Dillon deixou Pearl Lake há quase 10 anos, rumo a Chicago, onde estudou, trabalhou e começou um relacionamento, agora ela se vê sem emprego, sem namorado e sem um lugar para morar. Com a ligação do pai avisando que seu irmão sofreu um acidente e não poderá trabalhar por alguns meses, Dillon decide voltar para sua cidade natal para ajudar nos negócios da família. Para ela não é fácil estar de volta nessas circunstâncias, é como se tivesse retrocedido, mas será que viver em Pearl Lake é tão ruim quanto ela se lembrava?

Donovan "Van" é o neto da amada vizinha de Dillon que faleceu, ele herdou a propriedade da avó, sendo o único neto que a visitava com frequência. Mesmo que Dillon passasse bastante tempo com a Bee, ela nunca encontrou Van até o momento que decidiu verificar como estava a cabana e o encontrou nu recém saido do banho. A partir desse momento a relação deles é de implicâncias e discussões, algo que Van gosta e que deixa Dillon irritada, ao mesmo tempo que se sente atraída pelo vizinho.

Eu sou completamente apaixonada pela escrita da Helena Hunting e estou gostando cada vez mais de ler romances que se passam em cidades pequenas. O que ela construiu aqui me deixou completamente presa na história, que vai muito além do romance, tanto Dillon quanto Van tem seus próprios problemas para lidar e juntos encontraram o apoio que precisam.

O romance entre os protagonistas é muito bem construído, acontecendo de forma natural e no momento certo. Eu gostei muito do clima criado aqui nesse livro, fiquei com vontade de ir para a beira de um lago e curtir um dia de paz. Se você procura um romance nesse estilo, tenho certeza de que você irá amar essa história.

3.5 stars
It’s not that she can’t go home again, Dillion doesn’t want to go home again. Her choice is limited when she breaks up with her boyfriend and loses her city job. Her family needs her help so back to Pearl Lake she goes.
Van is in Pearl Lake to sort out his beloved Grammy Bee’s estate. At first met, these two are like oil and water. What follows is a fun story with mystery and likable characters. Not only will you like the main characters you also get a fun group from the small town.
Easy read with a nice small town vibe

As teens Dillion and Van knew of one another but were never close. They were connected by Bee. Van had his grandmother in the summers and Dillion had her neighbor the rest of the year.

Now her death has brought them together again. Both are at a crossroads in life. Dillion is jobless and back in the small town she couldn’t wait to escape. Van is also jobless and being accused of a crime he didn’t commit all while having the task of cleaning out Grammie Bee’s home.

Brought together by circumstance, they quickly realize neither is who they thought they were. And watching them fall in love is breathtaking! But what happens when reality intrudes?

Dillion is all sass, but so loving and loyal. As an adult she is finally understanding her deep desires to leave her small town while also now understanding its draw to stay. Van is also on a self discovery quest about what is important in life and, being back where he was happiest helps put things in perspective.

I truly adored this couple! I also loved the side story of Dillion’s brother as it added unexpected depth.

Love Next Door was a sweet and nostalgic read. It was not at all what I expected, but so much better! 5 stars!

Love Next Door is the first installment in Helena’s new series called Lakeside.

It is an enemies-to-lovers / neighbors romance between Dillion Stitch and Donovan “Van” Firestone. They have a rocky start and every time they face each other, the back and forth between them becomes stronger. However, that “hate” is not the only thing in their way since they find impossible not to act on the tension and chemistry between them.

This was a slow burn, simmering love story that started with two characters “hating” each other and it turns into so much more when they realize they have more in common than either expected. Their connection starts from their relationship with Van’s gram and a cottage full of summer memories.

I really enjoyed this story about community, friendship, family, trust, love and fate bringing two people together, and I can't wait for more in the Lakeside series!

