Be My Endgame

by Zarah Detand

Sometimes the endgame is only the beginning. In the heated world of the Premier League, Earl Alex Beaufort, a charming Liverpool midfielder, collides on-pitch with Lee Taylor, Manchester United’s top striker. But when England’s World Cup dream brings them to sunny Spain, the real game sharing a room. Rivals to teammates to … more?

Dive into this banter-filled MM sports romance where football meets unexpected feelings. A tale where a “pretty boy” comment isn’t just playful teasing, and a kiss isn’t just a kiss. As the tension of the World Cup escalates, so does the connection between Alex and Lee.

But amidst the drills, goals, and growing team camaraderie, shadows of family legacies and personal battles loom large. Can Alex, struggling with duke-sized expectations and his bisexuality, embrace his true self? Will Lee learn to dribble past his trust issues? Get ready for emotional offsides, family fouls, and a journey of self-discovery as thrilling as a last-minute goal.

With doses of British humour and heartwarming honesty, Be My Endgame serves up a pitch-perfect contemporary MM romance against the electric backdrop of the World Cup. Expect the unexpected—because when it comes to love and football, anything can happen in 90 minutes (plus injury time).

Genres: Romance, Sports, M M Romance, LGBT, Sports Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2023

About the author

Writer of M/M romances. Chaos monkey. Coffee snob. Cheese is her love language.

People in love with other people is her jam, with a particular penchant for snappy dialogue and a slow burn that is all the more satisfying once it finally catches fire. Playing with tropes of the famous-meets-non-famous variation? Bring it on! Fake relationships? Yes, please. All's fair as long as everyone gets their happy ending.

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well..... As much as I enjoyed the plot of this book and the characters, unfortunately I am ENGLISH and this just wasn't acceptable and I'm sorry but I need to rant about it😂😂😂

Right, so first off WE invented FOOTBALL.... Football - played with the fucking feet btw. So don't be giving me a book about Premiership players and the English national football team and be having them call it fucking SOCCER!!!! WTF man! I beg authors, if you're going to set a book in England and set it in their beloved dominant sport, for the love of Earl Grey get a fucking English person to read it through before you publish it!

This will be no surprise, but the reason I devour sports romances is because I LOVE sports.... I may not consider myself a full-on football fan, but it's inescapable in England and in my family, and this book just pissed me off quite frankly! The reason some countries call football 'soccer' (and yes, I am air quoting that stupid word) is that they have a more predominant sport they call football e.g. Australia has AFL and Rugby which they call footy, so their football team are the Socceroos. The US has American Football so they call actual football Soccer... This book is the equivalent of me deciding to write a book about the NFL, set in America and with American characters, yet every time they refer to the sport I would have them call it American Football....

No football fan in England calls football soccer. The players and coaches do not call it soccer. Soccer was mentioned so many times that not even the Scottish could play a drinking game with this book 😂😂 I accept that we also invented the word Soccer, but it was only ever as slang for association football, and it's just not used here.

There were also SO MANY cultural mistakes that could have been avoided if you'd just asked a real life English person to have a look!

Football is played on a pitch, not a field.
You absolutely CANNOT stand on the 6 yard line when someone is taking a penalty!!! The only obstacle between the penalty taker and the goal is the goalkeeper.
Games do not end in a tie, it's called a draw.
We have changing rooms not locker rooms...
No one mentions the roses in the Three Lions logo... the song is Three Lions, not Three Lions and some pretty roses.
Commentators, fans, players and critics in England will always have the utmost belief that this tournament is the one where 'football's coming home'. It goes against being English and part of football to say you don't have a chance at winning, it's just not done. The same way the US refuse to acknowledge they aren't great at everything. There's a reason all these football bro's chant 'it's coming home' relentlessly every single time England play.
Being pedantic now but it's maths i.e. shortened from mathematics, not math...

Also, when you're writing a book with English speaking characters, and one of them is Aristocratic also, they absolutely would not tweet the word 'honor' because that's not British English spelling. We like our u's thanks very much. I can generally overlook the Americanised spellings with no u's, and z's instead of s's, but if you're having dialogue between people who speak actual English and not simplified English, use the right spellings!!!

Ok my English rant is over now (I think)!

Asides from all of that pissing me off relentlessly throughout the book, I genuinely loved the slow burn between Alex and Lee. The banter was spot on, the atmosphere felt right, and the camaraderie was so English! It's why it suprised me that the language used was so American...

