Neither Ian nor Delilah are in the best place right now.
Ian's returning to Boston after a several years' stint playing professional hockey in Canada, after having to flee Boston (and his team) due to a supposed cheating scandal that he still won't speak about publicly. Delilah is dealing with the very real possibility that her cable baking show, Whisk-y Business, could be cancelled. Until Delilah throws out a wild idea: bring Ian, her brother's best friend (and her lifelong crush), onto the show. Having Ian on Whisk-y Business will drive a new audience to the show, and will hopefully clean up Ian's image. But the chemistry that they have in the episode is verrrry real, so much so that their PR teams suggest a fake dating scheme to boost ratings and public opinion.
What could go wrong?
It's no secret that I'm a major Lana Ferguson fan--have you listened to the podcast?! We both love her! THE GAME CHANGER, her upcoming release, is no exception. She gives us everything we could want in a steamy brother's-best-friend, friends to lovers, cinnamon roll and sunshine tale while also weaving in her signature humor. I found myself cackling often while reading this book.
While not nearly as emotionally heavy, it did give me the some of the same feelings as STARS IN YOUR EYES by Kacen Callender did, particularly in its handling of this very real-world occurrence of the general public assuming that they know, and can say, everything about anyone in the public eye. TMZ can post anything that they want and run with it, even if it's the farthest thing from the truth--just the easiest assumption to make. Unfortunately, the easiest assumption to make isn't always correct--and believing (and voicing) the worst of people, celebrity or not, can have lasting impacts on them, those around them, and can hurt so many more people than a keyboard warrior's "target."
Delilah's brother, Jack, is the comedic relief we always love to cringe at, even when he's ruining a moment, and he's the big brother everyone wishes they had. Lana has also, once again, killed off the FMC's parents in favor of a quirky old lady role model and while that should honestly make me sad for Delilah, I LIVE for a Lana Ferguson old lady. There's just nothing like her!
I seriously have no notes, I loved every part of this book, and I'm already dying for her next release!
Preorder your copy of THE GAME CHANGER by Lana Ferguson here or here ahead of its release on July 9!
Love and THAT locker room scene,
Mandy
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, and have voluntarily written this review with my honest feedback. If you purchase a copy using my Bookshop.org affiliate link above, I will receive a small commission and you'll support local indies! If you purchase a copy using my Amazon affiliate link above, I will receive a small commission which I will use to justify my literary addictions and to spoil my dogs (probably).
