When the quirky town benefactor passes away, he sets up a game for the zany small town residents to participate in to win his money. Carter, his grandson, thinks the game is rigged in his favor but he can’t help but feel guilty as he falls for one of the residents, Jess. Jess is determined to win, even being partnered up with her nemesis. Will the game bring the townspeople closer together or tear them apart?

This was such a fun read. I loved all the characters in the small town. They each felt like they could be my own neighbors. Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

DNF! The premise didn’t interest me, I wasn’t hooked by the beginning at all & unfortunately I’ve seen some negative reviews from other bookstagrammers I trust — so I’m going to move on to another book. I liked THE LAYOVER by this author though, so I do think I’ll give her another try with FROM THE JUMP.

3.5 stars RTC
Jess moved back home to her small town Georgia life and to be near her father. She's barely making ends meet but loves her surroundings and neighbors, with only the exception of mean girl, Nikki. Being paired with Nikki in a game to win 10 million dollars is just one nightmare among many for the locals. Add in a stranger, Carter, and everyone is feeling competitive and grumpy.
While this isn't my favorite Lacie book, I did find enjoyment in scenes throughout: the sandwiches, jeeps, and night-time chats, for example. I don't understand the need for Ross's POV and the abundance of character introductions made for a semi-rough beginning. I loved Lacie's previous travel romances so I pushed through and thought the second half was much more in line with my expectations. She has a knack for fun and quirky characters.
Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I've given this author's books four and five stars and was excited to dive into this third one! I think I had a bit too high of expectations. I did have a good time reading and the concept was really fun. The multiple POVs seemed a bit random at first, but started to make a little more sense as the story continued.

The romance was a bit more of a slow burn, which I don't normally go for but I liked these characters. Yes the ending was a little bit cheesy, but it really had me grinning and chuckling.

Overall, I'll continue to pick up this authors books and will recommend them to fellow readers!

3.5 stars rounded up

I absolutely adored Waldron’s previous novel, so I was very excited to read this one. While I enjoyed it, it wasn’t as much of a hit for me. The small town is charming and there are some fun characters here. That being said, the whole premise is so unlikely and the main character is just SO quirky that it had me rolling my eyes at times. And the love interest simply didn’t have enough chemistry to make it up for me. The book was fine, but won’t stick with me.

Small town romance? A town-wide game? Opposites attract? What's not to like? This was such a sweet, fun, wholesome read and I ate up every minute of it.

The Only Game in Town has all of the tropes/vibes you love in a typical small town romance, but it also goes above and beyond with a unique voice that absolutely captivated me. For example, this novel is multi-POV and features the perspectives of people outside of the main couple. This isn't something I've ever seen in a romcom and I loved it.

If you're looking for a fun spring/summer read, consider The Only Game in Town!

-----4/5 stars

Thank you to netgalley and the penguin for providing me a with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun, sweet read. I really liked the set up of alternating chapters between the point of view of the main characters as well as the supporting characters. It felt like it rounded out the story well. It was fun to follow the scavenger hunt game while also watching Jess and Carter connect. The small town setting was a perfect backdrop to showcase a variety of great personalities and amusing interactions. I loved Lacie Waldon's last book so I had high expectations going into this new one. They were met or exceeded! I can't wait to read her next work. Thanks to Lacie Waldon, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun quirky adventure! I love a good posthumous request in a will. In this case having the whole town to compete against a very large sum that everyone actually needs to help with career, health or vanity.
Although the deceased knew what he was doing and paired up those that have either had a long standing grudge or just plain hated each other trying to get them to force proximity them into empathy and friendship. And for the most part it worked but there are just some nasty people that are just mean.
The romance was sweet and I love a good bar meet cute. The challenges were fun and silly too.

Thank you putnambooks

Sweet small town story with a slow burn romance thrown in. I loved the town and the game that was being played kept the story interesting. The romance aspect, which is not the major storyline in the book, felt very realistic. This was my first book by this author, but I will definitely read more from her.

