"Even if life was a game, with the right person, it was worth playing."

What to expect:
- Rivals to lovers
- Best friend’s brother
- Sneaking around
- Geeky
- Mixed race rep
- WOC author
- The door is ajar

Playing Flirty is a cute, cozy little romcom that has moments which will have you swooning, blushing and maybe sometimes wanted to scream at the characters through the pages. It's a lovely romance debut for Shameez and if you're looking for a binge-worthy, geeky romcom then this might be for you.

Shameez does a wonderful job at foreshadowing throughout the book... iykyk. Even if you can predict an outcome, the enjoyment lies with how well the author can execute it and I think she did this really well.

I adore Rose and William. There were times I wanted to shake some sense into Rose though and I really would have enjoyed some more moments of the two of them together.

I love that I finally have a copy of this book on my shelves.

This was such a cute read. Rose and William are just adorable. It had me giggling in the office. It’s such a great nerdy book.

If you like nerdy banter, a grumpy glasses wearing geeky hero and a heroine filled with sunshine and her love for board games and comics then you’re going to thoroughly enjoy this book.

The secondary characters were just as fun, I especially loved Rose’s parents, her mum in particular just made me laugh all the time.

It touches lightly on workplace harassment, but is filled with friendship, game nights and slow burn. The door is ajar, so the spice factor is there but not on page.

I simply adored this quirky read and I’m looking forward to the next one.

William and Rose got 4,5 🦋

The cover drew me in (I LOVE all the little references) and the ship did not disappoint! Rose and William were so cute and their game of "playing nice" had my heart feeling fuzzy! I cannot say that this was a deep work of literary fiction, but for anyone looking for something cozy and feel-good that is filled with game nights, found family friend groups, and geeky references to make the best of our hobbit hearts happy....this one is for you!

I really wanted to love this one, but I kept finding myself putting it down. It was a struggle to keep with, and I just couldn't get hooked.

This was cute but the ending fell a little flat for me. Something also seemed a little off in the romance. Overall a quick enjoyable read though!

This was so cozy and charming. Rose and Will's chemistry was through the roof and I absolutely adored the cast of lovable, quirky side characters in their friend group. Can't wait for more hot nerds from Shameez Patel.

I listened and read along with this delightful romantic comedy, and I’m so glad I did! The story of Rose Marie Jones and William Ashdern is equal parts heartwarming and hilarious—without ever crossing into anything too edgy or uncomfortable. Just good, clean fun with a touch of romance and a lot of heart.
Rose is practical, steady, and fiercely competitive (in the best way). Her weekly Game Night is her one escape, and her biggest challenge? William, her best friend’s half-brother and fellow board game lover. Their playful rivalry takes a meaningful turn when she asks for his help entering a board game design contest—and suddenly, the stakes are more than just winning.
The writing is sharp, the pacing is great, and I couldn’t put it down. The narrator does a fantastic job! Every character felt distinct, and the tone perfectly matched the light, sweet humor of the story. If you enjoy listening while driving, walking, or doing chores, this is an easy, uplifting listen that will leave you smiling.
If you're looking for sweet chemistry witty banter, and strong characters who grow together, then this is one you'll want to try.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and an audio version from Hachette Audio and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This was an adorable fade to black romantic comedy. It had a very contemporary vibe with the nod to video games. I enjoyed the curvy girl representation and the warm vibe.

I DNFed this book. I loved the premise of the board gamers and their connection but it just didn't capture my attention in the way I was hoping it would. I DNFed around 25% into the book.

This was such a fun read! It included a group of friends who enjoy video games and board games with a great dynamic among them. Rose has a lot of self growth throughout the book - she starts off unsure of herself and really comes into her own by the end. William sounds like a nerdy/hot grumpy sunshine and he's so supportive of Rose without being overbearing. Both characters are complex and well thought out, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading their romance!

The premise of this book sounded so fun: two hyper-competitive people falling in love over board games? I was so down for it. The execution was sadly a little lackluster for me. I didn’t care for all the LoTR references; I hated the emphasis on her being super short and him being an actual tree. It isn’t this author’s fault I have been burned out on the ridiculous height difference in romances, but alas there are few books that don’t include this trope in some way and every time I encounter it I loose another nerve. I’m coming up on my last. Speaking of being on my nerves, the main character in this book is like the definition of quirky girl and has this life plan chart that she isn’t really meeting. But the most annoying thing, other than her weird refusal to just break up with her shitty boyfriend earlier in the book, is that she constant says in her head that ‘oh I can’t work on my board game I’m creating’ but there is no reason she can’t? Like yeah she’s in classes part time for her Masters’ but she has time to go to so many game nights and wedding planning things later on in the story I don’t see where she wouldn’t have had the time to work on it; especially since her stupid boyfriend is always working late. I found it really irritating. Her eventual love interest William is the brother of her work bestie and they are constantly picking on each other. He has a job as a video game developer and has already created a super popular game. He was fine as a love interest, not overbearing, not a complete cardboard cutout. The friend group had its moments where I was enjoying hanging out with them. I did think the grand gestures were a little cringe but also very sweet. I appreciated that the author tried to include some more hard-hitting topics in the story but I think we could have stuck with one and left out the one for the love interest. It actually didn’t do all that much and felt like it was wrapped up really easily. Overall, once I got into the book there were moments of fun and moments where I wanted to put it back down. If you like rom-commy type books and don’t mind suspending some disbelief, this is a book to give a try.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