LOVE NEXT DOOR is the first instalment in Helena Hunting’s contemporary, adult LAKESIDE erotic, romance series focusing on the people of Pearl Lake. This is Chicago businessman Donovan ‘Van’ Firestone, and twenty-eight year old, business administrator Dillion Stitch’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Dillion and Van) LOVE NEXT DOOR focuses on the building romance and relationship between Chicago businessman and foundation administrator Donovan ‘Van’ Firestone, and twenty-eight year old, business administrator Dillion Stitch. In the wake of Grammy Bee’s death, Donovan Firestone returns to the small lakeside town of Pearl Lake, where he takes some time to consider everything and more but a tornado called Dillion Stitch is about to turn his well ordered life upside down, as she is the executor of his grandmother’s estate, and the woman with whom he is falling in love but not all is well back home in Chicago, and the backlash is about to come crashing down. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Van and Dillion, and the potential fallout pushes Dillion out of Van’s life, as his life continues to spiral out of control.

Dillion Stitch left Pearl Lake, never to return, but life in the big city wasn’t all it was promised to be. Her brother’s accident, and the family business struggling to make ends meet, Dillion takes over the office, steering everything in the right direction but rumors about Donovan Firestone begin to eat away at our story line heroine rumors that are about to gain momentum with a phone call from back home. Donovan Firestone inherited the bulk of his grandmother’s estate, and with it a potential firestorm of problems including one-Dillion Stitch but nothing was as it appeared to be for beneath the surface continuous surprises were about to shake up their world.

The relationship between Donovan and Dillion begins acrimoniously as both verbally attack the other for reasons unknown. Neither one recognizes the other from years before but Dillion believes Donovan is up to no good, and Donovan only wants time to himself in an effort to forget about life back home. A summer storm finds our couple taking refuge in a hunting cabin where secrets are revealed, and they both reconsider their future, together. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Donovan’s brother Bradley, and their sister Teagan; Dillion’s friends Tawny and Allie, brother Bradley, mother Marilyn, and their father; and electrician/plumber Aaron Saunders-there may be something developing between Teagan and Aaron.

LOVE NEXT DOOR is a story of family, friendships, relationship and love; a story of jealousy and betrayal, secrets and lies. The premise is engaging, entertaining and engrossing;the romance is spicy and seductive; the characters are sassy, feisty and spirited although it did take some time to get over my dislike for our story line heroine.



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I really enjoyed this story. I'm a lover of small-town romances and Helena did not disappoint with her creation of Pearl Lake as a setting that readers will enjoy for books to come. I resonated a lot personally with Dillion's desire to break out of the small town she grew up in for "the city", but also the need to come back home to help out her family when times got tough. I really enjoyed Dillion's initial tension and stand-off with Van (love that enemies-to-lovers vibe), but also enjoyed how they bonded over their shared affection for Van's grandma and Dillion's lifelong neighbor, as well as revealing secrets about their past interactions. The elements of mystery and intrigue around Van's inheritance and Dillion's brothers actions added something to the story to keep you involved, and the handling of Dillion's brother's situation when it all came to a head was well done. I wasn't expecting a mystery from Helena in this one, but I enjoyed it! I'll look forward to returning to Pearl Lake in the next story from this series!

This is a sweet, small town summer romance about two people that grew up on opposites sides of the lake and had childhood crushes on each other and meet later in life for a second shot at love. I definitely related to Dillon, the small town girl who moved to the city the first chance she got. When her father calls asking her to come home to help with the family business for the summer she reluctantly does so, running into Donovan (Van), the rich kid from her past. Donovan is back in town to fix up his dead grandmother's cottage and weather an embezzlement scandal he's been falsely accused of. Sparks quickly fly between these opposites and a real relationship develops. Lots of family drama on both sides. Dillon's brother is struggling with alcoholism and bipolar disorder, and Van's brother seems to be out to get him. If you enjoy a steamy, dual perspective, open door romance with lots of strong secondary characters, this is the perfect summer read for you. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy. I'm looking forward to the next books in this series!

