This is a sweet, small-town romance. Both MC's had spent their youth vowing to leave their hometown behind, but are forced to move back. Iris is back home with her parents after needing to leave Boston because of money problems. Jude is back in her childhood home for a more personal reason, which this book spent a long time before informing us. Anyways, they're next-door neighbours and there's instant attraction. However, majority of the story is "I like her, but I can't act on it". When they decided to get together, though, things kind of moved rapidly. The story is told in alternating POVs. We see Iris's first in one chapter, then Jude's in the next. It's interesting, as we see how Iris thinks of herself vs. how Jude sees her, for example. Overall, a decent short romance.
*Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*

The Girl Next Door by Chelsea M. Cameron


I love Maine. I spent four summers at a camp in Maine, and now my kids go to camp in Maine too. Camp has been cancelled due to the pandemic, so this book has been the next best thing to actually going to Maine.

Iris has returned to Salty Cove because things didn’t work out for her in Boston.

Jude is also back in Salty Cove and has purchased a boat and taken up lobstering, even though her family has never been in the business before.

Iris and Jude have always lived next door to each other, but they were never close friends because Jude is a few years older.

They strike up a friendship, and there are several moments when Iris thinks that something is about to happen between them, but Jude has built up so many walls and is reluctant to let anybody in.

This book was the ultimate slow burn. It took over 60% of the book for Iris and Jude to finally kiss and from there, they progressed to love and commitment rather quickly. This fast pace didn’t bother me at all because Iris and Jude had spent so much time connecting on an emotional level, so it made sense for love to come quickly. Speaking of which, Iris and Jude had amazing chemistry.

Much of the book is devoted to each of the women figuring out what they want out of life. Iris is not happy about having to come back home and get a job at the seafood restaurant she worked at as a teen, but she’s able to find new purpose when Jude points out that Iris could get paid for something that she (Iris) sees as a hobby.

Likewise, Jude is trying to sort out what she wants out of life. Lobstering has never been a dream job, but it has been something to keep her occupied during the day. Because this is a dual point of view narrative, the reader also has some clues as to her reluctance to start a new relationship.

The two protagonists are supported by a small cast of secondary characters, including Iris’ parents, but the one who really stole the show was Iris’ dog Dolly Parton, whose habit of wandering over to Jude’s house always gave Iris an excuse to visit Jude.

I would absolutely recommend Girl Next Door. This book was sweet and tender and made me laugh so many times. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Cameron in the future.

I am ALL here for this new imprint! The Girl Next Door is a book that will charm you. Two great characters who are both reeling from a loss and unsure of what to do next. If you've ever felt a little unmoored and lacking direction, you will probably connect with Iris or Jude. For me, it felt like reading some of the feelings I am going through now about wondering where my path will take me. Iris' story hit a little too close to home! I loved how much pining there was. There's a great sense of romance and friendship, while also focusing on Iris and Jude's own ghosts.

I really wish I had liked this more than I did. After all, it's set in Maine/Mass., two of my favorite places to read about.

But, say it with me now. Lesbian. Les-b-ian. Lesbian. This is a lesbian romance, so, the two characters who are in it, are lesbians. They never call themselves anything but women, and so, they're not Queer, they're lesbians. LESBIANS. It's a lesbian romance, not a queer one.

Needless to say, the fact that every single time it should have said lesbian it instead read queer drove me up a wall. Queer books have their place. This wasn't one of them, but, then again, I shouldn't be surprised I guess. This is published by a big publisher (Harlequin, their new LGBT press, which, after I finish my final Netgalley from them, I'm gonna stay away from it I think), and not a publisher that actually has been publishing Lesbian Fiction for years and years (*cough BSB, Bella, Ylva, Riptide, and so many more *cough*)

The bummer is that the underlying story was actually pretty good. It's about Jude and Iris. They grew up in the same town in Maine, both got out, and both are back. They also both have issues to overcome, which makes it a bit twisty for sure.

The secondary characters (yay a librarian) were interesting too. Although here and there the characters didn't quite seem their ages.

But, having queer things shoved down my throat was unrelenting. It honestly sometimes felt like someone went through and Find/Replaced all the places where it had said lesbian and put queer instead.

From the start I was worried about reading an adult lesbian romance from a big publisher. (like the whole Jodi Picoult book about lesbians, oof). I just didn't guess what the exact problem would be. Ah well. Good story, too much libfem word usage.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Harlequin - Carina Press

This is the first book that I've read that was writtern by Chelsea M. Cameron. It's also the first book from Carina Press that I've read. To be honest, I'm undecided as to whether the author and/or the publisher will be of interest to me in the future.

