This was a wonderful slow burn romance, and having always lived in a big city all my life I'm endlessly fascinated by small town living. The story follows Emma and Cooper. Emma's dad is the Mayor of their town; Hope Lake and is retiring. Cooper is one of the candidates running to replace him. Growing up friends, then into uneasy enemies(one-sided), and finally awkward work colleagues.The relationship between Emma and Cooper is complicated to say the least. Then being manipulated by well meaning family into being Cooper's campaign manager and Emma is NOT a happy bunny.
I love when there is depth and clearly well researched storylines in romance. I had no idea how much work goes into political campaigns. Watching Emma and Cooper navigate through a minefield of slanderous headlines, underhanded campaigning, town gossips and all while trying to figure out what was/was not happening between them, kept me riveted. Cooper really is sweet and is trying hard but trouble seems to always find him. I really did feel for him. You can see how he feels about Emma and I was rooting for him. Emma was great, well rounded extremely capable woman. At times funny (her "EMMA THOUGHTS"- were hilarious!) And frustrating(I wanted to shake Emma in a "I love you BUT..." kind of way) All the secondary characters were great I loved Emma's mum! I adored the way how their respective parents loved and respected both Emma and Cooper. I'd love Henry and Nick to get their own book. This was a wonderful insight into small town dynamics and politics done with integrity. I loved Nina Bocci's style of writing and look forward to reading more from her. Highly highly recommend this to all, enemies to lovers, romance readers. Definitely a 5⭐/5 !!

I am sad to say that I did not love this book. The pacing was too slow for me. Typically I love an enemies to lovers story but this was not something that I held my attention.

I did finish the book however it is not something I would say I loved nor would I purchase it.

I’ll not be sharing a review of this title outside of NetGalley.

A fun, romantic beach read that should be on everyone's to be read list and will serve as a quick, fun romp.

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci is book one in her Hopeless Romantics Series. On the Corner of Love and Hate is a full length, standalone romance novel. A slow burn, a witty and fun summer read, excellent written, beautifully thought out and beautifully told.

Emmanuelle Peroni is a successful campaign manager and when the local lothario needs a image update, prim and proper Emma gets roped in a whirlwind of a romance.
I'm a huge sucker for swoony heroes and smart and witty heroines. OtCoLaH meets this 100 percent.
I was captivated from start til the end and read the book in one sitting. 5 Stars.

I am always on the lookout for a love story that revolves around politics. So after reading the book blurb, I just had to request On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci. This is a friends to enemies to lovers romance, with a cast of characters that are interesting and entertaining. Unfortunately, the pace was a bit sedate throughout the first half of the book, and the slow burn between Emma and Cooper took too long to heat up. Happily, the ending and the epilogue left me smiling from ear to ear. This is the first book from the author's brand new series, Hopeless Romantics, and it can be read as a standalone.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was a ok read for me. I didn’t dislike it and the last half of the book got much better in my opinion. The first half just seemed to drag on.
The two main characters are Emma and Cooper, childhood friends that grew apart and are now back together. In fact, they are working together. And, what a love-hate relationship they have! There are some cute, funny moments that I really liked. I wish there would have been more of a romance aspect sooner in the story.
All in all, this is a cute story and one you should read. I will read the next books in the series.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is my honest opinion.

4 Stars!
Emma Peroni is a 28 yr. old woman from a small town in northern Pennsylvania called Hope Lake. Her dad is the mayor, and she herself has a government job as well. She worked in an office together with her childhood friend Cooper Endicott. They were considered the home base for the town, and had their hand in pretty much everything. When emergencies happened, they fixed them, but lately Emma finds herself picking up most of the slack since Cooper is busy running for mayor.

Cooper and Emma were inseparable as kids. They had a lot in common, and both of them grew up in politics, and loved their hometown. They'd known each other over twenty years, and had gone from best friends to often being at odds. He was her first crush, and had driven her crazy for over two decades. Their relationship was now fraught with tension and competitiveness, and she was tired of cleaning up his messes. He was a gorgeous, guy with a magnetic personality. He was Hope Lake's golden boy, and the town loved him. Even though she couldn't stand him lately, she agreed he would make a wonderful mayor. What she didn't plan on is being involved in his campaign. When the other candidates decide to play dirty, she reluctantly agrees to help him revamp his image in the public eye. Spending so much time together, will she be able to resist falling for the enemy?

