- best friends to lovers
- fake engagement

Best friends since they were five, Jonah and Felix have been each other’s constants through all the major ups and downs life has thrown their way. From Felix’s DUI and stint in rehab, now to Jonah’s grandmother’s health scare, Jonah and Felix have weathered it all.

In fact, despite everything that’s happened to him in the last year, the one permanently good thing in Felix’s life has been Jonah. & with Jonah’s grandmother harping on him to settle down, and Felix missing the intimacy that relationships bring, suggests they kill two birds with one stone & say they’re engaged.

Only Felix isn’t aware that Jonah has been in love with him since they were teenagers, and Jonah isn’t aware that Felix has started seeing him in a new light since he got home from rehab. The lines quickly blur between what’s real and what’s pretend, and these two oblivious besties fall head first into their happily ever after.

I’ve been waiting on Jonah and Felix’s story since book one, and it did not disappoint at all. These two have loved each other so deeply for so long and seeing their (mostly Felix’s) feelings shift to more was so sweet.

Felix though, man!! He has been through it, and I loved that his character journey was full of growth and healing. Jonah also had a lot of baggage and trauma to work through as well, and I loved his vulnerability with Felix knowing that there would never be judgment. They have always and will always be each other’s person, and I loved seeing them grow as a couple.2024-arcs queer-reads-2024 sports-romance23 s2 comments Dani826 91

Definitely enjoyable but I kind of expected more...

I'm not always the biggest fan of friends to lovers because I a supersized dose of angst and enemies to lovers is my favourite, but the eventual relationship between Felix and Jonah was sweet, if a little convenient.

I think what really bothered me is that I didn't really understand the logic behind the fake engagement, which was basically the entire plot line, and I was even more confused when other characters claimed they did understand. I still don't get it! Fake relationships usually make sense, but for me I just didn't get this one at all.

Also, there was a LOT of focus on the Grandma and her health battles; the actual hockey; and the sexual side of the relationship; but I didn't feel they really talked about anything to each other and even though they've been best friends since they were five, surely you have to at least talk about something with each other that isn't just what position you want to try next?! It was weird because they definitely talk about their feelings for each other, but not to the each other until almost the end of the book, which really didn't make any sense to me.

I was expecting more heart to hearts between the two main characters, a little emotional turmoil maybe and I wanted to see them working through their issues together, but they did everything separately and then are magically together forever after a really brief conversation about their true feelings. I understand that Felix is going to talk to his sponsor, but he seemed to have ALL of his important conversations with the sponsor and not with Jonah. Whereas Jonah had all of his conversations with his online friend, his team captain and his Grandma. It just felt weird to me that their relationship is figured out only by talking to other people and not really talking to each other...

For me this wasn't really a romance but a story about a Grandma's health issues and a mediocre hockey season, where two friends end up together finally. BUT I always enjoy the amount of actual hockey content in Brigham Vaughn's books, and I how each book builds on the story universe. I also really enjoyed seeing the little set ups for Matty's story (I can't wait and I've wanted his book since Book 1), plus the mentions of Dustin and Charlie, and Nico and August.

I think if there had been more conversations between the two, and the fake relationship made sense to begin with, then I could have rated this higher.

Excited for the next book and I have high expectations for Matty especially because he's Demisexual so it hopefully wont be constant sex scenes to begin with and there'll be more focus on building a connection with his partner (in theory anyway!)This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review12 s Ky579 79

* 3 stars *

I had high expectations for Jonah and Felix's story. I was rooting for them to get together and was very excited when their book was announced, but sadly the end result wasn't what I was hoping for.

First of all, their story felt exceptionally long for some reason. At around 60% I was surprised there was still so much story left, and that's never a good thing.

I d the connection between the characters and how close their friendship was. I d that Felix felt Jonah's family as his own and how Jonah's grandmother treated him.

All in all, I think that the story could have been shorter without missing any integral parts. I d both characters a lot and I was glad with the appearance of previous MCs.


~ I read an ARC of this book. ~ arc friends-to-lovers hockey ...more9 s Molly Otto823 17

When best friends to lovers are done right, you have this beautiful story of healing and growth. Jonah & Felix have been each other's unbreakable bond and companionship since they were five years old. Felix has made many poor decisions in his life that lead him to a stint in rehab that leads him to self-discovery and to be able to be free of his past. Jonah has loved Felix his whole life yet never thought he had a chance until one hair brained idea allows him to be open with Felix.
And once they two allow their feelings to blossom its pure magic. They are so sweet to each other even before dating that when they are free to show their affections, you can not help but smile at them. As with previous installments, the team dynamics are perfection in a way you wish all teams were that they can confide and rely on each other when you stumble. When you triumph, they celebrate all the victories, small and big, just simply put beautiful.
Now, for Jonahs grandma, can I have her? No, seriously, that woman is a wrecking ball in the best possible way. She does everything and anything to make her grandson (blood and not blood) feel wanted and loved at all times. I am looking forward to seeing Matty, our loveable Teddy bear, find his person with the next installment.5 s Hanna333 8

Another great addition to the Relationship Goals series with a friends-to-lovers story. I love these stories so much, they are exceptional and each relationship is unique with each character having different personalities, quirks, s/diss, or flaws. You can go into these series with the mindset that these books would be repetitive or overlapping in similarities, but they are not.

