This is my first book by Sara Jane Woodley. I was very impressed by the writing. I loved this story. It is a sweet/clean contemporary romcom.

I thought that the character were well developed and the bater was top notch! This had the right balance of rom and com! I laughed out loud several times.

There was also depth to the story. Lucy and Lachlan took us on a journey. The reader really saw the growth of the characters as the book progressed. I hope to get to visit with them again in future books!

I received a complimentary copy of the ebook from Netgalley. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

4.5 Stars rounded up!!
I thought this rom-com was so cute. I loved the small town, the forced proximity and I thought the relationship was precious. It had all the scenes I love without all the spice. I will definitely be picking up more from this author. The way she wrote banter made me actually love the slow burn trope. SO GOOD!!

I got an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC!

Super cute romcom! A nice and easy read.

Read if you like:
Grumpy x Sunshine
Small Town romance
He falls first
HEA
Clean romance

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

The Lying Game is an adorable story about two people with similar family drama growing up in a very small town.

While Lucy channels her past heartaches through positivity, Lachlan focuses on just working and carving out a life for himself. So, when suddenly everything changes at work and he is forced to take a break, he decides to return to the small town where he grew up and there is where he meets Lucy and everything changes.

I personally found this story charming and full of inspiringly thoughts about life priorities and their different meanings for different people. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy, once in a while, a steamy billionaire romance story, so this cute story surprisingly left me a warm felling at the end. Impossible not to be affected by Lucy’s positivism even if you wanted to roll your eyes at her at some point.

Well happy pub date. This was sooo sweet read. It is a sweet door closed, slow burn, grumpy vs sunshine romace wich I truly enjoyed readng it.
This is a first book in the series, and this is a great start of the series.
3.7 stars for me

Big thanks to Netgalley for this read.

The Lying Game is my kind of over the top, Grumpy/Sunshine, small town romance. It came perfectly stacked with the best trope's -forced proximity, slow-burn, opposites attract, ONE BED- and it also had the ideal number of Taylor Swift references (Lachlan is a certified swiftie). I found myself laughing out loud and smiling at the page more times than I could count. I mean... nothing makes me swoon more than a man giving a girl the nickname "princess".

The romance in this book is so well done, from the quick witted banter to the deep longing to be the best version of yourself. I truly ate it up. BUT what I loved even more, if possible, was the found family of the small town. Lucy has lost most of those closest to her biologically, but Cascade Point has taught her that blood doesn't always equal family.

After reading this book, I am prepared to move to Cascade Point and join the Wednesday bookclub, go to the farmers market, take walk (I will not be running)on the coast, and eating at the dinner. The writing is so well done, I genuinely felt like I found my own home within the story.

I could honestly write a 5 page essay about everything I loved about this book, but I will leave you with a brief synopsis and some of my favorite quotes for now-

Lucy, who is truly human sunshine personified, finds herself stranded on the side of the road after a date gone wrong. Her very own, "grumpy Clark Kent", Lachlan Chase (VP of a Dating App, who is on a forced vacation because, of a PR scandal), picks her up on his way to Cascade Point, thanks to his half-brother and Lucy's best friend calling in a favor (pls Beau and Jordy get together). Princess Belle (Lucy) and Mr. Kent (Lachlan), end up trapped at a crappy motel with only one vacancy left, the honeymoon suite, which, you can do the math- has only one bed. They end up playing Lucy's made up game, ‘the lying game’, to pass the time. Once they head towards Cascade Point the next morning, they suspect they'll go their separate ways, but has the ever so grumpy, Lachlan Chase, started to warm up to his sunshine road trip companion?

“Kids, say hello to my friend, Lachlan Chase. He’s the biggest Taylor Swift fan I know!”

"I purse my lips, feeling some sympathy for the grumpy man whose heart I’ve come to know is really in the right place."

“If I’ve learned anything over the years though, it’s that your family doesn’t need to be the people you’re related to by blood. You can choose your family, just as they choose you.”

A fab read, the story of Lachlan and Lucy, big city meets small town. I liked how it was told from both points of view. Hoping there will be more books in this series.

