3.5⭐️ rounded up!

Thank you to Atria books, Elena Armas, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this one but it wasn’t a favorite! I had a hard time connecting with Adalyn as a character. The beginning of the story was a bit slow for me. I loved Cal’s character. I loved Josie’s and Matthew as side characters. I really enjoyed the setting of Green Oak. The Green Oak Warriors were so much fun, especially little Maria. I loved how they all had little personalities and added so much to the story! This was definitely asl slow burn, but I did enjoy the romance when it finally picked up! I really enjoyed the epilogue!

THE LONG GAME by Elena Armas was exactly as promised: rom com with battling love interests wed to their own opposing stakes. Set in the world of professional soccer, the story centers on the disgraced daughter of a team owner who is banished to the ultimate bush league assignment after assaulting the team mascot. Her remote exile to work with a soccer team of young girls is complicated by their being coached by a professional soccer player intent on staying under the radar and living through his own challenges. I wish I liked it more, but so much of the story felt like previously roughed-up field with few genuine surprises. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

She did it again! I really was able to empathize with the main character.. I didn’t like the way she was treated by her father and work colleagues. It was endearing to follow her journey and see how she grew into herself and stopped holding herself to unrealistic standards.

Prepare to be captivated by a mesmerizing tale that expertly navigates the intricate dance between hidden emotions and smoldering attraction. "Slow Burn" takes the enemies-to-lovers trope to new heights, delivering a narrative that's as compelling as it is heartwarming.

The chemistry between the main characters is magnetic, their restrained feelings adding depth to every interaction. The gradual shift from adversaries to potential partners is portrayed with authenticity, making their journey relatable and utterly engaging.

"Slow Burn" not only excels in crafting an alluring romance but also in addressing complex themes with grace. The story handles difficult subjects masterfully, enriching the narrative and allowing the characters to evolve in a realistic and poignant way.

The result? A book that is not just a love story, but an exploration of human emotions, growth, and the transformative power of genuine connection. "Slow Burn" will leave you enchanted, longing for more of its heartwarming moments and expertly woven storytelling.

Wow! Armas keeps getting better and better!

Adalyn’s entire life is upended, and it was a lot of fun to find out why. We aren’t initially privy to why she did what she did to go viral, so you wonder through the entire book. It’s a good way to keep you wondering and interested. She’s also thrown completely out of her element, which of course, allows her to grow and understand what really matters to her.

Enter Cam (Cameron), a British former goalie in hiding, coaching a youth girls football (soccer for the Americans) team. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding why he quickly retired, so there’s more to discover about him from the start, He calls her love and I love that.

It starts as a slow burn, and then builds to an explosion. There are a few sexy scenes, and there’s cursing throughout the book. I always skip them so I don’t know what the sex scenes are like.

Overall, I liked their arc. They’re cute together and it’s a sweet story.

I have read 3 books by Elena Armas and I have only liked one. I just do not think this author is for me at this point. I did not like this book at all. It just dragged on and I did not like the plot.

Thank-you to Atria Books, Elena Armas, and Net Galley for an advanced reader copy.
This book opens with our female main character, Adalyn being sent away from Miami to a small town in North Carolina. A bit of miss communication and almost running over Cam. She discovers she's in a shack. He tells her that she won't last a night. She tries to prove him wrong but she ends up in her car.
He finds her and helps put her to sleep.
She finds the small soccer team she's supposed to be involved with and is mystified as to why Cam (retired pro soccer goalie) is the girls' coach. The parents get involved and it leads to Cam and Ada volunteering each other for all of the town's activities lead by Josie.
Ada slowly let's her guard down with people and makes friends.
She and Cam still but heads but not like before. She falls and sprains her ankle . Cam takes care of her and moves her into his house with his two cats.
Things progress from there. Cam romances Ada. Ada stands up for herself and in the end they are happy and are dealing with anxiety and PTSD with therapy.
If you like sports romances with fun scenes, small town romances and ones where he falls first then this is for YOU!

Y'all - the buzz around Cameron Caldani and this book is real! I absolutely loved this Ted Lasso-vibe book, complete with goats and meddling children. Armas created such a fun small town romance in The Long Game, a story about coach daughter Adalyn who, after a scandal that "looks bad on paper" is whisked away to a small town in NC to help a girl's soccer team rebuild themselves. Did she expect to find former soccer great Cameron Caldoni and run him over with her car? Absolutely not, but it happens anyway, and when they're forced to work together, Cameron goes absolutely protective of Adalyn and I. Loved. All.. Of. It. I love this universe Armas has created and cannot WAIT for the next book in the series.

