Review: The Player Hater by Sara Ney

Title:	The Player Hater
Author:	Sara Ney
Series:	Accidentally in Love (Book 1)
Pages:	241
Category / Genre(s):	Contemporary
Trope(s):	Enemies to Lovers Opposites Attract
Point of View:	First Person, Present Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h)
Location:	US
HEA:	✔️ (more happy with positivity for a future together!)
Release Date:	15th February, 2022

A quirky and fun romance

I’ve enjoyed Sara Ney’s stories before and was keen to read this first in a new series about strong and independent women accidentally falling in love. Fear not, however, as each book stands alone and focuses on a different couple – although I assume we’ll get plenty of couple cameos as the next book, The Mrs. Degree, features Davis’s sister. But first to this book…

Our heroine, Juliet, is the first of the strong, single girls to meet their match and does so during a weekend getaway to get to know her best friend’s new boyfriend. But while she’s determined to dislike her friend’s boyfriend and his best friend, Juliet doesn’t make a good first impression as she’s a grumpy, sarcastic, pouty little madam. And I absolutely loved her. She was unapologetically herself – okay, she was a little bit apologetic – but she certainly was feisty. Definitely a marmite character. She reminded me of myself in many ways – a bit mouthy on occasion but overall well-meaning. Juliet was also funny, adorable and sweet.

Davis. Oh how I loved Davis – despite the name! He was a great hulking ex-footballer but he was a genuinely lovely guy. He was good natured, easy going and just wanted to find someone who liked him for himself. He found one better – someone who didn’t like him at all! But it was his bear-terror and ‘cries at weddings’ traits that made me adore him. Who would have thought that a slightly emotional, big bear of a man would steal my heart?

“Ms Ney definitely has a way with words and I love to read them.”

Once Juliet gets over her prickliness, she and Davis were absolute perfection together. While I always like sexual chemistry – which we definitely get in this book, the thing that never fails to make my heart happy is when a couple can talk to each other like they’ve known the other for the longest time; When they can be themselves with each other without fear of judgement – if not teasing! Like I said, there was sex, but the teasing foreplay – holding hands, touching, kissing – was actually just as hot and a lot squirmy.

Sara Ney’s writing style is always a right laugh. We get the viewpoints of both Davis and Juliet in this story and we hear a lot of their inner thoughts and dialogue – and oh my lord what a hoot. I laughed, I chuckled, I wondered at the craziness of these characters while also seeing my own daft thoughts staring back at me. Ms Ney definitely has a way with words and I love to read them. She’s fast becoming a firm favourite of mine soon to become an auto-buy, I’m sure.

This book is short at just 241 page, but actually felt like less as I quickly devoured it. While it doesn’t follow the usual pattern (so no angst or conflict) and, I suppose, ends in more a happy with promise of a future than anything more concrete – I had such a great time while reading. And I can’t tell you how excited I am after the small tease we get for the next book in the series. I’m hoping we get to see Juliet and Davis again in that book, as I loved them as a couple and they made me happy. I couldn’t ask for anything more from my romances. 5 stars.

* I received this book in exchange for my honest review.*

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

Accidentally In Love Series: