I’m a huge fan of the childhood friends and neighbours trope, so I really enjoyed the premise of this book! I sometimes struggle with 3rd person POV, but there were so many good elements to this book! Who doesn’t love a firefighter romance?!

Finding Mr. Right Next Door is the second book in the Firefighters of Station 1 series. When I am looking for a super cute, fun romance I know I can always depend on Mrs. Balance to deliver. This was just what I expected and needed. Kitchen disasters, best friends to lovers, and witty banter that kept me laughing. I loved watching Lexi and Matt stumble their way into finding love. This was the perfect book to lighten any mood and I recommend it.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am genuinely so disappointed with this book I considered ripping some of my own hair out. It’s actually painful.
The main character is so incredibly annoying because like honestly who is so bad at cooking they regularly set their kitchen on fire? What a stupid premise. Everyone’s just constantly picking on her for this and trying to bully her into saying her best friend that she grew up with. Oh only now they’re living together does he get a hard on for her. Okay sure.
I didn’t understand the logic behind any of this and I frankly didn’t care even a tiny bit.

A firefighter who needs to rescue his best friend from burning down her house, a grandma that everyone loves, witty dialogue with epic scenes that leave you laughing, crying, and loving the laughing out loud moments in between the hot sexy smoldering bits.

I've read most of Sarahs backlist and once again she delivers a satisfying read. Childhood friends who need a little nudge to figure out if the flame will ignite into a towering inferno or fizzle out. The chemistry in between the pages is off the charts hot and this book sizzles in every way.

While each book can be read as a standalone I recommend reading in order to fully enjoy the characters and shenanigans.

I received an ARC from the publisher for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Sarah Ballance is a new-to-me author, and this book was a decent introduction to her writing. It’s a friend-to-lovers rom-com. But it’s heavy on the internal dialogue with less witty banter than what I prefer in romantic comedies. It’s slightly predictable, but most rom-com books are, and there was a lot of living in denial for most of the book. However, the writing was better than I anticipated, so I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

A short but cute read. Lexi and Matt have been friends since childhood and are perfect for one another. It's not until they temporarily have to share a house that they look at their relationship more closely. The fact that Lexi has joined a dating app in the hopes of finding Mr. Right sets Matt's jealous instincts alight especially when the said date has to call to the house to pick her up. I loved how Matt and Lexi tried to one-up themselves by pushing each other's buttons while flirting at the same time. With their level of mutual attraction, it was inevitable that their platonic friendship would combust into a smoking hot relationship. They just had to be brave enough to risk their friendship to do so.
I quite enjoyed this fun romance and there are a few characters in this series that I would like to read more about.

A quirky little romcom about two friends trying to decide whether or not to cross the line. Everyone around them knows they should be a couple, but they have to open their own eyes. The banter between Lexi and Matt was fun, but I wish there had been more of it. Matt's grandmother was hilarious.

This is a sweet story about two best friends since childhood nowadays living next door and sharing a dog, a yard and a job.
Matt Freeman is known as a playboy, and Lexi Dean as a disaster in the kitchen. When she ends up burning it down Matt offers her his place until the repairs are done.
What neither expected or wanted were the sparks that had been laying dormant until the moment that proximity ignites them. Confusing them and also neither wanting to rock the boat and cause damage to their friendship they try to avoid close contact.
But what happens when temptation is too great?
This was a sweet and easy reading story with fun characters and perfect for an afternoon of leisure.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Entangled. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is my first reading by this author and I liked it a lot, it is a light and fun enemies to lovers, I really liked the interactions between Matt and Lexie, after Lexie burns down her kitchen she goes to live with her friend Matt who is out of the limits to her, but the more they live together the closer they get and sparks fly between them, I loved the banter between them !

This book is an entertaining, light and sweet friends to lover with forced proximity.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I loved it so much that I also purchased a copy.

This book is the second one of the series but you don't have to read the first one to fully understand and enjoy this one. This was written in my favorite dual POV format. Getting that glimpse into the character's thoughts really help me to connect and understand their actions in the scenes.

Matt Freeman and Lexi Dean are best friends since their childhood when he came to live with his grandmother (Elsie) after his parents' death. Lexi's parents helped to care for Matt as Elsie was in severe pain from arthritis. Now Matt and Lexi live next door to each other. Firefighter Matt cooks for Lexi, who is a disaster in the kitchen while Lexi does Matt's laundry. It is the perfect exchange for these friends especially when Matt comes to deliver Lexi's breakfast to see her poor attempt to put out a kitchen fire.

Lexi goes to live with Matt while her kitchen gets a remodel. Watching how these two navigate from BFF to something more was a delightfully charming read. There were some really great scenes (especially with Elsie and her comebacks!!!!) I laughed out loud more than once. It is romcom at it's best.

This is a sexy read so just a word of warning if you are not into that.

This was a quick and light friends to lovers romance that I breezed through. It didn't seem to hold a lot of substance, but it would be a fun beach read if you're looking for something light and entertaining.

This is the first time I have read this author. Finding Mr. Right Next Door was a fun quick read. If your looking for a page turner that is lighthearted grab this book.

I had a difficult time getting into the story. It was not very engaging.
I actually couldn't even finish it.
I can guess the plot line. I know it has a HEA.
I disliked the writing, the editing and the cadence of the story. I would reccomend only if you like really really light reads.

Wow I'm just stunned with how good this title was. I just had so much fun reading this title and getting to along for the ride with these amazing characters. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

Good easy read. Loved the premise and would definitely recommend to others that love a story about someone in uniform.

Matt and Lexi. Lexi and Matt. Since they were babies, these two have been together. So very close together that they’re best friends. Afraid to ruin a good thing, they strongly avoid anything that would allude to their true feelings. And spend their time and energy on it while the rest of the world knows they are in love. Yeah things could go badly as Lexi has decided to start dating, much to Matt’s disapproving eye. Slowly over time, their relationship takes a turn, and like their family and friends you will also say “it’s about time”.
I received an ebook for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thank you for giving me early access to reading this book!

I was in the mood for a romance and this one seemed super fun being best friends to lovers. I thought it was ok but it wasn't my favorite- I don't read a lot of these types of books though so maybe me not the book. I enjoyed that they were thrown together and the dog was great. I felt that it was a bit rushed in parts and I didn't feel as much chemistry as I'd have liked. I think I'd have liked to have some more info about them as friends.. I wasn't ever fully convinced of why they held off taking their friendship to the next level. The guy's reasonings just didn't make sense to me.

Over all though it was a fun read. I think romance readers will enjoy.

Finding Mr. Right Next Door. Lexi and Matt are best friends since they were kids; they even have houses next door to each other and share a dog. He cooks for her; she does his laundry, but romance has never been a part of the relationship...until Lexi sets her kitchen on fire and Matt offers his spare bedroom until her house can be occupied again. We all know where the story is going, but the journey is a fun one as each tries to keep the relationship platonic when Lexi joins a dating site. The dialogue is witty, Matt’s firehouse crew are studly, and the situations into which author Sarah Ballance puts her characters are very entertaining. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

Lexi and Matt have a cute relationship that began when they were friends. Now as adults, they are very aware of each other but trying to keep each other at a distance inorder to preserve their friendship.

While the best friends to lovers trope is one of my favourites, I did not enjoy this book. Despite having a solid premise, the writing style was not at all impressive. The author's narrative technique of using long, convoluted sentences was a major turn-off. The humour also seemed forced and was lost in the long, twisty lines. I sincerely tried to like the story and the characters more but I couldn't get past the writing style.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy if the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent read. It was a quick to read with an ok plot. I liked both characters well enough. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book