Giving this book 4 stars because I really do appreciate when a "meet- cute" starts off with texting!
If the author can keep my attention with the texting and banter, yay!
And that is what this book did!

Dex, although sometimes a bit cringe-y , was really cute especially when he tried to be useful in Margot's kitchen.
Margot had a good head on her shoulders but I do wish she gave him a bit more of a hard time.

Definitely recommend if you love a whole lot of text exchanges in a book😊

Many thanks to Netgalley, Author Sara Ney and publisher for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts .

I'm glad I read the first book before starting this arc. I liked Dex in the first one, and I liked him even more in this one. This was fun with some great banter. I loved Wyatt, so cute!

Thank you so much for the ARC!

This is book two in the Not Yours series, and let’s just say Dex and Margot’s story started off hilarious. It begins with Margot calling Dex out, thinking he’s catfishing women with his pictures—when in reality, he made the dating profile as himself.

Football star Dex is looking for a real relationship because he’s tired of staged PR romances. You can really tell he’s a bit naïve when it comes to serious relationships, and taking his agent’s dating advice only proves that further.

The chemistry between Dex and Margot is filled with witty banter, and I loved Margot’s snarky comments. She’s a strong, independent woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t put up with nonsense. I always enjoy when a strong woman falls in love because she has to truly open up and let someone in.

Wyatt, Margot’s 10-year-old daughter, helped bring this story to life. Her interactions with the adults were fantastic—her outspoken and quirky personality made her such a fun character. Dex initially had no interest in dating a woman with a child, but as he got to know Wyatt, everything changed.

If you’re looking for a sports romcom with a single mom and banter for days, make sure to grab this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake Publishing, for the eARC.

I loved the cute interaction between Dex and Wyatt at the beginning. I enjoyed how this friendship between Margot and Dex started, it was authentic. Their texts were hilarious. And then Dex went and ruined it for me. The way he went about starting a “real” relationship with Margot soured my mood with the whole story. Mind you, he was falling for her which backfired on him! I could already picture the downfall and demise in this relationship. That took away from me with this book and I became uninterested. I found Dex to be immature and focused on his image, completely self-absorbed. I just couldn’t get over it. I really loved Margot and Wyatt though and they could have done so much better than Dex.

4⭐️
I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! And I’m beyond grateful I got to read it in advance. It’s safe to say I annotated the s**t out of it and had the best time!

It was fast paced from the beginning, and I was glued to my Kindle, I literally couldn’t put it down.
It was hilarious, and the amount of times I had to stop reading to just laugh for a good minute- and scream. Excited screaming, giggling, squeaking. All of it. And a lot of it.
Wyatt is a legend, give that kid an Oscar.

Sure the plot is nothing brand new, but it was super well done! Dex isn’t your typical perfect book boyfriend imo. I shook my head at his words or actions a little too often, he needs a few lessons in “how to not be an absolute idiot” but in his defence; I think he really tried his best, this poor - maybe a little life dumb - mountain of a man. But that’s what Margot is here for right? haha
The two matched so well, from the first time they've met, to their HEA. I would absolutely love to see more of them!

I didn’t know I could love football romances that much - I’m definitely a hockey girl through and through - but HOLY, I need more haha (Omw to grab the first book in the series RN) And I actually loved the reverse (little) age gap! Again, I never thought that’s something I’d say, yet here I am- I ate it up haha.

#BiggestPlayer #NetGalley

This isn't my first Sara Ney book. I read the "Not Your Biggest Fan" last year and I liked it a little bit more than I liked this one.

I felt like Margot fell a little too easy for Dex and he cracked a lot of jokes that felt a little unnecessary or not helpful to the story line. I wanted to like it more but Dex made it hard for me to like it more.



Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the eARC!

