User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
2.5 starsthe blurb got me excited but also hesitant because apparently Shane (H) broke Scarlett's (h) heart and he was a "lying, cheating player", so obviously that would make people scratch their heads because ~ cheating ~ is the keyword right there but at the same time i was like
fuck yess grovelling time but ha ha ha where was the grovel?
before i get into the spoiler talk, lemme just give y'all the backstory.
↳ Scarlett and Shane had a summer fling before senior year started. Scarlett was the "shy girl" and Shane was your typical popular jock, destined to go to the NFL. a week before senior year starts, Shane suddenly gives her the cold shoulder, breaks up with her and a day after she saw him making out with Penelope, her bully. 12/13 years later she moves back to her hometown and realizes that her neighbor is none other than Shane and thus ensues their romance.
this was pretty cute and light. i kinda liked the banter between Scarlett and Shane and Cody was adorable but knowing what Shane did and how he's all
forgetting the past > talk about things and grovel and the other dramas that were annoying ruined things for me.
anyways, i feel like ranting so |
SPOILERS |
first of all, i just want to point out that this is a me thing and im the type of person who holds grudges (sorry!!) but
Shane was a dumbass . like, i can't. i really
cannot. i was sideeyeing him the whole time whenever he would flirt or try to be funny. yeah i would laugh sometimes but then i remember what he did so i was always like this:
after finding out what he did in the past - breaking up with Scarlett then the very next day he hooks up with Penelope (ex/current baby mama) and dated her for a year - obviously i would hate him. and that hate just... did not.. go away. i tried okay?? i really did but i just couldn't because of:
a) how he handled his past mistakes
b) his reasoning and,
c) HOW. HE. HANDLED. IT. (gotta mention this twice)
dating the Scarlett's bully for a year knowing how she treated her like shit was one thing but also having a baby with her, forever tying himself with her was like a slap in the face.
and when Scarlett finally confronted him about this she was like,
"I was in love with you and you broke my heart!"
and
he was all like,
"That summer was thirteen fucking years ago. Why can't you let go?"
and
i was like
let go? oh my god
THE AUDACITY . he didn't really grovel and i didn't really feel his remorse because this book was entirely in Scarlett's perspective but this is the one time where i 100% feel that the H's pov was important to have because what he did was shitty and his reason was also shitty.
what was the reason you ask? ⤷ that Scarlett was "too complicated" and he just wanted something easy and straightforward because he had pro football in his mind.
i get that the reason is 'realistic' and all but goddamn. it was really hard for me to like him at this point.
also during the confrontation, he subtly blamed Scarlett and turned it around on her like she was the bad guy because he was all like "you weren't easy" or "don't paint me the asshole blah blah i just told you what you wanted to hear" or "you didn't exactly have the best role model for relationships". and then he gets mad because she won't let it go then tells her to grow up, and then tells her that they should just be friends, then he ignored her and went on a date with OW.
and whats worse is that Shane acts like the victim and Scarlett felt like she was the one in the wrong and deserved the tantrum he threw at her, feeling regret because she wanted to give him a chance and
she ended up apologizing to him ... like what?? girl
nooo. please for the love of god know what you deserve and don't feel bad for feeling the way you feel.
i know 13 years is a long time but that really doesn't matter. you can't invalidate someone's feelings and pain just because of how much time has passed.
also apparently he "cheated" on Scarlett when they were still together because when she told him that he probably hooked up with Penelope before they broke up he didn't deny it... but what the f do i know this subject was brushed off and forgotten.
i wanted to like this because simple wild is one of my favorite books ever but the way things were handled, how the past mistakes were brushed off considering the shitty thing Shane did and how she felt like she was the one doing something wrong while he was acting like a victim and the whole drama by the end that i wasn't even interested in anymore, just made me
disappointed.
so again, ~
thank u next ~
Rating: really liked it
ARCs will be available June 7th, 2020 for those who signed up with Valentine PR. The ARC request list is now closed.
NEW RELEASE DATE!
