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.

Absolutely loved it! It makes me happy to read about women who their voice and learn to live their life in their own terms. Zero f*cos given and inspire others to do the same.

I’ve also been reading more stories about asexuality. It’s something that most people don’t know about and this stories like this brings more awareness to it. It makes people feel less alone and not feel like they’re abnormal.

This was so good, I love my hags. I understand that the author obviously did it because Aiden is demi but I loved seeing them develop as friends first before they realized they liked each other. I do wish it was a bit longer just because I wanted to see more of them together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

3⭐️
This was a cute and quick read, however I found that in parts that this story dragged a little bit and I struggled to engage with the story at times. I powered through and did enjoy it more after the halfway point when it picked up and the characters engaged a little more and the way they encouraged each other to become more sociable or accept themselves was written well

Thank you to NetGalley for making this book a read now option

Oh, ladies…let’s talk about this gem.

1. I adore a good read and almost never care about the age of the MC’s but as I get older, I have noticed that some of these MC’s could be my children. NOT THE CASE here! Maggie and Aiden are not spring chickens. Nor are they over some arbitrary hill. Maggie IS a strong woman who has gone through some things and come out a strong, vibrant, quirky adult who knows who she is. She’s the perfect catalyst for Aiden discovering who he truly is.

2. Come on with this SLOW BURN. I couldn’t even be mad at it! This is not the love story of lust and dirty deeds. This is two mature folks with their own histories, figuring out how they feel in a way that feels so completely warm and enjoyable you want to smack them over the head to get them to a realization you see coming. But you don’t because they are so lovably sweet that it’s worth letting them take their time.

3. Bravo to Cathy Yardley for exploring the idea that some people take an unlikely and unexpected path to discovering what makes them themselves. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil any thing. But suffice it to say, Maggie and Aiden are all about taking people as they truly are without judgement or reservation. It’s fantastic.

So thank you for MC’s in the middle of their lives. Thank you for a friends to lovers stroll to a happy ending. Thank you for a plethora of pop culture references that this nerd completely enjoyed. My goodness. What a good read. High key depressed that I don’t have more Bogwitch and Otter to spy on. ❤️❤️❤️

First off I want to say that I really enjoyed that this book had MCs that were middle aged. Not to knock any of the other books, but it was nice to not read about a twenty-something figuring it all out. This is the first book I've read by this author and I have to say I was not disappointed, I really enjoyed this book.

This was a slow burn, which usually aren't my thing, but this one I couldn't even be mad about. Maggie and Aiden are both mature adults, both fighting with themselves on how they feel about the other. Maggie is strong and knows exactly who she is, while Aiden is still coming to terms in a way with who he is. They get to know each other over their common interest of online gaming.

Definitely recommend this book if you love friends to lovers or grumpy sunshine tropes.

i loved this book a lot. It’s hard for me to really come up with words for how I felt because I felt alot. It was funny, wild, unique, it also made me angry. i just feel like this is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read and I love that they were both middle aged. I also loved that they were so unique individually and together, they both made me feel so seen. Maggie and Aiden are so relatable and I loved the bi/Demi representation. I loved how they both made each other better and loved each other wholeheartedly. I also loved the gaming aspect, I thought it was a fun touch. Also reverse grumpy sunshine, it’s such a serve!! Check it out on April 25, 2023. Thank you so much netgalley for the arc.

To say I loved this book is not enough! I went in not really expecting anything but knowing it was doing to be good, and even though I didn’t have expectations this exceeded them through the roof and all the way up to the sun.

I loved Maggie and Aiden with my soul🥰

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for putting Role Playing as a Read Now option! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Role Playing is about two introverts who like to play the same game and when they meet in real-life sparks start to fly. I liked the story and I had fun reading about the game and chat section. My husband and I really like to play games and we play MMOs so it was a nice change to read about it instead of just playing it. I liked the romance, it was sweet. Overall a cute and entertaining read.

3 stars

Cute and fun. I would recommend this if you are looking for a cute romance that features older protagonists and a very fun meet cute scenario as these two characters both meet online. I think I would have liked thos one more if I were into online games. Nonetheless, very cute.