First of all, the story is something that could be found on an enlightened Hallmark Channel, minus the love making scenes, of course. The plot is a well-used one; the characters are fairly likeable (though I found Iris to be a bit annoying in her pursuit of Jude); and there's a predictable happy ending. It is a cozy, fluffy, romance. And there is nothing wrong with that. It's just not my cup of tea. I like stories that have a bit of bite to them.

In conclusion, I do want to commend whoever chose the cover for the book. It is a wonderful picture, and one that will draw a lot of readers to the book. Good job!

2.5 "overly sweet, rather dull but pleasant nonetheless" stars !!

Two young women return to Salty Cove, Maine. Iris comes home to lick her wounded ego after a series of financial and career failures. Jude has been back for a couple of years after having her heart broken. Guess what ? They fall in love !!

The romance is a bit too sweet, the sex is almost too vanilla and the writing is middling.

A pleasant diversion at best !

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Carina Press for an e-book in exchange for an honest review. The book is to be released May 2020.

This was really sweet. A lot of small-town romances feel kinda generic in setting apart the geography, but THE GIRL NEXT DOOR did a good job in making Maine a central character of the story. I'd recommend it to everyone interested in the blurb.

I contributed this review to Really Into This

Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!

Special thanks to Harlequin for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I am so pumped for the Carina ADores line of stories focusing on LGBTQ titles. This is an open door F/F romance & it is so sweet & heartwarming.

I really like the way Cameron places both women back in their respective hometowns. From here, we have an over the fence type of attraction that is a bit slower & more natural. I read this one in one sitting & would even read it again.

This is a well-written love story that makes me smile. The steam and open door romance hits a bit later on in the story, but it's there!

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

This book was SO CUTE. I'm a huge fan of Chelsea M. Cameron's 'Marriage of Unconvenience' and have thoroughly enjoyed lots of her other books, so when Sasha and I got approved for this book on Netgalley, I was so excited to jump right into it!

This book is classic Chelsea M. Cameron f/f romance, fluffy, insta-love cuteness; and it's just the kind of book that I love. Although I will always have an issue with insta-love and the pacing that usually surrounds it, I find it very easy to just block it out in Cameron's books due to the gorgeous characters and the chemistry that is SO obvious between them.

I loved the dual-POV in this book, I think it really added to the feel of the romance created and made it very easy for me to fall in love with these two girls and their stories. I loved Iris, my chaotic lesbian daughter who didn't really know what to do with her career and was desperate to prove that she can take care of herself. Her dog, Dolly, was super precious and brought out such a sweet, loving side to Iris which I adored exploring. Jude is my badass, leather jacket, motorcycle-riding girl, who I instantly adored. Her story and the small bits of it we slowly get to see really pulled at my heart and just solidified my love for her as a character. These two together fit so well, they're both trying to fight against their developing feelings, especially Jude, but of course, that doesn't last long.

Special shout out to Iris' parents, especially her father. These two are so supportive and loving; her mother is hard-working and will do anything to see her family happy. She also cares so much about Jude, even more than it seems her own parents do. IRIS' FATHER. SIR. I LOVE YOU. He's seriously such a cutie. He reads books, some of which Sasha and I were brainstorming the names of and we're certain one of them was Ash by Malinda Lo!! He's also so supportive and for that, I truly admired his character.

Everything about this story was so enjoyable for me. It's fluffy, cute, fast-paced and adorable. I think the story-line, especially learning about Jude's past, was written so nicely, and I was left itching for more. I read this book in one sitting and now there is a small void in my heart now that it is over :(

Chelsea Cameron is probably one of the best ff romance writers today. Her characters are often people struggling in the money department and hard workers and I just adore that about her books. This setup was a great one and a trope I absolutely adore. Two people who knew each other when they were younger but never hung out or were friends and now they’re adults and very much attracted to each other.

Iris and Jude are great characters who feel incredibly real and their romance is a slow burn but when they get there it’s sooo good!

Very much recommend this.

I shy away from small town romances. The few that I've read fit the same mold - a very white Midwestern town where traditional values are upheld and people are nosy, but that's part of their charm.

As you can probably tell by the cover, this isn't that kind of book.

I grew up in a small town and got out as soon as I could, so I like that both heroines in <i>The Girl Next Door</i> did the same. Iris went to college but her degree doesn't guarantee a job that can cover rent. She returns home to live with her parents in Salty Cove, Maine but wants nothing more than to get back to Boston, preferably yesterday.