The good news is my upcoming contemporary romance The Player Next Door is longer than I anticipated (more story for you!). The not so good news is I have to push the release date back by two weeks to allow myself more time for editing.
This book is:
✅fun & flirty
✅ second-chance
✅ hate-to-love
✅ small town
ARCs will not be available until around June 7th. If you are blogger or bookstagrammer and are interested in signing up to receive one, here is the link --> https://bit.ly/TPNDKATsu
Releasing May 31st, 2020 on Apple, Nook, and Kobo (Preorder now because the book will be removed from these platforms on May 31st, once the preorder goes out)
Releasing June 2nd, 2020 on Amazon and KindleUnlimited.
IMPORTANT ORDERING INFORMATION (PLEASE READ):
EBOOK:
iBooks: http://hyperurl.co/zfycqy
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2zqrASj
Nook: https://bit.ly/3blKF5K
Please preorder to ensure you get an ecopy. The ebook will be delivered to your ereader on May 31st. The book will be removed from these platforms on May 31st. You won't be able to get it on these platforms once it has been removed.
Amazon: This will be a live release and published exclusively on Amazon and the KU program. Ensure you're subscribed to my newsletter to get an email notification once it's available, with links to order. >> https://bit.ly/2YLpDL9
PAPERBACK:
A paperback version will be available on release day through online retailers
AUDIOBOOK:
An audiobook version will be available at a later date.
Rating: really liked it
4 stars 
I love a good second chance romance and I love a single dad romance even more.
The Player Next Door was the perfect summer read. It was sweet, fun, and angsty in the best way!
Scarlet left town after graduation and never looked back. Now, twelve years later, a job and a house brings her back. One of the main reasons she left is Shane Beckett. She had it bad for Shane and right before their senior year, after a wonderful summer together, he dumped her. The last thing she expects is to be next door neighbors with him, but there he is. Right. Next. Door.
Scarlet still sees Shane as that player he was in high school, but he's changed his ways. Becoming a father was one thing that did that. Shane and Scarlet have so much chemistry. They have a connection that was never severed. Scarlet wants to hate Shane, but he makes it incredibly difficult. He's just so dang helpful and charming.
I loved watching Shane and Scarlet fall for one another all over again, and I especially loved seeing Shane as a dad. Of course, there is some angst and drama with Scarlet's high school nemesis (view spoiler)
[ Who happens to be Shane's baby mama (hide spoiler)] but I liked how it was resolved at the end.
Overall, this book was loads of fun. I loved Scarlet's best friend (I would love a book for her!) and I enjoyed watching Scarlet's relationship with her mom change and develop. Of course, Shane's son was the most darling and I loved all the scenes with him in it. If you're looking for a small town romance that's a bit enemies to lovers, a bit second chance, and a whole lot of steamy- pick this up!
Rating: really liked it
[about
a guy who dumped his high school
girlfriend (now next door neighbor he wanted to win back) for
her bully whom he impregnated and shared a son with (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
for a book that was written and then self-published/released in quarantine, this is actually pretty good. but i dont even know why i doubted KAT in the first place.
i will say this is really nothing new in the romance genre. its your pretty standard ‘second chance at love’ story with many familiar tropes - a very ‘what you see is what youre gonna get’ kind of story - but, as a creature of habit, i appreciate that. i like that i could just turn my brain off and enjoy the story for what it is.
so if youre looking for some sweet and easy entertainment, this is the book for you.
↠ 4 stars
Rating: really liked it
Okay, it was fast, hooking, tempting, entertaining, angsty as hell , well-written romance. I love K. A. Tucker’s works since Ten Tiny Breaths series. She may write stories shake you to the core. She knows how to find true words warm our heart and how to brush our deep feelings.
This second chance book is safe read. There is nothing surprising, twisty and there is no jaw dropping part makes us question about our own reality.