The Lying Game is your HEA, grumpy/sunshine small town feel clean romance. Definitely gives off Lorelei/Luke vibes.

Lachlan and Lucy meet and spend basically a day together with the expectation of never meeting again. But in a small town that’s (of course) impossible. Lachlan was forced to leave big city and go on vacation so he decides to visit his step brother to be close enough to return home at the drop of a hat. Lucy is the glue of Cascade Point (the Lorelei to stars hollow).

Lucy is your happy go lucky, sweet and patient female main character who adds color and chaos into Lachlan’s world and he’s ready to accept it, leaving him to reconsider his life choices. Lachlan is the “actions speak louder than words” male main character who finds himself falling for Lucy and Cascade Point.

Super cute, super quick read. Especially if you’re looking for quick romance.


I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This was a really enjoyable small town, grumpy/sunshine, RomCom. The witty banter between characters was fun, the romance was an endearing slow burn, and the main characters had back stories which provided depth in the midst of the overall light hearted vibes.

Lucy is a ray of sunshine from small town Cascade Point. She finds herself stranded in the rain after a disastrous date. Thanks to her BFF Jordy and her friend Beau, grumpy Lachlan Chase comes to her rescue. Lachlan is on his way to Cascade Point for some forced time off from his corporate job following a PR debacle. The story that follows gives us plenty of forced proximity, one bed in a motel room, small town life, endearing and witty side characters, family dynamics, friends made family, personal growth and transformation, and of course all the sparks and romance.

I am a sucker for a small town romance and a happily ever after. Add in some complexity and depth via backstories and family dynamics and I am hooked. This novel delivers on all fronts! The residents of Cascade Point are absolutely delightful. They are loyal, loving, and have each others backs. The side characters bring so much to the vibe of the story with their witty banter and support of the main characters. Lucy is just the sweetest ray of sunshine and Lachlan is so swoon worthy. I will definitely be on the lookout for future novels by this author, hopefully involving more characters from Cascade Point!

Thank you NetGalley, Sara Jane Woodley, and Eleventh Avenue Publishing for the eARC.

The Lying Game by Sara Jane Woodley is an adorable rom-com!
This was absolutely delightful. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were charming and witty.
The romance was so cute and the banter was top tier.
Sara Jane Woodley writes books with characters who feel like friends and that’s what I love most.

Thank You NetGalley and Eleventh Avenue Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

3.75 ⭐️

A very sweet and adorable rom-com!

This book follows Lucy and Lachlan. Trapped in a rundown motel, they didn't expect to see each other again, but fate had other plans. As their unexpected connection deepens, they navigate floods, lies, and moving in together, leading to surprising chemistry and a budding relationship with banter, tension, and unexpected sweetness in this romantic comedy.

Lucy is the personification of cinnamon roll and Lachlan is a softie underneath all his grumpy exterior. I really liked his character development, it was wholesome to read. They both fitted perfectly together. I sometimes couldn’t fully connect with the characters and found myself getting a bit bored with the storyline but, overall, this book is a very swoony romance with hallmark vibes!

Read if you like:
🏡 small town.
🏡 one bed.
🏡 forced proximity.
🏡 closed door romance.
🏡 slow-burn.
🏡 no third-act breakup.

Thank you to the author, Eleventh Avenue Publishing, Victory Editing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Lying Game by Sara Jane Woodley will be coming out on January 26th.

After an online dating scandal, Lachlan is forced to take a vacation while the media frenzy in L.A. dies down. He chooses a small town where his estranged family lives, and drives up. On the way there, he gets roped into taking a detour to pick up a friend of his half-brother: Lucy.

Lucy is a teacher with a sickeningly sweet sunshine disposition. After a bad date, she gets stranded at a bus station. Lachlan picks her up and they make the drive to Cascade Point. They get stuck at a motel during a storm and, to pass the time, play a lying game: making up random facts about themselves. The next morning they make it to Cascade Point, but can't stop thinking about each other.

This is closed door and dual POV.

