Emma Peroni works in the Community Development Office (CDO) in the small town of Hope Lake. She works with her childhood friend Cooper Campbell-Endicott, who is now running for office as mayor of Hope Lake. Cooper has a political pedigree; his mother is governor. He's the beloved golden boy of Hope Lake. But he also has a playboy reputation, and his opponent, Kirby, is capitalizing on it. If Cooper loses, Kirby will set back all the progress of the CDO in Hope Lake. So the current mayor--who just happens to be Emma's father--devises a plan. Emma will manage Cooper's campaign, and he will pretend to settle down with a former girlfriend. Emma and Cooper haven't gotten along since college, but the more time they spend together now, the more feelings get stirred up: anger, resentment, and... lust.

So I think it does a disservice to bill this book as a Christina Lauren-type romance, as I went in expecting a certain type of story and it just didn't deliver. I believe if I just read it as a romance, I might have enjoyed it more. And, please note, that a 3-star review isn't bad (!), I just didn't 4-star love love it.

The book is set up with the "love/hate" premise. We have hard-working Emma, who is scared of commitment and letting down her guard. Meanwhile, Cooper needs to buckle down and get serious about everything in his life. Emma holds a long-standing grudge against Cooper, but, of course, oh there are feelings, right? The problem is that things get repetitive: so much fighting about his bad behavior and then her thinking over and over about her feelings. (Of course she doesn't have feelings for Cooper, she hates him, etc.). We all know they are going to show some spark together, but good grief, it takes forever.

"He might have been the single most irritating person in the world to me, but still, I could appreciate his appearance."

Also, while I liked that there were political things woven into this novel, my goodness, I've never seen such drama over a mayoral race in my life. Is this a small town thing, or something? I have lived in small towns. The attention and drama focused on this race felt like a senatorial campaign and there was little explanation why Cooper's opponent was so bad, except that he was, indeed, really bad and would ruin the whole town, so this portion felt very two-dimensional. (Oh and if Emma called her father "Mayor Dad" one more time, I was going to scream.)

Still, this is a cute read. There are some really fun scenes with Emma's friends--she, Nick, Henry, and Cooper have been pals since they were kids. There is wit and humor throughout the book. I could certainly identify with Emma, being a closed off workaholic myself! The small town vibe in this book is really adorable--Hope Lake practically flies off the page, and it's a very atmospheric setting.

And, let's be honest: a love/hate dynamic is enjoyable. We pick up a romance knowing exactly what we are getting into. Cooper was a bit irritating at times, but it still boils down that I'm a total sucker for a sappy love story and the chosen two getting together. I was rooting for these two, and I liked the end of the book. This was a sweet, funny read overall. 3 stars.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Emma and Cooper had been thick as thieves as kids, but they drifted apart in college. After graduation, they both returned to their hometown, and even got jobs working together, but Emma was never able to rekindle that friendship she once had with Cooper. When his campaign for mayor hit a snag, Cooper recruited Emma to help, and as the two began spending more and more time together, Emma must confront the confusing feelings she had for her best friend turned frenemy.

This book started really strong for me, and the ending had me feeling all sorts of wonderful, but there were a few ups and downs in-between.

This book was funny. Emma had a great voice. I found her witty and amusing, and I there were so many hilarious interactions between her and other members of Hope Lake. What can I say, good banter goes a long way with me.

I was also a fan of the town and all the wonderful denizens, who filled it. Small towns are always fabulous, and with this focusing on the politics and community, I really got to get acquainted with Hope Lake, which seems like a fabulous place to live.

I though Bocci did a great job weaving Emma and Cooper's history into this tale. She shared so many of their memories, both happy and painful, and I loved having that window into their shared past. It helped me see how they got to where they are and also better understand why they were making these particular choices.

I liked Emma right away, even if she was in all sorts of denial, but I grew to love Cooper. Initially, I found him to be a cocky jerk, but as the campaign continued, I got to see a different side of him. I also thought he was way more honest, than Emma. There were some moments that he made me swoon and drove me to happy tears, and I was definitely part of his fan club by the end.

I believe this series will be focusing on the friend-quartet, and I am there for those books. It was insta-love for me with Henry. He was just so sweet and caring and considerate, and I really need to see him get his HEA. The other friend, Nick, amused me, and I am interested in getting to know him better.