Two high school lovers broke up badly and 12 years later they become neighbors. Of course both of them still have unresolved feelings for each other. Scarlet mostly smart, strong, a little uptight, insecure but still likable character and Shane is charming, flirty, caring, kind. (At least he is quite opposite from his younger self)But there are so many obstacles they have to fight against:
-Scarlet’s trusting issues: yes, they were only 17 when they were dating. She caught Shane kissing her all time nemesis Penelope Rhodes at the same day he dumbed her ass. And he acted like she was invisible to him throughout the rest of the school term( Hero earned so many jerk-I want to use you as my punching bag- points) and now she is so scared to fall hard and she doesn’t want her heart broken one more time!
-Shane has a 11 year old kid from notorious Penelope!And his dear Penelope is vindictive as hell, she can do anything to ruin Scarlet’s reputation because she still blame Scarlet’s mother to ruin her parents’ marriage. (Yes, our heroine has an entertaining, slutty mother Dottie reminds us of small town version of Sex and City’s Samantha. I visualized Kim Cattrall when I read her parts)
-Scarlet is teacher of Shane and her shameless nemesis’ sweet son Cody. So there will be ethical issues if they start to date even though there is no school rule against it.
What I like about the story is:
Sizzling, pant melting, hyperventilating chemistry of the couple: they’re so cute together and their shameless banters and sweet, sexy flirting make you blush and giggle like high school girls.
-The angst parts were heartbreakingly well written.
-The conclusion of the story was heartwarming.
But... The cheating was still a big “no” and irritating subject for me. As soon as I see it, I stop reading a book. Shane was only 17 and dumb arrogant boy. And when he kissed Penelope, they were already broken up. But it still felt like cheating because he didn’t explain why he treated her unfairly. His explanation about his actions that he was dumb and he was focused on his football carrier and she was complicated!!! What if he hasn’t been injured during the football game, would be still an asshole to her? He changed for good but I agree with heroine’s trust issues even though I found her a little obsessed about the guy by watching every move he makes from the next door.
And I also wanted to see closure about the mother and daughter’s resentments and unresolved issues.
But I still had great time and after cutting some points for the irritating issues bugged me during my read: I still round up 3.5 stars to 4! It was still riveting, fast paced, sexy, enjoyable, feel-good, well-written second chance story!
Rating: really liked it
2.5 STARS 
Fool me once, shame on you. This second time, though? That’s all on me.
That moment when you don't love a book by one of your most beloved authors. Awkward city. Population of one.
Gosh. Where do I even start here. I love a second chance romance with a splash of angst and some hate lust when they get reunited. The blurb to this sounded like the ultimate reader catnip for me. Unfortunately, this had my one and only hard limit when it comes to romance, and so it went downhill for me super quick. But I'll get to that in a second. I do want to clarify that this is entirely personal preference here. I know I'm picky, okay? But sadly, I like what I like, and I don't what I don't.
I waffled with my rating for a while. Do I rate it 3 stars since I was invested enough to finish? But the more I sat and thought about it, the clearer it became that there was a lot more about this story that I disliked versus what I enjoyed. And to be fair to those true middle of the road three stars I've read, I just couldn't go with that rating here. Hence the 2.5
So why did I dislike it? Multiple reasons really.
Reason 1: the heroine. My god, she annoyed me to no end. Her mommy issues aside, she just rubbed me wrong the entire book. I can't even place my finger on any one specific thing, but I couldn't connect with her for the life of me.
Reason 2: the drama. UGH. Just UGH. This is my one hard limit, guys. I won't spoiler it for those that haven't read it, but I will say that there's a certain plot twist when it comes to Shane (or a reveal, if you will) that I absolutely HATED. Like LOATHED it. Like wanted to set my kindle on fire hate. Look, I seriously disliked it, is what I'm saying here, okay? That's the simple truth of it. Majority of the conflict is continuous drama driven by Shane's ex and it stems for the ENTIRE. FREAKING. book. I got so tired of it. To be frank, I was tired of it after 3 chapters. And to have it continue to the end, no matter how nice it ends, was just too much for me. The fact that his ex is a psycho b*tch for the majority of the story certainly didn't help matters. Nor is the fact that she was the main point of conflict for Shane and Scarlet. Nor is the fact that she also has ties to Scarlet beyond the Shane thing. I got worked up all over again just typing this up. GAH.
