This was exactly what you think it will be. I enjoyed it—the romance was cute and addressed the challenges of long distance, longing, and misunderstanding. The writing style and dual POV helped establish the characters' thoughts, perceptions, and motives, and the characters themselves were believable.

Overall, as a weekend or summer romance read, it was well written, and the characters were relatable, making it an enjoyable experience.

"Game On" was an enjoyable romance. Having a one-night stand with a stranger and then discovering that the person is going to be at least a somewhat regular presence in your life is not an uncommon plot device, but the descriptiveness of the one-night stand was surprising. The tension between Ella and Hudson was good, as they have an attraction they cannot deny but for a variety of reasons try to resist, which leads to them irritating and infuriating each other at times before figuring out a "friends with benefits" relationship that may or may not work out.

I liked the backstories of Ella and Hudson, and how their past experiences, especially family relationships, have shaped their behaviors and ambitions, and how they see themselves. The story has a great cast of supporting characters -- Gabi, Sammy, Levi, Ash, Luke, Sourdough. I particularly liked the interactions between Ella and Ash. Having Hudson, the quarterback, have a past history in competitive cheerleading was a nice twist.

I would have liked more clarity regarding the situation between Levi and Sammy. I have my suspicions, but it would have been nice to have them confirmed.

I really enjoyed this one, however, it will hopefully go through another round of editing! I wanted more groveling as well.

This one was alot of fun. I really enjoyed it and appreciated the opportunity to read it. Thanks so much!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This is a fun quick college sports romance.

The chemistry between the characters is great, but it was a bit too insta-lovey for me.

I loved all the side characters, especially Sourdough.

The dialogue was a bit stilted, but otherwise the writing was good.

If you're looking for a college sports romance, this will scratch the itch.

This book was absolutely amazing and well-written. The chemistry between them moved fast-paced so if you like slow burns this may not be the book for you. It’s very cute, fun and easy to binge All in all, I loved it and hope there is a second book.

I was interested in this cover and title but in practice struggled to connect with the plot. Thank you for the arc.

This book was cute, but only that. I wasn't fully invested in any of the characters and the book itself was kind of forgettable. I will say this though, I did love how much actual sports was involved in it..

Thanks so much for the publisher and author for the arc, all opinions expressed are my own.

I really wanted to to like this, but I had to DNF at 10% for quite a few reasons:

- the British FMC was so unrealistic (coming from a British person!), the dialogue seemed so bizarre and I was almost cringing as I read the first chapter
- some descriptions felt like a wild info dump, long descriptions that could have been better interwoven into the story
- the first chapter alone had so many jumps, I almost got whiplash, it was difficult to keep up
- the instalust was not for me, i felt like it felt really random and so unnatural, by the second and third chapter, the pacing felt really off

Plot:
╰┈➤ Let me preface this by saying that I think this was a good book and I liked it as I stated above. However, I had just read a book where the couple has a one-night stand and he was also a sportsperson, so it just felt like I was reading a similar book when I started. If I had read it at the different time, then I would have probably enjoyed this so much more. That being said, it was 100% a me thing.
╰┈➤ They had some pretty hot scenes. Overall, I felt like their chemistry and relationship was a little too fast-paced for me, but it did work. Their first meeting was kind of wild the way it happened. The scenes with their friends and some of those secondary characters have me low-key intrigued because there's stuff I need to know about them.athlete at her new university. i can definitely recommend this book for fans of sport romances since it’s probably one of my favorite books in this category. if you have been following me for some you i could have noticed that i am not such a huge fan of sports in books, and i mostly read these books from the already known authors, however, this one was truly great.

i want to start my review with talking about chemistry and tension between main characters because it was soooo good. i can’t remember when was the last time i read a romance with such developed tension. also!!! i’d definitely say to avoid this book if you don’t like spice because this book is filled with those scenes. i wouldn’t classify them as super intense or hot but the chemistry was truly unique.

moving to the storyline. the book definitely follows an interesting plot since i finally got to see a professional cheerleader and an athlete. however, here comes something i didn’t enjoy as much. the moment of him finding out something at the end was so unnecessary. he has only found out about this news and of course he didn’t tell her but the moment was overly dramatic. why was she so angry for no reason?with all of that being said, this isn't anything special. it is a little instalove-y and the romance moved too fast for me to really get super connected or emotionally invested in it. but i did like the characters and like i said the book did what it needed to do. will def be reading more ki stephens after this!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I want to start off that I loved reading Fault Line by Ki Stephens! I remember seeing a TikTok about the book and bought it so fast and devoured the book. I liked the description of the book and was so excited to read it, but unfortunately it just did not feel the same and hooked me on. It was a hard book to continue and finish it for me. I did not feel the chemistry. It was more told that they had it than shown that they had it.

