I am always down for a good enemies to lovers and Ferguson's inherent personality blasts through the page! The same winsome voice that hooked so many readers in Ferguson's debut is as sparkling here. Balancing humour with warmth and featuring a unique hook and premise. Perhaps what I most enjoyed is that the romantic elements are a little bit stronger. Both leads explode on the page with authentic banter ad intelligent dialogue.

Readers of Sophie Kinsella and Sally Thorne have found their clean reads match!



(shared on GR, insta and twitter)

Such a cute rom-com! What a charming read! Delightful beach reading. I really enjoyed the banter.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

What a terrific inspirational romance. Sparks really fly in this well written book. I highly recommend it. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

The Cul-de-Sac War is a delightful, clean-cut rom com featuring next door neighbors Bree and Chip. As each of them navigate many humorous scenarios that draw them together, the line between love and war begins to blur. This story will keep you laughing and groaning as you follow the pranks and activities of Chip and Bree. Great read by a new author!

This was an entertaining, light-hearted read, perfect to relax with on the weekend, vacation, or anytime you need a romantic comedy break! The characters were likeable and the storyline entertaining. I found myself smiling at their antics.
There wer also deeper themes running through the book and it was interesting to watch the character arcs navigate those and see how the two arcs intersected.

Great story! Loved reading about the lives of two different characters. Super pleased with the ending!

This is the second book of Melissa's that I have read. While I did think that Chip was borderline stalking her - looking at her through the bedroom window made me wonder - it did make sense at the end of the book. I enjoyed reading about theater life, their real life struggles with making ends meet, and their competitive pranks. All in all, a good romcom that I would recommend to friends who love boy next door stories and small town romances.

I put off reading this because I was so sure that it'd be another poorly written first person narrative that would make me give up half way through. Man, I was glad to be wrong!

I loved everything about this - it's not often that you read a book with secondary characters as strong as the main characters. The "war" between Chip and Bree was funny and imaginative and made me laugh out loud. I think I literally melted at some bits, Chip is a very swoony hero!

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good romcom!

So many wonderful descriptions of Virginia, I now want to visit. Especially since The Barter Theatre is real. This book is less war and romance than the description says.

Just love Melissa Ferguson books, they are so upbeat and funny with a great story. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good novel that has everything in it. Loved the ups and downs between these two neighbors who seemed to be in love-unlike/frustration relationship. (don't want to use the word hate). Loved his dog...oh he was so funny. There are so many great parts to this book and it just flows so well that before you know it your finished!

Little bits of humour gave me hope, but this was a slow moving one for me. Lots of depth and intricacy in the characters however I don't think I was expecting what I hoping for. The writing was great but I wanted it to move along faster than it did. I wanted more romance!

I want to go into this review saying that I was definitely not laughing a maniacal laugh that would make my siblings proud.

That being said, this was one of the most humorous books I've read in a long time. I had such a great time and I'm sure that smile never left my face. All those pranks *sighs* - inspirational. Melissa, please teach me your ways. :)

Just like with The Dating Charade, I'm sure this one will be one I read over and over and over again.

If you are having a rough day or just need some cheering up, The Cul-de-Sac War will be sure to put a smile on your face right from page one.



Rating: 5/5

Language: n/a

Romance: one kiss

Spiritual: characters are Christian

Violence: n/a



*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

Review will be published to the blog on October 10, 2020.

I loved The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson. It was hilarious, heartwarming, and romantic. From the first pages I was captivated by the witty dialogue.

How can two people navigate such a crazy all out war, gaining vengeance with every plot. The unpredictability of what they would do next kept me turning the pages. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as each took turns waging yet another dart.

Bree Leake is as unpredictable as marbles moving in a circle. Chip McBride, trying to make it in his own business, is the perfect staple in this story. He moves in next door to Bree, who has an instant dislike for his rented power truck with all kinds of unsavory bumper stickers.

Melissa Ferguson has such a creative imagination. The scenes with Bree and the 230 pound English mastiff Russell were fun and hilarious. But the beauty of this story is the complex relationship between Bree and Chip. Their attraction is magnetic. Yet what draws them together in the end is heartwarming and beautiful. I always love happy endings and I love how Melissa ends this story.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ferguson shows great growth as an author in this, her second book. I enjoyed "The Dating Charade" and found it witty and charming, but man, this just took my enjoyment of her writing style to a whole new level. It's like when JK Rowling released "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"; my brother and I looked at each other after reading it and went, "What?! Amazing! Such growth after OOTP!"

I laughed so much as I read "The Cul-de-sac War". It's the perfect pick-me-up when you need a chuckle, or even if you don't. (But who doesn't, in this time of coronavirus?) There were several really good lines near the end that I want to add to my quote book, too -- a rarity for fiction books. Love, love, love.

The last couple chapters in particular were poignant and bittersweet, as some dreams were met and others weren't. But, the growth and maturity the characters experienced were admirable, real, and believable. I could learn from them!

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

This was a fun to read romance. Bree and Chip live next door to each other in the titular cul-de-sac and start engaging in a fun prank war once Bree realizes that Chip was lying about moving his dog’s fence. There were some logical gaps in this book that stopped me from loving it completely (Bree’s job is to be in community theater? Chip never really explains if he’s fixing up the house for himself? Bree needlessly has a roommate?), but like a Hallmark movie it was more about the sweetness of the love story than the realism. Oh, and the epilogue was a little barf-worthy.

Oh my word!! This book!! I don't know if I am impressed it slightly terrified of how the authors mind works!!! Hahahaha let's just say is a good thing they fell for eachother in the end or one of the characters would be going to jail for being such a rotten neighbor! His book kept me laughing and gasping in surprise at the antics until the very end. I'm a fan for life!!

<i>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>

<b>2.5 Stars</b>

Let me start off by saying that what initially drew me to this book was the synopsis- and that the synopsis didn’t really match the book. I was expecting a fun and lighthearted rom-com but it seemed more like a drama about two people trying to navigate life and contained little comedy and virtually no romance.

Chip's treatment of his girlfriend and Bree‘s treatment of Theo were both problematic to say the least, and downright rude in the case of the latter quite often.

I just didn’t connect to Bree as a main character, and I didn’t find her likeable at all.

The Enemies to lovers trope is usually one of my weaknesses but somehow I just wasn’t feeling it here - the animosity between the two seemed to stem from almost nowhere and then seemed to switch to love just as quickly out of nowhere.

Overall, this just wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I can see how some people may relate to it more than I did - but I really do think the synopsis does not really match the book!

P.s. I understand trying to be clean but actually writing bleep instead of expletives several times is an odd choice.
1 like

I rarely read an enemies-to-lovers story, but this one was quite the treat. I enjoyed the wit, the fun characters, and the author's writing style. A fun, lighthearted, heart-touching read.
I received a complimentary digital copy from NetGalley.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While this romantic, enemies to lovers, had plenty of quirky moments, it was so over the top that it was difficult to fully enjoy it. Bree is a young woman trying to find her place in the world and prove to her parents that she is a responsible adult but after meeting Chip and meeting up obstacle after obstacle she realizes how quickly things can fall apart. I admired her resolve to stick it through.

Despite having a girlfriend Chip is drawn to Bree and his competitiveness and intrigue makes it impossible for him to walk away.i wish I was more taken by Chip but he was too accident prone to be taken seriously.

This was a cute Rom-com but lacked that all consuming flame of true chemistry.

A sweet, light, fast and fun romance com that’s perfect for summer. Likable plot and characters that kept me entertained.