Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

Based on the description I was excited to read this book. However, I couldn’t finish it. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and their relationship, the plot was boring, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

This was an easy light read and would definitely check out other books from the author.

The story begins when the FMC- Lilly Crawford, finds out her local football team is relocating further away. So her father decides to start their own club with the help of family and friends. In the midst of this she connects with a premier league bad boy footballer Ben who’s been sent back home after suspension .

I did enjoy Lilly’s relationship with Ben but it definitely felt a bit fast. Within the first meeting there’s a connection and they get together pretty soon after despite his ‘reputation’. But overall a super sweet heartwarming read and if you enjoyed Ted Lasso, you should definitely check this out.

I didn’t love this book but that’s because it read more as a how to manual for setting up a football team. There was elements I liked but overall I struggled to finish

Playing the field is a sweet football romance. Felt the focus was more on the new team than the characters romance how ever was a nice easy read.

The premise of this book was different and I really liked it. I kind of wish it was in two parts so that after he goes back we get a little bit of Ben's pov. They were really cute and I had a good time. I loved seeing her family get the football team set up.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I'm really going through my sports romances era at the moment and this just heightened it further. It had me squealing and laughing. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it on to other

Based on the description, I thought I would love this book but the beginning was so drawn out that I couldn’t handle finishing it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Playing the Field' by Becky Ward.

I feel like this book put me into a slump, it took me so long to read it's not even funny. I couldn't tell you anything about this book because I really just didn't enjoy it. There's definitely a market for this book, it's just not me.

I love a romcom with a misunderstood, bad boy. Not that we particularly know what it is that Ben's done so wrong, just that there's been something.
When the Crawford family set up a local football team, you quickly started to root for an underdog cause, and I could totally picture everything. It was so small-town, family fantastic.
Of course Ben and Lily quickly fall for each other, and when Ben goes back to Milwall, you'd be forgiven for wanting to give him a slap round the back of the head and telling him to wise up. Lily, luckily, has Phoebs and Crawfors United to keep her spirits up. But there's a happy ending all round, so I was overjoyed with that.
It's a fun, fast read, perfect for fans of romcoms with a bit of added spice.

He might be a player but she will teach him some new moves...

Lily and her family decide to start a new football club when their favorite club moves too far away.

Ben Is a "bad boy" football player who receives a suspension due to an interaction with a fan. His brother is selected for the new football club, so he offers to help coach during his suspension.

When this book was compared to Icebreaker I could not wait to get my hands on it. However, the main story line in this book was how to start a new football club. It read like a "how to" book. At about 20% we start to get a little romance but even then, it is overshadowed by the creation of the new team.

Things really picked up around 80% and then quickly you get distracted by the team issues.

I really liked Ben and Lily. I thought they were both good characters, I just wanted more of them and their romance and less of the team building. Overall, I thought the writing was good, I feel like I could start a football team, I was just expecting a romance and that is not really what the author delivered.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this title. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed reading Playing the Field. Ben was sweet and Lily was a strong female lead. I didn't like the fake relationship with Georgie at all and Lily's feelings were 100% justified and Ben should have been more understanding. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Playing the field is a sweet football romance. Felt the focus was more on the new team than the characters romance how ever was a nice easy read.

Really enjoyed this story and all it brought to me, the main characters were well written and easy to like.

I have reduced the review by one star as I found some of the sex scenes slightly more graphic then the rest of the book called for but that is personal opinion.

I loved this book will definitely be reading again. I had never read anything by this author before but will definitely be reading more of there work

This was cute, but it was a little bit long and there was way more information than was needed about setting the new club up.

Also I feel like the synopsis was super misleading. It makes it seem like there’s a rule at the club that they’re not allowed to date and that was not the case at all, they just decided to keep the secret there was never anybody that said dating the players was off limits.

3.5/5 stars

Lily is a massive football fan after her team has to moved miles away her dad and her sister decides to create their own. They gather the community to join together to set up a team. Ben is a football player who has been suspended from his premier league team his brother joins the team. This book is an easy and enjoyable read. The book includes forbidden romance. . It definitely isn’t my favourite sports romance but it was definitely enjoyable. Thank to Becky Ward and Net Galley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Lily and her family start their own football club after their home team moves away, despite having little experience. They meet Ben Pyrce, a Premier League player suspended for bad behavior, who offers to advise them. A secret romance blooms between Lily and Ben, but complications arise when Ben returns to his team and must fake a relationship for publicity, leading to their breakup. The story explores the challenges of their relationship, though the execution of character development and the third act breakup could have been improved. Despite enjoying the overall story, the characters felt underdeveloped.

"Playing the Field" by Becky Ward is a contemporary sports-themed romance novel story that follows Lily, a football enthusiast, who, after her local club relocates, teams up with her Dad and her sister to establish a new football club, Crawford United. The plot thickens when the arrival of Ben Pryce, a Premier League striker with a notorious reputation who has been suspended, makes an offer to help coach the new team in order to improve his tainted public reputation.

The chemistry between Lily and Ben is immediate and electrifying, leading to a classic "will-they-won't-they" dynamic that drives the story. Lily's steadfast rule against mixing business with pleasure is tested as she navigates her growing attraction to Ben, who, despite his bad-boy exterior, shows depth and potential for change.

I enjoyed the humour, the build of their romance, and the spice. With its mix of grumpy/sunshine trope, forbidden romance, and secret dating, the novel successfully combines elements that romance readers love​​.

"Playing the Field" is recommended for those looking for a fun and heartfelt romance with a sporty twist.

I'm a big fan of soccer/football romances and this one was a new-to-me author so I was excited to meet these new characters! Unfortunately the book's plot was not as cohesive as it could've been and the romance didn't flow well with the sports storyline. I needed to see more development and characters needed to be more fleshed out. The romance was fast-paced and I think that choice might've hurt the relationship development for these characters. While I enjoyed their background and the sports aspect of building a football team, I just wanted to see more! Fun book but needs more development.