DNF'ed at 30%

This book has gotten lots of rave reviews, but I'm choosing to stop reading because this is somewhat triggering for me. If you enjoy grumpy/sunshine MCs, game nights with friends, the rivals to lovers trope, and new adult romance, you should ignore this and give it a go!

The following might spoil this for you, so don't read further as I explain why I decided to DNF.

It appears that our heroine is being targeted for sexual assault in her workplace. There is awareness, but little-to-no support or thought about what could/should happen here.

Our MC's friend is pressuring her to take pole dancing classes, which I find completely inappropriate. If she wants to take a pole dancing class, that's fine, but the pressure being placed on our heroine to do this when she's really uncomfortable with the idea leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I'd like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is the cutest romance story to read. I literally giggle from the first page. I absolutely adored the character relationship. They were meant to be together.

An entertaining opposite attracts romance with cosplay humor and forbidden love that the two make sexy and playful. While both are adults, it reads almost YA/NA, although work issues are clearly adult. Loved all the costumes and the realistic game result and the promise of a fun long-term adventure.

Often, I have a difficult time with books that have so many pop culture references in them, but this book THRIVED with the references. I am not a gamer in the least, but I liked that I could still enjoy it.

I loved how much plot was put into this book — Rose and her game, Rose and her job, and Rose and the love interest. It felt seamless throughout but I would have loved a little more at the end with Rose and William — it felt like it went so fast! I loved how funny this book was and how I just couldn’t put it down once it started.

This is truly a romace for us gaming nerds. I enjoyed the characters, the banter, and how this involved board games and video games. I found myself not connecting to this one as deeply as other novels I've read in this genre. I still enjoyed this one though!

Rose finds herself in a loveless relationship, a miserable job with a creepy and inappropriately behaved boss, but one thing she does live is gaming and she's loved it since she was a kid. Finding herself at crossroad on choosing herself, I must admit was one of her greatest challenges, taking a risk or playing it safe (pun intended).
Throw in some amazing friends, the most endearing parents and the devilishly charming and handsome MMC and you're in for a game of playing Flirty.


This book had me squealing, gasping, giggling and jumping up and down! Shameez has an undeniable ability to write the most amazing stories and I am here for it all. Playing Flirty with it's playful gaming innuendos made it such a fun and easy read, the characters were diverse which made it so much more relatable too. Well done Shameez on writing such a marvelous Rom.

In this fun and spicy modern romance novel, readers follow risk-averse Rose Marie Jones, who loves game night and the distractions from her work and love lives it provides, but William Ashdern brings out her competitive nature like nobody else. As playing nemeses, William and Rose can’t get along, but when Rose decides to enter her original game into a contest, no one is more in her corner and able to help her win than William. Even though the competition keeps getting serious and losing is not an option, Rose might be willing to risk everything for William -- but will she? Fantastically written with a great mix of spice and character development, the story arcs for both William and Rose are easily the most immersive and engaging part of the story. Rose is deeply relatable, and her chemistry with William is fantastic, pulling readers into the story. The characters are the emotional heart of the novel, and the tropes at play really add to the overall tone and atmosphere of this brilliant new release. Engaging, entertaining, charming, and heartwarming, this is a brilliant new modern romance novel fans of the genre will absolutely love because the characters’ relationship and growth is just that good.

I was privileged to get to read a copy on @netgalley and I absolutely loved every bit of it!!
Shameez is definitely one of my auto-buy South African authors, so please do check out this book and her previous masterpiece- The Selene Trilogy!
In celebration of the launch of this book, please check out my review below!

Playing Flirty
By Shameez Patel

Where do I start with this one??
How about 3 words?
I....
.....LOVED.....
....IT!!
I was blessed to get my hands on an ebook arc from NetGalley for this book, and I honestly could not find any faults at all!
You all know that I loved "The Selene Trilogy" by this author, and even though this is a purely romance book, she killed it!
Get ready to fall in love with Rose and William! ❤️

For fans of:
-board games/ gamers
-romance
-best friend's brother
-rivals to lovers
-LOTR refrences
-cosy reads

Thank you for this review copy... I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and to do a reread soon!
5 stars all around from me!
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

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