I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

For Lily and her family, the news that their local football team's home ground is being moved 50 miles away, with no thought given to the fans, they decide to form their own team. It's not going to be easy, but somehow Crawford United is born, and Lily is ready to use her marketing skills to make the team the best it can be. However, when notorious professional player Ben Pryce turns up at practice, and wants to help the team, Lily is torn between letting him, and wanting him as far away from the team as possible. Especially when she starts to develop feelings for him.

I'm going to say that while this isn't my favourite football sports romance, it definitely was something special. The idea of a homegrown, local team, being founded and run by a family, with all the successes and failures inherent in football, was new and fantastic. I really enjoyed the family dynamic between the Crawford's, and then the team when they were formed. That was truly the best part of the story. However, though the romance was fine, I didn't like the lying and really bad miscommunication between Ben and Lily. The third act breakup was hard, and I wasn't invested that much that I was desperate to know what came next.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and Becky Ward for the early access copy of Playing the Field.

Playing the Field follows Lily and Ben in a forbidden love story. When Lily’s football team is relocated 50 miles away, Lily, her father, and coach sister take matters in their own hands, and start a new club. Ben is a professional footballer, who needs to change his image after a bad interaction with a fan that landed him suspended. When Ben begins to help coach at the new club, sparks fly between Lily and Ben. But, what happens when the new clubs number one rule is not to mix business and pleasure?

Playing the Field is a great fit for those who love football, forbidden love stories, and great chemistry.

"Playing the Field" by Becky Ward is a fun and fast-paced romantic comedy that perfectly captures the excitement, drama, and unpredictability of modern dating. Ward’s writing is witty and relatable, making this novel an entertaining read for anyone who enjoys stories about love, sports, and the complexities of relationships.

The novel follows a protagonist who finds themselves navigating the often treacherous waters of love while balancing their passion for sports. Whether it’s on the playing field or in the dating world, the challenges and surprises keep coming, and Ward deftly mixes humor with heartfelt moments as the characters deal with the highs and lows of romance and competition. The protagonist’s journey is filled with self-discovery, as they learn to balance their personal ambitions with the pursuit of love.

Ward’s characters are vibrant and relatable, each bringing their own quirks and energy to the story. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and the romance develops in a way that feels both natural and engaging. The sports setting adds an extra layer of excitement, with the competitive atmosphere paralleling the tensions and passions of the romantic plot.

"Playing the Field" is perfect for readers who love a good rom-com with a sporty twist. Becky Ward has crafted a story that is as entertaining as it is endearing, making it a must-read for fans of contemporary romance who enjoy a mix of humor, heart, and a little bit of competition. Whether you’re a sports fan or just love a good love story, this novel is sure to score a home run with readers.

I really enjoyed this story!

I found that the story was really well written and it was certainly a book that had me hooked.

If you love football this will be a book for you.

It has dedication, belief, romance and hard work - it all combined in to a good storyline.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

I really enjoyed lots about this book - Ben and Lily are strong lead characters and I was so invested in their relationship and rooting for them. I just felt that there were some parts that didn’t feel as engaging to the story.

I enjoyed the chemistry between the two characters and watching their relationship blossom. Was a bit too technical for me at the beginning as I am not someone who knows football at all but I got used to things soon after. It was a sweet read and good for a summer romance.

This is a fun read and one which has you rooting for them to make a success of it and that everyone has a happy ending.
Great holiday read.

Playing the Field is a completely predictable love story, and I am here for every moment of it. I wanted a book that I could curl up with and know that I was in for a cute rom com moment. It was a fun and light read.

This was my first book from Becky Ward and I am obsessed. I cannot wait to read more this book was perfect balance of romance and comedy. 5 stars

A big thank you to @beckywardbooks & @netgalley for my arc, I'm super grateful! This was a super cute read, I loved the London setting and enjoyed recognising places and locations. Loved the footie concept and of starting your own footie team - Crawford united, adored how the community came together to help make it happen too 🙌🏻 gave such found fam vibes! The instant connection between Lily & Ben was everything and the spice too 🔥 overall a fab read, devoured in one sitting would defo recommend!

I did not finish this one, I couldn’t get past 20% . I really loved the premise but I’m not sure if the writing or the storyline got lost along the way

Exactly what it says it is.

Playing the Field reads a bit too on the nose as Ted Lasso fanfiction, and I can't say I'm too mad about it! As a lover of Ted Lasso, I loved the similarities, but I can see why someone who just wants a fun, steamy sports romance may not be too thrilled about it. The romance falls a bit flat, but the vibes are excellent.

If you love Ted Lasso, and wished there was a bit more romance in it, this is the book for you!

If you're going into this more for the Ted Lasso vibes rather than the romance, you might be a fan. However for me Ted Lasso could sometimes be a bit cheesy and overly hopeful , and this book was very much the same.

I felt the book tried to focus so much on the creating the club aspect on top of the romance that as a result, both aspects felt slightly underdeveloped. The romance parts were pretty bland with no real buildup to the relationship, to the point that the third act breakup (which was so annoying) actually was the only interesting thing about their relationship. I would also definitely not describe this as grumpy/sunshine. On the other hand, regarding the club storyline, there was a lot of football talk, which would be fine if you were an avid football fan EXCEPT as a football fan, it felt SO unbelievable (yes I know it's fiction) that it became unenjoyable. I think I was maybe just not the right reader for this and like I said, if you liked Ted Lasso, this might be the book for you!

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC!

This is a cracking read. Yes, a lovely romance starts, blossoms and the has its long distance issues, however that isn’t the heart of the book, the backdrop of a new football team, and the effort, energy and love that gets put in to are it grow and root is great. This is a community book which comes across as kind and gentle. The new teams efforts to get through the first season with money issues, no ground and no salaried staff is entertaining and kept me hooked.

I'll admit that I went into this with high hopes. As someone who has binged Ted Lasso and fallen in love with Roy Kent a number of times, I was expecting Ben Pryce to be my new book boyfriend.

Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. Possibly because I expected so much from it but who knows? I didn't feel the chemistry between Ben and Lily at all and they seemed to go from being friends who had similar interests to suddenly sneaking around.

I wasn't a great lover of the "fake relationship" that Ben had to be part of either and felt that it was unnecessary.

Overall, some might love this book but it just wasn't for me.

I wanna thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review..

I did not really connect with this one at all to be honest.. the first half of the book was extremely boring in my opinion.. it started off already not for me.. I also did not really feel any chemistry between the 2 main characters.. it was all off.. all the football talk was also pretty boring..

I am a big fan of sports romance so this one definitely caught my eye! It was a cute read but could be confusing and wordy at times! However, it was a fun read and would recommend if you like soccer.

Fun, sexy and full of heart, Playing the Field is perfect for fans of Icebreaker and The Cheat Sheet as well as shows like Welcome to Wrexham and Ted Lasso.

Grumpy/Sunshine, Forbidden Romance, Secret Dating, will-they-won't-they

Unfortunately I was bored through this book. Not a lot happened and it was not something I could connect with. Maybe I am the wrong demographic, I let my teenager read it and she loved it.

Slightly (very) unrealistic, this was a fun romance that won't leave much of a lasting impression but is nevertheless enjoyable; as a football fan it doesn't always make *sense* but it's definitely something a bit different!

I thought this book was so well paced. I really enjoyed the building of the love story and was sucked in. A great romance!