The Player You Know

South Bay Players #0.5

by Veronica Eden

The best way to practice hooking up? By agreeing to tutor South Bay’s hottest surfer…if he’ll coach me.

This semester will be different. It’s part of my five year plan.
But one thing isn’t following me to campus—my V-card.

The only problem? I’m clueless about relationships. While I focused on academics, everyone else aced a class I skipped.

So I devise an idea to conquer my lack of experience. Persuading someone to teach me.

I have the perfect tutor in mind: my brother’s best friend.
Cooper Vale. Hometown heartthrob, sultry player, and my neighbor since we were kids.

Falling for him was never part of the plan.

But his lessons are nothing like I expect.

I’d never guess the hot surfer everyone wants is different behind his sculpted muscles and playboy reputation. He’s sweet, attentive, and more focused on building my confidence lesson by seductive lesson than getting into my pants when I ask for his help.

He’s so convincing I forget this is fake. Outside of our practices, he’s out of my league…right?

Because there’s no way Cooper feels the same, even if he’s uttering how good I’m doing like a man obsessed every time he touches me.

I thought I was immune to his charms...
But the way I unravel whenever I’m with him threatens to break every rule we made to keep this casual.



*Note: The Player You Know is a brother's best friend college romance with spicy tutoring lessons from the boy next door. It was originally published under The Devil You Know.

Genres: Novella, Romance, Sports Romance, Friends To Lovers, Fake Dating, Contemporary Romance, Sports

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2024

About the author

Veronica Eden is a USA Today and International bestselling author of romances with spitfire heroines, irresistible heroes, and edgy twists.

She loves exploring complicated feelings, magical worlds, epic adventures, and the bond of characters that embrace us against the world. She has always been drawn to gruff bad boys, clever villains, and the twisty-turns of a morally gray character. She is a sucker for a deliciously swoony hero with a devastating smirk. When not writing, she can be found soaking up sunshine at the beach, snuggling in a pile with her untamed pack of animals (her husband, dog and cats), and surrounding herself with as many plants as she can get her hands on.

Keep up with Veronica:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ bit.ly/venewsletter
Instagram ➜ instagram.com/veronicaedenauthor
Website ➜ bit.ly/veronicaeden
Amazon ➜ amazon.com/author/veronicaeden
Facebook ➜ facebook.com/veronicaedenauthor
TikTok ➜ tiktok.com/@veronicaedenbooks

Reviews

[Yas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Player you Need was exactly what I needed after TDYK!

I loved Simone and Jackson in TDYK, and I am so happy we got to see a little bit of their story in this cute Novella.
Although TPYN is pretty short, it is packed with fake dating, forced proximity, secret pining, and two lovable characters finally getting together.
And this made me want to reread The Devil You Know so badly!

🗂Genre: Contemporary Romance
📕Type: Novella, interconnected to The Devil You Know

🏷Tropes:
- Best Friend's Brother/ Sister's Best Friend
- Fake Dating (Wedding date)
- Forced Proximity
- Sharing body heat *ahhh*
- Mutual Pining

⚠️Safety: no cheating, no owd/omd

📖eBook: 1st person, Dual POV

📚If you loved this, check out: The Devil You Know

___Reviews___
Book 1 (Tatum & Cooper ): The Devil You Know
Novella (Simone and Jackson: The Player You Need

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Player You Need is a novella that comes after The Devil You Know, also from this author. This one is a frenemies to lovers, best friend’s brother, fake dating novella!

Simone we met in TDYK, she is best friends with Tatum, the heroine of that book. Simone has always had a bit of a frenemies, but secretly been crushing on Tatum’s brother, Jackson. So when the story starts Simone needs a quick fake date to her cousin’s wedding, since she RSVP’d that she was bringing a date and doesn’t want to show up at another family event without one. Simone wants someone who isn’t a stranger and will go along with a fake date so Tatum suggests her brother Jackson!

