***This review has also been posted on Xpresso Reads

Do you like Scandal? Do you like political thrillers? Do you like mind games? WELL. YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. But also, go read book one which is called The Fixerand is amazing.

So, if The Fixer made you swoon and made your heart beat faster and nearly killed you, I have some real bad news for you. It all gets worse in The Long Game. I had my feels shredded, my OTPs stomped on and my heart set on fire. I hope Jennifer Lynn Barnes at least feels a little bad about what she did to me.

Tess is still as amazing as always if a little more nosy than she should be. She thinks she is nothing like her sister but we all know that she enjoys fixing other people’s problems and helping the underdog. The thing about her is that even with her hero-like qualities, she doesn’t quite become a trope. She is more complex and multi-layered than that. There is more to her with her insecurities and her imperfections and her tendency to NOT always be right or do the ‘right’ thing.

But then again, most of the characters in this book are. Barnes takes complex characters who walk the grey line to a whole new level in this book. THE PUNCHES. I am still not over this book. So basically, if you thought you knew what the characters were capable of, think again because they will surprise you and hurt your fee-fees (feels).

I think many of us have wondered whether or not The Long Game would have more romance and the answer to that is complicated. The book has one of the swooniest kisses ever but also so much heartbreak and not enough cuddles. Some ships sail and others don’t and it’s all very complex. Much like the characters. Much like literally everything about this book.

The plot is also really amazing but there is one twist which I have not entirely made up my mind about and is also the reason why this book doesn’t get the entire 5 stars. I love twists but it turns out, I am super picky about them. Oops. And even though it’s been a while since I finished this book, I still haven’t made up my mind yet about that twist. I don’t know if it works for the book and there are certain things it might suggest which I don’t think the author wanted it to.

Overall though, this book is still amazing and this series is amazing and please read/buy it so that I can get a third book. If you don’t want to do it for yourself, DO IT FOR ME. TAKE PITY ON ME. LET ME HAVE THE THIRD BOOK.

Note that I read an advanced copy of this book, courtesy of a friend who took pity on my soul