4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Adalyn Reyes had it all together - until she attacked the mascot of her father/boss’s baseball club during a rare moment of vulnerability and was subsequently exiled to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina to manage a 10U girls soccer team. To make matters worse, Adalyn’s new head coach is none other than Cameron Caldani, a legendary professional goalkeeper who has been dodging public appearances ever since his mysteriously premature retirement. Though Cam and Adalyn get off to a rough start, they are able to agree on one thing: the Green Warriors need to win. As they embark on a journey of reluctant collaboration for the sake of the team, both Adalyn and Cam are forced to reevaluate their plans for the future.

The Long Game is the first Elena Armas book that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Cam is the perfect combination of grumpy and overprotective (You know, the guy you would absolutely not put up with in real life but swoon over in a book?) and Adalyn is a tough independent lead who grew on me as the book went on. I loved the supporting characters, especially the girls, even if their maturity level was slightly unrealistic. I did find the dialogue to be repetitive toward the second half of the book, but it didn’t take away from the overall quality of the storyline. I would definitely recommend this to fans of contemporary romance and Ted Lasso, even if the book was a little short on the actual soccer.

The Long Game
by Elena Armas
Review Score: 3 1/2 Stars

Five Key Feels
-This book definitely opened with a bang!

-I loved Adalyn’s interpretation of small town life.

-It was fun to learn more about Cameron, and how he ended up where he did.

-I loved the support both Adalyn and Cameron gave to the girls on the team.

-While I felt this book was a bit all over the place, it did have a very satisfying ending.

——

The Long Game was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Atria Books. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 9/5/23

As a lover of Armas’ “The Spanish Love Deception”, I could not wait to read her newest book, “The Long Game”.

While I did enjoy this book, I did not love it. Armas always does a great job of building layers to a story, but this one felt a bit all over the place. I also questioned the chemistry between Adalyn and Cameron, and if they are truly compatible long term.

With that being said, I still enjoyed this book. There were a ton of funny moments that I did not see coming, and I loved the outcome of the book.

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The Long Game, by Elena Armas

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0

This surprised me!!! I really didn’t like her other two books, but this one felt more developed. I loved the premise of a soccer expert and a former MLS player teaming up reluctantly to coach a girls’ team. The tension felt like it developed naturally and I am a sucker for a small town. I thought the two main characters had thought out backstories and problems and that they faced them well. I loved the banter and the sarcasm throughout. The spice was just right. It is a slow burn but I didn’t mind it here — I think it worked well for the story. It wasn’t perfect — it was a little confusing at first to be thrown into the viral video and reaction and then consequence of that — but it was a fun read.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

As a huge fan of The Spanish Love Deception and slow burn romance in general, I was beyond excited for this one! Add in the fact that it was sports-related and I was a goner. I might’ve gone in with too high of expectations because it didn’t give me the same warm, fuzzy feeling that TSLD did and I couldn’t help but be bummed out. The first couple chapters were fantastic and I felt immediately invested, but by the end of the book I still didn’t feel invested in the romance and didn’t have a great sense of the characters. The dialogue also felt stilted and repetitive, not what I expected from Armas. Very trope heavy. I also wanted more soccer! The kids in the soccer team and the small town shenanigans were definitely the highlight of the book. Overall, not my favorite but I’ll continue to read Armas’ work and hope the next one works for me. Still worth checking out if you enjoy small town romances, forced proximity, city girl, enemies to lover, and workplace (kinda?) romances.

She’s done it again!

The Long Game is a tour de force of literary prowess, compelling storytelling, and unforgettable characters. It’s a book that will linger in your thoughts long after you've turned the last page. Fans of her previous work will not be disappointed! If you're seeking an immersive and enthralling reading experience, The Long Game is an absolute must-read.

I really enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception so I was super excited when I got an email asking to read The Long Game. Sadly, though, this one was a letdown for me. I just could not get into it. Halfway into the book, I still felt like I didn’t have a good sense of who Adalyn and Cameron were and I didn’t understand their initial animosity and subsequent interest in each other. I found Cameron’s anger and lack of communication problematic and his use of “darling” grating. That said, it clearly has a ton of great reviews so don’t let me deter you from giving it a try! This book just wasn’t for me.

