✨ "I love silence. I thrive in it. But silence with Kate is maddening because I know what's going on in her head. She's either overthinking or spiraling." ✨
Thank you to the Emilys (@bookedwiththeemilys on Instagram) and the author for gifting me an advanced copy in exchange for my review!
SOME SPOILER-FREE THOUGHTS: Such a fun story wrapped up in so many fan favorite tropes! Playing the Field took grumpy / sunshine to a whole new level, really playing up the extrovert / introvert parts of our main characters identities (adding a whole lot of fun and hilarious antics!) which felt like a whole new approach, especially when tying in the whole friends to lovers aspect. Super fun! Definitely recommend!
Author: grayson long
Finished: june 21, 2024
Reading Method: e-book (arc)
Star Rating: 3/5 ⭐
Spice Rating: 1/5 🌶️ (closed door)
What To Expect:
✨ Friends to Lovers
✨ He Falls First
✨ Opposites Attract
✨ Grumpy / Sunshine
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Only One Bed!
✨ Teachers - Workplace Romance
✨ Dual POV
✨ Closed Door Romance
✨ Happily Ever After
SPOILERS IN
3...
2...
1...
✨ "Maybe it's time to stop searching for love and embrace the possibility that it's been right in front of me all along." ✨
When I first heard about this book it felt right up my alley! Two total opposite best friends + he falls first + only one bed = recipe for book perfection! And I did love this book! Long's writing creates beautiful imagery of scenes, thoughts, and emotions that I need when reading. On the surface, this was such a fun book and I'm so happy I took the time to read it!
When it came to characters, Malcom was painted exactly as all the best introverted book boyfriends are! All he cares about is Kate and making her happy. For a long time that meant being a good friend and always standing by her and her family. When Kate needs more in the romance department, Malcom knows he's the man who can give her that, but he is also so gentle in his approach as to not disrupt the friendship they have out of respect for her. Swoon!
Kate is the classic quirky girl whose internal monologue dominates the conversation. She's a free thinker who just wants to be loved at the end of the day. It's hard to be a strong woman and also express vulnerability and loneliness, which is why her resilience to see Malcom as anything more than a friend make perfect sense. She had to overcome her own idea of love to realize how he felt about her, and how she felt about him.
There were so many hilarious and dramatic moments that totally fit the rom com bill! Like when they accidentally found themselves under the mistletoe (in front of Kate's date), when the students crashed Kate's not-date with Eric, the concussed kiss! I could go on!
I really loved the involvement of the students throughout the camp timeline. I actually kind of wish we had a novella of this whole story as told from the student's perspectives. They were a rowdy bunch that totally understood what was going on in their teacher's lives, which led to classic shenanigans, which I love! At times I even read scenes as if Kate and Malcom were students instead of teachers. The juxtaposition of the two identities intermixed in their journey to love was really compelling, in my opinion.
Again, this was such a fun story with great characters and captivating moments! If I'm being honest, I didn't totally connect with it the way I thought I would—which is the only reason I'm giving it three stars and not higher—but I know this is going to be someone's favorite new book! And I'm so excited to read more from Long in the future!
So to all the book besties who love a good closed door slow burn between best friends, I definitely recommend Playing the Field by Grayson Long, out now!
All My Love,
Jane-Anne
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