I received an ARC for this book for an honest opinion. I enjoyed it. The start was a bit slow but afterwards the pace picked up for me. I was entertained and Mallory had some funny moment. Although I did feel for her at times.

This book was very cheesy and felt very immature. It was very predictable. The characters did not feel like high schoolers at all.

As much as I wanted to love this book, sadly, it wasn't for me. I think it was the writing style that didn't work out.

3.5 stars... Wow. I definitely did not expect the ride that took me on! The first 90% of the book was a very cute YA love story and if I would've stopped after 250 pages I would've rated it 5 stars. All of a sudden it all went downhill and turned into a heavy, convoluted, excessively coincidental mystery novel. All of which was crammed into the last few chapters of the story! It's a shame because I was really enjoying Troy and Mallory’s easy fun romance. When the story started to unfold at the end of the book there was just TOO much being revealed and in a short span of pages. And while I like happy endings, this story just didn’t do it for me.

Thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for Providing me with An ARC in exchange for an honest review .
***********
“I don’t know how long we kiss. But we kiss as if it’s our first and our last and all of the other times in between. We kiss like we’re making up for lost time, and we’ve got no time at all. And we kiss like there’s no one and nothing else, just each other “
Book : I spy the Boy Next Door .
Author : Samantha Armstrong .
Genre : YoungAdult , Romance , Contemporary.
Rating : 3.5/5 .
Review in one word : Puzzling .
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When I first started reading this story , I was sure that I won’t be able to continue reading it , I mean for the first chapters , the concept isn’t new at all ( a good girl who has a crush on the bad guy during high school ), but actually the story is so much more .
The author, Samantha Armstrong, has a special writing style , she writes in a mysterious way , you really can’t help yourself ,you just want to read more so you could connect the dots and understand what is happening , what are the connections between the characters , for me that was what got me to continue reading this novel , and I’m actually glad I did .
Our story starts with Mallory , a sweet and good girl whose parents are very protective , she has been homeschooled , hasn’t got that much friends and is trying to change all that by going to a real school .Then we’ve got Troy , Mallory’s neighbor and secret crush . The story is’nt your usual romance , yeah we have a love story , but it’s actually not what all the story talks about , Mallory’s life , past , present is all a complete mystery that starts to unfold when she starts going to school .
For me , the plot was really amazing , but on the other side , I didn’t like the characters that much , even the main couple , I wasn’t interested in their love story as much as I was interested in Mallory’s story .
I recommend this book for people who love a mystery , also , romance lovers will enjoy this too .
I won’t talk anymore about the story so I won’t spoil you but I will leave the summary below so you can check it out.
“The world is a dangerous place, Mallory. And the dangers come in all shapes and forms,”

My full review on the blog :https://bibliomedico.wordpress.com/2019/05/29/i-spy-the-boy-next-door-book-review/

Thank you to NetGalley, Xpresso Book Tours and Samantha Armstrong for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book more than I ended up doing so. It was very Colleen Hoover-esque, but not as well written. There were too many cliches and not enough plot/character clarity for me to really love this book. What redeemed it somewhat, was the mystery/thriller element to the plot and the (expected) twist at the end that doesn't wind up being what you think it's going to be.

Mallory is a senior in high school who has only been homeschooled up until this point in her life because she was almost kidnapped as a young child - leaving her parents extremely overprotective. Convincing her parents she needs one year of teenage "normalcy"- she enrolls in the local school where her 5- year long crush, Troy, attends. AKA the bad boy/underground-fighter/Harley riding/tattoed/next door neighbor. (Hello cliches.) Troy is super rude and broody for the first half of the book and then suddenly IN LOVE with Mallory. His reasoning for the "flip" is explained, but what I couldn't understand is why Mallory stuck around crushing on him for 5 years when he was such a jerk!

Written solely from Mallory's POV, the book moves at a decent pace, but she makes some moves that I didn't feel aligned with her naive, sheltered, socially awkward character. By the end, I appreciated that the mystery element and Troy's brooding character were well explained. But it was almost TOO much of a far-fetched explanation in too little of pages for it to sit well with me.

