The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon is allegedly a romance, but there isn't much romance in it. The book was very intriguing in the beginning, but it seemingly dragged on for way too long, and the characters started acting not like themselves. If you like books with little romance in them, this might be the book for you.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“When two people were equally determined to protect each other, it didn’t matter how often they spoke; some things went undiscussed.”


Okay, so The Only Game in Town was so freaking cute. With multiple POVs, it's hard to not have your favorite character or narrator. So much goes on in this small town that it's no surprise when people have friends, family, or rivalries. Especially when money is involved.

In a perfect world, the feuds would have given me life. But let's be honest here: I came here for the small-town romance between Jess and Carter. At first glance, they are complete opposites. She left her job in New York to come back home and take care of her dad. He is leaving his family empire and was probably the only one sad when his grandfather Jasper died. Which is why he is now in Redford, to mourn him.

The only twist is now the whole town is competing for 10 million dollars. They have to do it in pairs the entire time. Do they get to pick their own partner? No, absolutely not. Do these challenges get chaotic? Of course. I loved it all.

I honestly really enjoyed all these challenges because they helped work out the differences within each partnership. The romance was pretty cute too. I'm not sure I could pick a favorite character, but I can pick the one who had the most growth: Nikki. In the end, I definitely recommend the audiobook for this!

This book was a delightful read! The story follows Jess, who returns to her quirky hometown to compete in a high-stakes game that could change her life. Waldon’s charming writing and engaging plot make this book hard to put down. Jess’s journey of self-discovery and the colorful cast of characters add depth and warmth to the story. A fantastic pick for anyone looking for a fun and heartwarming escape!

I love a small town. I typically read small town romance, but I loved how this felt difference than most that I've read. I have recommended my library's book club read this!

I found this book to be very sweet! I loved how insightful it was! I loved the relationships here from romantic to plutonic ones.
It's such an enjoyable read.

I love Lacie Waldon. Her books are always amazing and I’ve read her other two books multiple times each. So I knew going into this book was going to be amazing! And it was. It was her funniest book yet and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

This is such a fun, fun, small town romance. There’s quirky characters and the romance itself is charming from the beginning to the end.

Loved this book!

I loved the vibe this book has going on - fun filled and made my laugh a lot! It was very unique but I liked it. The fast pacedness was exactly what I needed ! If this is what you also need, do pick this book up!

This book is perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and lovers of small town romance. However, it just didn't work for me. I absolutely loved Lacie Waldon's previous two books, but this one was focused more on the small town than the romance, and those parts just didn't hold my interest as much. I am still very excited to see what Lacie Waldon does next!

I was ready to love this so much but unfortunately had to stop about 40% in due to unexpected discussions of illness. Otherwise it was a lovely book that is probably lots of fun for others!

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

This was a cute romcom. I read it in about a day and was entertained the whole time. Thank you for the advanced copy!

This book was not for me. I appreciate the publishers and netgalley giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I've loved Lacie Waldon's other titles but this one fell a bit flat. I just found the plot boring, and the characters were no help. I'd definitely still read any of her next titles though! I think for the right person, this could be a great read.

THIS ATE! As a fan of Waldon’s previous work I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint. I loved falling in love with the small town and all the characters. I also loved the opposites attract between Jess and Carter. THIS BOOK!!

I received a free e book in exchange for an honest review.

The book revolves around a series of competitions in order to win 10 Million dollars left by the honorary grandpa/benefactor of the small town.
This book felt like it was marketed as a romance but i just didn't get that. Plus when we did get romance it was closed door which felt underwhelming and out of nowhere. Overall I liked the story but I felt it was too all over the place to love it. I think this could have been a cute friendship book if they would have fleshed out Nikki and Jess' storyline more.

I can’t believe how heartwarming this book was! Every moment of reading it was so sweet and felt like being part of such a comforting story!

The Only Game In Town by Lacie Waldon is set in Redford, Georgia. Everyone knows everyone and everyone comes with a story. It's a small town that never changes. Or at least not until the towns eccentric benefactor Jasper Wilhelm suddenly dies and leaves the town an unforgettable challenge.

The town has been issued a massive, high-stakes game by Jasper where the winning duo will take home his entire fortune. In fact, he's already paired everyone up! Freelance writer Jess Reid finds herself paired up with her high school nemesis Nikki. There is also an out of towner joining in on the competition: Carter Barclay, Jasper's grandson. Everyone is immediate suspicious of Carter, especially Jess.

At the core of this story is a heartfelt look at small town life and the relationships that are formed. This competition tests these relationships. Some characters find themselves opposing others who they normally would be best friends with. Other characters find themselves healing old wounds. In the case of Jess and Carter, they end up spending alot of time together, challenging each other, and growing closer. Carter also starts to see what is so special about Redford and why his grandfather never wanted to leave. I really enjoyed watching all of the characters going through the competition and how they wound up rooting for their hometown girl to bring everything home.

The synopsis gives a hint at a romance between Jess and Carter and while they do grow closer, it is not the focus of the story. There is so much more going on. It is all easily connected and demonstrated how even if they were in competition of the people of Redford, Georgia always have each others backs. Although it was relatively easy to connect all the events of the book, the fact that there were four points of view through out did feel like overkill. Honestly the only points of view, I thought the book needed were Jess and Carter.

The Only Game in Town feels like a big hug and celebration of small towns and tight knit communities. In the background, there is always the temptation to do whatever it takes to win the competition which kept things adventurous. Yet overall it is all positive vibes making it a comfy cozy read to be enjoyed by all.

The Only Game in Town was quite a fun read. In the small town of Redford an older man (Jasper) dies and leaves a game for the town to compete to win $10 mil (in a pair). The pairs are all people who have previously had a fall out or didn't get along ever. It was very obvious Jasper picked these pairings on purpose to help people mend things and I was here for it. Kooky old rich men who die and leave wild games are always a win for me in books. His grandson Carter is also part of the game, and him and Jess start a connection. It was sweet and they suited each other well. I loved the town, and it's people so much, it would be such a delightful to visit. I love how everything worked out in the end, including who won the game and how everything went down. My only complaint is that Jess's dad has a secret, it comes out and it's super vague and other than saying that's why Jess needs to win the money, nothing much else is done with it.

This was definitely an interesting one - I liked that the trope here was a bit different than your usual enemies/rivals to lovers. Really liked that we got the POV from both the main characters and a couple of the side characters as well. There have been several times while reading books that I've wish that I could read what other characters were thinking or feeling so I absolutely loved that this book gave me exactly that. Really added more to the story/love story overall.

I have to start by saying that I absolutely ADORE Lacie Waldon and will read ANYTHING she writes. When I saw this book was announced I was so beyond excited and immediately requested a copy to read and review. The Only Game in Town was a fun ride in an adorable small town with a nice little dash of romance to round it out.

Jess Reid is an adorable character and I really fell in love with her. She's a little quirky and will do anything for those she loves - including competing in a wild game with her frenemie, Nikki, to win a life-changing amount of money. This book started off really strong and I developed attachments to the characters early on. The plot did start to slow down for me a bit in the middle and I could have done with a little more on the romance side. I did like that Nikki's perspective was thrown in and despite her hard exterior, she really was quite lovable overall. I honestly wouldn't have minded more to her story. The side characters were equally as lovable as the main characters and this whole book really had a heart-warming vibe.

It was a bit of a slow burn, which I don't always mind, but I think the pacing could have been picked up a little bit. I overall really enjoyed this book. It was cute and fun - just wasn't my favorite out of all of Lacie Waldon's books. It's definitely worth a read and will leave you smiling though.