⚽ BOOK REVIEW: The Long Game ⚽

SUMMARY: After a viral mishap causes Adalyn Reyes to be put on leave and sent down to coach a team of true minors, she doesn’t think life could get any worse. That is, until she ends up living in a shack turned AirBnB next to Cameron Caldoni, a grumpy former MLS player living under the radar.

Have you ever wished The Mighty Ducks was a romcom about soccer? Then this book is for you!

Adalyn is a career girl who learns the true meaning of community—while wearing heels! She’s a city grump who helps a country grump overcome his traumatic past as a minor celebrity, while he helps her overcome her traumatic past as a meme.

Overall, it’s a fun, easy, Hallmark movie with good chemistry and mild steam.

Thank you to @netgalley @atriabooks and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review! This book came out September 5 and is available everywhere.

Adalyn Reyes has found herself in the center of a PR crisis. Instead of being fired, she’s sent to a rural town in North Carolina to be the GM of a struggling little league soccer team. She needs to make this work, but the coach is standing in her way. Cameron is a formal professional soccer player living in this small town and he seemingly wants nothing to do with a new GM. Can they make this work? Or is Adalyn about to be out of a job?

I am a huge Elena Armas fan, I adored her previous two books and I was so excited to be approved for this one. I will say - after The American Roommate Experience, it would be hard for me to love another MMC by this author as much as Lucas. This book is totally separate from the other two, I didn’t notice any crossovers. This one is definitely a slow burn - slower than her other two. I love a small town trope and this definitely delivered on that. I didn’t love Adalyn as much as I usually love this author’s FMC. Cameron is a great MMC, he’s grumpy but supportive. I wanted a little more from their chemistry though. I see where this was going with the enemies to lovers trope, but they didn’t really feel like enemies to me - more like two grumpy people in bad situations that were then thrown together.

I've read everything Elena Armas has published thus far and was beyond thrilled when NetGalley and Atria Books gave me the opportunity to read and review and e-ARC of THE LONG GAME. I absolutely adored THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION. I found THE AMERICAN ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT entertaining but didn't love it as much as its predecessor. Ultimately, I think THE LONG GAME is in the same boat. It's more slow burn than the first two, and it had a bit of a slow start, but the enemies-to-lovers trope is pulled off well. I actually think the best executed part of the novel is the tension between Adalyn and her father. The anxiety and self-loathing she experiences because of him felt so real; thus, the trajectory of her growth had a good arc and the final confrontation with him felt authentic. She's definitely the star character of the story. The way her father treated her really made her a sympathetic character. Cam didn't seem to experience as much growth as Adalyn, but I loved how he went from calling her "darling" to "love". All in all, did I love this as much THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION? No. But it was still an enjoyable read.

I think this is my favorite book from Elena Armas! I absolutely loved it! Adalyn and Cameron were absolutely amazing!! The banter had me on my knees ready for more!!!

I havent read any Elena Armas before and I am glad I finally did. The Long Game was an enjoyable romance with all the twists and turns I expected before the happily ever after. I especially loved getting to meet the team and the funny personalities and situations that came up. Quick and light read.

I alternated between the audiobook and print. I thought the narrators did an amazing job on this one. The book is told from dual points of view, and having a male and female narrator really brought the characters to life. I loved Cam's British accent.

I have and will continue to read everything that Elena Armas writes. This was a very slow burn romance with a side of forced proximity and fish out of water tropes. There was also a bit of workplace rivalry. Both main characters also had some personal stuff to work through (I love some aspect of personal growth as part of a plotline- it makes it all feel more authentic for me ).

I really enjoyed Adalyn and Cam's story. It made me smile, laugh, and feel the feels. I'm excited that this was the first in a new series and I can't wait to revisit the characters and setting.

thanks to the publisher for a copy. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Definitely a slow burn but worth it in the end.

I thought Adalyn's character was charming from the beginning, but even moreso when you saw the little pieces of her she hides from the public. Combine that with her protection of Cameron, and I ended up loving her harsh exterior/soft insides.

Small town charm, combined with a fierce FMC, a gaggle of adorable soccer girls, and a MMC afraid of baby goats - it was a very enjoyable and adorable romance.

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was entertaining and charming and the couple had so much chemistry plus a lovely setting. Definitely recommend if you enjoyed her previous novel,

Thank you atria books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first half of the book and thought there were some really funny moments. However the second half of the book really dragged out the slow burn. It went too slow for me so I didn’t really care when they got together and it all felt really rushed for the ending of the book. I would have like to understand more about the girls on the team and their families and of course the small town. I love a fish out of water story and enjoyed those stories. More of them would have added to the story. I also would have liked more about cam and Josie because I didn’t feel too connected to them in the story.
Overall the story was fine but it really dragged out the slow burn. I think you could have cut out the part about the stargazing and it wouldn’t have impacted the story.