People were shitty to Jude when she came out in high school so she also got the hell out, vowing never to return. She suddenly found herself single and aimless, though, so she's back and hauling lobster, content to be left alone on her boat. Jude lives next door to Iris' parents so they meet easily enough and sparks fly.

The romance is sweet and low angst, but there are enough stakes to keep me interested and happy. Be prepared for a slow burn! The sexuality is own voices rep and there's a side character with chronic pain. As far as I could tell all the characters are white which irks me a bit, but being set in Maine it's not unexpected.

Small details kept me smiling: one liners throwing light shade at cultural icons, cute moments between our heroines, and Iris' dog Dolly. Dolly Parton. Because of course. Jude's money situation didn't quite make sense to me - how does she have so much in the bank? - but otherwise the writing and plot flowed nicely.

The book is a launch title for Carina Adores, an LGBTQ+ category romance line, and it indeed feels like a category with no major B plot and few supporting characters. This is a feature, not a bug - categories focus on the relationship by design - and I loved watching these two heroines come together.

<i>The Girl Next Door</i> reads quickly and let me escape my reality, which is exactly what I wanted. Perfect when you're looking for something queer, sweet, and fun.

I love "small town/going back to one's own town" trope in romance... so when I saw this being offered at Netgalley, with promise of small-town romance, I jumped at the chance to read the advanced copy.

This is quite a slow-burn romance too, it turns out.

Jude, one of the heroines, suffers from a great deal of heartbreak (I'm not telling you the reason, you just have to read yourself, though there's a reader's content advisor related to it in the beginning of this book), so she wants to keep her solitude. Jude doesn't want to open up to possibility of getting heartbroken again. She is sort of trying to only tentatively befriends Iris back.

Plus Iris keeps saying that her move to Salty Cove is temporary. She wants to get out from the small town. She wants to get back to the big city, where she can be 'anonymous'. Living at her parents house is not her dream at all.

So yes, sweet, rather slow burn romance between two opposite attracts. I think it was lovely. The story is being told from both women's perspectives. So we know how they both feel. I enjoy their progress towards relationship. Iris is definitely the more determined one; she even tells Jude it's okay to be "friends for sex only" 😆. Yeah, not very easy to avoid feeling, isn't it Iris?

There are some sexy moments for you to savor near the end... so the slow burn does has its reward. Having said that, I feel like I missed the moment when Jude personally decides that she's ready to fall in love again. That "AHA" moment seems to be missing from Jude's perspective. I get it from Iris but not Jude. That's one that making me rather unsatisfied... because clearly, despite Iris saying that she doesn't want to live at Salty Cove, Jude is the one holding back.

Anyway, the supporting casts, mainly Iris' parents, are nice addition too. Though the MVP is probably Iris' dog, Dolly Parton. She's a hoot!


The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

So sweet, so good!

This book was a page-turner and everything I needed. I picked up this book thinking I would just read a couple of chapters before falling asleep but the next thing I knew I was already 75% in and loving it. The Girl Next Door was a page-turner and I loved how quickly I got into this beautiful story. This romance was emotional & sweet and I enjoyed every second of it. I only wish the sex scenes would have been more developed as I felt like the author was writing them in a non-explicit kind of way and they were finished very quickly. The chemistry was there so it's a little disappointing. I feel like we have so many F/M explicit scenes in romance but when it comes to F/F, it's a bit more... tame, I guess? I haven't read that many so far but I'm always interested in reading more.

Overall, this was a solid romance and I really recommend it if you want to escape for a bit. Just know that if the lost of a partner is something that triggers you, this might not be the book for you. It was emotional but comforting as well, knowing Jude ended up loving two women without having to love one less than the other. They're both important and part of her. Iris' reaction was perfect and I loved them both so much.

If Chelsea M Cameron decides to write another F/F book, I would love to read it!

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

I really enjoyed my first Chelsea M. Cameron and Carina Adores book. I thought the writing was quite good, I connected with both characters, and there was just enough strife and angst for my taste.

The story details Iris Turner who returns to her hometown of Salty Cove, Maine, following her job loss in Boston. Jude Wicks has been back in Salty Cove for two years living in her parent's old house located next door to Iris' family home. Jude hasn't shared with anyone why she has returned to Salty Cove and works as a lobsterwoman.

The relationship between Iris and Jude grows over time from hesitant to talk to one another, to having a beer on the front porch, to dinner, to a house redesign, and finally something more. I enjoyed this slow progression and their chemistry as a result was undeniable.

I also loved Dolly Parton, not the singer in this case, but the dog.

