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The Boys #3
Real Players Never Lose
I’ve heard the whispers on campus of what a player Teddy McCallister is. Most girls on campus are vying to be the one, but guys like him don’t settle down.
When he overhears that my tuition has been pulled and I’m going to basically be a college reject he makes me an offer I can’t refuse.
Be his fake girlfriend until graduation so he can get his inheritance.
It seems simple enough. I need the money and he needs someone to make him look committed.
If one thing is certain, it’s that I won’t be falling for him. But no one warned me about what happens when my fake boyfriend starts to fall for me.
When he overhears that my tuition has been pulled and I’m going to basically be a college reject he makes me an offer I can’t refuse.
Be his fake girlfriend until graduation so he can get his inheritance.
It seems simple enough. I need the money and he needs someone to make him look committed.
If one thing is certain, it’s that I won’t be falling for him. But no one warned me about what happens when my fake boyfriend starts to fall for me.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 18, 2021
About the author
Micalea Smeltzer
84 books6,256 followersMicalea Smeltzer is an author from Northern Virginia. Her two dogs, Ollie and Remy, are her constant companions. As a kidney transplant recipient she's dedicated to raising awareness around the effects of kidney disease, dialysis, and transplant as well as educating people on living donation. When she's not writing you can catch her with her nose buried in a book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 875 reviews
November 15, 2021
4 "Snookums" stars!!!!
Teddy, the college heartthrob, playboy, lady's man, the golden boy, baseball star.
At least to the outside world that's what he is. Inside he's just a sweet, affectionate boy who has been abused by his father for years...
Vanessa, the shy cornered girl who works her ass off, so she could pay her college fees. No parties, no boys, no friends. She's too busy to care about that. She has been hurt by her sister and her ex boyfriend before, and she now she is determined to keep boys at bay....
Things change for both of them when Vanessa finds out that she can't join class anymore since her fee for the month hasn't been paid and while on the other side Teddy's cruel father demands him to bring a girlfriend to a dinner. The problem is he doesn't have one.
They meet on unexpected circumstances and soon enough they make a deal.....Teddy would pay off her class fees and in return she must fake date him, so he could convince his father...
It's just little money right? A few dates and maybe a little touching? A few days together doesn't mean they'll fall for each other right? Or....will they?
Millions of questions goes unanswered but both of them knows one thing for sure...If Teddy's father finds out about this, it's game over.
This story is FREAKING ADORABLE!!!!!! Teddy's character was so different than I thought. Normally, most playboys are supposed to be cold and heartless but Teddy is the complete opposite. He is very affectionate which is strange due to his cold upbringing and what else...HE LOVES BAKING!!!! I swear I melted into a puddle at the image of him making cookies with an apron(a blue and white polka dots one with frilly lace lmao) on! And he is straightforward about his feelings which made me love him even more. He is protective and possessive over Vanessa, I swear I had a goofy smile pasted on my face through the whole book.
Vanessa, is a great girl too! Yeah she did have a lot of doubts, but it's understandable that she's scared to risk her heart again due to what she had gone through few years back. I love her fierceness and protectiveness too!!! Vanessa and Teddy are meant for each other.
Yes, this book is a slow drag but it was worth every second to me. I like how they didn't jump straight into 'I love you's and went f*cking all over the place. It was more like they got to know each other, build up trust and then worked on it which was good change with what I usually read.
I loved Teddy's friends, they were his real family and plus I really LOVED Danika. She might have been sucked as a roommate before but soon enough she became good friend to Vanessa.
Absolutely loved this book!! 4 stars since there were itty bitty problems here and there. But nevertheless it was a good, sweet college romance.
A sweet story on love, pain, sacrifice, trust, patience and friendship. Get ready a fun ride filled with laughs, cookies and lot more. Highly recommended!! Enjoy!!!
When I held you in the garden, your body grinding against mine, I saw it in your eyes. The words I said later.
I love you.
You love me—I know you do.
That leaves me with why?
Why would you end it?
Are you scared? Of me? Of feeling too much? Of falling too far?
I’m begging you.
Fall with me.
I’ll catch you. Promise.
-Teddy
January 31, 2022
Bear with me for a second, this might look like a hard rating for this book because:
1. I loved their banter
2. Vanessa wasn’t a pushover and I loved that
3. College sports romance. (Those words solve every one of my problems 80% of the time)
BUT believe when I say, even with the most precious and perfect beginning (which had not) it would have ended a disaster with the most tedious and predictable last 40% of the history of books.
I thought to myself, the author WILL NOT make the miscommunication and dilemma THAT obvious. Nobody in their right mind would do that to their story…
It.Just.Can’t.Be.
But man, was I wrong. What a waste, such a disappointment.
And let’s not discuss the graduating and magically solving the problem and THAT epilogue with the all so perfect life.
I am MAD, people, outraged and also tired.
I really, very much love Creed but I’m scared of what she will do to him, so might need to pass on the following book of the series.
1. I loved their banter
2. Vanessa wasn’t a pushover and I loved that
3. College sports romance. (Those words solve every one of my problems 80% of the time)
BUT believe when I say, even with the most precious and perfect beginning (which had not) it would have ended a disaster with the most tedious and predictable last 40% of the history of books.
I thought to myself, the author WILL NOT make the miscommunication and dilemma THAT obvious. Nobody in their right mind would do that to their story…
It.Just.Can’t.Be.
But man, was I wrong. What a waste, such a disappointment.
And let’s not discuss the graduating and magically solving the problem and THAT epilogue with the all so perfect life.
I am MAD, people, outraged and also tired.
I really, very much love Creed but I’m scared of what she will do to him, so might need to pass on the following book of the series.