On the Corner of Love and Hate is the first in a new series by author Nina Bocci. This book is Hopeless Romantics, #1, and Nina's solo debut. It's a flirty, workplace romantic comedy with a fun political twist. I really enjoyed this lighthearted, charming enemies to lovers romance!

This was a cute political friends/not friends type of story.
Workaholics (check)
Cute characters (check)
Hilarious moments (check)
Amazing friends (check)
Drama (check)
All make this a great read!!!

3.5 stars from me.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

Overall enjoyed the book. Great Characters, storyline and really entertaining.

Emma is very anal and on point with her job. Her personal life not so much. I can understand a little bit of her exasperation with Cooper but I also think that she has some misunderstanding on her part and she never ever truly talked to Cooper. She let it fester and build up until there was resentment in a way. But there is also some serious attraction. It pings off the page.

Cooper was a mess. A sweet fun mess. He had great intentions and loves his town but he was a wee bit lost. He also has great respect for Emma. He wanted to change things for her. Have her see him in a differentlight and to him it seemed that no matter what he didn’t it was never good enough for her. You can tell that she truly hurt him at times and it has your heart go out to him. Cooper you can tell does so much to show Emma his feelings but she does poopooo them. Eventually these two have to face one another and their feelings-when they do wowza.

The premise of the story is that these two were besties. And things happened between them that has Emma kind of resenting him only the heart is still attracted. Now Cooper is running for mayor, Emma is helping and she sent him into another’s arms. The arms of someone in the past that then and now is hurting them. Only this time it was Emma who did it. She has to deal with that and her feelings. A campaign that is being hurt by a opponent that is mudslinging and a Cooper she isn’t really used to. He is funny and adorable, sexy and sweet. Seeing his love for his town and the people in it is heartwarming.

These two are great together and apart. There are times both do drive you batty but overall you fall in love with them and their friends and family around them. The story is lighthearted at times and funny, entertaining and sexy. It has some great banter and just overall warms the heart. A great fun romance.

On the Corner of Love and Hate is not author Nina Bocci’s first published book. It is, however, her first solo book. She has written on Felony Ever After with Helena Hunting, Debra Anastasia and Belle Aurora as well as Roman Crazy with Alice Clayton.

I loved Roman Crazy and was super excited about her solo project: Hopeless Romantics. This is the first in the series and I can’t wait until the rest of the series.

I honestly loved all the tension and the unspoken feelings between Emma and Cooper. The fact that Emma didn’t really talk, much, about a woman best friend was really great to see because I honestly had a lot more guy friends than girl friends. The fact that Henry, Nick and Cooper completely accepted Emma no matter what, even after their teens, was super cute and it makes me want to move to Hope Lake, Pennsylvania. Like truthfully. I need me a Henry.

The whole friends-to-crushes-to-enemies-to lovers circle was an adorable train wreck to watch. The whole issue came, mainly, from Emma because she realized that she needed Cooper in some capacity in her life and she wasn’t willing to let anything change in order to move on. The character growth was amazing.

All in all, the whole book was a delight to read and I can’t wait for Meet Me on Love Lane, coming out December 10th!

Emmanuelle and Cooper have been friends since they were kids. Now that they are back in their childhood hometown and working in the same office, Emmanuelle realizes just how much of a grudge she holds against Cooper. When Cooper decides to run for town Mayor, Emmanuelle takes on the difficult job of managing his campaign and his personal life. Bocci's story follows these two bickering "friends" as they both navigate the campaign trail and their feelings towards one another. As it gets closer to voting time, Emmanuelle needs to make some personal decisions that will have an impact on moving forward with Cooper and the race to a campaign victory.
I absolutely adored On The Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci. I loved all the characters in this small town romance story. The political backdrop was the perfect setup for Emmanuelle to figure out her true feelings for Cooper. Their relationship had the exact amount wit, charm and sarcasm to keep the pages turning. The romance was sweet and the steam level was extremely mild. Bocci's story is an easy breezy read that will leave you grinning from ear to ear. I look forward to future books from this author.

