Adalyn is an executive with the Miami Flames and she’s sent to a rural town after she’s caught acting unprofessionally on a viral video involving their mascot. The team’s owner (and Adalyn’s father) thinks she would benefit from some time away working on some outreach for the club. She’s sent to the mounts of Green Oak and she’s here to help an under 10 yr old girl’s soccer team. Their coach is a grumpy former professional goalie from England named Cameron. He has tried to live his life out of the spotlight since retiring, but Adalyn knows exactly who he is.

They don’t get along at all. Adalyn is a tightly-wound city executive and doesn’t like the small town charm or their rugged terrain. But she and Coach Cam have to get past their dislikes and work together especially in front of the young girls. They were by far my favorite part! Maria and her trusty goat BFF, Brandy steal the show! Anyone who has worked with young kids knows it’s like putting cats in a bag so I found this so funny.

The two get closer as the book goes on and it’s definitely a very, very slow burn until they finally kiss. I would have expected this a little sooner.
Elena is a good writer, but she is wordy. I think I tended to skip over a bit of the added detail. I think the dialogue could have a little sharper. That being said, it was very entertaining. The book ends on a little cliff hanger and now I’m excited for book two!

Thank you @atriabooks for my netgalley copy.

I have been hearing about Elena Armas since she released The Spanish Love Deception in 2021. Yet I have somehow managed to go two whole years without reading any of her books. Well, that ends today!

The Long Game, is her third book. It follows disgraced soccer executive, Adalyn, and retired soccer star, Cameron. After both undergoing traumatic events, they find themselves living in a small town (North Carolina) co-coaching a young girls soccer team. Being throw together time and time again, they forge an unlikely connection that leads to their path of healing.

I knew I would love this book as soon as I read it described as, ‘in the vein of Ted Lasso’. To say I am obsessed with that show would be an understatement. The writing is phenomenal and the acting is superb.

Not only did Armas deliver on the Ted Lasso promise, she elevated it. The story is very reminiscent of Roy Kent and Keeley Jones relationship but if they were both total grumps. In the beginning, the two were often at odds with one another due to their palpable chemistry. However, once they got together, they were like a fire that could not be tamed.

While the chemistry was off the charts, it wasn’t my favorite aspect of the book. I loved how empowering Armas wrote the book. Although Adalyn craved having someone to look after her, it ultimately came down to herself to stand up for what she wanted and needed. There was no Prince Charming riding in on a horse to save the day. She was her own hero. But, Cameron was there to hand her the sword and watched her slay the dragon!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Elena Armas, and Atria books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you are a fan of Ted Lasso, read this book! I love the fish out of water trope and connected with Adalyn right away. It was fun to watch her acclimate to the small town North Carolina. This was enjoyable read with a nice slow burn.

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.

The Long Game is a very Ted Laso-esque, slow burn swoon romance. Disgraced soccer exec Adalyn Reyes is forced into exile to middle-of-nowhere, North Carolina to help coach a children’s soccer team where she finds herself paired up with grump of a retired soccer star Cameron Caldani, who has been hiding away. Cameron had real Roy Kent energy and I loved him from the second I saw him coaching the kids. The enemies-to-lovers in this shifts kind of abruptly, but I love how Cameron falls for Adalyn, having his POV in addition to hers, and I loved Adalyn gently falling for him and letting her walls down. Adalyn is so ambitious and guarded and smart and I loved having Cameron push her to let him in and let him take care of her. It’s sweet and heartwarming. And the team of girls they were coaching was just precious. I was swooning hard for Cameron. Both of these leads are so vulnerable and resilient and striking. It did take some time for me to really get into this book, it kind of slow for me. But once I was in it, I couldn’t put it down and I just wanted to be a part of this charming small town with its eccentric and kind townsfolk. The Long Game is endearing and romantic and just a really enjoyable romcom.

Elena Armas' "The Long Game" is a breathtaking and emotionally charged journey through the intricacies of love, ambition, and self-discovery. The novel delves deep into the complexities of its characters, allowing readers to empathize with their flaws and aspirations. Armas' writing is not only beautiful but also profoundly relatable, making you feel as though you're right there with the characters as they navigate life's challenges. This book is a poignant exploration of the human heart and the enduring power of love, leaving an indelible mark on anyone who immerses themselves in its pages.

This is my first book by this author, I thought it was a fun game on/slow burn love story. The story kept me hooked and loving the main characters. I loved how there were animals that played a part in the story, I could almost see this playing out in a funny rom-com. I look forward to reading more Armas.

This book has a cute premise but wasn't my favorite. I felt that the main female protagonist wasn't fully formed besides being the "mean one in heels."
Armas is not yet my go-to romcom author but she has potential.

Elena Armas did not disappoint with The Long Game, a much awaited book! While typically not a fan of sports--adjacent RomComs, I knew I loved Armas's writing, so I dug in! WHAT A SLOW BURN! I loved it so much. The tension was incredibly delicious, and the small-town romance was right up my alley! I loved the characters, and I enjoyed the plot of the novel.

Elena Armas is known as the queen of romance, and I was so excited to read The Long Game; however, this is my least favorite book from her so far. The conflict in this one felt very immature and kept me from liking either character. I struggled to connect and enjoy reading and felt like I had to force myself to finish, which isn't how I have ever felt reading Elena Armas. Maybe it's because it's a sports romance, and that isn't really my favorite. The banter and spice, of course, is there like always, but this one just felt a little flat for me. I still purchased my own copy and will read the next one that comes out. 3.5 rounded to 4.

