Oh, Game Plan. How do I love thee. Let me count the ways.

The newest book in the Game On series is about a man-bunned, tattooed, and bearded virgin football player. And that was all that anyone needed to tell me before I one-clicked so hard that I pulled a muscle. I should also note that this is my first book by Kristen Callihan, and readers are totally okay to jump right into the series with this book here.

Ethan Dexter has always had eyes for Fiona Mackenzie since he met her about two years ago. She’s the younger sister of his best friend’s wife and it makes group functions a little rough on the guy. He gets pierced and tattooed as sort of a self-flagellation to curb his desires. He’s quiet, reserved, and definitely a beta hero. And I just want to wrap him up in a big fluffy blanket and feed him comforting spoonfuls of macaroni and cheese.

Fiona is a little larger than life. She works for a decorating firm back in New York and, though she’s short, she packs a big personality. I loved that the heroine was the one who was the flirt and being warned to be gentle with Ethan. They’re a bit opposite, but it works and it’s adorable.

When Ethan finally blows his gasket and loses his cool in a “mantrum” that’s been a long time coming, Fiona just walks out. She doesn’t fawn over him or turn on the dramatics. She asks him to stop and, when he doesn’t, she just peaces out to go get food and let him sort himself out.

Their relationship starts with a kiss, which started with a dare. They’re both visiting friends/family for a week and things just happen. But the honeymoon ends as they retreat to their respective states. Ethan is based in New Orleans and Fiona is…not.

Honestly, a lot of things happen in this book to test their relationship. There’s the issue with Ethan having his first time and trying to hide the fact that he’s a virgin from the general public (though I don’t get why it’d be such a huge deal if it got out). The reason why he’s abstained for so long stems back to the fact that he was the “chubby kid” for most of his life and then when he started to play college ball, he felt women gave him attention for all the wrong reasons. When he explains his first attempt at sex, it’s really horrific, though I do have some reservations about the “mechanics” of the situation.

There’s also a big scandal at the end that I didn’t exactly see coming. Callihan has a way of using scenes and details that serve another purpose that you don’t even realize until it plays into the plot later.

However, what really got me about this romance was the portrayal of a long distance relationship, which I know is somewhat subjective to my own experiences. I was actually in one for a while and they aren’t for the faint of heart. Fiona knows she isn’t cut out for one and it definitely affects her. It’s not a bad thing to want your partner close, to see, and to touch. And the things said and done when the characters were trying to function in a relationship, but lacking the things that a lot of couples get to experience, brought up a lot of stuff. Stuff I didn’t even know I needed to process.

I cried a lot, admittedly. Because these feelings and emotions hit close to home, and they felt very real for someone who has been there.

“But even as I make the promise, the fear that we’re both lying to ourselves remains. Because it’s clear this relationship isn’t working the way we need it to, and something will have to give before it breaks.”

Sometimes, you want things so badly to work that you’ll keep at it, even when it’s obvious that it’s not going to with the current circumstances. There are these blinders that if we have love, that it’ll be enough. And sometimes it’s not. Sometimes, something has to give.

And when Fiona is going through hell at work and she’s all alone, wanting nothing but Ethan to physically comfort her and he can’t, I lost my everloving shit.

“Just know I’m with you. Even when I’m far away, I’m with you.”

At that point, I’m full on ugly crying in the living room while trying not to make this awkward for my roommates.

I mentioned on Twitter that sometimes you find a book that really reminds you of why you love a certain genre, be it romance or scifi or whatever. For me, The Game Plan really reminded me why I love this community – the authors, the readers, all of it. Love is a really powerful thing, whether it succeeds or it doesn’t. It’s a universal feeling that people have experienced. And though my happy ending didn’t quite happen, it warms me to know that Fiona and Ethan had their HEA. Fictional characters be damned.