I enjoyed the sports part of this book, both Ella's cheerleading and Hudson's football, as well as when they worked together. There were also some emotional moments, due to their previous experiences.

This isn't exactly a romcom, but sarcasm is used a lot. It had the desired effect most of the time, but I think it was overused and sometimes it fell a bit flat.

Romance wise, the dynamic sadly didn't wow me, it's like this book tried to make the stakes higher than they actually were. At one point Hudson describes them as fire and ice, and says a relationship between them would be catastrophic. Why? They are 22 year olds at university, what exactly could be so catastrophic about them getting together? The main reason why they shouldn't be together is that football players and cheerleaders are not allowed to get involved, so there was some slight sneaking around, but this wasn't as exhilarating as it could have been.

I think my biggest problem is that I didn't feel any real tension in the romance, I wasn't rooting for these characters as their relationship wasn't that exciting, considering the circumstances.

A third act conflict was included, and I wasn't a fan of the motivations and reasoning behind this.

The spice was good though, and I enjoyed the writing overall.

GAME ON was fun and fast-paced. If you love college romance then I would definitely give this one a go.

This story had everything I love in a college romance! Ella, a British student studying abroad in Nashville, joins Whitland’s cheer program and finds herself unexpectedly tangled up with Hudson—a football player with a heart that’s anything but stereotypical. I really appreciated that Hudson wasn’t your typical college football hero. His character, especially with the thoughtful representation of OCD, added so much depth and authenticity.

The chemistry between Ella and Hudson was electric from the start, and their connection only grew stronger as they navigated the ups and downs of forced proximity. The balance between humor and emotional depth was spot-on—I laughed, swooned, and found myself fully invested in their story.

If you’re a fan of heartfelt college romances with great banter and irresistible tension, this one’s for you.

This is everything you want in a college sports romance and I enjoyed reading it. It was unexpected that I enjoyed it so much as I wasn't expecting too much from the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Everything I love in a sport romance! Characters around my age, and spicy and sweet interactions between the main characters. Now to wait until it’s published to add the physical copy to my shelves!

what a beautiful, unexpected story.

Hudson and Ella really feel like two people who were always meant to be together, but were at first a bit too stubborn and set in their ways to realise it; that moment when they finally give in, when they see their relationship for all it is and all it could be, is so special and pushes them into a new path that I hadn't entirely been expecting! I love the way they hold each other accountable, and can joke around and have this flirty banter but also won't let the other bullshit or evade them - they know each other so well.

Both Hudson and Ella are struggling with so much in their personal lives, and both are facings questions about the future; the way they reassure each other, support each other, meet each other's needs as best they can even while they were just friends, makes their relationship that much more special. I loved how Hudson checked with Ella what she was needed in certain moments, and reassured her of his feelings for her and that their relationship was real. Ella being there for Hudson and reinvigorating his love of cheer and making him feel secure and reassured when it comes to his anxiety. The technical aspect of both cheer and football when it came to the writing was superb - you can really tell Ki has done her research and it really just helps with providing that authenticity to the story and helping me as a reader visualise the scenes as Hudson and Ella are doing cheers and practicing, and I love that we got more focus on cheer than we did football! I feel like cheer often gets such a stereotypical view and opinions on the sport, but Ki has written such a well-rounded representation of the sport and its participants which I loved.

There were so many sweet moments through this story, the drive-in nights were some of my absolute favourite! The side characters were also so fun and really just helped make this story what it is (also I need the Levi and Claire tea IMMEDIATELY!!!) and now two-steppin' and 'Come on Eileen' will forever be associated with Hudson and Ella!

This was such an amazing trad debut - I've loved every single book Ki has ever written and I cannot wait for everyone to read this book, and for what the future holds next in the Ki Stephens Literary Universe <3

As a lover of sports romance, this one called me! It follows the story of a British exchange student who joins the university as a cheerleader and ends up catching the attention of one of the school's top athletes. It’s a classic setup with a refreshing international twist, and it had me hooked from the first chapter.

