As a first-time reader of Jodie Slaughter's work, I picked up Play to Win with high hopes for a promising second chance romance. However, as the story progressed, I found it difficult to root for the two main characters, Miri and Leo, to end up together. Their backgrounds and experiences made it hard for me to believe that a reconciliation was the best thing for them.

In fact, when their reunion was sparked by a lottery win, I couldn't help but feel a bit cynical about the whole thing. It seemed like a flimsy foundation for a relationship (particularly for Leo as I'd want to see more change and growth vs. newfound wealth), and I found myself wishing I could tell Miri to find someone else. The lack of chemistry between the characters made it even harder to want them to get back together.

Despite my issues with the plot, I appreciated Jodie Slaughter's writing style. She is a gifted storyteller, and I can see why so many people enjoy her work. However, in this case, the difficulty of seeing Miri and Leo reconcile missed the mark for me.

Overall, while I wouldn't say that Play to Win was my favorite romance novel, I am still interested in reading more of Jodie Slaughter's work. I'm curious to see what other stories she has to offer and how they compare to this one.

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advance Reader Copy of this book!

Wow this was a spicy book. I liked Miri and how she was true to herself throughout. I liked her family and Leo's family.
A good read about family and love. And how even if you gain some money, it's not always what makes the world go round.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

Miri lives in a small town with her mother and works multiple jobs to keep the lights on. She has been estranged from her husband, Leo, for eight years after he walked out on her. Miri's life is about to change because she won 220 million dollars from the lottery. Her lawyer advises that she contact Leo to determine how much of his winnings he wants. After reaching, Leo, Miri discovers that the only thing Leo wants is his wife back.

The book addressed separation, therapy, mental health, sexuality, and gender roles well. It was great to have Leo pinning for Miri throughout the book, and I enjoyed both of their characters. I also loved that Miri had a supportive parent who wanted the best for her, and both Miri and Leo had strong friend groups they could rely on. This representation is so important.

My only issue was that the ending felt rushed, and I wished we could have spent more time with them while they worked through their relationship. Overall, I see myself coming back to this story again.

We've all fantasized about getting a second chance, or about winning the lottery. For Miriam Butler, she gets both the lottery win and a second chance with her first love, Leo Vaughn.

Miriam and Leo got married young in a rush of heady optimism about the future. When reality hit, it hit them hard. Now, several years later, Leo has come back to their hometown of Greenbelt, South Carolina to... well he's not quite sure what he's going to do, but he certainly has some choices to make.

This was an interesting look at what happens after a big life changing moment like a lottery win. It also explores some themes of adulthood in a frank way. Like, what happens when it turns out you aren't who even *you* think you are. When a choice has a ripple effect through the rest of your life.

Both Miriam and Leo go through some really difficult character growth throughout the story. I enjoyed getting a bird's eye view of each of them as they navigated their way through it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Play to Win by Jodie slaughter. All opinions are my own.

This book had me so emotional!! It starts by introducing Miri, a 32 year old who lives with her mother in her childhood home, barely making ends meet. When buying her mothers routine lottery ticket, she randomly decides to get herself one and then wins $220 million dollars!! Thats all great until her lawyer shares that her estranged husband (who walked out on her 8 years ago) could technically sue her for half of it. Miri calls him to come home and finally sign the divorce papers, but he has other plans to win her back.

This second chance romance was so cute, I loved all the scenes were they reminisced on their childhoods and how they grew up together. This is the first book I've read from this author but I'll definitely be checking out their other books. Couldn't recommend this enough!!

this is my second non-indie book by Ms slaughter that I've read. This one, I def enjoyed more than the bingo-themed one.

Miri is a women in her 20s, barely making it by, when she goes to the corner store to buy a lottery ticket for her mother. Miri personally never plays the lottery, but decides to play just the one time, and it’s her lucky break. Overnight she went from not being able to pay her bills, to winning two hundred and twenty million dollars! Miri consults with a financial advisor, who informs her that she must contact her husband about the money. Miri and Leo are still technically married, but have been estranged for more than eight years.

Miri contacts Leo, and offers him a payment of the money, in exchange for a divorce. Leo absolutely does not want a divorce, and decides that this new contact between them is his chance to win Miri back.

I appreciated the diversity represented in Play To Win. Miri is a bisexual black woman, and her actions and motives are highly driven by those two qualities. There is a lot of discussion regarding race and systemic racism, wealth inadequacy, and gender norms throughout the book. For a romantic comedy, I found there to be lots of depth and thought-provoking topics.

Where the novel missed for me was regarding the chemistry between Leo and Miri. I personally never felt love between them, only lust. And boy was there a LOT of passion and lust! Seriously, if you want some spice, this is it! I wish there had been more discussion regarding why their relationship fell apart eight years prior. The reasoning we received felt inadequate, and I needed more time to be spent on that topic, and to find out what motives led to the relationship break.