September 18, 2022
4.5 stars
Real Players Never Lose is by far my favorite book in this series so far. Teddy McCallister is the absolute best! I loved Vanessa as well. Fake dating is something I can never get enough of in books. And back to Teddy, he was so much fun in the previous book and I couldn't wait to get his story. This one was a blast to read, but it also had heavier moments and was more emotional than I expected. Overall, I've enjoyed this series lots and I'm excited to read more.
Real Players Never Lose is by far my favorite book in this series so far. Teddy McCallister is the absolute best! I loved Vanessa as well. Fake dating is something I can never get enough of in books. And back to Teddy, he was so much fun in the previous book and I couldn't wait to get his story. This one was a blast to read, but it also had heavier moments and was more emotional than I expected. Overall, I've enjoyed this series lots and I'm excited to read more.
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4.5 stars
Narrators: Iggy Toma & Kasha Kensington
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: New adult contemporary romance
Length:11h 16m
September 18, 2022
5 Slow-burn, let’s-watch-90210-and-eat-cookies, swoony stars
I love me a reformed manhooooar. The kind that meets the h and realizes “Oh man. She might be the one.” The kind that’s totally into the h before she is- and Teddy’s ALL. OF. THIS. and more 🥰🥺.
Teddy plays shortstop on the university’s baseball team. He’s grown up in a very abusive household🥺. His father started putting his hands on him when he was young😞, and he continues to manipulate and push him around. As he was growing up and getting bigger, his dad eventually stopped physically abusing him as much because Teddy could finally fight back. When his dad comes to see him and tells him that he will lose his money/inheritance if he continues to sleep around, Teddy quickly tells him that he has a girlfriend and he’s not sleeping around anymore. His dad tells him to bring his girlfriend to Saturday dinner and Teddy can only agree. Now Teddy needs to find a girlfriend ASAP 😅😬👀.
Vanessa’s struggling financially. She relies on a scholarship in order to continue attending the same university as Teddy. She’s not able to enter her dorm, she goes to the missions office and finds out her scholarship was discontinued. Of course, a letter was mailed out to her house, and Vanessa quickly figures out that her B of a sister 🤬 kept the letter from her so that she could be embarrassed going back. Her sister has taunted and done some unforgivable things to her, things that still haunt her today and prevent her from trusting guys easily😏.
Enter Teddy. Teddy needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend and he’ll pay her tuition so that she can graduate this year since they’re both seniors. She accepts. Let the fake relationship begin lol 😈.
Gahhhhh! Look. This is slow burn. Their first real kiss is at 32%, and the first full smexxy time at 78%, but. My gosh. I didn’t even mind it 😅.
Their “pretend-we’re-having-smexx” scene was 🔥🔥🔥. They took dry h#mp!ng to ANOTHER level 🥵. But here’s the thing. The EMOTIONAL connection was NEXT level. Yeah, yeah, he asks her lots of questions because they have to be pretending to be together, I get that, but their questions allow them to get closer, to see each other deeper than skin level, to connect emotionally like they’ve never connected before, and that’s what I loved the most about it all.
They reveal things to each other that other people don’t know, again solidifying their connection and also increasing the tension between them 😉. He becomes jp and I was here for it 👀😅. Once they finally FINALLY cross the line, it was beautiful, visceral, passionate, and raw as f 🥵. He’s been waiting and waiting and WAITING… and he’s gonna worship every-hickey-ridden inch and more… and he’s gonna make sure she loves it all 💦🔥. Gahhhh!!!
Side note- I LOOOOOVED that Vanessa was a “normal” girl. This girl is CURVY with cellulite and stretch marks. And he CRAVES IT ALL 🥵💦😅. Gahhhhh!! He’s just so swooooony 🥺. When he lovingly kisses her belly (which she’s insecure about because she’s not stick-thin), I about melted (and then he kept going lower 🔥👀😅😉).
Ohhhh! And he HAS to HAS TO open the door for her each time she gets in a car. And their banter is on. point 👌🏻. I giggled so many times 😂. Plus. Once Teddy finds out what her ex did to her, he takes care of it 😈💅 along with his friends, which means I need to read their books too LOL👀. To top it all off, they bond over their favorite cookie flavor, snickerdoodle, because he stress-bakes AND his new favorite show (courtesy of her addiction lol), 90210, which only made me melt more. GAHHHH 🥺❤️❤️❤️.
I. LOOOOOVED. IT!!
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing
-previous manwhore/h isn’t a v
-OW1 tries to make h feel bad but the H doesn’t even remember her name lol. OW2 throws coffee on h. H’s close friend takes care of h and the H gets pissed off when he finds out since he’s super overprotective of her
-child abuse is remembered 🥺
-OM- H and his friends beat up OM that took h’s v
-HEA/EPILOGUE 6 years later
Side note- the bonus epilogue is so cute 🥺❤️ (if you sign up for it)
I love me a reformed manhooooar. The kind that meets the h and realizes “Oh man. She might be the one.” The kind that’s totally into the h before she is- and Teddy’s ALL. OF. THIS. and more 🥰🥺.
Teddy plays shortstop on the university’s baseball team. He’s grown up in a very abusive household🥺. His father started putting his hands on him when he was young😞, and he continues to manipulate and push him around. As he was growing up and getting bigger, his dad eventually stopped physically abusing him as much because Teddy could finally fight back. When his dad comes to see him and tells him that he will lose his money/inheritance if he continues to sleep around, Teddy quickly tells him that he has a girlfriend and he’s not sleeping around anymore. His dad tells him to bring his girlfriend to Saturday dinner and Teddy can only agree. Now Teddy needs to find a girlfriend ASAP 😅😬👀.
