Playing the Field

I'm really going through my sports romances era at the moment and this just heightened it further. It had me squealing and laughing. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it on to other

As someone who love football (soccer) I was so excited to receive Playing the Field as an ARC for an honest review. Now as someone who loves romance I do believe that the romance came second to the sports aspect of this book but I personally did not mind since I do love soccer. The story is about Lily who is in her final year of uni for a business degree who starts a soccer club with her dad and sister after their home team decides to leave. Then premier league legend Ben Pryce comes around and starts helping out after he is suspended from his team for anger issues. The entire story is a feel good rom com with a sports aspect to it. I kind of wish the romance between Lily and Ben was more of a slow burn but over all I did enjoy this book. Any person that enjoys soccer or knows soccer will enjoy it.

Very good. Loved the characters, felt they were very relatable. The story was just a perfect love story. Well written and the writing just flowed and I was surprised to have found myself at the end of the book.

With the local football team moving to a new club miles away, Lily, her father and sister decide to start a completely new team made up from enthusiastic amateur players. A story of community spirit, heightened by the interest of a premier league player with a dreadful reputation as a womaniser and dirty play. But is this the truth? A lovely, feel good story, loved it.

This gave me all the sweet romcom vibes, it’s was funny, light, but very enjoyable! I enjoyed the characters chemistry a ton.

What a delightful book full of fun and so easy to read and enjoy and I loved the characters especially Lily and Ben following their story plus a few comedy moments.
Becky Ward brought the characters to life and you really feel for the main characters well done.
Would highly recommend.
Look forward to reading more books by this author.

I really loved this book. The romance was so cute and I enjoyed the banter. The story line was very good and the setting was amazing.

I thought this book was so well paced. I really enjoyed the building of the love story and was sucked in. A great romance!

Playing the field is a sweet football romance. Felt the focus was more on the new team than the characters romance how ever was a nice easy read.

The premise of this book was different and I really liked it. I kind of wish it was in two parts so that after he goes back we get a little bit of Ben's pov. They were really cute and I had a good time. I loved seeing her family get the football team set up.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I love a romcom with a misunderstood, bad boy. Not that we particularly know what it is that Ben's done so wrong, just that there's been something.
When the Crawford family set up a local football team, you quickly started to root for an underdog cause, and I could totally picture everything. It was so small-town, family fantastic.
Of course Ben and Lily quickly fall for each other, and when Ben goes back to Milwall, you'd be forgiven for wanting to give him a slap round the back of the head and telling him to wise up. Lily, luckily, has Phoebs and Crawfors United to keep her spirits up. But there's a happy ending all round, so I was overjoyed with that.
It's a fun, fast read, perfect for fans of romcoms with a bit of added spice.

I enjoyed reading Playing the Field. Ben was sweet and Lily was a strong female lead. I didn't like the fake relationship with Georgie at all and Lily's feelings were 100% justified and Ben should have been more understanding. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Really enjoyed this story and all it brought to me, the main characters were well written and easy to like.

I have reduced the review by one star as I found some of the sex scenes slightly more graphic then the rest of the book called for but that is personal opinion.

I loved this book will definitely be reading again. I had never read anything by this author before but will definitely be reading more of there work

Lily is a massive football fan after her team has to moved miles away her dad and her sister decides to create their own. They gather the community to join together to set up a team. Ben is a football player who has been suspended from his premier league team his brother joins the team. This book is an easy and enjoyable read. The book includes forbidden romance. . It definitely isn’t my favourite sports romance but it was definitely enjoyable. Thank to Becky Ward and Net Galley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

First I would like to thank Avon Books UK for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Lily, university student, who starts a local football (soccer) team with her dad and sister to replace the higher league team who abandoned the town. As the new team, Crawford United, starts to develop in walks Ben Pryce, Premiere League striker and brother to a teammate, who volunteers to help the team in whatever way he can. As Lily and Ben start spending more time together they start a secret relationship as they don't want to distract from getting the team ready to play. When Ben goes back to his Premiere League team, him and Lily have to decide what is best for them, a long distance relationship or is it to hard to be so far apart.

What I Loved:
- Crawford United, its a team that was developed after frustration with the business of "big football" and it was a family affair throughout always thinking about the town
- Lily, she is in charge of the business of starting a new club before she even finished her business degree I was really impressed by her ability and just her overall desire to do everything right with the club even when it affected her personally
- The team, the group of guys they bring together to make up the team are a rag tag group of lads who really do love the sport and want to make the town proud, they also step up to help when needed and just want what is best for each other
- Secret Romance, when Ben and Lily decide to officially date they want to keep it on the DL to make sure it doesn't distract from the team but I love when have the people can tell right away and this was definitely one of those situations

Overall as a huge football/soccer fan I really enjoyed this book. There were parts specifically when Ben goes back to his Prem team that got me pretty frustrated since the situation was kind of absurd. Other than that I just loved the story of development of the team, business and even the town's support. If you are a person who likes Welcome to Wrexham or any underdog story with a side of romance then I would absolutely recommend you pick this up and then want to watch all of the soccer/football games you can.

