This was the best type of slow burn. Adalyn and Cameron are so good together. Both a bit grumpy and jaded, but they grow and learn to trust together.

After an embarrassing incident at work Adalyn is forced to move to a rural town to help a girl’s little league soccer team. When she arrives she meets Cam, a retired professional soccer player who happens to be the coach for the Green Oak Warriors. They’re instantly at each other’s throats. As time passes they learn to work together to help the girls and both learn that there is more to the other than meets the eye.

I loved this book! There is some spice but the slow build up really allows the relationship to blossom and the tension to grow before the spicy scenes. Cameron is my new favorite book boyfriend, he’s caring, protective, fiercely loyal, and oh so very hot!

This advance reader copy was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This writing style didn’t mesh with my reading preferences, but I think this is a book a lot of people will really love.
Grumpy/grumpy & easy to picture Cam as a Roy Kent type, lots of enemies to lovers vibes and content and if you like kids & soccer you’ll probably really enjoy this.
Not for me, DNF @ 30%

I will read anything by Elena Armas! The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment were 5 ⭐ books for me so I was stoked to get my hands on The Long Game.

While this one is probably more of a 4.5 ⭐ for me, I still loved it! It was a slow burn but the connection between the characters was just gahhhhh! So cute! Coach Cam might be one of my favorite MMCs at the moment. He's grouchy (but secretly a softie), doesn't hide his feelings, and is a retired soccer player (and I'm a sucker for those soccer players). Adalyn is stubborn as hell but I loved her growth throughout the book.

The setting was also adorable. Small town, a soccer team made up of a bunch of cute 9-year-olds, goat yoga, Josie, set in the fall. I can't wait for Josie's story in the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this one going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t like TSLD, loved TARE, and this one goes somewhere right in the middle

3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4
I did enjoy this book for the most part. I thought the romance between Adalyn and Cameron was well done. I feel like Adalyn came off as a weak character and was overly dramatic at times. While I understand it is part of her character, I did find it to be annoying and over done at times.
Elena Armas is an auto buy author for me and I LOVED her other two books. This one fell a little bit flat for me, but was still enjoyable.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️.5/5

Did anyone else picture Cam as Rhett of Rhett and Link YouTube fame? No? Just me, the girl who knows nothing about football/soccer players?

Adalyn Reyes loves the Miami Flames, so much that she’ll do everything to advance her career with them. Even move to the middle of nowhere North Carolina to try and make things right with her dad/boss after a blow up at a major club event. There she meets retired player Cameron Caldani, and they team up to revamp the Green Warriors, a team of young girls who love their blind goats and tutus.

This was sports romance with minimal sportsballing, which I loved as a non-sports girlie. It was a classic Elena Armas slow burn and the payoff was 💯. The kids team was ADORABLE and I really related to the main character as a person who never wants to be taken care of. The end mentioning therapy to help folks work through self improvement was also absolute perfect, and a special shout-out to Cam’s praise. 👀

I am a fan of Elena Armas and she is an auto-buy author for me. That said, this book missed the mark for me. I liked the idea of the storyline and that it is set in the world of soccer. The chemistry of the main characters is great, BUT I didn't love the characters or the situations they were put into. I really wanted to like this one, but it was just okay.

Spoiler / TW: Ada is used and abused by her father and ex and presents as very naïve and weak. She comes into her own eventually, but for most of the storyline she is this angry, inept young woman. Her character arc was not strong enough for me to enjoy reading about her.

Thank you netgalley for the arc !

