Play It To Win

Now that I’m done reading this book all I have to say is that I am so glad to be leaving the town of Greenbelt, North Carolina behind in my rearview window.

Wow, this book is so bad. I don’t even know where to begin. It’s so bad that I bailed on it with less than 20 pages left to go in the story.

So what’s so wrong with it you may ask? Well for starters there is absolutely no chemistry between Miri and Leo. If you ask me they were giving off kissing cousins vibes rather than estranged husband and wife.

Another issue I have with “Play to Win” is Leo. In the novel he is the reason behind his and Miri’s estrangement. It’s frustrating because his reason for leaving Miri is so dumb. Because he and Miri were married young they weren’t established financially. As a result of their monetary struggles, Leo’s ego takes a hit because he feels that he is unable to be a good provider for Miri.

Now here’s my problem with Leo. At the beginning of the story we find him down and out. Living in crappy motels in Florida, working in construction, being paid under the table. If he is so concerned with being a better provider for Miri then why doesn’t he try to improve his situation? Instead, when his wife calls him home to settle the matter of her lottery winnings, Leo arrives in pretty much the same situation he was in when he left, which is broke. So in conclusion, his sudden impassioned efforts to get back with Miri come across as weak. Again, what was he doing during the eight years of their estrangement?

When it comes to foul language use in a book, I have absolutely no problem with it. In my opinion, the use of a good curse word adds realism to the dialogue. However, there is such a thing as overuse, which unfortunately, occurs in this novel. I swear I couldn’t read a page without some character releasing the F Bomb. It really dumbs down the dialogue, which is regrettable.

I believe this is only part two of a future series. After reading this book, I obviously do not want to continue. Fortunately for me there are much better romances out there.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Winning the lottery is such and exciting thing, but brings out many stressors. You have to hide if from your family, your friends…but legally you cannot hide if from your husband, even if you’re separated. Enter in Miriam’s first love Leo, who left her 8 years ago.

This was a fun read and sizzling like Jodie Slaughter’s other books. The longing and attraction between these distant lovers is palpable from the start.

One thing I loved about this book is it started and ended with Miriam digging a hole. Why? Guess you’ll have to read it to find out!

4 stars

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This book was very hard for me. None of the story or characters I found intriguing. I found myself skimming through and still not engaging in any of the story. I also really struggled with believing that a Black Woman in The South would call her mother by her first name.

I've read a previous book by this author, and I felt like the writing included way too much filler and side characters. I saw the writing on the walls and decided to DNF this book.

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

Play to Win
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Jodie Slaughter

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Miriam Butler’s life is going nowhere in the slowest, most excruciating way possible. Stuck in the same barely-paying job she’s had since she was sixteen and spending every night sleeping in the spare twin bed in her mother’s house, her existence might be hilarious if it wasn’t so bleak. One trip to her favorite Quickie Mart upends everything when she finds herself the winner of a Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot. Unfortunately, not even life-altering roses come without their painful thorns. Hers just so happen to be in the form of an estranged husband who has the right to claim his share of her money.

It’s been eight years since Leo Vaughn has had a conversation with his wife. When she calls out of the blue, practically begging him to come back to Greenbelt, the last thing he expects her to tell him when he gets there is that she’s come into a whole heap of money. She offers him a life-changing proposition of his own. Take a lump sum, finally sign the divorce papers, and be done with her for good. Only, a forever without her is the last thing Leo wants. So he gives a proposition of his own. One that won’t cost her nearly as many millions, but will buy him the time to do the one thing he’s been hungry to do since he left -- win her back.

My Thoughts: To win the lottery is EVERY person’s dream and to play it on your first try, a rare event, although it does happen. I was lucky enough to have the digital and audiobook formats. I preferred the audiobook. In order for Miriam to claim her entire fortune, she has to officially divorce Leo and offer a settlement. One of his conditions is rehabbing the house that she has to be involved in, as they spend more time together, will they realize they are destined to be together or will they move forward with the divorce? Any other surprises along the way? This follows the tropes of second chance romance and small town romance.

