The book held much more than I originally thought, lots of deeper themes as well as a fun quirky romance. It was a very good read.

This is an absolutely charming little novel about the town of Redford and all its characters—and they are just that—characters. I loved how the story is set up by a competition and how it brings people (often those who never should've been paired together) together. Jess and Carter are absolutely fantastic, and Waldon did a great job writing the book from a variety of perspectives.

Ok, I absolutely adored this book. Small town vibes were immaculate and the crazy game was so much fun to watch.

I really loved getting to know everyone in the town. I liked seeing how the pairings of people who were once enemies moved into being friends after being in the competition. It was fun to see Jess and Nikki progress and become reluctant friends.

Onto Jess and Carter. It was nice to see their relationship grow. They tried to avoid it but just gave in.

I definitely teared up at a few moments when the town supported one another. And it just gave me such a warm and fuzzy feeling.

This is a super enjoyable read & I will definitely be recommending it to everyone. (4.5)

Y'all know me and my love for Lacie Waldon's books. They scratch weirdly specific literary itches for me - a rom-com that involves an in-depth look at the lives of flight attendants (The Layover), a semi more serious rom-com about a tight-knit friends group + an uptight perfectionist finally letting her hair loose (From the Jump), and a competition-based romance that's wholly original and endearing (The Only Game in Town).

The Only Game in Town is one of those romances where the focus isn't exclusively about the romance but the actual story. After a small town's benefactor passes, the town is split into pairs to compete for his ten million dollar fortune per his will. The catch? Everyone is paired with their "mortal enemy", the rules aren't strictly black and white, and among the contestants is the benefactor's rich grandson who is not a resident of the small town and whom everyone is convinced will win regardless.

Per Waldon's usual standards, this book is completely original. She has a gift for putting a refreshing spin on typical romance tropes by telling a story that's been done to death in a totally different and refreshing way. It's always a pleasure to read a new release from her. But unfortunately, *whispers* this wasn't the A+ Waldon book I was expecting and I didn't love this one.

Like I mentioned before, the romance takes a backseat in this romance novel, which is completely understandable considering how naturally complicated the A story is. But the romance itself... well... I didn't buy it. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC, it felt a little forced. Normally the "MC's from different social classes/opposites attract" trope works well, but here it was a tad flat.

Also, this is quite a long book, which normally I'd rejoice over but in this case, it really dragged on. Four competitions and several side stories will do that, though. But perhaps it's because I wasn't really engaged with the book. I love any competition-based storylines, but this one was tough to get through because there was so much to explain and set up and it felt like too much for me.

It honestly pains me to harshly critique one of her books so I'll do it fast: most of the conflict is organic but it's all resolved quite abruptly or dragged on for too long and could've been solved with a conversation. A lot of it felt repetitive or unnecessary. Four (!!!) alternating POVs that were very distracting or disorienting at times.

But what I did love about it: the writing style. The quirky FMC and the grumpy, stoic MMC. The small town vibes ala Gilmore Girls. The attention to detail about town lore and personality quirks. A feel-good story with heartfelt backstories and memorable scenes. (I am craving all the sandwiches Jess and Nikki made during the first game!)

With that said, it's unfortunately a 3.5 star read for me. Plenty of people will love this, but sadly it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Putnam / Penguin Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: March 21, 2023

The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon was heartwarming. I love reading books about love and this romance novel was about more than just boy meets girl love. This story was about the love of a town and its residents who were all quirky and fun to get to know. It was about the love of a parent and a child, the love of friendship and the love of community. Lacie Waldon did a great job of bringing the town of Redford to life in this novel. If you have ever loved the TV series 'Heart of Dixie' this book gives me all those same small town, big love type of vibes. I was left in suspense of how the "challenge" would play out and who would come away the big winner but my favorite part of the this novel was of course Jess and Carter's love story. The opposites attract chemistry and witty banter was a delight and I found myself smiling throughout the book. Butch and Bonnie were a great team and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their romance unfold. I would have preferred a few more pages dedicated solely to Jess and Carters relationship development this novel was always meant to be more than the telling of one couples story. I have read all of Lacie Waldon's novels and she is quickly coming an "auto-buy" author for me. "From the Jump" was one of my favorite reads of 2022. If 'The Only Game in Town' is the first book your have read by the talented Ms. Waldon I would encourage you to read the others. Thank you so much NetGalley and Putnam Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of 'The Only Game in Town' in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. Romance readers, you don't want to miss this one!

