Melt-your-Kindle hot and a great romantic story. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a cute book. There was some funny moments in the book. And I loved all the banter between the characters. It’s a short and quick read. This book is written in third person POV, and it would’ve been better written in first person POV. Also, it’s a very short book, it would have been nice to have it a little longer. Overall, it’s a cute read if you’re looking for a friends to lovers romance.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was entertaining, but I found that the characters fell a little flat for me.

I loved the dialogue and situational humor, but again, it was hard to get past the fact I wasn't able to connect well with the hero and heroine, sadly!

How doesn't like hot fireman? I do. This is a great read. Please read synopsis. below.


For Lexi Dean, burning down her kitchen was disaster enough. Agreeing to move in next door with her totally off-limits best friend, Matt Freeman, until her house is livable again?

Utter madness.

They’ve always been close, but this is ridiculous. If she’s not bumping into him at the refrigerator, he’s at the front door giving her date the third degree. And slipping between his borrowed sheets? That’s about as distracting as listening to his shower run, because suddenly all she can think about is rivulets of water cascading down is spectacular body—the one he seems to be going out of his way to make sure she notices.

Not that it matters. He can flaunt his firefighter abs around her all he wants. They already share everything—their jobs, their friends, their backyard, even their dog—and that means only one thing: Lexi is not going to risk losing any of it by dipping a single toe in the temptation that is Matt Freeman.

Lexi may not know how to handle a fire extinguisher, but this is one fire that just might burn them both if they’re not careful...

This is a sweet and funny best friend to lovers' love story. After burning her kitchen Lexi moves to her best friend Matt and all of a sudden they both experience different kinds of feelings. They start a war who is gonna break first. They are both great characters they both have their flaws. Will they be strong enough to conquer the fear and give their love a chance?
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley

I have seen this author’s books around on Goodreads and Amazon, but this is the first one I have read. Now I discovered that she has six kids! Six!! My gosh I have two kids and can’t find the time lately to even do a read and review, let alone write a million books! Hats off to her!! Anyway, I was in the mood for a romance and this one was a really cute friends-to-lovers tale!

Lexi and Matt have been best friends since they were kids, but never thought of themselves in THAT way. Well, they never admitted it to themselves anyway. When Lexi burns down her kitchen and stays with Matt, some feelings come to the surface that could ruin everything…

It was really cute! Some really funny moments and a lot of witty banter between the characters.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Lexie and Matt’s grandmother. I hope I am like her when I get older! Hilarious!

Sure, it was corny and a tad unbelievable, but perfect if you just want to get lost in a cute love story with a couple of steamy scenes!

Would I recommend it?
Yes if you are a rom-com, chick-lit fan you should enjoy this one!

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for a copy of Mr. Right Next Door to read and review!

This was a perfectly pleasant friends-to-lovers romance, with some forced proximity thrown in for good measure.

Lexi and Matt have been friends since childhood. Everyone knows they belong together, everyone can see they'd be perfect for each other. Everyone, except Lexi and Matt themselves.

I loved their friendship, and I could definitely understand why it took them so long to give in to romantic feelings, with neither wanting to risk what they have for an unsure thing.

Aside from the frankly unnecessary "intimidate my best friend's date" scenes, the only downside to this book was how short it was! Great for when you're in the mood for something quick and breezy, but I wouldn't have minded spending a bit more time with Lexi and Matt. And Matt's grandmother Elsie, who was just a firecracker of a character.

A charming best friends to lovers story with some great humor. I loved the banter between Lexi and Matt. Watching them work out their relationship was so much fun I couldn’t put the book down. Octogenarian Elise and her antics were a hoot too! I’m looking forward to reading Diego’s story.

This is a delightful and wonderful friends to lovers story. I truly enjoyed reading about these two characters Matt and Lexi. Its a page turner and kept my interest. Its wonderful written and a good storyline. I look forward to reading more stories by this author.
I received an early copy courtesy of Entangled Publishings through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for letting me read this story.

This is the first book I have read from Sarah Ballance and it won't be the last. I love friends to lovers romances and Matt and Lexi were the perfect example. This book was the perfect combo of sexy and sweet. I definitely recommend it for contemporary romance fans!

This is my first read from this author and I'm a little conflicted. I enjoyed the writing but I didn't love the characters. I had a hard time relating to them and even liking them, really. I thought the living next door and sharing a dog thing was cute, and I loved the grandma but I struggled to get into it, you know?