Though there were a few things that didn't totally work for me, I found myself enjoying watching Cooper and Emma finally acknowledge their festering feelings, and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Okay... Let's see how this review goes.

As the synopsis says, Emma is asked by her father to help reform Cooper's image and help him with the campaign.

That being said, this started happening from chapter 9. The first 8 chapters were there to, I guess, set the tone of the story. I just wonder why it took so long. At the moment, I remember loving those first few chapters. It wasn't until all the campaign strategies started happening that I started to lose interest, mainly due to the fact that I felt it kept being dragged. In my opinion, I think it could have ended way earlier than it did. Because of this, I got bored.

Onto the characters, which I enjoyed a lot. First, we have Emma. I love how in-control, organized, and quirky she is. I loved being inside her head. Then, we obviously have Cooper. Being honest here, I didn't feel much for Cooper. I felt more for the other two guys in this foursome than I did Cooper, which says a lot since Cooper is the male MC.

Finally, we have Nick and Henry. Man, I loved these two! I'm pretty sure I kept reading this story for these two characters so I'm super eager to read their story! They were hilarious! And personality wise, I started falling for both. Henry is the one that's more put-together and has a good head on his shoulders. Nick still likes the "dating" scene, if you know what I mean. But both of them are loyal to a T. I can't wait to read how Henry gets ruffled and looser with whoever he ends up with, and for Nick, I canNOT wait to see how he gets put in his place and watch him fall hard!

The "romance": Emma and Cooper used to be friends. Things happened in their lives that pushed Emma away for the sake of her heart. And now she can't really stand Cooper but she at least tolerates him. I mean, I feel like this was more of a Women's Fiction (the genre Romance should be taken out of this book). Emma and Cooper never acted on their feelings until the very end. The majority of the story was mostly focused on the campaign and Emma's job. So if you think you're getting some Romance here and there with this one, think again.

Overall, On the Corner of Love and Hate started out strong for me, but lost its strength along the way. It kept being dragged when it could have ended sooner. Despite this, will I continue the series? Yes! I need to know Nick's and Henry's stories!!!

On the Corner of Love and Hate is book #1 in the Hopeless Romantics series by author Nina Bocci. This is an political romantic comedy about a guy (Cooper) running for major who depends on his ex-childhood best friend (Emma) to help him out with his campaign.

Cooper had been Emma's first love crush, and eventually they went their separate ways out to college, until years later when they end up working in the same office, where there is a lot of tension, competitiveness between this two.

However, Emma's dad wants Cooper to take over his job by becoming the new mayor, and for her to run his campaign, which includes cleaning up his image after the other candidates decide to play dirty. Anyways, this is all I'm telling you about this amazing read, because I hate spoilers.

All in all, this delightful read is fun, complex, romantic and refreshingly amusing. I love the characters, the push and pull, the playfulness, the slow burn romance, and their town. I really loved and enjoyed following Emma & Cooper's journey.


This book really evokes more than just emotion in me, and that's exactly what I love about stories like this one. Now I want nothing more than to start listening the audible version of it!

Can't wait for the next installment in the series!!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 STARS

"He ignited every emotion in me, from love to hate."

Very cute yet smart workplace romance! Emma and Cooper were childhood friends and now Cooper is running a mayoral campaign in the small town of Hope Lake. Emma is assisting him. At first I thought there'd be more fire between them but Cooper really seems to be a nice guy who is just in a little but over his head. He keeps making choices that are not really going to help him win the race for mayor. And yet Emma still keeps all her true feelings for him bottled up inside, often in the form of hilarious inner monologues.

The author keeps the slow-burn going through much of the story because although we know what Emma's true feelings are, we really don't know if Cooper reciprocates or not. I loved the resolution between the main characters, and I loved the banter between them! I actually liked Emma and would have loved more of a steamy romance between her and Cooper.

This is a fresh, sweet, small town romance and if small-town political romance is a trope, then this is it. The cast of supporting characters are all vividly drawn and Nina Bocci has created a wonderful setting with Hope Lake. If you like smart romantic comedies, then you will definitely like this story!

