The Long Game was one of my most anticipated romcoms this year. When I started reading this enemies to lovers story, I was loving it. When I got to 50%, I was a bit weary because our main characters were still not getting it on (impatient I am!) but FINALLY, when they got together, wow! It was steamy central all of a sudden and I was all in for it.  

Small town love stories are the best especially when the side characters turn out to be so memorable. I absolutely adored 9 year old Maria, who stole the show with her team leadership and cute nicknames! And special mention to Josie too, who tried to push our two main characters together right from the start. 

If you've loved Elena Armas' previous books, you'll love this one too.

“𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒔𝒌, 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕.”

This book brought me back to life. Holy moly, I loved this. I really bloody loved this.
Elena is a queen of the slow burns and this slowly burnt me so good! The build up and the pay off was amazing and the story in general was so fun.

This small town sports romance is grumpy/grumpy, enemies to lovers. The dynamic between both characters immediately is like a firecracker going off.

Adalyn is a no nonsense, get shit done boss queen however an unfortunate incident lands her on an assignment in Green Oak. Not wanting to be in the situation in the first place, the last thing she expected was her new grumpy neighbor Cameron and their meet ugly definitely starts them off on the wrong foot.
Cameron is everything I love in a grumpy MMC, because once the grump thaws out and the scowl turns into a smile, he becomes the softest protective man you will ever meet.

I really don't want to give too much away because you really need to read this and experience all the hilarious and swoon worthy moments first hand.
I love TSLD and Aaron Blackford but Cameron Caldani *might* just have taken over. He is perfection and I love him and his protected heart. There was a specific moment that genuinely had my in tears.

This has become one of my favourite books of the year and one I will re read and listen to when I need a good comfort read.
Bring on Josie and Matthew's book!!


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. MVPs!!

⚽️ARC REVIEW - THE LONG GAME BY @thebibliotheque ⚽️

My rating: 5/5 ✨

UM HELLO?! ELENA ARMAS HAS DONE IT.

I was honoured to receive an ARC of The Long Game from Simon & Schuster a bit ago and let me tell you, I ate this book up like it was my last meal.

I went into this book thinking ‘small town sports romance’ but I didn’t know that I would be smiling and giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole thing! Also I thought that this photo would fit perfectly with the cabin vibes of the book!

Adalyn and Cameron are the cutest and their banter is top tier!

Adalyn is sent to the middle of nowhere after almost destroying her career, working for a football (soccer not american football) team. Here is where she meets Cameron, the broody, mysterious, but famous, goalkeeper who happens to coach the local football team. They bicker about Adalyn’s stubbornness and the cabin she lives in, but it all makes it worthwhile as they grow closer.

Tropes:
⚽️Forced Proximity
⚽️Grumpy x Grumpy
⚽️Sports Romance
⚽️Small Town
⚽️Slow Burn

I highly, highly, highly recommend you read this because it is seriously AMAZING!!

The Long Game is available September 5th in the U.S. and September 7th for NZ and Australia! Find it on amazon, or any bookstore near you soon!

Thank you so much once again to Simon & Schuster AU for graciously sending me this ARC! Forever grateful.

So I have this thing with Elena Armas’s books where I enjoy them, but I just don’t connect to the characters. The storyline in this was cute, the tension and fighting between Cam and Adalyn were nicely written and the small town vibes were wonderful. The twist at the end was unpredictable, but a bit anticlimactic.

Personally, I love when authors delve into their character’s past and trauma so that it explains why they are the way they are and really highlights how much they grow by the end of their story. I just don’t get that with EA’s books and I didn’t get enough of it in this book, despite it being in dual POV. The ending was also quite abrupt, with the twist revealed and no one really doing anything about it.

That being said, there were aspects that were enjoyable. I loved Cameron - his grumpiness, his caretaking, calling his cats his family, giving awful speeches and making children cry. I liked the small town, let’s support a girls little league soccer team vibe. They kids were cute, and I enjoyed Maria and her calling Cam every name under the sun except his real name, eg. Mr Camomile, Mr Camouflage and my personal favourite, Mr Camelback. I also liked Josie and her cheerful personality - her friendship with Adalyn was lovely. Cam and Adalyn’s relationship was sweet and spicy and they made a really great match.

Would I recommend this? I mean, if you enjoyed Elena Armas’s other books, I think you will also enjoy this. As always, give all books a try if you’re interested!

“I wouldn’t hate it if you were the one slaying my dragons for me.”

OH ANOTHER ELENA ARMAS PERFECT BOOK!!! when i say i am OBSESSED with cameron and adalyn !!!! i am in love with them, once i started reading i couldnt stop.

adalyn and camerons banter was SOO good and their relationship was so slow burn but all the tension and small moments was so worth it.

adalyn is my new best girl. shes so strong and hardworking, feeling like she cant ask for help. everyone who didnt treat her the way she deserved needs to be fought by me. also i need a cameron caldani immediately. what a perfect man.

I wanted to like this. Unfortunately, I struggled to get through it. I never felt connected to the characters and the chemistry just wasn't there.