I had the BEST TIME reading this book!!!!! The little twist at the end i never saw coming and then the little cliffhanger?! I need the next book STAT (assuming we get a companion book with this one.) WELL DONE, I am in love. I love love loved Cameron and Adalyn. Grumpy x Grumpy is my favorite trope. Book was a delight start to end!

The title completely lives up to the name. The MC Cameron is desperately trying to play the long game for Adalyn's affection. Elena Reynas always does great job cultivating a well thought out story, excellent side characters, and humor.

Overall, this book gave me The Big Green (excellent kid movie from the 90s) vibes. It didn't feel very romantic so if you enjoy books with just a smidgen of romance this might be for you.

A disgraced soccer exec finds herself being exiled after her scandal to coach a girls soccer team with a retired soccer star who gets on her nerves in this small town romance with a touch of Ted Lasso and It Happened One Summer! Adalyn Reyes was determined to make her dad proud, she’s a former model and daughter of the owner of the Miami Flames soccer team...however after a video of her attacking the mascot goes viral and her father essentially fires her, she finds her entire life turned upside down as she is now exiled to the middle of nowhere North Carolina where her dad tasks her with turning around a local soccer team... the Green Warriors. Yet the moment she drives to her new space she hits a guy with her car and basically runs over his pet chicken all the while crashing and then refusing any help and not giving any apology... and said grumpy neighbor? The current coach of the Green Warriors and a famous retired soccer star, Cameron Caldani. Cameron and Adalyn immediately get off on the wrong foot, they both hate being wrong, refuse to acknowledge that they might be wrong, and get under each other’s skin, yet when they are forced to work together and spend time together, they begin to realize that all the animosity between them might lead to some very real sexual tension. Can they find a way to help their team win while trying to work out their feelings for each other? This one unfortunately fell off the mark for me, I found myself disliking Adalyn and Cameron so much, they were just so insufferable and I really was not rooting for their romance at all. They were giving me Rebekah and Roy from Ted Lasso vibes but without any of the charm of either of the characters. The romance was bland and honestly, I was happy I even finished reading this book. I really wanted to DNF it but just kept reading it until the end and honestly, I just did not have a good time. While this one didn’t work for me if you enjoy romances with two characters who get under each other’s skin and has a soccer team, give this one a go, maybe you’ll have a better time with it than i did!

*Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

DNF @ 46%

While I was not the biggest fan of THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION a couple of years ago, I was willing to give Armas another shot! So when I was offered the opportunity read an ARC of THE LONG GAME, I was excited for the opportunity.

Unfortunately, that shot did not pay off. The further I got into this novel, the more questions I had and the more I didn’t really love the FMC. Why did Adalyn freak out on a mascot? Why was a famous soccer player hiding out in the woods? What's up with the soccer ad who seems to hate Adalyn's father?

At 40%, I still didn’t know the catalyst for either the MMC or the FMC’s story arc and the character I found I liked the most was tied between an eccentric mayor and a goat. This book just took way too long to make me care about the characters, and as such, it's a no from me.

As always, just because it’s not for me, it might be for you!

This was my first book from Elena Armas so I'm not sure if it's in her typical writing style. The Long Game is an enemies to lovers romance that reminded me a bit of some of the characters from Ted Lasso. Cameron had me picturing Roy Kent when he would growl or pick up Adalyn, but his character was kind of hard to grasp.

Overall, this book was a bit of a miss for me. I wanted more out of the main characters and felt like there were a lot of clunky interactions that didn't make sense.

My main issue with the book was that it was awkward and sometimes the plot just jumped around. The spice scenes were kind of cringe-y and I am not a fan of "darling" and "love" being used non stop.

Perhaps more of a "not for me" than a "not a good book" scenario, but I did enjoy parts of it.

I would probably read a follow up book about Josie and Matthew if the author decides to write one. 😉

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

So, I’ve never seen Ted Lasso and I’ll show my age here when I say the synopsis had me thinking of The Mighty Ducks with someone having to coach a ragtag team. Although it wasn’t super heavy on the sports and didn’t give me the same Mighty Ducks vibes, I absolutely loved this story! I’ve read The Spanish Love Deception and I loved it and honestly, I may love this book even more. The characters were so well written and I loved that! The story and plot were adorable and I felt myself rooting for Adalyn the entire time! Great, fun romance and perfect read for summer!

