Not my cup of tea
I really enjoyed the author's first book and was looking forward to seeing what the next story would be about. If you're a big fan of soccer and are a younger/newer adult this book ought to be to your liking. There's plenty of play-by-play soccer description to go with the angsty romance between the main characters. And if you love Aussie slang there's loads of that in the book as well. I wanted to like the main characters but found one of them unlikable from jump and that never changed; actually my dislike only grew, making it impossible to root for these characters to get, be and stay together. I was wishing for a different pairing altogether. The scenes that went overly deep into the soccer action were sometimes a chore to read even though I love the sport and was once a big fan. Sports romance stories are not my thing but normally (in those wlw sports romances I have read to date) the sport aspect and its details take up less space on the page so I find other things in the story to get into and enjoy. Here I got some laughs out of the story but cringed and found the relationship dynamic between Christine and Keeley, how it cycled and ultimately resolved, off-putting. I often felt I was not the demographic this book was written for and sadly found it a slog to read a lot of the time so was relieved to be done reading it. I will read whatever the author publishes next and hope I enjoy it more than this one. I prefer the author's first book but others may love this book much more than I did.

A winner for me.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance. Set during the back drop of the Woman’s Football World Cup in Australia with flash backs to college days in the US.
This story is full of feelings with a great cast of supporting characters which add to the story.

Well worth reading and I hope it’s a good omen.

On a side note: I love how Liz Rain sticks with not watering down the Australian vibe of the book, it always makes me happy to read an Australian-author with a story set in Australia.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I kind of wish it was dual pov because I wanted to hear Christines thoughts on different scenarios but I still had a good time. I liked that they called each other every night to talk, it was super cute. The ending was rushed but I think it worked.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. Let me start by saying that I am a huge football fan (I’m English, and refuse to call it soccer), so I had a lot of hope going into this book that I would enjoy it. That being said, even though the story involves two players - one from Australia, and one from America - you don’t need to know anything about the game to read this because it doesn’t go into a lot of detail.

The main character Australian Keeley McGee was likable enough, and the whole book is written in her first person point of view. Christine Delacourt is the American ex-girlfriend who dumped Keeley while she was studying for college in America. Her character isn’t particularly nice, and it felt hard to want the two characters to be together, because other than a spark of attraction between them there didn’t seem to be much. They spend a lot of the first part of the book hating each other. Then a few years later they meet during the World Cup in Australia while competing against each other. I did really like the side characters of Viv and Fletch who are roommates of Keeley. Viv works in theater as an actress, and Fletch is a fellow Matilda (Australian footballer).

I haven’t read a novel before that is entirely written in first person POV, and it’s not a format I enjoyed.

Positives would be the pace of the story was good. It didn’t feel very long, and I read the whole book in two days. And side characters really shined. The humor was good, and I did chuckle at it a few times too.

I want to start by saying this book started out great. I loved the interactions between Keeley and her one-night stand, and her conversations with her roommates.

It broke down for me almost the second it jumped back in time to the college days. Christine joins the college soccer team Keeley's senior year, and Keeley immediately hates her. It wasn't really clear why--it seemed like one moment of slight distance was enough? And then Keeley refers to Christine, who is Black, as "inhuman" multiple times, and talks about how she has no feelings--again without ever giving us really clear examples of what Christine did that was supposedly so egregious.
I was already having serious misgivings about that, and then I got to the moment where Keeley tells her roommate she has feelings for Christine, and her roommate responds "Oh my goodness, so exciting! You two are just like Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler” which... I fail to see how these two women (one of whom is Black) are anything like a couple from a notoriously racist movie?

I think I may have liked this book if the love interest were white, but as it is there were way too many elements that felt really racist to me, and I just could not push through. I don't think it was intentional, but I do think the author just is not equipped to write Black characters and needed, at the VERY least, a sensitivity reader or two.

Good timing with the World Cup just about to start but unfortunately it fell so flat for me. The style of writing doesn't work for me and the dialogue was really clunky, none of it felt like anything people would ever say, let alone the type of people actually saying it. It's personal taste, I know, but I found it really hard to like or care about a twenty five year old professional soccer play who said "shitballs" and "hellballs" at least once a chapter. The coach speak and team dynamics didn't land at all for me and the interactions between everyone were really off. The idea of the plot is fine: Christine transferred to FSU during her senior year, gets off on the wrong foot with Keeley, they're forced to spend more time together, and eventually fall in love, kind of? - but no aspect of it was given enough time to develop into anything genuine. It was hard to understand why anyone felt the way they did and all of the characters were so simple that it was hard to connect to them. I think this is a common thread in romance novels right now, where there's a really linear plot that clips together at a fast pace and then suddenly there's a clear happy ending with no real understanding of how or why they ended up together. I know that's the point of romance and I usually can get into it if the characters are interesting and their relationship has chemistry or some sort of dynamic, but a lot of them are falling short to me lately and this is book is unfortunately in that group.

