A handsome athlete, a boss lady, a mini with a tutu, two cats and a goat...oh my!

Let me tell you I came for the goats and I left with a heart full of happiness! I could gush about this story forever! It's cozy. It's absolutely hilarious. It's spicy. It's truly the whole package.

I am not kidding about how hilarious this story is! I had annotating tabs specifically for my favorite funny moments. I could not get over Brady the goat. A blind and anxious bean that just always ended up being babysat by Adalyn.

It just killed me but I am a little bias because goats are my kryptonite.

Outside of the book just being a true gem in the comedy department, I could relate to Adalyn. Working in the sports field is tough especially for a woman. I would know...I worked three years in minor league hockey. I can understand the pressures and the anxieities and the breaking points that she experienced. I adored that she was an independent boss woman. We stan a female main character that is intimidating and can be a force. Adalyn's story is so good. I love her. I love where she ends up by the end of "The Long Game." Ugh.

Speaking of boss women...don't even get me started on Josie. *bows down to the queen*

We stan books with mental health represenation!! It always make me feel seen when authors write in characters who struggle with anxiety, depression and mental health struggles like us normy. It helps make the story feel real. It helps make readers feel not alone in their fight to work on a healthy lifestyle. I truly loved that Cam was not afraid to express his dedication to the yogi lifestyle and his medidation routine.

Between the romance and the relationship that Adalyn developed with some surpirse "mini" characters, I was constantly swooning. I am pretty sure I audibly squealed "awe" at least ten times. My heart was warmed by how pleasantly joyful this whole story.

If you're a slow burn sports romance fan, you'll adore "The Long Game." It's a must read. I just want to hug the book for how blissfully cozy and wonderful it is.

⚽ For soccer/football fans
🐐 Lots of delightful furry friends
☕ Absolutely hilarious banter and scenes
🌲 Jalapaneo spiced
⚽ Female characters who are just BA
🐐 Small town
☕ Grumpy sunshine
🌲 Mental health rep
⚽ Slow burn romance

After an embarrassing video goes viral, disgraced soccer exec Adalyn reluctantly enlists the help of Cam, a retired soccer star, to coach a small-town children’s team. Can they turn a ragtag team of nine-year-olds and one tutu-wearing seven-year-old into champions and provide redemption for Adalyn?

I loved the town of Green Oak and its residents — Mayor Josie, the adorable Green Warriors team, and their parents plus cats and baby goats. Everyone in this town looks out for each other. I'm glad we are getting another book set in this wonderful town.

As the title suggests, this book is a sloooow burn so get ready for the tension and pining. But it wouldn't be a Elena Armas book without it!

Grumpy, protective Cam is an ideal book boyfriend. His patience and thoughtfulness along with the way he makes guarded Adalyn feel safe, seen, heard, and cherished made him an instant favorite of mine. And Cam’s interactions with the little girls on the soccer team are just too cute.

If you are a fan of meet disasters, laugh-out-loud banter, and forced proximity, you will enjoy The Long Game.

Favorite Quote
“I’ll always give you more than what you ask, love. Even when you don't know what you want.”

I received an early copy of this book. This voluntary review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.

This was a nice rom com. I’m obsessed with the dynamic between the MCs - the banter, the genuine affection, the palpable heat. I found their relationship to be very sweet and touching, and that - plus all the AMAZING secondary characters - is what kept me engaged in the story and propelled me to finish.

But the structure was off. Some chapters ended on quasi cliff hangers and then picked back up after the action concluded for some reason. There was a lot of miscommunication at the beginning, which is don’t mind as a trope but it made it very hard to follow at times. And, while there was some spice towards the back half of the book (it took FORVER to get there - talk about a slow burn!), some of the dialogue during the sex scenes felt so forced that it took me out of the moment.

While I enjoyed this, it didn’t knock my socks off. But it’s cute for what it is, and it was a quick, easy read. And Adalyn and Cam are genuinely the cutest. Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC. The Long Game is out today!

3.5/5

✨Tropes
Enemies to lovers
Soccer /Sports ⚽️
Opposite attract
Forced proximity
Small town vibes
Goat 🐐 yoga
Slow burn 🔥

An assault on a man in an oversized bird 🐦 costume lands Adalyn exiled to middle of nowhere North Carolina. She realizes she’s made a huge mistake as she finds herself in front of cabin in the middle of the woods. Cameron is “struck “quite literally the minute he sets eyes on her.

It’s a very fun Rom Com featuring two stubborn people learning to let their guard down. I love all the cute animals in this story. Cameron is a cat dad. Maria’s goats are hilarious! The pottery scene is … 🔥. The girls on the team are fun. Had me at Tutu! 🤣 Overall this is an awesome read. This was my first book I read from Elena Armas and I can’t wait to read more!! I definitely recommend this book!! Thank you to netgalley and atria books for allowing me to review.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the Advance Readers Copy of The Long Game
really enjoy reading this book. I love a sports romance in a small town setting. With the character development of Adalyn throughout the book, and her banter with Cam. Also special to the cutest character Maria and her goat.
Will recommend this book for those who love enemies to Lovers.