Read this if you love:
💕Strong female MC
🖤POC representation
🌈Bisexual representation
🌶Lots of spice
❤️Second chance romance

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

Miri doesn't play the lottery but the one time she does she wins two hundred and fifty million! Talk about luck! The only problem, she's still technically married and her estranged husband is technically entitled to part of her winnings. This was such a cute second chance romcom and I couldn't get enough! The humor, the angst, and the spice was so good. Even though Leo wasn't the ideal husband in the beginning, he grew into a whole man and my heart was swooning. I really enjoyed the writing style and I am looking forward to reading more from Jodie Slaughter in the future!

I enjoyed this somewhat steamy, romance set in the south. It had a fun cast of characters, history, relationships and second chances. I was excited about the premise of this book with the lottery and forced reconciliation. Overall it just didn’t come through with everything I was hoping. We never got to fully understand why the relationship was broken or what had transpired in the years since. Even the reconciliation was less than fully fleshed out. It was missing that angst and spark I was looking for. Mostly an enjoyable read though. Feels like it could be a series. I would be interested in reading more about these characters!

I loved Aja & Walker’s story and was eager to dive into Play to Win, especially because the premise sounded so interesting!

Eight years ago Leo and Miri’s fledgling marriage ended with a bang, leaving them with long years of no contact and more than enough bitterness to live off of. Now, Leo is still working the same dead end jobs a few hours away and Miri has just won the lottery. At the advice of her financial adviser, Miri contacts Leo in the hopes of gaining the long awaited divorce to keep a lawsuit off her doorstep. Only, the divorce might not be as easy for either of them as she thinks…

Jodie Slaughter writes really easy to get into, funny and endearing romances, and Play to Win was no different. I loved the tight knit community and really enjoyed Miri’s closeness with her friends and mom especially. She was unapologetically herself, fiercely independent and smart with her decision making— all factors I love in an MC. Leo was sweet and doting, and while I found his “old fashioned” views to be a bit irritating and not quite warranting their separation, I did grow to like him as a love interest.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but didn’t really buy the estrangement or the reconciliation. I felt like we weren’t really shown much emotional depth between the two characters outside of their mutual lust. I’m not the biggest fan of second chance romances without flashback scenes, so found it somewhat difficult to be fully onboard with their reconciliation, especially because Leo’s reason for leaving felt very superficial to me. It was an enjoyable, easy read but overall I was expecting more based on the premise. I’d still recommend it to fans of Jodie Slaughter and second chance romances, but it wouldn’t be one of my favorites!

3/5 ☆

This was okay. The plot initially pulled me in with Miri, our main FMC, winning the lottery. The catcher: her estranged husband she hasn't talked to in eight years that she has for a divorce from. I'm a sucker for marriage in trouble books so this seemed right up my alley.

This was just a bit too slow for me. Nothing really happens between Miri and Leo until around the 50% mark and even after that for another 10%, its all just filler with other characters. I was really focused on Miri and Leo, but we don't get that until around the last 30%. I will say that the writing was done well and the spice was fantastic!

Play to Win had an appealing storyline: lottery winner has chance to turn her life around materially while exploring the possibility of rekindling a past love. Unfortunately, the characters weren’t very interesting and I failed to see why they were so attractive to each other. I stopped reading about half way through.

Thank you so much for netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC.

What would you do when you win a one in two hundred and two point five million chance? That’s exactly what happened in this scenario.

The story surrounds itself around the life of Miri and Leo. They are a marriage couple that has been separated for eight years but they never have gotten a divorce. A twist of faith comes around and they have to figure out if they still love each other.

I highly recommend Play to win. I enjoyed it so much. And I can’t wait for more Jodie Slaughter books.

I’m a sucker for second chance romance! This was a light and fun read! Highly recommend as a summer rom com! Spot on humor and on brand for cute romance.

Money doesn’t solve all your problems. That’s what Miri discovers after she wins the lottery and has to deal with her estranged (not-quite-ex) husband, Leo. As Miri has to decide what she wants for her future, she has to look and see what from her past she wants to take with her. Will that be Leo or will she leave him in the past just like he left her?

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others!

Ahhh I could go on about this book!! I loved this little rom-com, the second chance in this book was just perfect! It was so humorous as well! I love fun, happy reads and this did it for me! If you're looking for a fun, summer, light-hearted rom-com this is just perfect! The only part that was not my favorite was I didn't feel connected to Leo enough to feel like he deserved a second chance! I would've liked the author to get us more emotionally connected to him so we could see why he deserved a second chance! Other than that this was a cute rom-com!! thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

Miri just won the lottery, which is the answer to her dreams and the solution to so many of her problems- except one: her husband Leo. He walked out on her eight years ago and never came back.

But now with her jackpot win endangered due to Leo’s right to legally claim half of the winnings, Miri’s forced to track him down and finally ask for the divorce they’ve both been putting off.

Miri thought she’d never get over her heartbreak and she never wanted to see him again, but when she sees Leo back in their hometown of Greenbelt, South Carolina, she can’t resist falling for him again despite serious and deep-seated reservations. Leo, as handsome as ever, and with hard-won maturity and wisdom, is determined to gain Miri’s forgiveness and her love once more- this time forever.

