This cover, a sports romance, I’m all in for Ki Stephens’ Game On! Ella is about to spend the year in Nashville, studying abroad, when her longtime boyfriend breaks up with her, changing all of her plans. Now her only goal is cheer—until she runs into football star Hudson Fox, and even though all they’ve done is agree to fun, these two can’t seem to fight their feelings. This book has Elle Kennedy vibes all over it. The banter is good, it’s full of banter, and the characters are easy to root for. Ella is charming and driven, and I loved watching her find her voice and her own adventures. I wish there was some more moments of friendship for her too, but I really liked Hudson and how he treated her. He’s supportive and sweet and as driven as her. It is sweet and lighthearted and emotional. It’s steamy and I loved these characters and how they both push each other to succeed!

This was a quick and easy read!
The first few chapters seemed rushed which made it hard to form a connect to these characters and the relationship. I thought the mental health representation was well done and I enjoyed the fact that both of these characters had plans and goals that was supported by the other.
I have never read a book that focused on competitive cheerleading, so it was nice to get a glimpse inside of that world.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC

“Sometimes we have to break the rules if we want to win the game.”

Game On is a total knockout. With dynamic, fully fleshed-out characters and an irresistibly engaging plot, I was instantly hooked on Hudson and Ella’s journey. This was my first experience reading this author—and it certainly won’t be my last. Her storytelling grabbed me, and I’m already planning to dive into her backlist.

“There’s this magnetism between us, this pull I can’t shake, no matter how hard I try.”

Ella is a fish out of water when she arrives from England, freshly single and trying to find her place on a new cheerleading squad. Her gutsy decision to approach Hudson at a bar sets off an unforgettable night that neither of them expects. In the unforgiving light of morning, the consequences are clear—but so is their undeniable pull toward each other.

“When it comes to you, I always play to win.”

Both Hudson and Ella shine as fierce, passionate characters with heart. Devoted to their respective sports and burning with competitive fire, they’re determined to chase their dreams—individually and, eventually, together. Their relationship’s evolution from impulsive hookup to hesitant friendship, then true partnership, was deeply satisfying to watch. The flirty banter and blazing chemistry added layers of depth and delight.

“Before you, my life was safe, predictable. But with you? I feel like I’m finally really living. Like I have something worth fighting for, and I can’t let that go.”

With an emotionally rich storyline and characters you’ll absolutely fall for, Game On reeled me in from the very first page. I’m crossing my fingers we’ll get to see more of these two along with the rest of these characters in the future.

“When it comes to you, I’m downright selfish.”

Game on by Ki Stephens is a college romance that follows the typical cliche of a cheerleader, Ella Davis, and the quarterback, Hudson Fox.

When it comes to characters who are deeply in love, Ki always delivers especially because she writes them with tension, yearning, and chemistry. And if you need one more reason to fall in love with Hudson, know that he’s a cat dad!! And he’s also obsessed with our girl Ella. Also, props to miss girly because she didn’t give in so easily to his charms.

As much as I was excited for Ella and Hudson’s story, I found myself more intrigued with the side characters, Claire and Levi’s story. Manifesting we get their story next because I cannot wait longer than necessary.

At this point, I don’t even have to write a full review for you guys to know that anything Ki writes, I will eat it tf up.

*Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and to the author, Ki Stephens, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

I love sourdough, let’s just start with that.

I didn’t mind this story, though I felt it was more telling than showing? I did love the concept a ton, I’m a sucker for a college sports romance, I just wish there was a little more something idk.

The ocd rep with Hudson was done well, I love how determined Ella is & I did love the side characters (sometimes I cared more about them but maybe a story for them will come).

Thank you to Ki Stephen’s, St Martins Press & NetGalley for an eARC! Review & opinions are honest & my own!

This is a very well-written dual POV sports (cheer and football) romance novel. The back-to-school football season vibes made me so happy. Ella and Hudson's romance was so cute and had me feeling giddy. I can't lie, I caught myself smiling so hard many times while reading this. I like a character-driven book, and this had a good plot as well as in-depth characters. Hudson and Ella have so much more to them than what meets the eye! They were so cute together!! The only thing that really kept me from loving this book was the fact that it didn't feel very special. I enjoyed it while reading, but felt there wasn't much that was unique or memorable enough in order to be rated higher. Although, Ki Stephens writes an adorable college sports romance, there wasn't a separating factor for me that put this book above others. 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author Ki Stephens for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

+ Ella is a cheerleader from England who goes to Whitland in Nashville, Tennessee. Along with the culture shock, which hasn’t really fazed her, he boyfriend of a few years dumped her and then she has a one-night stand with the star quarterback at Whitland. I thought Ella was a cool character, typical college girl going through the growing pains of relationships and school.