This was a fun read. Adalyn has a very embarrassing moment recorded and splashed all over social media, going viral very quickly. It’s a PR nightmare for her and the soccer club (Miami Flames) her father owns and she works for, so she is sent on a little mission in Nowhere, USA to work on a “team” while her father tries to calm the media storm surrounding his team. From the start, things do NOT go well for her. She arrives at her “cabin” only to find it already occupied by a grumpy ex soccer star that has no intention of leaving, and promptly hits the current occupant with her vehicle and manages to wreck it in a tree. She was not prepared for where she was sent, this is not a 5 inch heels and pantsuit kind of atmosphere in the dead of winter. Then she finds out that the team she is supposed to be managing is nothing like what she expected. Buckle up for a fun Grumpy/Grumpy romance full of mud, goats, chickens, tutus, and lots of soccer. The amount of messy situations that Adalyn finds herself in is incredible. Also, her best friend is a peach and I WANT MORE!!!! It is a slow burn that pays off in FLAMES, Elana Armas knows what she is doing.

I love every book Elena Armas writes and this is no different..
Adalyn is sent by her father to North Carolina after an altercation. And she meets goalkeeper Cameron. This book is a slooowww burn but so worth it. I am in love with it <3

Thank you Atria for this Advanced readers copy.

4/5 💖❤️‍🔥 "I'll always give you more than what you ask, love. Even when you don;t know what you want."

This book has me channeling my inner soft girl era. Who isn't a strong, independent women who deep down wants to be taken care of?! The author, Elena Armas, did a great job with the dual point of view for Adalyn and Cameron, the storyline of a small town romance and the little family plot twist towards the end. It also encompased a healthy storyline for the FMC and MMC, and believe the relationships with the other characters act to the dialogue and understanding of both main characters.

I am a big fan of Elena Armas' previous work, which made me very excited to receive this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). Thank you to the author, for allowing me to come along this journey with her, to NetGalley and Atria Books for this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC).

When Adalyn goes viral for the worst reasons, her father (also her employer) sends her on a hike to NOrth Carolina to bring a team of kids soccer players to glory. When she's there, she finds reclusive soccer star Cameron Caldani hiding. Immediately, they butt heads. Will they be able to get over their frustrations or will non-communication be the death of them?

A fiery third book from Armas fell a little flat for me. While the spice was nice, I saw the ending coming and the whole wrap up felt too quick.

Another awesome slow burn romance from Elena Armas. I swear she is the queen of a good slow burn. I really enjoyed this one. I loved the MCs, I loved the setting & I loved the fun that the girls soccer team brought to this one. Overall - definitely recommend!

Pros: I enjoyed that it was essentially Roy Kent Fan Fic. I love futbol, I love a small town.

Cons: The little league soccer team was such a weird and unrealistic setup? The spice was fun, but the build up didn’t start until over midway through, and that was probably the most exciting part of the book 🤷🏼‍♀️

I loved "The Long Game"! To me, it was a cozy, slow burn romance between two people that got off on the wrong foot. I loved seeing their relationship develop from two individuals that didn't want anything to do with each other to a team, literally! I also love Elena Arias and her style of writing so this book was so enjoyable for me to read! I didn't want to put it down but it made me so happy every time I picked it up.

Small-town kids' soccer was never this interesting! Adalyn makes one misguided move and she's ousted from her role at her father's football (aka pro soccer) club and banished to a one-horse town with a young girls' soccer team that's big on sass, but low on skill. Just the luck that an elusive former player, Cameron, is escaping the limelight in the same small town and he's going to coach while Adalyn manages. Their first meeting starts with a bang as Adalyn braves horrendous accommodations, Cameron's Roy Kent attitude, and the wrong outfits for middle-of-nowhere life. But, just when Adalyn feels she can't catch a break, the pair start working with each other instead of fighting tooth and nail, and they realize they are playing for the same team, sharing the same goal.

Good story, but the pop and sizzle wasn't there.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is a sweet addition to Elena Armas books, with this soccer themed, slow burn, steamy, fun romance. Adalyn is sent to work in a small town in North Carolina after she has an altercation with her professional soccer team mascot during a panic attack. In NC she meets Cameron, a former pro soccer goalie, and they have to share a cabin and work together to coach a girls child soccer team. This definitely had Ted Lasso fan fiction vibes, and I am not mad about it, it worked for me. I liked the slow burn aspect and thought the relationship building worked for the plot. My main issue with this book is the third act break up was silly and it was a loooooonnnnnggg slow burn, which is fine, but made it seem a little drawn out. But overall I liked the small town vibe, side characters, and soccer themes. Very cute and definitely recommend this book for romance fans, this is actually one of my favorites by Armas. Overall I recommend this book for fans of slow burn contemporary romance, Armas, and soccer or sports romances.

The Long Game was such a fun, extremely slow burn romance between a former soccer star and the privileged daughter of a soccer club owner.

Adalyn and Cam were the perfect duo and I loved all of the shenanigans they found themselves in. I Love a good small town romance and this certainly fit the bill! My favorite part was that Cam loved and accepted adalyn for who she was and wanted to help her slay her dragons even though he was fully aware that she was capable of doing it herself 🥹 I loved the inclusion of all of the quirky animals and h the spice towards the end. This is my new favorite Elena Armas book!

Unfortunately, this enemies-to-lovers romance was not for me. I was drawn in by the comparisons to It Happened One Summer and Ted Lasso, but I found the characters (especially the supporting cast) impossible to care about and the plot slower than an American Football game.

I tried to give the story the benefit of the doubt, but after being bored 50% of the way in, I skimmed the rest.