An enjoyable but predictable story about a small town unwittingly dependent on the secret philanthropy of a local bon vivant. The residents of Redford, GA, are thrown into excitement and turmoil when its most prominent citizen dies leaving $10 million for the winners of his bizarre competition. Each team is a pair who have clashed in the past but must set aside their differences in physical and mental challenges, with one exception: the heir apparent from Atlanta is given a spot, causing everyone to wonder if the contest is rigged.

The story rotates through multiple perspectives, with the most interesting coming from the bad girl known for her razor-sharp tongue. Alas, we get more of the local Pollyanna-type’s perspective—cute but not as compelling a character arc.

3.5 stars

I would not call this a romcom. There are pov chapters of several characters in the town, not just the ‘couple.’ It’s cute, but lots going on, between the challenge and the relational dynamics of the town citizens.

Favorite lines
“I traded in my body obsession card to the Female Inadequacy Council for a perpetual dissatisfaction with my nails. So I can eat as much as I want, as long as I get regular manicures.” - lol a good comeback

“If the next challenge is crossing a lake in a boat carved from the wooden equivalent of Swiss cheese, our teams will be leading the pack.” - lol again, and I love Swiss cheese

“You knew where you belonged. You’re lucky. A lot of people don’t.” - I found that in New York (where the MC didn’t in this instance and moved back home), and I so hope others find a home for themselves too

“They’d moved on from arguing about yoga. (Bryce was in favor of any exercise that included napping on a map. Nikki was against it because she claimed flexibility was for people who’d given up on standing their ground.)” - again, pretty hilarious - and I don’t do yoga at all

“Sometimes you just want the wrong thing. And sometimes you’re not really sure you deserve anything better than that.” - Aw poor Nikki

“To belong was all she’d ever wanted. Not even to fit in or be liked, just to be connected to a group of people who were willing to live their lives with her.” - goals

A little too cute/cheesy for me - I tried to like it but it fell flat. I liked her previous novel better.

This was an interesting read. I was entertained throughout, although I thought the romance definitely took second (or even third) place to other elements of the book. It was also a bit cheesy at times, but a quick and easy read!

Thank you to @netgalley for my eARC of this book.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I love dual point of view books, but the random mix in of more characters is really hard for me to read. That and the story just wasn’t one I could get into. I’ve loved Lacey Walton’s books in the past. Sadly,
This just wasn’t one of them.

The Only Game in Town is the perfect summer romance. I loved reading another Lacie Walden book. This book has a slow-burn romance and I absolutely love a good slow-burn!! This is a romantic comedy with a small town competition perfect for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty but for an older audience.

I have loved all if Waldon’s books, and this is no exception. The small town and the competition made for such a delightful story with a fun and unique premise. I enjoyed every moment!

The plot of this one was unique (and could make a good Hallmark movie): a small town's eccentric benefactor devises a game and the winner inherits his estate; enter his grandson, the big city boy who never thought he'd find himself in a small town; romance ensues. My biggest gripe with this one was that it was too long – over 400 pages for a rom com is a bit too much, and the story dragged in parts because of it. Its wholesomeness, the town's characters, and the desire to find out how the competition ended redeemed it though, and overall it was a cute, cozy, small town romance.

The Only Game in Town was a good book! 3.5 stars from me.

I listened to the audio version and the audio was great and had a full cast!
The story follows Jess, Carter, Nikki, and Ross. It was fun to listen to on audio because of the full cast element. It is third person pov which was kind of a bummer, but that's ok.
Basically the story is about Jasper, the town rich guy (Carter's granddad) who passes away and leaves a frick ton of money to a duo in the town. The only catch is they have to play this crazy high stakes game in order to win the money. You learn that the duos are already chosen by Jasper and they must stick with their partner or they are disqualified. This is where it gets interesting because Jess and Nikki who are enemies (!! gasp !!) are teamed up together. Honestly their feuding was really funny.
There are elements to the story that are really heart felt and tug at you that I feel like made the story.

-4 povs
-3rd person pov
-high stakes game
-small town
-funny/witty
-insta love/connection
-strong father/daughter connection
-wholesome <3

Thanks NetGalley and Putnam for an e-arc!!!

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

If you're looking for a light-hearted feel-good read set in a small town with a bit of adventure then this is the book for you. It had me laughing from the first chapter and kept me engaged and entertained throughout. The town of Redford, GA gave me a little bit of Sweet Home Alabama vibes which I just loved. I fell in love with the main characters and couldn't help but root for them. I would have liked just a little more romance. To me, it read a little more like women's fiction. Overall though it was a great read and loved that little plot twist at the end.

This was such a cute small town romance. When the wealthiest man in town days he creates a game to decide who will win his money. But it becomes complicated when someone from town starts to develop feelings for the man's grandson. Can they compete against each other and remain in love?

While this wasn't my jam, it was definitely cute. The characters hit it off from the start and have a sweet relationship. The main character's conflict with her highschool bully was a bit...highschool for an adult, but maybe small towns are like that sometimes. While this is a romance, it focuses heavily on the quirky characters of a small town. I would recommend it to fans of Stars Hollow!

Such a good summer read! Loved the small town aspect and loved it was set in Georgia! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review! 4 stars!

I loved how unique this book felt.
I was so engrossed in this little town and all the quirky characters.
I cared about everyone’s situation and all the fun adventurous they went through.
Though not huge on the romance , I still felt like I was watching a sitcom and just everyone was so important.

Strongly strongly recommend d !!

I had really high hopes for this one. The premise seemed so fun. Overall, though, it kind of fell flat. The whole game w/ no points or rules really threw me for a loop and it was hard to get on board w/ the whole premise after that.

Lacie Waldon always fills her books with adventures and I enjoyed this one! The story felt a little rushed at times, and I would have loved seeing more of the characters rather than details of each event, but it was a heartwarming story and one I really enjoyed!

46. The Only Game in Town (Lacie Waldon)🎧

When Carter arrives in Redford, GA for his grandfather Jasper’s funeral, he meets hometown girl Jess. It’s revealed that Jasper has devised a “game” for the townspeople of Redford with winners winning his fortune. The game draw Carter and Jess closer, but can they continue what they’ve started when the game is over?

This was just a little all over the place…and I didn’t love it. It wasn’t super heavy on the romance - it was told in multiple POVs and not just Carter and Jess. Also, the romance did feel very insta-love, and those are never my favorites.

I loved this book. I wasn’t sure at first about the multiple POVs but all the characters really grew on me and I liked them all in their own ways. This was a fun, easy read, and just what I needed when I picked it up. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital ARC

Thank you #Netgalley

This was a cute read about a small town who are surprised to learn that when an elderly long time resident passes away, he left his inheritance to the town; but in the form of a game. Jasper, before he died, designed a game for the town to come together and play. Of course there were twists and turns, for instance the pairing of teams united people who were in conflict in hopes to bring peace.