The standout element of this book is absolutely the chemistry between the two main characters. The tension was off the charts—the kind of slow-burn pull that makes you want to yell at the characters to just kiss already. It’s been a while since I’ve read a romance where the emotional and physical chemistry felt this well-developed and authentic. That said, if you're not a fan of steamy scenes, consider this your warning: the book doesn't shy away from spice. While I wouldn’t call the scenes extremely intense, there’s definitely a lot of heat, and it works because it’s rooted in that strong chemistry.

As for the plot, I appreciated the unique dynamic between a professional-level cheerleader and a college athlete. It added an extra layer of interest beyond the usual campus romance tropes. That said, one moment near the end felt a bit overdone—there’s a reveal that leads to some unnecessary drama, and the heroine’s reaction felt disproportionate. It didn’t ruin the story, but it did take me out of it for a bit.

Despite that, the ending was sweet and satisfying, even if a little predictable—and honestly, sometimes that’s exactly what you want in a romance like this. If you’re a fan of sports romances, this one deserves a spot on your TBR.

This is a fun, easy college sports romance and I enjoyed that the focus of the story was cheerleading, an underrepresented discipline in the world of sports romance from my experience! I didn’t completely click with the pacing of this one, but still had a good time reading, and I’d be interested in any possible future sequels or interconnected stories.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Hudson and Ella - friends with benefits that inevitably leads to a whirlwind romance. It was interesting to see a college football sports romance where the MMC steps up for another sport - it gave me icebreaker vibes so definitely recommend if you liked the Maple Hills series. I really enjoyed watching Ella gain more confidence and find her place whilst studying abroad and also enjoyed the fact that Hudson’s focus wasn’t NFL.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗇’𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐 𝗆𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖺 𝗆𝖺𝗇.”

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

I found this a really sweet all round romance with a little sprinkle of sports and athletic energy.

I was expecting it to focus more on football but there is more about cheerleading which I actually really liked as it was a little different.

The first part of the book didn’t grip me like I’d hoped it would, it felt a little rushed and I couldn’t connect to the two main characters straight away. I also felt that it was trying to convey a ‘forbidden’ element that just didn’t deliver as the stakes were too low.

Once I did connect with it, though, it was a really enjoyable experience. I loved watching them develop and work through their issues together and although pretty lows stakes and minimal drama it just felt like a cozy, cute atmosphere of friends enjoying college life.

There are some pretty hot scenes which did have a great amount of chemistry and I particularly liked that the fmc takes control in some of those moments.

It’s faced paced and easy to read so I gobbled this story up pretty sharpish, which makes it perfectly bingeable, however this quickness does make it trickier to connect with all the characters.

A super sweet and cute read for lovers of sports and insta-love romances.

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: 5 hours 29 minutes

“𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗉𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋. 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗂𝗍.”

This book is pure sunshine with a shot of adrenaline. I loved how electric Ella and Hudson’s chemistry was from the first moment, but what really pulled me in was the emotional depth that grew behind all the heat and banter. The writing felt fresh and full of energy, and the cheer and football dynamics gave everything that perfect blend of tension and tenderness. I couldn’t get enough of them.

This college sports romance starts as a one night stand but with some close proximity develops into something more.

Ella has just arrived from England, fresh from a break up, and goes out with her new college roommates. She meets Hudson and one hot night together ensues. They soon find out she’s on the cheer team and he plays football so they’ll be seeing each other often.

I enjoyed them getting to know each other, kind of a slow burn type thing but when the steam hits, it’s oh so hot. I loved how he had a cheer background and was able to support her with that.

Overall it’s a sweet, easy read that gives you the goosebumps. Thank you @kistephs and @netgalley for the e-ARC of this story. Another enjoyable read.

