The Long Game book review
Shane and Ilya forever. Love the two of them.
I should be embarrassed to tell you how often I've read these books, but I'm not.
Today, we're talking about my new favorite, The Long Game by Rachel Reid. The genre is fiction, and the theme is contemporary romance and an LGBTQ+ love story.
I was rolling my eyes at the library when they gave me this one because I was like, it's giving Harlequin romance. Girl, it's like an erotica book. But I love it. I love the dialogue. I love the banter. I love the flirting. I love the yearning.
I've read all of the Game Changers books: Game Changer, Heated Rivalry, Tough Guy, Common Goal, Role Model, and now The Long Game, which is book number six. Book number seven, Unrivaled, is scheduled to be released in 2027.
And after reading The Long Game, I fell in love with Ilya.
When I first read Heated Rivalry, I loved Shane. I loved how naive he was. He's me.
I loved how he was willing to do something new because he just wasn't being himself when he was dating women, even when he was with Rose.
I loved his coming-of-age arc. I loved how he blossomed.
Ilya, I felt, was this worldly man who just kind of knew who he was. Of course, we find out there's more.
In The Long Game, I fell in love with Ilya.
Oh my gosh. We get all of this stuff that I didn't know I was waiting for from Heated Rivalry.
You get more detail about his mother and how grief does not play fair. You also get to see his vulnerability.
You know that Shane loves Ilya, but maybe it's because I'm from Ohio, North America, and I'm cheering for the Canadian.
I'm like, go Canadian! Go Shane! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Oh, Ilya's here? Cool. He's going to help you mature.
But then when you read The Long Game, you're just like, his life is complicated. He is isolated. He has left Boston to come here to be with you. He has proven himself over and over and over.
Let me tell you this. I feel like Ilya is a Pisces.
When Shane asks him, "If you had to choose hockey or me, what would you choose?"
And Ilya is like, "I already chose you."
"I already chose you."
What he does not say is, look at all the stuff I've done for you! That is very Pisces. Very giving. Very, here, you can have it. Here, I love you. I love you. I'm going to see my partner be taken care of.
But then eventually, they'll be like, how have you not seen all the stuff I've done?
It was giving that.
Ilya was absolutely giving that.
He didn't see leaving Boston as so much of a sacrifice as much as being closer to Shane.
We laugh about Ilya eating his McGriddles and Shane picking at him, but it does actually bother Ilya. He's like, you nag me all the time, and I just brush it off.
But that's part of Ilya's maturity. He'd rather have Shane as a whole person than focus on him nitpicking and judging him all the time.
And that's what I loved about getting more of their relationship in this book. We already know they love each other, but now we get to see all these other parts of their lives together.
Because Heated Rivalry is centered on Shane and Ilya, and The Long Game is an extension of their relationship, there are five scenes I absolutely have to see in the show.
And you know what? I'm not going to be coy. All six books are out. These are not spoilers.
1. The trophy room
Look at all your trophies. Look at how accomplished you are.
It was almost like Ilya knows that Shane sees himself in his trophies and his accolades, so here, I'm going to take care of you in this room.
We have to see that.
2. The wedding with Jade and Rose
We have to see that wedding. We absolutely have to see that.
And I hope we see Svetlana and Ilya. I think that part is really important.
I also think the kids holding up the signs are really important.
3. The plane scene
The plane and Ilya writing down all that stuff to Shane. Absolutely have to put that in there.
4. Shane getting hurt and watching the documentary
Oh, I really want to see the part where Shane gets hurt and they watch the documentary, and he gets to see Ilya's face.
That episode? I'm going to cry the whole time.
5. JJ, Hayden, and Shane
I am really nervous about this one, but I know they'll have to include it.
The JJ, Hayden, and Shane part toward the end of the book because JJ is heartbroken.
I really didn't pay much attention to JJ when I first watched the show, but when I rewatched it, I liked the casting of JJ.
And I really like the casting of Carter. So I hope we get a little bit of Carter, and I want to meet Gloria. I want to see who they cast for her.
As of August 2026, I heard that they're filming seasons two and three. They're going to try to film them all at once.
I think that's because they're going to leave us with a super cliffhanger at the end of season two, and then we're going to have to wait for season three.
For all we know, they're just trying to record everything now because who knows what else these actors will be working on?
Christopher Nolan could be calling you!
Honestly, Connor Storrie could be a model.
Their stars are growing, so let's go ahead and record all this stuff right now.
But I'm so proud of them. I'm so proud of Rachel Reid for writing these books.
And I'm so excited!
Shane and Ilya forever.
I loved Heated Rivalry, but The Long Game gave me so much more of Ilya than I even knew I wanted.
His grief, his vulnerability, his love for Shane, and all the things he's done to be closer to him.
I love the dialogue. I love the banter. I love the flirting. I love the yearning.
And I'm definitely still rewatching, relistening, and rereading all of it.
Have you read the books? Did you like the show? Which did you prefer? Are you still rewatching and relistening and rereading everything?
Because I definitely am.
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Until the next book review,
Kyla
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