There are a few things I love in life and two of them are romances and soccer. I squealed with delight when I saw that I was approved for this book! The Long Game was perfect. Like truly, perfect. Adalyn flipping out was totally relatable, the setting was so cozy, and Cameron Caldani is now one of my top book boyfriends. I was actively swooning while reading. What a perfectly written MMC!! If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Adalyn is the daughter of a soccer team owner. She has built her life around this team, specificaly to please her father. But it never seems to be enough. After a social "faux pas" that went viral on social medias, she is sent in the little city of Green Oak, North Carolina, to take care of a soccer team.
There, she realises that it's not what she thought. And that the soccer coach is a MLS star, Cameron Caldoni. But their first encounter is rather explosive, and they can't stand each other. But little by little, they happen to know each other, and a sweet romance could take place.

This story is the right amount of banter, slow burn, and spice. Add the "little town romance" trope, and you have a really great new book from Elena Armas. And I can already see coming the other stories that can happen in the small town. And I can't wait !

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book to read and review. Adalyn is the daughter of a rich businessman and a model. Cameron is a retired soccer player. They are in small town North Carolina for different reasons. They get roped in together to help young girl’s soccer team. This isn’t my first Elena Armas book. I adored The Spanish Love Deception and was bored and disappointed with The Roommate Arrangement. This falls somewhere in between. Cameron’s character seemed at best undeveloped and at worst a walking trope. Adalyn too borders on a walking trope. All in all not a bad book, just nothing new. I was hoping for the freshness of the author’s first book but instead it was the same old same old.

This is romance book perfection and why Elena Armas is one of my favorite authors.👌🏻

Enemies to Lovers in a slow burn where they both are involved with a little league soccer team, The Green Warriors.

There’s goat yoga (and also a large mysterious athlete who is quite afraid of said goats). Sharp and snappy youth soccer players who are not afraid to say what’s on their mind but also hype you up if they think you need it. There are also two darling cats: Willow and Pierogi.

I’m this story Adalyn has had an embarrassing moment go viral and her father/boss has sent her away on a charitable assignment to lay low. While there Adalyn meets Cameron who is a European soccer (football) star. They start our icy and the slow burn to lovers is gooood (and so is the spice).

5/5 stars this book is excellent and I NEED the sequel now because it ends on a cliffhanger.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cameron and Adalyn have my heart so do the Green Warriors, Brandy, Josie, Mathew, the whole Green Oak gang really. The small town, slow burn, soccer vibes, grumpy leads... perfection >>

This is my favorite of Elena Armasbooks

Also.... those last few lines of the epilogue... such a tease Miss Armas such a tease

BLESS NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR GIVING ME AN EARLY COPY OF THIS BOOK. I'VE NEVER WANTED ANOTHER ARC SO BAD. Below is my honest review!

Honestly, what's not to like about this book? Elena Armas does it again!!! (Aka stole my heart and has raised the standards for men so high!!!) This is an enemies-to-lovers in a small town romance story. Both the hero and the heroine are grumpy people who can't stand each other, but then after being forced to work together to save the town's little league soccer team, they realize that they can actually tolerate and even love each other.

Because this is a slow burn, you as the reader get to see the two characters fall in love. And it's not like they're just sending sexy eyes to each other. No. They actually interact and do different activities together, allowing their personalities to shine in a way that many romance novels do not. The side characters also have their own little quirks that add to the story, such as Maria and even the blind goat.

I will say though that the ending felt a little rushed compared to the rest of the book, which is why it's not a 5 star read for me. Plus there were a few things thrown in at the end that I still have mixed feelings about (when you read it, you'll understand, but it's not anything too major).

Overall, I love Elena Armas and will read anything she writes.

Would I recommend this book? HELL YEAH!!!

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This is the 2nd book I've read from Elena Armas. I found this book cute and interesting at first and then a little hard to follow the story at times.

Elena Armas does it again! This new universe that Elena created has it all - ice queen vs. grump, cozy cottagecore vibes and incredible banter. The heroine, Adalyn, was so relatable and modern. And Cam was a secret cinnamon roll that any reader will quickly fall in love with. I adored this book!! I can't wait to see Josie's love story next (hopefully!) :)

Adalyn and Cameron first meet and immediately dislike each other. Their situations make the other character a major inconvenience but they just keep running into each other.

With any enemies-to-lovers story, there’s a turning point when one or both of the characters start to feel differently. And whether that’s gradual or instantaneous, as a reader I want to see it happen. I want to understand the progression from one state to another by witnessing the shift, either through the characters’ thoughts or actions. But unfortunately, that’s not what happened in this book. At least, not with Cameron.