Could Lily and Ben actually have a public relationship?

Lily Crawford had been raised attending Hamcott Park football club matches with her father and sister. Their traditions changed when the owners of the team decided to move the team. But their response was to start a new team from scratch with amateur players resulting in Crawford United.

But everything changes when Millford City striker Ben Pryce shows up at a practice even though he’s been suspended from his team for six weeks. Ben needs an image change and maybe helping Crawford United would help? But there is something about Lily but she doesn’t want anybody to know especially her family.

I liked the beginning of Playing the Field and the end but the middle fell flat between Lilly and Ben. I would have given it 3 ½ stars if I could.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a cute and quick read. I really enjoyed the aspect of them creating a football team. It was a different story line I haven't read before and it captured my attention. Ben and Lily had wonderful chemistry and banter. The grumpy/sunshine trope was done really well and I enjoyed Ben's character. I always love a grumpy MMC. Also, the side characters added depth to the story that made it more enjoyable as a whole.

Thank you Becky Ward and, Netgalley, and Avon for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this story! Such a cute, funny book. Loved the romance between Lily and Ben, although I do think the Romance is more of a subplot. The overall plot of the book was really enjoyable. I loved the team and really routed for them throughout. It was great to see them succeed in the end. The side-characters were great. Would definitely recommend this book!

Ben surprises everyone when he shows up to coach the team of amateurs Lily and her family have pulled together after their football team moved. He's the grumpy one, the one who has to remake his reputation while Lily is optimistic. I'm not a football fan but I did enjoy Ted Lasso and this has all those vibes, with a little rom com thrown in. It's a light fun read that will have you rooting for the team and the couple.

A fantastic novel, I loved the premise of this story. Its based upon the sale of Wimbledon in the early 2000's to Milton Keynes and the birth of AFC Wimbledon. I'm a big football fan, so it was good to see the start of getting a football club off the ground. I also enjoyed the fact hat once the football club had launched, they had a rocky start not winning any games, it takes ime for a side to gel together. I also enjoyed the secret, but not so secret by the end romance of Lily and Ben, not all footballers are naughty! Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

As a Ted Lasso fan, I really enjoyed the premise of this and seeing a footballer with a bad reputation get his redemption. The romance was sweet and done really well. Great side characters and friends/family. Love seeing the underdog team be successful!
I liked that the romance was somewhat of a subplot versus being the whole focus.

I will post a review and edit on instagram on release day @thatbookishteach

Rating: 4/5
Spiciness: 2/5

If you've a fan of Ted Lasso and romance, this is the perfect book for you! Lily's family football team is moving out of their city, but Lily's dad is determined to create their own team to keep the friendships and good times going. Ben is a professional footballer with a bad boy reputation who just happens to be the older brother of one of Lily's new players.

This book has great characters not just the leads. I love all the players, the friends, and the fans. This may sound shallow of me but I normally hate when a contemporary romance book goes on and on about the main character's life outside of the romance part. But I actually really enjoyed Lily's family and reading about the team's journey so I wasn't mad when I didn't meet the MMC until later. I love how easy and fun Lily and Ben's relationship was and I was about to rate this book 5 stars but sadly there was some OWD at the end and I kinda lost interest in the MMC. To be clear, there is no cheating as far as I'm concerned but I don't think Ben handle the situation properly and it gave me some apprehesion towards him. By the HEA, I was less in love with him than I had been before. Still a good book overall!

Note: Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and is purely my own.

A cute, albeit predictable, rom com going from friends to lovers and kind of enemies as well to start with really. I liked the sense of camaraderie within the book, especially the idea of building a football team from the ground up and the true perseverance and determination it takes to do that, let alone solely with your family! When Ben appears, he's refreshing, and he's got that bad boy status, but he takes time to prove himself until the going gets tough. It does very much become a romance you want to work out and you expect to, but it's written in such a way that you're not entirely sure if it will or not!

Typical ro!ance but I ate it,very fluffy beautifully written and I'm obsessed with Lily shows him who's boss

This book definitely wasn’t ‘grumpy/sunshine’ but I’ll let it slide because I really did love it. I’ve always loved sports romances so finding this book was definitely a win. I loved seeing how a small community came together to create a new football team after being left behind by their previous one. Throughout the creation of Crawford, the support and love it rallied was so heartwarming and inspiring, and I can’t imagine a better way to keep the community alive. Having Ben come down to help out—simply because he loved what Lily and her family was doing—was something that could have been nothing, but turned out to be everything. As his relationship with Lily grew, I came to love them together more and more. But when it came time for him to leave, Ben definitely didn’t handle things as well as he should’ve. Though I’m all for a bit of angst. Towards the end, he wasn’t always aware of how his actions would affect Lily, and I felt really bad for her. But things were resolved and I’d love to see how their story plays out in the future!

In this book I felt I was both rooting for the romance and for the team! I enjoyed the ride of both! I loved being in the world of Britain throughout the book and loved the journey the author took us on. Definitely would recommend this book to others. Feel good story!

I want to say thank you to the publisher, author and to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read this arc.