Alex's family issues and Lee's childhood trauma helped them bond on multiple levels, and honestly I really enjoyed the way they opened up to each other. I would have liked to see more of them actually together after the World Cup ended though.

Oliver and Jeff were hilarious side characters too, and I loved the interactions between the friendship group.

So in summary, this book is going to get on your tits if you're English and actually like football, but it is a pretty good story otherwise!

[~Nicole~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had two reasons to give this book a shot and those were that it was about soccer (books with this particular sport are quite rare probably because shamefully, irl “gay” and European football don’t go together ) and the second reason was because I have a weakness for this author. She’s usually a hit or miss but I’m very fond of the books who’ve been hits (coincidentally , they’re both related to this one here).
As for this book, I’m very sure it will be a hit for sports romance fans or readers who enjoyed Tal Bauer’s latests or Rachel Reid’s latest. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the table , it’s the classic rival teams enemies, forced proximity (having to room together) , bonding over totally opposite but shitty childhoods and mommy/daddy issues and then friends to lovers.
It’s sweet , low angst and the sport bits are not overwhelming but not totally ignored either, they’re done just right. The smut is not out of this world but it’s ok-ish.
What you can find in this book :

Bisexual-gay (out for you)
Enemies to lovers and later friends to lovers
Forced proximity
Cool side characters
Family baggage
Rich/poor
Low angst

It’s a sweet book and I enjoyed reading it -the guys are good together and for each other .
3.5⭐️ from me because I’m not a fan of no angst sweet books,they’re a bit boring .Also these guys talked A LOT and they drove me crazy with the banter (although it was a witty banter) and their bla bla bla. And
the whining, OMG both with their mommy/daddy issues ..It was too much for me but it’s the perfect book if you want a low angst sports romance . The writing is good, but I already knew that with this author.

[Megan [Jaded AF]]

MM Romance

DNF @ 25%

Thank you for the arc netgalley but I’m jumping ship. I’m not sure why this is even an arc because it released a couple years ago if reviews are anything to go by. But that doesn’t change the fact that I am just so bored. I wish I could get into sports romances again but I find so many of them so lackluster, the same old thing. This is a me problem and not the book so I will not be rating this.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This is a very light, fluffy, low steam, kinda ya book - not my cup of tea but I’m sure there are people who will love it

[Liralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex is thrilled to be named to England's World Cup team—even if his excitement is dampened somewhat by knowing that he'll be playing alongside Lee, with whom he's had something of a (dare I say it?) heated rivalry for years. But it turns out that they have a spark on the field, and perhaps off it too...

I read Detand's Operation Boyfriend not so long ago, and it was on the strength of that that I read Be My Endgame. I'm pretty picky about m/m romance (not least because I prefer f/f!); Operation Boyfriend worked for me for the hook, but also because the characters spend so much time actually getting to know each other before they fall into bed, and although they have their dummy-dumb-dumb moments (as do we all), they're mostly adults who remember to talk things out before jumping to conclusions.

And here we have the same: Alex and Lee have unresolved history, and early on in the book they don't really know how to meet each other in the middle. But because they're both, ultimately, determined not to let their personal issues get in the way of their jobs, they work it out. This sounds like such a small thing! Yet I've read so much romance (m/m, m/f, f/f) in which that's not a given or in which misunderstandings spin out over chapters. It's really lovely to see these two ready and willing, from early on, to work through their differences...and then become friends before anything, erm, saucy happens. (I also love that there are a few things that would have been easy conflicts or catalysts—but that have already been done to death—that are quietly passed over here in favor of more complex conflicts.)

I will note that the names Alex and Lee are both generic and similarly short, and it took longer than I would have liked to differentiate between them. I think they may have been secondary characters in Detand's earlier books (which would make it difficult to change their names for this one!), but I suppose I could have used a bit more distinction between voices to combat that.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to look for a copy of Wear It Like a Crown...

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
So this is a difficult one, though the tl;dr is "This is good fun—read it."

First off—Zarah Detand could write a shopping list and make it wryly funny and genuinely emotional. She's an auto-buy of mine (which makes it more than decent of her to let me have this ARC). In "Be My Endgame", she's taken the enemies-to-lovers thing out for a really good ride and made it work for its HEA, with a couple of sympathic MCs who don't belabour the Enemies thing past common sense. On top of that, there's a thoroughly 2023-relevant sub-plot involving corruption in high places. It's also good to see input from the MCs of Wear It Like a Crown and Pull Me Under.

