The moment I found out the FMC was plus size I was so excited to read this. As a plus size gal myself, I love seeing this pop up more and more. It did not disappoint! I enjoyed Farren and her heart and how relatable she felt about certain things, and her family. I was a bit weary Sebastian but became pleasantly surprised. The chemistry they had together was so enjoyable to read. They both had things they were dealing with alone, but were safe spaces for each other. A lot of growing together, working on themselves and self reflection. I really loved that. I loved this book so much, I laughed, and I felt emotions at moments. Check CW if you have any. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher, Lake Country Press and Review, for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading this eARC, which in no way biased me. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, I had a really difficult time getting invested in not only the story, but the characters.

This had a really interesting premise, but in my opinion the execution fell flat.

Pros:
Grumpy/Sunshine, but we get the POV of both so can really see the thoughts behind the grump
Farren's self-love and body acceptance!
The games and game night talk
Sebastian was so much more than I expected

Cons:
I hate the third act plot device chosen

Very middle of the road romance. The characters didn't feel super fleshed out and it had Insta love which is not something i gravitate towards. I loved that there was a Plus Size FMC but other than that it did not stand out in anyway from other Romance books. I just finished it and it does not have much staying power for me

I was enjoying this so so much in the first half, but in the second half, most of my enjoyment fizzled out. I'm landing on a 3 star average.

I had such high hopes for this, and at first, I was loving this! The boardgames were very present in the story, the meet cute really showed their grumpier than grumpy and sunshine personalities, and I found their backstories and emotional depth touching and, if not directly relatable, I empathized with them.

In the second half, I felt like everything started to drag a little, and I found myself getting somewhat bored. There was less boardgame content, but also I felt like their personal issues were very drawn out and repetitive, and then the third-act break-up happened, and everything went down hill for me.

The story already hinges on Farren giving Sebastian a lot of grace and assuming the best from him, which had been fine up until then even if I didn't always understand it. But in the third-act conflict, he was so mean and degrading to her, and I honestly lost all or most of my sympathy for him. It was just really shitty, and I'm not sure the resolution received the attention it deserved.

Farren is stranded; she enjoys her career but is uninspired by it, and she is constantly concerned about her future. Sebastian is dedicated and focused at work, but he is dissatisfied since he has nothing to look forward to in his life. After an incident with a croissant, the two meet at Farrens' weekly gaming night and form an unexpected friendship that quickly grows into something more. The two trust in each other and begin to get serious, but as life and work interfere, Sebastian finds it difficult to let Farren in.
Farren and Sebastian were wonderful together; they met when they were both down and out, but as they got to know one other, they began to blossom and grow. The plot should be improved; for example, one of the elements is games, notably Farren's own game, but we don't receive much information or dig into it. I believe the book emphasised Farren and Sebastian's personal progress, but some details were lost and put on the backburner as a result. I would have liked a little more spice as well; the build-up was there, but the actual sequence was merely okay. Regardless of this, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Farren and Sebastian; they were both incredibly sympathetic, and I appreciated the portrayal of plus size and mental health.

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.
Dedication: To all the big girls who were told to hate their softness. You are beautiful and your stories are just as worthy.
FMC: Farren- a sweet and sunshine tabletop game lover who is a substitute teacher looking for her next dose of happy. She meets with her small friend group weekly to play board games at a local coffee shop where she stumbles into Sebastian and they both turn each other’s lives upside down. She injects his life with smiles and sunshine, and he injects hers with drive and the perfect partner to spar against (in games and in volleying ideas).
MMC: Sebastian- a work obsessed, introverted grump who doesn’t have any friends or family. After having an exceptionally terrible day at work, he decides to go to a local coffee shop to get one of their new pastries and bumps into Farren who then proceeds to order the last pastry (the one he really wanted!), his grumpy attitude takes over and he all but demands she gives it to him. Luckily, Farren is all about games and offers to play him for it and if he wins the game, he gets the pastry.
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
HEA: yes
spice: a couple very well done open-door spicy scenes sprinkled throughout the book. Sebastian’s dirty talk was so good and he gave off hot soft dom vibes
TWs: difficult family relationships (uninterested parents), manipulation (not MCs), pretty mild book
standalone: yes
final thoughts: SO CUTE. I was so taken with this book from start to finish and loved all the nerdy little references. I love a curvy FMC who is unapologetically big, doesn’t try to diet, it’s not her main character trait, and her partner doesn’t fetishize it… why is that so hard to find? LOOK NO FURTHER because this hit the mark for me. The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star was the 3rd act breakup which was ehh but the groveling (that didn’t come fast enough to satiate my needs LOL) was well done and exactly what Farren needed.

read this book if you love

🔀 opposites attract
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
🫡 big MMC
😠 grumpy/sunshine
💓 slowburn
🤩 curvy FMC
🎮 nerdy FMC

I’m not too sure how I feel about this book- on the one hand, it was a nice lighthearted romance. On the other, there are two very emotionally wounded main characters that really should both be in extensive therapy before trying to be in a relationship together. I felt really bad for Farren and how both Sebastian and her best friend spoke to her. I didn’t feel either one of them gave very good apologies- I thought Sebastian gave a good apology if the things he said weren’t as mean as they were. I definitely think he should’ve done a lot more apologizing. I also wish we’d gotten more of Chris and the rest of the gaming group in the book!

