3 "Are you following me" Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level:🌶️🌶️.5/5

I read this book a while ago, and all I really remember is that it felt meh and way too long.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Zanders is a typical playboy, with a different girl every single night in every single city where he plays an away game. He keeps a list on his phone, and it’s rarely the same girl twice. This persona is partly crafted by his agent because it brings in the money, but deep down, that’s not who Zanders truly is. It just takes him a while to figure out that constant playboy antics aren’t as fun as he thought. Their private charter team plane gets a new flight crew, which brings in Stevie Shay, who immediately does not fall for Zanders’s charm when she’s doing the exit row briefing. Zanders decides he likes her challenge and on purpose tries to get a rise out of her until she ends up in his bed. There’s definitely sexual attraction between them, but Stevie has vowed never to date another professional sports player. But fate keeps putting them in the same circles, and when Stevie wants a little fun but no heartache, who better to provide it than sexy Zanders who can’t wait to slide into her panties?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
I really liked Stevie. She’s a bit curvier than most "typical" girls in magazines and self-conscious about her appearance and her self-worth, always feeling like she’s never been valued by anyone but her brother. Her mother expected her to be some perfect pageant princess, which isn’t who she is, and constantly put her down while uplifting her brother because he’s a star athlete. As a result, Stevie is very hard on herself, closed off, and finds it tough to show vulnerability.

Zanders, on the other hand, fears commitment because of his abandonment issues. His mom left his dad, and whenever she reaches out, she only wants money. Also when his mom left, his dad only focused on his work. So Zanders feels unlovable and unworthy, thinking he doesn’t deserve happiness and most especially doesn't think he deserves love.

The initial tension between them is spectacular! Their banter was on point, funny, spicy, and they could stand toe-to-toe with each other. They grew into friends who helped each other work through their trauma, forming a sweet bond. It was adorable how each one made the other’s dreams and ambitions their own. It was just wholeheartedly cute!

I also really appreciated the supportive, wholesome side characters. Eli and his family brought that “found family” vibe to Zanders, eventually welcoming Stevie into the mix, which was cute and endearing. Every scene with them made me smile, letting us see the real Zanders behind the media playboy image. Watching him dote on his "niece" hinted at what he’d be like if he had a family of his own AND IT WAS SO CUTE!

Why the book ended up as "meh" for me in the end is even though their trauma is valid, it took ages for them to deal with it. The book felt like it was trying to be more emotionally deep than it needed to be, adding an extra 150 pages of them navigating trauma even after they were together. It dragged out the story longer than necessary and could have wrapped up more succinctly.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Sports Romance (Hockey)
▶ She Falls First - He Falls Harder
▶ Flight AttendentXHockey Player
▶ Third Act Breakup
▶ Grovelling
▶ Panic Attack Rep

and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Nicknames
▷ Brat
▷ Good Girl
▷ Hand Necklaces
▷ "Mine"
▷ Beg Me
▷ Chin Lift
▷ "Lift your hips for me..."
▷ "Hold on to the..."
▷ "Sit on my face"

Overall, it wasn’t a bad read, I enjoyed reading it by the pool. It was lighthearted at times, sexy at others, not awful, but definitely not my favourite.