My opinions are very conflicted when it comes to judging and rating this book.
I enjoyed the book for what it was worth, like we’ve all had crushes that we might have mildly stalked and obsessed over and that was the main plot of the book but then there were a few instances where the plot felt very cliché or even far fetched. But overall I did enjoy my time reading this book as it’s great if you’re looking for a cute contemporary and a fast read to get you out of a reading slump

Mallory Taylor has been homeschooled for all her life. When she was a child, she was almost kidnapped, so understandably her parents have a good reason to be overprotective (although their later behaviour in the book made me question this premise). Now that Mallory is almost 18, she finally gets her wish granted- she can go to the local public school and finally meet her long time crush/ neighbour Troy Parker. Mallory might excel at maths and physics, but as far as human relationships go, she hasn't got much experience. Her only friend Nicole is also homeschooled and they have never even met in real life. Her parents have been hoping she would form a close relationship with Kaitlyn, their friend's daughter, who was pulled out of school because of bullying, but they just never clicked. Once Mallory is at school, she is surprisingly quick to make a few friends, and start dating the object of her inexplicable obsession Troy. A series of unexpected twists and what started out as a YA romance turns into quite a thriller.
I'm still in two minds about this book. On one hand, it was a very fast read and I didn't feel tempted to skip anything and go to the end. On the other hand, a lot of it sounded too familiar
As far as the characters are concerned, Mallory was a bit of hit and miss with me. Some of the things she said didn't sound natural or necessary (why she had to swear at Troy is a bit of a mystery for me as well as his lack of reaction to being called a few unpleasant names). Troy's character and motivations could have been developed more, but here I'm willing to make allowances, as we have only Mallory's POV. I would have also liked to know more about Mallory's new friends and a lot more about her parents.
The ending was a bit too fast for me, while some of the explanations that were supposed to tie the loose ends just confused me. Personally, I would have preferred a tiny bit of foreshadowing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Samantha Armstrong /Expresso Book Tours for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley, in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This story was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but the overall impression I came away with was positive. The lead characters are in their last year of high school - which ostensibly identifies the book as YA. As an adult reader, I don't often read that genre and admit I'm not well-versed in it. However, I'm not biased. If the writing is solid and the characters relatable - or at least likable - I'm game.

There were many strengths here. I was drawn in and engaged from start to finish, but I'm not going to get into the particulars here. In this case I feel the book is safe enough that an interested reader should experience it for themselves and believe it will appeal to the age it is directed towards.

In the way of some mild criticism, character development could use some fine-tuning, particularly in Mallory's case. She did and said things that were rather out of character for her, mostly in the earlier chapters, and this told me that the writer got to know her heroine as she progressed with the story rather than having a solid grip on her beforehand.

The blurb indicates that this is an enemies-to-lovers type story but that isn't the half of it. I'd describe it more as part teenage romance, part coming-of-age with a mystery/suspense element. To be sure, there were a few twists and turns. They were executed fairly well, but I should point out that while the mystery aspect doesn't require complete suspension of belief it is nevertheless a wee bit far-fetched at times.

First-person narration in the heroine's POV. The book contains a small amount of non-graphic sexual contact between the protagonists, some swearing and mild violence. Real-life issues touched on include PTSD, parental death and the self-harm of a secondary character.

Aside from a few tweaks here and there and thorough edit, the book is fine for the interests of older teens and young adults and I would allow my own high-school age child to read it.

I don't know of the writer or her experience level, but she has potential and I wouldn't turn down a chance to read more by her.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I fell for this book and these characters-I absolutely loved it! I originally requested this title because I had a crush on a neighbor growing up. I loved Mallory and her internal dialogue. She was so anxious and unsure but seemed to convey that in an honest and relatable way. Troy was described as the dreamy great guy-yes there were some instances that were too good to be true but this is fiction. I loved the twist and the conclusion. This book left me wanting more! Sequel please!! I am certainly a fan of Samantha Armstrong!!