I do not think it is the worse book ever written, I think a lot of people will enjoy it. But I also think a lot of people might feel the same way!

I love this author and a great college sports romance! It flowed perfectly and was fun! Thank you for the ARC! It's always appreciated.

I really enjoyed this book! First, I loved the competitive atmosphere with the cheerleading and football. It was fun to have something to root for. Second, I love the friendship and romance that developed with our main couple. It starts out with a one-night stand and then develops to friendship and even more. There were cute and funny moments throughout. There was some slight miscommunication but they definitely worked through it for their happy ending. Overall, I recommend if you are wanting a cute sports romance read!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy!

This is a pretty standard college sports romance, but has a few twists within that makes it truly stand out from others. Every single character introduced had me wanting to learn more about them *cough* Levi *cough*. Most importantly Hudson has a cat named Sourdough …. What more could you want from a book.

This is a pretty typical college sports romance book. I have no strong feelings either way about this one, good or bad. I do struggle with books that start off with a hookup and then end up going backwards. I prefer a buildup to the feelings/relationship rather than the insta-lust. I felt like Ella & Hudson were fine characters but neither one was noteworthy to me and I didn't really connect with them.

Overall this was a good palate cleanser type of book but I don't know that I will remember a thing about it in a few days time. Good for a quick beach read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Game On, although it was a little uneven for me. I love football romances, but this was my first romance that really dove into the world of competitive cheerleading, as opposed to sideline cheer. As the parent of a competitive cheerleader, that was something fun and different. This book sort of reminded me of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, one of my favorite 80’s rom-coms.
I liked Hudson as a character, he was not your traditional athlete, he had no desire to enter the draft, preferring to study Classics in grad school. His motivations and hangups over his father’s role in his life were a driving force for his ambitions. Ella was a little more confusing to me. I didn’t quite get her hesitation to be in a relationship with Hudson- she was a little all over the place, and I didn’t really connect with her.
There were some areas that I thought were covered too deeply, such as the nuances of competitive cheerleading, the practices, competitions etc. I glossed over much of those pages. But other areas that I thought were more critical to understanding the main characters were covered too lightly, IMO. The beginning advanced very quickly as well, I didn’t have a good sense for who they were.
Overall, it was enjoyable, but a little slow for me. This was my first book by the author, and I would be interested in reading more of her books. I would like to see a book with Levi and Claire- there seemed to be an interesting back story with them.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for giving me an opportunity to review this ARC.
Tropes:
- College romance
- One night stand
- He’s a QB, she’s a cheerleader
- Friends to lovers

The characterization felt a little rushed for me but in the end this was a fun, spicy, light read. A different twist on the usual sports romance.

It was a fast and fun read! There are some points where I felt the pacing could be a little bit better and a resolution with the FMC's situation, but the romance was cute. I liked how the pair complimented each other and how the path to the HEA was worth it.

I read this book in one sitting — I just couldn’t put it down! From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked by Ella and Hudson’s dynamic. Their chemistry was electric, and the banter? So good.

Ella was such a fun lead — strong, sharp, and totally unapologetic. I loved seeing her navigate a new life in the U.S. while staying true to who she is. And Hudson? Ugh, my heart. He’s layered and complex in the best way, and the way the book handled his OCD felt really respectful and thoughtful. Watching them slowly let their guards down with each other was one of my favorite parts.

The romance was perfectly paced — a mix of flirty, vulnerable, and just enough slow burn to keep you turning the pages. I also really appreciated that while the story had its swoony moments, it didn’t shy away from deeper emotional themes too.

Overall, Game On felt like the perfect blend of fun and heartfelt. If you’re into sports romances with real character growth and crackling chemistry, this one’s a win.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this early — I had such a great time with it!

This book is pure serotonin. Ella is everything you want in a rom-com heroine: bold, independent, and just messy enough to make you root for her. And Hudson is a classic broody quarterback with a soft center. Their chemistry snaps from page one, and the “just fun, no strings” pact added the emotional ticking time bomb I crave in my romance reads.

What makes this story stand out is how effortless it feels. The writing is sharp and modern without trying too hard, the spice hits when it needs to, and the stakes stay light but engaging. It’s the kind of book you finish in one sitting with a stupid grin on your face. Ki Stephens nails the balance between sexy and sweet, and if you’re craving a college romance with charm, heat, and two leads who absolutely shouldn’t fall for each other but 100% do, this one’s a must-read.