This is a very quick romcom. Margot is a single mom looking through some dating app that involve swiping. Left or right. I think we all got the gist of that. Dex is a famous football player. I was also doing the same thing. She doesn't think he's real, so he she tells him off. For using someone's photo, but surprisingly, it really is him- they interact for a bit to cite through messages, but leave it at that. I'm through a mishap at a restaurant. They end up meeting in person, courtesy of Margots daughter they end up going on a date and he's into her. She's into him, but somehow they end up fake dating only. She doesn't know the x boyfriend/ baby daddy throws a little bit of complication in there also - lots of different tropes here but I felt like it never got into I felt like it was just a very silly fun, quick ROM com. It was okay, not that I reminded it. Good beach, read full read, but I wish it had a little more depth

Thank you, net alley for the arc.In exchange for an honest review

While this isn't my first Sara Ney book, I would have to say it probably was my least favorite one of hers. The premise is cute with a single mom and hot football player meeting and trying to stay just friends. The way they first meet in person is hilarious and I Ioved that her daughter was involved.

I just felt like the story was rushed, that there should have been more substance before they just jump into saying I love you to each other, It's definitely has the spice and hot guy you want in a romance book, though I don't think I would read it again or recommend it to a friend either.

This was my first book by Sara Ney and im a bit disappointed that iv been sitting out on this author!

This book was a fluffy romcom with sports romance and single mom being the two main tropes.

This story has the most relatable yet unique meet cute that I’ve read in a while and I really enjoyed the start of their love story.

I did find the plot of the story somewhat lacking which is why I gave it a lower rating. But it was still a really fun cute read.

I really enjoyed the strong female main character, but the male main character fell a little flat at times for me. Due to that a few of the spice scenes felt like they didn’t have enough chemistry and didn’t have a place strong place within the story.

The banter in this book is seriously perfection, and the cheesy lines passed back-and-forth between the male main character, and the female main character had me giggling.

This was a cute single mom rom com. I did feel like it was too similarly written to book one in the series. Maybe I shouldn't have read them back to back. I like the texting back and forth parts. Overall I enjoyed it, but wouldn't pick this one up again.

Biggest Player by Sara Ney is the 2nd book in her Not Yours series.

One word that perfectly sums up this book is: Cute.

It had a perfect in-person "meet cute" after an angry dating app interaction. But.. the book quickly fell flat for me after that. Both main characters came off as immature and I just couldn't connect with them. The time line was hard to grasp so everything felt instant and rushed, which isn't my favorite.
Wyatt and Carrie were my favorite characters.

Biggest Player is perfect for someone looking for a cute, fast paced romance.

*ARC provided by NetGalley, Montlake, and Sara Ney in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the copy of this book.

Sara Ney always brings the laughter and the swoon. And this story gives you it all. Dex is your typical football star, he’s well known as player on and off the field. But one message with a sassy woman on a dating app and his whole world changed. And a chance meeting with a little girl would be the start of him falling. This romance brings the banter, it brings the heat and it brings a love story that takes work and trust. Even if Dex isn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this sweet and spicy romance. The FMC's daughter, Wyatt, provided so many laughs and was my favorite character. Dex is a complete idiot but it definitely seemed like it could have been realistic based on his maturity. I haven't read the first book in series yet and am looking forward to picking it up too. I would recommend for a quick romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Sara Ney for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I normally really enjoy a Sara Ney book but something just wasn’t working for me with this one. I ended up actually not finishing it.

Dex just fell a bit flat for me, he seemed a little dim and there wasn’t anything holding my interest in him.

I will say the reason why i rated it 2 instead of 1 is because of Wyatt, Margot’s daughter. I actually really enjoyed any of the parts with her in it, she was funny and quick witted which was fun to read!

Book Review: The Biggest Player by Sara Ney

Sara Ney, who usually writes young adult romances, steps into the new adult genre with The Biggest Player, and honestly, she does a great job making the transition. The story follows a professional football player who turns to online dating, hoping to find a relationship that can travel with him on tour. He’s tired of being alone. But instead of meeting his dream girl right away, he matches with a woman who only swiped on him to catch a catfish. Their online exchanges start with bickering, but when they meet in person, a friendship forms—and even though he swore he wouldn’t date a single mom, he slowly starts falling for her.