I wasn’t too sure about how I was going to feel about this particular book, because I don’t know anything about soccer, and the main characters are entrenched in the world of club soccer. I also hadn’t read a romance that really stuck with me in a while, but “The Long Game” ended the slump. Cam is a great guy, and is easy to like, meanwhile I could put myself in Adalyn’s shoes. I loved the banter between the two, the way they eventually found their place in the small town, and of course learning a little more about soccer than I knew before. If you’re looking for a romance without too much spice, and some fantastic characters—this is it!

This book was a lot of fun to read! I enjoyed the banter between Adalyn and Cam and I liked how their relationship progressed. Their first meeting is not great, with Adalyn nearly hitting Cam with her car resulting in animosity between the two. Despite this, Adalyn needs to help the struggling Green Oak warriors, a team of 9 year old soccer players, in order to find her own redemption. Cam is a former famous goalkeeper looking to hide away for a bit and Green Oak seemed like the perfect place. Somehow he got himself roped into coaching this rag tag team of girls. Cam and Adalyn are forced to work together to help the team advance. The more time they spend together the more undeniable the attraction between them becomes. This is the first book by Elena Armas I have read and I look forward to diving into more of her works!

Another wonderful rom com from Elena Armas. I typically have a hard time getting interested in slow burn romances but I adored this one. It was funny and charming throughout. A read that had me giggling and kicking me feet from beginning to end. I found myself routing for these characters to figure it out and let love happen. And to top it all off, the epilogue teases a future romantic duo that I'm already in love with after a paragraph of interaction through a facetime call. Needless to say this book is a win and I can't wait to return to Green Oaks.

The Long Game- 2.75⭐️ 3🌶️

Contemporary small town romance
City slicker
Grumpy/determined sunshine
Female rage
Slow burn
Soccer romance
Forced proximity
Miscommunication
Anxiety rep


This is a contemporary romance that isn not a part of the Spanish Love Deception cannon.

Right away you are thrown into the world and lingo of marketing and sports without knowing what sport or exactly what is being brought up. I don’t know if that was on purpose to disorient the reader as much as the FMC is, or not. Names are thrown at you without knowing who they are or how they are connected. I found myself having to read whole pages again to try to figure out who was who…. Only to have them barely matter to the plot.

The FMC’s was hard on the surface (calling herself the ice queen) but has major insecurities. A great combo generally, but it didn’t quite work for me. I found it more like someone completely out of their depth and grasping at straws while hiding under expensive shoes. It didn’t feel genuine.

The MMC’s PTSD was interesting but I wish it would have been revealed earlier in the story even if it was just in his own POV so it could have been a bigger part in explaining why he acted how he did, instead of looking like a celebrity just looking for an anonymous life after his career ended. His triggers were inconsistent, but it isn’t clear they were triggering something as chemically and mentally draining as PTSD.

The dialogue wasn’t all that realistic.

There were a lot of pop culture references. A lot. which aren’t my fav.

I found myself smiling while I read. The tension was good. The side characters were a little manic, but sufficient. And the twist was good!

Overall, maybe this just wasn’t a book for me? While I loved the Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experience, (both solid 4 star reads with 3+++ spice) I just didn’t love this book.


Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for a Advanced Reader E-Copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I have only DNF’ed one book in my life and this came so close to being book number 2. There’s slow burn then there’s boring, and this was the latter. These two characters had as much chemistry as white paint. And the female main character made me want to rip my hair out. I think the author wanted to portray her as stubborn and independent but she just came off bratty and entitled and whiny. I liked the male main character although some of his dialogue was so cheesy and felt forced. And don’t get me started on the family drama — how are you going to drag that on for the whole book and then barely resolve it at the end? Ugh very sorry to say this book was just not for me!

Adalyn Reyes finds herself in hot water when her temper is caught on video and immediately goes viral. She is an exec for her fathers soccer team and he is far from happy about her actions. In an effort to avoid bad publicity he sends her to a small North Carolina town where she is directed to turn around its soccer team. Adalyn finds herself way out of her element—the team consists of a bunch of 9 year old girls, her living conditions are definitely not what she is used to and the coach for the team is a grumpy, ex-football star that is trying to stay out of the public eye. They are polar opposites and immediately dislike one another. He wants her out of town and she wants his help coaching the team so she can get out of town. Both are extremely stubborn, and determined to get their way.