A particular shout-out for strength of character it must have taken to write the resolution of the final football match - I was actually on tenterhooks. Real spoiler ahead, so really don't read it before you've read the book! It would have been so easy for Detand to bring back 1966, but I'm really pleased she didn't warp reality to that extent!

So with all the positives (and this is definitely a book I'll re-read), why four stars? Well, I think it's about my reality being warped in a couple of very specifc ways.

I read a lot of US-set sports books; I know less than nothing about e.g. ice-hockey teams in the States; it doesn't matter to me whether a team name is real or fictional because I can't tell the difference and I have zero expectations to mess up as a result. A story's about the "Utah Underdogs", say, and I go, yeah, yeah, bring it on.
But here, because I'm in the UK, and Detand has MC1 playing for Manchester United (a very real, very famous football/soccer team) and MC2 for Liverpool (very ditto), I was thrown out of the fictional world almost before I started. I've got expectations of the sort of players who play for those teams, which the MCs don't altogether fit so I'm holding real and fictional in my head at the same time, in a disconcerting way. It's as if I were reading a book about the Queen doing karaoke: it's not that she couldn't but more that she wouldn't.
I absolutely get that this is a totally "me" thing—other UKers might not take it that way, and non-UKers may never have come across Man U or Liverpool in the first place, so it simply won't be an issue.

The second I'm-not-sure-about-this issue was Alex's status. He's the son of the Duke of Eastwyck. Now I don't know if that's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 1987 supernatural comedy filsm "The Witches of Eastwick" with Jack Nicholson & Cher, but the duke's title was another little detail that derailed my reading. (Props to Detand, incidentally, for nailing "how to address a duke's eldest son" & knowing it's a courtesy title.)
To be fair, the "my dad's a duke" bit was actually integrated into one of the plots, so it wasn't just a "sprinkle glamour" moment. And, yes, I know the UK's Premier League is trying hard to increase its diversity profile and you could argue, I suppose, that a duke's son is a member of a minority group... (Even so.)

Anyway, long story short—this is an enjoyable read, told with Detand's usual panache. Recommended.

Note—this is the third book in a loosely linked trilogy that starts with Pull Me Under, though it can be read as a standalone. If you haven't read any Detand before, then you could start with Bring the Fire which I loved.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my unbiased review of the book.

[Meags · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

It felt like a fitting time to read this re-release, as this story is essentially about two rival football (soccer) players falling in love, when they’re forced to become roommates while representing England during the course of a high-stakes World Cup.

I found the beginning of the story a bit confusing, feeling quickly overwhelmed by too many characters and unclear interpersonal dynamics. I honestly felt like I was being dropped into a story midway, where the characters felt like they should be familiar (as if they’d already been introduced in a prequel or a prior story, giving this a spin-off feel). But, although it took me a while to get my bearings, I finally fell into a groove a few chapters in and began to feel more settled in the story.

I’ll admit, the evolving relationship between once-rivals Alex and Lee didn’t do all that much for me. I love a rivals-to-lovers sports romance, I enjoy a forced proximity set-up as much as the next romance reader, and I usually like a good prince x pauper pairing (with Alex an Earl and Lee from a lower-class background), but even the presence of several beloved tropes didn’t help win this one for me.

Alex and Lee were nice enough characters, but they shared a serious lack of romance and chemistry, as far as I was concerned, that resulted in a bit of a sluggish reading experience. I was quite surprised by this personal reaction too, seeing as I’d recently read and very much enjoyed my first Detand story with Operation Boyfriend.

The secondary characters here were a welcomed presence, providing humour and constant support for Alex and Lee as they navigated starting a new relationship under the backdrop of the biggest sporting event of their lives.

But, again, I felt like some of these characters (their teammates, their World Cup coach, the visiting Prince and consort, etc) were perhaps characters from earlier Detand stories, making me feel out of touch and like I was missing something vital the entire time I was reading this. Some readers won’t have a problem with this kind of thing, but I’m very much a strict series (and interconnected book) reading order nut, so I felt like I’d done myself a major disservice diving in at the wrong place in Detand’s book universe (even though I had no clue I was doing so with this marked as a standalone).