I received an ARC from Carina Adores and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this is a cute romance. More in the slow burn category for me. Iris has no choice but to move back home to Salty Cove, Maine after she failed at making it in Boston. In the very beginning we see why Iris needed to move home. Once she returns to her welcoming parents she finds out that Jude is living in her parents house next door. Where Iris is like 22 or 23, Jude is 4 years her senior. Jude is quiet and keeps to herself. She is troubled by something that happened in her past, but we don't really know what it is until much later in the romance.

So this was cute enough. As you move through the romance, I found I had a harder time liking Jude because she was so distant and rude at times. In many ways I could not understand why she was so secretive about what happened between her and her former g/f. Iris on the other hand is a very likeable character. Sure she is young and still has some growing up to do, but overall I find her to be the more mature than most 22/23 yo's. By the end of the story, I found myself hoping that Iris and Jude would have a happily ever after. Knowing Jude's character, I would tend to believe that she is very capable of committing to just one person.

This is just a cute cheesy romance that is easy to read and for the most part enjoyable. 3.75 stars

Fun, low-angst, return-to-small-town romance. I breezed through this. Highly enjoyable and low stress read.

Warning: one character is dealing with the death of a partner. Little is said and nothing graphic, but does deal with death.

Both Iris and Jude left their small-town hometown in Maine after high school with no intention to return. Yet, due to different circumstances, both find themselves back nursing their wounds and unsure about where to go going forward. Iris's parents live next door to Jude's house, and the two young women quickly become friends. With all the uncertainty swirling around them, can their friendship evolve into the relationship they both crave but fear? I was certainly rooting for them the whole way.

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

Really, really enjoyed this one. Great writing, and a lovely character-driven book exploring the MCs' emotional terrain -- a good example of first-person being used effectively. Iris was a bit whiny to me, but at the same time, Cameron makes it understandable why she is that way, and she grows as a person throughout the book, as does Jude. It's sweet and a little melancholy with low angst in the relationship, which feels kinda perfect right now. 4.5 stars.

3.5* – At twenty-two, Iris is reluctantly coming back to live with her parents in Salty Cove, Maine, the small town she couldn’t wait to escape when she finished high school. While she loves her parents and is very grateful for their support, she feels like a failure for not having been able to find a job that would have allowed her to stay in Boston. The good news is, her next-door neighbour is uber hot and seems open to some sort of friendship.

Jude was a few years ahead of Iris at school so they never had any kind of relationship at the time. She’s the last person Iris expected to see in Salty Cove, especially as she now works as a lobsterman, or rather a lobsterwoman. The attraction is instant and mutual, but both fight it, if only because Iris makes it clear from the start that she’s only back temporarily and will run to Boston as soon as she can. Jude is also hiding a dark secret, the reason why she’s lived a very lonely and isolated life for the past two years.

The problem with trigger warnings is that they are also spoilers. In this case, what Jude went through didn’t come out as such a surprise because of it. The author did a good job of bringing it up gradually, which makes it all the more unfortunate.

I often wonder why book people think you can stop yourself from falling in love, like that’s something you have any power over. I’m also glad they do, since if they didn’t, there would be a whole lot fewer romance novels around.

I found Jude interesting from the start, not only for her name (duh). I had a little more trouble figuring Iris out, so I decided to trust Jude, who very quickly seems to think she’s bright and shiny and wonderful. Also, her dog is called Dolly Parton, so that helped. I liked the way the relationship evolves, a little too fast but not in an artificial way. There were a few issues with the timeline, as if some paragraphs had been moved around, which added to the feeling of things moving a tad too quickly.

This was my third book by Chelsea M. Cameron and, while I didn’t like it as much as Style or Chord (which I both listened to, and loved how they were narrated by Sophie Daniels), I enjoyed it well enough.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Jude and Iris both find themselves back in the small Maine town that they fled at their first opportunity and living next door to each other in their parents’ houses. Jude has a tragic past that she doesn’t talk about, choosing to work herself to exhaustion as a lobsterwoman after taking over her parents’ home when they retired to Florida. Iris can’t hold a job in marketing after moving to Boston, falling into debt and almost getting evicted from her apartment before selling her belongings and heading home to live in her childhood bedroom under her parents’ roof. The two become friends and experience a powerful attraction, but Jude’s past and Iris’s longing to return to her life in Boston stand in the way of a future for the two. You’ve got to have obstacles to overcome!

I quite liked many of the supporting characters, including the local queer librarian and Iris’s parents. The main characters were quite young, only 22 and 26. It felt a little odd for Jude to have had a major relationship, received an MBA, lived all over the country, and return home broken by the time she was 24. For some reason, their ages bothered me. But, overall, this was an enjoyable romance read, perfect to escape to in such crazy times.