I enjoyed this story. I really loved Margot and Wyatt. Dex was kind of a tool. I ended up liking him toward the end but his ego was obnoxious. The book was very fast paced but not necessarily in a good way. The timeline of events were not very realistic especially for a single mom who wants to protect her daughter. The story itself was very cute though. I'm curious as to how they continued on especially once his football season was in full swing.

I always love a Sara Ney book, and add her and sports romance and it is just a major win for me. This was fantastic and I hope it makes a huge splash. The characters were super enjoyable and I loved both of them individually as well as together. I can't wait for more from Sara.

There were definitely aspects of this book I liked.

The premise was solid and felt like a slow build storyline where you know there is going to be angst and regret leading to grovel and eventually a hea, which is essentially what we got.

I liked Riley, she was a delight and kept all the other characters on their toes.

I wanted to like Dex, but he was so childish. It felt like he thought he was such a big man, but his actions (and excuses) were that of a mindless teenager who simply follows along to make life easy. He wanted a girlfriend because his friends all had one, he dated Margot because….even his romantic actions were half hearted and had ulterior motives and lazy half the time.

Margot I liked to a point but she flopped when he apologised and I just wanted her to realise she was essentially going to be in a relationship with someone who still needed to grow up

The single mom trope was well done to a point but incomplete in other areas. They briefly discussed that he could be traded at any point, but nothing more and this is someone with a job and a child whose father is in the picture and so is it not a problem that he could up and leave…it just raised flags for me that this wasn’t dealt with in more depth.

We seems to trip immediately from I hate you to Dex having this great revelation that he loved her, with no real consideration to the consequences of being in a Relationship with her, no consideration of being a father figure for Riley, just that she was cool.

Epilogue, I usually love an epilogue but this one made me cringe. Two months in and it appears Dex still doesn’t have a real clue about what made me Margot tick. most of it is internal dialogue from her about how uncomfortable she is meeting his friends and he does nothing demonstrable to ease her fears or understand how her mind works when she is stressing or that she hates games even. Don’t get me started on him wanting to try for a baby….they don’t even live together.

So good points, some bad and overall not for me but a good time round read also.

This was fine. I didn’t love it and think Ney has other titles I’ve enjoyed much more. On paper, this was cute and had a set-up I should have loved: dating app meet cute, a single mom, a pro-football player. But Dex and Margo had no chemistry and didn’t really seem like they were in the same place in life to pursue a relationship. And Dex was….pretty immature. I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t really enjoy it either.

Sara Ney never disappoints me. I have been hooked to her books since The Learning Hours and here I am again, falling in love with another one of her stories! The banter is always 10/10!

Super cute lighthearted romance about a single mom and a playboy football player. Easy read I didn’t want to put the book down loved the story and the characters.

After reading and loving Not Your Biggest Fan, I immediately continued the Not Yours Series by Sara Ney. Biggest Player is Margot and Dex‘s story.
 
Dex is Andy‘s best friend from the first book and he’s a cocky and charming football player. After his last relationship with a model ended in drama, he desperately needs some good press. Dex is a man who has his heart in the right place and he’s still young and sometimes makes mistakes but fortunately learns and matures from them. He joins a dating app and that’s where he sees Margot for the first time.
 
Margot is a teacher and single mom, and her life is very steady. But she often feels a bit alone and is looking for a partner by her side. Margot is absolutely amazing and she’s sassy and confident and the same can be said for her adorable and clever daughter. Margot is very real and honest and that’s why she thinks Dex is catfishing on the dating app.
 
From the beginning their banter is top tier and the first time they meet in real life is hilarious as well. They have amazing chemistry, and I could totally feel the sparks between them. Even though this story is very instalovey, it works so well because these two are such a cute couple. It’s a perfect mix of sweet and spicy and there were so many amazing moments like the bath scene, the pipe scene, or the rock-climbing scene.
 
I absolutely adored Margot and Dex‘s story and Biggest Player is my new favorite Sara Ney book. 5 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

Love love LOVE Sara Ney. There is something about a reformed player / playboy that falls so dang hard that just DOES it for me every, single, time. Wyatt (the FMCs daughter) really is the star of the show here! dragged a little in the second half but overall really enjoyed my read!

