Review: The Player Hater by Sara Ney

Rating 4/5  PoP: 85%  Tropes: Sport romance, friends to lovers, slow burn

This book has to be one of the least angsty books that I have read in awhile. It actually reminds me a bit of Jock Row, the first book in Sara Ney’s Jock Hard series. Similar to Scarlett and Rowdy, Juliet and Davis initiate their friendship through their circumstances and slowly build to more. If you are looking for a book with high drama and suspense, this is not the book. If you are looking for a cute, feel good story about pretty average characters this is it. It would be a great book for a relaxing weekend.

The premise for Juliet and Davis meeting is rather ridiculous but at the same time plausible for two people that truly love their best friends. Juliet’s best friend Mia is dating Davis’ best friend Thad.In an effort to get everyone to know each other better, Thad invites everyone on a weekend away. What Juliet had hoped would be an extoic location ends up being the woods in the middle of nowhere. And to increase her frustration she is sharing a tiny camper with Davis, a retired professional football player, she has never met. 

Juliet makes a lot of assumptions about who Thad and Davis are based on superficial things such as their looks and careers. As the weekend progresses and unfortunate events ensue, as they do when one camps, Davis is able to show Juliet that he is actually the opposite of what she believes. Davis is the middle cinnamon roll in the pan, all sides are soft and gooey.  And Juliet lets down her guard to allow her true self to be seen as well. 

These characters have little conflict but plenty of cute and funny interactions. I would have liked to see just a bit more of their story together before we got to the end. We are left with some strong indications of what is to come in the next Accidentally in Love book Mrs. Degree. And hopefully we will get a couple more peeks at Juliet and Davis’ life there.