Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
(ARC from NetGalley) As someone from a small-town in GA, I wasn’t the biggest fan. Although I do agree that the bars have awful music. This book leaned more heavily toward fiction than romance. It mostly focused on the townspeople and the relationships/interactions with the main characters rather than Jess and Carter themselves.
I think if you’re a fan of Virgin River (without the drugs) or Hart of Dixie you’d like this.
I think if you’re a fan of Virgin River (without the drugs) or Hart of Dixie you’d like this.
This is an absolutely charming little novel about the town of Redford and all its characters—and they are just that—characters. I loved how the story is set up by a competition and how it brings people (often those who never should've been paired together) together. Jess and Carter are absolutely fantastic, and Waldon did a great job writing the book from a variety of perspectives.
Def closer to a 4.5! Such a cute story of friendship, family, community, and love. Obsessed
Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.
Jess works from home as a freelance editor in the quaint little town of Redford, Georgia. While at the local bar, The Staple, Jess sits next to someone she has never seen before, Carter. He is going to the funeral of Jasper Wilhelm. Everyone in town loved Jasper. He was the unofficial mayor and he would help anyone with anything.
Of course, the one day Jess left the safety of her home, Nikki and her minions walk in the bar. Nikki is a quintessential bully. Cruel for the sake of cruelty. Cutting remarks about why Jess’s mom left her father all those years ago, her looks & clothes, her job, and more. Carter saves Jess from Nikki after her laptop is “accidentally” drenched in a drink. Turns out, Carter is Jaspers grandson and an overall good person. He might have given up his trust fund, quit the family business, and moved to Atlanta, which led his parents to disown him, but he loved his grandfather dearly.
Jasper anonymously helped people in the town of Redford, and Carter helped him do so. The first person Carter was asked to help…Jess! They paid for her college education. Even though Carter doesn’t live in Redford, he was hoping his grandfather would choose him to continue the legacy of aiding townspeople in need. Instead, Jasper is giving his town one last gift…or a game to be exact. The winner of the game will get the remainder of his fortune — ten million dollars. Jasper dictated teams of two. He paired people who do NOT get along. So, of course Jess and Nikki were paired together. Carter was selected to play and was paired with the bartender of The Staple, Bryce.
Who will win he ten million dollars? Will Jess and Nikki become friends? Will Carter stay in Redford? Will anyone fall in love? Will there be any shenanigans?
I’ve read Lacie Waldon’s other books and enjoyed them. This one I loved. The town and townspeople were everything I’d hoped for in a quirky small town. The scavenger hunt clues were fun. Oh, and the race down the mountain…the choice of vehicle was superb. This book was such a good time. I usually can’t stand bullies, but … between people sticking up for Jess (so she isn’t facing it alone) and some of Nikki’s actions, I didn’t mind so much.
If you need a quick escape, a few laughs, some tears, and an excellent cast of characters…dive right into this book.
TW-death of family member, bullying, illness of family member, alcohol abuse.
Jess works from home as a freelance editor in the quaint little town of Redford, Georgia. While at the local bar, The Staple, Jess sits next to someone she has never seen before, Carter. He is going to the funeral of Jasper Wilhelm. Everyone in town loved Jasper. He was the unofficial mayor and he would help anyone with anything.
Of course, the one day Jess left the safety of her home, Nikki and her minions walk in the bar. Nikki is a quintessential bully. Cruel for the sake of cruelty. Cutting remarks about why Jess’s mom left her father all those years ago, her looks & clothes, her job, and more. Carter saves Jess from Nikki after her laptop is “accidentally” drenched in a drink. Turns out, Carter is Jaspers grandson and an overall good person. He might have given up his trust fund, quit the family business, and moved to Atlanta, which led his parents to disown him, but he loved his grandfather dearly.
Jasper anonymously helped people in the town of Redford, and Carter helped him do so. The first person Carter was asked to help…Jess! They paid for her college education. Even though Carter doesn’t live in Redford, he was hoping his grandfather would choose him to continue the legacy of aiding townspeople in need. Instead, Jasper is giving his town one last gift…or a game to be exact. The winner of the game will get the remainder of his fortune — ten million dollars. Jasper dictated teams of two. He paired people who do NOT get along. So, of course Jess and Nikki were paired together. Carter was selected to play and was paired with the bartender of The Staple, Bryce.
Who will win he ten million dollars? Will Jess and Nikki become friends? Will Carter stay in Redford? Will anyone fall in love? Will there be any shenanigans?
I’ve read Lacie Waldon’s other books and enjoyed them. This one I loved. The town and townspeople were everything I’d hoped for in a quirky small town. The scavenger hunt clues were fun. Oh, and the race down the mountain…the choice of vehicle was superb. This book was such a good time. I usually can’t stand bullies, but … between people sticking up for Jess (so she isn’t facing it alone) and some of Nikki’s actions, I didn’t mind so much.
If you need a quick escape, a few laughs, some tears, and an excellent cast of characters…dive right into this book.
TW-death of family member, bullying, illness of family member, alcohol abuse.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
adventurous
funny
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:
No
A little bit Gilmore Girls, a little bit Amazing Race.
Jess Reid has always relished her hometown of Redford, Georgia. A small town with heart, Jess spends a lot of time with her dad who she’s always had a strong relationship with given her mother’s absence since she was young. Every day life is pretty ho hum, until the town’s richest resident, Jasper Wilhelm, passes away.