When I saw the blur about small town love story and Ted Lasso I knew I needed to read this book!
It was a sweet enemies to lovers story that was the perfect way to start September. I loved Maria, a sassy 9 year old, and the goats! I also really enjoy the dual POV from Adalyn and Cam and laughed a lot at both of their grumpiness. I played soccer growing up so it was fun to read about a young girls soccer team! There were also tender moments and who doesn't love a slow burn!

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks

3.85 stars.

If you love Roy Kent, you'll love this book!

Adalyn's father owns a Football Club in Miami, where her ex-boyfriend just got the position she was hoping for. Mistakes were made, and she got shipped off to BFE North Carolina to help another soccer team. There, she meets Cameron. A retired goalie, who is gruff and doesn't want her staying on the same property as him. Cameron also just so happens to be the coach of the team that Adalyn is supposed to help. Big city meets small town in this soccer Hallmark rom-com. Family dynamics, forced proximity, soccer romance, what else could you ask for?!

It took me a while to get into this one, but I was in a reading slump. Some spicy scenes weren't my vibe, but I think that this will be another Bookstagram/BookTok hit!

Elena Armas’ books just keep getting better. I wanna know where my brooding former professional athlete who is secretly a cinnamon roll is hiding!!

Adalyn is the daughter of the Miami Flames owner who just has an uncharacteristic blow up that unfortunately went viral. Despite what the video of her ripping the head off the mascot would lead you to believe, she is a thorough and dedicated professional who cares about the club above all else. This doesn’t stop her father from shipping her off out of the limelight into a small town to help create a media outreach story about a U10 girls team. This is where she meets former MLS star Cameron, who is trying to fly under the radar and decide his next move after abruptly retiring from the game.

The slow burn on this one nearly killed me but it was so worth the wait. The blind goat, the nicknames, the adorable small soccer players — it was all too good.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ebook to read this....... Let me just say that this book was LIFE!!!!! This is a sllooooowwww burn and I was here for it every step of the way I may or may not have cried at some points. The banter between Cameron and Adalyn was on point love when its not cringe nor awkward moments. Lets also take a minute to talk about the side characters and side animals that were also life. READ this book you wont regret it

Elena Armas is always great and this is no exception, the leads and supporting characters are excellent, can't wait for the follow up in the series, and I liked how they resolved some of the issues with both leads. Felt well earned.

Ever since The Spanish Love Deception, I knew I'd read anything Elena Armas writes. The American Roommate Experiment was delicious too. When I saw The Long Game on @netgalley I figured I'd shoot my shot and was SO EXCITED when I got approved for an ARC! I had no idea what this was about, but was thrilled to dive right in.

After an extremely unflattering social media video of her goes viral, Adalyn is shipped off to Green Oak, NC by her father, owner of the professional soccer club The Miami Flames. The team needs to avoid the PR scandal that Adalyn brings and the break is necessary according to her father. Much to her surprise, Adalyn is sent to some ramshackle cabin in the woods to make PR gold out of a 10 year old girls' soccer team. It isn't what she expected, but she is determined to get back in her father's good graces. She doesn't anticipate her neighbor and the girls' team coach to be none other than recently retired soccer legendary goalie Cameron Caldani. The two get off to a very rough and bumpy start and Adalyn learns nobody in Green Oak seems to know who Cam really is. At first they're fighting constantly, but something changes and Cam decides he can play the long game if that's what it takes to win Adalyn's heart.

This started off a little slow for me and I struggled a bit, but once I got a little further in, it was off to the races. I freaking loved Cameron and his patience for Adalyn's power trips and little Maria always calling him some insane nickname. She was a fantastic side character! Clearly the spin off book will be about Josie and Matthew and I'll eagerly pick that one up too!

This one is out September 5!

Honestly, this author had me at the soccer romance, but I was also along for the rom-com and enemies to lovers tropes. Adalyn was that type A pencil skirt and high heels exec who was definitely out of her element in the wilds of North Carolina, but I admired her spirit and her need to redeem herself if not only for her father and team, but also for herself. Cam had his own reasons for being in NC and finding out those reasons took a good long while, but luckily the tension between our two main characters kept my interest and then those sweet girls provided the comic relief and heart tugging moments.

Like I said above, I love a great sports romance and whereas this one was a little light on the sports it still fit the bill. The small town romance aspects with the kooky characters, lovable kids, and fish out of water elements helped keep the plot moving providing enjoyable scenes and heart-warming moments. Elena Armas certainly knows how to deliver.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and from the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

Adalyn had been trying to win the approval of her father for years in the office of the Miami Flames soccer club. But after an altercation with the team mascot that goes viral, she's banished to nowheresville NC to manage a young girls soccer team. From the start, she doesn't fit into this small town and noone makes that more clear than the coach, retired superstar goalie Cameron Caldoni.
He was just trying to escape the pressure of fans and paparazzi and so far noone in town has recognized him. This little town has become his escape until a control freak in stilettos literally crashes into his life and turns everything upside down.
Nothing beats my first love by this author, Aaron and Catalina from Spanish Love Deception, but Cam is a close second. The way he interacts with the little girls on the team is just so cute. This was definitely a slow burn romance but I liked that it was told from dual perspectives so the reader can see both sides and not left guessing thoughts and intentions. Overall this book had all the spice and romance I've come to expect from this author with a strong woman not afraid to stand up for herself, and a protective hunky hero to stand behind her.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I honestly don’t think I can write a review because I really did not like this book. it was not well written, didn’t have a plot, and the characters felt extremely flat, but also at the same time annoying.

