A review by astridthebookishsweettooth
International Player by Louise Bay

3.0

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I love me some British accent spoken in a beautiful male voice. Shane West can totally read me bedtime stories. I've listened to other audiobooks narrated by him but it doesn't get old. If there is one thing I found a little out of place (and I can't remember him doing that before) is that he actually shouted during...uh...sexy times. It sounded more like he was in pain than in the throes of pleasure. Other than that he did a wonderful job performing Noah's part.

I'm not a stranger to Saskia Maarleveld's narration either but I have never heard her British accent before. I loved it!

A couple of years ago Noah left London to pursue a career in New York, leaving behind his best friend, Truly. Now, I'm all for following your dreams but how did they just fell out of touch? If my best friend was going away I'd make damn sure to check in, talk on the phone, skype, facetime or even do smoke signals, if necessary. In a time like we live in it's never been easier to stay in touch. Right? I don't mean to make this a huge issue but it did give me pause.

When Noah returns he reconnects with Truly. She's still the same, nerdy, hardworking and still doesn't realize how beautiful she is. Throughout the story Noah tries to build up Truly's self esteem. She has never felt that she stood out, especially compared to her sister. I have to admit that her extremely low opinion of herself started to grate on me and no matter what Noah told her, she never believed that she was worthy of him which was reflected in her inner monologue. Her "woe-is-me" attitude and her opinion of his womanizing ways (which he had left behind at that point) created obstacles which should have been cleared with communication. But they didn't talk, not really.

Noah's player status is being repeated a lot throughout the book. I don't mind if the heroes are manwhores, especially if I see the change which I actually did with this man. There was one situation that made me scratch my head though. They were at a restaurant and Noah was confronted with two of his ex-hookups/girlfriends. He was completely oblivious to Truly's feelings and even had to ask his best friend. It made him look like a bit of a tool to be honest.

Despite all that I found both Truly and especially Noah likable. Noah really gave his feelings consideration. Because he'd never been in love it took him a little to recognize the feeling but when he did he was all in.

I wish I could have loved this one a little more. I was impressed with the author's writing style and while I wasn't on board with the characters' development I was still invested throughout the story and enjoyed this story. I will definitely read another book by Louise Bay.