Stupid, Childish Games

by Cecilia Perry

In this slow-burn, grumpy-sunshine, strangers-to-enemies-to-lovers, best friend’s brother, single dad, age gap romance, heads clash, insults are thrown, and sparks fly.

Meet Dr. Peyton Andersen, a 28-year-old Canadian pediatrician with a sunny personality but poor self-esteem, who can’t seem to avoid the insufferable father of her new patient, no matter where she turns. For every interaction, she grows more certain that he hates her and enjoys making her suffer—it’s the only reasonable explanation for his behaviour. Surely, someone that accomplished and handsome would have no other interest in someone like her?

Dr. Henry Moore has every reason to be grumpy—he’s a 40-year-old widower with a high-pressure job as a thoracic surgeon; three daughters at completely different stages of development (ranging in age from 4.5 to 13), including one who doesn’t speak to him at all and one who is up coughing half the night; and he recently moved his family from the UK to Canada to get away from the bad memories plaguing him. He swore off love when he lost his wife four years ago, but something changes the moment he lays eyes on his youngest daughter’s new pink-haired, sassy pediatrician. If only he weren’t completely tongue-tied in her presence, and she didn’t hate his guts.

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 31, 2026

About the author

Scientific Writer and Editor by day, secret Romance Author by night, Cecilia has always had love stories living in her head. However, it was not until 4 am on a cold, dark December morning, after finally getting her daughter to fall back asleep after a bad nightmare, but unable to fall back asleep herself, that she finally sat down and started writing them down. Since then, she has been unable to stop.

Her books centre around characters working in STEM and Medicine, living in or near her hometown of Vancouver, BC.

Reviews

[Ky Dermedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for me!

This was a fun, moderately spicy read. I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters, Peyton and Henry, as they navigated through their story. The side characters were also memorable and well written!

Perry does a fantastic job with describing the various settings and world-building. The pacing and dialogue are smooth. The children are well written: their dialogue is believable and appropriate for their ages and their characters each have their own important place in the storyline. Very enjoyable!

There were a few moments where the writing felt like it rambled on. Perhaps this was intentional, as a "stream of consciousness" type of writing, though it felt awkward for me.

Otherwise, Stupid, Childish Games was a well-paced romance that I devoured and will absolutely recommend!

Perfect for you if you enjoy:
❤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
❤️ He falls first
❤️ Age Gap
❤️ Best Friends Brother
❤️ Strong FMC
❤️ Single dad

Thank you to the author, Cecilia Perry, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Christy Acc · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few aspects of this story that I quite enjoyed. I am always a big fan of a good slow burn - get some story, some character building. I found myself forming bonds with the characters and rooting for them. The resilience of both MC
was key for me as well. Both characters bouncing back from a couple of traumatic relationships/happenings and finding love and family is so heartwarming. I wanted to listen to an audio of this book so I could hear the children’s British accents 😍.

Thank you for the ARC opportunity. I look forward to reading more!

[Meranda Semeniuk-Wappel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Advanced copy from Author

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

This book was amazing! It made me laugh and it also made me kick my feet with giddiness! This book is full of tropes that anyone would literally root for the two main characters!

This book has a sunshine/grouchy trope that you will just love! What made me fell in love with book is how the author really made you fall in love with her characters! I love how both the main characters were wanting thr same thing but also respecting each other without overstepping anything such as making them choose one thing over something else.

Another thing that I loved about this book was how the author did a duel perspective and for myself personally, I love books that do a dual perspective and the author nailed that! Plus the spice in this book is really good!

This is indeed a slow burn book but the writing in this book is *chef's Kiss*! I loved it!

[Bex G-C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Peyton and Henry’s story. There are some fabulous themes throughout including grumpy/sunshine, woman in STEM, falling in love with his whole family, learning to live and love again with grief. I fell in love, cried my eyes out, and then smiled so wide my cheeks hurt by the end. I also loved the switch from Canadian POV to British POV complete with different terminology!
Also - my favourite dinosaur is pachycephalosaurus (who doesn’t love an in-built crown and a head hard enough to win an argument?!)

[Kelsey Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this at 4am with tears in my eyes — raw, relatable, and impossible to put down.

[Kayziepops · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this prior to its release and really enjoyed it.

It was a grumpy/sunshine romance. Where a widowed father of 3, falls for his daughters paediatrician, who is the complete opposite to him.

It was a fun, easy read, where throughout you really want things to work for them, even when things get in their way, including his teenage daughter.

I highly recommend this book, it is spicy at parts but also makes you laugh and if your soppy like me cry.

I cant wait to read more by this author.

[Esthi Labuschagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of the best books I’ve read this year! 🤩 The story follows single dad, thoracic surgeon, Dr Henry Moore - total grump and Dr Peyton Andersen - total sunshine and rainbows who is a pediatrician.

This book described their love story SO WELL. The way they fell in love felt SO REAL. I continuously thought, yes, this makes sense. They also had really great chemistry. This was about a 3,5 🌶️

The book had a few heavy themes that were handled with such love and care. It is therefore a pretty low-angst book. Which was just what I needed! I would recommend this book in a heartbeat!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in the mood for cozy, open door spice, and this book promised opposites-attract, grumpy/sunshine, extrovert/introvert passion.

I loved following Peyton, a single woman in her first pediatrician job out of medical school, and Henry, a seasoned thoracic surgeon and single, widowed dad of three daughters. After their first meeting starts them on the wrong footing, circumstances keep bringing them together to untangle their undeniable attraction towards each other.

I kept turning the pages without even thinking, with the steady, slow-burn tension building through short chapters and skilled foreshadowing. Dual POV helped me understand Peyton and Henry’s personal struggles, treated so tenderly for them to both find love again.

I can’t get the family mountain hike and Henry’s birthday out of my head! Fans of slow-burn, sensual open-door spice, cozy found family, and Jillian Meadows’ “Give Me Butterflies,” who don’t mind medical jargon (it IS a medical romance after all) and the MMC getting his repressed feelings off his chest in one go, will enjoy this. I give it 4.5 stars for the steady pacing, sensual romance, sweet family, and hilarious bestie. I left feeling happy for second-chance, found love.

Thank you, Cecilia Perry, for the eARC copy for an advance read and honest review. Was this a match made in heaven for a new author and a new ARC reader/reviewer? Hell yeah! I was drawn to Cecilia's background as a STEM writer, and Stupid, Childish Games being her debut romance novel. Congratulations!

“I don’t think caring too much can ever be a bad thing. Don’t ever change.”

“You put that sticker on my heart and brought me back to life.”

Tropes
Medical romance (with technical language)
Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Extrovert/introvert
Strangers to enemies to lovers
MMC single widowed dad to 3 girls
FMC with poor self-esteem
Second chance
Found family
Best friend’s brother
He falls first
Age gap

Trigger Warnings
Death (car accident)
Gaslighting
Infidelity

[Kimberly Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one ended up being a very middle-of-the-road read for me — 3 stars.

The beginning was honestly rough. The internal monologue was extremely repetitive, with emotions explained over and over instead of allowed to develop naturally, and it made the first portion feel slow and uneven. Several scenes and conversations felt duplicated in slightly different wording, which hurt both the pacing and the tension. I struggled to stay immersed early on.

However, the story does noticeably improve as it goes. Once the emotional conflict becomes more external — especially involving the children and their fear of their dad “forgetting” their mom — the book finally finds its footing. Those moments carried real weight and were where the writing felt the strongest. The family dynamics were the heart of the story, and when the focus shifted there, I felt much more invested.

By the final stretch, the emotional payoff worked for me and I appreciated the direction the author took with healing, moving forward, and making space for love without erasing grief. Unfortunately, the uneven pacing and repetitive early chapters kept the book from reaching its full potential. I liked where it ended far more than how it began.

Overall: a sweet and emotional premise with genuine moments of heart, but an unbalanced execution that made it harder to fully connect with the story.

I received an advance reader copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tropes:
-Single girl dad
-Doctor x doctor romance
-Slow burn
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Age gap

This was truly amazing. I love a good grumpy x sunshine book. This was incredibly hard to put down. Peyton is such a beautiful soul. She connects with her patients and makes them feel comfortable. Henry is an older man who is a surgeon but his children see Peyton as their primary care physician. When Henry and Peyton first meet it’s not a meet cute. Henry’s just a jerk. When he realizes that his daughter’s new doctor is Peyton, he can’t stay away. The chemistry between Peyton and Henry is unmatched. The little lunch breaks they had daily and Peyton trying to guess his favorite dinosaur is one of my favorites.

