to get back together with Miri. I found his logic kind of odd because Leo was the one who just up and left yet somehow thinks Miri would want him back after all of that…?

This is a case where open communication and/or couples counseling would have been beneficial because relationships take work. Miri and Leo are childhood friends to lovers who got married young. Everyone’s opinions about their relationship then and now was an interesting contrast from the MCs thoughts as you try to unpack just what made Leo leave so suddenly.

Miri hasn’t been able to move on without answers. Although a fiery anger still burns within her, there’s something about Leo that she’s still holding onto. She also struggles mentally with her newfound wealth after being poor her entire life.

Leo too has been barely scraping by, stuck in a rut without many prospects for something better. He has loads of regrets for his past actions that he now has to confront now that he’s back in town for longer than a brief visit.

As I was reading, I wasn’t sure if the main characters should or could get back together because there didn’t seem to be any feelings between them other than attraction. Felt like there was too much baggage for adequate reconciliation to be possible.

I did end up liking this story. It was slow going at the start and maybe took too long to reveal why Leo left. I liked how confident Miri was about who she was, her sexuality (bi), and her sex life. I liked that Leo had a softer disposition and how much he really does love Miri.

I think the big takeaway from this story is the importance of being there for the people who care, love, and support you when things get hard and vice versa.

Thanks again St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

I am not a huge fan of second-chance romance, generally. This won’t ever be my favorite book but I was happy to realize that the bulk of the story wasn’t about what happened after they got back together, but instead about working towards getting back together. While I don’t think Leo did much at all towards getting Miri back (a lot of the catalyst was them still being meant to be), I liked reading about their personal journeys and realizing what they each had to do to move forward. We see up until they make new promises like starting therapy but nothing of the actual changes.

I like Jodie Slaughter and I plan to continue this series. Jade next, maybe?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

This is my second Jodie Slaughter book and it’s once again damn near perfect. I went into this totally blind. I just saw who the author was and requested immediately. No questions asked. I have no regrets at all. Slaughter delivers a fresh, grounded and moving take on multiple well loved tropes in the romance genre. She takes the millionaire, second chance and slow burn frameworks romance readers know and love and presents them in such a way that they feel real and raw.

I absolutely loved both main characters I felt they were well rounded. I enjoyed both of their povs and found each of them grew in a believable manner through the plot. I enjoyed the author’s emphasis on family and community in their love story as well as her way of speaking to the importance of boundaries even within these tight knit circles.

I thought she handled the discussion of poverty and the kinds of internal struggles it can result in if/when one comes out of it was brilliant. Same goes for how she handled the intergenerational aspects of this book. Her emphasis on therapy as an important aspect of self care even outside of a full blown mental breakdown or crisis was also impactful.

I loved that she chose to make this particular story a slow burn to foreground intimacy, open communication and healthy conflict resolution in a couple instead or solving everything with sex. Basically I’m obsessed and this book has made Slaughter shoot up near the top of my auto-buy authors list. Amazing, perfection, I’m obsessed. Loved this book!

Play to Win
Jodie Slaughter
3.5⭐️

On Wednesday’s we read pink books!

Play to win was a fun, quick read with a charming cast of characters. I adored Miri and her relationship with her mama, and how her first instinct was to help others with her winnings. While second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, I didn’t love Leo and for that reason I struggled to fully root for their reconciliation. I didn’t feel like he did much to earn her forgiveness. It was kinda wham bam, and hello steam. 🥵😂 While I can't say that I didnt enjoy those spicy scenes, I think I wanted a little more focus on the fixing first?

I did really enjoy the honest conversations about therapy. Overall it was a like vs love for me but the writing was fun and I look forward to more by the author.

What I enjoyed;
💵 Childhood Friends to Lovers
💵 Small-Town Setting
💵 Family Dynamics
💵 LGBTQ+ Rep

Pub Date: 7/11/23

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to LOVE Play to Win after not having the best opinion of Bet On Me. However; this book was another loss as I felt the plotline wasn't moving along and the story was slow moving while having longer chapters. I'm glad I gave this another try but "did not finish" it at 25%

I did really like this one but it was SO hard to get into. I was so interested in the stories and I really liked the characters but the writing or pacing or something made it such a slog for me. I do want to check out more by Jodie Slaughter though as I really liked Bet on It! This one just wasn't for me.

2.5 stars ⭐️

I was so excited for this because I read Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter last year and absolutely loved it, but sadly, this one wasn’t for me.

I do want to preface this by saying that I am picky when it comes to second chance romances. If you love them, you’ll probably love this. I just happen to like more fluff than angst and heartbreak.

I felt that there wasn’t enough focus on Leo and Miri. There were so many side characters and a lot of the focus was on them. Leo and Miri didn’t even get back together until around 90%. I also felt like some of the conversations with the side characters were repetitive and unnecessary.

I don’t know, I guess I just wanted more happiness and more reconnection than we got.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the author/publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for in honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for this ARC.
3.5 stars
Play to Win follows Miriam, a 32 year old bi woman who works hard to support herself. Her neighbor encourages her to get a lottery ticket so she does and she uses numbers that relate to her relationship with her estranged husband Leo. When she wins, her attorney advises her to contact him because he could sue her for half of the winnings since they are not divorced. He gets her call and returns to Greenbelt excited that she wants to try to make their relationship work but instead she asks him to sign divorce papers. He decides to stay in town for a few reasons and the story continues from there.