3.5 stars- for those whom love the small town atmosphere (think Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls), this one is for you. the only caveat is that at 416 pages, this is no quick read. at times, it felt a bit long. thanks Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Lacie Waldon does it again! While definitely a different focus than her previous two books (I.e. not focused on the romance), it was still a refreshing and fun read! I was getting major Stars Hollow vibes with the small town (Gilmore Girls, anyone?) and I loved getting to read about all the different townspeople. As long as you know it's less romance-focused going into it, this is a great book to pick up when you need a little break from the real world!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute. That’s all this is: cute. Well, maybe cute and sappy in a very Hallmark movie style. If those movies are your vibe, you’ll probably adore it. Unfortunately, for me, it was just too caper-esque. The plot with the whole town competing for millions of dollars paired up with a partner they hate was too contrived and unrealistic. I also felt like the character development was pretty shallow and the writing was pretty simplistic. Just not my cup of tea but I’m sure there are other readers who will enjoy this feel good story.

I love books that switch between POV's and this book did exactly that, plus we got some side character POV's sprinkled in as well.

.When the town eccentric, wealthy man dies, he devises a game that pairs town residents with each other to compete for a $10 million dollar prize split between two people. Think "The Westing Game" vibes + Romance. Who could want more? I loved this book so much! The romance centers around Jess, who is a local girl, and Carter, the grandson of the deceased. I won't say more than that, as I really don't want to spoil anything, but their meet-cute, budding romance and the subsequent competition had me hooked from the beginning and the ending did not disappoint. I can't wait to read more books from Lacie Waldon and will definitely be recommending to all my friends once this is published.

I was provided by an ARC of The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon courtesy of Putnam books, in exchange for an honest review.

Jess moved back to her hometown after college to be closer to her dad after giving up a dream editing job after college. The small town is exactly what you imagined it to be - full of gossip, neighborly feuds, and people whom you've grown up with that have never left said small town. But when the resident wealthy major of the town dies, he leaves his fortune to the residents of Redford by playing a game. Along the way will feuds be ended, or romances be started all while competing for $10 million dollars.

I am a super fan of Lacie Waldon and her books. Such an easy read with a story that makes you not want to put down the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was very cute and heartwarming. It's about a small town, with a rich resident, who upon passing has the town compete in a game for a chance to win some of his inheritance. His grandson is also included in the competition, although he doesn't live there. The game involves all sorts of competitions, pitting members of the town against each other and forcing people who don't get along to work together to compete. The end is quite sweet, although a little predictable but worth the read!

I had high hopes for this book. I loved both of Lacie Waldon's previous books, and this book had a very cute premise. Unfortunately, this one just didn't come together for me.

The Only Game in Town is set in the small town of Redford, GA. When the town eccentric, wealthy man dies, he devises a game that pairs town residents with each other to compete for a 10 million dollar prize. This story mainly follows Jess, a local girl, and Carter, the grandson of the deceased, as they meet, compete, and fall in love. There are also tons of other story lines about the town residents.

This story was trying to do too much, and I never got invested in any of the characters. There were so many locals that they all kind of blurred together. Jess and Carter, the main characters, were both a total bore. I didn't feel like they had any chemistry, and the closed door scene definitely didn't help. I actually liked the story of Jess's nemesis and teammate, Nikki, much better, although even that story really had more potential than payoff in the end. The game part of the book brought some fun scenes that helped the pacing of this book out.

