Love a good sports romance! This book started out with a bang- literally. Spice was hot. Loved me some Hudson!

This was my first by this author and it definitely was the adorable cheesy cute sports romance. The chemistry was definitely there and made it hard to not adore these two. Its a fun quick read when you want the adorableness plus just the right amount of spice. This author definitely played into the stereotypes really well and worked well. I think I enjoyed the second half off the book more but overall a cute read.

I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE GAME ON!!! This is my book but I wanted to have the Netgalley copy on my Kindle. I’m not leaving a review but I can’t allow my ratio to dip x

Everything about this was adorable, from the cover to the romance. I’ve never read from this author before but I will be sure to add her to my growing tbr!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Football star and the cheerleader? Meant to be! I really enjoyed this one, the right amount of steam, the chemistry, the side characters were all fantastic.

Recommended!

3.5 ⭐️!! This book was so cute, it’s perfect if you love fun, spicy sport romances. I had such a great time reading this, I read it in a day which was exactly what I needed after writing exams!
Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a fun, spicy sports romance with great chemistry between the leads, but it didn’t totally wow me—maybe because I had just read something with a very similar setup. The tension between the cheerleader and the athlete was definitely a highlight, and their steamy scenes kept things engaging, even if their relationship moved a little too fast for my taste. I appreciated the fresh angle of having a professional cheerleader as the FMC, and some of the side characters really piqued my curiosity. That said, the ending felt unnecessarily dramatic, with a conflict that didn’t quite land emotionally for me. Still, I flew through it in one sitting, so if you’re into friends-with-benefits stories and don’t mind a good dose of spice, this one’s worth a try—even if it didn’t totally stick the landing.

3.5 stars! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this ebook. This was a cute, short college sports romance read. If you want a low-stakes quick romance with a sweet MMC, this book will fit the bill. I enjoyed reading it but sometimes found the story to drag in some places. Overall still a good book!

This was a fun and easy to read sports romance. The main characters Ella and Hudson are in the cheer squad and football team respectively and the football players are not supposed to be with the cheerleaders. They have a one night stand without knowing it so their "relationship" starts pretty early in the book that it made it hard to really feel a true connection. At first they try to resist each other but they can't stay apart so they start a no strings attached physical relationship. Overall the characters were likable, even the side ones but I felt like Hudson was more invested in their relationship than Ella was. If you like the whole collage sports dynamic with outgoing characters give it a chance.

Thank you to netGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

I was super excited when I heard Ki Stephen’s would have a traditionally published book. I ran to download this once I received the widget. Like all of Ki’s books this is a college sports romance. It follows Ella Davies who is fresh off a breakup from her boyfriend of 5 years. She is in an exchange program where she leaves her school in Oxford to study and do cheerleading in Nashville. While she is there she meets Hudson Fox who is the star quarterback. Neither of them know who the other is and they hook up on her first night there. He has a reputation and she’s not sure what she wants after a break up so they go their own way. Except it’s not that easy when you run in the same circle. If you are a fan of sports romances definitely check this out. If that is not your cup of tea then maybe try a different book. Although I love a good sports romance there wasn’t really anything that stuck out to me and will make this book memorable.

this was a cute & quick read and i enjoyed it! the chemistry between hudson and ella was so good and overall the book was enjoyable and fun. i truly love ki's books and this was no different. thank you for the arc

I actually really enjoyed this book!
It was corny and cheesy throughout a lot of it but I found myself enjoying the chemistry between the characters. The first half I swore I wasn’t going to like it but the second half was so easy to read and got invested in.
It wasn’t amazing but it pleasantly suprised me. It was a fun read!

Rating: 5 ⭐️
Release Date: August 14, 2025

This book was absolutely amazing! I felt the chemistry between these two characters instantly and loved every second of watching their relationship grow!

It follows our FMC, Ella who is a college cheerleader at Oxford University. She gets the chance to study abroad at a school in North Carolina and join their cheer squad. Something happens right before she leaves and she ends up having to come to the states by her herself knowing no one. Watching her make friends and create her own found family was incredible and I was rooting for her the entire time! I might keep forgetting her name but she is one of favorite FMCs. She was forced to learn about herself and find out what kind of future she wanted for herself.

Our MMC, Hudson is the QB of their college team! He was treated Ella so well and I loved watching him let his guard down and his protectiveness for her grow throughout their relationship. I loved watching him overcome his past trauma and learn to let people in. The way he supported his friends and Ella and put in the work to get things done (even though he would over do it sometimes) was so refreshing.