But Jasper’s passing brings with it unexpected opportunity, namely in the form of cold hard cash. See, before he passed, Jasper created a competition for the residents of Redford. Now preassigned pairs are clamoring for the chance to be the duo to win it all.
As if the scenario isn’t bizarre enough, Jess gets partnered with Nikki, her long time nemesis in town. Added to the mix is Jasper’s grandson and sole out of towner, Carter Barclay. Carter begrudgingly participates in the game, content in the belief he will win it all in the end anyway. What he didn’t bargain for, however, was someone like Jess playing games with his heart.
The Only Game In Town is The Amazing Race meets Gilmore Girls in the best way possible. If you’re familiar with Waldon’s previous releases you know she’s got a passion for travel and adventure. With her latest release, instead of going abroad to find adventure, she’s brought the adventure home. As the story progresses, we get to see the town, and the contest, through the eyes of various locals, all of which have their own reasons for needing a win, all also reminding the reader things aren’t always what they seem.
If you’re looking for a quirky feel good romance with a splash of fun and hijinks, The Only Game In Town is one game where no reader loses.
But Jasper’s passing brings with it unexpected opportunity, namely in the form of cold hard cash. See, before he passed, Jasper created a competition for the residents of Redford. Now preassigned pairs are clamoring for the chance to be the duo to win it all.
As if the scenario isn’t bizarre enough, Jess gets partnered with Nikki, her long time nemesis in town. Added to the mix is Jasper’s grandson and sole out of towner, Carter Barclay. Carter begrudgingly participates in the game, content in the belief he will win it all in the end anyway. What he didn’t bargain for, however, was someone like Jess playing games with his heart.
The Only Game In Town is The Amazing Race meets Gilmore Girls in the best way possible. If you’re familiar with Waldon’s previous releases you know she’s got a passion for travel and adventure. With her latest release, instead of going abroad to find adventure, she’s brought the adventure home. As the story progresses, we get to see the town, and the contest, through the eyes of various locals, all of which have their own reasons for needing a win, all also reminding the reader things aren’t always what they seem.
If you’re looking for a quirky feel good romance with a splash of fun and hijinks, The Only Game In Town is one game where no reader loses.
adventurous
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
I was really excited to read this book as the premise sounded like so much fun!
To quickly sum up: a wealthy resident of a town passes away and leaves some money behind to two people. The catch? In order to win the money, a series of challenges have been created and the town's residents paired up. To make it more interesting, the pairs were decided by the wealthy benefactor, who paired up enemies, forcing people who don't really get along to work together if they want to win.
The book's romance focuses on Jess, a book editor who was born and raised in the town, and Carter, the grandson of the wealthy benefactor (Jasper) who arrives in town for the funeral but then is roped into playing the game when he is paired up with the owner of the local bar.
To put a different spin on things, the author has made this book a quadruple point of view, so in addition to Jess and Carter, we have Ross, Jess's dad, as well as Nikki, Jess's enemy and teammate.
This book definitely had some laughs, particularly with some of the more ridiculous challenges the townspeople had to undertake (racing down a hill in kid-sized jeeps, for instance), and some more serious moments, particularly as Jess learns some information about someone important to her.
The romance didn't quite feel like the A-plot here, but it was nicely done. It is a closed-door romance, so don't expect any explicit sex scenes. The book (apart from the epilogue) takes place over the course of a week, so the romance wasn't quite insta-love, but pretty close to it.
Overall, it was fine for me. I was really thrown off by the quadruple point of view and don't feel that it was necessary for the book. I also felt that the time jump between the end of the book and the epilogue was pretty big and there was potential for some lovely scenes in the time that was jumped. I also found I had to suspend reality for a bit with the notion that so many people in a town could take time off work for a week with no notice. Some townspeople clearly couldn't do that, but still, it required a bit of imagination.
Thanks to NetGally, Putnam/PenguinRandom House, and the author for an early copy of the book. Opinions are entirely my own.
To quickly sum up: a wealthy resident of a town passes away and leaves some money behind to two people. The catch? In order to win the money, a series of challenges have been created and the town's residents paired up. To make it more interesting, the pairs were decided by the wealthy benefactor, who paired up enemies, forcing people who don't really get along to work together if they want to win.
The book's romance focuses on Jess, a book editor who was born and raised in the town, and Carter, the grandson of the wealthy benefactor (Jasper) who arrives in town for the funeral but then is roped into playing the game when he is paired up with the owner of the local bar.
To put a different spin on things, the author has made this book a quadruple point of view, so in addition to Jess and Carter, we have Ross, Jess's dad, as well as Nikki, Jess's enemy and teammate.
This book definitely had some laughs, particularly with some of the more ridiculous challenges the townspeople had to undertake (racing down a hill in kid-sized jeeps, for instance), and some more serious moments, particularly as Jess learns some information about someone important to her.
The romance didn't quite feel like the A-plot here, but it was nicely done. It is a closed-door romance, so don't expect any explicit sex scenes. The book (apart from the epilogue) takes place over the course of a week, so the romance wasn't quite insta-love, but pretty close to it.
Overall, it was fine for me. I was really thrown off by the quadruple point of view and don't feel that it was necessary for the book. I also felt that the time jump between the end of the book and the epilogue was pretty big and there was potential for some lovely scenes in the time that was jumped. I also found I had to suspend reality for a bit with the notion that so many people in a town could take time off work for a week with no notice. Some townspeople clearly couldn't do that, but still, it required a bit of imagination.
Thanks to NetGally, Putnam/PenguinRandom House, and the author for an early copy of the book. Opinions are entirely my own.