Hi, thank you for the opportunity to read this book by Nina Bocci, but I am actually going to pass. Both of my blog partners have read it and said it isn't the book for me, as they both know my tastes in books and what my triggers/dislikes are. It wouldn't be fair of me to start this book knowing I won't like it and leaving the author a bad review due to that.

4 – 4.5 Stars

This was a very enjoyable, slow-burn summer read for me. I loved the idea of these two, and while I’m a huge fan of enemies to lovers I feel like this was much more of a friends with some sass to lovers. I definitely enjoyed this book though and really felt like I got to know (and love) Emma and Cooper!

Emma and Cooper grew up together and were best friends for a long time, that is until they went away to college and grew apart, life happens. Now as adults, they work together and there are some tensions between them. Emma’s a very driven person, determined to get it all done, efficiently and perfectly. Cooper’s process is a bit different and these two butt heads regularly. It doesn’t help that Cooper is now running for mayor, the position Emma’s dad has held and is now vacating, and Emma has been asked to help keep Cooper’s image clean and get Cooper elected. It also doesn’t help that there’s a part of Emma that hasn’t let go of the crush she had on Cooper all those years ago.

I thought this was such a fun read, the banter between Cooper and Emma is fantastic, these two just cracked me up! You can just feel Emma’s exasperation as she deals with Cooper, and Cooper has 100% perfected pushing Emma’s buttons. It is definitely a slow-burn with a lot of push and pull, it really takes our dear Emma some time to get her head on straight when it comes to how she really feels about Cooper. I was rooting for them though, with all my heart (which Cooper owned by the end of this book) and I truly did enjoy their journey! Overall, a fun, sweet read and I’m definitely looking forward to more of this series!

The first time this one caught my eye was when I saw it being compared to one of my favorite author duos, Christina Lauren. I was obviously excited to see that comparison because I seriously can’t get enough of rom coms lately, especially theirs, but this was really nothing like a CL book. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t bad at all, it definitely had its own redeeming qualities, but anyone expecting a similar book will be disappointed.

One of the aspects that worked really well for me here was the setting, I absolutely love a small town romance and as this is the first in a new series, there were plenty of lovable characters that could definitely appear in future books. Hope Lake is a tight knit community and I love nothing more than a small town united. This focuses mainly on the towns mayoral race and while I’m pretty sick a real life politics, the author did a really good job of keeping things fairly light. There was definitely no apparent political agenda on behalf of the authors personal beliefs, it centered solely on the towns own political race. I wanted to make that clear in case anyone was hesitant at even the mention of politics, it was handled very well.

Before I wrap this up I think the main thing that missed this mark for me here was my lack of connection to both main characters. I found Emma to be a little annoying and Cooper was just ok for me. Neither of them wowed me and I didn’t feel any real chemistry between them until the very end. I think if you went into this expecting more of a Women’s Fiction read that’s very light on the romance you’ll enjoy this one a bit more than I did.

Emmanuelle Peroni and Cooper Endicott grew up as best friends having a lot in common. He was the son of the Governor and her father had been Mayor of Hope Lake, Pennsylvania for 30+ years. Over the years their friendship has been strained as she’s fought feelings for him and been hurt by his lothario ways. When her father announces his retirement as Mayor he plans to groom Cooper to run in his place. However, Cooper’s single status and charming charisma starts to work against him giving his running mate a lot of material to expose. When he asks Emma to help him by running his campaign she balks, not wanting to give him anymore time than her vote. However, he’s her best shot at maintaining the status quo in both her job and personal life. As they work together she starts to have feelings again but will Cooper give her more of his heart than he had in the past?

On the Corner of Love and Hate was kind of an enemies to lovers romance. I say kind of because they weren’t really enemies since they considered each other a best friend, but there was an anger on Emma’s side that was lacking on Cooper’s. The first half of the book explained Emma’s side, their past, and Cooper’s somewhat smarmy present. I had a bit of trouble liking either of these characters until the second half of the book. Emma complained too much and Cooper’s charm rubbed me the wrong way. Also the introduction of a past girlfriend into the story threw me and truthfully kind of pissed me off. What was he thinking?

