I was completely drawn in by this cover - I love a curvy heroine, and seeing her like that on the cover made me so happy!

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Farren & Sebastian meet and are instantly drawn to one another. While seeming like opposites, they are similar in that they are both dealing with situations from their past that made them who they are today - and still figuring out how to overcome them.

The board game element of this book was so different, and fun! I loved the scene at the Halloween party.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me overall. The pacing was just too slow, and I wasn’t a fan of Sebastian.
I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews, so I think others might love it!

⭐️ Opposites attract
⭐️ Board games
⭐️ Curvy rep
⭐️ LGBTQIA+ rep
⭐️ Slow burn
⭐️ Dual POV/3rd person

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Country Press & Review for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own!

I was very excited to read this because of the representation of plus sized FMC in it. While I enjoyed the story, I did struggle with the third person perspective. I prefer and tend to enjoy books more when they are written from a first person point of view. Also would have loved a little more character development. Seeing the characters go handle with their traumas a little better. The board game detail was very interesting and I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tour for this eARC in exchange of an honest review.

Was this book a really cute little romance? Yes.
Did it also manage to call out my complicated relationship with my family? Also yes.
But I have no regrets, this was great.

Farren is a substitute teacher with a little bit of a fear of commitment but a love of board games. So much so that she has game nights with her friends at a local cafe on Friday nights. One night, while getting a little game night snack she runs in to Sebastian, a workaholic who just wants a lemon curd croissant… the same lemon curd croissant that Farren just bought. Obviously distraught over the loss of his dead pastry Sebastian and Farren make a little wager, play a round of the board game of her choosing and the winner gets the croissant. The rest is really history.

This book was so relatable, there were moments that I’d read conversations Farren or Sebastian out loud to my husband because it just hit home for me. Like Farren I know how it feels to have your needs ignored by family because somebody else had to come first (weirdly enough we also both come from Catholic households). This really just made me see more of myself in the character and I was rooting for her happiness the whole time. I also love a good board game and would absolutely love to go to game night with Farren and her friends.

I feel like I didn’t talk a lot about Sebastian but I promise dear reader, under the grumpy exterior is a really sweet guy. The kind of guy that will hold you when you cry, make you breakfast in the morning, and encourage you to follow your dreams. He’s a good one, even if he does work like nonstop.

Even though I’m a little late in posting this, still a huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Tristen Crone for the eARC of this book. Here are my honest thoughts.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT. Sorry for the caps, I just wanted to get my point across. But this book was hard for me to put down once I started reading, I could not stop. I loved this book and I can see my patrons loving it as well. I will definitely let my library director know to purchase this book ASAP.

If you’re looking for a fun, sweet, sizzling romance, then this is the book for you. Playing for Keeps is a Grumpy-Sunshine, Dual POV Rom-Com, filled with laughs, heart-warming confessions, realistic depictions of anxiety and difficult family dynamics, and GREAT open-door smut. One thing that stood out in particular: as a plus-size woman, it was AMAZING to read a book where being plus-size didn’t feel fetishized and was depicted as just another body type/shape.

Playing for Keeps tells the story of Farren and Sebastian (Ian), who meet in a coffee shop when they both order the same croissant. Farren is hosting a board game night with friends, while Sebastian is hoping to get a break from his tough work schedule. Ian is not too happy that Farren narrowly gets the croissant before him, and a table-top dual ensues. What they didn’t anticipate, is that their croissant-battle would be the meet-cute that has them exploring a relationship that feels very new to both of them.

I felt that I could relate to many of the topics in this book; what it’s like to value your work over relationships, difficult family dynamics, being insecure in new relationships, amongst other topics. I felt that Tristen approached each subject with depth where I either felt that I could relate or I understood what each character was getting at. I will admit that the third act took a bit of a turn for me personally (I think other people may like it, but it felt out of character for me) and it was probably the reason that this is more of a 3.75 star than anything higher.

Farren and Sebastian are incredibly lovable characters. I found myself relating a lot more to Sebastian in his views towards life and work, but found myself relating to Farren’s emotions regarding dating.

This book is relatively short (200 pages) and, as a result, is a lovely, quick read. I do think that the length didn’t in any way compromise on the quality of the book, and though it dealt with difficult subjects, each was dealt with delicately and thoroughly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author/Publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

I was expecting a little more from this book, mainly because of the plus size role, but it didn't really click with me. I found the book to be very average and the conflicts bothered me a little. It had potential, too bad it didn't work out.Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

i was so happy to start a book about a nerdy sunshine plus-size woman who loved herself and a grumpy work-obsessed man. but this story was so hard to get into, i didn’t feel any connection between the two characters, there wasn’t any growth. i didn’t feel the love i needed.
such a disappointment.
thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5 -happy release day- stars

❛Farren seemed like everything Sebastian wasn’t.❜


Farren is a young substitute teacher who aspires for.. more. Sebastian is the archetypal workaholic; married and devoted to his work and career only. One is easygoing with an uncertain non-planed future and the other is self-absorbed by the palmarès he has to accomplish to secure a nice position in his company. They accidentally met in a coffee shop and the opposite attracts alchemy simply operates between them.