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci was a slow burning frenemies to lovers romance. Emmanuelle Peroni, Emma, does whatever it takes to ignore and stay away from Cooper Endicott, however, when her dad asks her to help Cooper, she can’t say no. Even if she really wants too. Once friends, now anything but, she needs to help turn his image around as her father, the current mayor, is endorsing Cooper as the next mayor. As they navigate through their working relationship, we see them work through past issues. A romance full of angst and push and pull.

3.5-stars. Happy reading!

This is a fun, light and enjoyable book! I loved the characters and enjoyed this authors writing! THANK YOU! I look forward to reading more from this author! :)

When I saw the blurb mention “for fans of Christina Lauren” I was all in!

Contemporary romance is a fairly new genre for me. One that I have been enjoying as a break from all my thrillers.
Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. It lacked the sparkle I was expecting.

The premise of enemies to lovers is one I’ve seen quite often lately, and usually enjoy. Only it never seemed to work here. I had trouble connecting to Emma right from the beginning.

The pacing was extremely slow and I felt my mind wondering on more than one occasion. Leaving me to skim my way to the end. This just wasn’t a good fit for me.

A buddy read with Susanne🌸

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Threshold Pocket Books.

This is the first in a new series called Hopeless Romantics by Nina Bocci. Normally, I do not gravitate toward politically themed novels but this one had way more of a contemporary feel and thank God for that. I really enjoyed getting to know Cooper, Emma and their quirky friends and town. They were genuine and so much fun to read about.

Was Emma stubborn and in denial? Yes. Was Cooper a “playboy”? Yes. Did everyone else know what would ultimately happen in this story? Yep. But it was still a fun read. If you are looking for a good plot with a romantic side, this is it.

On the Corner of Love and Hate is an enemies to lovers romance that reminds Us that everything works out just as it should. That destiny has her own agenda.

This small town romance is smart, sweet, and super angsty. It’s entertaining storyline and intriguing characters pull you in and hold on tight. Cooper and Emma were super cute. I loved the banter between them. On more than one occasion, I found myself laughing out loud.

I really enjoyed On the Corner of Love and Hate. There’s nothing better than to be swept away to a whole new world. I look forward to returning to Hope Lake!

♥ Review by Lys

3.5 Stars! This enemies to more story was a quick read that, unlike may others I’ve enjoyed lately, had real main character growth and fantastic secondary characters. With both a small-town vibe and a slow-burn romance, this story had a sweet feel to it. The two main characters, Emma and Cooper, have known each other forever and, over the years, have harbored secret desires and experienced heartbreak. Working together, they’re forced into each others’ lives daily and this, of course, causes many opportunities for both uncomfortable situations and amazing opportunities.

When we first meet them, they’re much closer to enemies than friends and we can see why. They work together and Cooper has not been fulfilling his responsibilities because he’s running for mayor, and he’s busy with his supposed womanizing. This means that Emma has taken on a larger workload, and is left to do some of his work, just to get things accomplished on time. This introduction to Cooper made me question whether he was even worthy of Emma’s affections. And I must admit that it took me quite a while to warm up to him, which is very unusual for me. However, I hung in there and eventually saw that their past, their snarky banter, and even his initial immaturity, were all just bumps in the road for these two. I would have loved to have seen some of this story from Cooper’s point of view so that I could understand him better.

There were many ups and downs in this story and the road to the happily ever after was quite long. If you’re not a fan of drama and multiple misunderstandings this may not be the story for you. But, if you like angst and the push and pull of friends to enemies, give it a try, you might find that Emma and Cooper’s journey is right up your alley.

I have been in a very big romance mood lately and was so excited to see that this book was recommended to lovers of Christina Lauren. But sadly, this story fell a little short for me. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it! I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting and different with the political elements to the story! I was very interested in the story during some parts and then I was kind of boring at other times. I definitely think this book is more of a political story with a side of romance. I was hoping there would be a little more romance as I read, but I feel like I waited around until the end to finally see the romance part happen. Nothing wrong with that, but I think my expectations were a little different for this book. I did enjoy the characters and thought they were likable and realistic, but I just wanted a little more from this story. I would recommend if you are looking for a political story, a little romance, and lots of laughs!