Reason 3. Shane. *hides*
I'm sorry, guys! Yes, he was swoony as a man and I loved the way he pursued Scarlet and tried to atone for his mistakes. But I just couldn't connect for his reasons from the past. They felt petty and childish. And I get that he was just a kid back then, a teenager with his entire life ahead of him. But his choices just made me cringe. I would have loved a deeper something behind all of it. But alas, it was anything but deep. Mistakes of the youth or not, it was hard to choke down. Add into it the repercussions that he had from his choices and where it lands him and Scarlet in the present, and yikes. I just can't.
Scarlet's mom was...interesting. She's painted as the town slut, to put it bluntly, and a terrible mother. Only for a switch to be flipped and things to start coming out and she be completely redeemed in the end. It was...weird. I still don't know how I feel about it.
What I loved was Scarlet's best friend. She's a nut with a smart mouth and I really hope we see a book for her. I'd love to read it! While I didn't love this one, K.A. Tucker is still one of my favorites, so I will gladly and eagerly read the next book if this is the start of a series. You can't love them all, and considering I've loved every other book I've read of this author, I suppose this is my one-off. But don't let my experience drive you. Who knows, you just may love it.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest reviewFind me on:
Rating: really liked it
MY REVIEW AND OTHERS: can also be found on my blog:
➽ KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS 
THE PLAYER NEXT DOOR: Is a full length second chance romance novel by K.A. Tucker.
Get ready for
'The Player Next Door' to start ticking all those boxes ladies!!
✅fun & flirty
✅ second-chance
✅ hate-to-love
✅ small town
THE PAST:
The two seventeen year olds had spent the whole summer together, when out of the blue before their senior year was ready to kick off he said that he couldn’t handle a relationship due to wanting to concentrate on his football and she’d become too much of a distraction. Hours after their separation she sees him locking lips with another girl, leaving her heartbroken.
NOW:
Thirteen years later she’s back in her home town of Polson Falls, Pennsylvania in her dream clapboard fixer-upper home she’d purchased outright with funds from an absentee grandfather who she'd only briefly met many years previously.
Not thinking upon purchasing the property to ask who her closest neighbours are she gets the shock of her life when she claps eyes on that very same boy who broke her heart, Shane Beckett.
It's only inevitable that these two would run into each other living in such proximity to each other.
Gone is that boy and in his place is an even sexier version of the boy who broke her heart. He's all muscle, and a handy man to have around when things start falling to bits, add in the fact this sexy beast of a man doesn't close his curtains at night and the x rated night time routine played out was one to look forward to!!
Phew I know us woman are the absolute queens when it comes to holding a grudge but boy did Scarlet Reed take it next level, many years later and she still held that grudge dear to her heart. It took a while to thaw those walls of hers, and many chapters of us reading about it. But props to Shane for not giving up, god how I loved this man. I get he hurt her beyond measure, but it just took a wee bit too long to let the past hurts go. Other than that little niggle of how far she was riding that grudge train this would've been a 5 star read for me.
Then the ending kind of felt a wee bit rushed, I turned the page expecting a wee bit more, I didn't want it to end, hopefully the author can work on the ending a bit more because it ended so abruptly. Or maybe it was just me and my greedy little heart wanting more.
There were so many things I loved about this book, being brutally honest I usually don't really tend to read second chance romances, because the plot and ending has already been written, a reconnection, a second chance romance, the end, and there you have it your HEA. But this author made me believe in this genre again. I loved the small town feels this wrung out in me, the mean girl that still hadn't really grown up, the mother who still had town tramp tattooed on her forehead.
Everything this author promised us, she went above and beyond and delivered it!!
Rating: really liked it
2 Stars 🌟Let me start out by saying that I have truly loved most of KA Tucker's books in the past and she has written some of my favourite stories so when I first heard about this book I was beyond excited. The blurb drew me in and I couldn't wait to dive in. Sadly though this book did not work for me. I wanted to like this book sooo much but I just couldn't. The book starts out with a declaration that says
'For all those who need a fun and flirty escape.' Which made me relax thinking yesss this is what I need a fun take on 2nd chance romance with a hate to love feel and banter galore but all I got was
DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA and not the kind I like.The story starts out when
Scarlet and
Shane are in their senior year of high school. The had a summer romance that was ended by Shane which left Scarlet heart broken and made 10x worse when she found Shane already moving on with the one girl (Penelope) who has made Scarlet's life miserable for the past couple of years.
