I really liked the sound of this small town, enemies to lovers story. The book cover was also inviting. Unfortunately this novel didn't work for me.

It took me several tries to finish the book as it was very slow burn with more focus on over the top family drama than the romance. I didn't feel the chemistry between Dillion and Van at all and just could not connect to the characters. I have read this author before but this story was a miss for me.

Love Next Door by Helena Hunting is not just a city boy and the small town girl meeting and falling in love in a lakeside town but how they navigate and find a way to be together.

A Great story with lovable characters.

Helena Hunting used to be my go-to author (Hooking Up is one of my top books of all time), but lately her books haven’t been working for me. Love Next Door was…fine. It wasn’t my cup of tea but I can see how people would enjoy it. 2.5 stars

We all know I adore Helena Hunting and honestly I meant to read this one ages ago But am so glad I took the time this summer.

This small tone romance truly is in a small town. We have Dylan are female main character who has just returned home in order to help her family out during a rough time. She meets Van our other main character only to realize that he is now her new next-door neighbor. We love a close proximity Romance as you know.

Both of these main characters have complicated family structures and while this at times can cause problems it also helps to bond them together. There’s even a element of mystery in this one as Van Attempts to clear his name which is being dragged through the mud in a smear campaign.

There’s some great chemistry in this one along with just enough steam. Helena Hunting does such an amazing job of making you care about each and everyone of her characters I even adored the grandma who plays a big role and getting these two together.

I definitely recommend this to my enemies to lovers Romance readers along with my small town Romance lovers. What a great book the end of summer on I truly had no complaints throughout this entire book.

Thank you so much to @Netgalley and Montlake for my copy of this book!

I recieved this ARC for a review. I really liked it. I am a huge fan of Helena Hunting. I still have many of her books I have yet to read. This is my first book that wasn't about Ice Hockey, one of her more contemporary romance books. It was slow a first but once the bonfire beach party happened then I couldn't put the book down and I was excited to read it every night.

Dillon is a local from Pearl Lake, all she wanted was to get out of her small town and escape her childhood life. But when she gets laid off and her family needs her help she comes home and has some self discovery and revelations. Since her brother has a broken ankle he takes her room and she has to stay in a Trailer. A very short distance from Van, who she becomes enemies to friends to lovers with.

Van is a city body whose mother was from Pearl Lake and married a city man. She died when he was young and he was one of the only child of three that visited his Grammy Bee (his Mom's mom). Grammy Bee has died. A scandal has happened and all fingers are pointing at Van, resulting in him losing his job and needs to ride it out and clean up Grammy Bee's cottage.

They are neighbors who both loved Grammy Bee Dearly.

This book was great it was less comedic and more realistic fiction. I loved how some of the All In Families were mentioned. Turns out that the Lake the Pucked and All In boys own are in Pearl Lake. I loved how she made this connection.

For a long time Helena's writing has been a must read however her latest books felt like they are missing the spark and laugh out loud funny that was signature to her writing.

Sweet and emotional, Love Next Door is a heartwarming story about the complexities of love and family and just how important both are.

Helena is such an amazing author. She really makes you feel immersed into the story and the characters so relatable. .

Helena Hunting is one of my favorite romance authors, so I was very excited to receive and early copy of Love Next Door.

Dillion is moving back to Pearl Lake. She recently broke up with her boyfriend, got laid off and the family business needs some help. Hoping that the move back to the small town she grew up in is temporary, Dillion moves into a trailer on her families property. There, she has some run ins with her new neighbor, Van. Van is also hoping to be in Pearl Lake temporarily. A scandal in the city has driven him to finally return and deal with his grandmothers estate. These two definitely don’t have the best start and their bickering is hilarious.
Dillion is independent and has no trouble standing up for herself. Van is charming but also really enjoys pushing Dillions buttons every chance he gets.

I liked a lot of this book. The banter was great and I loved all the aspects of small town life. I also could really relate to Dillion’s struggle to decide whether she would return to the city or finally accept that she does actually love small town life. This did drag a little bit for me towards the end once the couple fell for each other. Overall, looking forward to the next installment!

This is Helena at her best - small town romance, enemies to lovers, and amazing characters to root for. I loved the romance and the main characters, but a special favorite is how Van matured and learned to stand up for himself.

Dillion goes back to her small hometown to help with the family business after her brother got into some trouble. She soon meets the new neighbor next door, Van, the grandson of her friendly neighbor that passed away. They find themselves fighting all the time and sparks fly.
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The banter between these two was spot on! There was also family issues with both Dillion and Van’s family and I Ioved how they both dealt with it. Their story felt real and authentic, especially because they were not perfect characters, but flawed and complicated at times. This was such an enjoyable read with so many great secondary characters. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Helena Hunting is a one click for me… I don’t even read the blurb as she always delivers!
Her writing style is so versatile and this is what makes her such a talented and unique writer.
Love Next Door was a slow burn , small town romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I connected instantly with the characters Dillion and Donovan and knew from their very first encounter that their relationship will make me laugh, swoon and wanting for more!

