Unfortunately I struggled to connect with this one. There was just too much football talk for me. If you’re a big football fan, you’d probably enjoy this. The romance was sweet but overall it just didn’t hit for me.

If you enjoy sports romances, I’d still recommend giving this a go because it may work for you!

DNF I wanted to like this one so bad because I love soccer/football romances but unfortunately the beginning of this book moved too slow for me. The world building/development of the club distracted from the story and romance, and, as a reader, made me lose interest.

I would still recommend this book to people who enjoy soccer romances, though.

I’ve gone backwards and forwards on my rating for this book. There were aspects I really enjoyed but others that I really struggled with.

I think unless you are a diehard football fan (which I’m not) you’ll struggle to get in to this. There was a lot of background in the first few chapters and as someone without a huge interest in the sport I found it tough to get through. Once we got to the start of the romance story line the book did pick up but I just didn’t buy into the MCs as much as I’d have liked.

The romance was sweet and there was sections that I powered through but overall it fell a little flat for me.

The authors writing style was really enjoyable though so I’m keen to try one of her books that isn’t related to football to see if I enjoy that.

This book gives you major Ted Lasso vibes. This book can be slow to get through and sport talk can be in depth. When the romance came it was good but i was waiting around for it

I .hate givinga a books a little stars rating, but what can I say I just didn't feel this one.
I didn't connect to the MCs, to the storyline.
It was cute, but not for me.3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon books and Becky Ward for the e-arc
I’m not sure if it’s the fact I’m seriously missing football now the season is over but the football storyline felt quite nostalgic and filled that hole attending home games has left. That part of the story felt well fleshed out, whereas the romance seemed more of an afterthought.
The ending of the sorry felt less fleshed out and was rushed. Overall though if you’re a football fan and don’t mind some romance you should enjoy the story!

Could Lily and Ben actually have a public relationship?

Lily Crawford had been raised attending Hamcott Park football club matches with her father and sister. Their traditions changed when the owners of the team decided to move the team. But their response was to start a new team from scratch with amateur players resulting in Crawford United.

But everything changes when Millford City striker Ben Pryce shows up at a practice even though he’s been suspended from his team for six weeks. Ben needs an image change and maybe helping Crawford United would help? But there is something about Lily but she doesn’t want anybody to know especially her family.

I liked the beginning of Playing the Field and the end but the middle fell flat between Lilly and Ben. I would have given it 3 ½ stars if I could.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Very good. Loved the characters, felt they were very relatable. The story was just a perfect love story. Well written and the writing just flowed and I was surprised to have found myself at the end of the book.

I don't usually like to give low ratings but this book failed to hook me from the very start. Suffice to say I got to 20% of the book and the characters only talked about how to set up a new football team, how to get sponsorship and stuff like this. It felt more like an how-to book than a romcom.

When we got the romantic portion of the books - very, very little romantic portion - I didn't care for it. It didn't sweep me off my feet, it was not the centre of the book.

I hate third act break up trope, but this one was really stupid and pretty avoidable with a simple conversation.

I don't think this book should be compared to Icebreaker, The Cheat Sheet and Ted Lasso. The first two focused on the romance portion a lot, and Ted Lasso was funny end enjoyable. Everything this book is not.

Still, thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC, sorry it wasn't my cup of tea

This was such a cute and quick read. I really enjoyed the aspect of them creating a football team. It was a different story line I haven't read before and it captured my attention. Ben and Lily had wonderful chemistry and banter. The grumpy/sunshine trope was done really well and I enjoyed Ben's character. I always love a grumpy MMC. Also, the side characters added depth to the story that made it more enjoyable as a whole.

Thank you Becky Ward and, Netgalley, and Avon for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Firstly I found it a tad odd that Lily never formally introduced herself to Ben and yet he seemed to know her name.

I also found the way that texts were used in this book really confusing. It felt like there was just a lot more ‘telling’ then showing in throughout which meant that the story felt really bogged down. There were also a lot of characters, which is to be expected given the nature of the story but still felt confusing.

The romance aspect of the book felt underdeveloped which was a bit sad and it seemed like it would have a lot of potential.

Unfortunately this story just wasn’t quite for me.

Unfortunately, I didn't fall in love with this book but I did find the romance between Lily and Ben really cute. I did like the sense of community that it gave but I did find the writing style a little hard to follow at times, so it did take me awhile to read and I did have to keep retrying and going back to it.

After going back and forth on ratings, I decided on 2 stars.

Just starting the book was boring. There was too much information being thrown at you that I couldn't enjoy the story properly. I get that the book centers around this small family, creating their own team after their home team moved locations away from the fans. It just felt off with all the info being thrown in your face.

While the steam and spice were ok, I felt like the romance between the MMC and the FMC was so so. The book, in general, felt like a sports movie where the little guy wins but had a small secondary storyline of a romantic interest that he kisses at the end. My point with that analogy is that I would definitely not classify the book as a romance, and would I definitely not compare this book to Icebreaker!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC!

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. Whilst I thought the concept was really interesting and I loved the community vibes, the story felt very detached. I found the writing style was very fact-based, rather than descriptive, and it could be overwritten at times. It was like I was being told the logical feelings that a person could have if certain things were said to them, rather than being brought into the characters' lives and being made to feel what they were feeling. I wish the author the best of luck with the release though!

Really enjoyed this story! Such a cute, funny book. Loved the romance between Lily and Ben, although I do think the Romance is more of a subplot. The overall plot of the book was really enjoyable. I loved the team and really routed for them throughout. It was great to see them succeed in the end. The side-characters were great. Would definitely recommend this book!

Ben surprises everyone when he shows up to coach the team of amateurs Lily and her family have pulled together after their football team moved. He's the grumpy one, the one who has to remake his reputation while Lily is optimistic. I'm not a football fan but I did enjoy Ted Lasso and this has all those vibes, with a little rom com thrown in. It's a light fun read that will have you rooting for the team and the couple.

A fantastic novel, I loved the premise of this story. Its based upon the sale of Wimbledon in the early 2000's to Milton Keynes and the birth of AFC Wimbledon. I'm a big football fan, so it was good to see the start of getting a football club off the ground. I also enjoyed the fact hat once the football club had launched, they had a rocky start not winning any games, it takes ime for a side to gel together. I also enjoyed the secret, but not so secret by the end romance of Lily and Ben, not all footballers are naughty! Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

This was a cute romance with a sweet story of an underdog soccer team, set in England. I really liked the idea of the premise of fans setting up their own team and the challenges and logistics that comes with it.

The love story was ok and frankly I think detracted a little from the soccer team story, which was really the focus of the book. The writing was also juvenile at times, especially during the somewhat random romantic scenes that appeared earlier in the book (yet then not again). And the MC’s love interest did some things around the middle of the book as part of a PR stunt that somewhat got just accepted as is and never discussed again, which didn’t feel great for the MC.

Overall an easy light read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a Ted Lasso fan, I really enjoyed the premise of this and seeing a footballer with a bad reputation get his redemption. The romance was sweet and done really well. Great side characters and friends/family. Love seeing the underdog team be successful!
I liked that the romance was somewhat of a subplot versus being the whole focus.

I will post a review and edit on instagram on release day @thatbookishteach

This was a fun, light and fluffy sports romance book. It was an easy read and one I read in one evening. It was cute and enjoyable, but wasn’t anything groundbreaking or new. I would recommend for a fun, summer read x