I struggled with parts of this and then other parts I really loved. The premise of a lottery win reuniting a couple was not a terrible idea and as the plot was revealed, I was more okay with it. However, in the beginning, and really throughout, I was hoping to have more of their backstory and it was just lacking somewhat. The story is narrated in a dual narration by both Miriam and Leo, from their respective POVs. The story definitely had some steamy and spicy moments. 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️. Miriam (Miri) is independent, a tad insecure, and struggled with her separation from Leo. Leo is strong, loyal to a fault, and could have owned more of the separation. The characters were not lacking, they were developed well, had witty banter, mad chemistry, and were creative. I especially loved the relationship Miri had with her mother, it was heartwarming and endearing. The author’s writing style is humorous, swoony, spicy, and for the most part, kept me engaged.

Overall, this was a cute listen and I would recommend to other readers.

Title: Play to Win
Author: Jodie Slaughter
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: July 11, 2023

I received a complimentary eARC of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Lively • Spicy • Forgettable

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Miriam Butler’s life is going nowhere in the slowest, most excruciating way possible. Stuck in the same barely-paying job she’s had since she was sixteen and spending every night sleeping in the spare twin bed in her mother’s house, her existence might be hilarious if it wasn’t so bleak. One trip to her favorite Quickie Mart upends everything when she finds herself the winner of a Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot.

It’s been eight years since Leo Vaughn has had a conversation with his wife. When she calls out of the blue, practically begging him to come back to Greenbelt, the last thing he expects her to tell him when he gets there is that she’s come into a whole heap of money. She offers him a life-changing proposition of his own. Take a lump sum, finally sign the divorce papers, and be done with her for good. Only, a forever without her is the last thing Leo wants. So he gives a proposition of his own.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Last summer, I read (and loved) Bet On It by this author, so I requested an advanced reader copy of Play to Win. Unfortunately, this one didn't have the same appeal and it's likely I won't remember much in the weeks to come.

I'm not quite sure if it was the characters, the storyline, or a combination of the two, but something just didn't work for me. This second chance romance lacked character depth. Both main characters felt one-dimensional. Miri and Leo lacked chemistry. In fact, it felt like they were trying to convince themselves. Additionally, the fact that the money brought them back together left me with an unsettled feeling. It just didn't come across as believable.

The one thing I do know is that the issue wasn't the writing! It's written in Jodie's authentic style with witty banter and steamy sex scenes. Jodie also has excellent representation in her romance books. This one specifically tackles generational poverty and the lingering anxieties even when Miri's financial situation changes. These were redeeming qualities for a less than memorable plot.

Despite Play to Win being a miss for me on the romance side of things, Jodie is an excellent author and I will continue to read her books for their representation alone. She certainly comes up with fun ideas.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• second chance romance lovers
• fans of the marriage in trouble trope

⚠️ CW: cursing, sexual content, abandonment, infidelity, death, death of parent

Jodi is a new-to-me author and I enjoyed her writing style, along with the many realistic aspects of this book. Like acknowledging how much in taxes get taken out, and there’s a strong theme of generational poverty that fuels a mindset that isn’t going to change overnight, even as Miri’s bank account does.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I don’t love the “I’m leaving you for your own good” trope that’s commonly seen in second chance romances like this, but if that doesn’t bother you then you’re more likely to enjoy this book!

There's a reason people discourage high school romances turning into marriages. When two people have not been able to mature as individuals, it may be difficult to have the difficult conversations that are necessary within a marriage. Miriam Butler and Leo Vaughn's marriage imploded eight years ago when they both had unrealistic expectations for their young romance. He left town and she moved home. After years of financial struggle, Miriam decides on a whim to play the lottery when she picks up her mom's ticket. Using five numbers symbolic of her relationship with Leo, Miriam wins!!! She needs Leo to sign off on any claim he has since they are still married. Whatever will happen?! The reader gets to see Miriam and Leo heal as they strive to settle their differences and move forward. This is a spicy, open door romance.

On the first and final pages of Jodie Slaughter’s PLAY TO WIN (Griffin, 320 pp., paperback, $17), a Black woman digs into the earth of her hometown.

At the start, Miriam is estranged from her absent husband, worried about the rent and sweating from the work of excavating her neighbor Ms. Candice’s hidden cash box. By the book’s end Miri has won millions in the lottery and shared her fortune with friends and family — but she still ends up with a shovel in her hands, this time putting something back into the earth.

Romance loves a house as a metaphor, and here Miri uses her winnings to renovate the run-down family property her husband, Leo, inherited. In return, Leo promises to sign divorce papers as soon as the repair work is complete. Secretly, he’s hoping to use the time to win Miri back. So he makes every decision about the house with Miri’s tastes in mind: faucets, countertops, a shed for her alone. The house becomes his care for her made visible.