Love Next Door by Helena Hunting is a beautifully written story about family, love, and self discovery, and is Hunting's first book in her new Lakeside series. I loved this story and can't wait to see who the next book will focus on.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and Helena Hunting. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

I enjoyed this story. It had the heat and chemistry I’ve come to expect from Hunting, as well as a great balance between family, personal growth and tenderness. It was a bit of a slow start. The antagonistic back and forth between Dillion and Van dragged on a bit too long and, for me, felt a tiny bit forced. I liked the juxtaposition of family problems and how each handled it so differently. I loved Van’s sister Teagan’s enthusiasm and am hoping she gets the next book. After having been away from her small town since college, I was happy that Dillion was able to reconnect with her old friends after an apology. I’d be perfectly happy if either Tawny or Allie got stories as well. Or Aaron, Dillion’s dad’s employee. Lastly, I thought the mental health issue was handled thoughtfully and realistically. If I could have changed anything, it would have been the abruptness of the ending. I knew I was getting toward the end of the story, but the end came suddenly and unexpectedly. At least we were given the epilogue.

Dillion Stitch has no desire to return to her hometown of Pearl Lake. But when her brother crashes his car while drunk, Dillion reluctantly agrees to come home and help with the family business. Back home in Pearl Lake, so much has stayed the same but one big thing has changed, the Stitch’s beloved neighbor Bee has died. Dillion and Bee were very close, and when Dillion goes to check on Bee’s cottage, she stumbles upon a very naked Van. Donovan, or Van for short, is Bee’s grandson. He has inherited Bee’s cottage and plans to fix it up and live there. Thinking Van is just going to sell Bee’s beloved home to the highest bidder, Dillion is immediately distrustful of Van. But their bickering soon turns to attraction. They are a seemingly perfect match if only they can keep their respective family issues from tearing them apart.

Told in alternating first-person perspectives, Love Next Door is the perfect small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance! I loved Dillion, the protagonist. In true Helena Hunting fashion, she is a sassy firecracker of a main character.

I adored this small-town romance! I highly recommend Love Next Door to fans of contemporary romance! This series fits in nicely with Hunting’s other books, with mentions of characters from the All In series. And the good news is, this is just the first book in the series! I can wait to read the future books in the series!

Thank you to Montlake Romance, Social Butterfly PR, and Netgalley for the review copy! All opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

This was unfortunately not to my taste and I didn't enoy it. I have read her series with "A Favor for a Favor" and more. I really liked those four. But this one, just no. The mother was as despicable as Mrs Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and this rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning.

Ten years ago, Dillion Stitch left her small hometown of Pearl Lake for college in Chicago and didn't look back - at least, not until she suddenly lost her job, broke up with her boyfriend, and had to move out of her apartment, leaving her with nowhere to go but home. She planned to stay for a few months to help her father with the family construction business while her brother recovered from a broken ankle, then find a new job and return to her life in Chicago. Meanwhile, in order to avoid an unpleasant scandal back home, Donovan "Van" Firestone had taken up residence in his late grandmother's cottage next door to Dillion's parents. An incredibly awkward first meeting put Van and Dillion on a path towards becoming enemies rather than lovers, but neither could deny the intense chemistry they shared. As they got to know each other better, they came to realize that they had more in common than either had expected. Could their summer fling turn into a forever love?

I adored the witty banter between Van and Dillion, as well as the slow burn of their transition from enemies into lovers. I also found the mystery involving Van's mother's charitable foundation to be quite engaging, and I couldn't wait to find out whether I had guessed the "villain" correctly. Finally, I loved that Van's Grammy Bee was such a strong presence in the book even though she had passed away months earlier. I could feel how much both Van and Dillion cared for her, as well as how their love for her influenced their relationship with each other.

Overall, I loved this funny, sweet, and heartwarming story and can't wait for the next one set in the charming town of Pearl Lake. I highly recommend "Love Next Door" for all contemporary romance fans, particularly those who enjoy small town romances and/or the enemies-to-lovers trope.

