This friends to lovers slow burn was such an easy and satisfying read. Loved so much about how awkward it might be to start a relationship with someone you've been friends with for ages and work with. lol. Very enjoyable. Loved the grandma.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed Grayson’s first book but this was not my favorite read! I am just not a huge fan of friends and lovers and slow burn (that lasts years), it’s just too much for me.

Overall it was a good, clean read but not one that I will read again!

I really enjoyed this book! It was an engaging read from start to finish, and I found it incredibly accessible. The writing was easy to follow, and I appreciated how the story kept me hooked without feeling overwhelming. Overall, it was a great experience, and I definitely recommend it!

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

I do adore a friends to lovers romance, so this always going to be my jam. What I loved about this one was the slow burn journey that Kate and Malcolm went on. I loved that the path they took to get to where they were going was full of some unexpected hurdles, and I loved that throughout they had a friendship grounded in genuine care and love. It was a sweet, little read, and I really dug their journey to finding love. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this June 2024 release!

This was a rollercoaster, I laughed and huffed. I enjoyed it.
Malcolm and Kate were hilarious! And this book had also some serious topics like PTSD and trauma.
So good!

When he is secretly in love with the MFC you know the story is going to be great. She swears off dating after failed relationships and Malcolm is right there longing for her the whole time. Eeek! Loved this!

First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Grayson Long for the opportunity review this ARC of "Playing The Field".

This story follows Kate and Malcolm, two friends who after years of non dating catch feelings.
I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy any romance books, although there were times that I felt the narrative was a little repetitive.
There was miscommunication between the two. which I enjoyed, there was just enough to make you feel for the characters but not too much that you'd look at the book and think "What are you thinking/doing!?"

All in all, this was a cute little friends to lovers, small town, slow burn romance

The perfect friends to lovers romance! A sweet read for summer.
The love story between the main characters was wonderful.

I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Grayson Long for the early access copy of Playing the Field.

Playing the Field tells the story of Kate and Malcom. Kate is a free-spirit, who after a bad break-up swears off dating. Malcom prefers keeping to himself. That is until Kate unexpectedly interjects herself into his life, Malcom can’t seem to get enough of Kate. After five-years of friendship, and years of swearing off dating, Kate decides it’s time to start dating again. With the help of meddling friends, a work trip, and of course mishaps, will Kate realize what is right in front of her?

This is a slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance.

So, Kate and Malcolm are cute but the book was so boring and repetitive. I do like miscommunication but it was just too much in this book. They are supposed to be best friends but it seems like they don't talk that much.

I received an arc through netgalley.

How to convince your best friend for years, that she should take a chance on love with you. Everyone sees that Malcolm is in love with Kate but her. Everything that Kate wants in her life is to be loved but will she take a leap of faith and give Malcolm a chance? I love this sweet high school teacher grump romance. Malcolm is a very lovable grump and easy to love, Kate is funnily distressed and sometimes frustrating but she finds courage in the end to fight for love.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgalley

Book 2 of The Glendale Series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Book Tropes:
🐥 friends to lovers slow burn
🐥 pining!
🐥 forced proximity, one bed
🐥 fun work group and friends
🐥 he falls first and is so far gone for her :)
🐥 FMC who struggles with feeling unloveable
🐥 Lola with a TikTok obsession
🐥 chick named Nugget

Closed Door Romance with slow burn and I wish they would've communicated their feelings more.

SUUUUUUCH A SWEET BOOK!!! 💕

I am typically not a fan of the sweet boy tropes but I was hooked on this book. The relationship between these two characters were so loving in their friendship. I was constantly highlighting sections of the book because of all of the cute moments that they shared.

Find 👏🏼you 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 man 👏🏼 like 👏🏼 Malcom 👏🏼

I was dying at his every line. Don’t get me wrong Kate was good too but Malcom poured his heart and souls out to her. His feelings were so genuine but then also hearing his internal battles pulled at my heartstrings. However, I did with there were a bit more of those moments. I aching was sprinkled in there but there were cry moment opportunities that just missed by a hair.

Really good read, I was pleasantly surprised.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC copy!

Best friends to FINALLY figuring it out lovers. Slow paced but scratched the itch. I think everyone needs to add this book to their TBR. You can't go wrong.

I read as a standalone but cannot wait to add the remainder of the Glendale series to my TBR as their own standalones. If all of their books read as this one does, I think Grayson Long is one of my new favorite palette cleansing authors.

This was incredibly cute! I adore these tropes, and the book was delightfully hilarious. He really was completely boy-obsessed. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a charming, uplifting read with a male main character who embodies green flags all the way through.

This book was so fun! It is friends to lovers and I absolutely loved their relationship! The setting in this book is great for summer time!

All my favorite book tropes!! Can never go wrong with them! Loved the dynamics of the characters and the whole story. Very cute read. Highly recommend!

This was so cute and fun! I wasn’t sure what to expect but I ended up really enjoying this book. Playing the Field is written by Grayson Long and it is a sweet romantic comedy.
Kate was an interesting character and she did have to grow on me a bit. However I liked Malcolm from the start. Kate and Malcholm became friends after a chance encounter and they have stuck by each other ever since. I liked the easy interactions and banter that they had together. They knew each other well.
They both had a lot of trauma that they had to work through because of their past. Kate had to see that she was enough and Malcolm had to learn to let Kate in. There were definitely some obstacles that stood in their way as they navigated their feelings for each other and their situations in life.
The plot was definitely driven by their love story but it was still enjoyable to read. I really liked the side characters, especially the high schoolers that Kate and Malcolm interacted with. The kids were so sweet. Malcolm and Kate’s friends were also really funny.
Playing the Field is a closed door romantic comedy. I would recommend it to those who enjoy rom-coms with hints of seriousness in between.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.

Unfortunately, this book was not my favorite. I found it to be really dense and in need of cutting some unnecessary scenes as it felt like it took too long to get to the meat of the story.

I can see others really enjoying this book but it just wasn't for me.