This book was truly wonderful. Although a contemporary novel, I loved the small-town atmosphere and the gossips!

Arc kindly provided by Montlake Netgalley

***2 Stars***

I’ve really enjoyed many of the books from this author, but this one just didn’t work out for me. I tried a few times to dive in figuring that it was due to the full on book slump I was in, but even with things looking up, I just couldn’t get into this one.

I wish I could have because the small town vibe was strong, but with that said, it felt like the small town and all the O.P.P. (other people's problems) took over Dillion and Van’s journey and in the end I just lost interest in them.

This is one of those times where it is a total “It’s not you, It’s me” thing and I’m just going to let it go as a one and done, move on, and look forward to what the author has coming out in the future.

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Love Next Door is the first book in the Lakeside series by Helena Hunting. I'm a huge fan of Helena's and I always look forward to reading her books. I know I’m going to laugh out loud, shed a tear or two, have to fan myself and fall in love with her characters. Dillion left town at eighteen. She didn't want to live in her small hometown anymore and she swore she'd never go back. When her brother gets injured she has to go home to help her family. She starts to like it more than she thought she would especially when she meets her sexy new neighbor. He's not a stranger, but she hasn't seen him in a long time. They don't get off to a great start, but their bickering is just foreplay. Van just inherited his grandma's cottage, a place he visited during the summer when he was young. He always loved this town and what started a short vacation turns into much more. After seeing Dillion again, Van can't help but annoy her on purpose. She's too easy to rile up! After just one kiss they can't seem to stay away from each other. They both have things going on with their families and baggage but they just click. Will Pearl Lake be somewhere they can see themselves long term or will the call of the city be too much? Is Van's grandma scheming from the afterlife? I just loved Van and Dillion. He's smart, sexy and hilarious. She's sassy, smart and tells it like it is. I loved all the little mentions of the Kingstons, Bowmans and other references to our favorite hockey heroes! I can't wait to see who's next in the series!

This small-town romance was so much fun, it was sexy with likable characters that had you rooting for them from their first encounter. Speaking of Dillion and Donovan and their first encounter, it was pretty hilarious and awkwardly uncomfortable. I love a friend to lovers romance that checks off all my boxes. The banter was there, the chemistry was hot and just all the interactions and dialogue were exactly what I want in a book. Helena has a way with her words that just touch me in so many ways, she knows how to make you laugh when you need to, she brings in the drama, the suspense, and intrigue ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Helena Hunting is one of my favorite authors and this is one of my new favorite series. I loved the story and the characters. I cannot wait for the second book to come out.

who’s ready for their next 5 star small town, enemies to lovers romance full of @helenahunting signature wit and of course, the perfect amount of steam? If so, Love Next Door should absolutely be next on your #tbr ! I’m notoriously behind on writing reviews but this book was seriously one of my favorites that I wanted to come do it justice (apologies to the other 130 books I haven’t reviewed yet this year - one day) - Dillion and Van have cemented themselves in my HH hall of fame as one of my favorite couples alongside Alex and Violet, Lance and Poppy, Stevie and Bishop … ok ok we don’t have time for me to list every couple but if you take anything away from this review, it’s that you should READ THIS BOOK. Oh, it’s also the start of a new series so you can guarantee that I’m already begging for book two - and longtime fans of Helena, you might notice a nod to an All In player in this one too

A fun start to a new series that has a lot of potential. I can see several of the secondary characters getting their own story which excites me because I liked them all.

Dillion is a no nonsense woman with a big heart. She cares so much for her family and it shows when she comes back home to help out after her brother gets into an accident. I loved how she stuck up for herself whenever and she wasn’t a pushover. Van turned out to be a nice surprise. I was honestly expecting him to be selfish for the whole story but he’s a good guy. Definitely guarded when he first comes to town but he has a good reason to be.

The story hits all the trope hot spots. Enemies to friends. Friends to lovers. Small town romance with a dash of second chance for Van and Dillion to prove themselves. This story gave me all the small town good feels and I can’t wait to see the series grow and develo

At this point I will read anything Helena Hunting writes because I know I will enjoy it! Love Next Door is no exception and I am so excited for this new series. The one thing I love about Helena Hunting's writing is that so many of her series take place in the same "world". Even though this book has no hockey in it, we still get to see some previous characters.

Dillion returns home to Pearl Lake to help out her parents when her brother is in an accident and after a hilarious meet cute with her neighbors grandson sparks fly. There's witty banter, amazing side characters and a town you grow to love. There is discussion of mental health in this book but I appreciated the way it was discussed. Overall I loved this book and cannot wait for the next one to come out.

Thanks to Montlake for the arc of this book.

A small town romance by one of my favorite authors, yes please!

One sentence review: Love Next Door is an enemies to lovers small town romance that brings some great characters together for a satisfying read.

My thoughts:

- I loved the characters in this one and the sense of family.
- I am a sucker for a small town romance and this one delivers on that promise.