I Spy the Boy Next Door: I will admit that I completely got sucked into this book. Before I even got to chapter 4 I was thinking what excuses I had to pull out my kindle and find out what happens next. Mallory is a dynamic character who has a level head, clear thinking, and (sometimes) blindsiding panic. I enjoyed the push and pull of the relationships. Enough detail and plot that as the resolution came I was dreading turning the page to see the acknowledgement as the book came to a close. This book was unexpected, warm, and worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley, Author (Samantha Armstrong), and Koru House Press for this ARC and opportunity for review.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"You don't have anything to worry about, okay? I got you. Today and all the today's after"

If you are looking for an easy read with a bad boy that rides a Harley and is a boxer + a goody two shoe virgin that never leaves her bedroom romance with just a hint of mystery, this one is for you. Although this story has its cliques, it was a really easy and quick read. I spy the boy next door isnt a typical cushy romance that I labeled it, to begin with, it has a surprisingly dark twist that I wish the author brought up earlier in the book because it leaves you wanting that little bit more, as it gets thrown at you very quickly towards the end. Although it was on the cheesy side like a lot of romances have I truly enjoyed it and hey if Troy Parker was my neighbor I wouldn't be mad about it.

I found the premises very cliched - I almost could have let most of it go if the mom hadn't been cheating with Troy's dad. It was just too much.

Mallory had a crush on the same guy next store for the last five years. Something about him completely sucked her in. Maybe it was his mysterious nature and blue eyes. His six foot frame , unruly dark hair, tattoos had her ogling him whenever she got the chance. His eyes are now harsh, focused, and completely oblivious of Mallory. She knew his routine like the back of her hand. Mallory’s penpal is Nicole. They had been chatting online on the computer for three years. They had never met in person. Mallory wanted to go to public school-H S- it was her senior year. She had been homeschooled all her life. But she’d be eighteen in a couple months. When Mallory was younger she had apparently almost been kidnapped hence the reason she never went to public school or even out of her mother's sight. Mallory didn’t remember almost being taken but it had clearly traumatized her mother na dher also as she had her first panic attack after that and the nightmares had started. But she’s almost an adult and very rarely has panic attacks or nightmares anymore. If she stays home forever Mallory will lose her mind completely. She needed to venture out, go to H S, experience just a little bit of her teenage years before it was too late. When she goes to her father he says yes and than her mother agrees although reluctantly. Although the semester has already started she is still getting to go. Mallory met a scary nice girl named Evie who helped her out when a couple was making out against her locker. Now she was in the seat directly behind mallory in Math Than he-the boy next store-Troy comes in her class and. Her day just got better.He stops by her and she realizes she is in a laimed seat -by Troy. By the time lunch comes around mallory wonders if she has lost her sanity completely. But she has to ride it out. She can’t tell her mom she may have been right. Than she sees Evie and follows her to a table. She meets Jamie.Evie introduces her as the new kid. Evie said he was an actor. Evie told mallory Troy was a boxer best in the state but the boy he was talking to -Dax -was probably trying to get him to fight in an underground match. Evie asked her if she wanted to go see the fight and mallory said yes and snuck out and Mallory gave her a ride. Troy comes up to her and asks her whats he was doing there, she sees the blood on him from the fight and faints. Evie comes up with dax’s arm around her. Troy tells Evie to take mallory home and she does. The next morning she goes to her computer to tell Nic /Nicole what had happened. She found she already had messages from Nic. Troy didn’t speak to Mallory once he was in Math when he comes in the classroom. He just kept ignoring her when she seen him. Than a guy names Peter invites to a party at his house this weekend . Evie tells her troy will be there and she decides to go. Than Jamie said he and Evie will pick her up. Mallory decides to confront Troy and see what his problem is. Mallory got drunk and doesn’t remember much. But Evie lets her know troy took her home and must have carried her into hre room. Than Mallory gets the flu from Evie. She misses some school and one night Troy comes through her window he said he was checking up on her and making sure she was alright since she had told him to come up any time he wanted even though she didn’t remember it. Troy told Mallory he had noticed erh spying on him a couple of years ago.
A new favorite for me. I loved this book. It was an exciting read. This had angst, drama. Lies, secrets, murder, penpals, panic attacks, boy next store, murder, tattoos, FBI agent, cheating, drug lord, unknown sister, danger,action, suspense, love, and so much more. I love troy and Mallory together and how they interacted even when they were trying to ignore each other especially Troy. I loved how Evie than Jamie became her friend right away. I was glad Mallory’s biological dad did really love her biological mother and her and her sister and only wanted to be forgiven. He gave his life up and stayed to prison for his girls. I was so happy when Troy stopped ignoring mallory. I really got into this book and felt like I was there and i didn’t want to put this down and lost some sleep to finish the same day I started this book. I loved how mallory’s adopted parents loved her and her mom and her biological mother had been best friends. I loved the pace and the plot. Everything about this book. I found nothing to criticize - happily. I loved the ending. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend it.