Vanessa’s struggling financially. She relies on a scholarship in order to continue attending the same university as Teddy. She’s not able to enter her dorm, she goes to the missions office and finds out her scholarship was discontinued. Of course, a letter was mailed out to her house, and Vanessa quickly figures out that her B of a sister 🤬 kept the letter from her so that she could be embarrassed going back. Her sister has taunted and done some unforgivable things to her, things that still haunt her today and prevent her from trusting guys easily😏.
Enter Teddy. Teddy needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend and he’ll pay her tuition so that she can graduate this year since they’re both seniors. She accepts. Let the fake relationship begin lol 😈.
Gahhhhh! Look. This is slow burn. Their first real kiss is at 32%, and the first full smexxy time at 78%, but. My gosh. I didn’t even mind it 😅.
Their “pretend-we’re-having-smexx” scene was 🔥🔥🔥. They took dry h#mp!ng to ANOTHER level 🥵. But here’s the thing. The EMOTIONAL connection was NEXT level. Yeah, yeah, he asks her lots of questions because they have to be pretending to be together, I get that, but their questions allow them to get closer, to see each other deeper than skin level, to connect emotionally like they’ve never connected before, and that’s what I loved the most about it all.
They reveal things to each other that other people don’t know, again solidifying their connection and also increasing the tension between them 😉. He becomes jp and I was here for it 👀😅. Once they finally FINALLY cross the line, it was beautiful, visceral, passionate, and raw as f 🥵. He’s been waiting and waiting and WAITING… and he’s gonna worship every-hickey-ridden inch and more… and he’s gonna make sure she loves it all 💦🔥. Gahhhh!!!
Side note- I LOOOOOVED that Vanessa was a “normal” girl. This girl is CURVY with cellulite and stretch marks. And he CRAVES IT ALL 🥵💦😅. Gahhhhh!! He’s just so swooooony 🥺. When he lovingly kisses her belly (which she’s insecure about because she’s not stick-thin), I about melted (and then he kept going lower 🔥👀😅😉).
Ohhhh! And he HAS to HAS TO open the door for her each time she gets in a car. And their banter is on. point 👌🏻. I giggled so many times 😂. Plus. Once Teddy finds out what her ex did to her, he takes care of it 😈💅 along with his friends, which means I need to read their books too LOL👀. To top it all off, they bond over their favorite cookie flavor, snickerdoodle, because he stress-bakes AND his new favorite show (courtesy of her addiction lol), 90210, which only made me melt more. GAHHHH 🥺❤️❤️❤️.
I. LOOOOOVED. IT!!
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing
-previous manwhore/h isn’t a v
-OW1 tries to make h feel bad but the H doesn’t even remember her name lol. OW2 throws coffee on h. H’s close friend takes care of h and the H gets pissed off when he finds out since he’s super overprotective of her
-child abuse is remembered 🥺
-OM- H and his friends beat up OM that took h’s v
-HEA/EPILOGUE 6 years later
Side note- the bonus epilogue is so cute 🥺❤️ (if you sign up for it)
August 18, 2021
Do you like fake dating? Sweet book boys? College romances? Then this book is for you! I devoured this book in one night and I absolutely LOVED IT!!! This book is the 3rd book in The Boys Series but it can be read as a standalone.
Real Player Never Lose follows Teddy McCallister, one of the sweetest and funniest book boys I've ever read about. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he would do anything for the people he cares about, PLUS HE BAKES! (I'm in love with yet another fictional man) But Teddy has been through the worst and he does use his humor to cope with it which breaks my heart. I just wanted to give him a hug. His father gives him an ultimatum and that results in Teddy needing to find a fake girlfriend, to ensure he receives his inheritance, this fake girlfriend ends up being Vanessa. Teddy pays Vanessa's tuition and in return she plays the perfect girlfriend. I love Vanessa so much. She's plus size too and I absolutely loved reading about a book girl who has stretch marks, cellulite and curves and embraced it.
Vanessa and Teddy just make sense. The chemistry and tension between them was my favourite part of the book. The way Teddy loved her and took care of her melted my heart. There's a scene where he brushed her hair and I nearly cried at how sweet it was. I loved every scene in this book including that SPICY trip in Greece!! The transition between fake dating to actually being real was so natural and perfect and felt no way forced.
You all need to read this book!!
"I realize that I would give anything, hand over every dollar promised to me, grovel on my knees, whatever was needed, to keep her."
Real Player Never Lose follows Teddy McCallister, one of the sweetest and funniest book boys I've ever read about. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he would do anything for the people he cares about, PLUS HE BAKES! (I'm in love with yet another fictional man) But Teddy has been through the worst and he does use his humor to cope with it which breaks my heart. I just wanted to give him a hug. His father gives him an ultimatum and that results in Teddy needing to find a fake girlfriend, to ensure he receives his inheritance, this fake girlfriend ends up being Vanessa. Teddy pays Vanessa's tuition and in return she plays the perfect girlfriend. I love Vanessa so much. She's plus size too and I absolutely loved reading about a book girl who has stretch marks, cellulite and curves and embraced it.
Vanessa and Teddy just make sense. The chemistry and tension between them was my favourite part of the book. The way Teddy loved her and took care of her melted my heart. There's a scene where he brushed her hair and I nearly cried at how sweet it was. I loved every scene in this book including that SPICY trip in Greece!! The transition between fake dating to actually being real was so natural and perfect and felt no way forced.
You all need to read this book!!
"I realize that I would give anything, hand over every dollar promised to me, grovel on my knees, whatever was needed, to keep her."
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*
August 19, 2021
Well, that was unexpected. After reading the last two books in this series and getting to know him as the lovable puppy I wasn't sure what we were going to get from Teddy. He was such a sweetheart, but he was also a bit of a dick. Not in a negative way, just in a born with a silver spoon doesn't take anything seriously kind of way.
