3.5 ⭐️
The premise of this book drew me in. Black love, second chance, winning the lotto, what more could you want? What ended up feeling lack luster was the middle. The drama felt repetitive with no forward movement or progression in the plot. I love seeing Black characters taking center stage in this book. Let’s promote more Black authors and Black characters!

Special thanks to Net Galley for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter
This book is set in the same town, with some of the same characters as Bet on It, but you can read it as a standalone.

Jodi Slaughter writes excellent characters, full of emotion, and who are so very wonderful. This book has all the feels! And an excellent dose of steam!

I absolutely love that this story begins and ends with Miri digging a hole.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was really excited to see this one as a read now, as I had a couple of people recommend it to me. Typically I am hit and miss with romcoms, as some hold my attention, others do not. I was a little disappointed in this one. It was a slow read for me and I am not sure if it was my mood or the book. I wanted more happening between the characters. Maybe more drama or spice or something, but I felt it fell flat. I also think that it was missing some important conversations. You can’t just have a second chance romance without addressing the reasons it didn’t work to begin with. I wanted more of this, and I think it fell flat here. This may be one I revisit in the future, but for now it was a miss.

this book was okay it was mid at best wasnt bad but it was good. it was okay. i wanted more but it never came.

1.5/5 stars rounded up.
Initially this book pulled me in, with Miri winning the lottery. She has to get into contact with her husband who she’s been deforested from for 8 years. Leo wants to work through the problems for a second chance but Miri isn’t sure that’s what she wants.

About 40% in, I already felt bored and I was skipping over paragraphs unintentionally to read the dialogue. I felt like it was extremely slow and struggled to get through the rest. I almost dnf’d it but stuck through.

Also, I’m still confused as to why Leo left in the first place. I wanted to know more about Miri and Leo’s love but I didn’t get that.

Overall, I did really like idea of this story. The writing was very well done but it wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for this arc of Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter!

Play to Win is a romance novel, but the love you'll enjoy is as much for the family and friends who round out the story as for Miriam and Leo, our two protagonists. You're rooting for everyone in Greenbelt to find a win. Slaughter gives you a real sense of place and makes you want the best for Miriam, even as she puts Leo through his paces. Is he deserving of her? Will giving him a second chance make her happy? You have to read to find out!

I had to DNF. The story just felt so wash, rinse, repeat and both characters weren't engaging enough for me to invest in their reunion. Great premise though.

Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter (coming out 11 July 2023): I liked reading this three-pepper book because I liked the idea that someone poor could win the lottery on her first-bough ticket (Jennifer E. Smith's Windfall does something similar) and not have the $220 million change her life in any negative ways. Slaughter creates a nice balance of showing the main characters (MC) with their family and friends and creating a compelling reason why the MCs struggle to believe they can make things work.

As far as the tropes:

second-chance romance
enemies to loves
winning the lottery
small-town romance

So if you want a book where they're pining for each other physically but perhaps carrying too much baggage to make a go of things, you could give this one a try.

Overall: 3 stars

Overall: 3 stars

Jodie Slaughter does it again! Another fun, sexy, beautiful book with incredible mental health and queer rep. There's nothing I love more than estranged spouses trying to make it work, and Slaughter really made me root for these two.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jodie Slaughter hit it out of the park again with this story! I absolutely loved the continuation into the universe and seeing familiar characters, all while learning more about these MCs. The storyline was so fresh and interesting and I found myself thinking of this book when I couldn’t be reading it. I hope she does more books in this universe asap!

