This was difficult to get through. The character development, pacing, stakes, and dialogue were weak. The chemistry and tension between the two leads seems manufactured; there’s no reason to root for them to be together and no reason to believe the “hate” is mutual. I appreciated the opportunity to read it and applaud the author’s effort, but this was a laborious read, on a few levels.

This is a romance whose political plot really takes center stage, along with all the delightful side characters Bocci has created.

In this fraught, anxiety-ridden political climate, it's a relief to read about small-town politics in which the ordinary people manage to get their voices heard.

Our heroine, Emma, is secretary to the town's committee for development. Her father, the much-loved mayor, is retiring, and the man he wants to replace him is running against an unpleasant candidate who is not above smear tactics to win.

The problem? Cooper, the mayor's pick--with a mother in national politics--is Emma's current hate.

The romance is enemies to lovers, a trope I usually love, except when . . .the motivation is them not talking to each other for five minutes to clear up misunderstandings]. Despite my dislike of that particular motivator, Bocci gives us enough conflict in Emma to almost make it work. But there is not enough screen time for the pair for the usual romance and a great deal of their history is included as backstory, far too late in the book .

It was still a delightful read. I suspect the readers who will enjoy it most will be those who like an ensemble cast and a feel-good story about small towns, with a romantic subplot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book! I loved every minute of it and read it within 24 hours. The back and forth banter between Cooper and Emma was both funny and frustrating while waiting for them to figure out how their lifelong relationship was going to end up. Whitney’s character was so well written and so easy to hate! The title is such a perfect fit for this story. I would definitely recommend!

Fun story. A few typos and grammatical errors pre-publishing. I actually really liked Cooper. He seemed sweet and genuine and realistic. Emma was a little self righteous. Obviously, Whitney was her nemesis. She needed to come down a notch. Hated that she referred to her father as Mayor Dad throughout the entire story. That go old fast! There needed to be a touch more back story on how Cooper could’ve been pining for her all these years. The friend group was nice. The three wheeler bike needed to go and go fast! I did enjoy most of this story. Thanks for the ARC!

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci was a fun book to read. The author was able to tackle the difficult topic of politics with heart and class. The characters were both flawed and fun to read about. They had a depth that isn't easy to achieve.

The beginning was a bit slow for me, but it was well written so I kept on plugging on. About 40% I noticed that the story picked up and that's when I really fell in love with Cooper and Emma. OTCOLAH is set in a small. idealic town where the town busybodies are a hoot and even the bad guy isn't really horrible.

If you need a break from the drama of everyday life, I recommend OTCOLAH for a fun, fabulous, summer read.

3 stars
Hallmark type story about enemies who become lovers. A little slower than I would have liked.

This is a cute story about what could have been with a childhood friend. Emma is a little too wishywashy about her feelings for my taste.

This book was delightful. It was a fun political romance without the heavyweight most accompanying political stories. It's just a small town in New England and their mayoral race. That being said, Emma would make a much better Mayor than Cooper. She was capable, and his only claim to fame was that an ancestor founded the town. As much as he cares about the town, this book perpetuated the idea that an unqualified man can easily do the job better than a woman. His opponent was a caricature which is what made Cooper a better option, and Emma said she had no interest, but the machinations of small-town politics escape a neophyte like me.
There did seem to be something missing from the friends to lovers story here, like the animosity that Emma repeatedly talked about really wasn't there. It was one-sided for most of the book. Cooper and Emma weren't thrown together and forced to work together. Cooper constantly put himself in her world to be near her. Overall, this was a cute story, but there are some holes that need to be filled in.

3.5/out of 5 stars
First of all, this entire story reminded me of hallmark channel original movie that you secretly adore. I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for an enemies to lovers trope where the two main characters typically aren’t complete assholes to each other beforehand. Some minor editing is definitely needed but obviously since this was an advanced copy, i’m not to pressed about it.

Emma is a very interesting main character to say the least. She has her embarrassing moments (like all of us), and literally puts her all into everything she does. I personally would’ve loved to know more about her background and previous personal life in her inner monologue instead of it being shortly explained in dialogue.

When it comes to Cooper, he’s literally every small towns “Golden Playboy” yet he manages to not even notice it. It got frustrating at times when he would flirt with all of these women and then act like he didn’t remember right afterwards but *sigh* some men will be men i guess. The character development he goes through is so worth it though.