Teddy was the epitome of here for a good time not a long time. And when he let his friend down with the house because his dad laid down the law I kind of expected he was going to fall further off the rails. But Teddy was a lot deeper than that and his dads decree made him reassess his life.
And when Vanessa entered the scene and he cooked up the whole fake girlfriend idea I wondered where he was going with it. But it didn't matter because the journey was awesome, but the destination was even better. Obviously as I've read the previous books, I knew the characters were wonderful. And the story had the perfect balance of emotion, chemistry, fun and I couldn't put it down.
Each of these books can be read as complete standalones. Although I highly recommend reading them all because they have all been great. Hopefully there are more to come because I can't get enough of these characters.
Teddy was the epitome of here for a good time not a long time. And when he let his friend down with the house because his dad laid down the law I kind of expected he was going to fall further off the rails. But Teddy was a lot deeper than that and his dads decree made him reassess his life.
And when Vanessa entered the scene and he cooked up the whole fake girlfriend idea I wondered where he was going with it. But it didn't matter because the journey was awesome, but the destination was even better. Obviously as I've read the previous books, I knew the characters were wonderful. And the story had the perfect balance of emotion, chemistry, fun and I couldn't put it down.
Each of these books can be read as complete standalones. Although I highly recommend reading them all because they have all been great. Hopefully there are more to come because I can't get enough of these characters.
August 19, 2021
Are you scared? Of me? Of feeling too much? Of falling too far? I'm begging you. Fall with me. I'll catch you. Promise.
If I got 5 dollars for every time Vanessa said in this f-book "You are not what I expected" I swear to God I'd be richer than Jeff Bezos by now. Not gonna lie, I skipped a few pages. I was bored. Things were too slow. And you know when you read a book and say "that's super unrealistic but I can't seem to care"? That doesn't apply to this book. I don't make the rules.
If I got 5 dollars for every time Vanessa said in this f-book "You are not what I expected" I swear to God I'd be richer than Jeff Bezos by now. Not gonna lie, I skipped a few pages. I was bored. Things were too slow. And you know when you read a book and say "that's super unrealistic but I can't seem to care"? That doesn't apply to this book. I don't make the rules.
September 9, 2021
i deserve an award for finishing this. if i took a shot everytime the mc says "you're not what i expected" id probably die of alcohol poisoning
August 11, 2021
If The Deal by Elle Kennedy had a younger cousin, this book would be it.
The positives:
↣ The hero Teddy made it onto my fictional-crushes-list so fast, Usain Bolt would be jealous. First of all, I loved his humour. He was so funny and quick-witted, I laughed out loud more than once at the things that came out of his mouth. Secondly, he has one of the kindest, sweetest and most caring hearts. He was so loving and did everything for the people that are important to him. Third of all, he was such a considerate boyfriend but also person in general. He never did anything that could have made Vanessa uncomfortable and he never judged anyone either. Lastly, I can‘t not mention how very charming and sexy he was. (I haven‘t rambled about a love interest this much in a while, so that is just another thing that goes to show how awesome I think Teddy is. I even went into full-on essay-mode 😂)
↣ These two together were all sorts of adorable. They had such a healthy and supportive relationship. Their progression from fake dating to a real friendship to more felt so very natural, you couldn‘t help but root for them every step of the way.
↣ I personally really enjoyed the plus-size representation in this book. I‘m curvy and I don‘t love it when the plus-sized heroine in a book is extremely insecure about her figure because it makes me feel bad about myself, as well. That‘s why I liked how the female lead Vanessa thought about herself. She was plus-sized and she knew that she wasn‘t ugly at all but beautiful in her own special way. She still had her doubts and there were times where she wasn‘t comfortable in herself, but that made it even more realistic for me, because that‘s exactly how it is in real life.
The negatives:
↣ In my opinion, this book is too long. There were definitely scenes that didn‘t make any difference to the story and could have easily been taken out. There were also a lot of repetitions in the conversations the characters were having, certain lines and topics were covered over and over again.
↣ As the synopsis already alludes to, Teddy falls for Vanessa first (which I know we all love), but she kept on insisting their relationship could never be anything more than fake and it annoyed me quite a bit. I saw no reason for why they shouldn‘t be together and I just didn‘t understand why Vanessa was being so difficult about it.
Thank you to Grey's Promotions and Micalea Smeltzer for providing me with an ARC of this book.
The positives:
↣ The hero Teddy made it onto my fictional-crushes-list so fast, Usain Bolt would be jealous. First of all, I loved his humour. He was so funny and quick-witted, I laughed out loud more than once at the things that came out of his mouth. Secondly, he has one of the kindest, sweetest and most caring hearts. He was so loving and did everything for the people that are important to him. Third of all, he was such a considerate boyfriend but also person in general. He never did anything that could have made Vanessa uncomfortable and he never judged anyone either. Lastly, I can‘t not mention how very charming and sexy he was. (I haven‘t rambled about a love interest this much in a while, so that is just another thing that goes to show how awesome I think Teddy is. I even went into full-on essay-mode 😂)
↣ These two together were all sorts of adorable. They had such a healthy and supportive relationship. Their progression from fake dating to a real friendship to more felt so very natural, you couldn‘t help but root for them every step of the way.
↣ I personally really enjoyed the plus-size representation in this book. I‘m curvy and I don‘t love it when the plus-sized heroine in a book is extremely insecure about her figure because it makes me feel bad about myself, as well. That‘s why I liked how the female lead Vanessa thought about herself. She was plus-sized and she knew that she wasn‘t ugly at all but beautiful in her own special way. She still had her doubts and there were times where she wasn‘t comfortable in herself, but that made it even more realistic for me, because that‘s exactly how it is in real life.