This is my first ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) and I was so excited to get it because I really enjoyed the first book in the series “Bet on It” where a couple meets at church bingo (I’m obsessed with bingo).
This is the second book in the series and Miri’s story, taking place four years after the first book.
Miri one day when buying her mom her usual Mega Millions ticket, for the first time ever, also picks herself up a ticket.
And you’ll never guess what happens!
Actually… yes you will cuz it’s the premise for the book. She wins! 220 million dollars.
(Side note: there is a rather large plot hole here. While in South Carolina who won the money can be kept private, where the winning ticket was bought is public info and always carried on the news if it was local for a lot of money. There was a town in South Carolina that tore itself apart, because a billion dollar winner was bought there and it ended up not even being a local but a passerby on the way to a wedding that bought it. Just saying the town would know someone had won the lottery. But I digress.)
Miri’s financial advisor tells her that her estranged husband, who she hasn’t seen or spoken to in eight years, could be entitled to half of her winnings. He suggests she offer him a lump sum and some divorce papers to protect her winnings.
When Leo’s wife he hasn’t seen or spoken to in eight years calls him back to town he thinks it’s to reconcile. He is there in a flash, but floored when she offers him a bribe to divorce her. Instead of taking the money he asks her to help with a project that needs doing and it buys him time to do what he’s been too scared to do for too long, win her back.
I really enjoyed this small town second chance romance (those are two of my favorite tropes). What ultimately tore them apart in their youth had been poverty and societal expectations around gender norms. Hard headedness and shame kept them apart. There undeniable pull to each other is what ultimately brings them back together.
I would have liked a little more groveling on Leo’s end, but by no means necessary. Obviously, I’m not as good of a person as Miri.
I really love a non-alpha male MMC. Which this book provided. I loved it. I’ll probably re-read at some point, this has me re-reading “Bet on It” and I’ll defo be going on in the series.
**the last chapter says it’s in Miri’s POV but it does seem to be in both… also the MMC is described as having a beard in the book, but doesn’t on the cover**

Loved the premise of Play to Win. The characters were fun and interesting, but the overuse of bad language left me just liking the book when it could have been a better book without turning my off.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

We have all wondered what we would do if we won the lottery? For Miri, this was exactly what happened. Then the reality of having to deal with her estranged husband set in.

I enjoyed this book, but thought that it moved a bit quickly. I enjoyed Miri and Leo and wanted them together in the end, but thought it was a bit unrealistic. I know that love may never leave but some things are unforgivable. I’m glad Miri gave him hell thought at first.

Aside from Miri’s relationship with Leo, I liked that Jodie addressed that depression still exists even if you do or can have it all. Miri had won the powerball and with all of the options she now had available to her she still wasn’t happy. I think that this painted a more realistic picture of what life could be like for someone who was once broke and is now richer than they’ve ever been.

Overall, I would recommend Play to Win!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Thank you netgalley and St. Martins Press for sending me this book.The childhood second chance love story of Leo and Miri is impossible to not fall in love with. I was rooting for them the entire time! Jodie Slaughter really took her time wrote a beautiful story. However, I didn't enjoy the over sexual openess of Miri. At times it seemed forced like she was confused. But their love story over shadowed her sexual awareness. Worth the read.

The lottery opens up many opportunities, I think she makes smart decisions and is mature about her winnings and I was shocked that he was just as mature which I think is convincing as far as his determination to not only win her but show his true love for her. Pretty good second chance, their attraction was obvious, although I wish they'd been more romantic interactions to build upon the rekindling of their relationship as a couple.

I really enjoyed this book more than I initially thought I would. A cute little romance novel about black love (my fav) with the spice sprinkled in the second half of the book perfectly.

We’ve all thought about what life would be like if we won the lottery… this book brings those thoughts to life. I’ve literally now been thinking nonstop about what I’d do if i were Miri.

The author also goes beyond the how would you would spend the money. I loved that we saw the struggle of how winning can make you FEEL. Beyond the shock and excitement.

Before the lovey dicey stuff I also want to point out that I LOVED the village around Miri and Leo. They have some solid friends and I’m glad the story wasn’t about anyone trying to take advantage.

The ups and downs of Miri and Leo’s relationship was written in such a real way. There was more than one occasion in the book where I said, “book boyfriends don’t do this!!” But what I loved was that the feelings that came out in the deep moments and how they were expressed seemed like how they’d be expressed in real life. Like yea I was wrong but dammit you were wrong too. 👏🏿

Miri and Leo had to go through the ringer and I think the author did a good job of showing where they started, where they were, and the journey of how they’d end up. The dual POV was perfect and really made the story come together.

The spice was also so so good 🥵 not too spicy for those who don’t read it but just ride for those who like it in their books. I also wasn’t expecting any spice so that was a nice surprise 🤣

Overall I liked it! I didn’t zoom through but this was still one I have no complaints about after finishing. Well outside of saying damn Miri get out your head! 🤣 that’s it!


Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

Description

Miriam Butler’s life is going nowhere in the slowest, most excruciating way possible. Stuck in the same barely-paying job she’s had since she was sixteen and spending every night sleeping in the spare twin bed in her mother’s house, her existence might be hilarious if it wasn’t so bleak. One trip to her favorite corner store upends everything when she finds herself the winner of a Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot. Unfortunately, not even life-altering roses come without their painful thorns. Hers just so happen to be in the form of an estranged husband who has the right to claim his share of her money.