+~ The romance is a one-night stand to friends to lovers. There is a lot of back and forth between Ella and Hudson, which was not my favorite of the romance. I do think their relationship is relatable because it’s set in college and young love can start and end so fast. There is spice but because these two kept things mostly casual throughout the book I didn’t quite connect to their romance.

+ I enjoyed the cheer parts of the book and it gave me flashbacks to Netflix’s show Cheer (where the star cheerleader was a girl named Gabi haha – there is a Gabi in this book also, coincidentally). I thought Ash was an intriguing character.

~ The conflict that comes at the end of the book was minor and it didn’t feel like the big deal, Ella made it out to be. It was resolved with communication.

Final Thoughts:

This was a light, sports romance and a very quick read. I don’t feel like I connected much to the characters, because of the back and forth and miscommunication but I did enjoy all the cheer aspects to the story – I thought that was interesting and fun! Overall, this was not for me but if you like sports romance, you might enjoy this one.

Unfortunately, Game On was not for me. I couldn't get into the story, and I didn't care about the characters.

For me, I think think the inciting incident happened too fast. I understand why Ki Stephens would do this to have the readers feel just as caught off guard and unsettled as our FMC, Ella. However, all it did was keep me disconnected from Ella and not really care about her supposed heartbreak. Everything then felt contrived and forced.

I do feel as though this book will have an audience; I just happen to not be a part of it.

I devoured this story. I’ve read my fair share of college sports romance books but this one had the perfect amount of spice and plot. Typically when you read stories about someone traveling abroad for school it’s to Europe from the States. This was the opposite. Ella left London and moved to Nashville for a year to study abroad. Just before she leaves her boyfriend of 5 years decides to break up with her. Heartbroken and moving to another country, Ella arrives to her new home and immediately starts a new life. She is an avid cheerleader and determined to meet her goals while studying abroad. In comes Hudson the well known football player. They go back and forth for a while, both not wanting to be in a relationship so they can focus on themselves but ultimately can’t stay away from each other. This was definitely a friends to lovers with a lot of spice and I ate it up.

Thank you to Ki Stephens, Net Galley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this in advance!

Arc review.

This was such a cute sports romance.
I loved the characters, and the way the relationships were being build through the book.
The friendships were amazing.
I'm not the biggest fan of the one night stand trope, but it was a cute read.

- Football player
- Cheerleader
- Bit of spice (not to much)

I love Ki Stephens books, so this is another one I'll be buying as a shelve trophy when it comes out!

Thank you to everyone involved for the arc!

Game on is a such a cute book that will have you grinning, kicking your feet, and just overall falling for the characters. Its a fun and can't put down sports romance that delivers everything you would want.

Thanks to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the ARC!

It was so fun to read Game On and to watch the relationship between Hudson and Ella develop! From their immediate chemistry to the slow burn that develops afterwards, these characters were clearly a great match. I loved seeing how their individual competitiveness and love for sports brought them together in a positive way.

The football player x cheerleader trope is always a good one, but this book put an extra fun spin on that trope. I loved how Hudson was determined to continually show up for Ella, even when all she wanted was a friendship. Ella has a whole lot of fire in her personality, and Hudson becomes that one person able to get to that softer side underneath.

I love a good new adult romance, and Game On definitely hit on all the parts that I adore. These characters are easy to relate to, and I wanted them both to succeed on and off their respective playing fields. I had lots of fun reading this book, and I know my sports girlies will too.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I use to joke about the terrible miscommunication breakup that happens in romance books at the 75% mark being the worst thing but this book has it happen at the 90% mark. 90%. I should be preparing for the happily ever after but no. Miscommunication that isn’t even needed in the first place occurred instead.

Until that moment, the story felt like a general romance book. The characters were interesting, but felt very one dimensional. The author seemed to try and give them more depth but it felt like random lore drop. The story also felt rushed at times. The miscommunication that happened throughout the whole book was annoying but easy to push past.

I’d recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of sports / college romances, and who aren’t overly critical of the romance genre as it was a fun read.

OMG I loved this!!! I was totally not expecting to love this I’ll be honest since I’ve been in a sports romance slump but this felt so FRESH and different and fun!! The FMC being the sports focus was so cool, I loved the cheer rep, I loved their banter, I thought it was just super unique and I’m overlooking some of the unrealistic parts of this because it’s just fresh and what the sports romance genre needs right now

Game On by Ki Stephens is a swoony, high-energy college sports romance that delivers all the tension, chemistry, and heart you want in a “no-strings-attached” love story—plus a charming transatlantic twist.