Everyday at 4pm Mallory spies out her window at the boy next door returning from his run. Troy is every teen girls fantasy. He has muscles, attitude and tattoos. Mallory has been sheltered her whole life and is homeschooled by her parents. She finally gets them to agree to let her go to public school her senior year of high school. Troy happens to attend the same school and Mallory is caught up in his fast changing moods every time he sees her. Mallory soon finds herself sneaking out at night to do reckless things in hopes that she may run into Troy. Breaking the rules means getting closer to Troy, and getting closer to Troy means unraveling a past that she may not want to know about...
Going into reading I Spy The Boy Next Door, I had very little expectations honestly. I thought it was going to be another YA romance novel about two teenagers but boy was I wrong!! Not many YA/New Adult novels tug at my emotions and heart strings. I felt all of Mallory's emotions right along with her. Coming from someone who also suffers from anxiety everything she was going through was so accurate. The way Samantha Armstrong portrayed Mallorys Crush for Troy was so sweet and endearing, It reminded me of Bella and Edward from Twilight. Troy's brooding and shifting moods, sneaking into her window at night. Troy's character has a tough exterior but has such a soft spot for Mal and it's seriously adorable. This book made me squeal along side Mal as her relationship progressed! I loved honestly loved this book. I don't read many YA novels but this one will definitely be on my mind for a while! Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the advanced copy! This review was my complete honest opinion!

This young adult book has romance and a little mystery with a few shocking twists/surprises. It has a Colleen Hoover vibe, so fans of her books will enjoy this one as well. She is going into her senior year of school and has only been home schooled. Grudgingly her parents allow her to have this one year of experiencing a 'normal' teenage year in the public school system, where she gets to come face to face with her next door neighbor/long term crush interest, whom she only previously viewed through her bedroom window. Of course, things don't always go as planned. As you are reading, you can sense there are secrets, but you won't be able to guess and will be quite shocked when you find the truth. The emotions stay pretty steady while reading, not much up and down in that department, but there are one or two instances that are a little heavier. The Hero is a little mysterious. You don't really get a good feel for his thoughts or feelings... at least until closer to the end of the book, when he opens up. He's closed off and comes across a bit broody. The Heroine, having barely left her house at all in her life, is somewhat socially awkward. She is curious, self-conscious, and has anxiety issues that sometimes hinder her. She is also daring, willing to take risks. It starts on the slow side. The sexual content (limited as it is) is pretty clean and safe for teens and up. It's written solely from her POV.

*Received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This was quite a story I was pleasantly surprise and a little annoyed by some of the plot point but overall it was not bad. I enjoyed how naive and honest Mallory was as the protagonist she was a refreshing character who knew who she was and what she needed. I think I would have really enjoyed the story more if it was told as well from Troy's point of view and not just Mallory or even her family to get a stronger grasp of who they are and how they all feel about the big secret. The story was just a little to easy for Mallory and how she just worked everything out and accept it for what it is and moved on. I would have like to know Katherine struggles and how she was dealing with her suicidal issues, anxiety, and relationship with her mother. Overall I really enjoyed the story and the idea of the story however it feels slightly incomplete.

If I read this book when I was in high school then maybe I would have loved it. As it is, I unfortunately didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped to. The plot felt all over the place and a key twist introduced towards the end left me feeling a little baffled/confused. How did this story about a teenage girls' high school obsession end up involving the FBI and a drug cartel? There was so much going on in this book and I honestly don't know where to start my review... The writing style, a mix of chat messages in between paragraphs, was easy and fun to read. This was a very light summer read that I think would be perfect for more mature young adults, probably in high school.

Having been homeschooled all her life, Mallory has led a sheltered life. After a kidnapping incident when she was a child, her parents become overprotective, so Mallory doesn't have friends and is pretty naive. As a result of this incident, Mallory also frequently suffers from anxiety attacks. The highlight of the last five years has been getting to spy on her hot neighbour, Troy Parker. He rides a Harley, is completely tatted up, and has a body to thirst for, and Mallory basically lives for the moment she gets to watch him. When she's in her last year of school, she manages to easily convinces her parents to let her go to public school so she can experience a normal student life. At school, she meets brooding Evie and exuberantly gay Jamie, and finally comes face-to-face with Troy, who is extremely hot/cold around her. Mallory also very quickly starts to become a wild child: sneaking out at night to go to illegal boxing matches, and wild house parties and getting completely wasted.

