A review by katelynnelawson
Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter

emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.0

 
This is a fun read! Miri plays the lottery on a whim and wins a huge sum. The only problem when figuring everything out? She’s still married even though her husband, Leo, walked out on her a decade ago! He has every right to ask for some of the money. Miri reaches out to Leo and tells him what happened, offering a lump sum in exchange for a divorce. Leo agrees but asks that instead of the lump sum, she instead is there for the renovation of his aunt’s house, the major project he would put the money towards, and just pays for that. Leo meanwhile has every intention of making Miri fall back in love with him (not knowing she never stopped) to win her back.

Miri and Leo got married when they were young and naive. When the going got tough and Leo felt he couldn’t live up to the gender roles of what he thought a good husband was, he ran out without much more than a goodbye. Miri understandably is hurt from this. But the two were childhood best friends and are real adults now and reconnect easily, working through their past hurts maturely. This is a slow paced read but once the steamy scenes pick up they keep going.

This is just a maybe for me because I think Leo messed up BIG TIME all those years ago, and whole Miri makes him work for it, I just am not sure how he left is forgivable. But I loved both these characters. LGBTQIA+ rep because Miri is bi and this is such an important part of her identity! I think there’s also an argument to be made that Leo is demisexual.
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