Rating: ★★★★★

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

I dare say this is the best book Elena Armas has written by far. The plot, the chemistry, the humor, is just top notch. I mean give me a small town sports romance and I will eat that shit up. Give me a British man and I will eat that shit up. Give me a slow burn and I will what? Eat that shit up. I love Adalyn and I related to her a lot. The fear of not measuring up, of not impressing or having your parents be proud of you. And let's just clear it up that her decapitation of the team mascot was 100% real and justified. Cameron is so grumpy but he really is just a big softie. I love a case of the guy falls first and harder. Don't even get me started on Cameron saying "Ada, Darling" 😩. From start to finish this book had me. If you didn't really care for tsld or it's sequel, I would 110% recommend trying this one. I will be seated for Josie and Matthew's story 🙏🏻

Cute!! This book definitely has a different vibe compared to Armas’s first books. This seemed lighter and a little fluffier, but no complaints from me. I do think it felt a little too drawn out; that seems to be a common variable with her books, but I still enjoyed it.

4⭐️

I am a big time sucker for any book involving women in sports (in any capacity) and this one was cute to boot! I am obsessed with Cam + Adalyn’s love story on top of the small town of Green Oak!!

The goat yoga, the fall festival, the pottery class, the carrying (literally), not to mention the thigh tattoo of it all?! I think is is my favorite from Elena Armas thus far!

This was a slow burnn, but the best kind of slow burn. It made the progression of Cam and Adalyn’s relationship from dislike to lovers feel real and natural that can sometimes get lost in an insta love book. All of the silly town antics included just helped me remember what is so special about a small town book and why I love the trope so much - not to mention the girl’s soccer team had me rolling! Let’s be real Mariá was the real MVP!

There were a few scenes were I just wanted more of, and some backstory I wish we would’ve got (like how Josie and Cam knew each other for example), but this one had me SWOONING throughout. Also that epilogue 👀 I’m going to need book two sooner than later!

PS I wouldn’t be mad about a Robbie love story in the future 🫶🏻

Read if you like:
❤️‍🔥 dislike to lovers
✨ close proximity
⚽️ women in sports
🏡 small towns
🌩️ grumpy x grumpy
🐱 cat daddies
🎥 Ted Lasso
🐐 baby goats
✌🏻 dual pov

There was so much potential in this story. Adalyn stole my heart instantly with her fierce yet vulnerable personality. I loved the Ted Lasso vibes and the small town setting. Cameron’s character had the makings of a great love interest but his personality just never came together for me. Maybe we needed more chapters from his perspective? I am unsure.
Rounded from 3.5 to 4 stars

Adalyn & Cameron are 🔥🔥🔥

I had mixed feelings about Adalyn. I related to her in a lot of ways - trying to always be in control, compartmentalization of feelings, and never wanting to ask for help or admit defeat. She was truly a warrior, but sometimes I wish she would have just talked to her dad about her feelings and not let things get to where they did.

Cameron was great! He was broody but sweet and caring. He isn’t my typical MMC - not a soccer guy & not a fan of guys with cats. I had a hard time fully understanding some of his thought process post house breakin, but I don’t think that detracted from the story much.

I enjoyed Adalyn & Cameron together and I love how he was there to support her in the end. He made her the priority and put his pride aside, which I love and respect in a guy.

Thank you for the ARC. All thought and opinions are my own.

I loved this book; it was easily my favorite of Elena Armas's. Adalyn is a soccer club exec who works for her father but he sends her away to a rural town after she is caught on camera in an altercation with the team's mascot. She's sent away under the guise of working with, what turns out to be a little league soccer team coached by a retired famous soccer star, Cameron. They lock horns immediately, but are forced to work together.

Things I liked: the slow burn chemistry, my god! The nuanced treatment of female rage, frigidity vs. emotion, and how impossible a balancing act that is to manage. Likeable children! Relatable sports content! Mental health representation! Goats!

Things I didn't like: I felt like the little twist was a little unnecessary but I wouldn't say it detracted.

5/5, awesome, enjoyable rom com.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If Schitt’s Creek and Ted Lasso had a baby, it would be this book! Cameron and Adalyn were such fun grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract characters to get lost in! I loved the small town vibes and fell completely into the story.

I will say, I wasn’t as enamored with Cameron and Adalyn’s relationship as I wanted to be. I think he was too grumpy for too long and I kinda got annoyed with it. But overall it was an entertaining story (the soccer girls were a riot) and I am such a Elena Armas fan, it is definitely a book you want to check out for yourself!

