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crumbles's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Title: Play to Win
Author: Jodie Slaughter
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Lively • Spicy • Forgettable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Miriam Butler’s life is going nowhere in the slowest, most excruciating way possible. Stuck in the same barely-paying job she’s had since she was sixteen and spending every night sleeping in the spare twin bed in her mother’s house, her existence might be hilarious if it wasn’t so bleak. One trip to her favorite Quickie Mart upends everything when she finds herself the winner of a Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot.
It’s been eight years since Leo Vaughn has had a conversation with his wife. When she calls out of the blue, practically begging him to come back to Greenbelt, the last thing he expects her to tell him when he gets there is that she’s come into a whole heap of money. She offers him a life-changing proposition of his own. Take a lump sum, finally sign the divorce papers, and be done with her for good. Only, a forever without her is the last thing Leo wants. So he gives a proposition of his own.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Last summer, I read (and loved) Bet On It by this author, so I requested an advanced reader copy of Play to Win. Unfortunately, this one didn't have the same appeal and it's likely I won't remember much in the weeks to come.
I'm not quite sure if it was the characters, the storyline, or a combination of the two, but something just didn't work for me. This second chance romance lacked character depth. Both main characters felt one-dimensional. Miri and Leo lacked chemistry. In fact, it felt like they were trying to convince themselves. Additionally, the fact that the money brought them back together left me with an unsettled feeling. It just didn't come across as believable.
The one thing I do know is that the issue wasn't the writing! It's written in Jodie's authentic style with witty banter and steamy sex scenes. Jodie also has excellent representation in her romance books. This one specifically tackles generational poverty and the lingering anxieties even when Miri's financial situation changes. These were redeeming qualities for a less than memorable plot.
Despite Play to Win being a miss for me on the romance side of things, Jodie is an excellent author and I will continue to read her books for their representation alone. She certainly comes up with fun ideas.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• second chance romance lovers
• fans of the marriage in trouble trope
Author: Jodie Slaughter
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Lively • Spicy • Forgettable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Miriam Butler’s life is going nowhere in the slowest, most excruciating way possible. Stuck in the same barely-paying job she’s had since she was sixteen and spending every night sleeping in the spare twin bed in her mother’s house, her existence might be hilarious if it wasn’t so bleak. One trip to her favorite Quickie Mart upends everything when she finds herself the winner of a Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot.
It’s been eight years since Leo Vaughn has had a conversation with his wife. When she calls out of the blue, practically begging him to come back to Greenbelt, the last thing he expects her to tell him when he gets there is that she’s come into a whole heap of money. She offers him a life-changing proposition of his own. Take a lump sum, finally sign the divorce papers, and be done with her for good. Only, a forever without her is the last thing Leo wants. So he gives a proposition of his own.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Last summer, I read (and loved) Bet On It by this author, so I requested an advanced reader copy of Play to Win. Unfortunately, this one didn't have the same appeal and it's likely I won't remember much in the weeks to come.
I'm not quite sure if it was the characters, the storyline, or a combination of the two, but something just didn't work for me. This second chance romance lacked character depth. Both main characters felt one-dimensional. Miri and Leo lacked chemistry. In fact, it felt like they were trying to convince themselves. Additionally, the fact that the money brought them back together left me with an unsettled feeling. It just didn't come across as believable.
The one thing I do know is that the issue wasn't the writing! It's written in Jodie's authentic style with witty banter and steamy sex scenes. Jodie also has excellent representation in her romance books. This one specifically tackles generational poverty and the lingering anxieties even when Miri's financial situation changes. These were redeeming qualities for a less than memorable plot.
Despite Play to Win being a miss for me on the romance side of things, Jodie is an excellent author and I will continue to read her books for their representation alone. She certainly comes up with fun ideas.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• second chance romance lovers
• fans of the marriage in trouble trope
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Infidelity, and Death of parent
rickireadss's review against another edition
3.75
thank you to netgalley for an earc!
i was excited for this one after reading “bet on it” last year and i enjoyed this one for sure. i love that we had a bisexual fmc but also other lgbtqia+ side characters. regardless of its downfalls, i love the small town this series takes place in. my biggest gripes/irritants come from the couple’s reason for being married but separated for EIGHT YEARS!!! their entire reason for being apart was built on kind of on a miscommunication, and i hate when that happens. also, i felt like miri really was really making leo work for winning her back (as she should!!) but then it felt like she just gave in so quickly at the end. all-in-all, i enjoyed the book and had a good time, just a few things i didn’t love that really stuck with me. i would recommend this one though because i feel like i’m pretty picky with second chance romances.
