Member Reviews
I wanted to love this book but I just didn't. I expected it to be a romantic meet-cute type book but it jut didn't hit the mark for me.
I tried reading this on numerous occasions before giving up however, it wasn't meant to be - DNF.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
This was such a fun read, the characters had insatiable chemistry and the premise was really enjoyable. I loved it.
I will be coming back to this book when I am in the right head space: for now I was not able to finish it unfortunately.
"The Player Next Door" by Elizabeth Davis is a delightful romantic comedy that will keep you entertained from start to finish. The characters of Clare and Logan are so different from each other, yet their chemistry is electric. Their flirtatious banter and interactions will leave you smiling and wanting more.
The author's unique premise of two neighbors, who have noticed each other from across the street, getting stuck in an elevator together is both compelling and hilarious. The resulting one-night stand leads to a situation where they both have to pretend to be in a relationship for their own reasons.
The story is well-written, and the author has a fantastic ability to balance humor, emotion, and drama in a way that keeps you invested in the story. You'll find yourself rooting for the characters to overcome their issues and find love.
What makes this book stand out is the author's ability to create relatable, authentic characters that you can't help but connect with. Clare and Logan's journey is heartwarming, and their growth throughout the book is admirable.
Overall, "The Player Next Door" is an excellent romantic comedy that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a feel-good read that will put a smile on their face.
A cute read for me but I juust couldn't get into it., Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read.
This didn't work for me unfortunately. It was quite info-dumpy, especially at the beginning when talking about their jobs, and I didn't feel invested in the characters. I think people will enjoy this but it wasn't for me.
I loved this book. It was funny, had a touch of spice and the romance was cute. Both Logan and Clare were such lovable characters and their banter was great. I also really enjoyed the friendships and seeing them both interact with each others friends. There were so many great side characters as well as some villains. The dual POV had me hooked and I loved getting to see both sides. The 3rd act breakup due to miscommunication was predictable and my least favourite part but I enjoyed the rest of the book enough to let it slide. I will definitely be checking out more from this author
I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
So I was super ready to read The Player Next Door, after hearing such good reviews of Elizabeth previous book. This was the sort of book that I was after with the usual tropes of friends to loves, guy falls first and reformed lover. Just to name a few!
Clare and Logan are complete opposites of each other, yet one day in the elevator gate entwines them. We get to hear their story from both Clare and Logan’s perspective. And each chapter is told in the third person.
The chemistry between these two was on fire and I knew from the very first moment in The Player Next Door despite their perceived differences they were meant to be together. My only gripe with this whole book is that I spent limited time with KiKi (dog) because she was adorable and she just deserved more time and recognition for the key part that she played in this story.
Throughout the story there were lots of flirty and funny moments. But there were also some hot moments. I was 100% invested in this relationship. Because of the type of book (and how the relationship is started, but no spoilers, promise!) I knew that this would not be plain sailing. And that there would be some ups and downs. For me it took some time for the down to appear. And then it took a long time for it to be over. I was so pleased when Clare and Logan were back on track.
Despite the title, The Player Next Door was such a fun, sweet read. I loved every moment that I spent with Clare and Logan and I really wish that I could spend more time with them. Because their story was so so good! Here’s me wishing for a second book.
A funny, very cute book. It can be kind of cliche but it’s not done to the point you cannot read it. And the tropes are all the ones you look for in a romance book which I loved. It had the perfect balance of character and plot and the relationships between all characters was great.
Lovely story which I finished in 24 hours….. Entirely beautiful, bruising and hopeful! I felt every word that was written.
Giving it four stars!
I enjoyed the characters in this book, both the main and most of the side characters (you know who I am not talking about). Clare is not the usual main character we get, so the nerdy side of the book was refreshing, this with the dual pov was great.
However, I was going to dnf this book after reading the first few chapters. I had high expectations. But work getting involved in personal lives, for both Clare and Logan, did not sit right with me and made me not want to continue with the story. I did persevere and finish, but that stayed with me throughout.
I did also think this book would include spicy scenes, and was disappointed with the lack.
This has been a brilliant read, heartwarming cute and given me a few giggles along the way.
I adore how Davis writes, I find I’m pulled in quickly and unwilling to put the book down. This has been no different, I have had a few strange looks for laughing out loud whilst I was reading this book.
Logan and Claire are brilliant characters, likeable and realistic. I have loved the journey through this one with them.