The negatives:
↣ In my opinion, this book is too long. There were definitely scenes that didn‘t make any difference to the story and could have easily been taken out. There were also a lot of repetitions in the conversations the characters were having, certain lines and topics were covered over and over again.
↣ As the synopsis already alludes to, Teddy falls for Vanessa first (which I know we all love), but she kept on insisting their relationship could never be anything more than fake and it annoyed me quite a bit. I saw no reason for why they shouldn‘t be together and I just didn‘t understand why Vanessa was being so difficult about it.
Thank you to Grey's Promotions and Micalea Smeltzer for providing me with an ARC of this book.
December 19, 2023
4.5⭑
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I knew I was going to love this book because I already loved Teddy from seeing him in the first two books.
And the tropes in this were *chefs kiss* - Fake Dating/ Friends to Lovers/ One Bed / Guy Falls First
Teddy is honestly the best book boyfriend. He made me feel so happy with how funny and kind he is towards his friends and Vanessa, but he also made me feel so sad for him when we learn about his relationship with his dad. WHO IS A DICK BTW.
Vanessa was an amazing heroine. I could really identify/relate to her a lot in terms of how she feels about her appearance. Van is plus size and discusses her previous insecurities during high school but now she is proud and confident in her body and I love that!!! She has my exact body type and I love her for accepting herself.
This is the best book out of this series so far. I said what I said.
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I knew I was going to love this book because I already loved Teddy from seeing him in the first two books.
And the tropes in this were *chefs kiss* - Fake Dating/ Friends to Lovers/ One Bed / Guy Falls First
Teddy is honestly the best book boyfriend. He made me feel so happy with how funny and kind he is towards his friends and Vanessa, but he also made me feel so sad for him when we learn about his relationship with his dad. WHO IS A DICK BTW.
Vanessa was an amazing heroine. I could really identify/relate to her a lot in terms of how she feels about her appearance. Van is plus size and discusses her previous insecurities during high school but now she is proud and confident in her body and I love that!!! She has my exact body type and I love her for accepting herself.
This is the best book out of this series so far. I said what I said.
August 18, 2021
is Teddy my new favorite hero?
i'm not gonna lie, I wanted to read this book just because of the cover.
this book has: - fake relationship
- friends to lovers
- 90210 marathons (idk about you, but i love when the characters binge a show together, i think is so cute)
- hero falls first
- great friends group
i adored Teddy. if you like any of the things i said, you should read this.
P.S.: this is the third book i read this month with a character named Teddy, is this a common name?
i'm not gonna lie, I wanted to read this book just because of the cover.
this book has: - fake relationship
- friends to lovers
- 90210 marathons (idk about you, but i love when the characters binge a show together, i think is so cute)
- hero falls first
- great friends group
i adored Teddy. if you like any of the things i said, you should read this.
P.S.: this is the third book i read this month with a character named Teddy, is this a common name?
August 15, 2021
Are you scared? Of me? Of feeling too much? Of falling too far? I'm begging you. Fall with me. I'll catch you. Promise.
4.5 stars!
Going into this story, I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, but Teddy completely stole the show. He was such an adorable and cocky goofball, and it was impossible not to love his charm. Teddy and Vanessa's story was sweet and enthralling, and I loved how Teddy was able to be vulnerable with Vanessa and how protective he was of her. I just wish that Vanessa had been as open with Teddy as he was with her.
I liked her as a heroine until the ending when she makes a decision that ruins both her and Teddy's happiness for reasons. Even though I didn't agree with it, I respected her decision, but I'm just disappointed that she never apologized to Teddy for causing them both hurt. Instead, sweet Teddy ended up mending all of the hurt between them, and I just wish that she had put in more of an effort in the end for his sake. Overall, I really enjoyed this story of vulnerability and love by Micalea ♡
*ARC provided by Grey's promo, and I voluntarily reviewed it*
April 15, 2022
5⭐️i’m depressed bye - i miss teddy and vanessa sm already 3
August 29, 2021
I love Teddy but idk y Vanessa is just annoying. There is literally no chemistry between them, literally no chemistry, no bonding, no understanding. Only some sexual jokes, their relationship seemed so forced. Teddy was a good guy, i really liked him but the romance part annoyed me cuz Teddy deserved someone better than Vanessa. Even their sob stories felt forced af, especially Vanessa’s.
June 20, 2022
I LOVE THE FAKE DATING TROPE AND THE RICH GUY AND POOR GIRL!!
TEDDY IS THE HOT SHOT PLAYER BUT DAMN DOES VANESSA CHANGE HIM!!
ofc Teddy is a fucking Pisces ♓️ he’s funny, he’s hot, has daddy issues and he bakes!
PLEAEE!! i ate this all up and left NO crumbs! Love the drama of these books and they went to greece😭😍
4.25/5⭐️
TEDDY IS THE HOT SHOT PLAYER BUT DAMN DOES VANESSA CHANGE HIM!!
ofc Teddy is a fucking Pisces ♓️ he’s funny, he’s hot, has daddy issues and he bakes!
PLEAEE!! i ate this all up and left NO crumbs! Love the drama of these books and they went to greece😭😍
4.25/5⭐️
May 17, 2022
4.5 Sweetums and Snookums Stars ⭐️
Idk why I didnt know about this book sooner. It was gate kept from the community !! I dare you not to fall head over heels for teddy.
"As I start to fall asleep, I realize that I would give anything, hand over every dollar promised to me, grovel on my knees, whatever was needed, to keep her."
𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 💭
Meet Teddy, the popular college playboy and lady's man with golden retriever vibes. (And hes on his way of becoming a reformed playboy) From the outside teddy has the perfect happy-go-lucky life. But a lesson this book definitely emphasizes is that money does not equal happiness and growing up in a house with 17 washrooms doesn’t mean you had a happy childhood, especially teddy when he had an abuser for a dad.
