The short version - at 85% I wanted to DNF.

Mallory (a textbook Mary Sue) is a sheltered, judgmental, "good" girl. She's been homeschooled her entire life by her overprotective mother, and plans her entire day around spying out the window at her sexy next door neighbor, Troy. She's got his schedule memorized and makes a point to be looking out her window at him at every opportunity. When she convinces her parents to let her go to public school for the rest of her senior year, she's face to face with the guy she's been creeping on.

It's hard not to compare this book to Beautiful Disaster after the outright mention of Travis Maddox in the beginning. Troy is an underground boxer with tattoos that rides a motorcycle. Mallory is a good-girl with not much personality outside of her obsession with Troy. Even the tertiary characters lined up, like Jamie, the gay best friend.

This book to me was borderline toxic. Mallory was full on creepy with her obsession with Troy, both before and after meeting him. The whole romantic storyline seemed so unnatural, one second he won't look at her and the next they're in love forever? Not likely. She was obsessed with needing him, and it was unhealthy and creepy.

Up until about 85% through, this is the entire plot. There's zero conflict and the romance isn't even steamy or compelling enough to make it worth it. Towards the end, there's a rushed, illogical plot point that just boiled my blood. I won't give away any spoilers, but let's just say I just skipped around to get to the end of the book.

This book was predictable, boring, and unrealistic. I'm typically not this harsh with my reviews but something about this just really bothered me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
It was very easy to read and was at times, addictive. The two main characters Troy and Mallory, have a lot of chemistry that would appeal to YA readers. There were some aspects to Troy that I found a bit unbelievable in a boy his age, (mode of transport, tatts, boxing etc) but maybe he's older than what I imagine. I thought the story was going to be light and predictable and then all of a sudden, everything is turned on it's head.
There wasn't a dull moment and the plot didn't drag on. A definite romantic take on a sad situation.
3.5 stars

I overall enjoyed the book but the narration turned out to be pretty basic and annoying sometimes.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

This book was a little too much and I really couldn’t handle it past the “he’s a secret underground boxer” plot twist. I’m sure there are romance readers out there for this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

After being homeschooled all her life, Mallory goes to the public school. It's the perfect opportunity to make new friends. And to see, face to face, her hot neighbour. She has had a crush on him for years. She meets new people and she finds out painful truths.
I thought it was going to be a light book, easy to read. And I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm not going to spoil it for the readers, because one of the best things about this story is that the events are unexpected.
But, give it a try. You won't regret it!

Great story, different and with a secrets you don't expected. Troy is the bad boy and the boy next door, Mallory is the virgin that dream with the boy next door. They watch each other and fall in love. But the secrets they live through that is the good part of the story.
I love this story and you will enjoy reading this book too.
I received a ARC from Netgalley for a honest review.

There's only a handful of tropes that I trip over my feet running to the bookstore fast enough to pick up. The boy-next-door trope is one of them, and the synopsis of this one had me all starry-eyed. It's unfortunate that I not only disliked the book, I came away from it with a migraine wishing I could scrub my brain and erase it from my memory.

Homeschooled Mallory Taylor spends her days under the thumb of her slightly paranoid mother's careful watch, thanks to a childhood scare that has left Mallory with severe panic attacks. Every day at precisely four p.m., Mallory perches herself at her bedroom window waiting for him--Troy Parker; the bad-boy from next door. She's in love with him, and has been since the moment he moved in next door, despite the single, rather unfriendly, encounter they had all those years ago.

Resolute to experience one year of public school before going off to college, Mallory convinces her mom to send her to high school. Her motives might also include coming face-to-face with a certain someone. But Mallory discovers Troy is less than willing to have anything to do with her. With her growing confidence, new friends on her side, and a little recklessness, Mallory persists and seems to break through the walls Troy has built around himself. But secrets begin to unfold, sending Mallory on a hunt to discover the truth behind Troy's actions and how they might change her life forever.

The characters in this story were what I would expect of high schoolers; melodramatic, reckless, and a little over-the-top when it comes to feelings, i.e. sneaking into bedroom windows and watching someone sleep. What is this, Twilight? I couldn't stand Mallory, and as someone that suffers from social anxiety and panic attacks, I didn't connect with her mental health issues in the slightest--although, granted, everyone suffers in their own way. Troy was the stereotypical bad-boy next door, complete with tattoos and a Harley-Davidson. The character was completely unoriginal. And while we're on the subject of unoriginality, neither was virgin-Mallory next door pining for him out her window for no reason other than he was "a total babe." I felt no connection to her "so-called feelings" for the boy next door and even questioned her motives as she continued to "stalk him." Of all the characters in the book, I liked her parents the most despite the incessant need to remind the reader that they are overly-paranoid about her leaving the house.