4.5⭐️

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this early proof of this book!!! This was the one of the cutest books I've read in a long time and I can't wait to read more of the author's books in the future. The characters were the best and the romance was amazing too

Ella has traded her life in England, for a year in Nashville, with the opportunity to join her new school’s elite cheer squad.
She didn’t plan on meeting Whitland’s star quarterback, Hudson Fox, on her first night in America, who’s coincidentally also trying to avoid distractions this year.
As a one-night-stand proves not to be enough for these two, loyalties are tested, and they begin to wonder if the future might not play out as originally planned.
This was a really cute college romance (with a fair amount of spice 🌶️), and I liked the fact that Hudson wasn’t ALL about the football - ultimately the sport took a backseat to his studies, which was refreshing!
The author clearly knew a lot about cheerleading, so I definitely learned something new, however I did get a little confused by some of the terminology.
It was a pretty light-hearted storyline, I really liked the characters, and I gelled with the author’s writing style so I’ll probably read more from her in the future 🫶🏼

Firstly, thank you for Netgalley for an e-arc of this book. All opinions will be my own.

This was a fun Sports College Romance. Ella and Hudson were such a good match with the immediate banter, chemistry and their shared drive to be great at their sport. While I enjoyed the football parts, the cheerleading sections of this book really stood out to me. I love how supportive Hudson was of Ella's cheerleading and life as well.
There were interesting talks about compulsive behaviours that Hudson has and I love that his friend group and Ella did not shame him for them (as an ex girlfriend of his did), but worked to understand and support him.
I wish there had been 50 more pages towards the end, as it was a bit rushed, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment.
Overall, an easy read with loveable found family.

DNF

I really loved the cover and concept for this one (I’m a sucker for a sports romance, especially cheerleading) but this one fell flat for me.

The dialogue felt stilted and unrealistic, and the plot was scenes strung together without any real transition.

Thank you to Penguin for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, thank you so much for the review copy!

This was the first book I’d read from Ki Stephens but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more of her work!

As someone who is British, I can sometimes find the depiction of British characters a bit cringy and playing too hard into stereotypes, however this wasn’t the case at all in Game On.

I really loved this book and found it to be a heart warming, realistic and easy read. I would 100% recommend this book for anyone looking for a feel-good book!

SPICE: 0.5🌶

BOOK TROPE:
🏈 College romance
🏈 Slow burn
🏈 Instant attraction
🏈 Predictable plot


Game On by Ki Stephens was a cute college romance that had its sweet moments.
While I enjoyed the overall vibe of the story, it felt quite predictable, which is why I’m giving it 3 stars.

There were parts that left me wanting more explanation or depth, but it was still a decent and easy read for when you're in the mood for something light and familiar.

Thank you to NetGalley for selecting me to receive a copy of Game On by Ki Stephens to review. I promise that this review is unbiased and reflects my own opinions of the book.

Ella is a cheerleader from Oxford University- England and is on a year abroad program as she moved to Whitland University - Nashville, USA. She meets football star Hudson on her first night and they both hit it off and have a one night stand. However, there’s a strict No Fraternisation rule between football players and cheerleaders.

I rated this book 4 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The spice within this book hit! I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry and tension between the two main characters. At times I did experience a bit of whiplash as they move move through the course of their relationship, one minute they’re not friends and aren’t speaking and the next they’re all over eachother! There were parts which had me giggling and kicking my feet. I found several parts incredibly comical and thoroughly enjoyed which made the book go up in my estimations. The spice was brilliant! I love love love how it was written and found it incredibly descriptive!

There’s quite a few tropes covered within that will appeal to most readers such as forbidden romance. I recommend as a great feel good read where there’s plenty of tension between the two main characters.

Available on 14th August 2025. This one you don’t want to miss!

This is a proper romance, complete with arguments, friends in common and slow discoveries of who people are. Ella is great, fun, sexy and a little bit a fish out of water as she arrives to cheer at Top US university, She is recently dumped and just wants to have a n amazing year in the States. Hudson is also an attractive and 3D character who appeals and who I wanted to know more about, The backdrop of university high level cheerleading was well told, it was the central focus holding the plot together and really made this an active and engaging romance. Some well told sexy time didn’t hurt either.