This was short and cute, we get some camping/forced proximity with sharing a tent and then of course the fake dating at her cousin’s wedding. I didn’t feel as much from this shorter story, but it was a fun addition if you’ve read TDYK first and met these characters.

[eileen.txm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
The Player You Know war für mich eine richtig gute Story für zwischendurch. Das Buch liest sich sehr leicht und man kann beim Lesen einfach abschalten und eine gute Zeit haben. Gleichzeitig war die Handlung aber auch ziemlich vorhersehbar und vielleicht sogar ein bisschen trashig .. genau das braucht man manchmal aber auch einfach glaube ich.

Die Charaktere hatten meiner Meinung nach nicht besonders viel Tiefe, was mich hier aber gar nicht so sehr gestört hat, weil das Buch insgesamt eher eine leichte, unterhaltsame Geschichte sein sollte. Die spicy Szenen muss ich allerdings wirklich loben, besonders die am Anfang der Story die waren richtig gut geschrieben.

Im mittleren Teil gab es für mich einen Moment, in dem sich die Geschichte etwas gezogen hat, weil dieses typische „beide wollen sich, denken aber, dass es für die andere Person nichts bedeutet und alles nur fake ist" sehr lange ausgespielt wurde. Auch das TikTok-Thema, das im Buch eine große Rolle spielt, war nicht ganz meins. Ich verstehe zwar, dass es für das Ende wichtig war und im Kontext Sinn gemacht hat, aber generell mag ich es nicht so gern, wenn Social Media ein so großer Bestandteil einer Story
ist.

Insgesamt war es trotzdem eine unterhaltsame, leichte Romance für zwischendurch, die glaube ich gerade für den Sommer echt gut geeignet ist.

[memoriediunalettricedisperata francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lettura molto carina e facile da seguire. Personalmente penso che forse la parte finale un po' troppo tirata per le lunghe, ma nonostante ciò è stato davvero carina da leggere. Aveva delle bellissime premesse ma sento come man mano per certi versi si siano perse un po. Diciamo che la parte di tutto il fake dating poteva essere gestita meglio. Rimane comunque una lettura godibilissima e che mi ha intrattenuta in questi giorni.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars: I liked the premise but it was too cheesy and cringe for me + the whole fake dating part felt ridiculous to me and I hated the constant references to tiktok and the fact that everybody acted like they were celebrities for posting 5 tiktoks. Overall it lacked characterisation and depth for me

[Sam Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Cute little brother’s best friend, fake dating romance. Minor miscommunication but sweet all the same.

[Mailise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute summer read. A light fake dating, brother's best friend, coming of age story!

While I enjoyed reading the book for the most part, there were some moments that felt unrealistic and forced. The characters are pretty young (Tate is 18 and Cooper is 20) and their conversations with one another are somehow both immature at times and then clearly written form the perspective of someone older. For instance, Cooper calls her baby girl and it just seemed weird because he is not that old himself? It just came off as them both cosplaying at being an adult and then there would be some Gen Z vernacular to remind me they were in fact teenagers still.

Overall, a fine read though.

[Shelby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this used from a book store and did not realize that the story was only 50 pages of the book, and the rest were several chapters of another story by the author.

The story was super rushed and meh, neither character having a personality other than what other characters told us was their personality. I just never cared.

More than anything though I feel jipped that I spent as much money as I did for 50 pages of story.

[Elisa Damiani · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5⭐️
I found this book boring and the plot lacked depth.
I’m not giving it just 1 star because some scenes were really cute, and I always feel bad about leaving negative reviews.
The miscommunication trope, which was really short, didn’t help me enjoy the book, and even though pop culture references in books aren’t something I love, I let it slide because there are bigger problems than TikTok being mentioned in this novel.

[Meriyem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it feels like I've already read this last year and maybe forgot to log it to Goodreads.

Anyway, I reread this and I didn't quite like it. I'm a Sports Romance Fan, but I didn't see anything as a Sports Romance in this book, so yeah, the author shouldn't have counted this book as a Sports Romance Book.