This was a fun story. Cam the main character is very much like Roy from Ted Lasso. The sexual tension between the two was intense and I loved it!! Perfect enemy to lovers scenario. My favorite troupe!! As the two develop feelings for each other of course those hard edges begin to soften, I just felt that it could have been more gradual. There was also some cringey details that could have been left out. Overall it was a fun read, loved the first 70% of the story but was mildly disappointed with the last 30%.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elena Armas delivers the most perfect amount of spice in each novel. 🌶️🌶️🌶️. This one was the ultimate slow burn and I was not able to put this book down once it got going. My two year old was ready for bed and I tried to speed bedtime up so I could get back to my book. This book had perfect timing for this release after the World Cup had us all excited about Women’s Soccer. Well done, love!

A cute grumpy/sunshine story that I couldn't put down!

This was my first book by the author, even though I own her other two (I blame my ever-growing TBR.) Adalyn and Cam butt heads from the very start, forced to be neighbors and working together to help a kid's soccer team.

I loved the side characters, especially the unfiltered kids. Adalyn definitely grows into her own during this adventure, with plenty of humor and heartache. It had a twist I didn't see coming, and leaves you counting down until the next book for her best friends story.

This was an cute read. I did struggled at the beginning because I was having a hard time connecting with the female main character. I didn't really care for her. But I started warming up to her once the two main characters got together. Overall a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the E-ARC
Book Releases September 5, 2023
All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

If you are looking for a cozy fall rom-com, look no further!

The Long Game by Elena Armas is perfect for all the spicy independent girls looking for a gruff cinnamon roll guy.

While I haven't read Armas' bestselling books (The American Roommate Experiment and The Spanish Love Deception), I'll definitely be moving them up my TBR now. This is going to quickly hit the charts like her others because it's a timely romantic comedy with extremely lovable characters.

Including the cats. I love Willow and Pierogi.

Don't let the cover fool you. I was worried this would be too much about soccer, but it's not. Soccer is a thematic piece of the story, but there are no nitty gritty game details. So it's a good book for anyone!

And the SLOW BURN. So good. It's a not-quite-enemies-to-lovers romance with the added bonus of sassy elementary-aged girls pushing the romance along.

I have one very minor complaint and one major complaint. Minor: I didn't like how things resolved with the MC's family dispute. Major: What kind of cliffhanger was that in the epilogue???

Catch me wandering the hills of North Carolina to find myself an English soccer player to settle down with after reading this!

Stars: 4/5

Busy Girls Rating: 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy. This one is out September 5, 2023.

Adalyn Reyes has been working for her father’s soccer team for years. After she loses it at work and pulls the head right off the soccer team’s mascot, she is sent to work with a children’s soccer league in rural North Carolina until the viral videos and chatter die down. Ex soccer player Cameron Caldani happens to be in town and coaching the team, and a terrible first meeting gets the pair off on a wrong foot. They continue to clash while fulfilling their duties to the team and the town, and at some point their attraction begins to grow.

I thought the premise here was very cute, and loved the little girls on the soccer team and the funny things they would do or say at practices. I also loved watching Adalyn and Cameron struggle through town events like yoga, a BBQ fest, and a fall festival in their tiny town. The town was fun with some great secondary characters.

As for tropes, this pair may be my first grumpy/grumpy pairing and man did they both fit into this description. Both were irritable, snapped easily, and were quick to assume the worst. While I love a grumpy sunshine pairing, having two grumps left me with not enough levity or fun and I could have used a bit more of those. The shift from enemies to lovers felt a bit abrupt when it finally happened, maybe because I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the two. The first half of the book was stronger than the back half for me for this reason.

I did love Adalyn’s mom and would have happily read more about her. And I saw there is a second book coming with two of the side characters that I will definitely check out, since I liked those characters more than the main characters!

Thank you to Atria Books for the widget! All opinions are my own. I’d rate this 3.5 stars rounding to 4.

I adore this author, I love the Latina representation, Adalyn is a no nonsense woman, and when she goes viral for fighting the Teams mascot, her father needs to act fast and selfishly sends her off to a small town in North Carolina, to help out with another team. She was not expecting the type of team and she was not expecting to run into Cameron, who is a famous retired soccer player. As soon as these two met I couldn’t stop laughing, they gave me instant Enemies-to-Lovers trope that I love to read about because the chemistry is always hot and when they finally get together the whole world is on fire. AND that’s what happened. Anyway, Adalyn has to redeem herself in some way, make her situation in this small town into a success story, until she gets pulled in by the amazing kids, and the amazing people, and Cameron himself. The humor was not left behind when it came to this author, there were so many scenarios that had me laughing so hard, and some that almost made me cry because it was so darn cute. I will say this, Adalyn changed a lot while she was away, she let people in, she saw that people really cared, and she understood that with the right people by her side she doesn’t have to fight her battles alone. This book gave me all the little feels…..