The Long Game comes out 9/5! Thank you @atriabooks for the complimentary copy! {all opinions are my own}

I LOVED this book! I wanted more of her standing up for herself in every aspect, but it really made the story unlike just another romcom. It had heard and romance. Armas is definitely one of my favorite authors.

Summary
Adalyn has spent her career working her way up her father's MSL organization, the Miami Flames. Her dream is to take over when her father retires. When an incident involving her goes viral, a disgraced Adalyn is sent away to oversee a local girls soccer team and to help turn things around. Good publicity for the club's philanthropic efforts will be good publicity for her, and allow her the opportunity to return to Miami. Besides being banished to the middle of nowhere, Adalyn also has to deal with former soccer goalkeeper Cameron Caldani, who is laying low in this same small town and coaching the soccer team. A rough introduction leads them to not being thrilled to have to work together, but Adalyn is not going to give up, her career and goals are on the line.

Review
Cameron Caldani... and I thought that Aaron Blackford in his grumpy hotness couldn't be beat... Cam Caldani takes the cake. He gives me Roy Kent vibes, but with better hair. The chemistry between Adalyn and Cam was top notch, as was the slow burn. And the story of the ragtag group of 7-9 year old soccer players was adorable. I loved Maria and all the nicknames she had for Cameron. I loved city girl in a small town vibes. A little bit of a shock with some revelations at the end with Adalyn's family, but I loved every minute of this book!

It’s a rare thing to say, but I genuinely think Elena Armas’ books get better with each new release. I liked The Spanish Love Deception, I loved The American Roommate Experiment, and The Long Game was basically everything I want in a novel. Hilarious small-town antics, charming kid characters who are actually written well, and sizzling chemistry between leads who really don’t want to be attracted to each other at first. It was so, so much fun and hit all the right notes for me.

Cameron will fill the hole in your heart left by Roy Kent when Ted Lasso ended. He’s got the prickly exterior, heart of gold thing down to a science, and he likes that Adalyn is snarky and challenges him. I loved that we got his POV in this book, because I would have been so disappointed if I hadn’t gotten inside his head. He’s a fully fleshed out character, a swoony MMC with a story of his own, and the way he takes care of Adalyn is *chef’s kiss*

And Adalyn. She’s a fantastic lead, fierce and determined, and her arc from city girl out of her element to learning she can be a little softer and still be seen as powerful was wonderful. Her being the fish out of water brings humor to the book, but her relationship with her father also provides the moments that will break your heart. I hated every scene that man was in, which is a testament to how well Armas wrote him to be unlikable and how she captured how complicated and awful family dynamics can be sometimes.

Pick this one up if you want a heartful, funny, sexy, swoony read! I’m already mad I have to wait a year for the next book.

I really enjoyed this book. It started a little slow, but once it got going and Cameron Caldani started making me swoon, it was over. So glad Elena Adams decided to step into the sports romance world.

2.5⭐️ This book took me so long to read and in the end it was …meh? The first 60% of the book bored me… both of the characters (especially Adalyn) were just acting a fool for literally no reason. The big bad conflict she was banished for didn’t really feel fleshed out. The pacing was just so… off. Everything felt kind of half-baked.

And I felt like Cameron called Adalyn “darling” one million times, it felt excessive, but when I did a word search on my kindle, I guess he only said it 56 times, so do with that what you will (I usually like nicknames! I just don’t feel this was executed well).

Things I enjoyed: the small town setting, the blind goat, the cats Willow & Pierogi, the smut (was actually very well-written), and the third-act drama was resolved rather quickly.

I haven’t read any of her other books but I hear people love the Spanish Love Deception, so I will probably give her another chance.

Cute read, great road trip read. I kept trying to picture Cam as Roy Kent which made his character evolution seem a whole lot less real but that's me. A few twists I didn't expect and a few I was disappointed (for the character) that I was right.

#arc
#netgalley
#thelonggame