3.5⭐ (Rounded Up To 4)

"Game On" was a pretty cute and fast-paced read, I binged it in an evening.

I'm usually a sucker for a Sports Romance, the author did included some tropes that I don't particularly love but overall I thought this story was enjoyable. Ella and Hudson were very likeable main characters and I really enjoyed their story towards the second half of this book.

This was a new to me author and I'll probably check out more of her work in the future.

Thank you Ki Stephens , Net Galley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin Griffin for proving me with an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Ella is headed for a year abroad in Whitland college in the United States to be on their cheer team when her long-time boyfriend Jamie dumps her. On her first night in Nashville, she has a one-night stand with Hudson Fox, Whitland’s star quarterback. She sees it as a one-time thing, but he might want more. This was the whole book. It plodded along as they tried to figure out whether they were a thing or not. There wasn’t much drama, and you could see the ending coming. I did like some of the behind the scenes into the world of competitive cheer.

this was a fun and cute sports college romance!

if you loved fast paced and instant attraction then this book will be for you. ella and hudson’s chemistry felt very organic and they fit together like puzzle pieces. they completed one another!! no third act breakup for those who want to know and the ocd representation was done so well 🥹

thank you netgalley for the arc 💌

3.75 out of 5
This was my first ever Ki Stephens book, and it definitely won't be my last. Game On is cute, flirty, and angsty enough to keep me hooked! It's giving all the classic college sports romance vibes. Ella and Hudson's chemistry is so good, it had me kicking my feet and smiling like a fool. Don't even get me started on their banter/tension! Delicious, I ATE it up! When Hudson let his guard down, I lived for those soft moments. He's for SURE a contender for my top 10 book boyfriends!
All this being said I loved the plot, but I was craving more from the side characters...maybe we will see them again in another book? I flew through this book and had so much fun while reading it. If you're into slow-burn, sports romance, and emotionally unavailable guys who eventually fall HARD -- this one is for you!

I want to say a huge thank you to Ki Stephens, NetGalley and St. Martin's press for allowing me the honor to read the eARC! I cannot wait for the release date!

Flawless. Ki Stephens is the queen of soft romance for a reason. There’s the perfect amount of angst along with two characters who are genuinely amazing people.

This was such a light, easy read, and it was so refreshing to read a sports romance book that focused on competitive cheerleading (with football on the side). It focused on personal growth, trust (in each other, in their teammates, and in themselves), and navigating life/letting go of control.

I absolutely loved reading about all the technical terms for all the cheer/tumbling stunts (the little girl in me who watched all the Bring It On movies was having a blast).

Both MCs were ambitious, passionate, independent, and slightly stubborn. I loved how their relationship started with banter and then evolved to them opening up and learning to let someone in by being vulnerable with each other.

Hudson was Ella's biggest cheerleader/always treated her gently with so much care, and he the cutest cat dad to Sourdough. I was so happy of how Ella was supportive and understanding of his OCD tendencies instead of brushing it off and treating it as a burden. They were a straightforward couple who fought for each other and I loved it.

4.25

This was a fun and fast paced read. I love the concept of an exchange student from Britain and an all American boy. This cute one might stand to lovers was so great. I do feel that there wasn’t enough depth into both characters. At times I wish there was a bit deeper connection between them too. But I liked the sports plot and how the moments together did end up being very good. A small dose of angst in this book keep me interested as well. This is definitely something I’d recommend as a cute sports romance to fill the time.

Took me a while to get into it, but overall it was a cute sports romance. Ella was annoying at times, but Hudson was very sweet. A quick read, but forgettable. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc!

Firstly, I absolutely adore Ki and love her books. Unfortunately, this particular book did not really work out for me.

Thank you SMP for the opportunity to read this early.

I love a good college Sports romance and I enjoyed this one!! I loved the romance of it and definitely craved more. It was easy to follow and definitely a good and simplistic read. However, it was a bit insta-lovey, and that just isn’t always my thing. I was craving a bit more of a slow-burn. But, I enjoyed the banter and thought that Hudson and Ella were good for each other.

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

This is the first book I've read by Ki Stephens, and it was so cute! Game On is a college sports romance featuring a sexy star football player and a beautiful cheerleader. It's funny, sexy, swoony, and emotional, and it'll have you rooting for the characters right from the start.

I love Ella! Hailing from England, she's spending the year at Whitland University in Tennessee and performing with their elite cheer squad. She's spunky, driven, and genuine. She meets Hudson at a bar and is instantly drawn to him. Whitland's football team's star quarterback is gorgeous, broody, sexy, and completely unexpected. He's multilayered and not your typical football player! When they start spending time together, they realize just how good of a match they are. I won't ruin it and tell you why they begin spending so much time together, but I will say that Stephens takes the story in a direction that I didn't see coming, and I loved it! Somehow, it just works, and I was eager to see how it would all play out. Ella and Hudson have tons of chemistry, and I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom as they found their happily ever after.