As for the plot, I'd categorize this story into two sections. The first, about a homeschooled teenager, wishing to enter public school to better handle her social anxieties before going to college, and the relationship she begins to cultivate with the mysterious, moody boy next door. The second half of the plot would be something straight out of a day-time soap-opera, complete with drug cartels, witness protection, murder, and affairs. Honestly, I kind of thought the whole "witness protection, undercover FBI agent living next door with his son" twist was kind of clever--at least I never saw it coming. But it felt like the author kept digging too deep to come up with another, and another, and another plot twist when it quickly became a little ridiculous.

I think there was something really good here--the basis of the idea. But the multiple plot twists, the flat and nauseating characters, and the juvenile writing style left me feeling like I was reading some sort of weird Twilight (sans the vampires) fan-fiction that I had downloaded off the internet. I'm giving I Spy The Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong one star.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the eARC.

I felt as though the author took a piece from every popular new adult novel and threw it in the mix. Not really sure why the boy next door needed to be an illegal underground boxer, but ok. Sometimes I can overlook cliches if the characters are like able enough. They weren’t. This book missed the mark on so many levels. If you are looking for angsty new adult, there are so many better options out there. Pass on this one.

This book was full of typical YA cliches, but also had some admirable originality. The plot had some very wild twists and turns, and I enjoyed the darker elements not often found in "fluff" literature. I personally did not like the main character very much, which made it difficult to get into the story.

First of all, I really appreciate the chance to read and review this. It was my second by Samantha, and I gotta say, she's a great writer!

As for the book, there were some aspects I loved and others I wasn't really a fan of..

The first half, I absolutely loved. I was so into Mal and her creeper tendencies! And all the mystery surrounding Troy (not my fave name btw, I'm of the HSM generation and can't help picturing Zack Efron and his Bieber hair when I see that name), his shirtless runs, aloof attitude and sexy tattoos... it was amazing!

The second half was a lot weaker in my opinion. I just lost my connection to the characters. I don't really know what happened, but I wasn't as invested anymore. Maybe it was because I knew there was something fishy going on, so that when the big twist came, I wasn't all that surprised. Plus, Mal's personality wasn't really to my liking so I found it hard to empathize with her.

In any case, this book is a solid, comfortable three stars. Not anything to write home about, but not at all bad either.

I will admit that I stopped reading this fairly quickly. As a mother who homeschools, who knows quite a lot of other parents who homeschool, this portrayal of homeschoolers is tired and ignorant. So much so, it's offensive, and shows a lack of research on the topic

Some homeschoolers try out public school, just to see how they feel about it. So Mallory could have just wanted to check it out, without all the weird "I have no friends because I am homeschooled and thus never allowed to interact with anyone outside my house" crap.

Mallory was whiney, entitled, and self-centered. Doesn't seem to be especially bright either. Skimming through the story, I didn't see that changing over the course of it either.

So, this is a miss for me. Which, honestly, is disappointing because the synopsis had me excited to read it.

Okay....so, I tend to use both female and male perspectives when it comes to books. For example, if a girl did this instead of a boy how would people feel about it. That was in my head while I was reading this book but how would people react if it was a boy instead of girl spying on their neighbor. Plus the book is filled with cliches.
Bad boy and an underground boxing ring, check. Check!
Tattoos and Harley Davidson, check. Ms.Goody two shoes virgin with overprotective parents, Check!
Annoying little sibling who has no purpose or relevance in the story, Check!
Half a decade long crush which seems unrequited only to the girl, but so obvious even to strangers, Check!
I always try to find something different when it comes to these types of books. Something to hold me in their world. This book wasn't that great nor was it bad. It had it's good moments. I admit I used to read books like this when I was 15 and thought it was so cute but now at 22, I know how inappropriate and terrifying that would actually be.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Samantha Armstrong for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.*

emoji rating scale: 😩🙁😐😀😍
I Spy the Boy Next Door rating: 😀

First off, let me just say that this book seemed like a (well written) standard Young Adult (YA) love story but suddenly it took some unexpected turns that had my mouth hanging open! I am SO. HERE. FOR. THAT.