✨ Review ✨
***
Biggest Player was good. Dex was charming and sweet. He was a bit immature and kind of an asshole at times but sweet and caring at others. I liked Wyatt and Morgan a lot. They were both funny and sweet. The story was good and easy to read. I loved all the banter and conversations. The ending was sweet and I was so happy to see Landon and Harlow again.
***
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🔥🔥
Romance: 🩷🩷
***

I love the strangers to lovers online dating scene with bad boy Dex and single mum Margot. Her daughter Wyatt was my fave character! I enjoyed the book, however got annoyed by little things like the ‘Ha!’ one word sentences and the back and forth of dialogue, but really enjoyed the short chapters! Easy read that was mostly enjoyable

Swipe right for drama, left for chaos—this romance had me hooked but also scratching my head!

Okay, so picture this: a 25-year-old football quarterback and a 29-year-old single mom/teacher match on a dating app. Sounds like the start of a rom-com, right? Well, it is… but with a few twists that left me feeling a little meh by the end.

Let’s start with the good stuff. The banter? Hilarious. The first half of the book had me laughing out loud, especially the texting exchanges between Dex (the quarterback) and Margot (the teacher). And Wyatt, Margot’s 10-year-old daughter? She stole the show. Seriously, this kid was the most mature character in the entire book. Her sassy little moments, like when she basically strong-armed Dex into helping her mom dodge a bad date, were pure gold.

But then… Dex happened. Look, I get it—he’s a football player, he’s supposed to be a little cocky and immature. But wow, did he take it to another level. At times, I felt like I was reading about a teenager, not a grown man. He made some pretty selfish decisions, and Margot forgave him way too quickly for my liking. Like, girl, where’s your self-respect? Their relationship moved at warp speed—we’re talking a few weeks, and suddenly they’re discussing kids and forever. I just didn’t buy it.

Margot had her moments too. She jumped to conclusions about Dex being a catfish (which, okay, fair), but then she just… let it go? And don’t even get me started on the lack of safe sex talk. With Margot’s backstory of accidentally getting pregnant from a one-night stand, you’d think condoms or something would’ve come up. Nope. Not a peep.

The side characters felt underdeveloped too. Dex’s best friend popped in and out like a cameo, and Margot’s parents were so one-dimensional, they might as well have been cardboard cutouts.

That said, if you’re looking for a quick, light-hearted read with some laughs and a touch of sports romance, this might hit the spot. It’s fun, it’s flirty, and Wyatt alone is worth the read. But if you’re after something with more depth, maybe start with the author’s other series (How to Date a Douchebag or Jock Hard).


Tropes to expect:

🎐Sports romance (football, baby!)
🎐Opposites attract
🎐Dating app meet-cute
🎐Single mom vibes

Final verdict? Entertaining but flawed. Dex and Margot’s relationship felt rushed, and I wish we’d gotten more of Wyatt stealing the show. Still, it’s a decent pick if you’re in the mood for something breezy and fun—just don’t think too hard about the plot holes.

This was pretty entertaining! I loved Wyatt, Margot's ten your old daughter. Her shaking down Dex to help get rid of a date was hilarious! Dex is fun and lovable but maybe not the brightest hero I've read. He's someone you could have a lot of fun with but I could also see being in a relationship with him would not be easy. Margot had to be the adult in this relationship. The author did sell me on the opposites attract with these two. I could see Margot needing a guy who can bring some fun into her life. You could also tell that Dex will spoil her rotten if she lets him. Fun read!

My rating: 2.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
- sports romance
- football romance
- single mom
- teacher & pro football player
- opposites attract
- reverse age gap
- dating app

It was a fun read. The book is fast-paced and perfect for unwinding after a dark story. Out of all the characters, I liked the FMC's daughter the most. As for the main characters, they sometimes acted like — he was like a teenager, she was like a teacher (lol).

If you're looking for something with a light, easygoing plot and occasional wit, a book to help you relax, this story might be a good fit for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The main characters first meet on a dating app. He’s a 25-year-old quarterback. She’s a 29-year-old teacher and a single mom. At first, they don’t get along because the hero doesn’t want kids, while the heroine is looking for a serious relationship. But then, one unexpected event brings them back together.

I enjoyed the first part—their texting was funny—but in the second half, Dex started to annoy me. He decided to use Margo for his own benefit and saw nothing wrong with it. He felt like a big kid, way too immature for his age, and only thought about himself. Margo forgave him way too quickly. Their relationship lasted only a few weeks, yet by the end of the book, they were already talking about having a child together. I just didn’t believe in their love.

Of all the characters, I liked the heroine’s daughter, Wyatt, the most. She was the most mature one.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted, witty romance for an evening, this book might be a good pick. But I’d recommend starting with the author’s How to Date a Douchebag and Jock Hard series instead.