This book was absolutely stunning from start to finish. The cover is also absolutely gorgeous! Farren is such an intriguing character and her search for something really hit me hard. So seeing her story concluded to something amazing was so nice. Our other main character Sebastian was really something but I liked him a lot. He is such a workaholic but he knows it. And how the two of them interact and learned from each other was just amazing to read about. Definitely on of my fave read of the month!
Thanks to netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Farren & Sebastian are my favorite type of grumpy x sunshine trope. He's a broody man, drowning in spreadsheets and work, living in a new place and hoping for a promotion. She's a bubbly, commitment-phobe whose prone to flit from job-to-job while trying to remain optimistic and maintain the self-confidence she's worked so hard on, especially as being a curvy woman.

When Farren & Sebastian meet it's exactly what you're picturing. Well maybe not EXACTLY, but they do get into an argument over the last scone. Rather than half a full-blown fight in the middle of her favorite café, Farren challenges him into a game. Whoever wins gets to have the scone. What starts off as a not so meet-cute turns into something more...

If you're looking for a very sweet romance I highly recommend this book!

I was completely drawn in by this cover - I love a curvy heroine, and seeing her like that on the cover made me so happy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶

Farren & Sebastian meet and are instantly drawn to one another. While seeming like opposites, they are similar in that they are both dealing with situations from their past that made them who they are today - and still figuring out how to overcome them.

The board game element of this book was so different, and fun! I loved the scene at the Halloween party.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me overall. The pacing was just too slow, and I wasn’t a fan of Sebastian.
I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews, so I think others might love it!

⭐️ Opposites attract
⭐️ Board games
⭐️ Curvy rep
⭐️ LGBTQIA+ rep
⭐️ Slow burn
⭐️ Dual POV/3rd person

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Country Press & Review for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own!

I was very excited to read this because of the representation of plus sized FMC in it. While I enjoyed the story, I did struggle with the third person perspective. I prefer and tend to enjoy books more when they are written from a first person point of view. Also would have loved a little more character development. Seeing the characters go handle with their traumas a little better. The board game detail was very interesting and I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tour for this eARC in exchange of an honest review.

Was this book a really cute little romance? Yes.
Did it also manage to call out my complicated relationship with my family? Also yes.
But I have no regrets, this was great.

Farren is a substitute teacher with a little bit of a fear of commitment but a love of board games. So much so that she has game nights with her friends at a local cafe on Friday nights. One night, while getting a little game night snack she runs in to Sebastian, a workaholic who just wants a lemon curd croissant… the same lemon curd croissant that Farren just bought. Obviously distraught over the loss of his dead pastry Sebastian and Farren make a little wager, play a round of the board game of her choosing and the winner gets the croissant. The rest is really history.

This book was so relatable, there were moments that I’d read conversations Farren or Sebastian out loud to my husband because it just hit home for me. Like Farren I know how it feels to have your needs ignored by family because somebody else had to come first (weirdly enough we also both come from Catholic households). This really just made me see more of myself in the character and I was rooting for her happiness the whole time. I also love a good board game and would absolutely love to go to game night with Farren and her friends.

I feel like I didn’t talk a lot about Sebastian but I promise dear reader, under the grumpy exterior is a really sweet guy. The kind of guy that will hold you when you cry, make you breakfast in the morning, and encourage you to follow your dreams. He’s a good one, even if he does work like nonstop.

Even though I’m a little late in posting this, still a huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Tristen Crone for the eARC of this book. Here are my honest thoughts.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT. Sorry for the caps, I just wanted to get my point across. But this book was hard for me to put down once I started reading, I could not stop. I loved this book and I can see my patrons loving it as well. I will definitely let my library director know to purchase this book ASAP.

If you’re looking for a fun, sweet, sizzling romance, then this is the book for you. Playing for Keeps is a Grumpy-Sunshine, Dual POV Rom-Com, filled with laughs, heart-warming confessions, realistic depictions of anxiety and difficult family dynamics, and GREAT open-door smut. One thing that stood out in particular: as a plus-size woman, it was AMAZING to read a book where being plus-size didn’t feel fetishized and was depicted as just another body type/shape.