*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Welcome to Pearl Lake, the land of the haves and have nots. Dillion always wanted to escape small-town life and for Van, this town was a summer refuge with his beloved grandmother. But Dillion and Van's connection is strong, something they'll discover as summer passes. Small town culture and family drama come together in this summer fling read that'll make you think about what really means to be a family, whether blood or found.

Readers know Ms. Hunting's brand of quirky humor and her sports romance series, however, while you see some of that in this book, it is not a rom-com, and it is important to make that distinction so readers aren't expecting that from an author that it is known for this subgenre.

I always admire authors that take risks and Ms. Hunting is known for doing that. However, Love Next Door read like a small-time version of Handle With Care, a book I didn't find as successful due to the other the top, soapy, villainous characters. I also felt the family drama definitely stole attention from the romance development itself. I wanted more Dillion and Van and less ridiculous, cartoony bs from Van's smarmy brother.
And for those reasons, I did not find this a great read.

I enjoyed going on Dillion & Van’s journey. Even though not my favorite by Helena Hunting, I still couldn’t get enough! I love a good small town romance and Helena Hunting definitely delivered that in Love Next Door. A great start to a new series. I look forward to reading more in this series to come!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Sexy, sassy small-town romance
5 stars

I’ve enjoyed Helena Hunting’s writing before and this book sounded like a winner - small town, enemies to lovers, second chancey goodness. I was all in from page one.

Dillion is reluctant to return to her home town and all the demons that come with it. Sadly for her, she doesn’t have much of a choice and soon she’s back. From the first, she comes across as a strong and confident woman who is sarcy, sassy and just a bit grumpy. She was hilarious! Not once did I think she was too moany, and I really related to her, especially as she berated herself for how she was acting round Van.

Van himself was like two perfect heroes smooshed together to make one ultimate perfect hero. He was a hot suit from the city but, much like Dillion, had little choice but to come back to the small town he’d spent his summers as a boy. He managed to embrace small-town life really quickly and soon he was wearing ripped jeans, ratty t-shirts and hanging out in the local hotspots. So a hot bodied city suit meets hard bodied local guy bit of perfection. And that’s even before he and Dillion get to bickering.

I love, love, love an enemies to lovers story but it’s even better when the banter between our couple shows just how much chemistry they have. These two are on fire. And absolutely hilarious. Each gives as good as they get and I couldn’t get enough of them. Happily, when their relationship evolves, they still keep both the spark and the banter making me adore them as a couple.

I also loved the fact that the conflict - when it came - was realistic and believable. It was well-resolved, too. And Van fell just as hard and fast as Dillion did. In fact, he was adorably smitten which made me fall in love with him - and him and Dillion together - even more.


There is some family drama involved in the story although it never overshadows the romance and is never overly heavy or changes the tone of the story as a whole. I wasn’t sure who I thought was “the baddie” until it was revealed. Not that it was supposed to be a mystery, but I always like to pretend I guessed correctly regardless. The mental health aspect was surprising and handled so well. I applauded Ms Hunting in my head as I read, for treating it so believably but also for including it in a story without it being overwhelming.

As I read, especially towards the end, I was hoping so hard that this was the first book in a series… and it is! Van’s sister and Dillion’s friend, Aaron, only had a 30 second scene together and I’m already crushing on them so hard. And based on absolutely nothing, I’m hoping Dillion’s brother and one of her best friends are destined for their own romance. Gah - I can’t wait for the series to continue!

I have absolutely no clue how Dillion’s name was supposed to be pronounced. It’s that pesky extra ‘i’ that munched my brain! She also went by Darlin’, Lynnie and Dee - but I’m pretty sure it was meant to be said like the name Dillon, rather than Dill-ee-on. This has nothing to do with my review - I just wanted to put it out there!