This was definitely a fun read! I enjoyed every bit of it. I cared about the characters and was involved with their lives and decisions. I especially liked the father-daughter-mother dynamic with parents wanting their daughter to realize her feelings even though they supported her regardless of her decisions. I hope to read more of Bocci’s books.

I'm super excited about Nina Bocci releasing romance book! And I freaking enjoy it so much. You won't be disappointed at all. It has angst with a mix of sassy and romance in the mix. And don't even get me started with Emmanuelle and Cooper. They are quite a pair, hot and sassy with each other. Let's get talk about their persona.
Emmanuelle is the driven person that she achieve her goals in her career path. She loves helping her hometown especially in the politic. And it came no surprise that her father wants her to help recover Cooper image for the public eye. But that's going to be a problem. Emmanuelle and Cooper are nemesis with each other. But underneath their hatred with each other, they have hot passion for each other but they are kinda coward about comforting their feelings.
Cooper is well-known for his lady skills. But that will be a problem for the public when you are running for office. He needs to straight out his image but it's going to be difficult because Emmanuelle and him do not get along. But secretly, Cooper has strong feeling for her but he can't commit since he is nervous about spilling his feelings.
On the Corner of Love and Hate will bring two enemy together and it is going to explosive with each other. Definitely pick up a copy.
Four Stars

Okay a little history... Emma and Cooper were childhood friends. They were inseparable until he broke her heart. They grew up to be different people. She works hard and he plays hard. They live in a small town so it is hard to escape seeing Cooper parading around with different leggy women. Emma can’t stand the sight of him now, but does she really hates him? Cooper is running for mayor and for some twisted reason Emma was enlisted to help him with his campaign e.g. cleaning up his nonstop messes and most importantly his image. Let’s the hostility begins… How on earth is Emma going to work side by side Cooper when she can’t stand looking at him? Can she ever find it in her heart to forgive Cooper’s past mistakes?
What I like? A new concept, the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, the charming small town vibe, flirty banters, second cast of characters, and the adorable people of Hope Lake. Not so much – all the back-stabbing politics in general, a bit long, not enough romance and sexiness. I guess because Emma hold grudges too long. Over all, I enjoy the light-heart love story. I like Nina’s writing style – charming, some of the banters was hilarious. Definitely fun and entertaining. I am looking forward to Hopeless Romantics # 2.

3.75 nice start to a series stars!

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci is one romantic rom-com. The characters had this intense relationship that kept building as the pages flew by. Anger, frustration, jealousy, and tons of humor fill the book's journey. Sparks flew hotter as the both protagonists realized just how much they were in love. But getting there is the hard part. Cooper is running for Mayor. He promised not to go after his mentor's aka current mayor's daughter. However, one he has been bit the love bug doesn't fade. It only grew only neither he nor Emma could keep it away anymore.

Emma is the current mayor's daughter. She and Cooper grew up together and work together. That would make any relationship with him off bounds. Cooper has quirks like any other man. I loved the opening scene of Cooper sitting in an office chair with air buds in ears blaring music while he thought Emma was 'talking to herself'. I couldn't help but to laugh. I felt her anger build up and progress. The plot just got stickier and juicier as it rolled forward.

Cooper despite his quirks also has the perfect charm that instantly made him well-liked. Emma even admitted it.

Looking for a dash of humor, a dash of old crushes, and a lot of intense heat? Than this is the rom-com, for you! I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren books. After reading this novel, I can definitely say, it was just as good as anything I've read from Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey!

'On the Corner of Love and Hate' by Nina Bocci is her solo debut novel and start to her new Hopeless Romantics Series. This was a sweet and slow-burning friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, and combined with the political storyline made for a very enjoyable read!

I really liked Emma (short for Emmanuelle) and Cooper's characters in the story. Since they had known each other since they were children, they both knew just how to get the other’s goat, and it was fun to follow their jabs at each other throughout. Clearly, they were on two totally different pages in their relationship, and I felt for Cooper and his clueless frustration of why Emma hated him, as well her own confusion in why he wouldn’t leave her alone. As their feelings were revealed, I better understood where Emma was coming from, but I did think that she was a little too hard on him!