I saw Adalyn’s feelings towards Cameron shift because of how tender his actions were towards her after a certain point. But I don’t know what prompted Cameron’s shift. Instead of reading through what made him change his views on Adalyn, I was just told one chapter that now he felt soft and fuzzy things towards her.

I did appreciate how Cameron continually emphasized to Adalyn that she should believe in her own self worth and that she is not a burden to those around her.

Elena has done it again. She’s a wizard at weaving characters into my brain that now live rent free. I loved Adalyn and Cameron and their soccer romance. What a great book!

Adalyn Reyes makes one mistake that is caught in a video that goes viral and uproots her life. Her father instead of sticking up for her sends her to North Carolina on special assignment. She doesn't realize until she gets there that she will be working with a kids girl soccer team.

This is a fun grumpy romance book. She will be working with Cameron Caldini who is the world's best goal keeper who is hiding out in Green Oak. They meet at do not get along but they are neighbors and have to work together.

Maria is just the brightest kid and I love all the things she says. I thought goat yoga was funny. All the events that Cam and Adalyn have to do together and the heat between them building up was intense.

Cameron treats her so well and sees her for who she is and loves her and wants to protect her. It is so endearing and heart felt. this will make you believe in second chance romance and happily ever after.

This is first sports romance I have read. I loved the Spanish Love Deception and couldn't wait to read this.

4 Stars Elena Armas is a slow-burn romance queen! This enemies to lovers romance is full of fire and female rage, and I am here for it!

After an altercation with a team mascot goes viral, Miami Flames FC employee Adalyn Reyes is caught in a PR nightmare. The team owner—aka her father—sends her on a charitable assignment to rural North Carolina to get her out of the spotlight. There, Adalyn is challenged to turn around a local U10 soccer team, the Green Warriors. Strangely, former soccer great Cameron Caldani is also in this small town, coaching the team and staying out of the spotlight as well. Cameron would rather Adalyn just leave, but she’s determined to prove him and her father wrong so she can get back to Miami.

There was so much going on in this book, between the main characters, themes, and the fun side characters and stories. The real star here is the emphasis on female rage; how it’s denied, used against women to push them out of spaces, and how it is an absolutely valid feeling. Adalyn has been used and manipulated by those who were supposed to love and care for her. Finding that out would understandably make anyone snap, especially someone who is so used to keeping her feelings bottled up and in control. So when that rage is released, however brief, it’s used as an excuse for why she’s incapable of doing her job or eventually leading the FC. Adalyn’s story is an echo of so many other women’s stories and how their rage has been denied, instead of validated. Every woman can see herself in Adalyn and understands how good it can feel to let that rage go.

Adalyn and Cam were fantastic romantic leads. I loved the scenes of Cam caring for Adalyn and the small moments when he proved how he really saw her, just as she is. They were beautiful. My only criticism of this novel was that while the first half of the novel felt so fast, the ending felt somewhat rushed and like there should have been more of an explanation for her father’s actions. I thought this would be addressed in the epilogue, but it was not. Though the epilogue did set up what will hopefully be another book set in Greek Oaks, so maybe we will see more.

Stopped at the end of chapter 4. I was really enjoying the first three chapters, but I failed to connect with chapter 4, and I felt really annoyed for the chicken.

I have to question if I'm understanding what happened correctly with the chicken - because I'm seriously irked if we killed the pet chicken for no reason, and I'm just like, if this was a dog or a cat, would we be so blasé about it all? It kind of seems like the chicken got away after being hit by the car? ... I hope they did...

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the Spanish Love Deception so i had high hopes but i have to say i struggled a bit with this book. It felt like I'd already read this story/trope before. The writing was good, but i did find the FMC very unrelatable so that might be why I didn't enjoy it. That being said banter and writing were good just wasn't for me.

i'm so happy that I got the opportunity to read this book because Elena is one of my favorite romance authors. This book did not disappoint, if you like elena's other books then you'll love this one. I loved the ted lasso vibes in this book, the little girl's soccer team warmed my heart.
I think this is the softest of all her books, it was so pure and selfless and definitely the slowest burn. I adore cameron and adalyn so much. It's definitely a story about two damaged people who open up to one another and love one another wholeheartedly, flaws and all. It's sweet, really funny (I was cracking up a couple of times) and definitely has spice like her other books. it's perfect. read it when its out.
Thank you to netgalley and atria books for this ARC.