Politics play a huge role in both Emma and Cooper’s lives, so it’s obviously a main focus in the book. I personally am not a fan of political heavy books, but I truly liked how all of the political aspects of this story were well thought out and amazingly executed in this novel. The romance was slightly slow burn but still managed to keep me entranced enough to see what would happen next. Long story short, if you want a hallmarkish, political, slow burn romance novel to pass the time...i would definitely go ahead and give this one a try.

Shel: I really enjoyed how long Bocci had Emma resist the feelings she had for Cooper. When I'm telling you this novel embraces the slow burn, we're talking s-l-o-w, but I liked it. Maybe it's because I'm petty and stubborn and when I'm hurt it takes me a while to get over it so I like to see that truly mirrored in other characters?! If you're the same, you'll like Emma. She was so oblivious to Cooper's feelings and resistant to the idea of giving him an inch that it takes a good long while for her to soften to him. She's straight up a hard ass and I loved her for it (and felt sorry for Cooper, once I got to know him better). When we got to that HEA, it was quick...maybe more of that please?!, and sweet after the long build up to get there.

Court: I am like you, girl. The slow burn was delicious, though as always I think the ending could've gave us a few more pages...we always want more, though! I really enjoyed the characters and the dynamic that their story is in. I love how much they love their town and honestly I wish my town had this kind of department and people working for it! It is a team that I would love to be a part of that for sure!

Shel: Another thing I enjoyed was what a boss bitch Emma was. She excelled at her job and her criticisms of the people who were slackers felt so accurate and spot on that I feel like Nina Bocci must have had some of those experiences, right? She nailed it-the frustration that pushes you to feel like you have to micromanage and take on too much because it's not getting done...that then turns you into a control freak that has to relearn how to delegate--totally recognizable responses for those of us who've had to live through that experience.

Court: I KNOW! I really enjoyed though as she grows and figures out her life and the direction she wants it to go in and just makes a decision and GOES for it! You can tell her friend's get her, and they accept her as she is and I loved that too!!

Shel: The revival of a precious small town also spoke to my heart in this novel. She wrote with such love, care, and vivid description that I found myself wanting to visit this town or maybe even move there. Could she bring Emma to life and have her make over my small town please? Court: YASSS! I completely agree...let's go, and get houses next door to each other! C'mon y'all!

Shel: The mayoral campaign, romance in a small town, the friends and family who make appearances, and all of the love and care in the details and characterization made On the Corner of Love and Hate a sweet, fun novel. It'll be interesting to see how the secondary characters find love in their novels and to hopefully get another look at Emma and Cooper when we all meet up again.

Court: I REALLY HOPE we get to see Nick and Henry fall in love...PLEASE Nina, let us see that! And like Shelley said get more Emma and Cooper...but honestly, I'd be most excited for Emma's parents!

I've heard Nina Bocci's name mentioned in the book world as a publicist to several authors whose books I have enjoyed so I was really excited to see that she wrote a book of her own. I love a good enemies-to-lovers story and this one did not disappoint. I was hooked from the very first chapter and it was a really fun, quick read and I can't wait to read more from Nina in the future.

A charming rom-com about local politics that will reminded me of Parks and Recreation in the best way. Emma, a straight-laced go-getter, is dismayed when her father asks her to help mayoral candidate Cooper with his campaign, especially since she and Cooper used to be friends. Working through their differences (and obvious attraction) as they fight an underhanded candidate determined to run out local businesses, Emma and Cooper are drawn together despite their rocky past. You can't miss this opposites-attract novel set in an adorable small town.

I really love slow burn romances and this is the slowest of burns. Emma and Cooper used to be the best of friends but things changed and now Emma cannot abide who Cooper has become. However he is still very entangled in her life as a co-worker, surrogate son to her parents, and part of her childhood group of friends so when he needs help with campaign for mayor she cannot really say no.

There are so many things that I will admit did not work about this book for me but man what did kept me reading until way past my bedtime even though I had a very early morning meeting today. Reading about Emma dealing with her ages old broken heart really resonated with me even though I felt that her past issues with Cooper were never adequately explained or resolved before being placed behind them. Cooper was never fully redeemed for me overall but it did not make me really question Emma's feeling for him.

I enjoyed the political campaign aspect of this book even though Cooper's opponent seemed more laughable than a serious threat. Emma's parents were great and I loved how she and Cooper were both from political families. I did not love Cooper's ex and wished that her entire storyline had been edited out. It muddied the waters more than adding anything substantial.