This was full of tension, pining, friendship, and growth. The way our two characters meet and how they start out to where they end and everything in between was exactly what I needed.

Thank you @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book early!

No strings fake relationship at its finest? Definitely. Ella is trying to prove herself and Hudson needs no distractions this year. To stay focused, they agree on no strings attached fun. But of course, the strings show up anyway.

Good solid romance read! Loved the chemistry. A little slow to start, but overall a solid read by a classic romance author.

Game On had me grinning through the entire book! I love a fun sports romance and Ki did not disappoint! I am so excited to check out her other books and I'm so grateful to get an ARC of Game On!

Quick pace, cute characters, fun storyline!

Thank you to Ki Stephens and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC. I loved this book! It is a cute quick read with some spice and college football and cheer. I really liked how well done the mental health representation was. I definitely recommend this one.

ARC Review
📖: Game On
@kistephs
Release date: 09.09.25

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

After reading Ki Stephens’ Coastal Rivals series and really enjoying it, when I saw this book was available to request I jumped at the chance!

I was intrigued by the cheer storyline of this one and was excited to see where it went. Our MCs Ella and Hudson meet when Ella transfers to a college in Nashville from Oxford to be a part of an American cheer team. Her long time boyfriend who she was supposed to travel with, breaks it off the day they are supposed to leave. Hudson is the star quarterback not looking for a distraction. Hudson also has a backstory that delves into some mental health aspects and I loved to learn more about that. A one night stand on Ella’s first night in the states leads to an attraction neither of them expected. As they both navigate through their respective sports, the pressures involved and their growing attraction to each other, they find the feelings they have for each other are hard to deny.

I really enjoyed seeing the detail behind cheer aspect a sport. Having a family member who was a competitive cheerleader and is now a coach, I’ve seen first hand how these athletes work hard to compete at the top level of their sport and don’t often get the credit deserved. The author does a good job showing us some of the ins and outs of this sport and I loved that! As far as the romance goes, I really liked the FMC Ella-she was strong and smart and had her goals. MMC Hudson had dreams of more than football and I loved that he was able succeed.

This was a cute book with some good spice and a peek at a sport we don’t see portrayed often. The mental health representation was also important and well done. I have really enjoyed everything I’ve read from this author and this was no different. I enjoyed it and would recommend!

Tropes:
One night stand
Friends with benefits
College setting
Mental health rep
English exchange student
Cheerleader x quarterback


Thank you to Ki and @netgalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC.

The setup: Ella moves to Nashville to spend a year at an American college and learn all she can as a member of her school’s elite cheer squad. She doesn’t count on meeting Hudson on her first night in the States. Hudson is the school’s football quarterback. Neither Ella nor Hudson is interested in more than one night together, but after one really amazing night, they get off on the completely wrong foot. There is something that keeps drawing them together, though, and a begrudging friendship grows between them.

My thoughts: Ki Stephens characters always hit. I love that Ki peels back the layers of the characters slowly over the course of the book. We see that Ella and Hudson are a lot deeper people than they represent to each other at first (and to the reader). I’ll admit I really didn’t like either of them at first. Ella seems extremely naive and immature, and Hudson seems completely full of himself. There are so many moments that truly do feel realistic to college where people are finding themselves and figuring out who they want to be. Ella and Hudson aren’t super mature, and they have to work on themselves and their friendship. It’s not all smooth sailing, but it is high tension between the two of them the whole time. Is the plot maybe a little far-fetched? Sure, but I enjoyed every moment. I will say that there is usually a realism to Ki’s characters that wasn’t there as much in this book as usual. Her treatment of Hudson’s character and development far outweighs Ella’s growth. She does show person’s motivations and growth over the school year, Ella just didn’t mature as much as I would have hoped. All in all I would say this is a 3.5 star book rounded up to 4 stars.

The vibes:
One night stand
Friends with benefits
College setting
Open door spice
Cheerleader x quarterback
Cat dad mmc
English exchange student
Set in Nashville, TN

I received this as an ARC, and my review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Tropes:
Friends with Benefits
College Romance
Found Family
Sports Romance
Slow Burn
Mutual Pining (and denial)
Quarterback X Cheerleader

This was a fantastic romance! It has everything you could want! That yearning and burning… wowza! Hudson and Ella are just *chefs kiss* adorable and perfect. If you like the tropes listed this is 100% for you!