This is where things started to get really frustrating for me because it basically ended up being a book about Mallory's obsession with Troy. I mean, I get it. I've been there too. I was a raging hormonal teenager who had all-consuming crushes that I couldn't stop thinking about, and who lost the ability to speak when they walked by. But I felt that this was next level cliche; I'm all for the cheese, but when Mallory describes how Troy's gaze pierces her and fills her soul with life, it just got a bit too much for me. This was definitely steamier than most of the YA novels I've read (with the exception of SJM books) but the sexy scenes, and Mallory's openly sexual thoughts, are the only reason this book could be qualified as NA. Otherwise, the characters were way too YA.

So much of the story was focused on how she felt and acted around him, that there was very little depth. I thought the characters also lacked depth--I wanted to know more about Jamie and Evie, and even about Mallory (beside her obsession). Her parents' care and support was very sweet, although with how overprotective they were supposed to be, they very easily let her go and do her own thing, no questions asked. I got no hint of their overprotectiveness and paranoia, especially when Mallory was able to sneak out of her house the week of her first day of school?

I also thought that the 'plot twist' really came from out of the blue. While I was pleasantly surprised by it, I was equally baffled about how this all made sense. SPOILERS: one minute we're deep into a love-story-obsession, and the next minute we get the FBI, witness protection, the Colombian drug cartel, a murderous rage born of jealousy, hundreds of thousands in hidden cash, and a shoot out. What?! Yeah... I felt Armstrong really rushed the ending, trying to resolve everything in a very short amount of time. I personally thought that this book could have been much shorter than it was. There wasn't much going on in the storyline until the end, and then it was like everything all at once.

Overall, I had high hopes for this novel, but in the end it just wasn't for me. Samantha Armstrong's writing isn't bad though, so I would maybe be interested to see what else she comes out with. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a good effort, but it fell flat for me because it was sort of a mess developmentally. It felt like I had reader whiplash - suddenly this happened, but wait! Then this other plot line suddenly came out of nowhere, etc. The writing does have a lot of promise and potential, if the developmental issues can be sorted out via a good editor and everything is really tightened and perfected. I could see what the author was going for in the story, but it got muddled by a lack of clarity in execution. That said, I would definitely give the author another chance.

📖 I Spy The Boy Next Door📖
🖋Samantha Armstrong

Much thanks to NetGalley, Xpresso Book Tours and Samantha Armsteong for this complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own.

BUY THIS BOOK: Amazon ● Book Depository ● Barnes & Noble

📚 Series: No
📚 Genre: New Adult : Romance
📚 POV: First person.
📚 Cliffhanger: No.

⚠ Content Warnings: Spying/stalking. Descriptions of injuries/blood. Panic attacks.
⚠ Read if: you are into cheesy and cliche reads.

I Spy The Boy Next Door is about Mallory Taylor, a homeschooled girl who has a 5-year long crush with Troy Parker, the bad boy living next door. She is finally allowed to attend highschool because she is now 18, and to her surprise, Troy also attends there and is actually there in one of her classes.

This is a light and easy romantic read, with all the clichès that I was addicted to when I was 14 to 16, basically 10 years ago. Bad boy meets clueless-virgin-turning-wild-child.

A few pieces of freedom and she's lying to her parents, sneaking out, partying, watching underground boxing and even letting a boy sneak up to her room.

I hated all the cliches. I hated sleep-stalking a la Edward Cullen and just barging into her room without consent. I hated lines like this:
There was just so much blood, and before I knew it, I was on the ground. . . and in his arms. SCORE! Maybe having panic attacks and getting nauseous at the sight of blood isn’t such a bad thing.
and this:
I never would’ve thought the help I would need would come from a gay guy and a chick as blunt as they come.


A redeeming part would be the plot twist toward the end, I guess.

Still, it is an okay read, I'm sure many would find it great. Also still looking forward to author's future works.

☁ THE CRITERIA ☁

🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Hero:⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐
🌻 Romance:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐

☁FINAL VERDICT: 2.45/5 ☁