"She neglected to mention how tethered she felt when he looked at her like he was paying attention, as if he saw her."

The storyline isn’t orchestrated as a romcom. Although the first encounter between the protagonists involves a random fight over a croissant. The characters, their relationship and the narrative, are remarkably painted with so much intensity and variegated emotions. Their day-to-day struggles aren’t embellished, on the contrary, they are simply and plainly realistic.

"Because she wanted it. Because it was a little scary wanting something."

I fully blame the author’s plume for embarking me in the protagonists’ mentally-tumultuous journey with the beautiful -and at times poetic- writing. Despite the fact that the plot line isn’t rythmed by frenetic events or life- changing plot twists. The simplicity with how both of them worked their relationship -or pseudo-relationship- throughout the storyline with tiptoeing around their lives trying to make room for one another is utterly precious and pure.

"I felt gut-punched when she left, and I still can’t catch my breath."

There is a third act breakup in the mix and I am honestly mesmerized with how crudely and vividly true-to-life it is caricatured. Quite honestly, if i wasn’t fully invested in their relationship I think I wouldn’t have cared or I would have absolutely hated it. But in that moment, it was them with their blemished personalities and fears and what they accumulated through their relationship. What they couldn’t articulate when they were scared to lose one another.

*P.S.: i absolutely adored how the fmc was confortable with her body and hadn’t some interior monologues about "if she was worth it -him- or not" she was unapologetically her and it was refreshing.

Many thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review.

Grumpy (the grumpiest of grumpy) - sunshine, and plus size main character? Um, yes please! I really enjoyed this book, it was a cosy and easy read. I'm not a huge fan of the late act breakup/miscommunication trope as a rule, but I loved the rest of the story.


I recieved an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

It wasn't monumental or anything but an okay(?) read and I see the potential. Farren and Sebastian were textbook sunshine x grumpy characters. She's flaky and he's too serious, the usual. I did really like the aspect of friends getting together on Friday nights to play board games at a café. I would consider doing that myself.

The writing felt stilted at times, which hindered the pace every now and then. Quite a bit of repetition throughout, especially for Sebastian's pov on his constant working so much but not really going into the more important details until the third act. By then, it was pointless and I just didn't care to know. I lost count how, many times I had to read about them not seeing each other throughout the week and him not knowing if he can make to game night bc he had to work. Like, can we add something else to the plot other than that and having emotionally distant parents that barely showed up in maybe three or four chapters. Also, their "chemistry" felt more like trauma bonding. 🤷🏾

Now, that third act...talk about a fast fall from grace. 😂 I didn't even care if Farren and Sebastian were together by the end. Honestly, they needed to stay away from each other after what went down and get their own therapists. I'm usually into grumpy love interests but redeeming himself after all that foolishness he said? Nah, he can be miserable all by himself.


Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Country Press for providing a copy for an honest review.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, cute and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.

I was really excited by the premise of this book. Uptight grump falls for someone when she challenges him to a board game? Sign me up. And I felt like Farren and Sebastian had so much potential, but the book just didn't follow through on it.

For me, there was too much focus on the job that made Sebastian miserable without any concrete descriptions of it. And we really only got the vaguest of explanations of the betrayal that made him run away from his home state. I think readers deserved more since it was such a huge part of his personality.

As for Farren, I loved her dream of wanting to be a game creator, but I felt like the actual games sort of got the short end of the stick in this narrative. The first scene of her and Sebastian playing a game against each other was probably my favorite part of the book - it was strong and distinct and sucked me in. And we never got another scene like that! Or got to see anyone play Farren's game on page!

Don't get me wrong, the book was still cute and a quick read. I think I just saw the potential for so much more, and I would have loved to see the characters get that depth.

"Playing for Keeps" is a really cute and fun romance, but it's far from perfect.

It was really enjoyable to read and it had a few really fun moments as well as an adoring dynamic between our two main characters. It only fell flat for me when it came to the pacing of it all. I know this book is rather short and probably not intended to take its time telling a love story, but our couple bordered a bit too close on the "instant love" trope for me.