The start was intriguing, but most of the book dragged for me. Some chapters ended in the middle of a moment and then the next chapter started the next day. Overall, it was a bit jumpy and fell flat for me.

Recommended for those who like forced-proximity, grumpy x grumpy, small-town romance and a bit of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not a fan of soccer (the game) but I am a fan of swoony, steamy romances and Elena Armas is probably in my top 2 list of swoony, romance authors and fast becoming an auto-read for me.

In her latest book, we see Adalyn Reyes banished for embarrassing the organisation she works for, as well as her boss, who happens to be her father.
As someone who also has a complicated relationship (or non-existent now) with her own father, I can totally understand Adalyn’s mindset. Can empathise with why she acts and feels the way she does around him.

She finds more than what she bargains for during her banishment including a famous soccer star, living in hiding.

I’ll leave readers to discover the whys and what fors, but I will say that I enjoyed this one a lot more than The American Roommate Experience and eagerly await the next. 3.5 leaning towards 4 stars.

Thank you to Elena Armas, Simon & Schuster (Australia) and NetGalley for an arc of this book. Opinions are my own.

[Thank you Elena Armas and NetGalley for the ARC]

OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! This story felt like such a breath of fresh air from Elena, and I enjoyed it so much. Cameron and Adalyn have such good banter, and the whole story is just so cute and funny and sweet.

I love all the characters and this town so much - Maria and Brandy were one of my favourite parts of the book. I don't think I have ever enjoyed the use of the word curmudgeon so much lol
the close proximity, the grumpy x grumpy vibes with Adalyn and Cameron, the banter! It was all so fun and such a joy to read.

The soccer team too? I love those girls so much, they're so cute and funny and the perfect match to Cameron and his grumpy coachness hehe
Also really enjoyed Josie and Mathew, their friendships with Cameron and Adalyn were some of my favourite moments.

4/5 because it did take me a few chapters to really get into this book, but once I was in I was seated for Cameron and Adalyn's story and I was not ready to let them go anytime soon! I really enjoyed this book and I'm so excited for everyone to see what Elena has in store with this one - the nicknames, the animals, the characters; all of it is SO good.

The Long Game is a pleasant, easy read with some sassy side characters.
It doesn't have the magic of the Spanish Love Deception (Armas' senational debut) but it is a comfortable Sunday afternoon read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Another great slow burn from Elena Armas, as expected, but this one was enemies to lovers and grumpy x grumpy so it was extra special!!

I also liked how Adalyn’s life and the complication was more of a plot and it wasn’t just romance. It was really cute seeing how her other relationships progressed, especially with the Green Oak Warriors. Loved the bombshell at the end too!!

As for the romance aspect… Cameron Caldani is another perfect, man-written-by-a-woman, book boyfriend. I was highlighting and internally screaming at half the things he said in the later part of the book.

The Long Game for me ended up pretty average. At points I found it too drawn out with a slow burn that almost fizzled. I never connected to the characters in a way that you need to to be invested in a story for the longer duration. There was a good amount of banter and laughs with very cute moments and Cam's praise game was definitely strong.

I feel very mixed in this read and I think it's probably good to try this one again at another time to see if it's more enjoyable the second time around. After now reading three average books from Armas, I'm beginning to believe that this author may not be for me - and that's totally okay. If you did enjoy her previous novels, this one will be right up there for you as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Elena Armas for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This one is available 7th September, 2023.

There is a lot to love about The Long Game.

Grumpy/grumpy
Small town romance
Those gorgeous kids in the local soccer team
The goats
The slow burn that then burnt red hot!

Thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to what looks to be Book 2 with Matt (who I presumed was gay, but perhaps not?!) and Josie at the forefront.

Move over Aaron Blackford, Cameron Caldani has entered the chat.

It’s been a month since I finished this title, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Armas’ storytelling has levelled up, creating charming moments that live rent free in my mind.

There’s a perfect blend of romance, drama and comedy, all thanks to the brilliant cast of characters. The dialogue was transporting, touching on themes that you can resonate with, all the while being funny, charming and witty.

The tropes within this book were another highlight for me. They left me always looking forward to resuming my read, and wondering what’s going to happen next?

I loved The Long Game, and it’s currently tied for my book of the year.

I was incredibly excited to receive an ARC of this from Netgalley and Atria, and while the overall idea of the story was great it unfortunately missed the mark for me.

I loved the premise of a big town girl finding herself in a small town, and of course the famous turned recluse soccer player. However, both Adalyn and Cameron fell so flat for me. I struggled to root for them to overcome their individual adversities as well as for them to come together as a couple. As main characters, I felt they were extremely one dimensional.

The chemistry between them both felt stale and the overuse of pet names such as “darling” was not it. I don’t feel as though we saw two people genuinely falling in love.

Finally, the plot twist at the end felt relatively rudimentary and like it was just sprinkled in?

Once again, I’m incredibly grateful to have received this ARC but it was not for me. (Which is a shame because I have loved Armas’ previous works.)

ARC REVIEW!!

I love Elena Armas and her stories!
It was no different for The Long Game, it was such a great romance story.

