They say there is a fine line between love and hate. Cooper and Emma definitely prove that point in On the Corner of Love and Hate. They have been friends for years but along the way, Cooper has made choices that have damaged Emma's feelings for him by chipping away at them piece by "broken" piece.

Cooper is the classic playboy who flits from woman to woman with no intention of settling down at any point soon. He doesn't seem to take anything seriously. However, that is actually untrue as he truly loves their small town and his job. He is currently running for mayor. Even though it seems like he must not care because he makes some foolish decisions, it isn't true. Cooper actually does care but sometimes doesn't know how to direct his energy. I couldn't quite figure out what his issue was. Does Cooper have extreme ADHD? I know he cares for Emma and that distracts him sometimes but I don't believe that is entirely the problem here.

Emma is a workaholic with control issues. She uses work as an outlet to escape her personal life and the situations that upset her. Those things usually involve Cooper and his latest conquest. or Cooper and his lack of attention to items at work. Emma has some deep underlying hurt from things that Cooper has done over the years, Instead of airing her pain, it has festered and made her unhappy which makes her easily angered by him. Even though she believes that she has no feelings other than frustration for Cooper, she finds that she feels intense jealousy when a girlfriend from his past resurfaces. This forces Emma to re-examine her own life and decide if her feelings for Cooper deserve action or if she should continue to ignore them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First thing I absolutely love this cover and so fits this story!! On the Corner of Love and Hate is a slow burn, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers lighthearted romance. It is set in a fictitious small town with their interesting characters.

Emma and Cooper were the best of friends growing up until they moved away, went to college and like most childhood relationships, they lost touch. Time and distance just change things and Cooper inadvertently broke her heart couple times.

Cooper is a big flirt and knows every button to push to get a reaction out of Emma and he does it quite often. Cooper is always getting himself into some kind of trouble.
There was so much up and down, push and pull between these two which in some cases makes for some very funny moments.

I really enjoyed this story with Cooper and Emma and all of the secondary characters of this great little town of Hope Lake.

Small Town Politics. Small Town Romance. This book does an excellent job of showing both small town romance and small town politics - and take it from someone who has actually ran a couple of small town City Council races himself. ;) Lots of angst, yet still reads like a Hallmark movie and is told from the singular perspective of the female - a rarity in my experience these days. Truly great work, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing where Bocci goes in the sequel. Very much recommended.

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci is the 1st book in the Hopeless Romantics series, and my first book by this author. This could have been a really sweet romance, but I felt it was really drawn out. I found myself losing interest in this couple. I will give this author another try though.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

I really enjoyed this charming, heartfelt, enemies-to-lovers romance! This slow burn, rom-com is filled with witty banter, awkward situations, and a sweet small town storyline with lots of heart. Emma and Cooper have been friends since they were young. When misunderstandings and miscommunication happen, they are at odds as adults. When Emma agrees to help Cooper with his mayoral campaign, old feelings and hurts come to a head. Emma frustrated me at times with her stubbornness, and I also wanted a bit more romance mixed in with all the campaign activities, just sayin'..... I did love Cooper and how determined he was to keep Emma close until he could convince her that they were always meant to be together. I also loved their friends and family who were so loyal and supportive, and made this story even more fun. I would love to revisit Hope Lake, and find out more about their friends, especially Henry!

3.5*

On the Corner of Love and Hate straddled that line for me exactly- there were parts I loved about it and there were parts I hated. Okay, hated might be too strong a term- maybe frustrated works better.
I liked the enemies-to-lovers trope, the banter between Cooper and Emma was entertaining. There was a lot of history between them, which I would have liked to have seen more of- we never truly got a clear picture of why Emma held such contempt for Cooper, just some hints here and there. What frustrated me the most was how long it took for Emma to just let go and get over herself-that was the biggest downfall of the book for me. And that led to it taking too long for her and Cooper to get together. When they did get along and finally worked things out, I found them to be an engaging couple.

I always enjoy a small town romance, it's fun getting to know the different residents. I wonder who we'll be seeing next?