It was my first sport romance read. It was really good. With the supposed bad boy and the hard working girl. But you can’t △⃒⃘Lways believe what they say in tabloids.
I love that the family loves soccer, and they build a community of soccer thinking more about the community than money.
Now a days all is greed and no more support local community.
Between lily and Ben. I loved how they started a little reserve, but not trying to impress each other. They just felt so natural between the two.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon books UK, and Becky Ward. for this ARC of Playing the field

I love a sports romance with a bit of Grumpy Sunshine thrown in for good measure.

I love the story, and the chemistry- the will they won't they sizzle between Lily and the Ben( the professional football player who comes to save their new football club)is palpable and I really enjoyed how this easy, well paced romance played out.

Ben, a ‘bad boy’ professional football player, and Lily, a business major and entrepreneur, begin a steamy whirlwind forbidden and secret romance in Playing the Field.

Author Becky Ward has written characters that are passionate and full of heart, a community you’ll be envious you don’t live in, and a football team you’ll want season tickets to. Playing the Field is a more sports-heavy sports romance as the plot of the inter-workings of establishing a new football club is seen throughout, as well as football being a shared passion between Ben and Lily. Playing the Field is a fast-paced and fun read for football romance fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of Playing the Field in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really fun romance. The concept of setting up a local professional football team felt unlike any other sport romance I’ve read, and I really enjoyed the ‘found family’ aspect of all the players and the local community coming together.

This book reads very British. As an American, usually books that take place in the US/UK are fairly interchangeable other than some spelling or landmarks. In this book there were so many British phrases and descriptions that I wasn’t familiar with and had to look up. I loved this, and felt like it added to the authenticity of the book!

I do wish there had been more dialogue on page. So much of this book took place in the FMC’s mind, where she’s relaying just her thoughts or interpretation of what’s happening, even when we’re in the moment.

I also didn’t connect with the MMC. It took me awhile to get on board, but then I felt that ‘fake dating’ someone who didn’t even know it was fake dating, when all his PR team wanted was him to be in a relationship - which he ALREADY WAS - was inexcusable and he never made a comeback in my mind. I wish this was a book without a HEA for the MCs, and instead we just got a HEA for the club.

I enjoyed this book way more than Ward’s first book, ‘The Dance Deception’, and it was written very differently. I’d encourage anyone who didn’t love her first book to give this a chance!

Lily and her family feel crushed when their local soccer team moves far away. So, they decide to start their own team, Crawford United. Ben Pryce, known for causing trouble, helps out as a coach and forms a special bond with Lily. Despite knowing it's not smart to mix work and love, they begin a secret relationship full of surprises.

I really liked this book; it shows how a community can become like family when they come together to support something. Lily and Ben's connection is so strong. Although it starts off slow with a lot of soccer stuff, the story gets really exciting, and the characters are easy to love. If you're a fan of Ted Lasso, you'll definitely enjoy this book!

I really enjoyed this book. Initially, it took some time to engage me, but as a reader and a football enthusiast, I gradually found myself falling in love with it. It has a Ted Lasso/Footballers' Wives feel to it, making it a great fit for fans of those shows.

I would like to thank Becky Ward, their publishers, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
I have to admit, I struggled a bit at the beginning because I’m not typically a sports romance gal and there was a lot of football talk at first. But I managed because I enjoyed how the story was really focused on this team and community coming together which is heartwarming. And the writing was nice too,
I’m glad I stuck with it because the characters and relationship once it really got going I just ate up completely so so so good.

Title: Playing the Field by Becky Ward

Release Date: June, 5th, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars

Lily, a business student, is devastated when her local football club relocates, so she starts a new one, Crawford United, with her family. Ben, a suspended Premier League player, joins as a coach to rebuild his image.

Lily and Ben have instant chemistry, but their romance is forbidden by club rules. They secretly date, revealing Ben's softer side, but they face scrutiny from others. The will-they-won't-they tension surrounds their relationship as they navigate the challenges of love and football.

This book stole my heart! It's not just your typical sports romance; it brilliantly showcases the power of found family as the community rallies behind the team. The characters are absolutely delightful, and the sparks flying between Lily and Ben? Pure magic!


Thank you to The Publisher Avon Books UK | Avon , The Author Becky Ward & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good sport’s romance a this one was so well written! I loved the characters, storyline (love a good redemption story), and it was so enjoyable watching these two fall in love over the course of the novel. I have much more to share, but am recovering from an unexpected health issue and I promise to share more soon.

Lily & her family are devastated when her local football club relocates miles away. This leads to the creation of Crawford United, a team formed by her family. Ben Pryce, a professional footballer with a reputation as a 'bad boy', helps coach the team and quickly develops a deep connection with Lily. Despite breaking the rule of mixing business with pleasure, they embark on a secret romance filled with twists and turns.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it beautifully portrays the sense of 'found family' as the community bands together to support the team. The unique connection between Lily and Ben is palpable. While initially slow and heavily focused on football, the story soon becomes gripping, and the characters are easy to fall in love with. Fans of Ted Lasso will certainly appreciate this book!