I'm sad this wasn't a hit for me. Judging by the other reviews, this is a "me not clicking with this particular book" issue. I will continue to read Lacie Waldon since all her previous books have been great for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

While I have loved all of Lacie Waldon’s previous books, unfortunately, The Only Game in Town did not step up to the same bar for me. It is a cute small town romance that provides a lot of nostalgia to which some readers may relate, but I had a hard time connecting with this storyline. Walston’s still delivers a writing style that I enjoy with fun banter among the characters and unique plots. However, I typically prefer rom coms that are realistic and relatable and this one was a little too quirky and far-fetched. If you enjoy and over-the-too adventure in a small town, with a little romance thrown in, this one is for you! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Warning: the romance in The Only Game in Town is very much secondary to the It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-esque subplot featuring many small-town characters getting involved in a huge contest that will determine their future wealth and the health of their wacky small town. I enjoyed the quirky small-town feeling of it all, which is why I’m recommending it, but the romance is not a central fixture of the narrative.

Freelance editor Jessica Reid is forging her own pathway in her rural hometown of Redford, Georgia. She likes her job, the people who live there, and her gruff mechanic dad – but her orderly world is thrown into chaos out of the blue.

That would be because the town’s richest and most eccentric citizen, Jasper Wilhelm, has passed away and willed his fortune to the townspeople, if they’re willing to compete for it. Enter Jasper’s big city-living grandson, financial advisor Carter. The last thing he wants to do is dictate the game-playing and how it will go, but as Jasper’s next of kin, it falls to him to guide the situation. The inhabitants of Redford split up into teams and compete for the million plus dollar prize, and all the while, Jess and Carter begin to fall in love. But what will happen when the last contest is finished and it’s time for Carter to go home?

What makes The Only Game in Town work are its sense of character, humor and adventure. There are rivalries here – friendships, too - that are decades old and the background is the romance between Jess and Carter, both likable individuals whose slow road toward each other makes sense. I related deeply to Jess and her love of her rural home town and desire to (and convergent wish to never have to) leave it.

You’re bound to get involved emotionally here – in the challenges at hand and in the lives of the characters we meet. You’ll have a favorite team and root for them to come out on top, even when the odds feel like they’re at their most impossible.

While The Only Game in Town isn’t a genre romance novel, it definitely has some romance thrown in – and along the way you get to meet some awesome people and laugh yourself sore as they try to gain a lucrative foothold in the world. It’s a fine little novel, and quite easy to like.

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This was my third Lacie Waldron novel and I have loved every single one of them! This book is about a town who must engage in a competition for the fortune of the town's eccentric benefactor after he has passed away. His grandson, Carter, has come to town to check up on his grandfather's town and the reason for the money to be left to the town via a series of games. Carter competes with Jess and they find themselves growing closer.

This town is full of such colorful characters! The way Jasper has paired them up is hilarious and the way that Carter interacts with them (or they with him) makes for a great story. You can smell a romance brewing with Jess and the way the story comes together in the end is a masterpiece. It's a different plot than Waldron's other stories, but it just works.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not the biggest fan of this one unfortunately. I’ve loved everything Lacie Waldon has written in the past but this one wasn’t my fav.

This was a very adventure esque romance book where the romance almost felt like a sub-plot (which is great in some books but not this one:(). Essentially this book is about a man who dies and leaves his whole fortune to a town. So I’m order to win fortune (10 million baby), the townspeople play a series of games, until there is only one team left (with 2 people). And you guessed it, the winning team will win 10 mil. There’s some romance sprinkled in with lots of family dynamics and a whole lot of quirky small town.

I couldn’t connect with the story and found the third person POV’s hard to follow (we get like 3 different povs).

Overall, if you liked something wilder by Christina Lauren, you’ll like this. But if you’re like me and you didn’t, then probably skip this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for an ARC <3

My love for small towns that resemble Stars Hollow knows no bounds, and I do love myself a rom-com. This was both. I liked this book way more than I expected to. It's adorable and fun and I flew through it in only a couple of sittings. What really stood out were the characters- they had so much more depth than your typical rom-com and I felt myself really invested in their happiness.
In short, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

I really adored this quirky rom com. This small town romance is full of eccentric characters, funny banter, a very endearing, slow burn romance and life lessons about family, home and the importance of putting down roots.