Emma’s acceptance to run his mayoral campaign helped to show each of these characters strengths. Cooper’s charm was less smarmy and more appealing while Emma’s whiny workaholic tendencies worked very well towards pushing Cooper to be his best. Also, pitting him against a sleezy running mate helped Cooper look less sleazy. Boy, reading this makes me look like I didn’t enjoy the book at all, doesn’t it? I did actually like it more as I read on and liked the ending a lot. It just took me a bit to get there.

❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a free copy of this ARC through NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review and it was honest!

★★ 3.5 stars! ★★

Beyond the beautiful cover and the clever title, On the Corner of Love and Hate is the epitome of a beautifully written small-town romance. With the quaint setting of Hope Lake so interwoven into the story, it becomes its own character and a bit reminiscent of Stars Hollow or Blue Bell, Alabama. The antics of the locals are hilariously and realistically portrayed, so much so that the reader could envision residing in Hope Lake themselves.

Emmanuelle (Emma) and Cooper grew up in Hope Lake and their roots run deep. Both work for the city government, under the direction of Emma’s father who is the town’s mayor. Public service also runs in Cooper’s blood and he has political aspirations to become the next town mayor. Unfortunately, the citizens of Hope Lake are more concerned with Cooper’s past exploits than his future goals for the growth of the town. As a well-known ladies man, Cooper needs to rehab his image before the election, so he convinces Emma to help with his campaign.

I adore a good enemies-to-lovers storyline (especially if it’s a slow burn), and the banter and the chemistry between Emma and Cooper kept me turning the pages. They may be mortal enemies, but they have a long and sordid history that I enjoyed discovering as the story went on. What wasn't as enjoyable for me was the lack of communication between Emma and Cooper, the years they wasted hating each other, and the fact that Emma is a first-class avoider. However, the side characters' shenanigans really helped to create a buffer that diffused any lingering annoyance. There is truly so much potential in this series and I’m absolutely looking forward to revisiting Hope Lake!

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci has been on my radar for awhile. I loved the idea of it being a romcom with some politics thrown in. I will say that the author does a great job of not stepping on any toes and doesn’t really get into controversial issues at all, so no need to avoid if you’re “not into politics.” (Ps. You should be, but we can talk about that another time 😜)⁣
⁣
This is an enemies to lovers romance, so if that’s your thing, you’re going to want to grab a copy of this book that is on shelves as of today! It did start out slow for me and I didn’t know if I could like Cooper, but I honestly couldn’t have loved the ending more. The ending is what knocked this up to a 4 star read for me. Also, note on the steam- there is a little, but not a lot. I’ve seen this recommended for CLo fans and if you’re looking for extra steamy, you will be disappointed. ⁣Lastly, the “Emma thought” thing was kind of a strange, awkward way of sharing her thoughts.
⁣
I do recommend this one for when you need a light, fun read. It gave me Two Weeks Notice vibes, if any of you are familiar with that movie. I will definitely be pumped when the next book in this series debuts!

Emmanuelle (Emma) and Cooper were friends growing up, but their friendship mostly ended during their college years. After college, they both returned to their hometown of Hope Lake. Now, they both work for the community development office. Emma once wanted more than friendship from Cooper, but that desire ended and their friendship never recovered.

A frenemies to lovers story. Emma is a workaholic who loves to be organized and in control. She is single and occasionally dates, but she keeps her schedule so full, there is rarely time. Cooper is a womanizing rich boy with political aspirations. Since the story is told from Emma's point of view, the reader is aware of her feelings for Cooper. It would have been nice to have some parts from Cooper's POV, because he seemed to show no interest in Emma.