Thanks to Atria for a copy of The Long Game.
I read both of Elena Armas other books and while they weren't my favorite they were entertaining so I was looking forward to The Long Game but unfortunately, this was not for me. The romance felt flat to me and I didn't like Adalyn at all.

I know I'm in the minority with this view.

This book. Oh my, this book. It had me in a hold alllllll weekend long as I tried to use up every free moment to read it! Cam and Ada were sheer perfection together. And the slow burn rom-com vibes were just everything.

Adalyn Reyes is sent to small town North Carolina after a major PR fiasco happens during her work for the Miami Flames FC. Her task? Work with the Green Warriors soccer team. The catch? It’s a U10 girl team and the coach is famously retired keeper Cameron Caldani, who’s able to live here unnoticed. But Adalyn is determined to make it work to prove to her Miami boss (also her dad, yikes) that she has what it takes. The small town charm starts to get to her, with sweet cats, a fun group of kids on the team, a goat, and a new friend in the form of Josie, town mayor who also owns a coffee shop. Oh, and Cameron isn’t so bad after all - right? Can she let down her walls and let someone in her heart for the first time?

In case it’s not clear, I adored this novel and cannot wait for book two in the series already. It is a dual POV (my favorite!) so Cam’s thoughts are present throughout.

If you love a fish out of water sports romance with grumpy to lovers, slow burn, forced proximity, then The Long Game is definitely for you.

While I enjoyed the story and Cam and Adalyn and was rooting for their relationship, I wish the story was more developed. There were a lot of abrupt scene endings or changes that left me a little confused. I also had a tough time with all the “loves” and “darlings.”

This one was fairly cute. I enjoyed Cam’s use of “darling” and thought the slow burn between him and Adalyn was fun to read. I enjoyed their banter and the goat yoga. It’s described as Tessa Bailey steamy meets Ted Lasso, and that’s a fair comparison. Overall was a cute soccer/coaching romance.

Soccer romance with Ted Lasso vibes, a grumpy British man, and multiple “good girl” mentions thrown in? SIGN ME UP! The romance between Adalyn and Cam is slow but wow does it BURN. The sexual tension I felt and many times I would just say “oh my GOD, kiss already!!!” is the best way to describe how delicious their relationship is. This is my favorite kind of spice; the kind that builds over time which makes it even more beautiful (and hot) when they finally cave for each other. And to top it off, they are in a small town teaming up to manage and coach a young girls soccer team. It’s adorable. There are even baby goats. Seriously, what’s not to love? I really enjoyed this book and think you will, too. Definitely pick it up tomorrow when it comes out!

Book 146 of 2023

Holy canoodle, this is *easily* Elena Armas’ best book. It’s not even close (and I love me some Spanish Love Deception). I was swooning, giggling, and heartbroken by this book. Every feeling you want to feel in a book, I felt deeply. I felt them in my bones.

Adalyn Reyes is at the center of a “scandal” for the Miami Flames, the MLS team she works for (and her dad owns). She’s shipped off to a small town in North Carolina to get away from the bad press & find a story with the local girls’ soccer club (which the Flames sponsor). While there, she meets Cameron Caldoni, a former goalie superstar for England & recently retired from MLS. He’s trying to live a quiet retired life in this small town & get out of the limelight.

When these two meet, the sparks are flying…but not ones of love! They clash and bicker with each other because they both have strong personalities. As they go tit for tat with one another, they slowly start developing feelings for each other. When I say this is a slow burn, it is the most beautiful and perfectly-written slow burn I think I’ve read.

This small town has some of the best side characters—Josie, María, the goats! It almost gave me a Stars Hollow feel with all the quirkiness.

Adalyn’s ex-boyfriend and father are downright despicable humans that had me wanting to hop a flight to Miami to give them a piece of my mind. But no, Adalyn learns how to stand up for herself, to fight her own battles, but also that it’s okay to let others help you. Such beautifully balanced character development with her.

Cameron Caldoni, you may just be my favorite male lead in a book in a long time. You’re right up there with Jonah from The Simple Wild and Atlas from It Ends With Us. He’s a cinnamon roll, but only for Adalyn. I can only imagine how his character will come to life on audio with that English accent.

This is a standalone, but based off the epilogue, I am guessing there will be a book 2 next fall featuring a couple of the characters in here!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Be sure to pick up this book when it releases September 5, 2023!