*3.5 stars
I enjoyed how the relationship between Mia and Luke developed over time. The story was a little too slow paced for me but it was still cute.

This book is insanely sweet with characters that are all semi-perfect. Depending on the type of reader you are, you may either love this one or just find it okay. For me, I fell somewhere between as I am a huge romance fan and I enjoy some sweetness, but I also enjoy some “sour” notes to my tales. I still loved reading this novel as it was a nice escape read with some great obstacles added for both the main characters.

Mia Abbott is 30-years-old and has moved to Manchester for a fresh start after she broke up with her possessive ex-boyfriend (this is further explored in the story). She works from home in graphics/computers and can see the flats/apartments across the way. In one apartment lives the Immaculate Woman who always seems put together no matter the time of day and in the other lives, Hot Guy Opposite who works out directly across from her window every day at 10 am. One day, Mia decides to break her stay at home routine and go to the local pub for a drink. While ordering her drink at the bar, she sees that the bar is run by Hot Guy Opposite, also known as Luke, and she also meets some local women who frequent the bar.

Both Luke and Mia have instant chemistry and excellent banter upon first interacting and it continues into the rest of the novel. Luke asks Mia out during their first meeting, but Mia rejects him due to his reputation of a player and her wariness due to her romantic past. One day, Luke notices Mia in the window opposite his and places a hand-written note in the window for Mia. Their main interactions start when Luke asks Mia to design a website for his bar and Mia, in turn, has Luke act as a tour guide for her new city of Manchester.

Luke and Mia’s nondates are cute and sound like a fun time. It made me want to go to the snow to ride those donuts! They have great chemistry together and it is entertaining how their attraction is incredibly obvious to those around them. Mateo and Sandy were great as Luke’s support system and I loved their interactions with Mia, as well. Stan was the real MVP as he was the grumpy older neighbor of Mia’s that became a father/grandfather figure to her and I loved their interactions. He helped Mia out even if she interrupted his current routine and I loved that he always looked out for her best interest. I feel that Freya and Grace are explored too late in the novel as there are some plot points that central around them and I felt that their parts with Mia were very rushed. For me, I would have reduced the initial build-up of Mia and Luke first getting together and instead focused on Freya and Grace’s fit between Luke and Mia’s relationship.

The other background characters were also enjoyable for the most part. I love how the women in the bar instantly “adopt” Mia as she was there alone and they let her join them. They were a fun group of women, but I wish Mia would stop comparing how she looked/dressed compared to them (and to every other woman). The women took Mia in as she was and did not make comments about the way she dressed so it did not bother them to the point where it needed to be mentioned in the story. It becomes a lot when Mia puts herself down due to the way she dresses as if it is a bad thing. It made me question, then why she did not dress up if it was so important to her. It was hard to understand as a person who typically is underdressed, such as Mia, but I do not care if others are dressed better because I chose to be the opposite based on what I felt like wearing. I also did not understand how Mia kept saying that she was not good enough for handsome Luke as the writing makes it seem as all of her past boyfriends were good-looking and Mia was never described as having body issues (just general clothing/style issues).

Overall, I just had a hard time connecting to Mia’s character, as she was surprised to find different people that Luke slept with and sometimes held it against him. I understand this might be an issue when you are first together, but it is extremely unfair to continue to judge him about his past while also saying that you are okay with it. Mia and Luke though were cute together and I loved the overall events that brought them to initially meeting. It is really a sweet concept to live across from someone and actually start a relationship with each other by communicating through notes in your windows. I am not sure how I would react if someone random did it, but it is cute in this instance as they at least met and got along first. This novel is light-hearted with a few heavier topics and was an incredibly cute concept that made for an entertaining read!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC to read and review. The opinions expressed are completely my own. **

Mr Right Across the Street by Kathryn Freeman is novel following Mia, a coder and self-proclaimed nerd, who has recently moved to Manchester to move on from a horrible ex and start a new chapter. To get her bearings in a new town, she goes to a bar by herself where she meets a flirty bartender, Luke, who has no shortage of women around him but feels a pull to. As she is ogling her neighbor through her window while he works out, she realizes that it is the man from the bar. As they continue having interactions at the bar and the local coffee shop, each feel a strong connection to each other. Due to Mia's insecurities, and both her and Luke's past, she is hesitant to get involved and wants to remain friends, but her attraction to Luke is undeniable.