It was a cute, entertaining friends to lovers story that will certainly check the boxes for a lot of readers.

This book was really confusing to me, and though I tried to understand where the story was going, I was really lost from almost the beginning. The story began as if I was jumping in the middle of a series, but I never saw any evidence that that was the case. Had I known, I probably would have skipped because rarely does it go well when you haven't read the previous books. The relationship between the main characters was told to me rather than shown, and then it jumped very quickly to romantic, but not in a way that felt natural. It was really weird. They were friends for a long time and literally in the span of a day, they suddenly realized their feelings for each other. WHAT?

In addition, we get almost halfway through the book, and the "hero", Matt, actually thinks to himself that he "doesn't see himself with anyone long-term. Not even Lexi." Um, excuse me? What? We're too far into the story for this thinking to still be alive and well. He's over here messing up her dates, but he doesn't really want her for a long time, just a good time?

I just didn't enjoy the buildup in this book and the storyline felt forced. Not my cup of tea.

This was a cute between friends to lovers.. Lexi and Matt have been best friends forever and everyone around them sees them as having a relationship, more than just friends. Matt is not the type to have a relationship he is happy with his manho status until he sees that his Lexi is going on a date and a cop to boot. He is a firefighter so what can Lexi be doing with him, while supposedly just trying to make sure she is safe ends up crashing her date and as these two bicker they realize that there is much more than they admit too. As they give in to there chemistry Matt gets a little worried that he is just not capable of a lasting relationship and messes it up, but luckily he has friends that can wake him up..Cute story.

Lexi and Matt have been best friends since they were 5 years old. While they both might have thought about what it would be like to me more than friends, neither wanted to do anything to ruin their friendship.

After Lexi burns down her kitchen (she really can’t cook), firefighter Matt rescues her and invites her to move in with him, since they are next-door neighbors. What neither of them expected, was the sparks that would fly between the two of them while living in such close proximity. They also didn’t expect for Matt to become outrageously jealous when Lexi starting dating someone she met through an online dating service.

Will Lexi and Matt give in to their feelings and find their HEA or will they fight their feelings and end up alone?

Absolutely adorable!

I loved a couple of other books by Sarah Ballance, so why not read another?

Finding Mr. Right Next Door hits all the targets for a best friends to lovers romance. Matt and Lexi's friendship was already closing in on something more before she had to move in with him after she nearly sets her house on fire. While her home is getting repaired, the two of them find themselves getting closer than ever. What will happen once she moves back next door?

I highly recommend reading Sarah Ballance because her books bring the humor and the heart. I adored Matt and Lexi and their dog Waffles (how cute is that name??), as well as Elsie, Matt's grandmother. All in all, Finding Mr. Right Next Door was an awesome book!

4.5 stars - I love, love, love friends to lovers stories and this is a very good one. It’s actually my first read by this author. Not to worry, it I won’t be my last. I’m hooked now😉

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Lexi burns down her kitchen, Matt steps in and helps douse the flames and takes her in. In the first few pages, it's clear that Matt and Lexi have feelings for each other and living together only exacerbates those feelings.
The premise of this story was good but the characters seemed flat and one-dimensional. Also, Lexi's group of 'friends' and even at times her relationship with Matt seemed mean-spirited.

I really liked that this book focused on a best friends to lovers romance. Both Lexi and Matt have a thing for the other, but since they’ve been friends since the moment they could walk and talk , they try to keep their feelings at bay. However, with being in such close quarters, they find themselves having a hard time resisting temptation. I loved that these two had such a long history together. The story that Matt’s grandma tells about the time they were 5 and Lexi wanted a flower on a tree, so Matt tried really hard to get that flower for her was really cute. However, then it’s revealed that even as he got older, he kept that photo on his nightstand of the one time he was unable to get her what she wanted… my heart melted.

However, with that being said, I just didn’t buy their romance. I feel like we were being told it was a thing, without actually experiencing it. It was cute and light hearted, but it didn’t heat up the sheets, if you know what I mean. I suppose I wish the author took a bit more time to fully develop the characters and their relationship. The pieces were all there, but I just wasn’t fully immersed in their story. I think I just needed a bit more from them.

Finding Mr. Right Next Door was a cute quick romance between friends. There’s not a whole lot that takes place. No crazy drama. No huge climatic parts. Just two best friends stumbling their way through new territory.

