I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

Playing for Keeps was just an okay read for me. I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters. I though this was going to be an enjoyable read because it involved board games. This was barely any of the story unfortunately. There is a perfectly represented plus size character and a workaholic mmc. They were kind of whiny in my opinion at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake County Press and Review for the copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions above are my own.

3 stars.

Tristen Crone's "Playing for Keeps" is a hit or miss grumpy/sunshine novel that overstays its welcome a bit too long. I love and appreciate that Farren, the main female character, is fat and described as such. So many books that claim they have "plus size representation" simply say that a character is "curvy" and leave it at that. Crone goes out of her way to let readers know that THIS is how you do plus-size representation! The story starts out really strong. I love how Sebastian and Farren met each other for the first time. It's like the opposite of a meet-cute... like a meet-fight! Crone takes to let Farren and Sebastian grow as individuals and as a couple. Though there is an insta-love element here (they are both attracted to each other and fall quickly), they take their time to solidify their pairing, almost to the point of "this is going so slowly that I want to pull my hair out from all of this waiting." I like that they waited to, you know, do the deed, but they also don't call themselves a couple...??? Red flag for me since they are so obviously smitten with each other. Sebastian might just be the grumpiest MC I've ever read. He is consumed with his work to the point where it's literally all he does. He has no hobbies, he has no friends, and he has no ambitions other than workworkwork... another red flag for me (though this is discussed in the book). Unfortunately, both of these characters are in desperate need of therapy because they both have major issues to work out. I like how the plot revolves around board games. YES! I loved reading about Farren's group of friends and all of the games they played together. They sounded like such a cool group of people to hang out with (minus Corrine, because with friends like her, who needs enemies?). I LOATHED the third-act break-up. If I had gotten into an argument like Sebastian and Farren did that early on in a relationship? Game over, no apologies. They were both out of line, but Sebastian was WAY MORE OUT OF LINE. YIKES. Dude is a walking red-flag-machine. In the end, there are some positives and some negatives about this story. Regardless, I can't wait to see what Tristen Crone writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tristen Crone, and Lake Country Press & Review for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Playing for Keeps is one of those books which allows characters to grow. For Farren and Sebastian both of them have things they have to learn. Farren has to realize she has to speak up about what she wants, to not hide in her fears and for Sebastian he needs to learn not to be so carried away with the grand capital G goal. The thing we think will make us happy at the end of the day. So together they have a lot to learn and while my feelings towards Sebastian are hit and miss, I really loved Farren.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was a cute and cozy read. It made me laugh and swoon! Highly recommend!

This is by far one of the coziest reads that I've picked up in a long time. The stakes are low, but that's not a bad thing! Curl up in a comfy spot and fall in love with the characters, the board games, and the quiet spaces we carve out for ourselves amidst a busy, career-centric world.

This book! This cover! This meet-cute! Her easy breezy noncommittal vibes and his workaholic vibes all coming together over a pastry and a board game? Yes please! An Absolute delight!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book and the mental health representation that was in it as well. There is nothing I love more than a opposites attract story! Some parts did seem like they dragged a bit but there was still a lot to enjoy. I love HEA so I already knew I was going to be happy with the way this book turned out.

It was the cover that pulled me in, I have to admit, I love a cartoon cover, and a curvy FMC. It was a little sad to read about her struggles and inner dialogues. The writing felt clunky at times and I wanted to DNF a few times throughout the story. There's a HEA so you know its a romance read, and grumpy sunshine and meet'cute moments were good but overall it was only an ok read.

- curvy FMC
- opposites attract / grumpy sunshine
- meet cute
- banter!
- some little steam
- mental health rep

This debut book was so much fun to read. Tristen Crone is a very talented writer and her storytelling of Farren and Sebastian’s love story was full of witty banter, sexy and romantic dialogue, and the growth of these two characters was marvelous in every aspect of their story.

Farren and Tristan are an unlikely pair. The journey from getting stuck to finding a fabulous HEA is a treat to read. Thank you for the opportunity to read and enjoy the very special romance

Really enjoyed the book!
Love this!!!!


"Thank you so much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

This was overall an okay read. I don't think it was super memorable or something that I would want to read multiple times.
They were textbook grumpy x sunshine characters and I did really enjoy how they always met up with their friends for game night. I loved the plus size representation we get from Farren and how confident and sassy she is.
The things I didn't like... there was a lot of repetition in Sebastian's POV. It constantly talked about how much he was working and how he might not get to go to game night and how he hadn't been able to see Farren recently. It just seemed to drag in his parts and I was tempted to skip it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Country Press for providing a copy for an honest review.

Eh, I’m sad that I didn’t love this one. I love grumpy x sunshine. The other tropes involve opposites attract and a third act break up. This last one here is one of my least favorite. I feel like it ruins the entire relationship building, just to tear it down and then take them back if it was bad enough to split over in the first place. The game aspect seemed like it was going to be incorporated more but it was only briefly touched on. The characters were fun and likable enough but the spice just wasn’t there for me. There was plenty of angst for it.

Farren and Sebastian couldn’t be more opposite. She’s full of life and flits from place to place, always sure she leaves before anyone can hurt her. Sebastian is a work-a-holic running from parents that don’t seem to care what he does and a really bad breakup that included him getting fired from his last job so now he chases what he feels was stolen from him. When they collide in a coffee shop, unexpected sparks fly and sharing similar vulnerabilities may be just they both need.

This was cute and fun. Little spice, lots of emotional growth, fun gaming references. The only thing I’d say is that occasionally the dialogue would get too unrealistic BUT I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This book features the sunshine x grump trope (amazing) as well as an adorable meet cute. Though there were some hiccups in the plot (for me), it is clear the author knows how to write personal growth very well! Definitely enjoyed this one

“That was so bad.” That’s literally how I ended this book. I really could shred this book, but I’m going to account this to inexperience. The writing was very clunky which kicked me out of the story. The couple had no chemistry, and they appeared to trauma bond more than anything. There’s literally only one scene which had me cringing a bit. The meet-cute and third act breakup are both red flags, and I would RUN from this relationship if either faced me. It’s just a big no.

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

This book was such a breath of fresh air! I loved the opposites attract, grumpy sunshine couple and the nerdy aspect too. Farren and Sebastian are so cute! I adored this book

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Country Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’ve been following Tristen on twitter for a while now and have been really looking forward to her debut “Playing for Keeps”. Then I received an ARC and put off reading it because I was afraid that it might not live up to my expectations. I need not to have worried—“Playing for Keeps” is a very promising debut and delivers one of the best romcom endings that I can remember in years.

Fallen is relatable to any of us who have ever been afraid to take risks out of fear of failure. I loved how Tristen kept Fallen’s character body-positive without glossing over some of the issues that many of us with larger bodies face. It was really wonderful as the novel progressed seeing her development as she began to go after the things that she wanted.

As hinted at in other reviews, the Third Act Breakup is a doozy (if you’ve ever been in a verbal fight with a disregulated ND person…be forewarned). Like, it’s not quite Marriage Story-level, but it approaches it. BUT, even if Sebastian has you wanting to throw the book across the room, his Grand Romantic Gesture to repair things really is an incredibly wonderful scene. Like, seriously, it was probably one of my favorite romcom scenes that I’ve read in years, and I read a fair number of romcoms.

I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from Tristen in years to come.