Meet Vanessa, a hardworking scholarship student and the complete opposite of teddy. No parties or boyfriends (by choice). She had her fair share of bad experiences including her ex boyfriend and bitch ass sister. Due to which she is very vary of people and isn’t used to being close with people. My fav part about her was that she was in no way a pushover and could stand her own ground and she was a very relatable character! She talked about her body and the fact that she has stretch marks and cellulite and its her empowerment thats makes me wanna read OH AND TEDDY LOVES HER CURVES MUAH HE IS THE SWOONIEST GUYS I HAVE EVER READ.
Teddy and Van team up to fake date so that teddy and keep his dad at bay and show him hes changed so he won’t lose his inheritance in exchange for helping van with her tuition. (Istg this man was whipped since the moment he approached her with this gig “ I have a gut feeling, I trust her”) but he doesnt stop there, teddy literally infiltrates her life with questions and SO MANY QUESTIONS AND ITS SO CUTE. And he remembers everything <3
✨TEDDY GREEN FLAGS ✨
✅stress bakes
✅drives to your hometown to beat up her ex for the way he treated her
✅wears a frilly apron 🥺 shirtless 😈
✅OPENS.THE.CAR.DOOR.FOR.HER.EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
✅[ goofy, jealous, protective, funny, smart, girl-obsessed ] - all of this in one person!?!?!
This book is long in terms of when they “get together” but thats that best part because they didnt fall in love with each other right off the bat. They talked and shared things about each other and through that they build their relationship.
Scratch that, the BEST PART
Was the DRY HUMPING/ PRETEND—TO-HAVE-SEX-SO-HIS-ROOMMATE-BELIEVES-THEY-ARE-REALLY-DATING SCENE WAS HOT AND HEAVY 🥵
tbh as a book this was definetly a 4-star for me but after a lot of contemplating i have decided that TEDDY IS THE STANDARD. if you're not him then do better
Idk why I didnt know about this book sooner. It was gate kept from the community !! I dare you not to fall head over heels for teddy.
"As I start to fall asleep, I realize that I would give anything, hand over every dollar promised to me, grovel on my knees, whatever was needed, to keep her."
𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 💭
Meet Teddy, the popular college playboy and lady's man with golden retriever vibes. (And hes on his way of becoming a reformed playboy) From the outside teddy has the perfect happy-go-lucky life. But a lesson this book definitely emphasizes is that money does not equal happiness and growing up in a house with 17 washrooms doesn’t mean you had a happy childhood, especially teddy when he had an abuser for a dad.
Meet Vanessa, a hardworking scholarship student and the complete opposite of teddy. No parties or boyfriends (by choice). She had her fair share of bad experiences including her ex boyfriend and bitch ass sister. Due to which she is very vary of people and isn’t used to being close with people. My fav part about her was that she was in no way a pushover and could stand her own ground and she was a very relatable character! She talked about her body and the fact that she has stretch marks and cellulite and its her empowerment thats makes me wanna read OH AND TEDDY LOVES HER CURVES MUAH HE IS THE SWOONIEST GUYS I HAVE EVER READ.
Teddy and Van team up to fake date so that teddy and keep his dad at bay and show him hes changed so he won’t lose his inheritance in exchange for helping van with her tuition. (Istg this man was whipped since the moment he approached her with this gig “ I have a gut feeling, I trust her”) but he doesnt stop there, teddy literally infiltrates her life with questions and SO MANY QUESTIONS AND ITS SO CUTE. And he remembers everything <3
✨TEDDY GREEN FLAGS ✨
✅stress bakes
✅drives to your hometown to beat up her ex for the way he treated her
✅wears a frilly apron 🥺 shirtless 😈
✅OPENS.THE.CAR.DOOR.FOR.HER.EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
✅[ goofy, jealous, protective, funny, smart, girl-obsessed ] - all of this in one person!?!?!
This book is long in terms of when they “get together” but thats that best part because they didnt fall in love with each other right off the bat. They talked and shared things about each other and through that they build their relationship.
Scratch that, the BEST PART
Was the DRY HUMPING/ PRETEND—TO-HAVE-SEX-SO-HIS-ROOMMATE-BELIEVES-THEY-ARE-REALLY-DATING SCENE WAS HOT AND HEAVY 🥵
tbh as a book this was definetly a 4-star for me but after a lot of contemplating i have decided that TEDDY IS THE STANDARD. if you're not him then do better
August 20, 2021
I haven't been reading as much as I used to this year, but its books like these that remind me of why I love reading so much in the first place. Sure, I like the OTP/JP male leads as much as your next romance lover, but Teddy, ooommf, Teddy is EVERYTHING. he's so kind hearted, so inherently GOOD despite the shitty home life he was dealt, and just sees the good in everyone and everything. I just love this man so much and I will spend my dying day protecting this treasure of a man. Plus on top of all that, he was absolutely filthy in bed, which ya know is a huge plus in my book!🔥🔥🔥
Van is also such an incredible heroine, and I love how how she loves Teddy, even if she won't admit to herself that she *is* in love with him. Because of her past and being screwed over in an epic way, her hesitation to dive into a real relationship with Teddy was just so authentic and real. She was a badass through and through, and I just loved how much she loved herself.
I could literally talk about this book all day, but just do yourselves a favor and go one click this book now!!
************************************************
Teddy is hands down the best hero I've read in quite some time, if not the best hands down. I fucking love him and the relationship he had with Van.🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
If you read any book this year, read this one!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
Van is also such an incredible heroine, and I love how how she loves Teddy, even if she won't admit to herself that she *is* in love with him. Because of her past and being screwed over in an epic way, her hesitation to dive into a real relationship with Teddy was just so authentic and real. She was a badass through and through, and I just loved how much she loved herself.
