Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Role Playing' by Cathy Yardley.

'Role Playing' by Cathy Yardley is one of those books I loved to bits and never expected to love it so much. Maggie and Aiden are two middle aged gamers who just have the joy of their life and end up falling in love because of it. Both characters have their own personal issues happening but their communication is probably the best I've seen in a romance novel in a long time. Side characters - such as Kit and Davy - were entwined perfectly in the story and this book overall just felt perfect. There is some content of a sexual nature but it didn't feel forced.

There were things about this that didn’t quite click with me at first, I think because I’m just not involved in gaming and the culture, but I also think some of what may have been making me uncomfortable is to the author’s credit— the FMC is really not in a great place at the beginning on this book, and it’s palpable. But I was definitely invested and enjoyed the MMC from the beginning.

I was pleasantly surprised that the MMC is demi! And I thought the representation was really excellent. As tends to happen with romance that tries to tackle these issues, it did get a little cheesy-explainy in parts, but I’m really happy that there is a romance that is so explicitly making that a thing, it should help educate a lot of people! I was so happy for Aidan’s journey of discovering the ace spectrum and I thought the author’s depiction of what that feels like was very authentic.

By the second half, this book really was giving me all of the feelings, and I could see myself rereading this one.

This was a delightful read about two adults finding love later in life. After a rough divorce and her son leaving for college Maggie has settled in to being an antisocial introvert that hates human interaction. But when she joins an online gaming group she finds that maybe not all humans suck. A great slow burn friends-to-lovers this novel also addresses coming out as an adult, dealing with rude family, and being true to yourself.

Thank you, Montlake, for allowing me to read Role Playing early.

The Leni Kauffman cover was what made me request this book, but sadly I ended up not liking it.

OMG I have a new favorite book!

This is the type of RomCom story I need more of!

First of all, Pedro Pascal is mentioned, so that’s an automatic 5 star rating. 😉🥵

Second? Here’s a list of all the wonderful things I appreciated the author included.

Nerdy MC’s? Yes.
Friends to Lovers? Yes.
Healthy adult relationship? Yes.
Open communication? Yes.
Mutual consent? Yes.
Breaking stereotypes on differing types of sexuality? Yes.

This was a short but fun story and I really enjoyed how the characters helped each other explore different sides of themselves and how they supported each other through some tough situations.

All my favorite books have stories and characters that I can relate to and this one is no different. This was my first Cathy Yardley book and now I can’t wait to read more!!

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake Publishing, and of course Cathy Yardley for the opportunity of reading this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

**I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion**

I'm going to have to be vague so I don't spoil anything, but this was a pleasantly surprising 5 star read! I absolutely want to read more from this author!

First off, the miscommunication trope in this book is done right! It is believable, not drawn out, and still allows for a build in the relationship. Usually miscommunication aggravates me but this was perfection. I knew about 35% in that this book was going to be at least 4 stars, but the next 65% shot it into 5 star territory.

This is a fabulous cozy read because while the characters have their own personal growth and issues going on, the relationship drama is low key. Most of the trouble is with them overcoming their own internal dialogues and dealing with their families. I loved seeing how each character grew on their own and how they communicated with each other. The end made me feel cozy, happy, and satisfied. It was everything I'd want from a romance.

One of the characters gets to learn new things about themselves in relation to their sexuality and the other MC is amazingly supportive in explaining things. I was so excited to see a character that represented a part of myself finally in a romance novel. The MC I am referring to resonated from early on with me.

This is fairly low spice but a fantastic slow burn. There is also some initial online razzing/bullying that is quickly nipped in the bud. If you're familiar with gaming culture at all then you'll also like this book as their relationship starts off online.

Trigger warnings would include; homophobia, queerphobia, and public outing of an individual.

Cathy Yardley's Role Playing is a romance unlike all the others I have read this year. Her protagonists - Aiden and Maggie - are both middle-aged singles who have been a bit beaten down by life and love. Neither could have anticipated the friendship or partnership they ultimately found in each other. In particular, the emphasis on the idea there is always time for growth and evolution was something I appreciated. In their small Washington town, they never would have assumed that someone so suited for them would exist! Luckily, the universe was clearly on their side and pushing them together.

"She was a very good friend, and he was lucky to have found her."

