As an obsessive Ted Lasso lover, the comparison by the publisher between that and this set a high expectation and I was not disappointed. This has all the emotional punch, the opportunities for growth, and the humor that only working with children can bring. I laughed, I raged, I teared up, I smiled to myself. That's all I want when I read a book - is to really experience it, and that's what the Long Game gives.

Adalyn Reyes is a woman in a man's world, and those men never ever give her a second to forget it. One slip up sends her world into a tailspin and she finds herself exiled to a small town for a charity project...building up a U10 girls soccer team. By pure coincidence, former pro soccer player Cameron Caldani has picked this little slice of the country to hideout after his unexpected retirement. These two cross paths in unpleasant but hilarious ways, and ultimately find a road to respect, regard, and then romance. While the physical interactions are on the slow burn, once Cameron realizes his feeling he invests in their emotional side. He sees how the world has convinced Adalyn she's also at fault and needs to be small, and works to build trust with her so she sees she never has to be that way with him.

There's also the joy of small town life with everyone in each other's business, and the ridiculousness that comes from children trying to understand the world of adults. The investment in the team is cute, and Adalyn's commitment to their development is admirable. While it's not where she wants to be, she puts all her work ethic into it.

If you're looking for a giddy romance with delicious tension and the happiest of endings, this is for you.

I unfortunately have to admit that this authors writing style is not for me, so I struggled to get hooked on this story. I know there are a lot of fans out there so my opinion is in the minority. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story was cute but it didn't hold up to Armas's first two books for me. I loved her first two books and devoured them. This one seemed to drag in the middle and I didn't find either character particularly appealing. I did end up finishing the book and would still recommend it to Armas (and Ted Lasso) fans, but it was my least favorite of all three.

I will admit that this book had me in the first half. It was giving the vibes of Ted Lasso and Schitts Creek and I was intrigued. And then in the third act when they finally get together they fall into the trap that some romances fall into of making them so obsessed with each other that it gets kind of overwhelming and it eclipses the story. That and the complicated backstories each Main Character had took a little longer than necessary to be explained. Overall not a bad read, just not landing in my top ten!

Unfortunately, this was one I just couldn’t get into. The characters felt super one dimensional, the accidental bump-in that was supposed to make them enemies felt forced, and the chemistry between the two characters was just nonexistent. It felt like homework trying to get myself to read this one just because I couldn’t feel invested in the story. While I loved the premise of an enemies-to-lovers soccer plot, this just didn’t work.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Grumpy & a supposed Ice Queen. Yes please.

Elena Armas’ The Long Game plays with those tropes, beginning with an unfortunate case of “oops I ran over you with my car & maybe killed your chicken” (spoiler alert: she did not).

Adalyn Reyes, the daughter of a soccer franchise owner, has been exiled by her father to the wilderness of NC after she becomes viral on social media for assaulting their mascot. She’s supposed to take on a philanthropic project. Only that’s made more complicated when she realizes the head coach of said philanthropic team is the grumpy former soccer pro Cameron Caldani & their initial interactions show that they’re oil & water.

Forced to work together &, thanks to their own machinations, to spend free time together too, our leads have plenty of opportunity to let the attraction between them build.

If you’re looking for a gruff man letting his nurturing, peaceful side loose, you might enjoy this one. Cameron uses his approval words to great effect during a yoga goat scene; there’s even sexy pottery-making, without the murder plot (thanks, Ghost).

But I have to be honest, & maybe I’m revealing how unreasonable I am because of it: the middle of this book starts to feel one-note for me because Cameron is aggressively patient & doggedly persistent in being there for her & Adalyn just kinda loses her fire & the book just starts to flatten a bit.

I don’t know—it just wasn’t totally working for me.

Not only that but—& again, this might sound bad—but if Adalyn has to go after
anyone to spur on her exile, I wish she had selected the actual person responsible—her dirtbag ex—instead of a random mascot. That just made the whole incident less sympathetic for me.

3.5⭐️. Out 09/05.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a pink & gray striped shirt, holds the ebook in front of a wall of pink roses & green leaves.]

I really wanted to like "The Long Game" by Elena Armas. I enjoyed her previous books, "The Spanish Love Deception" and "The Roommate Experiment." Unfortunately, this one didn't click with me. It's not a bad book, but I didn't connect with the story or characters as much as I did with her other works. I still love Elena and look forward to her future books. I would definitely recommend this author, even though this particular book wasn't my favorite.

Elena Armas’s books always feel like a hug, and this one is no different. Any book set in a small town is an automatic win for me, and this one was no different. Adalyn is a soccer exec, who, in a moment of rage, is sent to a small town to help coach a little league team. Her character development throughout the book is amazing, and I love seeing Cameron slowly let her into his life, and the event that lead him to the same small town. This book is a SLOW burn though, which at times did feel a little dragged out. Overall though, I genuinely enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see more from Armas in the future

This was a better than average romance set in the world of soccer. A fun, sweet read, good for soccer fans & romance fans.

Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher for the digital arc of this book.