This story follows Mallory, a 17-year-old who’s been home schooled all her life with extremely protective parents (after a kidnapping scare when she was a youngster). She lives for 4:00PM when she can peak out her window and watch her neighbor, Troy, come back from his daily run. *She’s only been doing this for FIVE years, NBD*

Troy is a — hella swoon-worthy — bad boy who doesn’t acknowledge Mallory’s existence. Covered in tattoos, riding a motorcycle, and boxing in the underground circuit, he knows a thing or two about being a troublemaker. *my 16-year-old self would DIE to meet him*

When Mal convinces her parents that it’s time for her to fly the coop and attend public school for her senior year, she thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to *casually* run into Troy and make him fall head over heels in love with her. Little does she know that Troy wants nothing to do with her. *Though she figures it out pretty darn quick*

The first part of this story seemed like a pretty standard — cutesy, romcom — YA story; Mal discovers new things — parties, alcohol, and IRL friends — and navigates the challenges of being a new student during her final year of high school. Then of course, Troy and Mal soon seem to become destined to be, and you don’t totally get it, but you’re here for it. *I SHIP MALTROY SO HARD* *standard, standard, standard*

Then Armstrong knocks you off your feet! The story turns into a mystery with so many plot twists I couldn’t even keep up. I don’t want to give away any spoilers — I’m just not that kind of girl — because that would ruin this story and the experience of someone reading it for the first time. All I have to say is; this book gave me #allthefeels plus more.

Samantha Armstrong is a new author to me, and I was really pleasantly surprised. The writing drew me in and kept me in my seat until the book was over, which I always am a big fan of. I do feel like the back cover throws you off a little; I almost didn’t pick this up because I felt like it wasn’t going to be that interesting of a read. Thank goodness for a really aesthetically pleasing cover and a rainy weekend day.

This is a good book to enjoy when you just want to read something that is light and don’t really care if you have read the story line before. Because yes, there is the typical bad-boy tattooed-up popular player on a motorcycle with the innocent virgin that you find in most YA or NA books these days, but the storyline was somewhat interesting and I give props to the author that I read the whole book.

Mallory spies on her neighbour a hot guy who she chats about to her online friend Nicole about all the time.



When she starts at his school after persuading her parents to stop homeschooling her she makes friends with his best friend Dax's sort of girlfriend, Evie who introduces her to the teen life of parties, watching boxing, friends, and of course sneaking out of her house!



Her and Troy keep passing in school, as well as him sneaking into Her bedroom via a trellis! Talk about modern Romeo!



Then her only sort of friend from homeschooling Kaitlyn then gets held hostage and everything changes.



From a light romance read we delve into a deep murky plot with trauma, lies and identity changes as Mallory discovers her life is not at all as she thought!



Troy's dad is an FBI agent and so from there everything really stems but until the last twenty percent of the book I couldn't put it down at all and especially the last twenty percent I was gripped in the gritty plot with a hammering heart! I was truly hooked on every plot twist and breath taking moment as you didn't know if everything would work out ok at all! Each character was great and played an essential part it's clear by the end, the love between Mal and Troy is sizzling and envious despite all the sudden realizations that become apparent that just adds to their strength as a couple. One of the best romance mysteries I have ever read, easy!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

This book seems like a YA love story but more than 2/3 of the way through it took a sudden turn that I was totally not expecting! Mallory is a high school senior who has been very sheltered and home-schooled her entire life. She watches the boys who lives next door to her, Troy, all the time. He is the same age as her and super cute. She wants to experience high school and she finally convinces her parents to let her go, she lets go a little and enjoys her first friends, parties and she actually meets Troy in real life. Initially he is not super friendly, but after awhile they get close and Mallory totally falls for him which is sweet because he has a total bad boy boxer (literally a competitive boxer) reputation and she is so innocent, and has never really experienced anything. I don't want to ruin the story but there is a sudden twist that is a real surprise, and the entire plot completely changes into a totally different story than it had been for the first part of the book. I really liked the twist and the ensuing part of the book. It made the book better because it was getting kind of boring and I was wondering what else was going to happen between Mallory and Troy.....kind of an interesting plot twist to a cute teen romance. Definitely held my interest! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!

This book is not very realistic, but it is an entertaining read. Mallory is 17, and has been homeschooled her entire life but is allowed to experience her senior year at public school. She has fallen in love with the boy next door after spying on him from her window for years. What Mallory doesn’t know, is that she is in the witness protection program because her father killed their mother in a domestic violence dispute, oh and he’s connected to the Colombian Drug cartel.