By the way, how freaking adorable is the cover? I am pretty obsessed with it! I will absolutely be buying a physical copy when it releases.

Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake and Cathy Yardley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick, easy, cute and emotive read that I couldn't put down. I became really invested in the characters and really wanted them to get their happy ending

The role playing in the title is an online D&D type game that both Maggie and her son used to play, before he went away to college. You can be a dog on the internet, and so no one knows Maggie’s age, and because she thinks that all the players are in their early 20s, because they are a group of community college friends, she keeps telling them she could be their grandmother.

And this is how BogWitch (Maggie) get to talking with Otter (who is Aiden). They chat during the game, and they chat via text when not in the game. This way they get to know each other before they eventually meet in real life.

What I like about this story is that it doesn’t just play on this relationship, but brings in their lifetime of people they have known, and how they got there. Aiden is ACE, and so doens’t fall in love quickly. And Maggie has been burned by a controlling Ex, so she isn’t really interested in anything more than friendship.

What is cool about this story is it appears to be written by eithe rsomeone of this age bracket, or someone who knows what the “sandwich generation” is going through, in this case, taking care of parents, after taking care of their children who have now grown.


What a delightfully fun, older romance. There are so many teen and young twenties stories out there, it is fun to have one with people in their early 50s. It was sad when I finally came to the end, because I had grown to love the characters so much.

I was drawn to ROLE PLAYING because of the premise which appeared to be about two middle-aged people who connected through gaming. Considering I'm the age of the characters, I thought this would be a fun rom-com. There's not a lot of mature romance stories out there so I thought ROLE PLAYING had a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, the book summary did not match the actual plot/storyline.

The topics covered in the book (I don't want to give spoilers) are incredibly important. But those themes were not in the story description or genre. The themes expanded much farther out than just a female/male romance.

There was also a heavy gaming subplot - which was okay, but made it difficult to relate if you aren't a gamer. The subplot and side characters focused on gaming.

The story was preachy at times. The discussions that took place seemed forced. However, I think this story will resonate with those who are confused by their orientation.

I did enjoy how the two main characters overcame their past and found love with each other.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for an e-copy of ROLE PLAYING to review.

I rate ROLE PLAYING three out of five stars.

I totally loved this book! It's so nice to read about main characters who are not perfect twenty-somethings, but middle-aged people with complicated histories. There was a lot of angst and familial drama, so it's not a fluffy romcom without struggles for our protagonists, but it has plenty of heart. A lot like real life. A very slow burn, but both sweet and spicy, I felt like we really got to know these characters, and they got to know each other. As a fellow gamer and socially awkward homebody, I felt really understanding of the main character.

I love Cathy Yardley's Ponto Beach Reunion series, and thus I was super excited to pick up Role Playing (especially after seeing that gorgeous cover!). This romance following older characters felt like a fresh read after reading about the Poncho Beach kids, and I enjoyed following Maggie and Aiden. The demisexual rep was also fantastic--I've rarely read books with male demisexual characters. The relationship between Maggie and Kit was also very precious to read about. Ultimately, I rated this novel 3.5 stars, rounded up, as I felt that there was a lack of chemistry between Maggie and Aiden. The two were still strangers well into the novel and only had been friends for what seemed like a very short time before becoming lovers. I still believe that fans of Cathy Yardley will love Role Playing!

liked this one! having older leads was a nice change of pace. strong balance between the plot/character stuff and the romance. i was glad not to have to wait too long for maggie and aiden to meet irl, and i thought they were perfect for each other.

#netgalley

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, Cathy Yardley and Montlake for letting me read this.

I don’t read much romance, I’ll read it as a sub plot as part of another genre, but rarely on it’s own. That being said, I absolutely loved this book! It’s made me feel like maybe I should explore more in this genre.

I was curious about this as there was a few references to nerd culture and this did not disappoint. This author has created two of the coolest people I’ve ever seen, I want to be best friends with both of them (but especially Bogwitch). I loved the passion these characters had for their hobbies and interests, video games, anime, classic movies, food. They felt so fully fleshed out and I just loved them.

Maggie is my absolute hero, I loved how she was so authentically herself and it was important to her that others could do the same. She’s such an amazing defender of others. There were people in Aiden’s life who were quite frankly bullies and I loved that Maggie wouldn’t stand for it.