Overall, I was swept into this story and could not bare to put it down until the end.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! The hate-to-love start of their relationship captures the same magic of a meet-cute, and the author does a marvelous job of placing this story in their small town. We get a lot of authenticity here, and the dialogue has so much depth, warmth and crackle to it. This was a quick read, a lot of fun, with great levels of conflict to overcome. I especially liked the author's talent with sense of place -- it's a transporting story, ideal as a beach read, summer book club, or a happy break from the news cycle.

This one was a new book that I actually enjoyed despite the issues I had while reading it. While certainly not my favorite of stories, it still managed to hold my interest. It tells the story of two friends (although, I'm not sure that their relationship ever felt much like that) Cooper and Emma.
I enjoyed the basic concept of this story and I surprised myself when I didn't mind the political background to the plot. However, at times the drama in the story felt unnecessary and the book tried to pass it off like Cooper and Emma were once best friends, but I never quite got that vibe. I think the story would have benefited from some snippets between the two characters pasts. What it had told you that they had a history, but for me, it never really translated. Strangely, I really felt like the female MC could have benefited from a close friend because her friendships in the story never felt quite realistic. Also, I thought the entire character of Whitney felt quite pointless.
Despite all of this, however, I found it entertaining and I didn't find myself bored while reading it so for that I would recommend it. I didn't think it was the best of stories, but I didn't think it was bad either.

On the Corner of Love and Hate is being touted for fans of The Unhonymooners by Christina Lauren. Fans of Christina Lauren's books may enjoy Corner, but they certainly aren't similar in tone, characterization, or placement on the chaste-to-steamy spectrum.

Emma works in local government in her beloved town of Hope Lake, Pennsylvania. It's the town she grew up in along with her three best friends: Nick, Cooper, and Henry. Eight years after her return to Hope Lake post-college, Cooper is on the campaign trail to be Hope Lake's next mayor. Thanks to Emma's Type A personality, he enlists her as behind-the-scenes campaign manager, but Emma has other things to figure out: namely her repressed feelings for Cooper. As a constant over-analyzer, Emma worries about how her relationship with Cooper, the future Mr. Mayor, her friend group, and so much more will be impacted if she pursues these feelings. But, what if he pursues them....?

On the Corner of Love and Hate is a slow burn romance. Like, super slow. Like, they don't get together until the last 20 or so pages. There is almost too little potential for them to get together to make the actual getting together worth it. Plus, Emma's repressed feelings for Cooper are all over the place. I get that she's grappling with them, but she comes right out at the beginning of the story to say that she has deep-rooted feelings that she refuses to act on, and then later on she's just a bundle of "Nope, I don't have feelings for Cooper." It's very annoying and contributes to Corner feeling like a draft of a book rather than a finished product ready for publishing.

Additionally, compared to The Unhoneymooners and other books by Christina Lauren, Corner is 4 on the chaste-to-steamy spectrum while Lauren's books are an 8 or a 9. I would give them to a romance reader who is looking more for tame romance than steamy romance.

Emma and Cooper had me interested from the first page. That interest quickly turned to love. Like, I seriously loved them both (and their friends and family). Hate for a couple of characters was there too, but it was mostly love. This story just pulled at my heart, and the only thing that could’ve made it better was getting Cooper’s POV, although his feelings were expressed very well by the author regardless! I cannot wait to read more from this little town filled with such big love personalities!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
So I happen to love enemies to lovers stories and Christina Lauren novels. The synopsis of this novel promised a book with those elements I enjoy. Unfortunately it fell short of expectations. One of the reasons I love Christina Lauren's novels is for her keen ability to built sexual tension between the characters and through clever, witty lines make the reader fall in love with them. This particular novel did not do enough of that for me.
Emma is a controlling campaign manager who spends most her time scorning Cooper for his irresponsible behavior like a parent would. There is barely any sexual tension between them and we don't really get a sense that she genuinely likes him. It was a decent romance if you like lighter stuff but falls short of being unforgettable.

I really enjoy the story line of the book and I liked that it combines more than one trope (friends to lovers and enemies to lovers) but I wasn’t quite sold on the characters - Emma was a little to in her own head and aCooper was a little too unaware. My other issue was Emma’s thoughts to herself are written oddly - they kind of mess up the flow of the story

All in all I would still recommend the book but I wouldn’t drop everything to read it

Such mixed feelings about this sorry. I really like Emma and Cooper but oh, did the plot frustrate me. In general, I enjoy enemies to lovers but the amount of quality interactions between the two main characters made this difficult to read. It took me forever to get engaged with the book and then once I got halfway through it started to move quicker... but oh, I was dying for some flirting or banter or anything with more depth before I got to that point. I definitely think this writer has potential and I hope to read more of her books.