Unfortunately this book has gone in my DNF pile. It just wasn't engaging me like it would have years ago when I first requested it. My reading tastes have changed a lot over the years as I've gotten older and unfortunately some of the books requested years ago have been affected by my reading tastes and the fact that a lot of books for younger audiences haven't been grasping my attention as of late. I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was a delight and it makes me sad that the series didn't continue. I thought that it was such a fun look at small town life and loved the characters in both books. This was such a sweet little romance loved Eric and Bri's story and it left my heart feeling so full.

cute!
I absolutely love me some good slow burn romance! There's nothing like reading about two people slowly falling fr each other, with each stolen glance, hidden words and kisses you saw coming from a mile away. The romance between Bri and Eric was like that. Although they were childhood friends, they had a falling out because of Bri's asshole boyfriend (now ex-boyfriend). I loved how they both found their way back to the kind of friendship they both desperately needed and how that oh-so-slowly turned into so much more.
And I just realised that this the second book in the series.. guess I'll go read the first one now.

I enjoyed the continuation of Lewis Creek crew! I am a huge fan of the friends to more trope. There were times that it did feel a little slow for me romance wise, but I still enjoyed the relationship.

Eric Perry and Bri Johnson have lived next door to each other for years. Now their senior year in high school is changing for both. For Eric he is dealing with his own pressure that he is putting on himself as becoming the baseball teams starting pitcher. Still this does not account for all of his drinking and the trouble that he has been getting in. Bri on the other hand has been dating the star center fielder who also happens to be a jerk and that has just taken her awhile to figure it out. After seeing Eric one night drunk she gives him a ride home so he does not get in trouble and wonders what happens to the time when they were friends. After the ride, the next day she has to put up with her boyfriend’s verbal snide, so she breaks up with him. The problem is he won’t let. Later when he starts something at a local restaurant Eric steps in and they fight. Afterwards Bri steps in with the coach because he was doing it on her behalf and he now must spend Saturdays at a community center. His parents also found out about all of his other troubles and besides being grounded he had to clean the chapel his father is the preacher at. The good thing about this story is for teens it shows overcoming your insecurities and also how you can reconnect with the friends you had when you were younger. They worked through their problems both helping each other. This story also dealt with today’s issues for young people in bulling through cell phones, and how friends of one because that person is more popular can make the other person’s life miserable. A very good story with good characters and a good story line. Overall a very good book.

Southern fiction is a genre I typically try to avoid, mostly due to the high chances of getting strong dialect, something I never care to read no matter the dialect. As such, I was suspicious of Michelle Smith’s debut Play On, but she won me over with a sweet romance and strong portrayal of depression. Game On lives up to the standard set by Smith’s debut. Once again, there’s a sweet romance but, more than that, there’s a beautiful portrayal of two slightly broken people. A bit darker than the fluffy cover, Game On touches on tough subjects with kindness and hope.


Eric Perry and Bri Johnson have, on the surface, a pretty typical friends to lovers/next door neighbor romance. Sure, they’re both hot and conveniently located for romance, but their bond really goes deeper than that. Both Eric and Bri are dealing with major self-confidence issues, in life and especially in terms of romance, because of their pasts. They both need someone who will actually care, who will build them up and remind them how awesome they are.

Eric’s the starting pitcher for baseball-obsessed Lewis Creek this year, now that Austin of Play On has graduated. (For those who don’t remember, like I didn’t, Eric’s also the younger brother of Brett, aka the gay guy who came out in Play On.) Though Eric has wanted to be starting pitcher, he’s also petrified. The town puts a ton of pressure on the team, and the pitcher gets the bulk of that. He’s not the talent that Austin was, and he’s also already a bit of a mess. His coach saved him from a drunk driving charge the year before, for example.

He also has a bad reputation, known for being a good time in the back of a truck. Obviously, Eric enjoys this, but it also makes him feel like shit about himself. For all his bad rep, he wishes he could have a steady girlfriend who liked him for more than sex. (It’s so much fun to see this arc on a guy.) Unfortunately, he’s afraid of relationships because his past girlfriends all cheated on him. He hears a lot that he’s just not “boyfriend material.” That one-two punch has Eric afraid of love, while also desperate for it.

Meanwhile, Bri’s got even worse shit going on. She’s been dating Matt, one of Eric’s teammates, for several months. Though it’s not called out in the text, Matt is so totally a psychopath. He was the perfect boyfriend for two months, sweet and loving. Two months in, he told her he loved her, which precipitated a steady decline. He began the process of tearing down her self-confidence by telling her she’s stupid, pulling her away from her friends (like Eric), and making sure she’s at his beck and call. Since Bri’s mother left and her dad now works as a truck driver and is frequently gone, Bri proved a good target. She finds the strength to break up with Matt and keep it that way (with help from her friend Becca, Eric, and Coach Taylor), but he’s done terrible things to her sense of self and her opinions of romance.

While I didn’t super get the feels from this, I loved the chilling honesty of Bri’s relationship with Matt, and it’s so sweet how Eric’s just the right person to build her back up. He’s not fixing her, but what she needs is someone who actually cares and he does. She also gets the additional support of his big, loving family. Meanwhile, her motivation and focus, as well as some truth bombs, help him start planning for his future and get past the crushing pressure. They have a really nice slow arc from friendship to romance.

Another thing that impresses me so much about this book is how well-developed the secondary characters are, particularly Eric’s family. They steal the show a bit. Eric’s a preacher’s kid, which normally would not be my favorite thing, but I love this family. Eric’s parents accept their kids: their openly gay son and their two “troubled” kids, busted regularly for drinking and sex (Eric and the oldest daughter). Even when Eric gets in big trouble, they are so loving. They discipline him, but there’s no yelling or condemnation, and they defend their children against snide comments from the congregation. It’s really beautiful.

Readers who enjoy Miranda Kenneally’s Hundred Oaks should definitely take a spin in Michelle Smith’s slightly more diverse Lewis Creek.

My Thoughts:

As a whole, I really enjoyed this sports romance! I am not a huge fan of baseball in real life but really love baseball in books! I think I just like seeing the love that characters, in this instance, Eric, have for the sport.

Eric has been struggling a bit, especially with his brother gone off to college. After some incidents, he is now stuck with community service -- with his next door neighbor and previous friend, Bri. I personally love the friends to more trope so I was all over this. Things have pulled them apart but now they're rediscovering their friendship as they're there for each other for different things. I really loved seeing them together -- they were just so perfect.

I did think this one was missing...Something. I just felt it didn't have the same spark as the previous book for some reason. Maybe it was the lack of a presence of close friends of the main characters? I know I loved the secondary characters a lot in the previous. However, all that being said, I still enjoyed it! I would recommend for anyone who loves small town or sporty romances, with a great focus on family too.

In short...

Game On was a sweet sporty romance -- even for those who may not like baseball! Eric and Bri are such a treat to see together. I know they'll put a smile on your face!