Game On will make you laugh, and it'll make you swoon. It's emotional in some ways and lighthearted in others. Stephens struck the perfect balance between the two, delivering a delightful story. I'm so glad I took a chance on this new-to-me author! 4 stars

I love me a good sports romance; this in a strange-ish way reminded me of the cheerleading aspect of Dodgeball. Not entirely sure why. Maybe it was that when her partner got hurt; he stepped in to be that for her. I'll always love a good football romance. I was expecting WAY more drama with the cheer captain and the ex. boyfriend. Honestly I was kinda craving more conflict. I do love a fun romance sometimes and this was definitely that.

Super cute college football/cheer romance, with a little twist. I loved how much our MCs ended up having to work together. I enjoyed this story overall, low angst/medium spice. I genuinely enjoyed the characters, but just wanted more—especially from some of the secondary characters. I’m hoping there’s a series brewing with a few of them. It fell a little flat, towards the end and slightly rushed, but I was definitely rooting for them on and off the field. I would 10000% read more of this series.

Hudson and Ella, what can I say. Ella was dropped by her long-term boyfriend at the very last minute before doing a study aboard. Out to do something different, that's how she met Hudson. Hudson wanted to focus on school, not to mess around, but the magnetism with Ella is strong. They got together and after one night, she ghosted him. He's like WTH.

It is a fun NA book. They kept getting pulled together, they tried to have a friendship, but you knew they would get together. A football player that used to cheer? That's kinda predictable. That being said, when they do made up their mind to get together, they are hot and good together. Just the right amount of hot, not too much, just good enough to move the book along.

They have a happy ending, and the dumb ex-boyfriend got what he deserved. It was fun to see how Hudson tries various ways to get Ella's attention, and their cast of friends are great to be around, especially when Ella is new to town and the squad is protective of her. Love those friendships.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

She’s an exchange cheer student from Oxford and he’s the star quarterback at Whitland. Ella and Hudson have a fun night together that leads to more but neither one wants to admit right away
Having Jamie break up with Ella moments before they were supposed to fly across the world to their exchange school, allowed Ella to grow as a person. She got to be an individual and find her own way which made her stronger in the end. Her chemistry with Hudson was on fire, along with the back and forth bickering and calling each other on their BS. They fought their mutual attraction for the first part of the book which made them coming together that much more special and heartwarming. Hudson’s had a tough childhood and it’s nice to see him open up to Ella and show her his quirks and nightly routine without judgement. Hudson being a former cheerleader threw me for a loop, but in a good way. They way they trained together and became in sync was fun to read.
I recommend this book to all people looking for a romantic with bits of spice romance book.

Ella Davies left everything behind to follow a dream in Nashville, she is determined to show she belongs on her school's elite cheer squad. Which means no distractions or time wasted on anything other than cheerleading... especially not wasting time on a handsome and flirty football player.

Game On is an entertaining and charming page-turner that is certain to be a winner in the eyes of sports romance readers. These two weren't looking for love, but it found them at the most inopportune time and now they find themselves scrambling to avoid it all costs. But they soon learn their efforts are futile, because you can't ignore love, no matter how much you want to.

I enjoyed this first time read, it was an wonderful afternoon escape, brimming with feels, swoons, laughs... everything you could want in a romance! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

I had some issues with this book because of netgalley. I was unaware that books sent to the netgalley reader could only be viewed in the app that I had no clue there was an app. But once this tech issue was resolved the book was highly enjoyable!

It was a really good story. I love the characters. I love the conflict resolution between them. However, I believe the story was rushed and skipped a bunch of things that were necessary and went over things that weren’t

Compared to some of her other books, this was just okay for me. And I have really enjoyed quite a few of this author's work.

I found these characters to be flatter than this author typically writes and I just couldn't get into them. They felt weirdly too fast but also too wishy-washy at times. They just weren't very consistent people, and maybe that was on purpose, but that kind of person always annoys me. Fictional or not.

This was a super fast read, as Ki Stephens book tend to be. I did read this super quickly (if you were to add up the time I took to read this book, I could've knocked it out in one sitting, but I was procrastinating and took a few days even though I didn't spend that long on it).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This wasn’t my favorite! I absolutely ADORED the first 50%. Hudson and Ella are two peas in a pod, whether they realize it or not. All their time was spent participating in different activities together and it was SO fun watching their relationship develop. But then we get to the main event and they are so underwhelming. They no longer take precedence in the storyline. The last 50% was what made this book not the greatest… but alas. Also, the ending was SO quickly written out that it was almost not believable as a reader. Overall, I liked the tone and author’s writing style and would read another, but hoping the storyline becomes more fleshed out in future writings. Thanks for the opportunity to read!