Onside Play is also really short and I never say that books should but longer, but the pacing felt off. There's dual timelines: 2019 at Florida State University and 2023 at the World cup, and it felt unnecessary to have both. There was weirdly a lot of filler for the amount of pages and everything about Christine and Keeley was rushed. The reason for their breakup is fine but it was so hard for me to believe they both had crazy, intense, real feelings after a few weeks for it to become the issue it did. Christine's actions were difficult to justify as she seemed to change her mind randomly every so often without any actual reasons.

I probably care too much about sports realism compared to most people who are going to read this book, but it's so hard for me to accept the most insane decisions related to a soccer team even if I know they're only there to get the two characters together. The book struggles when describing plays and the importance of the World Cup. I know it's only meant to to be the setting and not offer much more than that, and I don't want to get into, "I just wish this was another book" territory, but it's baffling neither of them seemed to care that much about winning except for throwaway lines and random extreme reactions to matches. It felt trite when Keeley would reflect on "What It Means To Be An Athlete." The writing wasn't strong enough to make it seem like anything more than, "sports are hard, winning is good, but it's okay if we lose because we tried hard." Logistically, nothing makes sense. I know it is a romance novel and the romance is the point, but having a main character who talks about it being her dream while also...not prioritizing the World Cup and can't wait for it to be over is so insane to me. Vague spoiler, but my biggest complaint about the reality of being a professional soccer player is the sex scene that takes place on the team bus during the World Cup. In what world? The last minute conflict was very weird and I think the book really struggled with dealing with Christine as a character. She was incredibly hot and cold, and since the POV was so tight to Keeley it was confusing to understand why she was still interested after Christine hurt her so many times and never really proved that she cared.

There's no actual tension with the romance or the soccer. Both story lines are nonsensical, the beats of the tournament are drawn out until the final match which is given no time what so ever on the page, and their relationship goes from good to bad to good with no real explanations for why. There were so many aspects that didn't make sense to me and I found it a difficult book to finish.

Keeley McGee is about to head into the most important football tournament of her life. Playing for the underdog Australian National team she needs to keep her head in the game. When she comes face to face with the one that could have been she finds it harder to focus and Christine Delacourt is not doing anything to help with that.
I really wanted to like this one but it just didn't quite work for me. The two MC's seem to spend very little time actually together and what there is of them together wasn't the type of relationship I'd have liked to see. The flashbacks provide a bit of insight into their history but there is little in the lead up from their enemies to lovers evolution in that time, Christine just sort of changes her mind one day out of the blue. The rest of their relationship is basically physical and I couldn't understand why Keeley was so attached.
The story is told from Keeley's perspective and I just didn't connect all that well with her, on top of that Christine does not seem to be a very nice human. Her behavior is at times childish and most of the time selfish both in the flashbacks and in the present. I have a hard time understanding Keeley's motivations here, especially when she herself thinks that Christine wouldn't even recognize her when they meet again. I was a bit confused about how long they were in a relationship in the flashbacks as there are some indications it is more of a short fling that was forgettable but then Keeley mentions details of Christine that don't seem likely for a fling. These inconsistencies kinda drew me out of the story. There are a few side characters that are a bit redeeming of the story but most of the book is Keeley's internal dialogue over Christine and I just found it a bit exhausting. After all that I would have said it was an ok book but then there's some drama at the 90% mark that I felt made Christine look even worse than she already did. This seemed so unneeded and made the MC we already didn't like all that much a bit worse.
It seems I am the minority here so please read other reviews but it seems this book just wasn't for me. I am hopeful for future releases by Rain as I do think her writing is good, these characters just didn't work this time round.

A longer review can be found on my GoodReads!
A second chance, enemies to lovers to strangers to lovers (their relationship went through a lot, but the author made it super easy to understand), wlw soccer romance.

“Aw. You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay?”
“I’m a weak woman. Do not tempt me.” I put my hand to the side of her face and kissed her lips gently.

I appreciated the dual pov that we got at the beginning of the book. The combination between the past and the present was super interesting, and I was at the edge of my seat to see why they initially broke up. In the present, Keele is still heartbroken after Christine broke up with her years prior. But, they will meet again on the field, and she has to get over it before their match. In the past, the two of them are on the same team and started on the wrong foot. Their coach is forcing them to spend more time together to increase the team dynamic, but they started to fall for each other. Both timelines were really fun to read about! The rivals to lovers to rivals is so juicy!

I opened my eyes. “That was as good as the win.”
“That was better than the win,” she replied.