I do love me some Roy Kent, and Cam was clearly modeled on him. Main character was easy to root for and her father was truly misguided. Mother could have been more forthcoming earlier in life and saved everyone a lot of trouble, but then we would not have had this fun story.

elena armas does it again… her books are made of sunshine and perfection and bring me so much joy. she writes the most lovable characters with a perfect mix of tension and pure romance. the soccer aspect in this one really raised the stakes as well which i adored.

all thoughts are my own. BIG thank you to netgalley and the publisher.

The Long Game is my favorite Elena Armas book so far!

This book is like if Schitt's Creek met Ted Lasso and they had a baby that was a slow burn rom com. Adalyn is exiled from her glamorous life and job at the Miami Flames, a US soccer team, for losing her temper. Instead, the Flames owner (who just happens to be her father) relocates her to North Carolina to work on their brand image. What she wasn't expecting: recently retired soccer goalie Cameron to be hiding out there, doing his best impression of a Mountain Man. The two get off to a rough start, including a minor car crash, but soon find they may have some common goals. While they work together things begin to heat up and eventually they find maybe they aren't so different after all. This sweet, swoony, slow burn romance is a must read!

Thanks so much to Atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'll start this review by saying that I wasn't a fan of The Spanish Love Deception. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself really enjoying this one! It was a great sports romance full of heart! I would totally recommend!

As someone who was not a fan of the Spanish Love Deception, I LOVED the Long Game.

I think Elena really worked on the communication between her characters, and writing conflict in a mature way. I was obsessed with Cameron. Aaron, who? SORRY BUD.

Cameron honestly is probably a TOP TIER book boyfriend for me now.
I don't want to say too much more because of spoilers, but it is genuinely amazing.

Thank you so much to Elena Armas and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Spanish Love Deception was one that I really enjoyed so I was excited for this book by Elena Armas. I love sports romance but this fell very flat to me. First of all, it's hardly a sports romance despite being marketed as such. The pacing was off to me and I found it to be repetitive. How many times is Elena going to tell us that he has green eyes? We got it the third time. Just a drag of a book. Elena has been a disappointment since TSLD.

If you’re looking for a SPORTS, romance then you are picking up the wrong book. This book is very light on the sports but heavy on some other things we all love: small town romance, enemies to lovers, British men, MMC falls HARD, slow burn. The beginning is slow for you to find out why you should care about these characters and a lot of things are left unknown to the reader but once I was about fifty percent into the book I was invested. I wish that the slow burn was a little more if a few embers in that first fifty percent but I was VERY happy when things started to catch fire (I’ve heard pants can really spark if the friction is high enough, iykyk). Cameron was swoon worthy and keepers don’t get enough love (THOSE HANDS). This book was exactly what I expected it to be so those who go are fans of Mariana Zapata and Lauren Asher go ahead and dive in.

2⭐️s

Sadly, I did not enjoy this as much as I hoped I would. The intro of the book likened it to Ted Lasso and Every Summer After (both of which I loved). When I hear “Ted Lasso,” my expectations are through the roof, and this book just felt so flat in comparison.

Adalyn and Cam are brought together in an unbelievable circumstance after Adalyn is banished from her MSL job when a video of her goes viral and causes a PR problem for the club. She's sent to a small town in North Carolina to help run a U10 girls soccer team. While there she meets ex-pro goalie, Cameron Caldani.

While their blossoming relationship had a few moments of cuteness, overall I found the romance cringey, uncomfy and unbearably repetitive. I think a whole chapter was dedicated to talking about how green his eyes were…

The pace and structure of the book felt disjointed while also dragging, as it’s close to 400 pages. I found myself taking lots of breaks while reading — something I don’t normally do with romances.

I much preferred the supporting cast of characters in Maria, Brandy (lol, it’s a goat), Josie, Matthew and Maricela and I wish there was more around the town shenanigans.

The vibes were not vibing for me, but I have a feeling a lot of people will enjoy it.

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!