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
✓ sports romance
✓ opposites attract
✓ they meet on a dating app
✓ single mom
✓ football romance

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 44%.

Margot is a teacher and a single mother of a ten year old daughter.

Dex is a smoking hot quarterback, his friends are all coupled-up and he wants the same, but no kids just yet, just wall-to-wall smexy times.

Dex and Margot meet on a dating app, she thinks he's catfishing people because he is telling the truth about who he is. Then when he changes his dating profile (so as to avoid gold-diggers) they swipe right on each other. Despite the mutual attraction they agree to just be friends because she has a child and he just wants to have fun.

Unfortunately, I found that Dex read like a seventeen year old, his idea of 'moves' is to stretch and put his arm around Margot at the cinema, his idea of a date is to meet at Glam Golf - FFS what about dinner?

As with a lot of NA/YA authors I found that there was a whole lot of nothing happening as an excuse for heavy petting (eg plumbing issues leading to them both getting soaked - pfft), no life outside each other. So I gave up. I'm having one of those days.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

After reading Not Your Biggest Fan I was so excited to get Andy's best friend Dex's story next with Biggest Player.

This story had the potential to be great- a pro football player interested in finding a relationship now that some of his best friends have all fallen to the love bug, only to find his first real spark with the one kind of woman he would normally run from- a single mom.

I loved the playful and flirty banter between Margot and Dex, I also thoroughly enjoyed the bickering and jabs these two would swap as they started their tentative friendship of sorts. Margot's daughter Wyatt was a shining star in this book- her mischief and plotting were top tier and I really liked the way that Sara incorporated her into the story in a way that showcased her maturity but also gave way to show her childhood innocence and trust.

Unfortunately I didn't completely love this book as much as I did Andy and Harlow's. Dex is a pretty good guy with his biggest downfall being his playboyish ways. It was the way that he acted almost dumb at times like he didn't fully grasp why jumping into a relationship with Margot at the urging of his agent would cause problems- despite her clear and concise warning not to get involved with a single mom unless you mean it. Sure he had fun hanging out with Margot and Wyatt, and there was this pull towards them that he wasn't sure what to do with but he wasn't clueless as to why going into the relationship half for the PR and half because he didn't want to just be friend zoned was a bad idea. If he was he wouldn't have had all those inner monologue guilt trips.

Then there's Margot- I initially loved her strong independent personality. She's a teacher, a single mom and finally taking the step to put herself out there so that she isn't all alone when Wyatt is with her father. I loved the fire in her when she initially thought Dex was catfishing on the dating app and how she entertained his idea of friendship for half a second before putting her own needs at the forefront knowing that no guy would believe or be ok with her friendship between her and a pro football player. Then she got together with Dex and it was like some of the things I loved about her went away and she was this gooey "I have a hot boyfriend" girl. And the ease that she just forgave Dex after learning his secret and went into the "I love you" phase was a little too quick given the circumstances.

The book itself is still decently written and for the most part fun to read- I was just a little disappointed in the development of the characters especially given how much I enjoyed the first book in the series. So decent but not my favorite Sara Ney book.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. Biggest Player by Sara Ney is a fun and flirty romance that delivers plenty of laughs and steamy moments. The story revolves around a charming but cocky protagonist who is a self-proclaimed “player,” but as the narrative unfolds, we see him face personal growth and emotional depth. Ney’s witty writing style adds a playful tone, while the chemistry between the main characters is palpable and keeps the plot engaging. The book strikes a good balance between humor and heart, making it a perfect read for fans of contemporary romance with a bit of sass. Overall, Biggest Player is an entertaining and enjoyable romance that will leave you smiling.

I had so much fun reading this book. The banter between Dax and Margot had me kicking my feet. I loved how strong of a woman Margot is. Sometimes in books, especially romance, you don’t get to see a strong FMC and it was nice to see that.
I did like Dax but there were times that I wanted to shake him through the pages. I was nice to have that reaction. It shows how Sara Ney’s writing can make you feel like you’re in the middle of the story with these characters to where you physically want to get their shoulders and shake them and ask them what the heck are they doing.

I really enjoyed the dialogue in this book. The banter between the two characters sparkled and for me that carried the book. The plot was a bit meh, but I still would say I enjoyed it overall as Sara Key does write strong characters.

I loved the premise but this fell a bit flat for me. The characters weren’t that loveable and I ended up getting kind of bored. The kid was super cute tho! I’d give this a shot if you like single mom romances and meeting on a dating app!