Oh wow this was such a cute book!! I really enjoyed all the characters and the unique storyline. I found myself laughing many times, but also appreciate some of the more serious topics in this. Overall, I will have to keep a look out for other books by this author.

Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter is such an amazing second-chance romance about estranged spouses! It follows Miriam and Leo, who haven't seen each other in years but are still married and not divorced. When Miriam wins the lottery, she is forced to ask him to come back to town for legal purposes, and she wants to avoid him as much as possible while he wants to win her back.

There is a LOT of groveling on Leo's part, and he is absolutely certain he wants to be with her. Miriam needs time to learn to trust him again, and it is amazing to see them learn to communicate again and care for each other. It is sexy, sweet, emotional, and really fun. It's a really quick read, and there are also some great friendships and family dynamics that make the story feel even more whole and developed. It also dives into what it's like to grow up in poverty and suddenly have money, and all the feelings Miriam has around it. It is also a Black love romance AND Miriam is bisexual!!

Overall, it is a wonderful romance and I highly recommend it if you love devoted heroes and second chance romances about estranged couples! The main reason why it's a 4-star and not 5-star is just that I felt like it was almost too short and quick and I wished we could see more of Miriam and Leo after getting back together. But still, you should all go pick it up!

I didn't enjoy this at all. The writing was good but the story was really lacking. I didn't feel like anything was believable and found myself rooting for the main characters to go separate ways rather than for a HEA. The initial break up made zero sense to me. I wish there has been a bigger blow out or an actual reason. Then getting back together was just whatever I didn't care at that point. I did like that this book features POC, neurodivergent and lgbtq communities. However, there was too much black vs white and white stereotypes for me personally. This book just wasn't written for me.

Thank you netgalley and St Martin's Press for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

Cute romcom, though a bit lacking in overall execution and substance. While the plot was intriguing, I found it hard to connect to the FMC and also felt like there should have been more communication/"groveling" when it came to the second chance romance. Overall, it was good but not great. I would still be open to reading more from this author though in the future!

I love a good lottery themed book. Play To Win by Jodie Slaughter follows Miriam Butler who works a dead end job in a dead end Southern small town. She lives with her mother in the same small apartment they've been in since she was a child. Everything, however, is about to change for Miriam. On a whim, she plays numbers associated with events having to do with her ex, Leo Vaughn. Turns out, those numbers win her the lottery. Now, Miriam is rich beyond her wildest dreams. She calls Leo back to town in hopes he signs for a divorce and to strike a deal -- so he can have a small part of her winnings but not the bigger portion that he's entitled to. Only, it turns out that Leo has never stopped loving Miri and takes this as an opportunity for a second chance and to try and win her back.

Play To Win is the first book I've read by Jodie Slaughter but definitely won't be the last. I thought this book was steamy. I liked how Miri was good to her friends and mom -- but also how vulnerable she was to Leo eventually. How they ended in the first place does make sense and thankfully it isn't because of cheating. It's actually kind of sad but also realistic. Leo, I didn't care as much for, but he eventually grew on me. Also there's a roller rink in this book and I just loved that aspect. Overall, this was a nice book to pick up and unwind with - it absolutely did not stress me out and for that I am eternally grateful.

Jodie Slaughter's writing is sublime, as always. Her descriptive work is phenomenal and adds to the immersive feeling of the book. That plus the fantastic hook makes Play to Win very easy to read. However, the writing also made me aware of some of the faults.
As a second chance romance, I want to root for the characters to get together, however, I did not feel that here. I found the reasoning for their initial breakup to be highly unforgivable and would require a lot of personal growth, work, and communication between the characters. I did not find this here and it was highly disappointing. It felt as though the personal work needed to make this romance work weren't there and that made it hard to get through.

This one was unfortunately not my favorite. I wasn't in love with the characters + the romance. I think the concept was so interesting & I LOVED her relationship with her mother.

"'I just want to show her that I'm different now. That I'm willing to work to deserve her."
'And what makes you so worthy?'
"Nothing. Just the fact that I know I'm not, but I'll die trying to be.'"

This book is just 320 pages of evidence that if a man wants to, HE WILL. Was Leo and Miri's marriage rocky? Yes. Did it fall apart because of his insecurities and immaturity? Also yes. But did he actually put forth the effort to show that he was working on himself, learning from his past mistakes, and trying to be a better man for the love of his life? YES!! And he did all of that without Miri's lottery winnings clouding his judgment. This is why men written by women are superior!

I was a bit hesitant to pick this up because I wasn't a huge fan of Bet on It––I didn't feel any real connection or chemistry past the insta-lust between Aja and Walker when reading their story, (Like, I was genuinely caught off guard when they made appearances in Play to Win. Logically I know the author wouldn't break them up, but to me, their relationship didn't last past the final chapter lol.) However, the chemistry between Leo and Miri??? THAT is what I wanted from Bet on It!! Their love for each other was so palpable because of their history, and it was a cute touch that they were childhood friends, too. It made it easier to get invested in the book, for one, but to root for them to work out their marital issues and find their way back to each other.