This contemporary romance set in the South is an immensely sexy and emotionally tender story about second chances, community and family.

Although it’s a standalone novel, it takes place in the same town as Slaughter’s previous romcom, Bet on It, which both first time readers and her fans will enjoy.

I really liked the concept of this book, but overall it didn’t hit all the marks for me. I felt like the dialogue felt flat, and the characters didn’t feel relatable. I don’t care about any of Miri’s friends and felt like they weren’t even important, even though they were in there quite a bit. Even Miri’s mom felt flat to me. I didn’t really connect with any of them. I wasn’t sure if it was hours, days, or weeks in between chapters sometimes. There are some steamy scenes and they are very, verrrry descriptive. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it.

Towards the end, it felt like every chapter was the same (Leo/Miri thinking about the other person and how they feel -> Leo/Miri talking to a friend or family member and their love life comes up instantaneously -> “you better not hurt her!”/“you need to forgive him or figure it out!”/“this relationship changed all other relationships in your life!” -> Leo/Miri thinks about their relationship again, chapter over.

Overall it was a cute story line but it didn’t really do much for me. 2.5/5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

I received an uncorrected digital copy of this title through Netgalley. My thoughts are own.

Play to Win is a spicy romance about a woman (Miri) who wins A LOT of money in the lottery, and her estranged husband (Leo) who'd left because he felt like he was holding her back. She contacts him because she's told that, to protect herself, she has to tell him about the winnings and work something out. Her call is the push he needs to return to their small town and earn her love and trust back.

The book, beyond having a large number of Black characters, including the leads, also has LGBTQ rep -- particularly B, more B, and G. Our heroine is sexually experienced, puts a priority on sex, and isn't shamed. The hero reads as demi -- he doesn't want to sleep with someone he doesn't care about, and Miri is the only woman he's ever loved. The heroine reads as plus-size and very sexy.

I just love a book where a hero doesn't care about a heroine's body count or that she's sensual even without him!

If you want to read about all the cool things Miri does with the money, that's not at all the focus. She helps her friends, she gives some to the hero early on -- he's not there for the money! -- but is really figuring out what the money means to her, having been poor all her life, and how she feels about it. Her biggest splurge is going to an animal shelter, which I completely get! The epilogue has a little more fun spending.

Oh, and there's a home reno!

Miri and Leo actually don't have as many scenes together as you might assume. She has her mother and her friends to vent to, and he has his sister and friends, and they talk to these people a lot in lieu of togetherness, largely because Miri is wary.

I think there's an implication that they spend more time together than is on page because she says Leo calls himself a coward a lot. He does, but it's internal dialogue, or while talking to people who aren't Miri. I'm going to take that as them talking more.

I like that Miri has to do work on forgiving Leo, that she knows how he hurt her, and what his leaving did, and doesn't trust him. She also wants to do work on herself, and the book shows her seeking therapy.

Leo's journey is good, but sometimes feels a little repetitious, and there are things I wanted to see covered that weren't. The repetition is in how many times he thinks back on himself as a coward, but vows to himself to do better, as well as how many of Miri's loved ones threatened him only for him to act humble, and them come around. A couple scenes with his sister that could have been cut in half where she hits him with how his leaving town hurt more than Miri. That's important for her to say -- and his friends says it as well -- but it feels like they're covering the same ground.

Leo had left Miri because he felt he was keeping her down and poor, but it's still a horrible thing to do, even though they were kids. And his leaving her didn't exactly make her richer -- at least not for 8 more years when the numbers she played all related to him. I think the author treats it as a horrible thing to do. He clearly realizes it too. But I really wanted more about how his thoughts evolved, and how her winnings figured in.

Her winning could have reinforced his old sense of shame at not feeling like he was the provider, but that doesn't seem to happen. So are the winnings a relief to him? To know she has a safety net? I don't know. And I wish I did, because I like Leo but a portion of my brain still thought his leaving her, at least for that long, was approaching unforgivable. If I understood more of his thoughts and evolution, it would have added that little something extra. How exactly did he grow into a man who wanted to stick around?

I was invested though. The characters were great, including the secondary characters. I think small town life was handled well. There were lots of funny moments. And I believed Miri's complicated reactions to her winnings. You don't become a new person, and the money anxiety you've carried all your life doesn't melt away. I like that before she was comfortable spending on herself, her first impulse was to be generous to her friends.

Oh, and I enjoyed that an early scene that read as just a slice of life came around to enrich -- no pun intended -- later, to put a bow on the whole story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book so much, it was so relatable. Miri and Leo married so young, when times got hard for them, Leo ran! For 8 years he ran like a coward, they are still married just separated. Current day Miri wins it big with a lottery ticket. She offer Leo money in exchange for a divorce. My guy Leo had other plans that didn’t include Miri’s money.
I love the idea of this book that money can’t buy happiness. There was a theme of sex positivity and being accepted by the entire community. I will be checking out more from this author.