The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon is another great rom-com. This was a cute, small town romance. Each character was funny and relatable. It was predictable enough you know you’ll be happy, while keeping enough plot twists to actually keep you reading. I have read other books from this author and she always delivers. Highly recommend this and her other books!

Lacie Waldon does it again! The Only Game in Town is romantic without explicit scenes, appropriate for all. It is a great story of coming together and success. Characters are appropriately developed, relatable and believable.

Such a fun read! I loved this story. More than a romance, this is a story about community, family, and the lengths people will go to to take care of their own. The romance between Carter and Jess is fun and wonderful, but the best part of the book was how Waldon interwove all these different people into one cohesive story.

Another delightful adventure from Lacie Waldo’s! Definitely recommend this one for fans of romance with a twist on the outdoor adventures

this book was only alright. Couldn't really get into it so didn't end up finishing it. Haven't read any of her other books so maybe it was just this one.

Thank you to Putnam Books for the complimentary copy of The Only Game in Town.

Redford, Georgia, is a small town with Southern charm where rarely anything changes. Yet, when local millionaire and town benefactor, Jasper Wilhelm passes away, he leaves the most unusual request in his will. He asks the town to compete in a series of challenges in order to win his fortune of $5 million. How will they decide who works together? Jasper has that planned out too. He’s already selected how and who everyone will be paired.

Jasper’s grandson Carter Barclay didn’t expect his grandfather’s plans. He’s heard about the residents and seen some pictures, but he’s never visited Redford Falls until now. One of the first residents that Carter meets in a bar is freelance editor Jess Reid. Carter thinks of her as his competition, at first. Soon Carter finds himself torn between a future with Jess and $5 million dollars.

This is a cute small town romance story with high stakes and multiple points of view. The multiple POVs were a little difficult to follow at times, but I think it supplied more perspective. I really enjoyed learning more about each resident. For me, the romance between Jess and Carter moved too quickly, and I found it a tiny bit unrealistic. But amidst obstacles they faced, I still routed for them as a couple. My favorite character is Jess’s rival and former best friend, the misunderstood bad girl. She was mean, BUT she had a heart of gold underneath a thorny exterior. She really stepped up for people she cared about.

Things I enjoyed:

🏡small town romance
☕️ southern hospitality
🎰 the challenges

I really enjoyed this book, and it gave me some Star’s Hollow vibes. It was a little more contemporary fiction that included a love story rather than a romance, in my opinion. I really liked all the character dynamics and backstories, particularly from the small town perspective. I think in terms of chapter perspectives it should have remained a dual perspective book. There were a few other perspectives thrown in along the way, and they left me wanting more because they were so fleeting. Overall, this was a quick read that also had depth because of all the details about secondary characters, and I really enjoyed it.

The Only Game in Town was a unique read as we’re given the perspective of some of the secondary characters, which I felt provided more context to the story and you get to know the backstory of the book’s ‘villain’. The romance between Jess and Carter was sweet and I loved the banter throughout.

When the eccentric and rich Jasper Barclay dies, his small town of Redford, Georgia all turn out for the funeral. His grandson, Barclay has come into town for the funeral and to carry out his grandfather's last wishes for his fortune. Barclay and the town are thrown into a tizzy when it's revealed that Jasper has devised a game for all the residents of the town to play in groups of two that he assinged before his death. The winning duo will win the entirety of his estate. Now, Barclay is stuck in this tiny and strange town with locals that don't quite trust him, playing the game in hopes of winning the inheritance. Jess Reid has her own reasons for wanting to win the money, but as she and Barclay get closer as the game goes on, they'll each need to decide just how far they're willing to go.

I can't even tell you the fun this book was! There are so many wonderful and slightly crazy characters, and all of them trying to best each other to win the money. There is a wonderful romance, plenty of hysterical banter between the characters, and such fun challenges involved in the game itself. I had no idea what to expect with this book, and it was so much more than I could have hoped for. Maybe not the most realistic plot I've ever read, but so much fun! I found myself hoping it wouldn't end, and I would hands down read more of the exploits of this town. If you're looking for something to make you laugh, that has heart and sweetness in spades, this is the book you are looking for.