It’s been eight years since Leo Vaughn has had a conversation with his wife. When she calls out of the blue, practically begging him to come back to Greenbelt, the last thing he expects her to tell him when he gets there is that she’s come into a whole heap of money. She offers him a life-changing proposition of his own. Take a lump sum, finally sign the divorce papers, and be done with her for good. Only, a forever without her is the last thing Leo wants. So he gives a proposition of his own. One that won’t cost her nearly as many millions, but will buy him the time to do the one thing he’s been hungry to do since he left -- win her back.

This was a more reality-based second chance romance than rom-com. In fact, I'd argue that there was nothing comedic about it. And that's ok, if that is what you prefer. There was a bit of steam and steam adjacent scenes to round out the reality of living hand to mouth in the South. If you play the numbers or you like your romance to be more realistic than fantasy, I would recommend giving it a chance.

Jodie Slaughter does it again! Last year I was fortunate enough to read her novel Bet On It and when I received the chance to read her newest novel Play To Win I was thrilled! The romance follows Miri and Leo, estranged childhood sweethearts. When Miri wins the lottery at the beginning of the book, her whole life turns upside down. How does one go from having nothing to being able to afford anything one’s heart could desire?

And what if, the only thing the heart desires the most, could not be bought with all the money in the world?

I was excited that the novel plays in the same town as Jodie’s other novel and that we got to revisit Aja and Hunter as well. Those two have stuck with me and I was so happy to read they are still going strong.

Miri and Leo are just as endearing, but I do believe that with a bit more communication between the characters (especially about what went wrong!) and a little bit more of their backstory, I would have been able to connect with them more.

The spice in this book is well written, just as expected.

All in all, I devoured this book and can’t wait for the next of Jodie's book. Hopefully it will be another intertwined stand-alone. I have grown to love all of Greenbelt's residents!

Play to Win is set to be released on July 11 and is bound to be the perfect beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

“Play to Win” by Jodie Slaughter stars Miriam Butler, a 20- something female stuck in Greenbelt, South Carolina, stuck in the same low-wage hourly job she’s had for over 10 years, and also stuck in her mother’s home on a small twin bed. But one day when Miri goes to the corner store to purchase her Mom’s Mega Millions ticket with her “lucky numbers”, Miri sees the jackpot is up to 220 million dollars. She decides maybe her Mom’s had the right idea and she should also choose some special, significant “lucky numbers” and purchase a ticket for herself. Sure enough, Miri does; and Miri wins. She wins big. She wins the 220 million dollar jackpot solo and has more money than she could have ever dreamed. Miri finds a financial advisor, but he should be someone from the old neighborhood, someone Miri and her Mom can trust; not an outsider. Miri may have felt stuck in her world, her neighborhood with her friends, but now that she has all of this money, she has even more problems and takes a lot of time to navigate them.

This entire set up to this rom/com is very interesting and has so much potential. But once Miri’s biggest problem enters the picture and I think it’s really going to spark, the story slows down for me. Miri has a husband; a childhood friend, who took off and left her eight years ago. But they are still married. They have had no contact whatsoever in these eight years. But Miri also has had no contact with his family, even though they still live in her neighborhood, a small 8 block radius. His sister accepted her like a sister and when her husband, Leo left, Miri turned her back on his family and all of those relationships, just as Leo also turned his back on his family. Miri calls him to come back since as her husband, he has a claim to the winnings. He mistakenly thinks she calls him back so they can be together. They try to work out their new situation and even though I generally like both Miri and Leo, I don’t like them together.

Their communication style is abrupt and filled with oddly placed “F@“ bombs. I can’t cheer them on as a couple. They just don’t seem like a good match. This is the disappointing part of the story. I do however, enjoy the scenes with Miri and her friends so much more. They offer a lot of comedic relief. I even like Leo’s interactions with his sister and nephews. They appear genuine. But together, I just lose interest in Miri and Leo.

It’s a good story for a rom/ com, but not the main characters’ relationship. I give it 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Jodie Slaughter for providing me with this Advanced Reader’s Copy.

A quick read that is quite interesting. I’m honestly not sure how to rate this book! It’s a solid read and an interesting take on life with a sudden change. It’s a love story of self and others. I actually liked the male lead the most because he read more sincere than the others. And I’m sure that was not the goal! But I was rooting for him the entire time!