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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
reviewing this because i felt like i was being unfair before.
so i've previously been a big fan of lacie waldon books. i adore everything about them, from the cover to the very end line. i was really excited to get to read the only game in town, because of this, to a point where i ignored some very obvious deterrents. i'll be upfront: i don't really care for adventure-esque romance books, or romance books where the romance isn't at least eighty percent centered. if i wanted something where romance played more of a side role, i would pick up literally any other genre.
and therein lies my biggest, and perhaps, only problem with this book. i know i probably should've avoided this based on the title alone, but i didn't, and well. now we're all suffering. the only game in town is about a man dying and leaving his enormous fortune to "the town", wherein all the townspeople will play an unclear series of games until all but one team is eliminated. and then that team (of two people) will win ten million dollars! whee! it's not that this premise was what annoyed me, to start with, it's just that it took so much space and time, i felt like there was nothing left over for the romance. whatever leftover pieces i got felt very odd and stilted, as if they're forcefully crammed in, in chapter ends and two-liners, so the characters can go back to the "main event" (the treasure hunt). which is fine, obviously, but it's not, strictly speaking, a romance book to me (it has a hea, in case this sets someone off). and i *might* even have forgiven that, if the couple had been worth it.. but. i didn't care for the characters, even separated from all else, and neither did i care about the relationship. i didn't care for the development or their "big issue"; i couldn't even fully buy into their little quirks and reasons and idiosyncrasies. everything, altogether, felt very inverted, off-putting, and odious, to the point where i just wanted the book to end. there were *some* plot points i couldn't fully understand the reasoning for; others i understood why they'd been put in, but felt too transparent (and consequently embarrassing) to read.
overall, i think i just *really* didn't care about this at all, in any fashion. maybe it was just my mood during reading, and maybe, hopefully, others will like this more, but it was an extremely annoying read for me.
thank you to g.p. putnam's sons for the arc. (1.5/5)
so i've previously been a big fan of lacie waldon books. i adore everything about them, from the cover to the very end line. i was really excited to get to read the only game in town, because of this, to a point where i ignored some very obvious deterrents. i'll be upfront: i don't really care for adventure-esque romance books, or romance books where the romance isn't at least eighty percent centered. if i wanted something where romance played more of a side role, i would pick up literally any other genre.
and therein lies my biggest, and perhaps, only problem with this book. i know i probably should've avoided this based on the title alone, but i didn't, and well. now we're all suffering. the only game in town is about a man dying and leaving his enormous fortune to "the town", wherein all the townspeople will play an unclear series of games until all but one team is eliminated. and then that team (of two people) will win ten million dollars! whee! it's not that this premise was what annoyed me, to start with, it's just that it took so much space and time, i felt like there was nothing left over for the romance. whatever leftover pieces i got felt very odd and stilted, as if they're forcefully crammed in, in chapter ends and two-liners, so the characters can go back to the "main event" (the treasure hunt). which is fine, obviously, but it's not, strictly speaking, a romance book to me (it has a hea, in case this sets someone off). and i *might* even have forgiven that, if the couple had been worth it.. but. i didn't care for the characters, even separated from all else, and neither did i care about the relationship. i didn't care for the development or their "big issue"; i couldn't even fully buy into their little quirks and reasons and idiosyncrasies. everything, altogether, felt very inverted, off-putting, and odious, to the point where i just wanted the book to end. there were *some* plot points i couldn't fully understand the reasoning for; others i understood why they'd been put in, but felt too transparent (and consequently embarrassing) to read.
overall, i think i just *really* didn't care about this at all, in any fashion. maybe it was just my mood during reading, and maybe, hopefully, others will like this more, but it was an extremely annoying read for me.
thank you to g.p. putnam's sons for the arc. (1.5/5)
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you are in the mood for a cute small town romance, grab this and you won't be disappointed. The town of Redford is competing for a chance to win a huge amount of money left by one of the towns residents Jasper. His grandson Carter went to the funeral and was shocked to be included in the game. Jess, local resident is overjoyed to compete and also get to know the competition a bit. This story is funny and so sweet! I loved every bit of it!
Thank you so much Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC.
Thank you so much Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After the first 25-30% of this book, I was annoyed that this book is portrayed as a romance novel when it really isn’t. By the end, I didn’t care that much. I loved the main character, Jess (except for when she temporarily gets upset after finding out the truth about her scholarship- it doesn’t make sense!). I enjoyed the bit of romance there was and I enjoyed the chemistry between Jess and Carter. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I enjoyed the added POV chapters with Jess’s dad and her nemesis/bully/teammate, but in the end I really enjoyed those as well. It was fairly unique and I think really ended up adding something to the story. I do feel like the description of the book implies that the two main characters are going to be paired up for the competition, and wish it hadn’t. I also feel like the story could be paired down a little towards the beginning. I felt like the several mentions of Ross’s cancer without any detail seemed a bit odd, like more detail was purposely left out to make things easier for the author. Lastly, I enjoyed the ending and actually found it a pleasant surprise.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group (Putnam) for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group (Putnam) for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!