I was excited to read this book for the "if you like Ted Lasso you'll like this" but I really didn't feel that here. The only thing they had in common was soccer and that was not enough. I wanted to love this but I only midly enjoyed it. Once Cameron got past his unreasonable grumpiness he really carried most of the book with his efforts, communication skills, and flirting skills. Adalyn seemed pretty unreasonable for most of the book, and for being as smart and she was she didn't seem to grasp anything about the future.

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.

Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher for the digital arc.

I wanted to LOVE this but only liked it. Cameron carried the book with his open and honest communication, and general hotness.

Adalyn, come on girl this guy is obsessed with you and you’re being lame! Smooch the boy!!!

3/5

3.5 stars. If you love Roy Kent, you’ll love Cameron, one of the main characters. I’d give it four stars, but the dialogue was a bit sappy even for me 😂😂 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The instant-hate relationship is strong with this one! The dual pov works to absolute perfection. Both characters are wrong; both are right; and they're both definitely right for each other.

By the end.

Listen, these two have a lot to work on before they make the perfect couple.

But Adalyn & Cameron are really the power couple of soccer I didn't know I needed. And, I know it sounds crazy, but Adalyn's personal journey reminds me a bit of Tommy Boy... trying to prove you're worthy of a father's legacy (when everyone thinks you're a screw-up) and finding yourself along the way. A bit of a classic Odyssey.

"When you told me you wouldn't mind if it was me who was the one slaying your dragons. Did you mean that?"

And I love the little girls. The true gem of this story, that makes the whole premise work. Like if Mighty Ducks was actually good, with true heart. I mean, the first time we meet them, one of them arrives late from ballet class wearing a tutu with her soccer shorts!

PS - Can't wait for Josie's book.

I lived the chemistry between the characters and their banter. Loved Josie and the kids were definitely cute. But I did have an issue with how controlling the hero was. I stead of letting out the heroine figure out her problems herself and supporting her, he took the caveman option and just imposed his ideas on her. The therapy part which should have been a main part of the conversation or the resolution got added as an afterthought. So all in all not the best I have read

The Long Game is Elena Armas' latest romantic comedy and probably my favorite to date, which is saying something as I really liked her first two books. It's cute and flirty, while also dealing with the individual deeper issues the main characters have. I loved the main couple and the side characters and I really hope there's going to be another book in this series, because there's some characters I would really love to see also get their happy endings. Would highly recommend for any romcom lover.

Yeah, this book was not for me at all. I hate pop culture references in books. It just immediately dates the book. I was excited for this because of the Ted Lasso comparisons but that wasn’t enough to make me like it. I loved TSLD and disliked TARE so I think I’m on the fence if I will read any more of her books going forward.

This book is EVERYTHING. Top read of the year hands down. I want Cameron Caldani to guard me like a dog 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

Cute forced proximity and enemies to lovers rom-com set in a quaint small town. A great build of tension between the main characters. Great for fans of Elena Armas’ previous hits!

If you love Ted Lasso, then this book is for you! Cam is your book version of Roy Kent. I will say the description of the book was a little confusing, with a slow start and a very sped up ending. I thought Adalyn was a soccer player as well, but she isn't. I will also say it was hard to get a clear picture of Adalyn from the description of her in the book. While there was a good description of Cam, I just kept picturing Roy Kent the whole time lol. I didn't understand the huge buildup to why Cam left and how he ended up in Green Oak was kinda left up in the air. I will say, if you're a Ted Lasso fan, this is a quick and easy read for you. It's funny and romantic!

I was eagerly waiting for The Long Game and it did not disappoint! This is my favorite book yet from Elena Armas. When Adalyn Reyes is exiled from her beloved soccer job, she is sent to work towards redemption in rural North Carolina. Helping a soccer team succeed doesn’t sound so bad until she realizes the team’s average age is six. Enter grumpy and reclusive Coach Cam, coerced into helping the team by the friendly mayor. Adalyn immediately recognizes him as a soccer star and Adalyn and Cam instantly dislike each other. Can they work together to help the team succeed or is the team’s last hope already gone?

The Long Game was such a fun and sweet romance! I immediately preordered a hard copy after finishing this ARC. Cam is swoonworthy and readers who enjoy protective heroes will love him. Cam and Adalyn start off very against each other (grump x grump) and I loved how their relationship grew and evolved. Adalyn’s personal journey was also excellent to see- she learns to find value in herself and outside of her job. Armas’ dialogue is hilarious and the situations that Cam and Adalyn find themselves in use all the best tropes, especially forced proximity. The crew of girls on the soccer team and the many animals, from Brandy the goat to Cam’s cats, were very cute. The town itself felt warm and welcoming, so I hope there are more stories to come in this world.

Readers who enjoyed Mariana Zapata (The Wall of Winnipeg & Me), Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers), and Ted Lasso will love The Long Game. If you like enemies-to-lovers, grumpy athletes, a multitude of cute animals, and found family then you need to read this book!

Thank you so much to Elena Armas, Atria Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc