A Gen X romance between two introverts??? She’s the grump and he’s a cinnamon role hero??? I ate this book up!!!

This was a sweet, slow-burn romance between Maggie, a divorcée who has recently become an empty nester, and Aiden, a caregiver to his mother who has had his fair share of heartbreak. The pair form a fast friendship after meeting in a online gaming guild and quickly become important to one another despite not meeting in person. After a hilarious miscommunication, Maggie thinks Aiden is a 20 something college student and Aiden thinks Maggie is his mothers age, the pair realize that their IRL connection is just as strong as it is online.

This is a major slow-burn and I appreciated seeing the deep friendship form between Aiden and Maggie before their romance started. Maggie is fierce, strong, and isn’t afraid to stand up for Aiden and I loved seeing her go up against some of the toxic people in his life.

If you like small town romances, reverse grumpy x sunshine, and mature characters who practice honest and open communication (I mean, who doesn’t love that?), then I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

I always love Cathy Yardley's voice and this was no exception - I really enjoyed reading about older protagonists finding love, as so often books are about people in their 20s and 30s. The story was really well written with nicely thought out conflict that made sense for the characters rather than being pushed in.

I loved this story, particularly the video game aspect of how Maggie and Aiden met (the misunderstanding about their ages makes SO much sense while also being hilarious), and the side characters were believable, if rage inducing at times. I really sympathised with the protagonist's personal arcs, I found these to be really well written and fit in well to the central love story. I also found the discussion of sexuality amazing - this is so rarely done in books I have previously read, and I loved that Aiden was still discovering things about himself in his 50s.

This was my third book by the author and knowing her writing style and type of stories, I was excited to read it as soon as it showed up on NetGalley as a read now title.
I liked the characters and their relationship. It’s funny, it’s swooning at times and it feels real. The emotions are there on page and off page as well.
I did find it a bit too wordy and maybe some unnecessary scenes added in parts. It’s usually me that I don’t like a slow burn but I know that it’s also necessary for the story to develop and become what we are expecting in a romance book that ends with a happily ever after.
Enjoyable and cute romance overall

this book was written specifically for me. the way i related to both main characters is forever ingrained in my heart. i love i love I LOVE so so so good!

This is a five-star read that you will fall into as its plays into your life. There is nothing that this story doesn’t give you, as an author there is nothing Cathy Yardley doesn’t bring to the story, and I simply adore the fact that Bogey and Otter are older and more mature than the usual characters we come across, I love how they really act their age as recently I have come across charters who are supposed to be older and they act worse than teenagers, but these characters really do act their age. There are so many funny and honest moments in this story that will sweep you up and take you with them, it was a pleasure to read, and I wasn’t sure I would like to get to know the guild and that plot line but honestly it sucked me in and pulled me so hard that I wanted to find out more. This is a great story, and I am so eager to hear what this great author will bring us next.

Role Playing, by Cathy Yardley, was one of my favorites this year! Full of yummy goodness, like a cinnamon role MMC, a reverse grumpy sunshine situation, slow burn, and mature characters, who have real-life issues to deal with.

I typically hate books where there’s a misunderstanding that could be solved if the characters would simply TALK to each other, but Yardley, while connecting these characters through an early misunderstanding, does so in a hilarious and 100% believable way. Before Maggie and Aiden ever meet IRL, they simply make assumptions about each other…and hilarity ensues when they find out just how wrong they were!

I really loved the fierce friendship that develops between the main characters. Once they are on each other’s side, there’s no turning back no matter what. And the way they each take care of the other, being sensitive and caring about the needs of the person they’ve fallen for? Swoon! I cheered so many times, cried a couple of times, and laughed pretty much through the whole book.

As a “mature” female myself, I loved reading about characters who weren’t acting like they were in their 20s. No offense to those in their 20s, of course, but I just can’t relate anymore, so I enjoyed having characters who, for real, could have been living my life…and still working out their issues and falling in love. Readers who love pop culture and nerdy goodness will totally relate to this couple, as well, regardless of age! Also, the cover is smashingly wonderful and captures exactly who Maggie and Aiden are. Fabulous job to Cathy Yardley!!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you to Montlake, NetGalley, and Cathy Yardley for the opportunity.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Role Playing' by Cathy Yardley.

'Role Playing' by Cathy Yardley is one of those books I loved to bits and never expected to love it so much. Maggie and Aiden are two middle aged gamers who just have the joy of their life and end up falling in love because of it. Both characters have their own personal issues happening but their communication is probably the best I've seen in a romance novel in a long time. Side characters - such as Kit and Davy - were entwined perfectly in the story and this book overall just felt perfect. There is some content of a sexual nature but it didn't feel forced.

There were things about this that didn’t quite click with me at first, I think because I’m just not involved in gaming and the culture, but I also think some of what may have been making me uncomfortable is to the author’s credit— the FMC is really not in a great place at the beginning on this book, and it’s palpable. But I was definitely invested and enjoyed the MMC from the beginning.

I was pleasantly surprised that the MMC is demi! And I thought the representation was really excellent. As tends to happen with romance that tries to tackle these issues, it did get a little cheesy-explainy in parts, but I’m really happy that there is a romance that is so explicitly making that a thing, it should help educate a lot of people! I was so happy for Aidan’s journey of discovering the ace spectrum and I thought the author’s depiction of what that feels like was very authentic.

By the second half, this book really was giving me all of the feelings, and I could see myself rereading this one.

This was a delightful read about two adults finding love later in life. After a rough divorce and her son leaving for college Maggie has settled in to being an antisocial introvert that hates human interaction. But when she joins an online gaming group she finds that maybe not all humans suck. A great slow burn friends-to-lovers this novel also addresses coming out as an adult, dealing with rude family, and being true to yourself.

Thank you, Montlake, for allowing me to read Role Playing early.

The Leni Kauffman cover was what made me request this book, but sadly I ended up not liking it.

OMG I have a new favorite book!

This is the type of RomCom story I need more of!

First of all, Pedro Pascal is mentioned, so that’s an automatic 5 star rating. 😉🥵

Second? Here’s a list of all the wonderful things I appreciated the author included.

Nerdy MC’s? Yes.
Friends to Lovers? Yes.
Healthy adult relationship? Yes.
Open communication? Yes.
Mutual consent? Yes.
Breaking stereotypes on differing types of sexuality? Yes.

This was a short but fun story and I really enjoyed how the characters helped each other explore different sides of themselves and how they supported each other through some tough situations.

All my favorite books have stories and characters that I can relate to and this one is no different. This was my first Cathy Yardley book and now I can’t wait to read more!!

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake Publishing, and of course Cathy Yardley for the opportunity of reading this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

**I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion**

I'm going to have to be vague so I don't spoil anything, but this was a pleasantly surprising 5 star read! I absolutely want to read more from this author!

First off, the miscommunication trope in this book is done right! It is believable, not drawn out, and still allows for a build in the relationship. Usually miscommunication aggravates me but this was perfection. I knew about 35% in that this book was going to be at least 4 stars, but the next 65% shot it into 5 star territory.

This is a fabulous cozy read because while the characters have their own personal growth and issues going on, the relationship drama is low key. Most of the trouble is with them overcoming their own internal dialogues and dealing with their families. I loved seeing how each character grew on their own and how they communicated with each other. The end made me feel cozy, happy, and satisfied. It was everything I'd want from a romance.

One of the characters gets to learn new things about themselves in relation to their sexuality and the other MC is amazingly supportive in explaining things. I was so excited to see a character that represented a part of myself finally in a romance novel. The MC I am referring to resonated from early on with me.

This is fairly low spice but a fantastic slow burn. There is also some initial online razzing/bullying that is quickly nipped in the bud. If you're familiar with gaming culture at all then you'll also like this book as their relationship starts off online.

Trigger warnings would include; homophobia, queerphobia, and public outing of an individual.

Cathy Yardley's Role Playing is a romance unlike all the others I have read this year. Her protagonists - Aiden and Maggie - are both middle-aged singles who have been a bit beaten down by life and love. Neither could have anticipated the friendship or partnership they ultimately found in each other. In particular, the emphasis on the idea there is always time for growth and evolution was something I appreciated. In their small Washington town, they never would have assumed that someone so suited for them would exist! Luckily, the universe was clearly on their side and pushing them together.

"She was a very good friend, and he was lucky to have found her."

By the way, how freaking adorable is the cover? I am pretty obsessed with it! I will absolutely be buying a physical copy when it releases.

Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake and Cathy Yardley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick, easy, cute and emotive read that I couldn't put down. I became really invested in the characters and really wanted them to get their happy ending

The role playing in the title is an online D&D type game that both Maggie and her son used to play, before he went away to college. You can be a dog on the internet, and so no one knows Maggie’s age, and because she thinks that all the players are in their early 20s, because they are a group of community college friends, she keeps telling them she could be their grandmother.

And this is how BogWitch (Maggie) get to talking with Otter (who is Aiden). They chat during the game, and they chat via text when not in the game. This way they get to know each other before they eventually meet in real life.

What I like about this story is that it doesn’t just play on this relationship, but brings in their lifetime of people they have known, and how they got there. Aiden is ACE, and so doens’t fall in love quickly. And Maggie has been burned by a controlling Ex, so she isn’t really interested in anything more than friendship.

What is cool about this story is it appears to be written by eithe rsomeone of this age bracket, or someone who knows what the “sandwich generation” is going through, in this case, taking care of parents, after taking care of their children who have now grown.


What a delightfully fun, older romance. There are so many teen and young twenties stories out there, it is fun to have one with people in their early 50s. It was sad when I finally came to the end, because I had grown to love the characters so much.

I was drawn to ROLE PLAYING because of the premise which appeared to be about two middle-aged people who connected through gaming. Considering I'm the age of the characters, I thought this would be a fun rom-com. There's not a lot of mature romance stories out there so I thought ROLE PLAYING had a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, the book summary did not match the actual plot/storyline.

The topics covered in the book (I don't want to give spoilers) are incredibly important. But those themes were not in the story description or genre. The themes expanded much farther out than just a female/male romance.

There was also a heavy gaming subplot - which was okay, but made it difficult to relate if you aren't a gamer. The subplot and side characters focused on gaming.

The story was preachy at times. The discussions that took place seemed forced. However, I think this story will resonate with those who are confused by their orientation.

I did enjoy how the two main characters overcame their past and found love with each other.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for an e-copy of ROLE PLAYING to review.

I rate ROLE PLAYING three out of five stars.

I totally loved this book! It's so nice to read about main characters who are not perfect twenty-somethings, but middle-aged people with complicated histories. There was a lot of angst and familial drama, so it's not a fluffy romcom without struggles for our protagonists, but it has plenty of heart. A lot like real life. A very slow burn, but both sweet and spicy, I felt like we really got to know these characters, and they got to know each other. As a fellow gamer and socially awkward homebody, I felt really understanding of the main character.

I love Cathy Yardley's Ponto Beach Reunion series, and thus I was super excited to pick up Role Playing (especially after seeing that gorgeous cover!). This romance following older characters felt like a fresh read after reading about the Poncho Beach kids, and I enjoyed following Maggie and Aiden. The demisexual rep was also fantastic--I've rarely read books with male demisexual characters. The relationship between Maggie and Kit was also very precious to read about. Ultimately, I rated this novel 3.5 stars, rounded up, as I felt that there was a lack of chemistry between Maggie and Aiden. The two were still strangers well into the novel and only had been friends for what seemed like a very short time before becoming lovers. I still believe that fans of Cathy Yardley will love Role Playing!

liked this one! having older leads was a nice change of pace. strong balance between the plot/character stuff and the romance. i was glad not to have to wait too long for maggie and aiden to meet irl, and i thought they were perfect for each other.

#netgalley

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, Cathy Yardley and Montlake for letting me read this.

I don’t read much romance, I’ll read it as a sub plot as part of another genre, but rarely on it’s own. That being said, I absolutely loved this book! It’s made me feel like maybe I should explore more in this genre.

I was curious about this as there was a few references to nerd culture and this did not disappoint. This author has created two of the coolest people I’ve ever seen, I want to be best friends with both of them (but especially Bogwitch). I loved the passion these characters had for their hobbies and interests, video games, anime, classic movies, food. They felt so fully fleshed out and I just loved them.

Maggie is my absolute hero, I loved how she was so authentically herself and it was important to her that others could do the same. She’s such an amazing defender of others. There were people in Aiden’s life who were quite frankly bullies and I loved that Maggie wouldn’t stand for it.

The core theme through this book is being true to yourself and this was beautifully realised. I loved the strong message and it felt so authentic.

I’m definitely reading more from this author! I never thought I’d enjoy a romance novel this much!