‘Playing Flirty’ is a quick and easy rom-com that is nerdy, sexy and fun. I wouldn’t really classify this as an enemies-to-lovers story, because it is clear from the beginning (even when they refer to each other as ‘rival’ and ‘arch nemesis’) that the main characters genuinely like, and are attracted to, each other. The rivalry is gamesmanship. Their charged, playful banter is filled with joyful humor. And they have terrific chemistry. It is really enjoyable to watch their relationship evolve and progress.

The story is rounded out by a wonderful and supportive friend group, their weekly game nights, plenty of ‘Lord of the Rings’ references, and geeky costumes. And though it is integral to the plot, you don’t have to be a gamer or LOTR fan to enjoy this warm and light-hearted book. Even where the story ventures into some serious (and somewhat unnecessary) side plots, it never gets too bogged-down or loses its essence. And though the plot can be predictable, it avoids some of the most common and over-used relationship obstacles, providing a very welcomed freshness. It’s not complicated; it’s just cute and charming and a great choice for a feel-good romance.

Thank you to Forever/ Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. [‘Playing Flirty’ comes out on January 14, 2025.]

Reading this book was like a warm hug. I absolutely devoured this. I could barely put it down. It was the perfect mix of nerdy and sweet, i was kicking my feet and giggling the whole time. I could have done with a little more on page spice but honestly, the romance was so swoon worthy it wasnt even needed. Such a phenomenal read!

Shameez has quickly become one of my favourite fantasy authors, and I wasn't sure what to expect for her debut in a new genre - but she DELIVERED.

This book has heart and laughs and nerdy references and games and I'm obsessed with Rose and William.

The building tension and feelings were so well executed, and the conflicts were real and grounded with room for a happily ever after - the most important part of any romance!

This books was exactly what I needed. It is a super sweet nerdy romance with tons of Cos play and LotR moments. It is swoon worthy and full of tension and slow burn moments. As always I love my nemesis to lovers books and this one doesn't disappoint. Enjoy this. I highly recommend.

A very cute rom com. The characters were enjoyable and endearing. I want to know more about them and the fun games they played. Overall, it is a fun read as we got to know Rose , her friends and William.

Thank you to NetGalley for the great book!

Playing Flirty was super cute! If you're in the mood for a light romcom.

This was the first time I have read a book about games (board games, electronic, etc.) and I thought it was unique. I liked the concept and liked that it was something different for a romcom.

The characters were fun and relatable, especially Rose. If you've ever worked a corporate job, you'll see yourself in Rose. I thought her character was wholesome but no a pushover which I liked. William is perfect for the readers who love a broody nerd with a heart of gold. Rose and William had a great dynamic. I enjoyed their scenes together and felt they had good chemistry. I was surprised by the level of heat this had too! I mean the towel scene!!!

A very fun romcom!

Super cute and easy read! I really got into it and didn’t even notice it was fade to black until I read a review afterwards lol so you know it’s good!

I enjoyed this read - it was fun and sweet. The romance is unexpected for the main character, Rose, but i could see that William liked her! Rose slowly learns to choose for herself - and I loved the slow burn romance!

Playing Flirty is an adorable rom-com with a great group of friends and their weekly game nights! Rose and her friends take turns picking a game to play every week, and Rose has been dreaming up a board game of her own.
With William's help, she enters her game in a competition, and the two go from “playing nice” to becoming quite the team.

William and Rose had a great connection from the start, and their inside jokes were super cute!

This book handled Rose’s situation with her boss very well, and I loved that all her friends and colleagues had her back.

I wish Patrick had been less of a focus in the book. If Rose had broken up with him earlier, the transition to her romance with William would have been stronger, and I didn’t feel the need for Patrick to come back up later in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Playing Flirty. As a person who doesn't usually enjoy the romance genre for it being to clichèd and romanticised, this was a breath of fresh air. The story has relatable characters, depth of story, and friendship between genders. The story follows Rose, a non risk taker in a job she hates and a boyfriend who (definitely) is not that interested in her, with a long held dream of creating a board game that he ridicules. But it takes getting out of her comfort zone, in more areas than one, that get her to take back her power and take risks which change the trajectory of her life.
This is a feel good novel like no other, and while it gently tackles difficult subjects, the author manages to do this kindly, without too much heartbreak for the reader, and gives us our happy ending.
I highly recommend this novel for all feel good romance novel lovers who enjoy a side of slow burn and a dash of spice, and those who like a feel good novel regardless of its genre.
This was perfect for me in that this book was readable, enjoyable, relatable, and interesting.
I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to the publisher for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I could not love this book more if I tried. Rose is a nerd, complete with a spreadsheet of her life goals all mapped out for her life. After a chaotic nomadic childhood this is how she feels safe. But, then somewhere along the line she starts to realize that all the goals and plans she made for herself aren’t making her feel like they should. So she responds to an email in her inbox and decides to submit her board game to a contest and take a chance on her dreams. And the person who becomes her biggest supporter is not her boyfriend, but her archenemies William. William is her best friends brother, and a video game developer. Even though they fight all the time, he is the perfect person to help her get her game ready. But as they spend time together things start to change and Rose starts to question everything she thought she needed and wanted. This was such a wonderful dorky slow burn romance, with a perfect twist in it. I loved it so much and am now off to go see if she has written any other books. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

