3.5 Rounded Up.

I received an advanced copy of The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon from the publisher Penguin Putnam through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Nothing ever happens in Redford, Georgia and Jess Reid loves it. She’s stayed in town when everyone else seemed on there way out to stay with her beloved father who raised her when her mother skipped town. However, when the town’s eccentric benefactor, Jasper Wilhelm dies and a high stakes competition is set up for his remaining funds, the catch? He’s already set them up with the person they like least. Also making things interesting is financial advisor Carter Barclay, Jasper’s grandson, who also must compete. Sparks will fly!

What I Loved: I really loved the vibes of this book and competition. It was zany and fun. I really loved a lot of the elements here, I loved the idea of the competition that pairs people who are feuding together. I loved the story here with Jess and Nikki (who is Jess’s bully) and some of the healing that goes along with that. I loved the relationship that Jess has with her dad and her dad’s wisdom. I loved the challenges and I loved some community building. I also totally bought into the chemistry between Jess and Carter.

What I Didn’t Like: Some of the conflict was annoying. There is a secret that comes to a head and I thought it didn’t need to be kept a secret and that the fallout was over dramatic. This really irked me. I also didn’t like some of the scheming, it made me mad.

Who Should Read It: People who like books centered around games. People who like books centered around small towns. People who like their romance mixed into competition.

Summary: An all out gain leads to surprising alliances and surprising feelings.

"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?"

Simply...

I loved everything about this book.

I'm going to try and compile this to make sense without giving too much away! 😂

First, I loved that two of the main characters were named Nikki (of course, we know that's like... the best name) and Jess (my sister's name). It made me chuckle anytime I saw "Nikki and Jess..." LOL

Second, I loved the multiple points of view. While the main focus was on Jess and Carter, I really appreciated the chapters dedicated to Nikki or Ross - it really filled in the holes and provided a thorough story.

Third, I really resonated with book Nikki and the relationship with her mom. Although things have changed for me over the years, my younger years weren't quite as pleasant.

And I love anything involving games and competition!

Mostly... this book is both heartbreaking at times but also like a warm hug most of the time.

Thank you Lacie, @putnambooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for this review!
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When Jasper Wilhelm dies, he includes a fun game in his will, a game that involves the whole town and his nephew Carter, and the winning partners get to take home the prize - Jasper’s fortune. Before his death, Jasper strategically paired the townspeople to include Carter. But when Carter and Jess, a local girl, start to be
come close, they also have to compete against each other and decide what they are willing to risk.

This book had the cutest small town vibes complete with a hilarious and quirky cast of characters. I thought the game was such a unique premise. The way the characters were paired led to a lot of individual character development as well as a sweet story of different people coming together in unexpected ways. The many different characters were a lot to keep track of in the beginning, and I would have liked more from the romance, but overall, I enjoyed this story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the advance copy.

The small town of Redford, GA is more than just a town, it's a family. The residents love each other like family, argue like family, tease each other like family, and at the end of the day, they always support each other like family. When the town's beneficiary dies, he leaves his inheritance of 10 million dollars to the town....kind of... They have to compete against each other in teams of two for the prize. The kicker is, their partners are assigned to them and happen to be the person they get along with least in the town.

Add a mysterious out of towner that is participating the games who just so happens to be the beneficiary's nephew as a potential love interest for the main character and I'm in!

