A review by grace_astudentreading
The Long Game by Rachel Reid

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This book was leagues better than its predecessor, Heated Rivalry, and I almost regret procrastinating on reading it for so long. To start with what made it similar in rating to the first book: the smut and homophobia. I still struggled with both and wish there had been less of both. But I at least had an accurate expectation of both things going in to the book. Now, for what made this book better than the first book: Ilya. I loved getting more of his perspective and seeing inside his head. I also felt his mental health struggles were incredibly well portrayed. And of course, I adored the found family vibes he had with his team in Ottawa. As for his relationship with Shane, I was happy to see them communicating and showing their emotions more, though they still had a lot of room for improvement. Also, I struggled with Shane a bit, finding him to be so dense and oblivious at times, and also the whole diet thing, which he at least improved in regards to. Overall, I liked this sequel more than the first book, but neither book claimed my heart the way they did the rest of bookstagram.