All the characters were relatable and funny, I really appreciate books that include characters in their twenties! I’m going to uni rn, and it’s great to see characters at the same stage in life as me. Keele is a bit clueless, but she is such a sweet person. The friendships in the book are as important (if not more) than the romance! They are so supportive of each other and I like the way they make fun of each other’s problems :)

Despite the intensity of the two characters, I didn’t really support their second-chance romance. Keeley was always so unsure about the direction of their relationship, which makes sense after what happened in the past, and she felt like she had to cling to Christine or else she would leave her. They didn’t have a lot of trust, and Christine just keeps pulling away instead of talking about her feelings. I really wanted to like the two of them together, but sometimes it felt very one-sided since we only have one pov. I wish we would have had more communication about what happened before.

Because of that, I didn’t really like the ending: After everything that Keeley went through, Christine can’t just change her mind at the last second and bring her back to the bad spot she was in. I also don’t appreciate that Christine made this huge decision - that is directly related to Keeley's life - without talking to her about it beforehand. It’s something they should have decided together & I think they should have had this conversation in private rather than in front of so many people. But maybe I am just projecting :) In the end, the characters seemed happy even if I think they could have done better.

Overall, funny and full of action! I definitely recommend the book and I enjoyed reading about their journey when figuring out their relationship, the funny conversations between friends, and the soccer references.

Soccer books are a weakness for me, but this one didn't do it for me. Keeley Mcgee is an Australian Soccer player going to play in the world cup against her ex Christine Delacourt who plays for the US. They met their senior year in college and it ended badly.

It seemed rushed and very quick to pick up where they left off. I didn't feel like either character was really flushed out and it didn't show a lot of their relationship before or even during really.

The whole book was off for me, which was disappointing as I enjoyed her debut book.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

I started out really enjoying this book. The dialogue was snappy and the plot was interesting. Then, between the initial introduction of a romance that wasn’t related to the endgame, and the shifting back and forth in time, I just found myself losing interest. I think there is a lot to work with here, and I think fans of the sport will probably get much more out of this book than I did, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Ah what a perfect timing to release this just before the World Cup. And what a great read this was. For a brief moment I expected the same outcome as the USA-Australia game at the Olympics and a Kerr/Mewis on pitch moment but Keeley and Christine had their own ‘sportsmanship’ display. The book has 2 different timelines, one from their college days a few years back and present time. You don’t even have to be into sport or football or soccer as you may call it, to enjoy this book. 4.5 stars

Free ARC via NetGalley.

Such a fun sports romance. It is Women’s World Cup 2023 time and hosted in Australia. Enter Australian Keeley McGee who plays in Australia and is on the national team. She went to college in Florida on a full scholarship previously helping her school win a national Championship. That winning year gets a boost when transfer student Christine Delacourt arrives. She is absolutely driven. After a bumpy start the two bring out the best of each other on the field. Christine now plays for Seattle and is of course on the national team for the USA.

The story has some flashbacks chapters to 2019 and to meeting, game play and brief relationship. The rest is set during the World Cup season. Where the book excels for me is in the exciting game play moments, the humor of Keeley and best friend Viv is stand out as well. I love Viv’s theater references as well. Christine is harder to know because nothing is from her POV and she at times is wooden in her drive to be the best player. It takes till the very end for her to admit to feelings beyond lust. Keeley obviously has feelings about this relationship for the entire story.

I have to give nod again to the Australian terms and phrasing that continues to delight me. I just read and enjoyed Liz Rain’s previous book Perks of Office. It it wasn’t fresh in my mind I wouldn’t have caught a few lines that reference that a sighting (I assume) of the couple from that book. This is enjoyable second chance novel and if you like sports romances that will be an added bonus.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review.

What a wonderfully told story about Australian and American soccer players. If you enjoy a light hearted, low angst, low drama, second chance love story revolving around the World Cup grab this book up. This was such a fun book to read I didn’t want to put it down and lucky for me I had a free weekend to do just that.

Australian Keeley and American Christine are slightly flawed well thought out characters that you will find yourself rooting for. Yes I did do an inward happy dance reading the team bus scene. Part of the book is a dual timeline that gives a glimpse into how the two meet and fell in love at college. While also bring the story into the present day where they see each other for the first time in years out of the soccer field. I enjoyed getting into the back story without it bogging down the rest of the story.

But can we talk about the side characters of Viv and Fletch, they are adorable and added a little more fun to the story. About 2/3rds of the way through this book I was chanting to the sapphic writing Gods that they would get their own friends to lovers story. I adored them. I was excited to read another Liz Rain book and if I am not mistaken I believe the 2 MCs from Perks of Office have a cameo in this book.