I really wanted to like this one. The premise sounded so interesting but the writing style, characters, and the execution of the plot just fell very flat for me and I felt myself skimming the book more than actually reading the story.

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 05/17/20

Lexie isn’t known for her cooking prowess. A disaster in the kitchen she might be, but she is determined to bake a successful version of Matt’s grandmother’s tart. Big mistake. All she is left with is a flaming kitchen, a ruined family heirloom tart pan, and all of her co-workers on her front porch dousing the inferno. The most sensible plan is to move next door with her best friend, Matt, during the renovations. After a bit of hesitation, she concedes. But the forced proximity to her best friend since childhood stirs up all kinds of emotions and feelings they have never allowed themselves to explore for fear of ruining their perfect friendship. But chemistry and attraction under the same roof are difficult to extinguish and before too long, Lexi and Matt are creating a blaze of their own. But where do you go once the line has been crossed?

Matt has wanted Lexi since forever, but once they settled into their comfortable friendship, the risk involved if they didn’t work out became too much to gamble against. So when Lexi needs a place to crash, offering her a place to stay is automatic. What he didn’t count on was the fierce protectiveness that would consume him. And the fact that she’s just started dating – and a cop (his biggest rival as a firefighter) – isn’t helping one bit. So when they finally give in to their overwhelming passion, neither knows how to proceed, terrified that everything will change. And boy does it. Now something big is simmering and the outcome will determine if their relationship is ruined or has simply moved up the ladder to the next rung.

You guys! If you want a super fun, super cute, ridiculously hot, crazy sexy read … look no further. I was giggling and fanning myself in equal amounts throughout this entire book. I loved the friends to lovers' idea of this book. Matt and Lexi had amazing chemistry and watching them try to deny it was a pleasure to watch unfold. One of the best scenes is when they have already indulged once. Not knowing the best course of action and scared of voicing their true feelings, they decide to ignore the whole thing ever happened. But neither can stop thinking about the other. Eventually, they end up trying to tempt each other. Matt mows the lawn shirtless, Lexi does yoga in the front window, and that’s just the footnote of the scene. I mean who would be able to resist? These two tempt and torment each other relentlessly, and it’s brilliant. The one thing I became annoyed with was the incessant bagging on Lexi and her cooking skills. Heck, skills in the kitchen, period. Forget only the cooking ability. Or inability as it were. At first, it was just a bit of ribbing between friends given the debacle in her kitchen. Understandable. But Lexi has a horrific reputation in this respect and they never let her forget it. After a while I just wanted them to shut up and leave her alone. It almost bordered on unfriendly banter, so if I had a complaint, it’s definitely the unrelenting teasing.

Several secondary
characters add a lot to this story. I especially found Matt’s grandmother entertaining. She’s like the cool kid that never got the memo that she’s older. Living just as carefree as a teenager, but wise with her years of experience, this lady damn near steals the book. Bordering on inappropriate, she’s the grandma everyone wants to have. Lexi’s parents were also introduced. They didn’t have a very big role to play within these pages, but I appreciated their supportive nature and love for the main characters. On the more serious side is a fellow firefighter, Diego. Recently divorced, his wife cheated on him, yet he still maintains his belief in love and ends up playing a pivotal role in bringing one of the characters round to seeing the truth of their relationship. If I wanted to see anyone’s story following this book, it’s definitely Diego. A guy as great as he is with the crap deal he got doesn’t deserve to remain unhappy. He must have his own HEA at some point. I’m not sure if there is another book within this series yet. I assume there is one for Shane and Caitlin, but I could be wrong. This book is listed at part of the series, FIREFIGHTERS OF STATION 1, but it has no number associated with it. As a result, I am unsure if it is the first book in the series, or not. Regardless of its order within the series, it is a truly entertaining read that just might have you blushing as you read through a few particular pages. The passion between Matt and Lexi is crazy hot and the games they play with one another are exciting if a little annoying. I only say annoying because at one point I was screaming at them to just drop the façade and get it on. The fact they truly know each other inside and out allows them to play on a whole different level than your typical neighbors to lovers book. This best friends to lovers aspect definitely kicked things up a notch. And with them living next door, temporarily together, and working together, there isn’t much time to play the avoidance game they are set on enacting. Or maybe there is more than enough time, depending on how you look at it. As a first read with Ms. Ballance, this book was fantastic. I enjoyed every minute spent with this cast of quirky characters and eagerly await my next experience with these hot firefighters and the women who set them ablaze.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.