I have loved the author’s previous book but I have loved this one even more. This as been an utter gem to read with the perfect amount of romance and strong friendships.
This is the book I needed to lift my mood. It has been a book I have devoured and one I wish I could experience all over again for the first time.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The player next door
3.75⭐️
Thank you to the publisher (Headline Eternal) for sending me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and for letting me be a part of the blog tour! Thank you also to the author.
Overall, I liked this book, having not read anything by this author I wasn’t sure of her writing style, it did seem a bit basic and slow in the beginning, however the story progressed well at a fast pace, and was easy to read and follow along with both characters stories and the main storyline.
I like how the book is dual POV then we get to see the story from both sides. But for me Logan just fell instantly for Clare, even though they’d been living across from each other for years and had a one night thing. I normally do like the ‘he fell first’ trope, but this was just a bit too quick for me. Clare was more level headed and an enjoyable character, and the story did include good side characters.
Following on from this though, I do feel like there was a good transition from neighbours, to friends to lovers.
The ‘third-act’ break up (that always happens in romcoms) let the book down for me, it included the miscommunication trope from both parties and could have been dealt with so easily. It was also done and over with very quickly with no real resolution and feel like Elizabeth could have added in maybe 10 more pages to really engage the reader.
From neighbours to more!
Main characters Clare and Logan are the complete opposite. From watching his parade of women through the window of watching him go down on them whilst she is working away on her Quest game. I have to be honest if you are a big gamer you are used to the terms and just the style of how Clare’s chapters are written.
I really did appreciate elements such as friendships within this even for Logan, a player who is still friends with everyone he has slept with mostly.
However it did have a very slow pace throughout without much enticing me to read faster personally.
The contract between characters I really did appreciate as one does flings and the other does the complete opposite.
Watching the development between the two characters was very interesting. Apart from the whole sexism that men can enjoy casual relationships whereas women can’t. Whereas, in reality both obviously can.
It was a cute read from opposites to understanding each other.
I really enjoyed the D&D element in a romance. That's not something you see often. I liked the banter between the characters and the fact that she was more confident around him, bringing her out of her shell and at the same time grounding him. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would read more from this author.
I did enjoy reading this book, it was a very easy read. However, I must say I feel like I’ve read this book before in every other romance book there is, there wasn’t a particular selling point that made this on different at all. I thought the characters weren’t very well fleshes out and felt 2D to me. But like I said, this book was very easy to read and I did enjoy the time I spent reading it.
3.5 ⭐️
The Player Next Door was a fun quick read, with plenty of charming characters and great chemistry. I really enjoyed reading Clare and Logan's opposites-attract story and seeing their relationship develop! I'm a sucker for a slow burn and I thought this one did a great job executing one.
This arc feels close, but not quite - some of the initial premise gave me the ick so it was hard to go all in. Plus it felt like at times the author wanted to be closed door but then was full on steam.
The story follows finance bro Logan and table-top game designer Clare, who are neighbours in an apartment building. For romance reasons serial monogamist Clare needs to have a one-night stand Logan needs a girlfriend. After a night together they both want to complete their plans but that doesn’t really go to plan. I thought Clare and Logan were well matched and I really enjoyed reading about their friendship and how it developed with real feelings. I also liked that we got to see Logan with Clare’s friends and Clare with Logan’s friends/acquaintances.
I did think the reasons for the set up were a little flimsy but I went with it and I thought the issues were resolved well (even with the third act breakup being a little long). The D&D style game went a bit over my head too but that wasn’t an issue and didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
I really enjoyed this and absolutely flew through it. I also loved that we got duel POV as I really think it adds to a book (especially a contemporary)!
Thank you to Isabelle at Headline Eternal for inviting me on the blog tour and sending a copy my way.
CW: toxic workplace, sexist and misogynistic boss, death of a parent (pre-book)
Logan must prove his maturity to his boss and clients by having a steady girlfriend, while Clare must prove she is able to have a one-night stand for her bosses to believe she has experience in writing a new character for her RPG.
But when, what was meant to be, a simple hook-up develops into something more it will have every reader smiling from ear to ear.
This is the second novel I have read by Davis and again they did not disappoint!
This has a great narrative where the stereotype of characters is role reversed, but with the added minor characters I was unsure about and suspicious of, and some I absolutely loved.
Davis gives the perfect amount of spice in this novel with some really funny one-liners between the two main characters.
This author is a definite go to for me and I highly recommend them to anyone who loves romance fiction.