Game Changer (Game Changers, #1)

I came to this series after watching Heated Rivalry and decided to read through all of Rachel Reid’s books. Game Changer is my first smut novel, and I’m genuinely surprised by how much emotional depth it carries.

Reid captures something real here about what it feels like to hide your sexuality, to live in fear of coming out. As someone who’s been through that experience myself, the authenticity hit hard. The fear, the compartmentalization, the weight of pretending. She gets it right.

But what really impressed me was how she portrayed the other side: that euphoric moment when you finally decide to take the leap. The book doesn’t sugarcoat it. You do lose things when you come out. Friends, sometimes family, the comfort of staying hidden. Reid doesn’t shy away from that reality.
What she also shows, though, is what you gain. New friends who actually know you. The profound relief of being yourself. The sense that you’re finally living your actual life instead of a performance of one.

I’ll admit I had low expectations going into a romance novel marketed as smut. But Reid has genuine emotional intelligence, and you can tell she’s drawing on real experience and insight. The sex scenes are there, sure, but they’re in service of a story that understands what it actually means to navigate identity, fear, and ultimately freedom.

If you’re looking for a romance that treats queer experience with care and authenticity while still being entertaining as hell, this delivers.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​