Miri was probably my favorite character from Bet on It, so I'm so glad she finally got her own book! I really enjoyed being able to explore her character and life in-depth. She was already so interesting and just really welcoming and lovely to Aja that I wanted to know more about her and her life from.m the moment she was introduced. The lottery-winning plot was meh and didn't make sense to me a lot of the time, but suspending my disbelief was just a small price to pay. The one thing that got on my nerves rather quickly was how hot and cold Miri was with Leo. One minute she would be kissing him or they'd sleep together, then she'd back off and avoid him at all costs. I get questioning his motives and being apprehensive about him at first, but it got repetitive, and just felt like she was just leading him on sometimes.

I recommend this book if you're looking for small-town vibes, a rekindled romance/marriage, and some spice! I would also recommend this one over Bet on It because the characters are more fleshed out and the romance is, in my opinion, 100 times better. Plus, while they're*technically* interconnected, you don't have to read them in order to understand everything that's going on.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my review!!

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, bisexual mc, second chances, spicy 🔥, slow burn

I really liked this one. I had a bit of trouble at first with the fact that he left her. It was hard to wrap my head around because I still think it shouldn't have happened. I still enjoyed it. It's a great second chance romance. The characters are well done. It's a slow burn that turns into plenty of spice. I highly recommend it!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

My reading took a backseat to other things in life in the months leading up to pub date for this book and I was not able to read and review. I still haven’t fully caught up on my backlist, but I hope to get to this book in the future and I look forward to reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher and my sincere apologies. Life is like that sometimes.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Jodie Butler in exchange for my opinion of the book. I'm just getting around to posting my review because...life happens. I cannot imagine a man loving me enough to sniff around my skirts for more than two decades or me loving him enough to stay unencumbered even after he abandoned me for parts unknown for an indeterminate amount of time. Divorce is not a bad word to me and would have been how I freed myself of a fickle husband. However, I am not Miri and she is not me... it was heartwarming to see how hard Leo worked to get her back and how easily their pieces clicked back into place to get their marriage back on track. Her lottery winnings funding their soft life during the second half of their marriage did not hurt anything for sure. Hopefully, their love continues to last...

I think this book features a great cast of characters and may really work for some people. However, I just cannot get behind a romance where money brings the couple back together. It makes it really hard to like Leo to know he left because of money and returned because of money. Sure, he didn’t want any but all women deserve so much better than that.

I really appreciate SMP for sending me the widget to this book!! All thoughts are my own.

After winning a gazillion-dollar lottery ticket, our heroine realizes she might have to do some legal fancy footwork to avoid shelling out for her sort-of ex husband. Unless, of course, they fall into a second-chance romance!

The burn was a little too slow for me so I had a hard time getting invested in Miri and Leo's love story, but I adored the sense of community. That, I felt, was the strongest relationship here.

This second chance romance was great! I loved Jodie’s book Bet on It, so when I saw this one which was along the same line and takes place in the town I knew I wanted to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin Press for this book. This is my honest voluntary review.

I’ll admit second-chance romance isn’t my first choice trope but what makes a good story into a great romance for me is the PINING!
Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter leans into that with Miri and Leo, friends to lovers who got married young and despite being estranged for almost a decade, they haven’t stopped loving each other.
Miri wins the lotto and in an effort to protect her new wealth, her financial advisor recommends giving Leo a specific amount so he won’t go after half of her money. Once back in town, Leo agrees to a small sum to fix up his family’s home, and in the time he spends fixing up the house he’ll also try to win Miri back too.

There’s a lot of guilt and forgiveness in Miri and Leo’s story. They have to reconcile the pain he caused by leaving and if the love they’ve kept for each other is enough to start again. And while Miri is more stubborn than Leo there is so much yearning I was rooting for them to get their HEA.
I’m hoping Jade is the next to get a story. I’m intrigued by a no nonsense woman who is an assistant football coach in a small town and makes Leo nervous with a withering glare. Her interaction with Leo at the diner was my fave moment!


-friends to lovers
-second chance
-marriage in crisis
-moderate steam
-WDTK? Chapter 12

I’ve started and stopped this book several times, but I still can’t get into it. DNF at 51%.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

A sexy romcom. At the start of Play to Win, protagonist Miri isn't sure where her life is headed. Then, she wins the lottery. What a rush. But being a sudden millionaire won't solve all her problems, especially when it comes to her estranged husband Leo, who walked out on her unexpectedly several years before. Leo had his own reasons for leaving, but a dearth of love for Miri was not one of them. When she reaches out to ask him to finally sign divorce papers, he instead is determined to prove his love and do his best to make up for leaving the way he did. Will love win the day, or are past hurts too strong?

I enjoyed the premise of a winning lottery ticket prompting a reconciliation between estranged spouses (for the right reasons of course). I loved the small town setting and how Miri's main focus after winning so much money was giving back to her loved ones and those who had helped her along the way. The sex scenes were very spicy. I didn't want to fully root for Leo, as I can't really relate to his reasons for abandoning his wife... But I do think they make a good couple, and I enjoyed watching them reconnect. A fun read overall.

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

This book was better for me as a story about what happens when you all of sudden have lots of money after stuggling your entire life, how friends, family society react, rather than a romane which didn't work for me.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Read 20% of the way into this book but couldn’t get into the story. It was written well just not my cup of tea.