I thought this book was refreshing and great! Completely unrealistic, but who cares! It was a very easy and quick fun read. Think perfect beach or lakeside read and you won't be disappointed. I loved the small town feel and how everyone supported each other, think Stars Hollow. I enjoyed the multiple POV (like 5 or 6 different POVs). It was definitely not what I was expecting as the book was marketed as romance, which like there was a little bit of that (zero spice but still cute), but it worked!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this story, the residents of Redford, Georgia are like a big family. They love each other, argue and feud like family. Jasper, the town's eccentric rich benefactor, realized this and devised a way to make the residents find a way to get along. On his death, he signed up the entire town to play a game for a grand prize of $10 million. The conditions were the rules were only known to his executor, his grandson was included in the game even though he was not a resident of the town, and they had to work in pairs that he had chosen. Jasper's grandson, Carter, finds it hard to believe that this is how he chose to spend his money but respects his grandfather's wishes. Jess, on the other hand, is annoyed that she is paired with Nikki, who has tortured her since high school. Along the way, many misunderstandings are cleared, and Jasper's wish for the town's residents to get along with each other is achieved. They continued to build a loving community. It was a great read, and beautiful to see the love Jess has for the town despite everything she has been going through. I enjoyed every second of this book.

Lacie Waldon is an outstanding romance and contemporary writer; The Only Game in Town features a small town, wonderful characters, and is a refreshing look at a beach read romance.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed the competition storyline and the small town setting. I liked all the characters, even the nemesis, and the multiple POVs. It was sweet, uplifting and emotional.

When I saw that this book advertised itself as a romance book meeting The Westing Games, I knew I had to check it out. The Westing Games is one of my favorite books from my childhood and one that I will even reread today.

While this book had some elements that were similar to The Westing Games, it lacked its charm and warmth and made me kind of slug through this book a bit. As always Lacie Waldon was able to craft an interesting story but, like with the previous two books I read by her, the plot lacked on the romance portion and felt more like a cookie-cutter women's fiction book than a true romance.

The challenges and overall game in this book were fun but it suffered from the lack-luster romance that was supposed to be at the center of it.

I just love a book that takes things readers expect to happen and does the opposite. Third act break up? Not this time! Loved it. Great and fun story.

I'm loving reading Lacie Waldon's books! They are always entertaining, heartfelt, and fun! Great story, great cast of characters, predictable but not always!

This was the sweetest small town romance and honestly, the romance was sweet but it's not even my favorite part of this book. The whole town, the eccentric millionaire, and the side characters make this book what it is. There is growth between the MC and the side characters. There is forgiveness, understanding, and new bonds formed. All of that takes place in conjunction with the romance.

I love the added perspectives as well. Hearing from some of the side characters is rare in a romance novel and I love the community feel it added to this book. Honestly, it's just a really fun lighthearted read. A great way to put a smile on your face. The whole thing is small town feel good romance at its best.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lacie Waldon's first two novels and so I was excited for The Only Game in Town despite the fact that the plot did not appeal to me at all. Unfortunately, it turns out I should have gone with my gut based on the description. The novel was fine, I just don't particularly enjoy cute small town romances or overly gimmicky plot devices, and this novel has both in spades. Because I wasn't able to care about the main plot I had trouble caring very much about the characters or their relationships.
That being said, small town romances are very popular and I know of many people for whom this would be a great choice, and I will be sure to recommend it to them. It was cute and a little silly with a great cast of characters and engages with some more serious issues in a thoughtful way.

Lacie Waldon is a sneaky romance author who seems to fly under the radar, but I've adored every one of her recent books! They always feature unique premises and she is excellent at bringing the story to life. The Only Game in Town is no different!

When a rich philanthropist from a small town dies, he leaves behind a "game" that every person in town can participate in...for a chance to win $10 million dollars!

Unfortunately, the teams are already picked and most of the townspeople find themselves with rivals, enemies, or former friends who no longer speak. Jess is paired with the woman who's tortured and bullied her her whole life. Lovely!

Carter, the man's grandson also finds himself as part of the game, and ends up shirking his responsibilities from back in the city. As he gets caught up in the game (and in Jess) he starts to wonder if his life in the city is what he really wants.

I just adored the wild and crazy events as part of the game and reading about all the different characters. This is heartwarming, sweet (with little spice) and just the perfect rom-com!

Wow! The Only Game in Town was such a refreshing take on small-town romances. <3 Many thanks to Putnam Books for approving me to read an early review copy.