“Play to Win” is a small-town romance in the way that “Mad Max: Fury Road” is a road trip movie. Slaughter’s world feels similarly weatherworn, and it’s cleareyed about both the brutality of power and the vitality of community care. The fortune Miri wins is the premise but not the subject. Money can only fix money problems — it can’t erase trauma, and there’s no miraculous redemption here. There’s only love’s work: rebuilding trust and taking care of your people. Love is a choice you make over and over, not just on one day in a white dress.

This book is a lot of fun! It is my first by Jodie Slaughter, but I highly doubt it will be my last. :)

I’m a sucker for second chance romance and one with marriage on the rocks? I’m all in. I adored both Miriam and Leo. Their chemistry was off the charts from the beginning and it was clear they still had feelings for each other. I was sucked into this story from the first chapter. Learning what broke Miriam and Leo apart was eye opening and I wish they would’ve just talked to each other instead of going 8 years without speaking. They still loved each other but they got married too young. The lottery aspect of the book was fun too.

I also related to this book a lot. I know what it’s like to grow up in poverty and it’s a trauma that people don’t talk about enough. Jodie Slaughter did a great job portraying this. Overall this was a quick and amazing read.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Miriam Butler has lived a pretty harsh life. One day that all changes when she decides to test the fates and buy a lottery ticket. In an instance, her life is turned upside down and she has to reconnect with her past so she can start her future. This novel was promising. The characters meshed well with each other. I was looking for more from the main character in how she dealt with her love life. After that much time passed, it should have been more of a tug. We never got the buildup that we needed for the justification of the easy acceptance that Miriam used to move on, but they say money changes people in ways unknown.

I'm so torn on this. I feel like this book bordered away from romance in many ways, but I didn't see the usual Jodie writing I love.

Her character development was spot on but the romance didn't hit the spots I'm used to with her books.

Thank your for the advanced copy to review.

I liked the idea of this story, but the couples chemistry wasn't there for me. I felt like it needed to be fleshed out a little more.

When I saw there was a new Jodie Slaughter I knew I needed to get my hands on it. But AGAIN, this proves that I really need to read the synopsis before I request anything. Because if I had read it, I would have known this was going to give me the ick lol

The plot of this was interesting. She won the lotto and then we find out she has an estranged husband. One who also won the lotto because of her lol You see, because they were still married, once she won the lotto, whether he was around or not, if they were to get a divorce, it would be counted as community property. And let me just tell y’all the way I was plotting on this fictional dude who hadn’t even been introduced in the story yet lol I was mad at them for not just saying it was her mom’s. Like BFFR. You already buy them for your mom. Why not just say this was her ticket? Thankfully he SEEMED to be ok, but even still. I felt hella weird the whole time I was reading it because it just felt gross to me.

The romance would have been hella cute and hella spicy….. If it had been with someone else. Like I said, I just couldn’t get past him trying to get her to stay with him. Idk how to explain it. The scenes were hot enough for me to use the book to fan myself, and one of them still lives rent free in my head. But I still keep thinking about the weirdo behavior of the husband. I just really think she should have divorced him and let them find themselves back to each other organically if they were meant to be.

The writing style was still authentic to Slaughter, so I think that’s why I was able to overlook the weird stuff. I was hella mad at Miriam for a lot of reasons, but I just couldn’t stop reading. I just KNEW she was going to come to her senses. But alas. I just wanted her to be safe. And, I was really interested in the research she was doing to write this. Do all the states have different rules? Does she play the lotto? All the things lol

This was weird, but in a good way. The characters were weird, but it still had the signature charm that all Slaughter’s books do. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I also liked the journey it took me on. I can’t wait for more of my people to read this so we can talk about what we might have done had the places been traded.

This was a super cute romance with great characters, a fun plot, and some amazing chemistry! Some of the characters from her previous novel show up, but this one can be read as a stand alone book.

3.75/5

I'm glad I listened to this one cause I have a feeling it would have been a little slow for me to have read it. The audiobook helped with the pacing and I had so much better of a time with it. I am very 50/50 with second chance romances and this one was a lot of fun because the premise of why they had to reconnect was pretty far fetched but it wasn't looked into took closely which allowed for the actual reconnecting to develop more. I just wish the author added a bit more groveling. There wasn't any outright miscommunication, just not a well rounded explanation that was enough of a reason for almost a decade of zero contact.