Don’t be fooled by the cover (which is cute, don’t get me wrong) - you still get a sexy, sassy and laugh out loud romance with enough chemistry to burn this small town to the ground! Ms Hunting’s writing is, as always, exemplary and this story is a delight and one I couldn’t put down. Easily a 5 star read and one I would very much recommend.

This story swept me away and had me grinning from start to finish. Dillon and Van didn’t start out on the right foot and never really saw eye to eye. Dillon thinks Van is in town just to sell his grandmother’s estate and she hates that idea because she loved his grandmother dearly. Even though she was desperate to get out of her small lake town and never planned on coming back family circumstances has her returning where she is in constant contact with Van, and he seems to always bring out her surly side. There were many times I would laugh out loud, swoon over Van, and my heart hurt for everything that they went through even her brother. This small-town romance has you rooting for them to not only be together but that they find their happiness along the way whatever it may be. Can they stop fighting long enough to see what is in front of them? Will Van run off back to the city leaving Dillon behind? Will Dillon want to flee small town life once again? I loved this book it is my favorite from this author, and I thought all her other books were my favorite but the back and forth banter between the main characters kept me entertained and loving every second of it. I hope we get more from some of these characters.

This story was delightful! I really really liked it! I don’t have a lot of experience reading Helena, so I don’t really have a point of reference to compare to but for me, she nailed the small-town vibe with precision. The romance journey even matched the laid-back feel of a small town. It was a sweet slow burn that just put a huge smile on my face.

There’s not only an undeniable spark between Van and Dillon but also in the story. Their meet cute was hilarious and the story just took off from there. They had the banter and the chemistry to light up the sky and reading their story just had me sighing contently. Have no fear tho, their story has its share of conflict *wink* (lol) but even then I enjoyed the read!

This is a great start to a series and I can’t wait to return to Pearl Lake real soon 🙂

Helena Hunting delivers a fun, small town summer read with Love Next Door! It’s got a lot of feels, a slow burn romance and ultimately a wonderful love story. I loved Dillon and Van and how their relationship develops, it makes for a special story.

Dillon wanted to leave small town life behind, she was all about the city life, but circumstances have her back in her hometown to help her parents and brother. Donovan has taken some time off for a vacation and to deal with his grandmother’s cottage after her passing. These two don’t have the greatest of introductions, in fact they don’t seem to like each other at all, at first at least. But, these two share a special connection and have great chemistry that they cannot deny so there’s a slow burn relationship that develops between these two.

I really liked the blend of romance, mystery and angst with this story, there is a lot going on and it definitely kept me reading. These characters have great personalities and outstanding banter. It really feels like a meant to be love story, with all that small town greatness. It’s definitely a great summer read and will make you want to spend time in Pearl Lake!

Sigh. Let's talk about this cover first... shall we?
It's gorgeous ain't it? It's what drew me to the story to begin with..... and then the inside! Wow. Holy feels.
This is exactly what you want in a small town romance! Not to mention, you will devour this read in one sitting and want more.

If you're looking for the perfect summer read-- this is the one for you!

I can't wait to see more of Lakeside with all the other incredible characters!!

5 "hidden" stars from me.

Love Next Door is a different kind of Helena Hunting novel. It's wonderful, with great character and plot development. It's a slower paced romance, with less raucous humor than her Pucked series, but it is still a genuine Helena Hunting romance that leaves you satisfied.

A large part of the book deals with Dillon coming to grips with her return to her hometown and her family business after 'escaping' that life at the first opportunity. She never expected to come back to town, let alone fall in love there. Both Dillon and Van have complicated pasts that they have to deal with separately as well as together to move forward.

This is a bit of a redemption tale for Dillon, married with an enemies-to-lovers story, but Dillon and Van weren't really enemies for long. Plus we have all of the hallmarks of a great small-town romance - family connections, complicated relationships with other people in town, trying to move past prior perceptions.

I love the various sides of Helena Hunting. I thoroughly enjoy all of her books, whether they are angsty, outrageously hysterical, instalove, slow burns, etc. One constant in each and every one of her books is that the writing is top-notch.