This was such a good story and so well written. The plot, the chemistry, the progression of the relationship with Henry and Peyton, and Peyton and Henry’s girls was beautiful. This was my first Cecilia Perry book and I was not disappointed at all. I think there was the perfect amount of spice. This was an easy 5/5 ⭐️ read for me!

[Murarete Ioana simona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recived an advanced copy as ARC read♥️

Tropes:
Age Gap
Slow Burn
Enemies to Lovers
Single Dad
Grumpy/Sunshine

Omg, I loved this book so much and I related with the charcters.
We have Peyton who is a doctor and Henry that is also a doctor.
Henry is a single dad who is trying his best to be a good father to his 3 girls afer his wife past away.
I loved that even if he has a hard job, he does his best for the girls, girls who are hard on him sometimes.
Peyton is the pediatrician of the girls and is very good at her job and keeps Henry on his toes😁.
The banter was cheff kiss😁loved it.
The relationship bettwen Peyton and the girls, and the girls aunt was amazing.
Loved it all.🥰

[Ash Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5
The best cozy read I could have possibly picked up this lazy Sunday!
I was immersed from the very beginning and I absolutely devoured this thing today.
The writing and descriptions are so well done, I could see scenes so clearly in my head.
The character dynamics are fun, and the way they banter depending on what relationship is there is wonderful! I especially enjoyed the way the kiddos were written and portrayed and just their fun personalities. I personally think it’s hard to write kids and not have them feel like caricatures and Perry nails it
Also, the spice be spicing so prepare yourself once it gets started👀
It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a cozy read like this, and I just really enjoyed the high emotions but low angst feel of this one.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌶️ 🍭
This book was sugar, spice and ALL things nice. Opposites attract when Peyton and Henry meet. Doctor grumpy v “Pink Poodle” energy combine for some fun banter and spicy vibes. The chemistry between the main characters was great. Henry’s daughters are wonderful and very well written as believable personalities! Peyton falls for the whole family, from Henry to his girls to her platonic love for his sister/her bff. When obstacles come in their way, it’s amazing to see how they all react and respond, even while we’re crossing our fingers they will find a way to work things out. 10/10 loved it!

[Misty Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The beginning caught me off guard with how it started but after a bit it started to flow. This was a cute cozy read with banter and a bit of spice. After you get over the hiccup at the beginning, the story flows well and you can't seem to put it down. This ended up being one of my favorite reads so far.

[Katarina Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready to laugh, fall in love, and maybe cry just a little. This book was such a cute and fun read, I nearly devoured it in its entirety in one single day. It’s a very slow burn, but trust me when I say, the spice is definitely worth the wait 😂🥵. I’m so invested in Peyton & Henry’s relationship, I really hope there’s a sequel to follow but if not, I am content with the way things ended.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW. I loved this book. Between the banter, side characters, spice and storyline I could not put it down. It was such a fun and feel good story.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this love at first sight/instant connection story with low angst. It was well-written, and the characters had depth. There was also just the right amount of spice.

[Tonya Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, cozy read. Really enjoyed!

[Emma Clouten · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
*Age Gap
*Slow Burn
*Enemies to Lovers
*Single Dad
*Grumpy/Sunshine

When i say i could not put this book down I mean it I ignored all my adult responsibilities because I was addicted to this book. The pace, banter, chemistry and the small moments between both Peyton and Henry was chief kiss all around. I adored Peyton I loved how she would make sure to connect with her patients first so they were comfortable. I loved her witty remarks she would say espically to Henry. The MMC Henry is a typical grumpy character but i still loved him the way he kept trying everyday to connect with his kids and do his best. I loved his witty remarks to Peyton. These two balanced each other out so well I loved watching their relationship bloom over the little lunch dates they shared and how they were connecting on emotional level aswell. Henry's kids were adorable I loved their little bond they all had with Peyton.

I received this book as an ARC in return for my honest review.