We love a woman who takes charge. Miri knew her worth, added tax, and made him work for it.

"Make me come." yes ma'am.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for my advanced e-copy!

This is my first book from Jodie Slaughter. I really loved it. Unbeknownst to me this was part of a series that can be read as a stand-alone. I think having read the other books would have made this even better. Thank you for the chance to read this great book NetGalley!

Miriam Butler’s life changes and becomes unexpectedly complicated when she wins the Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot in Jodie Slaughter’s second chance romance Play to Win. Slaughter’s language use and narrative style, vivid and detailed description, colorful and natural-sounding dialogue, and deft worldbuilding drew me in from the first scene, keeping me glued to Play to Win until the very last page. Her characters are relatable, likable, complex, and authentic, and she skillfully develops them and her original story through funny, sweet, emotional, and entertaining interactions and scenes.

Living with her mom in her childhood home and working the same low-wage job since her teens, Miriam feels trapped. When she goes to the corner store to get her mom’s lottery ticket, Miriam impulsively buys one for herself and hits the winning numbers. It’s too bad her estranged husband can show up to claim his share of her millions after all this time. Leo Vaughn hasn’t spoken to his wife in years. But when Miriam calls suddenly, asking him to return to Greenbelt, he does so immediately. He’s astonished that Miriam’s won the lottery but even more so by her offering him millions to sign divorce papers, walk away, and never contact her again. The last thing Leo wants is to take her millions, and he can’t imagine forever without Miriam in his life. Leo’s yearned for one thing since walking out on her eight years ago—Miriam back in his life. He makes Miriam a counteroffer to give himself time to make up for the biggest mistake of his life.

I love Slaughter’s development and exploration of the characters and their relationships. In dual POV, she tells Miriam and Leo’s love story by interweaving flashes of memories from their past with the present. Miriam is stubborn, loyal, forthright, and generous, loving with all her heart and soul. Living in poverty without hope for a way out has given Miriam a bleak outlook. She gave Leo her heart as a young woman and never got it back. Miriam’s tried to move on and build a life without him and has managed to move on—mostly. But just as he’s in her heart, there are times her mind is full of him and thoughts of the life they had together before he left and broke her heart. You can’t help but root for Miriam to find her way and treat herself with all the love and care she so bigheartedly offers to the people she loves so she can live a life filled with hope happily ever after.

With Leo, Slaughter takes a character I fully expected to hate and made me not only change my mind about him but also had me hoping this silly man could resolve his issues and win Miriam back—only if it’s what she truly wants and would make her happy. I love how gone Leo is for Miriam and that she is the only one for him. Despite outward appearances considering that Leo walked out on Miriam and hasn’t contacted her since, Leo’s a sensitive, sweet, and honorable man who takes his responsibilities seriously, maybe slightly too seriously. He gets so caught up in ideas about who a man—and husband—is meant to be and what he should do because of how he was raised that he loses sight of everything else, including considering and respecting others’ feelings and identities in their relationships with him—especially Miriam. Leo’s martyr complex leads him to make poor choices.

Miriam and Leo’s fiery sexual chemistry and sexy, intimate, funny, sweet, passionate, and emotional love scene—combined with their banter and intimacy—further the plot and the evolution of their characters and relationship. Slaughter wonderfully explores how you can love someone with all your heart, but sometimes that may not be enough and doesn’t make things perfect. Relationships take courage, maturity, and work in addition to love. And sometimes, it takes time for people to grow into whom they’re meant to be alone before they can be someone else’s partner.

More than anything, I love how Slaughter explores the impact of winning the lottery on Miriam’s life and her loved ones. She thoughtfully examines how having money won’t heal the internal pains and scars, and whether it makes you happy or makes everything in your life change for the better is all up to you.

I love Slaughter’s writing style so much. Her stories always touch my heart and mind in unexpected ways while also being thoroughly entertaining. She makes me laugh and cry, but I still keep hoping for love to win. Slaughter’s characters’ discussions of mental health are written straightforwardly and with authenticity and sensitivity.

Play to Win is a beautifully written, fast-paced steamy, sexy, funny, angsty, sweet, and romantic novel about second chances, first love, family, facing fears, self-esteem, forgiveness, self-discovery, hope, trust, and fresh starts.

Advanced review copy provided by Griffin via Netgalley for review.

This second chance romance has sass, humor, and just the right amount of spice. An enjoyable read. Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.