Only on Gameday

Kristen Callihan is a new to me author and when the publisher offered me this book and I saw that it had the frenemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes I was all in.

I don't know much about football (despite my oldest son trying to teach me), but you don't need to know anything about this popular sport because this is simply a sweet (and spicy) story about childhood frenemies who decide to have a fake engagement to get both out of hot water. What neither of them realizes is that they've both had massive crushes on each other since childhood.

This was a cute read, but I didn't love it as much as I had hoped. The miscommunication trope was in overdrive as both August and Penny are unable, even after decades of having crushes on each other, to tell each other how they really feel. The way they handled things felt immature (ignoring each other at family get togethers because they secretly liked each other, forgetting to tell their very close family members about their very public engagement to the silly, repetitive pet names). I would have loved more page time for the fake dating trope with its awkward moments with family and coworkers, but it was very anticlimactic and the tension petered out before it really got going. 

The secondary characters are a fun bunch which are mainly August's family and August's BFF on and off the field. There's lots of sass and the banter is *chef's kiss*. It's a big group with strong personalities and I get the feeling this is a lead up to some of these characters starring in future books.

This is a light romance with funny banter, a sports theme and some spicy bits. It was a decent read with a strong secondary cast and okay main couple, that keeps things light and breezy but only touches briefly on emotional topics and not with as much depth as I had hoped.  

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for the complimentary digital advanced copy which was given to me in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Kristen Callihan

Genre: RomCom, Romance, Sports

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: MIRA (HCP)

First Published: Jan 6, 2026

Read: Jan 2-9, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: An ALL-NEW sports romance from New York Times bestseller Kristen Callihan with high emotional stakes and a slow-burn, steamy heat level.

A “fake” fiancée is just the trick to help a bad-boy football player clean up his image. Trouble is, there’s nothing fake about the way August feels about his “pretend” fiancée.

August Luck is on the brink of greatness: top NFL draft pick, a great team, multiple corporate sponsorships, but he keeps messing it up with bonehead moves. After his latest shenanigan goes viral, everyone is telling him to get his act together.

Penelope Morrow grew up with August. Their mothers were best friends. Unfortunately, Pen always fled the room with a look of disapproval on her pretty face whenever August was around. But Pen has a problem too: she inherited her grandparent’s house and can’t pay the estate tax.

On a whim, August decides a temporary public engagement is the solution to both their problems—he’ll pay her taxes, and she’ll help his image. Win-win.

But, when it comes to Pen, nothing is certain or safe. Because Pen isn’t so reserved anymore. This time, she’s smiling back at him. And he likes it. A lot. Will they each survive the ruse unscathed?