Tropes:
- Sports RomCom
- strangers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
-GrumpyMC
-Dual POV
-Forced proximity
-Slow burn
-Small-town Romance

I was provided an ARC of this novel. I have purchased my own copy. All thoughts are my own.

There is something so comforting about Elena Armas's writing. It's like coming back to an old friend. I get nervous because sometimes her books feel long (no pun intended) but the endings and the characters make it easy to forget the pacing.

⚽️🐐Book Review: The Long Game by Elena Armas 🔥❤️

4/5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for this book! I read this book on vacation and it was a great, fast paced, emotional, empowering and a hilarious book!

Adalyn is a strong main character and I loved her bravery! Cameron is dreamy and I love their banter. The scenes where they are coaching the little league soccer is my favorite. The way they develop the trust with the girls and the yoga goat scene is the best 🧘🏼‍♀️🐐

The epilogue is the best and I’m so glad with the resolution. Their real and honest communication is great to see and the steam is so well done, Elena Armas has done it again 👏🏻🔥

If you love enemies to lovers, Ted Lasso, Small Town romance and some sports romance, you’d love this book!

REVIEW: The Long Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5)

“You were looking at me the way you are now. Just like that. I didn’t want it to end.” ― Elena Armas, The Long Game

Elena Armas has become an auto-read author for me. Her first book, Spanish Love Deceptions, is one of my favorite books. Her second one, The American Roommate Experiment, was also so good. I was so excited when I received this ARC.

There were so many things that I loved about this book. The main characters, Cam and Adalyn, both had strong personalities with backgrounds to them. While reading the book, I was able to slowly peel the layers of the characters to get to know them better. Even the supporting characters were fun and added to the story.

One thing that Armas does the best in her books is a slow burn, sexual tension relationship-building that makes you root for the characters to get together. There is so much chemistry between the characters from the first moment they meet! I love seeing how they get to know each other better throughout the story and how they truly respect each other. It also doesn’t hurt to have that reward of spicey scenes after a slow build-up. I also like how Adalyn and Cam interacted with each other with fun, teasing, and general care for one another. Plus I am a sucker for a very sweet male character.

The only reason I gave this book a 4.5 instead of a 5 is that the main problem that happens to Adalyn and Cam seemed like it could have been an easy fix of miscommunication. It was blown up to be much more than it should have been. I wished that Armas had taken the conflict in a different direction.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It gave me all the feels and really hit my romance spot exactly how I like it. I will continue to read any books that Elena Armas writes because she does romance novels so well!

Thank you Atria Books and Elena Armas for the advanced copy for my honest review!

Cute, fun rom com! I really enjoyed the characters in this book and the plot. The story progressed at a good pace and I finished it quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book!

Having read all of Elena Armas' previous books, I was SO excited to receive this ARC, however, I have to say that this is my least favorite. Perhaps the grumpy/grumpy books aren't for me, but I found both MCs irritating and didn't care if they eventually stopped "hating" eachother for no good reason.

I did like the soccer aspect of it, and all the young girls on the team were enduring! I look forward to the next Armas book, and hope that it ends up being a little better for me.

Grouchy and grouchy trope? Interestingly yes!

Slow(est) burn. This book was a very, very slow burn but I do love a good slow burn so 🤷🏻‍♀️

I really enjoyed this book, it was fun!! I definitely am excited to enter this new world from Armas.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

It seems I am hit and miss with this author, but that's also sort of thrilling and I'll continue reading what she releases. I liked some aspects of the story, but I didn't vibe with the female lead character. The kids were funny though. Love the mayor.

Loved the soccer components of this one. The love interest is so cute - I'm such a fan of athlete romances.

This was such a fun grumpy/grumpy. I honestly wen into it not sure I was ready for a romcom (the problem with being a mood reader. 😅) but oooooh wow did this book change my mind! It starts off strong and kept the momentum going the whole time. I really enjoyed The Long Game!

Admittedly, seeing mixed reviews of this book caused me to not hurry to pick it up. Ultimately, I'd have to say I agree with what I'm seeing from other reviewers.

The story, overall, is fun! The chaotic antics of the young soccer players brought me back to playing soccer in my own childhood and brought back some fun memories. I really enjoyed the slow-burn romance and thought Adalyn and Cam were a great match.

I will say, I've never seen Ted Lasso, so I can't speak to any similarities that may exist between the book and the show. But I think that worked in my favor, since it couldn't distract from the story.

The pacing of the book is ultimately where the book fell apart for me. The events of this book unfold rather quickly, and the ending in particular is so fast that I couldn't find it satisfying; it felt like Armas was in a race to wrap up everything neatly. It was too convenient how everything came together so easily and resolved within a matter of a few pages, while also quickly establishing what I'm sure will be a spin-off book about Matthew and Josie. While I loved those two characters, the establishment for that was so brief that it didn't feel worth it, and it took away from the little time we already got with the ending. Armas was juggling too many things with the ending and, as a result, it wasn't satisfying.

Overall, this book was slightly better than I expected, but isn't likely to be one I would pick up again.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Elena Armas fan, but this one missed the mark for me. This was a great premise, but the execution of it was not the best. I'll keep reading her though!