Crone has a really nice writing style and there was some great prose in here. However, it wasn't able to overshadow all the other issues I had with this book.
It sadly contained a few tropes that I am really not a fan of, especially a whole lot of miscommunication (regarding family) and the third act breakup which I absolutely despise.

It was still enjoyable enough for me to give it a generous three stars, but without the aforementioned tropes, I would have probably enjoyed it a lot more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake County Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Two people, with a lot of family trauma and baggage, fall in love with barely any time together and without a connection that felt sincere.

This felt like a trauma dump without any growth. Stuff was brought up but not worked through. Or mention again in a productive way. Trauma bonding was the plot, if you count that. The story dragged for me.

Spicy scene at ~67%. Felt really suddenly compared to the slooow build. Scene felt rushed. Not very satisfying. Another “spicy” scene at the end. I just didn’t enjoy this. I should have DNF-ed it.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Lake Country Press & Review for this digital ARC.

The theme of this book being focused around games and game play intrigued me. I love a good game night and while I'm not a huge fan of video games I still enjoy them from time to time. Farren, the main character of the story was interesting as she wasn't what you expect your typical heroine to look like. While I enjoyed the uniqueness of her character I felt the story was a slow one. I thought it was nice to see how two insecure people can let their insecurities get in their way and how they overcome them. That being said this book is only ⭐⭐⭐ for me as I wasn't as eager to keep picking this book up to read it. I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked until the last couple chapters. Overall it was a cute story.

This was pretty disappointing.

The premise was adorable. The meet cute was as cute as you’d expect. But everything else was just so irritating.

90% of this book is third person exposition and internal dialog. There is barely any conversation between characters. It’s the epitome of describing an event beat by beat instead of writing a novel for people to engage with. So much time was dedicated to explaining the thought processes of the main characters instead of writing scenes to SHOW it them to us.

The characters and conflicts were so flat. Relatable, but lacking any bite or real resolution.

If it hadn’t been so short I wouldn’t have finished it.

Playing for keeps was everything I wanted it to be. Grumpy hero, sunshine heroine. She’s so smart, and he was so head over heels for her, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not.

I loved the resolution of the conflict, and how they came back together. And also????

Last but not least. The positive fat rep. I will never not feel so good when I have good fat rep.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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One of the reasons I requested for this book was because I thought one of the MCs was going to play Scrabble. Unfortunately, there was no Scrabble scene, but there were a lot of board games. I didn't even know that there were a lot of board games in existence. This book surely expanded my knowledge of board games
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I didn't like the FMC, Farren, she was not serious with her life, had the emotional development of a 5 year old, and was a bad friend. Her best friend, Corinne, was always there for her, and she didn't do the same for her. She thought her problems were the only ones and didn't pay attention to others. I also hated it when she blamed her insecurities on other characters when she was the one that put the bad front.
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For Sebastian, I liked and empathized with him because of the pressure he felt from work and how alone he was. And I'm excited I saw some development in him by the end of the book.
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Their relationship was okay, they had chemistry, but the spice felt forced(the author's fault). I think it was the first time she wrote a spicy scene.
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It took some time before I finished it, but I kept on reading because I was curious about what was going to happen in the end in respect to their respective careers. I don't like the ambiguous situation of Farren's family. I felt she didn't get the closure she needed
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This book was just okay for me, but it might be more than that for you

I absolutely loved this book! As a fellow nerd, I loved how that played into the relationship. The banter was top-notch. and I really enjoyed how they recognized and admitted to when they weren't doing good mentally. That is such an important part of relationships and couples don't discuss it nearly enough.

Farren is wonderful. She is kind, giving and all sunshine. Farren is disorganised and chaotic in a fun way. She has a tough job as a relief teacher and relishes in her time playing games. Farren is part of a gaming club at the local cafe and every Friday night she gets together with her friends and plays games. She might even be dreaming of developing her own game. One Friday she orders the last pastry and little does she know what chain of events that tiny pastry will set off.

Sebastian is order, process and career driven. Really, he is a grump, but keeping his life in order has been the only way he can stop from drowning in his past. His last job did not yield the success he was looking for and he is going to make sure that this time he achieves his goal of climbing the corporate ladder. When he finally starts to think things are going the way he wants them to, the lady in front of him buys the last pastry. How dare she?! Well, Sebastian will have to get that pastry, no matter what it costs!

This is a wonderful story of two beautiful individuals who remind us the damage parents can unwittingly cause on their children. It is a beautiful story of opposites attract and how a special someone can fill that hole that you might not have even known you had. I really loved the gaming aspect but also the realistic nature of the 3rd act break up and how people can be so stubborn. Sometimes you just need to give love a chance.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Lake Country Press and Tristen Crone.