I could literally talk about this book all day, but just do yourselves a favor and go one click this book now!!
************************************************
Teddy is hands down the best hero I've read in quite some time, if not the best hands down. I fucking love him and the relationship he had with Van.🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
If you read any book this year, read this one!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
February 19, 2022
rich H/ poor bigger sweet h/ college age/ abusive dad/ sweet/ all the feels
Just like the last book in this series this gave me all the feels. This isn’t full of super alpha males and all the goodies I normally like but this was just a real life relatable, good love story with all the feels.
The things:
-our H, Teddy: we meet him in other books as the loud crazy fun rich kid. He’s so OTT but you know he’s hurting inside. Here we see why, teddy has grown up in a cold home with an abusive father.
-our h, Vanessa: she’s a girl from a small poor town and she’s on scholarship. She’s doing her best working and keeping her grades up. She’s been betrayed by her older sister in the past and used as a “joke” by the popular kids so she’s very cautious of rich, preppy, popular people wanting to “friend” her.
-Fake relationship turned real: teddy needs to be ok his best behavior or lose his inheritance and Vanessa unknowingly lost her scholarship. Teddy offers to pay her last semester if she pretends to be his gf for family dinners at his parents. And as usual, feeling dare developed.
-these two were beautiful together. I mean they were just so real. Teddy was loving and he’s very affectionate and Vanessa is a bit shy and scared but they have great chemistry and their little bickering was hilarious lol.
-The storytelling is amazing. I couldn’t put this down!
-it’s not super spicy. But this author seems to just be like that and honestly you don’t feel it bc the storyline and development are so good! We do get smexy times though ❤️
-all the feels: I laughed, I swooned and I cried! When you get to the end you will def drop a tear lol. You can FEEL the heartbreak and it was everything.
-HEA with a 6 year epilogue
-I wish it was LONGER LOL I needed more.
This author can write, I normally like my books more dirty and full of possesive alphas who will choke and spank his baby for all the reasons lol 😂 and this is not that. BUT, it’s soooooooo FKn good. It’s just a sweet, feel good, relatable college age read. And I’ll be going back to read book 1 about mascen and Rory I’m sure, and I’m gonna read the next one too.
Just like the last book in this series this gave me all the feels. This isn’t full of super alpha males and all the goodies I normally like but this was just a real life relatable, good love story with all the feels.
The things:
-our H, Teddy: we meet him in other books as the loud crazy fun rich kid. He’s so OTT but you know he’s hurting inside. Here we see why, teddy has grown up in a cold home with an abusive father.
-our h, Vanessa: she’s a girl from a small poor town and she’s on scholarship. She’s doing her best working and keeping her grades up. She’s been betrayed by her older sister in the past and used as a “joke” by the popular kids so she’s very cautious of rich, preppy, popular people wanting to “friend” her.
-Fake relationship turned real: teddy needs to be ok his best behavior or lose his inheritance and Vanessa unknowingly lost her scholarship. Teddy offers to pay her last semester if she pretends to be his gf for family dinners at his parents. And as usual, feeling dare developed.
-these two were beautiful together. I mean they were just so real. Teddy was loving and he’s very affectionate and Vanessa is a bit shy and scared but they have great chemistry and their little bickering was hilarious lol.
-The storytelling is amazing. I couldn’t put this down!
-it’s not super spicy. But this author seems to just be like that and honestly you don’t feel it bc the storyline and development are so good! We do get smexy times though ❤️
-all the feels: I laughed, I swooned and I cried! When you get to the end you will def drop a tear lol. You can FEEL the heartbreak and it was everything.
-HEA with a 6 year epilogue
-I wish it was LONGER LOL I needed more.
This author can write, I normally like my books more dirty and full of possesive alphas who will choke and spank his baby for all the reasons lol 😂 and this is not that. BUT, it’s soooooooo FKn good. It’s just a sweet, feel good, relatable college age read. And I’ll be going back to read book 1 about mascen and Rory I’m sure, and I’m gonna read the next one too.
November 6, 2021
This book is really hard for me to rate because it has me on the fence on a lot of things. I can say it was an enjoyable reading experience but at the same time it's one of those books that after I finished I just felt meh about it. There was nothing amazing that stood out to me and instead I was left thinking back on scenes that annoyed me. It felt rushed in a way, especially near the end.
There was actually a section that I went back and read again because I thought something was left out or not being said but I couldn't figure out why the author wouldn't put that information in the story since it was really important to the situation. I did finally get my answer on what exactly happened but it came a little too late after the fact and had me annoyed while I was trying to find out what the heroine was doing. I just didn't understand why there was a secrecy for a few chapters and even when we did figure it out it felt like a throwaway line by that point. As if to give an answer that should have already been given and was just forgotten.
There was actually a section that I went back and read again because I thought something was left out or not being said but I couldn't figure out why the author wouldn't put that information in the story since it was really important to the situation. I did finally get my answer on what exactly happened but it came a little too late after the fact and had me annoyed while I was trying to find out what the heroine was doing. I just didn't understand why there was a secrecy for a few chapters and even when we did figure it out it felt like a throwaway line by that point. As if to give an answer that should have already been given and was just forgotten.
November 18, 2021
3.5 stars
• better than the first book (I skipped the second)
• Teddy was great as a character and so was V
• too long and repetitive ( I read the same crap over and over and overrr, it would have been more enjoyable if I was beaten over the head with it)
• the writing and dialogue was good if only it had been more succinct.
• Less is more. This needed heavy editing.
I liked the epilogue into their future
September 2, 2021
It's VAIL, Colorado -- not Vale! Not a typo because it happened more than once.
Cute college romance with very likable characters -- one rich and the other on scholarship. Both with family struggles. Slow burn with a little twist to the plot.