We follow the story of Adalyn and Cameron.
Cameron is a ex-football star and Adalyn is sent by her dad to a small town to work for a girls soccer team. When the two of them first meet they get off on the wrong foot.

Cameron is officially now in my top 10 book boyfriends list!!

I loved the cute and spicy romance, definitely one of my favourite Elena Armas books I’ve read so far,
4 star rating!! Official release date is 5th September

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC copy, and thanks to Elena for creating another masterpiece!!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Australia for an e-arc of this book, unfortunately it was not for me.

I have read Armas' previous novels, having preferred The Spanish Love Deception over The American Roommate Experiment. These were 4 & 3 star reads respectively. With Armas' popularity and magnitude of this release whilst being an avid romance reader of course I was going to read it ... I wish I didn't.

If you're looking for a plot summary of this book I will provide: rich brat gets fired, moves to small town, meets rude man. attempted romance plot between these two people, severely failed to create any form of chemistry. SET AMONGST SOCCER MUMS.

I have 3 main issues with this book:

1. It feels mismarketed / pitched incorrectly. To promote the book as Ted Lasso meets It Happened One Summer (Tessa Bailey), it has to live up to these expectations otherwise there will be severe disappointment which ultimately does the book a disservice. As someone who has watched (and is a massive fan) of Ted Lasso, I can guarantee you that comparing the two is just embarrassing and offensive to Ted Lasso. I gathered that the MMC was supposed to be Roy Kent - he wasn't giving this at ALL! The only thing the two have in common is soccer. Additionally, having also read It Happened One Summer (which i gave 4 stars), I find this comparison also odd - they're both small town with a 'grumpy' MMC (mind you, Bailey writes a MUCH better grumpy MMC)?! You could draw on a plethora of books to make this comparison. Weird.

2. A severe lack of plot. One chapter something is happening and then the next chapter something COMPLETELY different is happening. I would assume this issue would be further edited (and hopefully improved), however in contemporary romance consecutive chapters should extend on each other from a dual perspective. I had absolutely no conception of time frames in which events were happening, leaving me often confused and frustrated.

3. THE CHARACTERS HAD NO CHEMISTRY?! In a romance book the literal one thing you need to achieve is creating chemistry between the two main characters. Unfortunately this was not achieved whatsoever. The only tool Armas employed to make it seem like they were going to end up together was the progression of him calling her darling (like every two lines, it was insufferable), then to love. BORING. If that's your only way of making your main characters look as though they are falling for each other you should maybe just rewrite the entire book.


Anyways, this did not feel like it was written by Armas at all. I had genuinely enjoyed her previous two novels but after this I wouldn't dare go near her future works. Genuinely one of the worst books i've ever read and I would urge readers to skip this one.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to read this due to the issue with the file and my kindle and being unable to re download again but I’m sure i would have loved this book.

When Elena Armas said this was a slow burn, she truly meant SLOW BURN; and as a slow burn lover, I ate this up. The relationship development between Adalyn & Cameron was so prominent, especially the way they both slowly wiggle into each other’s hearts.

I found both characters hard to sympathise with at the beginning, but through the book we learn more about their back stories and why they have their walls up, which they both slowly take down around each other. The banter and the forced proximity was so fun to read, I was eating up all the scenes.

There was something overall with the story that wasn’t gripping me (hence why the 3.5 stars) but it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Long Game by Elena Armas

Romance | Forced Proximity | Grumpy x Grumpy | Small Town

•Adalyn Reyes gets into an altercation with the team’s mascot. This is the same team that she works for and her father owns. Adalyn’s father sends her to North Carolina to redeem herself by helping a struggling soccer team, the Green Warriors. Adalyn meets the coach, goalkeeper prodigy, Cameron. Could Cameron be useful to Adalyn’s mission?
•Think snail pace, slow burn. If you love a slow burn than this might be your cup of tea. I liked the plot and it contained some really sweet memorable moments. The ending had a small plot twist but it wasn’t fundamental to the plot. This was my first book I’ve read from Elena Armas and I’m interested to hunt down her other books.

Feels: like a cute slow burn romance.

★★★★ 4/5

(Received an ARC copy from #Netgalley)

AHHHHH!

This is now my favourite Elena Armas book. A small town romance between a corporate woman and an ex-football star, featuring the meddling minds of 9 year old girls and a goat named Brandy (and don't forget Cameron's two cats!).

Adalyn is banished by her father to to Green Oak, where she literally bumps into ex-football star Cameron. Unlucky for Adalyn, he is also the coach of the football team she has been sent to work on - a team filled with young girls, who enjoy tutus and blind cows named Brandy (and a chicken named Sebastian Stan). It was such a fun story, and I really enjoyed all of the side characters, the kids, and all of the animals featured in the story.

I don't know if I would call them enemies to lovers - they got off on the wrong foot (I mean, Adalyn did hit Cameron with her car), but I couldn't seriously call them enemies. It is a forced proximity, slow burn situation. But I loved the transition from strangers to getting along to lovers, and I love the protective nature that Cameron has (protection is something that Adalyn definitely lacked growing up).

This has been one of my favourite romances of the year!