I always enjoy when a non-American writer uses their local vernacular. It gives me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, thanks to the built-in dictionary on Kindle or Google.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love a book that keeps me in constant suspense and this was definitely a push-pull emotional ride with heartbreaks, make-ups, disappointments, lustful glances in a crowd and brief encounters that created yearnings for more.

The book is set around two rival soccer stars on a collision course. The American, Christine and the Australian, Keeley, first met as teammates at FSU (Florida State University.) They began with a lot of drama about some personality clashes on the team, eventually only having eyes for each other until Christine suddenly broke it off by leaving the school. That was the beginning of a pattern for Christine, who always bailed, insisting she needed to keep her focus. It was the first of several times that Keeley’s heart would crumble.

The book didn’t have a lot of detailed play by play soccer action, but the action it did have was quite dramatic and intense. Most focus was about team drama and inside tension around the importance of being a team member and not allowing distractions, such as the time Keeley had a one night fling with a famous Australian pop singer and was filmed by a mob of fans as she escaped a hotel in the wee hours. The encounter went viral, embellishing Keeley’s reputation!

Christine and Keeley both made their respective American and Australian national teams and were headed to a potential face off in the World Cup. Although I’m American and personally know very little about the rules and strategy of soccer, I was pulling for Australia so I could celebrate and chant, Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! oi, oi, oi!

The author’s writing was brilliant as she conveyed lots of emotion, drama and humor. The constant intrigue of what was going to happen to our characters was compelling and kept my attention without hesitation.

Two other important characters were Keeley’s housemates, Viv, an actress who was like a big sister to her, and Fletch, a non-binary teammate. They provided important support for Keeley.

The most fun thing for me that kept me smiling was how the attraction between Keeley and Christine, two rivals, managed to survive and how the two managed to be able to communicate across a room with only their eyes and be able to manage and manipulate brief, clandestine meetings with some steamy moments such as one in the back of the team bus!

I had previously loved Perks of the Office and was delighted to read this new book by Liz Rain! I want to thank NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books or the arc in exchange for my honest views.
My thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I for one can’t wait for the FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to begin, so this book couldn’t be more perfectly timed. I’m disappointed to report it doesn’t live up to my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed Liz Rain’s Perks of Office. Unfortunately, this enemies-to-lovers/ second chance romance with a very heavy sports theme doesn’t live up to the awesomeness of the previous book. Not that they are related, other than being penned by the same author.

We start this book with a dual timeline - 2019 and 2023 - our mains are going to face off at the World Cup after they played together at uni. Never once did I feel the spark or see the connection, not in 2019 timeline, nor in the 2023 (current) timeline. What I found baffling was the sort of flashbacks/ reminiscing to the past timeline in the current one. Why would you have the dual timeline if you will tell us what happened in the past instead of letting us experience it in the past timeline? I really don’t understand this storytelling choice. For me, it would have been better if the author had just picked the current timeline and had them work out what went wrong in 2019 through communication in 2023. Now we really get neither. We don’t get the full love experience in 2019, or the heartbreak, nor do we get communication in 2023 (or 2019). I find this to be a mostly lust driven and rather forced story. The drama of them being on opposing sides and their ambitions is not shown enough because all of the story seems to be picking up threads here and there but never developing any in a full bodied story.

I’m sure lots of people will enjoy this, even if you aren’t into sports, but I think because I am into sports and I’m a bit of picky reader, I didn’t like this one very much. If I would suggest a Liz Rain book it would definitely be Perks of Office, this one isn’t even in the same league as that one… sadly

Great set up! Although less than 20% in I really enjoyed the first temporary defrosting of the mains relationship. Don't get me wrong, this is not an insta-love, even for the first time in this second chance romance. The timeline continued to move between recent past and present.
Funnily enough though I didn’t enjoy the reunion sex. It must be difficult for writers to keep sex scenes fresh.
Viv, one of the secondary characters is a hoot. Also Lori, tho’ much less page time, also made me laugh.
I was really tense during a pivotal football match, and that’s not a phrase I thought I would write. I also liked that the detail of match play was only given when it would further the plot rather than just add flavour.
Talking of flavour, I love foreign (to me) set novels that give the flavour of the land they are set in, this writer does this well.
A light quick read, tho I will confess to wondering if it would all work out due to the plot twist very close to the end. All was well and I felt the ending was appropriate rather than rushed. 3.5 up to 4, because of Viv!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

womens football and the world cup...whats not to like about this book

australian footballer keeley mcgee has always wanted to play in the world cup and its about to happen

christine delacourt plays for the usa team and dreams of winning the world cup....

these two mighty players are about to meet on the field after a bitter break up a few years ago...

you always have to feel for the underdog and this story is no different.....there are always gonna be winners and losers

its a good feel good story to this one