The story of a high school nerd/geek and the sports star that goes to her for help, but develops into something more. Some the writing a language was a bit basic for me a couple of romance scenes were a bit wham bam and just made me feel like it was written in in a hurry and a very awkward scene with the girls mother that made me cringe. But I did like the story and am interested to see where it goes. It ends on a point where it leaves you waiting for the next book, and I hope it is not too long a wait.
Thankyou for the ARC, and looking forward to see where it goes. I would like to give the book 3.5 stars but that is not an option.

Lucy can't stand Riley's personality, but she sure can appreciate his looks. She films him every night through her bedroom window. He knows that she does and teases her while she's doing so, giving her smiles that say you can look but you'll never touch. Riley comes to Lucy asking for help on an assignment and she sees a way she can finally get what she wants. Riley knows Lucy has a crush on him and he plans to use that to his advantage. He's desperate to win a hockey scholarship in the hopes he can pull him and his father out of poverty. He's willing to do anything, even if it means cheating on everything he believes in.

This was a bully/sports romance, definitely a first for me. I want to read the rest of the episodes! It was an entertaining, quick and easy read.

I decided to ARC a copy of this book because the premise behind it peaked my curiosity. The Cheat is the first installment in a series of books following the same storyline. By way of introduction this book is an enjoyable read and has reeled me in. I look forward to reading the next installment and will express my opinion more clearly as the books progress.

This is such a sweet and short book.

It definitely brought out so many of my teenage insecurities just like Lucy our main lead. Teenagers, whether you look like a super model or you don't, we all have insecurities and Lucy struggled with this throughout the book. Not that she wasn't beautiful but society views on beauty isn't does make it hard to understand self love and appreciation of our bodies during fragile teen years.

Marita, did a wonderful job of show casing this in her book, this is real, this is what we all have gone through.

Lucy is a strong, sweet, and quirky neighbor to Riley, her next door neighbor. Riley, he's the hot guy next door, a bit of an alpha, and someone who's trying to make the best of his situation.

They strike up a deal to benefit both. Let's just say this quick read is full of angst, humor, and a sticky situation. Nothing is easy and life sometime will throw you a curve ball or puck in this case when you least expect.

I do recommend this quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book

1 star
I HATE ongoing series! That being said, if I knew that, I would have never picked this book up.

Then the whole story was not my cup of tea.

I just wasn't feeling this one, I have read a lot of revenge books and I think this one was way to short for me. Just to focused on Lucy's revenge. The cliff hanger doesn't leave me wanting to read the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance read, all opions are my own.

Very short read, apparently this is a serial. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it was short the characters seemed believable and I cared for the leads...who doesn't remember the feeling of being a love-struck teenager? The plot was a bit cliché but I still had a good time reading this and I will continue with the series.

This was my first book by this author...
The writing was good but the story line was not for me..
The reader experience the characters feelings and pain.. but also anger and frustration.

A quick and steamy New Adult bully romance with a unique premise. I was entertained and I enjoyed the give and take between Riley and Lucy, but there were a few twists that left me hanging. I had a hard time believing certain aspects of this story and the ending was a little abrupt.

Blurb: Lucy has been spying on her next door neighbor Riley for years and he’s been bullying her just as long, but it isn’t until Riley needs her help that the two become a little more chummy.

Lucy will help Riley cheat if Riley does a few things for Lucy, one of them being her first kiss. What the two don’t anticipate is the explosive chemistry that comes with messing around.

While I found this book to be funny and I loved the whole exchange of favors plot, I just didn’t like their approach to each other. Riley is a bit of a pushover and Lucy thinks about revenge too much. I had a hard time falling in love with these characters and I had an even harder time believing anyone could fall in love as quickly as they did.

Probably my biggest bone to pick with this book is that it’s being split up into a bunch of short stories. There is a giant cliffhanger at the end and I just wanted a happy conclusion for Riley and Lucy.

I don’t think I was drawn in enough to want to go back for seconds, but it was a cute, quick read for sure.

Lucy's lust-fueled addiction to watching her hot neighbour Riley strip in his bedroom window has earned her stalker status at their high school and being constantly harassed. He's known she watches him but it's not until he needs help to pull his grades up to stay on the hockey team that he's willing to do anything, and that's when things change. Not liking Riley at the beginning seems unavoidable but unlike some Lucy wasn't a favourite either. Though bullied she chooses an unusual method of payment and quickly gets into more awkward situations than she expected. Riley turns out to be a beautiful misunderstanding who is constantly being used. Though I wasn't aware that this was a high school story I was surprised at how much I got into it. Looking forward to the the next part to see how screwed things will get.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

The Cheat is my first book by Marita Hansen and I’m on the fence. The concept intrigued me however after reading the story I’m not sucked in.

This series will be released in episodes. Because of that it ends in a cliff hanger.

The main characters were very juvenile on the way they interacted.

Overall this reminds me of some Wattpad Fanfic with too much bullying.

I’m sorry.. what in the hell did I just read?
I am all for taboo and pushing the lines but this just didn’t do it for me I’m any way, shape or form.
The plot was intriguing but once I started reading it I was immediately turned off.
I also hated the constant “fat” references and depicting the female main character a certain way. No thanks.