All in all, this M/M sports romance didn’t win me over the way I was hoping it would, but thankfully my earlier experience reading a book by this author was so positive, that I’m definitely hopeful that this will remain an outlier experience going forward.


***A special thanks to Storm Publishing and Zarah Detand (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - sweet, very low angst, YA/NA vibe. The relationship is kind of slow and the characters are a bit cheesy and cute. Calling it rivals to lovers is rather a stretch. Personally I wanted more from this but it wasn’t bad. I really liked reading about English football/soccer for a change and there was a good amount it without being too much.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something about professional athletes falling in love that I just can’t get away from. I really liked this book, liked the ending, and liked that it was about football. Even if it’s not my preference, it’s the sport I know the most about LOL, so I actually understood the plays and rules when the sporting stuff was happening.

Both Lee and Alex had the best luck with fun and supportive best friends, even if there were some pretty crappy family dynamics involved.

Maybe I’ll write a full review later on, but if not, I just want to say this is a good romance that goes from somewhat rivals to friends to lovers. It features two guys who, for once, talk a lot about their relationship and have no miscommunication once they’re actually nice to each other.

I can’t wait to read more books from this author, especially the one about Prince Joshua and Lee’s coach!

[Kenny Danewitz raveh · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was a very good read and I really enjoyed it. Loved both Alex and Lee, how their relationship grew, the pace of their getting to know and liking each other was a good one and even though there was no big drama it was never boring and I just couldn’t put it down. I just love British atmosphere.

[Zarah Detand]

Out today! 😃

Rivals to lovers! Forced proximity! Football! Emotional offsides and family fouls!

It's a fairly light-hearted read, with dashes of banter and strong friendships, all against the backdrop of a World Cup in sunny Spain. While meant to work as a stand-alone, it features cameos from Pull Me Under's Ben Jimmer and Wear It Like a Crown's Prince Joshua and Leo.

I hope you enjoy it!

[X · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fantastic! I was looking for palatable fluff and this was way better than that tbh. The characters’ miscommunications and differing expectations were done really really well, they felt way more their age than romance characters often do, and the plot/setting/side characters just felt super organic.

Yes, I kind of sped-read through the final chapter and epilogue, the extended ending isn’t really my thing, but I enjoyed even the speed reading more than I expected haha.

[mtrics · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a pretty good time with this book! It took a bit of getting used to at first, because the POV switches without any delimiter (jumping head from one paragraph to the next). I did get used to it though, and by the end, I wasn't even noticing the back and forth anymore.

I'd say the pace of this book is very... languid. I thought it overstayed its welcome somewhat, but I wouldn't call it boring either. As with all things, YMMV!
The first half is rather strong, with great sexual tension between the MCs. Everytime they interacted, I was chewing at my nails, begging for them to get it on already! They had amazing chemistry. I think it's the hallmark of a great romance to feel more teased than frustrated by a slow burn. I was really rooting for the characters to figure their issues out and get together!

However, I do feel like the book is more of a "cozy" romance, and pretty low stakes. I know that sounds absurd given the setting (pro atheletes competing in a worldwide soccer championship), but neither the sport nor drama ever took center stage. The characters arcs are somewhat laid-back. The conflicts that arise between them are due to misunderstandings and (thankfully!) quickly cleared. Then, the "big crisis" seems very far removed from the characters, it was hard to care about it. I wanted to feel the stakes more, to get a sense of urgency or have some big, gut-wrenching tragedy happening, but it never quite materialized. Which I know is exactly what other readers might prefer, it's just less to my taste. 💕 (I'm a nosy gossip & I want to gasp at my drama!)

So while this isn't something I would re-read, I do recommend it as a solid sport rom-com. It's very well written, with a well constructed slowburn romance and all the good feels!