Fast Forward 13yrs Scarlet moves back to her hometown after she accepts a job at the local school and moves into a 'fixer up' house she used to admire and dream about owning as a kid. What she is not expecting is her next door neighbour being the one and only Shane Beckett who broke her heart when they were 17 and even more of a shock to her is finding out he is a single father to 11yr old Cody whose mother is, you guessed it none other than, Penelope.
Things I liked // ▪ The story was written in a way that I flew through it and finished it in a day and half. I found myself fully immersed in this world and emotionally invested in the main characters from page one and wanted nothing more than to see the way their story would play out.
▪ The push & pull dynamic to begin with was something I was enjoying it did have those fun and flirty moment's that were promised.
▪ The whole idea behind fixing the house up. I love home renovation type things so I really enjoyed seeing Scarlet & Shane working together on the house.
▪ Scarlet's best friend Justine. She was one of the best parts of this book and I loved everything about her.
Things I Disliked // ▪ Shane & Scarlet's first big confrontational argument. I went back and forth throughout the entire book with which main character frustrated me the most. They were not perfect, they had flaws (which I don't hate) but there were definitely a few times that their actions and reactions gutted me. The main one being Shane's excuse as to why he broke things off with Scarlet and his reasons behind choosing to be with Penelope instead (though their actual relationship was short they are now tied together due to their son). I wanted to SLAP Shane hard during this moment. I can forgive the dumb actions of a 17yr old honestly that kind of thing doesn't bother me but the way he chose to say it to her 13yrs later and that entire conversation felt insensitive and cruel. Also the whole 'cheating' aspect was implied but don't think it was ever 100% confirmed and it felt glossed over.
▪ The whole 2nd chance romance aspect fell extremely short for me. Apart from that confrontation between the MC it felt liked the 2nd chance part of the story was glossed over. It barely even felt present as the story soon turned more into a forbidden/taboo romance between a Single Father and his son's Teacher. I would've prefered more flashback scenes between these two to really feel what Scarlet felt for Shane back in high school because to me it was a lot of 'telling and no showing'. It took me a while to truly understand why she was still hurting so bad after all this time but I guess that also had to do with the fact that she never dealt with the issue verbally or emotionally until she moved back home.
▪ We got more flashbacks and background story for Penelope and her treatment of Scarlet than we did of the actual couple. Was this story about Shane and Scarlet or about Penelope??
▪ We only got Scarlet's point of view which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I would've loved some of Shane's aswell
▪ The thing that happened to Justine at around 85%
▪ The fact that for the first half of the book (at least) the majority of Scarlet and her peers who are all 30ish were acting like immature, bratty, selfish and somewhat judgy people. Im 31 years old and some of the way these people reacted and spoke I just could not relate to.
▪ Even though this story did have some lighter, fluffier, fun & flirty scenes for me they were all overshadowed by the crazy amount of DRAMA. I was expecting some drama, I mean it is a 2nd chance romance after all, but this was the kind of drama I did not appreciate what so ever and it ruined the story for me. I'm not one to be affected by
OW/OM drama but in this book the Baby Mama/Ex drama was excruciating and gave me anxiety for majority of the book.