April 17, 2023
liked it, GUILTY🤭
September 25, 2022
sorry but I hated every minute of this!!
the characters felt too young and immature, H was a "reformed" player (not bc of a personal choice but because he was forced to by his asshole dad) and I hated the constant talk and on-page scenes about other women. Plus I understand what the author's intention was with the incessant witty comebacks but after a while it just bothered me. He definitely wasn't my kind of hero, he was just very annoying to me 💁🏻
the characters felt too young and immature, H was a "reformed" player (not bc of a personal choice but because he was forced to by his asshole dad) and I hated the constant talk and on-page scenes about other women. Plus I understand what the author's intention was with the incessant witty comebacks but after a while it just bothered me. He definitely wasn't my kind of hero, he was just very annoying to me 💁🏻
August 25, 2021
it could be shorter but they were still cute 💕💕 i’m so exited for cree’s book
July 20, 2022
I only continued this series for Teddy and Vanessa and they literally carried this entire series istg
May 1, 2023
I haven’t been a huge fan of reformed player books in the past, but Teddy took me by surprise. The biggest heart of gold and of course, head over heels in love with his girl, Vanessa. Their relationship may have started out as a lie, but the two quickly discovered it was anything but a lie. The epilogue awww 🥰🥰🥰
this book has some heavy topics that may be too much for some such as body shaming, domestic violence/abuse, and body dysmorphia.
this book has some heavy topics that may be too much for some such as body shaming, domestic violence/abuse, and body dysmorphia.
September 8, 2022
As Taylor Swift croons, I smile up at him,
our own love story being written around us.”
people died
im people
this book had a very common trope and at first i wasnt really sure if i would even like it beacuse ive read enough books with such trope but GOD KILL MEE, I LOVE TEDDY SO MUCHH!!!!!!!
i would be lying if i say i didnt cry while reading teddy's letters to venessa.
i thoroughly loved all the taylor swift and harry styles references and it was such an easy read!!!!!!
our own love story being written around us.”
people died
im people
this book had a very common trope and at first i wasnt really sure if i would even like it beacuse ive read enough books with such trope but GOD KILL MEE, I LOVE TEDDY SO MUCHH!!!!!!!
i would be lying if i say i didnt cry while reading teddy's letters to venessa.
i thoroughly loved all the taylor swift and harry styles references and it was such an easy read!!!!!!
August 9, 2021
My love for Micalea Smeltzer is an endless, overflowing river. She’s one of my favorite authors and I’ll read just about anything she writes. When I got approved for an ARC of Real Players Never Lose, I almost cried.
Teddy is the sweetest soul. He’s a huge player, but he has a heart of gold and just wants to be loved. Even though he doesn’t show it often, he’s deeply emotional and has been through hell and back. Teddy copes through making people laugh and being better than the people he shares blood with, and this is what makes him amazing. When his father gives him an ultimatum, he has no choice but to find a girlfriend.
Insert Vanessa.
A poor girl from White Claw, Georgia, that wouldn’t even be at college if it wasn’t for her scholarship. When Teddy overhears that her scholarship has been revoked… he does what any rich boy in need of a fake girlfriend would do: he swipes his credit card.
I freaking loved Vanessa. I loved that she was plus-size, and that she embraced her curves, cellulite, and stretch marks! I loved that she stood her ground throughout her entire relationship with Teddy, keeping the boundaries in place and never giving in no matter how tempting. She was always there for Teddy, as Teddy was for her. They made such an incredible couple: two total opposites yet somehow perfect.
One of my favorite scenes was when Teddy brushed Vanessa’s hair for her. Oh my God, my heart was literally mush in my chest.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
“𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿.”
“𝗬-𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿?” 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱.
𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗴𝘀. “𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁?”
RPNL is filled with so many sweet scenes like this, so if you want your heart to be mush like mine… one click!
ARC generously provided in exchange for honest review
Teddy is the sweetest soul. He’s a huge player, but he has a heart of gold and just wants to be loved. Even though he doesn’t show it often, he’s deeply emotional and has been through hell and back. Teddy copes through making people laugh and being better than the people he shares blood with, and this is what makes him amazing. When his father gives him an ultimatum, he has no choice but to find a girlfriend.
Insert Vanessa.
A poor girl from White Claw, Georgia, that wouldn’t even be at college if it wasn’t for her scholarship. When Teddy overhears that her scholarship has been revoked… he does what any rich boy in need of a fake girlfriend would do: he swipes his credit card.
I freaking loved Vanessa. I loved that she was plus-size, and that she embraced her curves, cellulite, and stretch marks! I loved that she stood her ground throughout her entire relationship with Teddy, keeping the boundaries in place and never giving in no matter how tempting. She was always there for Teddy, as Teddy was for her. They made such an incredible couple: two total opposites yet somehow perfect.
One of my favorite scenes was when Teddy brushed Vanessa’s hair for her. Oh my God, my heart was literally mush in my chest.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
“𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿.”
“𝗬-𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿?” 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱.
𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗴𝘀. “𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁?”
RPNL is filled with so many sweet scenes like this, so if you want your heart to be mush like mine… one click!
ARC generously provided in exchange for honest review
August 17, 2021
I gotta admit I wasn’t the biggest Teddy fan in the previous book, but man he won me over here. Talk about a guy WHO BAKES WHEN STRESSED. Love that! It took me a while to warm up to Vanessa, but that’s usually the case with heroines. I loved watching them grow closer together but I did find this to be way longer than necessary. A sweet and swoony 4 stars.
ARC
ARC
December 20, 2021
i can't choose between 1 and 2 stars. real people don't talk how they do. it's not realistic and i just think this is a bad example of the fake dating trope. i thought every character was annoying and it was predictable. so yeah.
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