This was a cute novel and I absolutely loved Luke's character. He was so well-developed and proved to be a patient, thoughtful, and communicative love interest. Not to mention he was so charming and was clearly smitten with Mia! My main critique is with the character development for Mia, who from the beginning of the novel was incredibly guarded, judgmental - almost to the point of being immature. Mia made a lot of assumptions about Luke throughout the book and really struggled with not being judgmental about his past even though all of his actions proved otherwise for several months. She was very much in her head and although she had very normal insecure thoughts that can cross your mind, she did it with so many of Luke's overtures that it was a bit frustrating. I was surprised that as a woman in her 30s she labeling him the "cool guy" and her the "nerd" in high school and how he would never be interested in her because of that. However, I still loved the connection between Mia and Luke. Their connection was palpable and completely jumped off the page. It was a slow burn romance with open door scenes but there were only a couple throughout the book. I also appreciated the explicit consent and communication between partners!

Overall I recommend this for those who enjoy a slow-burn open door book with a friends to lovers romance!

Many thanks to the publisher HarperCollins UK - One More Chapter and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a very fast and fun read. I was in a huge historical romance mood but then remembered that this book was coming out today. So I quickly picked it up and sped through it. I am so glad that I did!

This was a sweet story with so many sweet moments. I am a big sucker for rakes in historical romances so when I realized that our hero was kind of a playboy, I got super excited! I loved watching him fall for Mia and her antics. My absolute favorite part of the novel was when they exchanged notes. I love it when the main characters of a rom-com will exchange notes and this had that. It made me so happy.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet romance with a sweet hero and a spunky heroine.

- 4 stars -

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Kathryn Freeman for a copy of an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

5 ✨

Mia has just moved to Manchester for a fresh start. She hopes to settle into her new home, make some new friends, and learn how to just be by herself. Then enters Luke, a hot bartender that attracts a lot of female attention.

Hands down the best book I have read this year. I was literally giggling and screaming at all of the cute situations throughout the book. There are so many individual things that I liked in this book. The two main characters were so well developed and emotionally mature. Both were so forthcoming with the majority of their feelings it was so refreshing. Luke was so attentive and astute, he could tell when Mia was holding back and if he should ask her what's wrong or if he should give her some time. Mia was self-aware and apologized when she felt she went to far, which is not common enough in romance. Not to mention the side characters that all had their own developed personalities and were also some of the cutest people ever.

I would say that if you enjoyed Get a Life, Chloe Brown and the song You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift, then you would most likely enjoy this book.

Mia is new in town and her highlight of the day is watching a hot guy who works out at the same time everyday right across from her apartment window. Eventually they meet and the favored means of communication is leaving notes to each other in their windows. It is a very cute story that was a little too drawn out for my liking, but a good read nonetheless.

"U + Me xx"

Girl with no makeup, wearing T-shirts, leggins and isn't bothered about it? Yes please!
I loved the storyline of how they met and their unusual conversation method- writting notes on the windows.

The book was really interesting, it didn't have standard heroes and I liked it. It was a sweet read, with lots of romantic moments. I found it stereotypical on some parts and sometimes that bothered me.
Negative part is that it was a longer read, it could be shorter, I found some things to repetite again (telling the conversations on the phone, in their mind...), so that was a little off for me.

Overall, it's fun and light romance read!

1 star.

Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. I am sad to be giving it only 1 star as it was a book that I was really looking forward to but there were just too many things in it that didn't sit right with me and I didn't enjoy.

This book is about Mia, a website developer who has just recently moved to Manchester after a nasty breakup, and her neighbour across the street Luke, who owns the bar under the building. This had everything to be a cute romance with a friends to lovers trope, notes in the window and overcoming insecurities. However it does unfortunately fall short in all of those things.

The main romantic point of this story is that the cool guy falls for the nerdy girl - which is very often mentioned by the characters themselves. This could have worked if we were taking about a ya romance maybe, but seeing as these characters are in their 30s it feels weird that this stereotypical high school clique romance is even in this narrative. All throughout the book the characters don't trust each other and always have one foot outside of the relationship because they're just so certain that they wouldn't be right for each other, even after a million reassurances and a million different conversations with a different million people. I did, however, enjoy some of the conversations between our two main characters when they weren't talking about how they're so cool guy/nerdy girl cliche.

I do have to say that wasn't what really put me off the book. Instead, it was the fact that it very heavily plays on the 'she's not like other girls' narrative and is full of women shaming. One of the worst pet peeves for me in novels is when female protagonists slut shame and fat shame and just in general are nasty to other women. There is always a mention in this novel to how other women are dressed and how if they are wearing makeup or wearing dresses or heels they are trying too hard, being fake, or wanting to get the man's attention. This is absolutely something that I do not want to see in romance. Romance is a genre that should be all inclusive and should celebrate everyone for all that they are without having to knock other people down. Especially women, who are already knocked down enough in real life just for being women.