▪
Drama Llama I will admit that I actually enjoy small town drama or really drama of any kind in books where it is dealt with properly but for me this book had too much of it infused throughout the entire story and the way in which it was dealt was the
MAIN REASON I found I couldn't enjoy this book. Why would I want to subject myself to a story that has the Hero have a baby with one of the worst character's in the book. The token 'mean bitchy' girl from high school that never got over her insecurities, manipulative and vindictive behaviour and decides to use her Son to cause drama fueled by jealousy and pettiness. I do not like how this situation was handled at all. The actions of the parents (both Penelope's and Scarlet's) started a chain reaction of terrible behaviour and hatred that affected 2 individual teenage girls differently and because neither of these issues were dealt with appropriately or respectfully a fued was born that then ended up affecting an 11yr old boy. Cody was the real victim here as he definitely deserved a better mother than the selfish one he got. I 100% understand how each girl felt and what they went through as a conditioning of what the parents started but the fact that it was never addressed or concluded properly is the reason this book left a bad taste in my mouth. Why go through all this pain and drama to have the book wrap up quickly and feel very much unresolved. All I wanted was for 1) Shane to stand up to Penelope and tell her she needs to get help and if he truly wanted to put his son first he would've intervened ages ago. This woman needed THERAPY ASAP but Shane kept making excuses for her as it was easier than dealing with her. NEWSFLASH you share a kid and unless you want him to turn out like her or with a lot of emotional baggage maybe you should MAN UP and do SOMETHING. 2) A proper sit down converstion between Penelope and Scarlet. These girls needed some sort of closure where their animosity was concerned. At the very least an ACTUAL apology from Penelope to Scarlet. 3) A proper discussion between Scarlet and her Mother instead of skirting around there issues. A nice long therapeutic chat or something other then the barely mentioned rushed ending we got. She was incredibly judgemental towards her mother and never even tried to sit down and discuss with her why or how it all affected her. I'm a firm believer of their are two sides to every story and I 100% understand a young Scarlett being embarrassed and wanting to distance herself from her mother's actions but surely at 30 they would want to sit down and I dunno TALK..
I will say it again these people all needed THERAPY or Mediation or something to help break this cycle of TOXIC behaviour that was definitely affecting the kids whether they were 30 or 11.
A lot can happen in a book and I will admit that I am one of those readers who can easily forgive and over look certain parts of a story even if I don't enjoy a book as long as there is a satisfactory ending. The ending of this book felt rushed and left too many things not properly resolved for me to over look. I really wanted to SEE these two to work it out together and have a nicely and neatly wrapped up HEA and I'm sorry that's not what I got and the HFN ending did not feel satisfactory to me at all. I will say that I know I'm in the minority with this book and I'm sure that most others will enjoy this book and I do hope they do as it def had potential to be great but for me it was just not enough.
Rating: really liked it
★4.5★ "Is he nailing your fence nice and hard?"
The Player Next Door is a passionate second chance romance by the gifted KA Tucker. Scarlet Reed's dreams are finally coming true. She has bought a house in her old home town and is about to start teaching at the local elementary school. Little does she know that her dream has a huge plot twist looming. Living right next door to Scarlet is her old flame, Shane Beckett. Shane was everything Scarlet wanted and after being dumped by the smoking hot "football star" she was left heartbroken. Now that Scarlet and Shane are all grown up, Shane will do anything for Scarlet to give him another chance at romance.
"He's everything I want."
Told in Scarlet's POV,
The Player Next Door is a stunning read with complex characters and a rich plot. The dialogue is beautifully crafted with humor, passion, and plenty of small-town drama. The secondary characters enhance the plot greatly as both Shane and Scarlet navigate the choppy waters of heartbreak and regret. This second chance romance is passionate, tender, and had me swooning the entire read.
"Are you crazy?"
"In love with you."
Overall,
The Player Next Door will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy a second chance romance that explores forgiveness, family, and love. As always, KA Tucker never fails to deliver a story that evokes a brilliant spectrum of emotion due to the tender loving care she pours into every page. This read is definitely going on my top reads of 2020! Bravo Ms. Tucker! Bravo!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Rating: really liked it
Scarlet's life had not been easy, suffering for the sins of her mother whose loose ways made her the talk of the town. Scarlet leaves for college, determined never to return to the town that was the cause of so much heartbreak for her.
But as luck would have it, her old school principal lures her back, and the house she always coveted as a child comes on the market, so back she comes to Polson Falls. At one point I wanted to rename the town Poison Falls, because there were some seriously nasty people living in that town.