I enjoyed the small, picturesque town of Hope Lake. The activities around the town play a part in the story since Emma and Cooper work for the town, and Cooper is running for mayor in the upcoming election. Lots of politics about the town in this book. In addition to Cooper's political aspirations, Emma's father is the current mayor and Cooper's mother is the governor. Emma's father supports Cooper and encourages Emma to be Cooper's campaign manager. Emma begrudgingly agrees to be Cooper's campaign manager, and she has her work cut out for her. Cooper agrees to her conditions to run the campaign, but he occasionally seems clueless about how politics and public image works. This is unbelievable since his mother is a career politician.

The writing style was enjoyable and I liked the atmosphere in the town of Hope Lake. Some of the secondary characters were great, and I hope to read more about them in the next book of the series. That said, this novel did have several things that didn't work for me. Emma and Cooper weren't that likable. I could handle Emma's wishy-washy behavior, but Cooper truly was not a good choice for love interest. Also, this was much too slow on the romance for me. In the end, I was a little disappointed in this one, but will continue to read the next book and look forward to hearing more from the characters in Hope Lake.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the cover of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci is your quintessential small town romance. Bocci's writing is impeccable as she weaves her spell and draws you into Hope Lake's campaign for mayor. On the Corner of Love and Hate is the perfect blend of wit, charm, love, hope, hard work, politics, and emotions. This book was everything that I wanted and more.

The characters are perfect. I loved Cooper's ability to charm his way out of anything. And Emma. If there was ever a female character written that I could identify with, it's Emma. I saw so much of myself in her right down to her workaholic ways and perfectionism.

And of course, no small town is complete without a colorful cast of busybodies that love to gossip. I adored the residents of Hope Lake and can't wait for the next two books in this series.

3 stars. On the Corner of Love and Hate is Ms. Bocci's debut book. This is Cooper and Emma/ Emmanuelle's story. Cooper and Emma were best friends growing up in the same small town, until an incident in college made them grow apart. Now they work together in the town planning office and Cooper is running for mayor. Emma hates Cooper for their past, but still thinks he would be a good mayor. She is drawn into helping him campaign and, somehow, a romance develops. Old feelings emerge and new feelings begin.

Ms. Bocci's writing is very good. There are vivid details and descriptions of small town life and characters. I can see this book appealing to many, especially general fiction readers. However, as an avid romance-only reader, this book was not exactly what I normally read and love. While I enjoyed the story in general, I didn't totally love or believe in the romance.

The relationship between the couple is complicated, messy and angsty, full of drama. Cooper and Emma are flawed characters and, while I liked them, they both made big mistakes in their treatment of each other. Cooper is a manwhoring manchild, always getting into scandals with women and acting irresponsible at work. I had no faith that he could handle running a whole town as mayor, when he seemed to constantly slack at his current town planning job. His promiscuous past is brought up on nearly every page. Emma is rude and hateful to him most of the book because of that and because of their past missed connections romantically that are not explained fully util near the end. We only get Emma's POV and she "hates" Cooper for most of the book, not able to admit her feelings for him, even to herself. Neither of their characters were endearing, but I liked them well enough by the end as they both changed slightly for the better. Cooper and Emma's relationship develops from hate to love but there is not enough discussion for me as to how they got to love. They only have a few stolen moments near the end of the book where they admit feelings for each other. But there was no time in an actual relationship. There is OW drama in the form of Whitney- a hateful ex of Cooper's and ex-friend of Emma's, but we never really find out if Cooper was trying to make a real relationship with Whitney work in the present, if he was sleeping with her, etc., all while secretly having feelings for Emma. Whitney is his "fake" (?) girlfriend throughout most of the book, until the very end. That part was very vague and bothered me. I needed to know that to believe in the love between Emma and Cooper, instead it hung like an unanswered question in the back of my mind the entire book. I also felt like Cooper got off too easy for his behavior and treatment of Emma. I needed a grand gesture from him. Overall, I felt Emma and Cooper's romance was lacking in chemistry and was lukewarm.

Beyond that though, the book was entertaining. I could see it as a movie, even if I didn't totally love the romance. The story was fun and interesting. I did find it a little long and drawn out. At times, it is a little wordy and too detailed. But I liked the small town, family feel. I enjoyed the quirky townsfolk and the opportunity for other stories set in this world. I think Ms. Bocci's writing has good potential and I look forward to more from her in the future.