Thank you to the author & NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

I saw a bunch of reader friends reading this one and loving it so I jumped on the bandwagon and read it as well. Talk about peer pressure. ;-) Just kidding! But I'm not kidding when I say that I was happy I grabbed a copy and read it. Lachlan and Lucy were just such fun characters. They definitely have a very unforgettable meet-cute. Poor Lucy, drenched in mud and stuck in Seattle with no ride home, not even a bus heading that way due to the crazy weather. Cue Lachlan! He happens to be heading to Cascade Point to visit his brother while on a break from work, he's going through Seattle at the perfect timing. Lucy absolutely cracked me up while she was trying to figure out why this stranger was trying to pick her up. Hahaha!

Lucy's luck goes from bad to worse when the roads are closed and there's only one run down motel to stay at where she and Lachlan are stuck sharing a room and bed. Don't worry, this is a sweet and clean romcom. Just a forced proximity and shared bed trope for two characters who are not keen on the idea! They just keep getting thrown together throughout the whole book and it just made me so happy! Their misery (ok they weren't really misery) was a win for us readers!

Lucy is all sunshine and happiness and the jewel of the town. Lachlan has a bit of a history and shuts himself off from what he has perceived is true. I loved watching them come together and help each other, especially Lucy helping Lachlan. He's in for some big revelations that will spin his world and give him much to think about.

Even though Lachlan is a bit of a grump, he's the sweetest and kindest grump you'll ever meet. There's just soooo much I want to say about both of these two characters. But I don't want to spoil anything. They're funny and kind and giving and just absolutely a delight!

And now I need to know more about his brother Beau's story! Anybody else excited for that one? *Raises hand*

Content: Clean. The characters share a bed a couple of times but it is perfectly clean and chaste. There are only kisses throughout the book. It is sweet and clean.

I received a copy from the publisher, Eleventh Avenue Publishing Inc., via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

This book could be a definition of “comfort reading”. Grumpy and sunshine comedy small town story witch makes readers feel better. I like Lachlan and Lucy love story it like meeting the old friend. Yes, it’s predictable but nevertheless cozy and funny. Something with starting with the lying game in very uncomfortable situations grow into something very special and precious.
Thanks NetGalley for providing ARC version of this book.

The Lying Game, is a romantic comedy brimming with warmth, wit, and undeniable chemistry. The author perfectly intertwines banter, tension, and a dash of humor, crafting a captivating narrative. If you love the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, roommates-to-lovers trope, and sweet romance without explicit content you'll find a truly delightful read within these pages. The story takes an unexpected turn when circumstances force them to become roommates. The chemistry between the polar opposite characters is both funny and heartwarming.

this book was really sweet and i liked the grumpy/sunshine vibes, but it wasn't anything special to me. the character development was pure perfection though!

thank you to netgalley and eleventh avenue publishing for the arc!

I absolutely love forced proximity and grumpy sunshine. The romance was so good! The loved the banter and the writing.

Forced proximity and grumpy sunshine is a few of my favorite tropes. This story was cute with relatable characters, can’t wait to read more by this author

Forced proximity/ Grumpy x sunshine / banter/ small town romance/ all these tropes wrapped together in this super sweet romance book !

Sara jane knows how to write small town romance because this is one of the best I have ever read. It feels like found family. the way the town takes care of each other? So wholesome. And the way Lachlan (MMC) was always helping somehow from fixing stuff in the house to helping in the library was super sweet.

Lachlan had a rough exterior he was closed off and his work was the most important thing to him. It was so fun seeing him out of his element in this new town and meeting Lucy ( a ray of sunshine and the complete opposite of him )
His character development was top-tier.
The banter between him & lucy was amazing. & This was grumpy/sunshine done 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

I just want to take a moment to appreciate the depth and the amazing development these characters had -
It was so well written. The author knew what she was doing 👏👏👏

AND THAT 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚... I teared up a bit-
It was super sweet. Lachlan and Lucy fit so perfectly together it's beautiful-

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5***

❤️❤️❤️❤️
4/5
Thank you Netgalley for this early review copy!
I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I’ve read by Sara Jane Woodley. This was no different. It’s a great light hearted fun romance.
Read if you enjoy…
-forced proximity
-grumpy/sunshine
-small towns
-hallmark movie vibes