I loved the way Scarlet put her faithless ex-high school boyfriend, Shane, in his place, thinking he could get back into her good graces after he broke her heart so many years ago - with just an apology! (The Scorpio in me wanted to see him squirm for his callous stupidity when he broke up with young Scarlet because she was "complicated.") Thirteen years later, Shane swears he has changed and deeply regrets that selfish youthful decision, but Scarlet fights him off, telling him time and again that she will never trust him (and there I was, cheering her on from the sidelines!)
Still, the two can't seem to stay away from one another, and equally ironic, fate and old high school foes continue to conspire to keep them apart even after Scarlet admits to herself that she wants to give him a second chance . (I was actually a little disappointed that she didn't keep him dangling - and suffering - for a lot longer. He had humiliated her and treated her like she was invisible after he broke up with her in high school. Personally, I would have preferred to have drawn and quartered him instead, but I guess Scarlet's character arc isn't a Scorpio: Scorpios can forgive, but we never forget!)
Right up until the very end, I wasn't sure if they would be able to overcome the many obstacles the plot threw in their way. No spoilers here: find out how Shane finally convinces Scarlet that this time, "complicated" will never again be a reason that keeps them apart. In the end, I had to admire K.A. Tucker's true-to-life portrayal of young love gone sour, with older heads and hearts approaching this second chance at love relationship with wiser and less star-struck eyes.
This vein of realism is why I am a fan of K.A. Tucker's novels.
Highly recommended: really fine, sizzling storytelling.
P.S. I know there are somehow two versions of this review. I spent hours last night trying to "combine editions" as per Goodreads instructions. It isn't working. I give up! I will leave both reviews up - they are now exactly the same - because I don't want to delete the discussions on either one. I was thinking of approaching one of the Goodreads Librarians to see if they can fix this or merge it, but I suspect they have bigger problems, so I'm just leaving the two separate reviews. I only ever read the EBook/Kindle version of this book, so I have no idea how my review landed on the paperback version. I tried to change this, but no go, either.)
Rating: really liked it
–
2.75 starsI've finally read a K.A. Tucker book and it was ehhh okayish.The only thing I know about K.A. Tucker is that she wrote The Simple Wild, a book that is beloved by many, therefore I tried to go in with not too high expectations.
The Player Next Door started out good. I liked Scarlet and Shane as individuals. Miss Tucker's writing is easy to follow and I didn't get bored by the story which is a big plus lately. But the more I read, the more frustrated I got with the main characters, especially Scarlet.
–
MILD SPOILERS –
A little background story:Scarlet and Shane dated one summer before their senior year. They had a great time together and Shane even said that he thought he was falling in love with her during that summer and Scarlet was already head over heels for Shane. Then, a day before their senior year, Shane breaks up with her and the next day in school Scarlet sees him making out with Penelope (OW), her worst enemy and bully.
Many many many years later, Shane and Scarlet are back in the same town and very unfortunate for Scarlet they are neighbors. Scarlet still holds a grudge for what happened and she's hellbent on not letting Shane getting too close. And here is where the first problem is: I understand where Scarlet's grudge comes from and why she still holds onto it even after a decade. Shane broke her heart and she's still not really over it, BUT the way she acted towards him was super annoying. Shane was being a perfectly nice guy and trying to help her around the house, inviting her to dinners and apologizing for his past dumb self and Scarlet made it clear that she did not want to go out with him, so she had no reason to act all jealous and possessive over him when another woman asks him to a date. She acted so childish and immature and I could only roll my eyes. The "I don't want him, but that doesn't mean he can see other woman' thing got tiring very quickly.
I was annoyed at Shane as well, because his excuse why he broke up with Scarlet was
NOT GOOD ENOUGH. //
BIGGER SPOILER// The reason why he broke up with her was because Scarlet was "too complicated" and that she had to many trust issues cause of her mom and he wasn't looking for anything serious. Like serously?? I expected a little bit more than "I'm sorry, I was dumb and was looking for an easy lay". Dude, no just no. Why even bother courting her the whole summer? I really thought it was some lame excuse and the real reason would be revealed later how he had to break up with her for her sake, but no it's because he was stupid. As realistic as this reason is cause it reflects how guys at that age may or may not act with their dicks, I didn't appreciate it.