Great read. Fun and easy to read. Good characters that you will genuinely like.

Cooper and Emma were childhood friends until something devastating to Emma occurred. Since then they have been frenemies. They are work together at the Community Development Office but can’t get along. Cooper is running for mayor, a position currently held by Mayor Dad. Reluctantly, Emma decides to help but finds she is cleaning up his messes for too often. Connor and Emma clash repeatedly.

This is a fun frenemies to lovers book. It has an enjoyable plot and interesting backstory. Emma is confidence and forceful in all situations non-Connor. With Connor she always seems to say the wrong thing or not be able to talk at all. Connor is a playboy that seems afraid to fully commit to anything he may fail at. His behavior with various women is causing him to be portrayed as promiscuous. Emma is asked to act like his girlfriend. You must read this book to see if she agrees.

I enjoyed this book. It is an entertaining story with the requisite undercurrent of emotions not shared. The political theme s light and should not put anyone off. As a former political officer, the little that is incorporated in this book is not even the tip of the iceberg in running for office.



I received an ARC from Gallery Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

3 reviews

4 stars
Emma's father is the mayor, who happens to be retiring. Her co-worker, former best friend, now quazi friend, is running for that position. Emma knows that he is the perfect candidate for the job.

Reluctantly she is talked into becoming his campaign manager. But she draws the line as "fake" girlfriend to help polish his image. Only now, she can't quite stomach his stand-in girlfriend at present.

Holy angst to the nth degree. There were so many times I wanted to shake and yell at Emma and Cooper.

But beneath all that anger, hate and misunderstandings is a solid foundation of love. So can Emma finally admit to herself and to Cooper that she actually has feelings for him? Or is she too late?

Definitely one-click to find out.
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4.5 stars
Emma and Cooper have always been friends, but since college, they seem to be closer to enemies most of the time. Avoiding issues, avoiding each other (even though they work together), avoiding their obvious connections. Emma's dad (the mayor) has decided to retire, and Cooper wants the job. When he asks Emma to help with his campaign, things become much more intense.

This was a quick read that kept you hoping the main characters would get their heads out of you know where and find out what they are to each other. One click this today!
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4 stars
On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci is full of emotion...as in, I wanted to slap both main characters a time or two, and I rolled my eyes more than once...but none of that is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are unique and original, even if they were a little too stubborn about things. The story flowed, the plot kept me engaged, and I really liked everything about it. I highly suggest one-clicking today.

I enjoy reading Nina's stories. They are a nice "palate cleanser" from the stories I typically read. Sometimes I just need cute and sweet in between all the angst and dark. This one is a enemies to lovers story that is more on the sweet side. I liked the political side of the story, but then again, I like politics in general.  Emma and Cooper were great characters, but their chemistry wasn't there as much as I would have liked. I really did enjoy the set up for the series, and a lot of the characters. I look forward to checking out the rest of the series she has in store for us. The low chemistry was the only reason for my 4 star rating, everything else was good stuff.

What a wonderfully unique story this was. My feeling for Emma and Cooper were all over the place reading this. At times I was pulling for the relationship and at other times, I was mentally screaming at them for being so dumb! The actual story of this small town centered around voting in a new mayor when the present mayor who happened to be Emma’s dad has decided to retire after serving for 26 years. Enjoyed the plot, the secondary characters and of course the HEA....why I read romance after all.... but the struggle this couple had getting there almost drove me crazy. Made for a fun read!

Final Score - 4.5 Stars!

Emma and Cooper are your typical friends - they grew up together but grew apart as they grew older. That was partly due to Emma's increasing feelings of more than friendship towards Cooper. Cooper of course was oblivious. They are now working together at home town's city council as Emma's father is the current Mayor. However, when Cooper runs for mayor is when Emma finds herself in quite the predicament - suddenly thrust into the position as his campaign manager as well as those pesky feelings from adolescence reappearing.

The heartbreak and emotional wrenches comes in the form of Whitney, a former school nemesis and roommate of Emma - also the reason Emma and Cooper had a falling out and drifted further apart from their friendship.