The core theme through this book is being true to yourself and this was beautifully realised. I loved the strong message and it felt so authentic.

I’m definitely reading more from this author! I never thought I’d enjoy a romance novel this much!

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley was absolutely adorable!

As usual this was a very sweet and well written story.
A super fun contemporary romance with extremely likable characters.
Its’s charming, relatable and so enjoyable.
I loved that Maggie and Aiden are middle-aged gamers. I thought that was a neat and unique part of the story. Which made for an amazing time.
The plot moved along nicely, and these characters seemed natural, and it all wraps up really nicely.

This was a really cute read, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone!

"Yardley brings an emotional rom-com about two middle-aged gamers who grow their online connection into an IRL love story."

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is so cute! It's heavy with family drama, but cute. Friends to lovers trope is not my most fave but I ate it up with Role Playing.

Full review to come closer to release date.

I absolutely adore this book. Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for allowing me to read it early.

Maggie is a 48 year old grumpy divorced woman, with some baggage behind her that explains her grumpiness. Aiden is a 50 year old single man that has to deal with quite some family drama of his own. They meet in an online gaming guild and quickly connect with each other, becoming onine friends despite Aiden believing she's an octogenarian gamer and Maggie thinking Aiden was a teenager.

Both their online and real-life meetings are fantastic. I love Maggie's "I've got no fucks to give" attitude and her sassiness. Aiden is adorable in his own right, and they form an unlikely friendship that slowly turns into something more that will change both of them for the better, not without relatives meddling and causing unnecessary pain to the main characters. I love how they work their issues, and how they love each other just as they are.

Direct to my favourite's shelf.

This was so fun. I enjoyed reading about characters older than the usual mid twenties. It did take me a bit to get into the book (but I think that was due to my own busy schedule). Once I did I loved it. If you like nerdy and fun romances then definitely check this out!

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I stayed up until like 2am reading this in one sitting because I just kept wanting more of Maggie and Aiden. There was great chemistry and relationship building in this story, I loved the demi/bi rep, the gaming angle was awesome, and also you don't see a lot of stories in mainstream with characters aged 50. Everything combined made this a quick, easy, enjoyable read!

'Role Playing' is such a unique book for so many reasons:
Reason #1- The main characters are 48 and 50 years old! I loved that these characters felt real. They have lived a life, and they've been through some stuff. Sometimes, when I read books with younger main characters, I feel disconnected from them, but I felt so connected to Maggie and Aiden's journey.

Reason #2- Representation is so important. Without giving any spoilers away, I loved the representation. It was unexpected, but it was so appreciated.

Reason #3- Slow burn- This was a slow burn romance, and the characters really took their time in exploring their feelings before jumping into anything. I loved that the author, Cathy Yardley, took time to explore that some people don't just jump into bed together. Some people take their time to discover things about themselves, especially coming out of a past trauma, divorce, or other relationship. It felt real to me that they took their time.

Reason #4- Gaming/Role-playing games- Maggie and Aiden meet through playing an online role-playing game, and I enjoyed reading about the game and their interactions in the game. I'm not much of a gamer, but I found the game to be easy to follow and fun to read about it.

Reason #5- The setting- I loved that it took place in a small town in Washington state. I live on the east coast, and I really liked to read a story about an area that I have never visited. I felt like I could really picture what life was like there.

Reason #6- Multiple meanings for the title 'Role Playing'- The most obvious meaning is that Maggie and Aiden were playing an online role playing game. They were playing as Otter and Bogwitch, and they had different personality traits in the game. Another meaning is that Maggie and Aiden played roles outside of the game. Maggie is a mother, an ex-wife, an editor, etc. Aiden is a son, brother, etc. All of the roles that they play affect their lives outside of the game. Finally, role playing can also mean the roles that people think that they should be playing, and they aren't being true to themselves. Both Aiden and Maggie struggle to determine where they fit into society at their age, and also, they struggle because of their pasts. Aiden is trying to figure out who he really is, and he learns to accept and love himself. Maggie is learning what life is like after her son moves away to college, and she figures out her next chapter.

I really enjoyed this book, and I appreciated the care that went in to making such a realistic story about characters that I grew to really care about.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.