This book is a little far fetched and at first I had no idea where it was going, thinking it was a simple YA romance. But it’s a lot more then that. It was too many elements for me seemingly came out of nowhere. If you need a book to breakup all the thrillers, this is it.

We have all been there when we just need to spy on a boy, whether it be out of our bedroom window or online so Mallory is instantly relate able in that way. Mallory is the good girl, innocent and home schooled doesn't really stand a chance when it comes to bad boy Troy.



The relationship between Troy and Mallory is a little bit predictable but this is the same in lots of YA romance books. If there isn't a good girl meets bad guy romance then is it really swoon worthy? I actually really liked there relationship, they seemed realistic (sort of) and they balanced each other out nicely. One thing that wasn't realistic however was that Mallory had a lock on her bedroom door and Troy was free to climb in and out whenever he pleased. Isn't this every teen girls dream? for this much privacy.



I liked the twist when we found out about Mallorys past and the devotion Troy showed towards her. It was interesting to see almost a whole community come together to support Mallory. There were some really cute and really gripping moments in this story and the writting was perfect. I sped through the book and in my opinion that is how a YA romance should be.



Because this is a stand alone I would have loved to learn a little more about Mallory and Nic's friendship and how that was when they finally met and also what happened when Mallory went to college? Did Troy just follow her around?

Overall though I really enjoyed this and would recommend for a cute and interesting read. I rated it 4* on Goodreads.



Thank you Net Galley and Samantha Armstrong for providing me with a review copy of I spy the boy next door in exchange for my honest opinion.

I Spy the Boy Next Door by @samantharmstrong
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: 25 May 2019
•
In this book we meet Mal, who has been homeschooled all her life and has a huge crush on her neighbor, Troy.
The I Spy the Boy Next Door starts when Mal convinces her parents to go to public school for her senior year.
•
And the adventure begins! Mallory has to discover and learn how to interact with other teenagers, how school dynamics work, what is cool and what is lame.
So basically Mal starts to live for real, outside the sheltered life her mother build for her.
•
Mal also has to learn how to live with her crush so close to her in school, other then just spy him from her window.
•
Troy fights his feelings but he ends loosing that battle and it’s then that secrets start to be revealed.
Nothing in Mal’s life is at it seems and not even Troy is the exactly how she imagined him to be.
•
This is a book exciting and easy to read. I couldn’t stop till it was over.
I really recommend!
•
Thank you @netgalley for this advanced copy!
•
#findthelostbookshelf #bookphotography #book #booklover #bookstagram #bookreview #bookworm #bookish #bookaholic #booklover #bookaddict #booknerd #arc #netgalley #novel #romance #ya #ispytheboynextdoor #nacontemporary

Don’t you love it when you’re casually scrolling through Netgalley, not really looking for anything (because you already have enough books to read and review) when a plain but elegant and relatively unassuming book cover catches your attention? That book then does on to deliver a YA story that leaves you speechless. That’s exactly what happened to me when I stumbled across I Spy The Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong.

A new to me author, Ms Armstrong’s writing immediately drew me in. At first, you could be wrong in thinking the story is heading along an all too familiar path with a sweet young girl coming across a boy who fights on an underground circuit. The story progresses steadily with the girl crushing on the boy next door who feels the need to protect her despite her secretly spying on him for years from her bedroom window. An air of mystery arises when the girl in question reveals that she had been homeschooled due to an overprotective mother. Her innocence is beguiling especially when trying to find her way through school life and making friends for the first time. Panic attacks have ruled her life to date but she is determined to overcome her demons.

The story progresses with readers following Mallory’s new start in life with school, friends and all the trappings a teenager faces all whilst she continues to crush on Troy, the boy next door. When Mal starts her new school, she knows she will come across the Troy but she doesn’t expect him to know who she is. The friendship and the romantic connection between Mal and Troy may seem sudden but as you read on you come to understand that their relationship was destined to be realised.

Before you know it, the sweet story between Mal and Troy turns into a mystery which delivers an unexpected punch to your sensibilities. For readers and Mal alike, the story transcends into something totally unexpected with shocking consequences for both Mal, Troy and their respective families.

I really enjoyed this story and I will definitely be reading more books by this author. I felt her writing style wrap around me like a comfort blanket and I didn’t have to work hard to thoroughly enjoy the story, always a plus with me!

Whilst a YA romance, this story had a maturity to it which will enable readers of all ages to enjoy it.