Oh did I forget to mentioned that Shane has a son with Penelope??? Yay, I love the single father trope, but here it created so much drama with the OW, which was the other problem I had with this book. Of course the OW had to be the biggest bi*ch on earth. Penelope was a constantly in Shane and Scarlet's business cause Scarlet is Cody's (Shane and Penelope's son) teacher. She was a huge pain in the ass and so annoying. Honestly, I was ashamed for her, she's a 30 years old, acting like a 10 year old kid having a tantrum cause someone played with her favorite toy. Jesus woman get a grip.
What I did enjoy was all the Cody/Scarlet and Cody/Shane scenes. Kids in books are great and I stand by that. I also loved Scarlet and Justine's friendship. Justine was an amazing secondary character. She has no filter and is so funny. Loved her so much. After what happened to her at the end of the book, I really really hope she gets her own book because that girl deserves the world.
While I wasn't really impressed, I'll read K.A. Tucker's other books. I have high hopes for The Simple Wild. 🤞
*Arc proved by Valentine PR in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
This was a light hearted, feel good kind of book! I quite enjoyed it, and I fell in love with the sexy, fire fighter hero that starred in this story!
KA Tucker is always able to transport me into her worlds that she creates! Her romances are usually the kind that make butterflies in my stomach flutter, and puts warmth in my heart. She also creates a sexy read, and in this story adds a slow burn that had me begging for more!
This was a second chance romance between Shane and Scarlett. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for them though. They had more than a few hurdles to cross. Will they be able to jump the hurdles or will they crash? It was definitely enjoyable to find out!
I absolutely recommend this book if you are looking for low angst and a feel good story!
My only complaint would be the ending. It ended abruptly and would have been much better with a nice epilogue!
Thanks Steph for another wonderful Buddy Read! This was a good one!❤️
Rating: really liked it
I hate "second chances in love" trope in romance books. They are rarely done right. I usually hate the reason of their break-up. I can only deal with second chance romance if the couple was separated because of outside factors, not because he is a douchebag etc.
In this case, he is a hero I can never forgive. He just leaves her for an easier girl because our heroine is complicated and he chooses her bully as his next girlfriend. Then he has a child from her. That's unforgivable in my book!
My dear friend Phuong has written a very useful review about this book if you need more information to decide whether to read this book or not.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rating: really liked it
3.5 STARSI am such a big fan of K.A. Tucker, so when I heard she’d be releasing a new standalone with summer vibes, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! Also, I’m always a sucker for both second chance romances and single parent romances. I ended up enjoying Shane and Scarlet’s story – it’s both sweet and dramatic, if that makes sense. If you want a summer read with a swoony hero and lots of unresolved tension, give The Player Next Door a try!
Scarlet has returned home after being away for twelve years to be a school teacher. She packed up and never looked back as soon as she could, not wanting to deal with heartbreak and her narcissistic mother any more. But she’s moved into the cute little house she always admired, not knowing that her next door neighbor is none other than the guy who broke her heart and caused her to want to leave: Shane Beckett. Who also happens to be the father of one of her new students.
This romance is a bit of an enemies to lovers one, at least on our heroine Scarlet’s side. She hasn’t forgiven Shane for breaking her heart over a decade ago and isn’t about to make it easy for him to try to get her to give him a second chance. I love a heroine who makes a hero work for her affections, though I do feel Shane could’ve groveled a bit more rather than say it was something that happened so long ago. There’s plenty of chemistry, of push and pull, between Shane and Scarlet to make this romance exciting and fun.
The main reason I’m not rating this higher is that I felt a bit disconnected from our main characters. I liked them, but I never truly connected with their stories. I may have rolled my eyes a bit at some of the miscommunication and it wasn’t quite as light and fluffy as I expected. But still, it’s a quick, sweet (which mostly comes from our charming hero and his son) romp with a dash of drama (from our heroine) that will make this a fun summer read!