I really enjoyed how obvious it was that he was into her. He kept calling her cute in a way that felt so genuine, like he just couldn’t help himself. His attraction to her was clear from the beginning, even when he tried to pretend otherwise. But at the same time, his whole I’m not dating a single mom stance felt like an excuse—because let’s be real, he was already halfway in before he even realized it.

That said, I didn’t love everything about him. He had this habit of saying things that didn’t always feel intentional, like he was trying to sound cool rather than actually meaning what he said. It made it hard to tell if he was serious about certain things or just saying them in the moment. Also, I’m personally not into the man-child type of hero, and that’s exactly what he was. He hires people for everything—cooking, cleaning, managing his life—and while I get that he’s a wealthy football player, that kind of helplessness just isn’t attractive to me.

What really stood out to me, though, was the writing style. It reminded me of those early 2000s TV shows that break the fourth wall, like Lizzie McGuire, where the characters have these little emotional asides that make you feel like they’re talking directly to you. It added this fun, personal vibe that made the story feel more engaging and different from a lot of other romances. It wasn’t just here’s a story, now read it—it felt like the book was aware you were reading it, which made it way more fun.

The only things that knocked it down a star for me were the hero’s immaturity and a little bit of the dialogue. Some of the lingo wasn’t really my generation (or just not terms I use), so a few lines made me pause or cringe a little. But that’s a minor thing.

Overall, I’d give The Biggest Player the 3.75 out of 5 stars. The chemistry was great, the story was cute, and Sara Ney’s shift from YA to NA felt natural—she brought the energy and charm she’s known for but made it feel more grown-up. If you like lighthearted, witty romance with a fun narrative style, it’s definitely worth reading!

This was my first book by Sara I think and I have to say it was super fun as I didn’t really have any expectations and I wasn’t really familiar with her style or any other series by her for comparison.

I enjoyed the way these two met, Margot thinking Dex was a catfish and then in all of the restaurants they could go to, they end up in the same one for a not-so-meet cute.

As always I love a cute kid who isn’t a brat, and whilst Margot’s daughter was outspoken, she absolutely added to this story, and The mother -daughter relationship was definitely a strong part of the story. For Dex it was important to see if he could fit into their life, the big man-child that he was.

There were some areas I felt the book could be a little tighter, as at times it seemed a little chaotic with their relationship moving pretty quickly. There was an element of naivety to Margot (dating an NFL player was always going to result in public interest) which belied Margot’s intelligence and dumbed her down a little. There were other contradictions though at the heart of it you could sense Dex had really grown on her.

The source of the conflict was a tad predictable for the 3rd act stuff, but it was palatable.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

3.5 ⭐️

This started really well with Margot calling Dex out for being a suspected catfish. With Wyatt’s character bringing the comedy like only a 10 year old can.

The latter half of the book slightly let it down. You could see where the conflict was going to come from. As soon as the agent made his appearance There was barely and grovelling from Dex and the “ I love you”’s came very quickly. It just felt rushed.

***4 ‘Team Wyatt’ Stars***

Yup, a 10 year old was my favorite person in this book, but there are reasons and when you pick this one up, you’ll totally understand why.

But since we’re here for the romance, let's talk Dex and Margot.

I loved Margot and Dex. Margot is definitely someone I’d hang out with. She’s sweet, sassy and snarky and is a good mom who knows her kid. Dex is a good guy and there is an honesty and charm to him that balances out the cockyness. Their journey to their HEA was a fun one from they way they “meet” for the first time to the way the collide for the first time and I honestly got a kick out of their bantering ~ whether it was face to face or text. I was definitely Team Margot when it came to the conflict that happened because that wasn’t the best decision one could make, but I will say that Dex did make things right.

This was a kinda crazy, kinda sweet read with characters that definitely left a mark.

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

I love this book! It was fun and had such a good pace. This is one of my favorite authors. Thanks for the ARC.

Sports romance, single mum and dating apps. A really lighthearted sweet romance book. A lot of chemistry and laughter throughout. This was a really easy read and I would definitely recommend if you’re in a book slump and want something to get you going again. Thank you Netgalley for the Arc!