The POV layout of TOGIT was so different, given that it was a romance. The book consists of the POVs of the male and female leads along with the FMC's father and arch nemesis' POV. The book followed such an sweet and adorable storyline. The high-stakes game plot was executed perfectly in my opinion. I loved reading about all of the challenges. One of my favorite things about small town romances is the community feeling associated with them, and this book was ALL ABOUT THAT. All of the character we met added their own charm and quirks to the story in their own unique ways. I think one of the reasons why I loved reading The Only Game In Town so much was because of how much it reminded me of Stars Hollow, the fictional town from the TV show Gilmore Girls. :') So if you're a fan of the show, be sure to add this to your tbrs!

The romance between Jess and Carter was great too! I loved seeing them connect even though they had very different personalities. The book read more like a women's fiction than a romance, but I had no problem with that.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

Heartwarming, quirky, and a speedy read with an adorable cast of characters and a fun premise. A great beach read!

This was a lovely, unique story! Lacie Waldon always writes such interesting and original stories.
Carter and Jess's romance story was kinda on the sidelines of this small-town, character development, contemporary fiction story. I have a hard time reading different (more than two) points of view, but I appreciated getting in the head of characters I had a hard time understanding/liking from someone else's POV!
I really enjoyed the small town, the quirky characters and their path to understanding/redemption in the eyes of others, the tender romance, and the excitement/nerves around the big, town-wide competition for an eccentric old man's desired outcome for his inheritance.
Thank you for the ARC!!!

The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon is a delightful and charming romance that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Set in a small town in Georgia, the story follows Jess Reid, a freelance editor who loves the safety and predictability of her hometown, and Carter Barclay, a financial advisor who unexpectedly finds himself in Redford to play a high-stakes game devised by the town's eccentric benefactor, Jasper Wilhelm.

As Jess and Carter are paired up for the game, they must learn to work together despite their differences and the sparks that fly between them. With the grand prize being Jasper's entire fortune, the tension builds as the deadline approaches and the stakes get higher.

Waldon has crafted a story full of heart, humor, and hijinks, with quirky and endearing characters that will make you feel like you're a part of the town. Jess and Carter's love story is sweet and entertaining, and the way they navigate their relationship amidst the chaos of the game is both realistic and satisfying.

Overall, The Only Game in Town is a fun and light-hearted read that will leave you feeling uplifted and happy. If you're a fan of small-town romances with a touch of humor, then this book is definitely for you.

I loved this book. It reminded of YA books that just had a good story. I wouldn't go into it expecting a particular genre or trope. There is some romance, but it's not only romance. There's also family and friends and community and figuring out your place. And there's humor and connection and growth. There are also fun challenges and activities as the town competed for a crazy inheritance! It was such a fun read that had me smiling throughout.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy. All opinions are my own. I will keep reading whatever Lacie Weldon writes!!

Unique take on small town romance novel. Loved reading about the Redford community and everyone’s involvement in the end. The romance in it is sub-plot. I was not a fan of the multiple POV, there was a lot of filler that could be condensed and still deliver the same message.

Overall, it was a decent family oriented bringing the community together book.

I was really excited for this book. The premise seemed like so much fun; I loved the idea of a small town competition with the suggestion of a love story.

However, this was a DNF for me. The characters were very juvenile, the plot about the town abandoning their day jobs for the competition felt very unrealistic, and I couldn’t understand the MC’s subservience to her nemesis. Breaking into the bar to make sandwiches was one thing - but then when her nemesis - who is her age - starts hitting on the MC’s Dad, I was done. The hint of a romance for the MC felt like an after thought and therefore lost any build up. There was too much focus on the nemesis who just felt too ridiculous to be a real person.

It’s possible the book gets better, and maybe it’s just not for me. I don’t want to ruin the experience for anyone else that might enjoy it more.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of the book. All opinions are my own.