I really loved the LGBTQIA+ rep in this book. It was great to see from multiple characters, not just a side character. I also liked that it was DUAL POV so we got to see how both main characters were feeling. I also really enjoyed the side characters and am excited to see

What I didn't really enjoy was the transition in the MC's relationship from addressing the reasons they are no longer together to getting back together. They sort of hook up a few times and then just get back together. There weren't a lot of conversations addressing the future or how they would work on their relationship. They discussed the reasons they are no longer together and why they haven't gotten back together more with multiple side characters than each other. I think Leo also could have explained why he was committed staying in Greenbelt and with Miri since he left her and his entire family for eight years.

There is some spice at the end of the book but I wouldn't say this book is very high on the spice scale.

I think this book has great representation; I just would have liked to see better relationship development between the two main characters.

2.5/5 - Play to Win is the newest book by Jodie Slaguther. This was an interesting plot idea. Miri wins the lottery, and she seeks out her ex-husband, whom she has been estranged from for 8 years, for a divorce. Instead of a divorce, they both find themselves having feelings they thought had long passed. They both must decide if they can trust the other and take a leap at love.

Both Miri and Leo were interesting characters. I, however, struggled to connect with the characters and the story. The story itself was a bit slow, and I found that I was 50% through the book before we were even sure if they were trying to divorce or get back together. I think this book would have had a better chance with some flashbacks, or looks at what the passion between Miri and Leo was like when they were initially together, as I didn't find them "needing" to be together. There were very few times where they actually talked to each other, and were talking more with others about each other. Their relationship would have felt more real if they spent time together, talking to each other.

There were things that I liked about the book though. I though Jodi Slaughter's writing was great. She really painted a portrait of a small town in the south. I loved that this book had bisexual representation. There is not enough in books and I appreciated this inclusion.

I think this book just didn't work for me. I thought it was well written and plan to check out more of Slaughter's book in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

More books with bisexual leads please!! I really enjoyed the plot of this book - I’ve never read a book with a lottery win before, and it felt really unique. I loved how Miri’s first instinct was the take care of her loved ones, and then spend the rest of the book finally finding her joy. This was a second chance romance with her estranged husband, and it made for a really interesting dynamic. My only complaint is that most of the book was spent with them poorly communicating and still not reconciling, and it felt like the story was progressing slowly. Still, I enjoyed the themes of family, love, and community, and it made it feel really realistic.

A cute, quirky book about Miriam who wins the lottery and wants to share the love. She is advised to contact her estranged spouse to let him know about her winnings, so they can come to an agreement. The result is a reigniting of old flames along with a great story to go keep you entertained. I am a Jodie Slaughter fan as this is the second book of hers that I have enjoyed. I do recommend this.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press,/St. Martin's Griffin for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Jodie’s books are so witty and joyful and immersive, and this one was no exception. I loved it! The characters felt three dimensional and I was hooked from the first chapter.

I absolutely loved Bet On It and when I saw this next book from Jodie Slaughter on NetGalley, I clicked "request" so fast there was a sonic boom. Well, folks, I have learned a lesson to actually read the description of a book before requesting. This is a second chance. Whomp whomp. We know how I feel about those. And all those issues I have with second chance got spotlighted here. Miriam and Leo haven't seen each other in 8 years, even though they're still married. Leo up and walked out of their lives saying he couldn't do it anymore and they never spoke again. Until Miriam wins $240 million in the lottery and needs to get some divorce papers so Leo doesn't claim half her winnings. So he's back and it's like oh I still love you, let's be together, I won't sign these. Leo left because he felt bad as a husband that he couldn't provide. They were poor. They are still poor. And I know financial strains are awful on a marriage, but he just ... left. He walked out on his sister too when he fled. And I just didn't see why anyone would forgive him. He's still not employed. He's still not rich. The only difference is Miriam has millions now. I did not like this at all and didn't think he deserved any sort of second chance.

Sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Winning the lottery and being set for life after years of struggling sounds perfect doesn't it? Maybe not so much for Miri after it forces her to reconnect with an estranged husband to protect her winnings and reexamine her life.

I really liked both the main and the side characters as well as all the family dynamics, but there were times it felt like we spent more time with side characters than with the main characters. I loved that Miri was bisexual and how casual her and all of the characters were discussing sexuality. Her mother was a favorite of mine and I really liked all of their friends. I also really enjoyed the dual POV as I really liked getting in Leo's head to see how genuine he was regarding Miri and what he wanted for the future.

The writing itself was great, but I did find that the plot wasn't very strong and it caused the book to drag a little bit for me. There was a lot of lack of communication and unnecessary drama at times and I felt like nothing really happened until the last bit of the story. It was a fun idea for a book, but I think it could've been executed better with a more balanced plot as it's very character driven.

I love Jodie, and I loved Bet On It. Play to win based on the description is a win. However, it was missing a little something.

It could be because my toxic trait is I don't trust men; I didn't feel good about Leo trying to get Mirirm back. First off, he didn't choose on his own to try to get her back - he decided once she called him back. I couldn't see the growth of someone who learned from their mistakes. I couldn't condone these two getting back together.

There was no true healing between these two, and for most of the book, they were apart until the last couple of chapters, then bam, all is forgiven.

The spicy scenes were spicing as they should. I could feel more satisfied with the reconciliation if we added more growth and healing between the main characters.