[Bella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, Zarah Detand and Storm publishing for access to this arc (all opinions are my own and aren’t affected by the arc provision)

Would I recommend this book? Over my dead body

This book follows Alex and Lee, two rival football players (as in soccer) who have a long and difficult history, as they are placed onto the English World Cup team

- plot
I’m fairly certain that watching paint dry would’ve been more interesting. I severely disliked that they ‘solved’ their issues with each other within 4 chapters and then I just got really pissed reading that ‘twist’ that I just couldn’t like it. This book definitely wasn’t for me and I feel like anyone with any sense shouldn’t either

- Alex
I actually liked this man and I felt bad that he couldn’t live out his dream. I feel like he was judged way too harshly by a lot of the players from the very beginning

- Lee
I hate this bitch more than anything. A) he was horrible to Alex until they go to the World Cup and then he expects it to be all rainbows and daisies B) he stereotypes not only himself but Alex too in the worst possible way. Genuinely wish that this man just disappeared thanks

- overall
I’m not a fan, thank you very much

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

I’m not generally overly fussed about football, although I don’t hate it, but this book made me care not only about the characters in it, but about the game.

Lee and Alex are fantastic as they navigate so much on and off the pitch. Recommended.

[Marthea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+
Ależ słodziaki mi się trafiły 😁 Historia sportowa, bez zbędnej dramy, z delikatnym tropem enemies to lovers. W dodatku autorka idealnie wyważyła sport i romans - sport oczywiście było obecny właściwie cały czas, ale szczegóły typowo sportowe nie przytłaczały i nie było ich za dużo - choć po pierwszych stronach bałam się, że tak właśnie będzie.

Świetnie mi się czytało i miałam czytać teraz te polskie papierowe wydania, ale nabrałam ochoty na kolejne historie Zarah Detand - co poradzić 😜 Plany są od tego, aby je modyfikować 😁

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this because I wanted updated on Ben but other than him aging and becoming a coach we don’t really get to hear from him.

Alex and Lee are cute. Another silly misunderstanding but at least Alex is better at communicating that Ben and Henry were 😄

I’m glad he realised he could do whatever he wanted and not what his parents expected from him. I’m glad Lee was there for him. It was a good story. Didn’t quite hit as well as Bens book but it was sweet.

[Zen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

I always love Detand's novels. This one was no exception to that rule. She does such a great job of building her characters. This book had the bonus of giving us a cameo of Ben from Pull Me Under. Just loved this.

[Caise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

It's a fun football romance about two players, Alex and Lee. I really enjoyed their relationship and the funny banter between them. The soccer setting also made the story more exciting and different from a typical sport romance.

Some parts of the plot were a bit predictable, and I felt that a few problems were solved too quickly. Even so, the characters were likable, and their personal journeys kept me interested. Overall it’s a sweet and entertaining read that I would recommend to fans of romance and sports stories.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a couple of Detand's stories before... and they were both only "okay". But I also realized those stories were her ealier ones. Be My Endgame is one of her more recent titiles... and I loved this one ❤️

First of all, FOOTBALL (the world's definition, not the American one). Yep, these are football players. Liverpool. Manchester United. World Cup. Terms I am familiar with (compared to baseball or hockey, like most of the sports romance out there). Second, the progress from rivals to friends to lovers between Lee and Alex is so, SO GOOD!

I definitely loved how Detand wrote about both Lee and Alex. There were more than between the eyes for these two. Each have their own baggage and family issues. Each learned that they were wrong about the other before they had to be roommate during the World Cup. I loved those moments of understanding.

Then when Lee and Alex finally acknowledged their attraction, they also acted better and more mature than some MM romance featuring older characters. So YAY for these two.

The rest of the secondary characters, like Alex's best friend Jeff, the captain Oliver, and the coach Kieran... they were all fantastic supporting casts. I liked that there wasn't exactly drama about coming out or homophobia in the sport, because it could be tiresome to read.

I think I probably will check out other Detand's recent books!

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very nice. Also, it sounded very British. And I mean that in a good way.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Although I enjoyed the book’s cute and cheeky tone, I never felt fully emotionally invested in their story.

Cute and cheeky quote: “Can I…Alex didn’t quite know how to finish the sentence, and Lee’s grin softened into something more intimate. “Answer’s yes.” “You don’t know what I was going to ask.” “Answer’s still yes.” 😘

[Shyames · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely good timing for the re-release, right around the World Cup, what with the football setting and all.

I know what I like and this delivers exactly what I want: a fluffy, cosy romance with just enough stakes to keep it interesting without being overwhelming. The sports setting is secondary for me, but I don't mind it. I do have some knowledge of football drilled into me by my brothers, though, and thankfully I didn't cringe once. So if that side of things is important to you, don't worry, it's all handled really well.