This was one of my favorite enemy to lover romances of the year! I loved all the nerdy aspects to the book as a fellow nerd myself. Rose and her close group of friends meet every week to have a board game night. However, her arch nemesis William is there who is the half-brother of her other friend Shaun. I loved their banter throughout the book and how it starts as pure dislike and slowly turns into something more. There is a cute twist to something about their past, which I figured out almost immediately.

It was neat reading about Rose making a board game, but I liked it even better when her and William joined as a team to work on it. William is such a dedicated and kind human once you get past his hard exterior. While they both have a little bit of a communication problem, I think they still make a great time in life and as board game partners!

There are other characters in the story, like her friends who are getting married. As well as Rose's toxic ex's. However, my favo

Thank you to netgalley for my early copy of this novel! This was so cute and fun, I really enjoyed the board game/game creation interest of both of our leads. Their banter, tension and feelings build-up I felt was enjoyable to read as well. There’s nothing much more to say beyond this being a cute romance that was super easy and an escape from reality to read!

I just finished this book this morning, and there was a lot of squealing and kicking my feet at how adorable Rosie and William are together.

I absolutely loved William as a cheerleader for Rosie in supporting her and not letting her see herself as less than she is.

Rosie was real and relatable. Their relationship was steamy but still so cute! I was definitely cheering for them the whole time.

The ending was exactly what I needed after a string of heavier twisting books.

This book was so sweet!! I love playing different types of games with friends, and although I don't play them as often, I feel like Playing Flirty reignited that love. This book really emphasizes the found family that comes with friends, knowing your self-worth, and fighting for the love that you deserve. Rosie and William were so cute (and hot!) together. I adored how obsessed with Rosie William was, even when he tried not to show it. Seeing him advocate and champion at every moment in the book was everything. I really saw myself in Rosie as well, and I enjoyed following her realize her self-worth when it came to her career and personal life. I'd rate this book 4.25 stars rounded up!

I adored this book. I was so lucky to get a ARC .Rom com that has you jumping up and down when they finally end up together at the end.
This has very fun plot that lot had me kicking my feet, and it had the great amount of emotional character backstory and growth. I need everyone reading this review to read it as soon as it comes out!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book and for inviting me to read it. I really enjoyed this book. It was nerdy which appealed to me. I loved the characters and the story. The author's writing made me keep reading until I finished the book. I absolutely loved and appreciated all of the Lord of the Rings references and jokes. I will be buying this for myself and recommending it to all of my book reading friends.

Playing Flirty is the swoon-worthy, nerdy and sexy rom-com I didn’t know I needed!

Rose has a life checklist and William, her best friend’s boyfriend’s brother, is absolutely not on that. In fact, she kind of hates him. All he does is mock her and loom over her. What a dreadful tall, sexy man! Too bad she has to see him during her friends’ routine board game nights.

Only, when Rose’s best friend get engaged, she’s stuck playing a new game with William. Playing Nice. The question is, who will win and what is the prize? Could the prize be love? *squee*

I absolutely adored this book. It was like drinking a cozy cup of tea with cake after a hard day. What an adorable book, relatable characters and the secondary cast all came together to make this a fabulous read. In addition to being a beautiful romance, Playing Flirty explores what it means to throw your life plans out the window and figure out what you truly want and who you really are.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Forever for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, I read Forever books and always feel warm after. I hope to read more! They have the best romance

This is such a fun book. A book about people who take their games seriously. I love the idea of a group of friends with a weekly game night, rotating games based on a different person's choice. This created the group dynamic that was central to this story. In the middle of this are Rose and William, who initially seem to bring out the worst in each other. Over the course of the book, as you come to know both Rose and William, you see their barbs are really flirting in disguise. The book is solely from Rose's point of view, but it was easy to determine William's point of view. There did seem to be a few extra things going that if the book was tightened up a bit, no one would notice were missing, but the story was well-paced and truly engaging. I finished reading after only a few hours, I had to know how they would get their happily ever after. I enjoyed this story and will look for more romantic comedies from this author. Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.