Playing for Keeps tells the story of Farren and Sebastian (Ian), who meet in a coffee shop when they both order the same croissant. Farren is hosting a board game night with friends, while Sebastian is hoping to get a break from his tough work schedule. Ian is not too happy that Farren narrowly gets the croissant before him, and a table-top dual ensues. What they didn’t anticipate, is that their croissant-battle would be the meet-cute that has them exploring a relationship that feels very new to both of them.

I felt that I could relate to many of the topics in this book; what it’s like to value your work over relationships, difficult family dynamics, being insecure in new relationships, amongst other topics. I felt that Tristen approached each subject with depth where I either felt that I could relate or I understood what each character was getting at. I will admit that the third act took a bit of a turn for me personally (I think other people may like it, but it felt out of character for me) and it was probably the reason that this is more of a 3.75 star than anything higher.

Farren and Sebastian are incredibly lovable characters. I found myself relating a lot more to Sebastian in his views towards life and work, but found myself relating to Farren’s emotions regarding dating.

This book is relatively short (200 pages) and, as a result, is a lovely, quick read. I do think that the length didn’t in any way compromise on the quality of the book, and though it dealt with difficult subjects, each was dealt with delicately and thoroughly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author/Publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

I was expecting a little more from this book, mainly because of the plus size role, but it didn't really click with me. I found the book to be very average and the conflicts bothered me a little. It had potential, too bad it didn't work out.Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

i was so happy to start a book about a nerdy sunshine plus-size woman who loved herself and a grumpy work-obsessed man. but this story was so hard to get into, i didn’t feel any connection between the two characters, there wasn’t any growth. i didn’t feel the love i needed.
such a disappointment.
thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5 -happy release day- stars

❛Farren seemed like everything Sebastian wasn’t.❜


Farren is a young substitute teacher who aspires for.. more. Sebastian is the archetypal workaholic; married and devoted to his work and career only. One is easygoing with an uncertain non-planed future and the other is self-absorbed by the palmarès he has to accomplish to secure a nice position in his company. They accidentally met in a coffee shop and the opposite attracts alchemy simply operates between them.

"She neglected to mention how tethered she felt when he looked at her like he was paying attention, as if he saw her."

The storyline isn’t orchestrated as a romcom. Although the first encounter between the protagonists involves a random fight over a croissant. The characters, their relationship and the narrative, are remarkably painted with so much intensity and variegated emotions. Their day-to-day struggles aren’t embellished, on the contrary, they are simply and plainly realistic.

"Because she wanted it. Because it was a little scary wanting something."

I fully blame the author’s plume for embarking me in the protagonists’ mentally-tumultuous journey with the beautiful -and at times poetic- writing. Despite the fact that the plot line isn’t rythmed by frenetic events or life- changing plot twists. The simplicity with how both of them worked their relationship -or pseudo-relationship- throughout the storyline with tiptoeing around their lives trying to make room for one another is utterly precious and pure.

"I felt gut-punched when she left, and I still can’t catch my breath."

There is a third act breakup in the mix and I am honestly mesmerized with how crudely and vividly true-to-life it is caricatured. Quite honestly, if i wasn’t fully invested in their relationship I think I wouldn’t have cared or I would have absolutely hated it. But in that moment, it was them with their blemished personalities and fears and what they accumulated through their relationship. What they couldn’t articulate when they were scared to lose one another.

*P.S.: i absolutely adored how the fmc was confortable with her body and hadn’t some interior monologues about "if she was worth it -him- or not" she was unapologetically her and it was refreshing.

Many thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review.

Grumpy (the grumpiest of grumpy) - sunshine, and plus size main character? Um, yes please! I really enjoyed this book, it was a cosy and easy read. I'm not a huge fan of the late act breakup/miscommunication trope as a rule, but I loved the rest of the story.


I recieved an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

It wasn't monumental or anything but an okay(?) read and I see the potential. Farren and Sebastian were textbook sunshine x grumpy characters. She's flaky and he's too serious, the usual. I did really like the aspect of friends getting together on Friday nights to play board games at a café. I would consider doing that myself.

The writing felt stilted at times, which hindered the pace every now and then. Quite a bit of repetition throughout, especially for Sebastian's pov on his constant working so much but not really going into the more important details until the third act. By then, it was pointless and I just didn't care to know. I lost count how, many times I had to read about them not seeing each other throughout the week and him not knowing if he can make to game night bc he had to work. Like, can we add something else to the plot other than that and having emotionally distant parents that barely showed up in maybe three or four chapters. Also, their "chemistry" felt more like trauma bonding. 🤷🏾

Now, that third act...talk about a fast fall from grace. 😂 I didn't even care if Farren and Sebastian were together by the end. Honestly, they needed to stay away from each other after what went down and get their own therapists. I'm usually into grumpy love interests but redeeming himself after all that foolishness he said? Nah, he can be miserable all by himself.


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