This was not what I was expecting. The main character, Riley, is nothing but a huge bully as are all of his friends and honestly, Lucy is pretty shallow too. There is also a weird scene with Lucy's mom. I didn't see the connection between the two at all other than lust.

3.75 stars

The Cheat is the first "episode" in the Played series where the author wants to publish a new "episode" every few weeks to "air" like a TV show. While the title is typically not a sought-after topic for my reading the premise of the series really intrigued me.

Riley is the typical highschool hot hockey jock with less than desirable academic acumen. Lucy the typical high school nerd with a huge crush on her hot neighbor. Ever since Riley moved next door, Lucy has been mesmerized by the daily strip-tease he does at his window each night. Riley knows Lucy watches him and he's even started the Peeping Lucy moniker for her at school. Lucy knows she's being a creeper but she and her camera just can't help it.

Oy, the angst in here. I felt transported back to high school with all the drama of daily life. Bullies, clicks, nicknames, playboys, fake people, fake eyelashes... Ick.

I liked Lucy, she was unpopular but she had a backbone and stood up for herself when Riley told her to do his work for him. (Not so much with the mean girls but, what can ya do) But, you can also feel the youthful innocence coming off her and you kinda wanna cringe because you know that car crash (metaphorical) is coming. Riley, oh Riley. He's in a pickle but he kinda knowingly put himself there. It's a hard hit to the ego when you have to face what you sow. He's just getting railroaded all over the place. You feel bad for him but he's also a jerk but... ugh... and then what he's doing with/to Lucy. (Momma's got her eye on you... )

My one comment... sex... now this is my Mom/doctor side coming out...yeah, SAFETY should have been addressed, and this may be a plot device for later... BUT.... ugh, yeah, safety. Yes, it is crazy how morals and standards shift when you are young and in the face of something you really, really want. And, standards can change in the heat of the moment... but all the condoms, please!

The episode what short but I'm invested now, and I absolutely want to know what's going on with the cheerleader girlfriend and where Riley and Lucy go from where they left off.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you (i guess) to Netgalley for providing this e-arc.

What the fvck was this book. I don't want to waste my time trying to be articulate about it so let's get to ranting.

Each of them is terrible. Lucy's perverted and arrogant. Riley is well.... a mess. His girlfriend is definitely the worst. She literally takes advantage of Riley and has sex with him whilst he's intoxicated with alcohol.

The Cheat is a strange story of blackmail and falling for your blackmailer.

None of the characters were likeable in any way, and I found it impossible to root for anyone. The plot not at all believable, and seemed to be trying to maximise the shock factor rather than telling a story. This book has more clichés and tired tropes than I've ever seen before. Instead of being sexy, the interactions just made me very uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me and I won't be picking up the next episode.

This review has been posted to Goodreads.

I am super confused about what I read just now.

First off, I am aware this is part of an ongoing series that is supposed to release every two weeks. So there is missing story here. I have acknowledged this and it plays no bearing in my review.

With that being said, where is the story? I feel like there was a lack of information given that wasn't based on stalking (being a peeper). It is totally fine he since he is okay with it, but then she extorts him and he cheats because he is unhappy with his current relationship. Then they have sex and she decides she is in love with him... even though he ignores her and is still with his girlfriend. That "summary" is the extent of the book. There is no development between the characters that make you want a real relationship between them. You don't connect with either of them because they have zero reasons or excuses for their behavior. Justification of these types of situations are difficult to give in the first place, but there is zero discourse within the story that give the impression the next ones are worth reading.

Even though this was a short story, I had a fun time reading it. Riley is more than just good looks and a good hockey player and I think the story portrayed him well in relatively few pages. Lucy, on the other hand, gave me weird vibes. I suppose this was conscious choice, but for me, it took away some enjoyment. The storyline itself isn't anything new or original, but that's not something I minded.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb tagged this as episodic, resembling teen TV series like Euphoria. And, yes, just about every teen trope out there can be found in this first episode. Lucy is a Peeping Tom and Riley, the school's most sought after jock - and, coincidentally, her neighbor - has broadcast this tidbit all through high school, effectively killing Lucy's reputation and making her life absolute hell.
And yet, Lucy, being the doormat that she is, still watches him through her window and lusts after this totally spineless jock. Although the author wants us to feel sorry for Lucy, I have to take a hard pass. Lucy is the author of her own misfortunes here. I actually cringed during the sex scene at the end. (Some writers seem to enjoy making us readers squirm!)
Riley inexplicably starts to have the hots for Lucy, whom he has sex with in exchange for her doing his math and English homework. His actual girlfriend is the coach's daughter and she threatens to have Riley tossed off the hockey team if he cheats on her or tries to drop her. Boohoo! Seriously? Would the coach really toss their only chance at a championship off the team because his daughter tells him to? Give me a break!
These flimsy plot lines couldn't hold my interest during the first episode, so I doubt I will be checking out the remaining installments. I rate this a 2.75 out of 5.

The Xheat is just the beginning. And it certainly has my attention. He is trying to survive high school and hopefully enter the NHL. She is the "creepy" girl next door who watches him unrepentantly.

Theirs is a match no one would have made. One choice, a last resort, leaves them both wanting more.

I'm really interested in seeing where this goes an how it plays out. I'm usually to impatient to start a serial before they all release, so wish me luck! My patience, or lack there of, and I are going to need it!