I highly recommend you read this book, as you will find enjoyable, laugh out loud characters (most especially Emma's inner dialogue), and a great love story that leave you with #AllTheFeels .

In this frenemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, Cooper and Emma have known each other since they were children. With that much history, there's bound to be many chances for the ups and downs of a long term relationship, and Emma and Cooper just happen to be in a down-cycle.When Emma is thrown together with Cooper at her father's request, all of that history colors their moments together.

There's plenty of banter between these two. At times it's witty and at other times, it's more enemies than friends. I really liked that about it. What really makes this story interesting is the question of whether Emma get out of her own way and take a chance on Cooper and vice versa.

Set in a small town, On the Corner of Love and Hate uses a political backdrop to make this very contemporary and that was another plus for me. Nina gets the small town life right and develops some great characters that kept my interest. I did find the pacing a bit slow for my liking. It's more of a slow burn type of romance rather than one big explosion, but I did think that fit for these characters.

Overall, a good start to this series. Definitely interested in reading more.

An ARC was provided for review.

On the Corner of Love and Hate is such a cute read. I love the banter between Emma, Cooper and their tight net group of friends. Emma and Cooper's love yet hate relationship is just oozing with tension. Emma is sweet yet knows how to throw down when need be. Cooper is a ladies man and needs to clean up his act. He is charming. Both Emma and Cooper know what is at stake for Cooper's political life and I love how they work together. Even though that tension in their friendship has been pulling them apart for years, you will love how they are together. They make an amazing team. I was pulled in from the start and loved the heat between Cooper and Emma. This one is an amazing political romcom that I couldn't put down.

As far as enemies to lovers stories go, my favorite ones are romantic comedies where the animosity between characters generates witty banter and an overall lightheartedness. On the Corner of Love and Hate is more of a contemporary romance, which is fine, but I did miss that humorous factor.

Emma and Cooper are former best friends whose relationship is now strained.
I understand Emma’s frustrations with Cooper, particularly in the beginning of the book, but ultimately she comes across as self-righteous and unnecessarily mean. Her pointed digs about Cooper’s manwhore past last well into the second half of the book. It lacks a sense of teasing or flirtatiousness.

Between Emma’s obvious disdain and my ambivalence towards Cooper’s character, I wasn’t invested enough in their relationship. As much as I enjoy a good slow burn romance, the lack of spark just makes the story feel slowly paced. There are several interesting conflicts established, including press leaks, scandals and backstabbing rivals, but the resolutions are too abrupt.

The brightest aspect of the book is its setting. The picture perfect small town inhabited by eccentric residents is exceptionally well developed. I loved Cooper and Emma’s caring friends, the artisanal creamery, the gossipy senior citizens, and the tree-lined streets. I would book a vacation to Hope Lake in a heartbeat.

I am sorry but I had to force myself to get past the first chapter and Cooper was such a slacker and uncaring that I did not care if he turned over a new leaf or not, he obviously had years of being a total jerk, got to chapter 2 and decided I had better things to read. DNF

I've been in a serious funk! You know, the kind of funk where you start book after book and can't finish any of them. The funk where it takes you hours and days to get into a book. I can bust out audiobook after audiobook, because HELLO captive audience on the Interstate. But, I haven't been able to finish a read book in ages, until On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci! This book broke my funk and I couldn't be more thankful! I was up until almost 2am to finish the story and then went to bed and read 2 chapters in a new story. My funk has ended, hallelujah!

On the Corner of Love and Hate is a sweet story full of tension, romance and so many butterflies. It's a delightful small-town romance with an engaging cast of characters that draws you in and makes you want to be a part Hope Lake! This story is completely charming and a joy to read!

The banter between the characters and the internal dialogue are both stellar and keep the book moving at a great pace especially from 20% through the end of the book. I'm a bit of a policy/politics nerd and a rule follower. There were a couple of details that bothered me a bit. In "real life," a few of the circumstances would not have really happened. For instance, the heroine of the story works for a Chamber of Commerce/Economic Development type agency and her dad is the Mayor. That probably wouldn't happen in real life. I had to let a few of those details go, but I didn't really mind because I was enjoying the story and the characters so much!