Bocci really excelled in writing this light yet well-developed story for me. It encompassed many of the things that I always enjoy in my reads with its plot surrounding politics, small-town charm and feel, and intriguing secondary characters in the story. When I mentioned Cooper and Emma’s romance was slow-burning, let me reinforce that it was very slow-burning and drawn out until the very end. The buildup was fantastic and quite sweet, but I would have liked an earlier transition in their relationship and more focus on the romantic aspect of the story.

Overall, Bocci's debut made for a fun and entertaining read, and I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series, 'Meet Me on Love Lane', featuring Charlotte’s story and coming December 10th!

Emmanuelle's father is mayor of the town and he's coming to the point of stepping down and wants her to become campaign manger to a childhood friend Cooper. Thing is Cooper and her have history, and he's known for being a bit of a Casanova so she needs to clean up his act that way in order to help him win the towns favor. With all this time together clearly old hurts, feelings and a clear attraction for eachother starts to come around. It also doesn't help that Coopers competitor is willing to play dirty to win and they gotta work together to win this thing.

I loved a good hate to love, friendship to lovers kinda things. I love seeing those bickering and seeing how they worked to solve the issues that came their way. I enjoyed seeing the drama that was caused trying to help his image. You know what there is plenty to like and enjoy about this book but hard to talk about without giving away too much but trust me you'll enjoy this book if you like a good hate to love contemporary romance.

I was drawn to Nina Bocci’s new novel On the Corner of Love and Hate as soon as I read the synopsis. An enemies to lovers romance perfect for fans of Christina Lauren? That just screams sexy romance with plenty of flirty banter and laugh out loud moments, so yes, sign me up, please!

When the novel opens, we meet the main characters, Emma and Cooper. They’re coworkers now and were childhood friends, but it becomes immediately clear that they are friends no longer and that Emma is not even remotely a fan of Cooper. Basically everything Cooper says and does annoys her and he seems to really enjoy that he’s able to annoy Emma so easily. Cooper is also running for mayor of Hope Lake, the small town they live in. Emma’s dad is currently the mayor but wants to retire and really wants Cooper to follow in his footsteps. Did I mention that even though Emma hates Cooper, Emma’s parents think he walks on water? So, bottom line, when Emma’s dad encourages her to be Cooper’s campaign manager because his image needs a serious revamp to take him from playboy to golden boy, she feels like she can’t say no. As I’m sure you can imagine, the sparks immediately fly.

Sounds fun, right? And for the most part, it was fun. The writing is light and fun, Emma and Cooper are likeable enough and definitely have chemistry. Even the witty banter I was hoping for is there. Even so, however, I still initially struggled to get into the book because I wasn’t really connecting with the characters, especially Emma. Part of it for me was not understanding why Emma has so much hatred for Cooper. Yes, he can be a complete moron sometimes and the fact that he’s a hopeless flirt gets old, but Emma’s hatred of Cooper seemed a little disproportionate to his behavior. It turns out that there is a reason for the hatred based on something that happened when they were younger, but for the majority of the book, I was just sitting there wondering what had happened and it somewhat tainted my view of Emma until I finally got the answer I was looking for.

Even though I struggled to get into the book at first, there were still plenty of things I enjoyed about it once I got going. The small town setting was absolutely charming, and the secondary characters were adorable, especially Cooper and Emma’s mutual friends and the elderly citizens who were volunteering on Cooper’s campaign. Cooper’s opponent in the mayoral race was also great in the role of character you’ll love to hate. I wanted to throttle him a few times along the way.

Between the charming setting, the fun cast of secondary characters, and the evolving dynamic between Emma and Cooper, all I kept thinking while I was reading was that this would make a cute movie or TV series.

In spite of my early struggles with it, I’d still recommend On the Corner of Love and Hate for anyone who enjoys light, fluffy reads, enemies to lovers romances, charming small towns, and local politics with all of its shenanigans.

There was a lot to like about On the Corner of Love and Hate
A fun and meddling cast of characters ✔️
A villainess you want to hate ✔️
A reason for the enemies situation ✔️
A slow burn that has some serious fireworks when it finally catches 🔥✔️✔️

But there were a few things that just didn’t work for me
The unresolved Whitney storyline X
The somewhat awkward kitchen scene X
The whole crisis mode post the kitchen scene that didn’t really make sense to me X

Overall I liked the book and I’ll definitely give the author another try.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.