The 'she's not like other girls' point is therefore very embedded in this idea that Mia is just way above all the other women because she simply does not wear makeup and does not dress up. From the very start of the book we are told that Mia is different because she simply does not wear dresses, she wears sneakers and leggings and over sized t-shirts and sweaters. Because no other woman in the world does that, right? Or at least none of the women that Luke has met because this seems to be the first thing that draws his attention to Mia. It's the fact that she didn't dress all "slutty" to go to his bar that gets him to believe she is so different from every other woman and what makes her so intriguing to him.

I believe the author tried so hard to make Mia this different, geeky, protagonist that it went too far. What's so wrong with other women anyway? Why must authors continue to bring out the 'she's not like other girls' trope when there is literally nothing wrong with other girls? There's nothing wrong with women enjoying the things they enjoy, whether that be dresses and makeup or t-shirts and sneakers. There is simply no need to make this distinction anymore and no need to put other women down in novels for liking what they like.

One of the things that saddened me the most in this book, apart from all I've already mentioned, was Chloe and Freya's characters. Both Chloe and Freya were there to entertain the idea that Luke is absolutely the most attractive guy in the world and that everyone around him wants him, even if he has already said it isn't going to happen. They could have been given wonderful side stories and could have worked toward a female friendship and empowerment storyline but instead all they do is entertain the male gaze.

All this being said, there is absolutely no reason why this shouldn't be enjoyable for someone else who doesn't have such strong feelings toward these tropes the same way I do. So if this is a book you are looking forward to, I encourage you to try it for yourselves and see what you think.

Unfortunately, can't help but feel that this book is simply not for me. The frequent "cutesy" nicknames made me cringe everytime I read them, and I could not bring myself to finish this book. I'm sure someone out there will love it! Thank you for the opportunity.

So first I wanna say thanks to netgalley uk for this arc I wanna say that I am in love with this book and the main character Mia is everything I wanna be in my adult life. The cover is so gorgeous and I am here for it now let me say that I loved this book I couldn’t put it down once I started it helped me escape life and I love loved it,

A feel good romance! I am so happy to have read this especially in between a lot of heavy reads this year. Just the perfect amount of humor that i needed.

There's a lot to love about Mr Right Across The Street.

Excellent chemistry, cute interactions (love the ones through their window's), and I particularly enjoyed Luke's POV. I also loved the tour through Manchester with several of my favourite spots highlighted (nope, i'm with Mia on United!) There's a lot of positives in this soulmates romcom. I liked Luke's more vulnerable moments, and the interactions between Mia and Stan, her neighbour.

There are parts that become repetitive. We get it. Luke is hot. Mia is 'a nerd'. And, while I am 100% in the Mia camp of less is more when it comes to appearance (mainly because who doesn't prefer wearing their PJs?) I did feel it was a little judgemental on her part that she entered a bustling city centre bar on a Saturday night and kept talking about the other women wearing tight dresses and heels. Do I personally wish that wasn't the expectation? Of course! But does that make Mia better than these women? Absolutely not. Let's not pit either type of women against one another.

That said, this is still a really lovely romance with some sweet and funny moments to warm you through a cold, dreary winter lockdown.

(I have submitted the same review on Amazon but am awaiting it to be published.

Many thanks

I adored this book! I especially loved Luke! I must say I found Mia difficult to begin with but as the story progressed found myself connecting with her more and more. I absolutely loved the way they communicated by using the notes on the window. It felt very romantic. This is just a simple and perfect Rom com

Mia Abbott, 30, lives in a flat in Manchester and works from home. She recently moved there and is looking forward to making new friends. She had moved to avoid an ex-boyfriend who had begun to harass her. She notices people in the flats across from her. One guy she calls Hot Guy Opposite, works out and she enjoys watching him.

Luke, 34, lives across from Mia. He owns and works in the bar downstairs called the Bar Beneath. He has been working there for 10 years and having recently bought the bar is looking to find ways to get more customers.

In an effort to meet people, Mia goes to the bar and chats with Luke. He is quite taken with her and would like to ask her out, but she is not interested in dating since her fiasco with her ex. She tells him they can just be friends. Especially when she sees how many other women are all over him. When he asks if she can design a website for the bar, she finally agrees when he says he will take her around Manchester introducing her to the sights on non-dates - just friends. Thus begins their friendship. But can it just stay friends when they both are so obviously attracted to one another?