Thanks so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Thanks to Putnam for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion - this is available as of Tuesday 3/21. While I listened to both of Lacie Waldon’s previous releases, this was my first time reading her writing with my eyes!
This is a small town romance with a pretty unbelievable premise - a wealthy member of the small town has passed away and, instead of leaving his $10 million fortune to his grandfather, he has arranged a game for all town members to play in order to win his fortune. In addition, he’s made non-negotiable pairings for the participants, and he seems to have taken some joy in pairing unlikely duos such as MC Jess and her nemesis Nikki as well as the two competing bakers in the town. While I thought the premise was silly, I was easily sucked into this book, reading until late at night two nights in a row which is pretty unusual for me, as I’m normally a morning reader. If you’re looking for a fun read (that’s more women’s fiction than romance, in my opinion), you might want to look into this one.

Jessica Reid loves her small town. She gave up a publishing job in New York City to come back home to Redford, Georgia. She’s still working in publishing, although in a lesser role. She’s still being bullied by the same mean girls she was bullied by in high school. She loves being to eat dinner with her dad several times a week again, but she is bored.

And then Jasper Wilhelm died.

Jasper was a very wealthy man who could have lived anywhere in the world he chose. He chose Redford. And when he died, he decided to leave ten million dollars to the town.

As soon as everyone hears this, they are excited and immediately start thinking of all the improvements they could make there. So many repairs, so many upgrades. But then Novak steps in. Novak was Jasper’s attorney, and he’s there to supervise the game. Jasper didn’t just want to hand over the money to the town. That would be too easy. He wanted the townspeople to compete.

Jasper has set up a strict set of rules and a scoring system that he only shared with Novak. He even set up the teams already. He divided everyone into teams of two. Like Luanne and Sally, the two bakers in town who have been waging a war about muffins for years. Or Jess and her nemesis Nikki. Or Jess’s favorite bartender Bryce and Carter Barclay, who is not a local but is Jasper’s grandson, in town for the funeral.

The first competition is a giant scavenger hunt, where the competitors had to solve riddles and then hunt down the answers and take photos of themselves with them. It’s during this competition that Jess realizes just how serious Nikki is about winning the money, and how she will have to up her game to keep in the competition.

Jess wants to win—it would let her focus on the authors she truly believes in, and she could give back to the town. But then she finds out some devastating news, and she needs that money to keep her life from blowing up.

But Carter has a secret. He had helped his grandfather give financial boosts to families who needed it. Jasper tried to find a way to help the citizens of Redford without making it obvious, and Carter thinks that Jasper is using this contest to help him continue their work. In other words, Carter thinks that the game is rigged in his favor. Which makes it complicated, as he’s developing strong feelings for Jess, and he doesn’t want to stand in her way.

As Jess and Carter scramble to win the money, joining teams and competing against each other, flirting and getting shot at, they find themselves drawn together. But will this competition for ten million dollars bring them together, or will it push them apart?

The Only Game in Town is a sweet, charming, small-town story of hope and healing, of the small fights we get into with our neighbors and the ways we can get past them. Author Lacie Waldon imbues this town and this story with warmth and wonder, and the ending is the loveliest surprise I could imagine.

I adored The Only Game in Town. I wished I could be a part of this town and watch al this as it was going on. And, you know, try those muffins. It’s told from the perspectives of several different characters, so you get a broad view of what’s happening in the town, and getting that insider’s view to these various personalities adds so much to a plot that has fun and whimsy and twists and romance. This book is all heart, and if you’re a fan of small-town stories with pie-eating contests, rickety boats, Barbie Jeeps, and heartwarming endings, then you will definitely want to check this one out.

Egalleys for The Only Game in Town were provided by G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley, with many thanks.