Jonah and Felix were so special and I felt there was such sweetness and care for them that I loved in their relationship. The first 50% is them building up to their romantic relationship which felt more natural and the buildup was great. Then the nature of their relationship changing was great, not without issues uphearing but they made it through their struggles together with love.

I think with these books, you can go into thinking "damn these are long" but the reasoning is that the author provides this beautiful, organic experience when reading. They could be 100 pages short but they still are enjoyable to read because you get so much context about the characters, the couple, the sport, and the found family that the players have. I will say out of the three, this couple did not move to my favorite couple but I still enjoyed their story. I am starving for Matty's story, he seems such a sweet guy who needs to be loved for all his goofiness/sensitive self. I am still waiting for cameos from the other book series so fingers crossed. 4 s Lady Macbeth664 17

4 stars
Finally Felix's story!
We met him in the first book of the series (The Husband Game): he was in a long-time relationship with Withney, but then they broke up, he started drinking and had a terrible accident with his car. After that, Felix went to rehab and came back at the end of the second book (The Head Game).

Felix and Jonah had known each other their whole lives: Jonah lost his parents and went to live with his grandparents, he became fast friend with a boy who lived in the same neighbourhood.
Felix and Jonah spent a lot of time together, the were each other best friend and family, they bonded over their love for hockey and throughout the years their friendship grew stronger. During all those years, Jonah has been able to keep his feelings for himself and never let Felix know he was in love with him.

I think Felix's bisexual awakening was handled very well in this story: Felix didn't started feeling asttraction for Jonah out of the blue, but after his long months in therapy he was able to clear his head, to see the things he had buried inside him and he could finally be himself outside his parents' expectations.

Jonah was obviously both excited and scared about Felix's revelation of being interested in men. He wanted to finally have that physical connection with him, but he also feared that would be the end of their friendship.

Another thing I loved was Felix's recovering journey. He does a lot of introspection, he faces his mistakes and he's not scared to reach out for help when he needs it.

What prevented me from giving a higher rate:
Jonah and Felix were more than friends: they grew up together, they were each other's biggest supporter, they never let anything or anyone come between them. And yet they were incapable of being truly honest about what they really wanted and kept postponing a very much needed conversation.
This book is very very long and I struggled to keep my attention focused sometimes.

As always, I love how supportive the guys are of each other and I'm very curious about next book, Matty's story. In this one he confessed to be demiexual so I can't wait to see what the author has in store for him.

Recommended.

I received an ARC of this book from Neon Rainbow and this is my honest review.
3 s read_romance.withgloria Gloria Worlikar246 8

4.5 stars

This series has been my favourite and I was waiting for the next book in this series, Felix and Jonah were the best of friends and their story was so wonderful to read, I enjoyed it very much.

Felix and Jonah were best friends for a long time, but the recent events in Felix's life have made him insecure about his worth in others' lives and also a disappointment to his best friend and his team.
Jonah had lost his parents at a very young age and then moved to stay with his grandparents where he met Felix and they became best friends. Jonah had a crush on Felix since they were young but never acted on it.

To repair Felix's image after his rehab stint and also after Grandma Ji-min's emergency health scare he suggests to be in a fake engagement with Jonah, but Felix also starts to have feelings towards Jonah and to test if he is enough for Jonah, he suggests the idea of fake engagement.

This story was slow-burn but it was so amazingly written that we got glimpses of their younger self and how close they were to each other. Their relationship development from best friends to lovers was smooth but they were still hesitant. I d how they didn't want to lose each other and they fought against the trauma that was holding them back.
I enjoyed their moments with the core members, and how they supported them and their banter was amazingly written.

I d how the author has done thorough research on the topics she has noted and that's one of the things I about the author's writing style, which has me enjoying the book more.

I am highly obsessed with this series and all the characters and I am looking forward to Matty's book. Also, I recommend starting this series if you haven't already.

* I received an ARC copy from Neon Rainbow Reviews and this is my honest review *2 s Heather MMRomanceReviewed1,343 60 Read

Sometimes changing your life means evaluating everything about yourself, including your sexuality... Both Jonah and Felix have had to overcome difficult childhoods, with each other, Jo's grandmother and hockey holding them together... and so much more going on around them.

On the same team, with Felix managing his alcoholism and seeing his world differently, speared on by a health scare for Jonah's grandmother and things take a decidedly 'fake' relationship turn that quickly turns spicy...

The found family, the personal angst, and Grandma Ji-min all make this bisexual awakening story come to life. I also that the author gives us outside stresses to test the relationship and doesn't just keep the guys hiding in the hammock.