Back to the point—we follow Alex and Lee after they are both chosen to represent England in the World Cup. They both assume they dislike each other based on past on-pitch clashes, and neither knows the other's sexuality. So of course, their coach makes them roommates to force them to resolve their animosity and work together for the team's success. What could possibly go wrong, eh?

I really liked that they behave like adults:talking to each other, getting angry, but then actually working through their issues. They have their own family struggles which they share, helping one another through stressful situations to reach the finish line together. It's not just a superficial "hey, I like you, let's get together" kind of story. It's about genuinely getting to know someone and letting them into your most personal space.

Zarah is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Lindsay Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book from Zarah and I absolutely loved it. The way Alex and Lee initially butted heads (hello miscommunication), then dedicated themselves to fake-it-till-they-made-it friends, then real friends into lovers was such a pleasure to read. Plus the love and LOVE (wink wink) were great.
I’m also a sucker for a great cast of side characters… Jeff, Oliver, and Kieran were great!

[TBHONEST · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Having read many of the authors other works I was looking forward to reading this. Although was a little unsure if I’d enjoy it as it was football based and I know next to nothing about the game.

I needn’t have worried. It was fun and engaging, and the chemistry between the two main characters literally oozes off the page. It’s a perfect build of a relationship and it makes total sense for the characters and story development. It’s well paced. Intense at times because you kinda want to shake them both and say get it together, but having feelings like that while reading to me is the sign of a good book. It’s also the sign of very talented author who knows how to draw in their readers with their story and characters.

[Meyda · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟.

Ok get this. Their so-called animosity actually started bc Lee called Alex 'pretty boy' (affectionate, in a I-have-a-crush-on-you way) and Alex took it as a mocking jab at his own person? and then Lee took it as Alex knowing Lee's gay and reacting badly? Thee drama. The tragedy. I am sooooo obsessed with the two of them.

These two blokes went from enemies to reluctant teammates to genuine friends to enemies (who kissed once) like calm tf down my dudes we're only thirty percent into the book 🙂 but that's where the fun is bc they don't let misunderstanding lasted too long! I love them for that.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free ARC from the author and this is my honest review.

I know *nothing* about soccer. Err... football. Even with that limitation, I really enjoyed Be My Endgame! Alex & Lee were just so sweet! And I really love how Zarah has a whole world built up, referencing Ben Jimmer & Prince Joshua (with Leo, of course!). Maybe next up will be Marco?!

[Maya Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 heartwarming stars for the sweet and well earned love story of Alex and Lee! It was so fun and timely to read a book with a World Cup setting too.

I appreciated that the struggles each MMC faced weren’t dealt with in isolation, but by leaning on each other and their best friends. The side characters, Jeff and Oliver, were hilarious and great examples of friendship.

Sometimes plot points and shifts in the relationship read as a little abrupt to me, but it never took me too far out of the story.

Thank you to the author Zarah Detand and Storm Publishing for this ARC. It was enjoyed!

[Annika Unterberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about rival football players from ManUnited and Liverpool falling in love while sharing a room during the world cup? Be my endgame was destined to become my favourite (fiction) read of 2024!!!

I have loved Pull me under and Wear it like a crown by Zarah Detand before, so I knew she had the potential to make a great book out of this idea… and she outdid herself: there was a lot of football talk (which is always appreciated!), but also deep talk between the characters (they actually communicated 😊)and I absolutely adored their enemies-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic. The coming-out was extremely sweet, as well, and I am praying that this will happen in real life too someday. An added bonus for fans is that characters from Detand’s previous books make cameos.

Overall, I giggled and had a warm fuzzy feeling throughout the whole book!!!

—> 5 stars

PS: I read this during the Euros 2024 which was the perfect time, so I’d recommend checking Be my endgame out during the world cup 2026 which is coming up this summer.

[ElleReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The author’s writing style is one I love and I am looking forward to reading more of Zarah’s future works.

Literal rivals to forced roommates, Lee and Alex are perfection, both as individuals and then ultimately as a couple.

Their back and forth banter and genius whit doesn’t disappoint and you are left wanting for more.

I LOVED the cameo appearance by Prince Joshua and Leo, the MC’s from another amazing novel penned by this author, entitled “Wear It Like a Crown.”

All in all, this was a beautiful book and a definite comfort read. Lee and Alex will always hold a special place in my heart.