Ella Davies is a breath of fresh (British) air. Smart, determined, and ready to prove herself, she jumps from Oxford to Nashville with dreams of making Whitland University’s elite cheer squad her stage. She’s laser-focused—until she literally collides with Hudson Fox, the school’s star quarterback and a walking, talking temptation. Hudson, on the other hand, is all about discipline and dominance—on the field, in the locker room, and in life. But Ella’s spark rattles his cage in the best way.

Their banter is sharp, their dynamic electric, and their chemistry undeniable. What starts as a casual fling quickly escalates into something deeper, and Stephens handles this progression with just the right blend of heat and heart. The “just for fun” agreement is predictably doomed in the most satisfying way as both characters find themselves falling—harder than they expected.

What sets Game On apart is how well it balances its fun, flirty tone with emotional stakes. Hudson’s need for control masks insecurities about pressure and performance, while Ella’s fierce independence hides a vulnerable need to be taken seriously. Watching them slowly unpack each other’s layers is as rewarding as the romantic payoff.

Stephens also excels in building a vivid college sports setting, giving us cheer routines, locker room tension, and team drama that feels authentic and immersive without overshadowing the love story.

Fans of The Deal by Elle Kennedy or Icebreaker by Hannah Grace will feel right at home here.

Fast-paced, sexy, and full of heart, Game On is a touchdown of a debut that proves love can be the biggest risk—and the greatest reward. If you’re into sports romance with strong heroines, emotionally layered heroes, and all the slow-burn buildup, don’t sit this one out.

🌙 One night stand. 🐈‍⬛ Cat dad. 🏈 College sport romance 📣. Gives Icebreaker vibes but with football. Fun spicy read for the sports romance people.

This was sure a book. I felt like i enjoyed every other chapter. Third act conflict made me roll my eyes harder than I ever have before. A few blocking things suuuper didn’t add up but I’m hopeful that will get adjusted before the final version. If you want to read this I won’t stop you but if you ask for a college cheerleader + man in a different sport who ends up joining her with something I’d give you a different recommendation first

ੈ✩‧₊˚ four stars ·˚ ༘₊· ➳

This book was so so cute. I've read quite a few sports romances, but this one definitely tops. The chemistry and pace between Ella and Hudson started off a bit quick, but I adored every little sweet moment of theirs afterwards. Their relationship wasn't overly smutty or full of drama, which usually kills me in other novels. This was my first Ki Stephens novel (and my first arc yay!) and I truly adored it. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a cute and fun sports college romance with just the right amount of drama and smut in it. ✩

Thank you to NetGalley, Ki Stephens, and St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first experience with a Ki Stephens book. I went into it thinking it would be a nice little pallet cleanser of a romcom and I got so much more than I thought I was going to get. A sports romance but the MMC, Hudson, is a star quarterback for the team but his end goal is not football! Which is not a norm for a sports romance it seems like the main characters always want to go pro and that wasn’t the case here and it was so refreshing. Our FMC, Ella, is doing a year in Nashville for cheer and to get away from Oxford. When she leaves her and her boyfriend end up breaking up. They were suppose to go to Nashville together for this year in this new school.
Overall I really liked the story. I loved the characters. I felt they had more depth to them and weren’t as flat as some romcom characters you meet in a sports romcom. It really makes me want to go and read all the rest of Ki’s previous novels! And the spice!! Oh it was good. I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting, and I’m sure the rest of the backlog will follow suit.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press Press (Griffin) for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I would like to give a huge thank you to Ki Stephen’s, St.Martins Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of “Game On” in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Game On” was fast paced book that I completed in one sitting. It was a book that was extremely enjoyable to read. I absolutely could not put this book down.

In the story we meet the female main character Ella. Ella is on her way to Whitland from London to advance her skills in cheerleading by working with a top notch coach who has championships under her belt. Ella, who was just dumped by her longtime boyfriend meets our male main character Hudson who plays football.
On the first day of meeting him, to get over her ex she hooks up with him, however not realizing he does play for the football team and there is a no fraternization policy in place between the cheerleaders and the football players.
At first Hudson and Ella fight their attraction to one another until they eventually find themselves not being able to.

Throughout the story we get to know these characters in-depth. Just a heads up there is some trigger warnings in the book such as sexual content, parent abandonment, etc.

Overall, I had an extremely enjoyable time reading this story and look forward to supporting the author by purchasing it when it hits shelves September 2025. I give this book 4.5 stars