Emotional and sweet, you can tell that this author took care in creating this world and ensuring that Jonah's bi-racial Canadian/Korean heritage was on point.

I can't wait for the next book in the Relationship Goals series.2 s The Secret Librarian436 44

Rating: 4.5
Steam: 3
PoV: dual, 3rd person
Genre: contemporary romance, MM
Main tropes: friends to lovers, hurt / comfort, fake relationship

The Waiting Game was a great addition to the Relationship Goals series, and I loved to see Felix and Jonah go from childhood best friends to lovers!

I love books with friends to lovers, especially with some pining and a sexual discovery - and this story had it all. Jonah, who have had feelings for Felix since they were kids, but never wanted to jeopardise their friendship… and Felix, who started seeing his best friend in new light after spending some time at rehab.

Their story was a slow burn romance, but once their little fake engagement arrangement was in place, the lines started to blur pretty quickly. They were so close and had already been through a lot together, so the development from friends to lovers felt very natural, and a little inevitable. They were such a sweet couple!

Felix’s issues and spiralling had been shown in the previous books, and I d that I got to see him from a different perspective here. His character development was great, and I loved how he tried to work through his past trauma and baggage. Both Felix and Jonah had quite a few ups and downs throughout the book, but it was lovely to see the comfort they found in each other and how deep their connection was.

I was completely hooked on their story, and I really enjoyed to see these two loveable idiots realise that some of their feelings towards each other weren’t very friendship-y. I’m ridiculously fond of this little found family of hockey players and their endless shenanigans and banter, and I can’t wait for more books in this series!

-
Thanks to Neon Rainbow ARC Reviews for the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.adorable-couple arc fake-dating-relationship ...more3 s BWT2,204 236

2.5 stars

I'm sorry! I wanted to love this. I really did because I love Jonah and Felix and I was really looking forward to getting a best friends to lovers romance. I guess the whole curve ball of it being a best friends to fake lovers to real lovers romance threw me. I also wasn't a fan of the unnecessary miscommunication particularly when these two have known each other for as long as they have. It just drove me crazy. Obviously my opinion is completely subjective and YMMV. I'm any case I'm looking forward to Matty's story next (but from the epilogue it looks it might be a single dad he maybe ends up with and I thought he'd be getting together with the guy he had the threesome with ngl).2 s Crisana647 35 Shelved as 'dnf'

DNF. I may come back to it. Not sure. This book was boring me quite a bit and has now been stuck at 38% for so long I have lost interest.kindle-unlimited m-m sports2 s Sandra 1,837 336

Quite enjoyed this one. Lovely friends-to-lovers romance. 2024-book-challenge angst-and-drama contemporary ...more2 s Fernanda Parente598 83

OMG!!! I love this book so much
I want Jonah's home and I want a Jonah in my life.
Felix and Jonah are so great together since childhood and I keep saying : Felix you love him , open your eyes!
It's really an amazing book and I love his teammates keeps showing up to tease them
I recommend this book2 s Kath263

3.75

They were so sweet!2 s Aysha163 5

The Waiting Game is the third book in the Relationship Goals series and can be read as a standalone.

In the prologue, we see Jonah and Felix as children making their marriage pact that made me giggle with how cute and innocent they are. We then skip to present day, I really d how this book didn’t just immediately jump into the fake engagement. Brigham Vaughn did such a great job with the plot of this book and their friendship, it felt so authentic.

Jonah lost his parents at an early age and was raised by his grandma and granddad. I loved the Korean culture and learnt so much about it! Can I just say how amazing Jonah’s grandparents were?
Jonah and Felix have been best friends since they was five years old and are both playing for the Toronto Fishers Cats in present day. When Felix proposes a fake engagement; it seems a good idea but there’s the problem of Jonah being in love with him for years…

Vaughn’s character development in this book was top notch. The little intricacies in Felix and Jonah’s characters ( Jonah loving plants and always be late, and Felix’s love of Korean food and reading) made me not only feel I had known for years but also made me love them that much more.

Felix’s maturity and self awareness made me so feel proud of him, it was really beautiful to see him overcome his struggles with his alcoholism and his parents.

Both of these characters has had a really tough time and I felt Vaughn made them so emotionally vulnerable to the reader, which I applaud as that’s not easy to write.

The interaction with Jackson (you’ll meet him if you read the book) was so adorable and endearing. I felt everything is this book fitted there perfectly. All the side characters were great, I love this team so much and am really excited for the next two!

A deliciously dirty fake to forever, best friends to lovers romance that brought all the HEAT and the SWOON. I think this is the hottest MM ever written by Brigham Vaughn and her best to date.

This book contains triggering content such as alcoholism, past death of parents (plane crash) and grandparent, racism/ homophobia/ insensitive comments, mention of brain tumour/ surgery and emotionally neglectful parents.

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