⚠️: abandonment, infidelity (not mcs), death of parent, racism
i was excited for this one after reading “bet on it” last year and i enjoyed this one for sure. i love that we had a bisexual fmc but also other lgbtqia+ side characters. regardless of its downfalls, i love the small town this series takes place in. my biggest gripes/irritants come from the couple’s reason for being married but separated for EIGHT YEARS!!! their entire reason for being apart was built on kind of on a miscommunication, and i hate when that happens. also, i felt like miri really was really making leo work for winning her back (as she should!!) but then it felt like she just gave in so quickly at the end. all-in-all, i enjoyed the book and had a good time, just a few things i didn’t love that really stuck with me. i would recommend this one though because i feel like i’m pretty picky with second chance romances.
⚠️: abandonment, infidelity (not mcs), death of parent, racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, and Death of parent
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings: Sexual content, abandonment, loss of parents, anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy. Mention of infidelity.
***I received an ARC, ahead of release, through Netgalley***
I was so curious how this story was going to go...I mean married but estranged for 8 years?! There was no way to know how it was going to play out...
I mean childhood friends to lovers then estranged 8 years...into a second chance romance...this was such an interesting concept and I love how Jodie played it out.
Both Mira and Leo have to do a lot of self evaluation and have some really difficult conversations with each other. Both felt that they were individually responsible for Leo leaving which caused them both to face years of feeling inadequate and depressed about the relationship.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and was happy to see how it ended. 💜
***I received an ARC, ahead of release, through Netgalley***
I was so curious how this story was going to go...I mean married but estranged for 8 years?! There was no way to know how it was going to play out...
I mean childhood friends to lovers then estranged 8 years...into a second chance romance...this was such an interesting concept and I love how Jodie played it out.
Both Mira and Leo have to do a lot of self evaluation and have some really difficult conversations with each other. Both felt that they were individually responsible for Leo leaving which caused them both to face years of feeling inadequate and depressed about the relationship.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and was happy to see how it ended. 💜
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
jessgj's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for giving me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
So last year, I reviewed Slaughter's Bet on It, the book preceding this. It was a book that I connected with quite a bit, especially as a Black fat woman. In the review, I made a not-a-joke about if Miri got her own book, I'd preordered as soon as they dropped the link.
WELP, I guess St. Martin liked my review because I woke up one morning, with the ARC waiting in my email. Screaming and bad karate moves of joy might have happened.
This book focuses on Miriam "Miri", the lovely nail tech from the last book. Miri and Leo were high school sweethearts who married young. After a big argument, Leo left and they haven't seen each other in about 8 years. The fact that they still haven't divorced each other has never been a big issue for them.....Until Miri wins the lottery for over 200 million dollars and he has a chance at getting half of the money.
This book didn't win me over like Bet On It did. Don't worry, this isn't a case of having too high of expectations for the sequel. Instead, it's the nature of the romances themselves. With Bet On It, we got to see the romance bloom from the start. With Play To Win, we come into Miri and Leo's story with 20+ years of history deep. Unfortunately, Slaughter often tells us rather than shows us what makes that chemistry and history. It made the romance feel a bit shallow to me.
It's a shame too. This is a slow-burn romance! This would have been a great time to show us the ghosts of Leo and Miri of yesteryear that haunts them, to see the angst rather than just be told of the aftermath. The first half of the book felt repetitive to me, especially whenever Miri and Leo talk.
That said, I'm not entirely sure if that was accidental. Once we get into the second half, both characters have moments of clarity and finally get out of their own way. It's like weights have been lifted from their shoulders and they can truly move forward. (Honestly, as someone the same age as the leads, the idea of learning to get out of your own way hits a little too close to home. How dare?)
So if the romance didn't quite work for me, what did? The familiarity and sheer Blackity Blackness of this book. I mentioned in my review of "Georgie All Along" how much I hate it when writers don't nail their pop culture references and Slaughter didn't miss!
At one point, Leo goes to a skating rink with his nephews and meets Miri there, and immediately, Chance the Rapper's Juke Jam started playing in my head. It transported me to going to the rink with my big sister and her friends. The rink is the modern equivalent to regency people going to pump rooms for the "water".
Another moment came as a conversation about toxic heteronormative and a character sums it up as a "Big piece of chicken type of man" and gosh, that takes me back. Seriously, these parts just feel so familiar and gentle to me. I'm envious of how Slaughter's writing captures these moments.
For me, the book shines when Leo and Miri interact with secondary characters. Not only does it give some humor, but it's also when they both hit their breakthroughs about their choices. It's these moments that enable Leo and Miri best moments, honestly.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more when it focused on friendship and community than the romance itself. Still, this was a very gentle and healing read for me. I give it 4 stars.
TW: Sexual content, abandonment, poverty-based trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
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