ARC Review: The Game by A.B. Wilson
Y’all I’m here today to tell you about a lil ARC called The Game by A.B. Wilson I was lucky enough to receive early for an honest review. Ready to get into it? Spoilers ahead.
The Game, is book 2 in the Shellenberg Brothers series, and follows professional soccer players Matthias “Matti” Shellenberg and Abigail “Abby” McKinnon. Told in dual PoV, this one hits on a lot of the tropes I’ve come to love: enemies to friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, boy falls first, pining, secrets, meddling sports agents, a CAT! Full disclosure I did not read book 1, so I went in with little to no context about any of the extended characters. But this can easily be read as a standalone, with all the enjoyment factor remaining.
Okay, spoilers ahead, be warned!
Oof, right off the top of the book there is a lot that our gal Abby goes through, she’s just won a cup game, finds out she’s been cut, kisses her enemy, and gets hit by a car. Matti having been a catalyst for Abby’s abrupt jaunt into traffic, follows her to the hospital, frantically declaring himself her fiancé.
Upon waking, Abby and Matti both find out the depth of her injuries mean she’s in for a significant road ahead, full of intense rehab, with very unclear odds of her returning to her first and only love, soccer.
These two pretty quickly determine that they need each other, Abby because women’s professional soccer pays essentially nothing, and Matti because he’s a walking liability for any team that chooses to employ him. The I’ll-pay-for-your-physical-rehab-so-you-can-rehab-my-image trade is easily made and these two are essentially off to the races.
I liked a lot of the domesticity, A.B adds to this story, seeing moments between Matti and Abby at home were really soft and sweet. These two work as teammates, really well. They understand what it takes to be professional athletes and what it means to really support your partner, even when they don’t want to do the thing.
Seeing Matti push Abby to work through her rehab, including wanting her to rest was really sweet. And our gal Abby, standing up for Matti among is arguably crappy family was something else. And the intimacy between the two in and out of the bedroom, my goodness, bust out your fainting couches.
🍑Butt stuff abounds, what a treat!
Regardless of the things I liked there were definitely some things that I struggled with. Matti has a legitimate learning disability, and I wish there was a little more time spent expanding on it. And Abby, her family stuff felt a little one dimensional, but served (I suppose) as a mirror to Matti’s high-functioning toxic family dynamic.
And that third act breakup, woof. Look, are third act break ups part of the deal? Yes. Was this one especially cruel? I kinda think so. So when they inevitably got back together, I was expecting (and wanting) WAY more grovel. Sorry dude, imho you needed to do a whole lot more to help Abby see what she means to you. Am I glad these two worked it out, OF course (I was invested) but I just wanted to see him sweat a little more.
Overall, this was a light, fun, surprisingly steamy, sports romance that folks will most likely get a kick out of. Pick up The Game by A.B. Wilson, March 1st 2022 wherever you get your books.