If you're looking for a wonderful, heart-warming romance filled with lovable characters and a sweet plots, you definitely need to place On the Corner of Love and Hate at the top of your to be read list!

An advance copy of this book was received from the author. Receipt of this copy did not impact the content or independence of this review. This book received an overall rating of 4.5 on BFF Book Blog. BFF Book Blog also uses a set of icon ratings. This book received additional icons for: butterflies, hero, romance, supporting characters, sweet, tension, world creation and happily ever after.

I liked this book on the surface, but I didn't care for the heroine. I wanted to like her and there were glimpses of someone I liked, but most of the time she was mean to the hero, Cooper. I have no idea why he put up with it. Although he was a serial dater, he was likeable over all and sounded like a great potential mayor. Honestly, I think if the characters motivations were explained better, then maybe I could understand why they acted they way they did. Emma, for example, came from a loving family. Her parents were high school sweethearts and still love each other very much. They were great to their daughter, loving without smothering so why in the world did she act like a child? It was like she couldn't trust without a good reason. Yes, her childhood friends lost touch when in college, but she over-reacted in my opinion especially since they came back in her life a few years later. She did have some redeeming qualities, so that's why I liked it at a high level.

I had to get my hands on this book! The cover is to DIE for!!

I was excited to read this due to the enemies to lovers premise. I think I've figured out this is my favorite type of romance :).

This was a tad bit of slow burn for me and I don't usually do well with slow burn novels. I wish that the relationship between Cooper and Emma had more chemistry throughout the story. It was lacking big time for me in this particular area and just couldn't connect with either one of them.

I also am not a big fan of the political aspect to the novel. I got distracted by this and was often bored so my attention was swaying in and out.

Overall, I have to say that I was disappointed and though the novel was going to play out completely different then how it actually did.

3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 8/20/19
Published to GR; 8/19/19

3.5 stars

Emma wants what is best for her hometown. Working for the community development office, and as the daughter of the current mayor, all her energy is focused on making the town the best it can be for the future. When she is asked to run Cooper’s mayoral campaign, she swallows her personal dislike of the man in favor of pushing for the best election outcome for the town. Cooper, for his part, wants to be mayor badly, but he can’t seem to help making major error after major error, particularly when it comes to women. His more conservative neighbors are having a hard time getting behind the Lothario image he has built over the years.

I love a good small town romance, and this book has small town charm throughout. The characters, from Emma and Cooper’s best friends, to the senior center posse add a fun flare to the story. Each aspect of the community adds a unique bit of humor and wit to the setting and helped boost my interest in the story as a whole.

What I found myself hung up on was the main characters themselves. Cooper is immature and unreliable. For as much as he wanted to be mayor, he has a hard time sticking to commitments. Emma is so stuck in her ways that she refuses to see a lot of what is around and in front of her, clinging to long held beliefs rather than allowing for change. There is a thin line between love and hate, but it took a very long time for these two to cross that line.

This was a slow burn, angsty enemies (of sorts) to lovers. Though Emma and Cooper were once the best of friends, time and other circumstances have left them butting heads more often than not. I loved the town itself, and I am cautiously optimistic about future books in this series, as I enjoyed the setting and the side characters.


I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book was charming. I laughed and smiled my way through it. There were a couple of places where I thought it moved a little slowly, but it picked up quickly and was not enough to pull me out of the story in any meaningful way.

Emma and Cooper like and respect one another...mostly. And, I liked that a lot. I liked that, while Cooper is slacking now, there was a time when he was a valued member of her work team...and, even though she was frustrated with him, she did recognize this.

I loved her family, and her friends, and the relationships that she has with all of the people in her life, including Cooper. There were parts of this that felt a little more like a women's fiction title than a romance, but, honestly as I am typing this, I am thinking "where's the line there, really? Do we know? Do I know? Does anyone?"

Overall, I enjoyed this author's first title and I am looking forward to the next one!