Not my best read or average read I guess. Looking for a better Sports Romance book that literally has mentions of Sports.

[abire · Rating 2 out of 5]

“When it comes to Simone, I’ve always wanted to play for keeps.”

This was too fast, short and rushed for me to feel anything for either character or the story tbh!

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The miscommunication third act break up was so BLEGH I couldn't care less I just wanted it to end. They were sweet I just wish they'd spoken with each other more plus if they'd use a little less non accurate teen speech dialogue

[maru · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Breanna Ratliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was super cute! I defiantly saw all of it coming. But enjoy this author!

[peyton crawford · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️
but five out of five stars at making me cringe tbh I love Veronica eden tho so this is the exception

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 37%. This is just getting boring. There’s no plot at all, and the spice is awkward and not fun to read.

[renata · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dois tontos

[Colby Bettley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg I devoured this!!! It was amazing. So funny, angsty, cute, and steamy! Gave me major 90s/ early 2000s romcom vibes and I’m so here for it

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the book was definitely very cute, i did feel that it was rushed like parts that could have been cute in the plot were skipped like a week here and there would just be missing, however i did pick the book because of how short it was, i wanted a book that i could read on the plane so i had 2 3hr plane rides this weekend and i started and finished it during them so i got exactly what i asked for

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Being with her makes me feel like I’m constantly riding a wave, an endless, exhilarating rush. I’ve had so many of her firsts. I want to be all her lasts, too.”

🩵👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻🌊🏄🏻🏄🏻‍♀️🫶🏽📝📓💜

I loved Jackson and Tatum sooooo much!! This might be my new favorite spicy lessons book, because it was done with absolute perfectionnnnnnnn! I really enjoyed this one!! Another Surfer Romance and I’m officially obsessed!!!

[Callee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pacing: 🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️
Main Characters:
South Bay Players book 1.
Tatum and Cooper
Absolute perfection. These tropes, these characters, the writing all fantastic. There’s not a slow or less than amazing page to be found. I’m not 100% who the next book will be about but there is absolutely no doubt that I will read it and more Veronica Eden books.



SPOILERS POSSIBLE IN TROPES

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*
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Tropes:
✍️ College
✍️ Virgin FMC
✍️ Brother’s Best Friend
✍️ Fake Dating
✍️ Dual POV

[Natalie Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was up and down. There were slow parts to it but overall it was a fantastic book. I was going through a reading slump so I think that’s why the beginning didn’t really sit with me. But by halfway through I was flying through it. The reading slump is gone and now I hope Jackson and Simone get together!

[Lisa T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was shorter than a novella. Could have really been considered just bonus scenes. I really enjoyed the devil that you know so I was super excited to read Simone and Jackson's story. I liked it okay, but i was disappointed that the last 40% was Tatum & Cooper's story which I already read. Seemed kind of backward to me when this storyline happened chronologically after The Devil You Know.

[Autumn Breier · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 Stars!

Book #254 Read in 2026!

The Player You Know is book 1 in the South Bay Players Series. I enjoyed reading The Player You Know and can't wait to continue reading the South Bay Players Series. The Player You Know is the first book by Veronica Eden that I have read and it won't be the last. I loved Tatum and Cooper.

[Jiriadzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mid

2.5 🌟
Honestly at least 25% of the book wasn't needed but if you're someone who likes living the relationship and that being the absolute entire book without any other plot or subplot then you're going to love it. That being said the guy was a top tier boyfriend

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spicy Lessons.✔️
Brother's Best Friend ✔️
He Falls First (and Hard) ✔️

This one had all of the elements that I love, and it was a very enjoyable read; but the characters felt very young which sometimes just didn't hit right for me.

[Krista-Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know, I didn’t DNF but I should have

[Lisa Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet fake dating to falling in love story. Brother’s best friend.

[Ira Ravinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and fun book. I enjoyed reading it and would like to read more books by this writer

[Wendy]

They're both very young.