When the town of Redford loses their kind and wealthy community member, they are surprised to learn that Jasper Wilhelm has set up a competition with 10 million dollars as the prize. All the townspeople of Redford are invited to participate. Jasper’s handsome grandson Carter, who is in town for the funeral, is included in the competition. He also catches the eye of long time resident Jessica. Sparks fly, unlikely teammates are formed, and hilarious antics begin as the competition starts.

I love the crazy characters and love how this small town is more than just home to the people that live there…it is family. I also love the sweet romance between Jess and Carter. This story is full of heart and emotion.
I enjoyed my time in Redford, Georgia.

“Isn’t that strange? How can the smallest town I’ve ever been to give me the largest glimpse of the world I’ve ever seen?”

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The only game in town by Lacie Waldon

In short, I really enjoyed The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon. It was hilarious and sucked me in right away. I read it in two weeks, which is really fast for me. Every time I put it down, I wanted to pick it right back up. The romance, comedy, and relationships kept me captivated.

The characters were relatable and had depth. My favorite character was Jess. The way she went down the mountain in the Barbie jeep was everything. I could see her flying in my head with a giant smile on her face and the wind in her hair. I really felt like I was there with them. It made me want to live my life with abandon like she does.

This is the story of a small town Georgian millionaire (Jasper) who dies and in his will he leaves a game for the town to compete in to see who will win his fortune. Everyone is eligible and the stakes are high. The catch - everyone is paired up with their enemy and must share the prize. This is Jasper’s way of bringing the town together.

Our main character, Jess is paired up with her nemesis, Nikki. Carter (who is the benefactor’s grandson, little does anyone know), is paired up with Bryce (who is super funny and a local bartender). Carter has come back to town to handle his grandfather’s death and is keeping it quiet.

Jess would do just about anything to win the money so she can help her family. Nikki feels the same, so they put aside their differences to team up and win the money. Not without some snark, of course. Which is hilarious, witty and endlessly entertaining. Nikki goes all out to win each round.

Bryce and Carter start helping Jess and Nikki and the four of them team up to knock out other players. It’s obvious they’re helping them due to Carter’s enormous crush on Jess, which is sweet. He wants her to win the money, but fears his grandpa set him up to win the money. Jasper has set him with a task for the town, but Carter is too sad to go through with it yet.

Jess and Carter’s relationship is cute and genuinely very sweet. They get to know each other well and in the end have to decide what they’ll sacrifice for love.

I love this author and enjoy her books a lot. They’re light and cozy romance reads. They always make me smile and laugh out loud. This one also made me tear up and feel the feels, which was wonderful. I throughly enjoyed the multi-POV. Highly recommend! 4/5 stars.

Romcom, small town love, quadruple POV, quirky, funny, fast paced

Note: I received this book as an advanced reader copy from netgalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

Big city boy (Carter), small town girl (Jess), 10 million dollars to win following the completion of some clever team challeneges and a Gilmore Girls/Hart of Dixie setting. Y'all, I don't think this could have been cuter if it tried.

When Carter first got to Redford, Georgia for his (estranged) grandfather Jasper's funeral, he saves Jess from one heck of a Lemon Breland type mean girls encounter, a la George Tucker if we're being honest. Jess proceeds to give him a tour of the town, the eccentric side characters that you wouldn't question finding in Stars Hollow 🤣. The two strike a fast friendship and romantic attraction that you can't help but root for from the get go.

It's shared at the funeral that Carter's grandfather had not only left his fortune to the town, but its residents have been paired up with their enemies to compete through a series of challenges to compete for said fortune.

I loved watching how Carter integrated with the town, and how Jess IS Redford. The silliness of the challenges culminating in a Luke Danes esque pulling the town together at the last minute to send off Rory get together.

This story included a 3rd person, quadruple POV, though most were from Jess and Carter's perspectives and I loved being able to see how their friendship continued to build and build into eventually something more. Also the epilogue!! 🥰🥲🥰

The Only Game In Town melds two of my absolute favorite comfort shows with the hug feeling of a hallmark movie and I cannot wait for a reread!


Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!