Yes, one can say that this is a very sweet book because it is. Yet there are some really good characters who are all good friends. I especially liked Stan and Pickles, of course. Come join the fun and camaraderie at the Bar Beneath. It’s a great place to spend the evening.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: January 22, 2021

An adorable neighbors to friends to lovers romance. These characters were fun and had great banter along the way. I do think this story played heavily on the cool guy/nerdy girl stereotypes and dragged on a bit but if you want some tooth aching sweet, with some surprising twists and turns along the way, this could be it!

Random issue: I’m friends with a lot of bartenders and none of them would ever use blue curaçao, so the excessive use of it in this book is just so uniquely odd...but doesn’t take away from the story!

Mia Abbott is a thirty year old woman, determined to be independent after moving to Manchester to escape her poor romantic choices.

She moves into a flat and quickly discovers her attractive neighbour, Luke Doyle works out in front of his window. A window that she has a good view of! Mia and Luke immediately hit it off, but personal issues on either side make it difficult to fully get to know each other.

I loved the start of this book, I was so sure it was going to be amazing. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the second half, and I felt like the story dragged. Mia became more and more frustrating (and I could barely keep up with all of her jobs/hobbies/skills that got dropped through the novel!) , and I began to feel bad for Luke, for having to put up with her. The plot digressed, with less focus being on the two of them, and more on an unnecessary 'twist'.

Personally, I'd enjoy a story about Stan or even Mia's sister Elle. The side characters had a huge impact and I actually liked them a lot more than Mia.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

When I started to read Mr. Right Across the Street, I was in desperate need of a rom com that would make feel all fuzzy inside. This book certainly delivered in giving me all the fuzzy feelings. Is it a story I've read before? Yes, There are plenty of books containing the opposites attract/geeky girl and cool guy paired couple, but it is always a trope that I will continue to read and enjoy. Some of the highlights of this story for me were the witty banter between Luke and Mia, the insecurities that both had to overcome through their relationship, their adorable/quirky natures, and the romance. This was an enjoyable, light read that certainly allowed me to escape into the story for the brief period of time while I read this book.

What I would have like to see more of in this book was seeing the work that Mia put in to get over her trust issues. We know she has them and they play an integral role in her relationship with Luke. I wanted to see how she progresses and I think the author could have delved a little deeper into her thought process and would have provided more depth to Mia's character. As someone who also enjoys a bit more smut in her romance books, I wish there had been a few more intimate scenes between the two main characters. However, this last statement is solely based on the matter of preference and for some readers, they will find that this book had just the right amount of intimacy.

Overall, you will enjoy this book if you are a fan of classic tropes, sassy banter, and an enjoyable sugary sweet romance between two main MCs that aren't perfect, but are perfect for each other. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for allowing me to read the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mia doesn't trust her judgment when it comes to men. She's had too many bad experiences.

Luke doesn't believe he's made for love. Plenty of women seek him out for casual affairs, and that's good enough for him.

When they meet, the attraction between them is undeniable. But can Mia get over her insecurities, given Luke's history as a player? And can Luke believe that he's worthy of the love of a woman who wants him for more than his body?

This is a slow-build, low-angst contemporary romance. If you like character-driven stories without much external plot, this book might be for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

Thank you @netgalley for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute, yet spicy rom-com! Give me a friends to lovers romance any day, but this one had the added bonus of having the jock vs. nerd, total opposites attract vibe going on. I adored quirky, little Mia with her colorful streaks and totally chill fashion. She came across incredibly normal and relatable. Luke was definitely charming. I mean he’s a hot, extremely confident bartender with all the right lines. His unique pet made me laugh. I figured out his backstory almost immediately, but really enjoyed watching it unfold. The chemistry was fantastic and the two shared such a slow burn romance that again felt very natural. The supporting cast really added to the storyline. I loved Mia’s sister.

The setting was perfect. It takes place in England with Mia relocating to Manchester and getting acquainted with her new surroundings. Several of the non-dates Luke took Mia on were fun and very charming. I even learned about a new artist, Lowry, when they briefly visited a museum. A lot of the storyline takes place in Luke’s bar which seemed like a fun hangout. Wonder what cocktail he’d peg me for? The adorable scenes involving the apartments and communications with window notes just made me smile each and every time.

While this story was full of romance and humor, it also touched on many great topics. Aside from creating boundaries with exes and blending relationships, it focused on teen pregnancy, joint custody, stalking and self-doubt.

This is the second book I’ve read from this author and definitely won’t be my last.

For some reason I couldn’t get into this story, I don’t want to bash it as I think may just be a book that isn’t for me and that many others will love it I just don’t think it’s something I would enjoy continuing.
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