Real estate- especially beach real estate- can make people nuts. This sprightly novel about Grace and Noah, two people hoping for fresh starts in houses next to one another hits a lot of tropes but is filled with cheer, humor, and occasionally more serious threads. Grace is in her mid-20s and her grandparents' beach house is meant to be her chance after a life spent doing odd jobs to keep her head above water. Noah, who comes from wealth, has turned his back on his family because he doesn't like their business tactics but doesn't seem to realize that he's being a bully to Grace because he wants her property. Of course these two will find a way to each other, with the help of some loyal friends but how they get there, that's what makes this a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling and engaging characters.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: January 18, 2022
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was an engaging romance read, and for the most part, I enjoyed it. It was. quick read, and I felt like the plot was well-laid out and easy to follow. One problem I did have, though, is I didn't really like either main character. I didn't understand why the main female character hated the male lead almost from the beginning and then magically didn't later on. I felt like the plot was a bit unrealistic, which sometimes comes with romances...but I just didn't whole buy into this story from the beginning.

I did like that this book was fast paced (for the most part) and was. quick, fun read. I wasn't that invested in the outcome, though, and I like to be invested in my romances...it's the mark of great characters! I would still recommend this one if someone was looking for a quick, easy read, though.

Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars

This book was such a fun time! It's a grump-sunshine, enemies to lovers, neighbor love story. There is fun flirting and bets and then a reality show aspect gets added to the mix. Just a grand time, and I completely devoured this book.

I liked the characters and found their chemistry believable. It is not very steamy at all, just fade to black type scenes, but it was very sweet and fun to read. I laughed out loud a lot at the beginning of the book. It sort of slowed down once the characters got together, but I didn't mind. Even the twist/falling out portion that happens in every romance book was super sweet and resolved quickly.

I had a great time with this book and recommend if you're looking for a sweet and fun love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book. How to Love Your Neighbor releases on 1/18/22.

Enemies to Lovers but add a grumpy and sexy real estate developer and add in an eccentric, beautiful, and talented interior designer. Love it or Leave it but there is sexual tension. Honestly, HGTV needs to start making movies like this.

📚 Book Review 📚

How to Love Your neighbor is the follow up to Ten Rules for Faking it (both books can stand alone, but same universe) This was a fun read! I didn’t love it quite as much as Ten Rules, but definitely still a good romance read. (Thank you to @smpromance for the eARC!)

After I finished this one, my first thought was “This is what I wanted The Honey Don’t List by CLo to be.” I was very nervous at first going in because I don’t have a stellar record of loving enemies to lovers, but this was an adorable/it worked for me enemies to lovers. The banter between Grace and Noah was 💯. The conflict was not a miscommunication issue which is always refreshing, and the whole cast of supporting characters was enjoyable (and I honestly want more from them. Hopefully some of them will get their own books!)

The biggest drawback to me was it felt repetitive at times, and I found I just wanted more from the story overall.

This was a fun romance read. It is mostly fade to black, so a good option if you don’t love open door romances. I also highly recommend if you spend any time watching HGTV 😂.

I was lukewarm with Sullivan’s first book, so when I agreed to review this, I hoped maybe it was a fluke. Sadly, it was not a fluke, and it’s clear this author isn’t right for me. I didn’t like Noah. He was chauvinistic and shocked that Grace had even an ounce of talent. Because surely, someone must have helped her. Are people so stuck in the 50s that it’s hard to believe a woman can... do things? We’re supposed to think that someone with that way of thinking is an excellent person underneath? It didn’t work for me.

Grace’s inner monologue is the best thing going on here because she’s very funny. I also think she has a lot of unique insight into the world. Then Sullivan (kind of) built up tension with Grace and Noah and then skipped right over the juicy bits, which I guess some people prefer. But I didn’t understand the point of building sexual tensions to just be like, okay, so they did it, now use your imagination. Ultimately, it was a slow crawl to the finish, leaving me feeling lukewarm about the entire book. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.

A side note: As an avid reviewer, I know books I receive still go through a final round of editing before release day. Mostly, there might be a stray spelling mistake here and there, but not so with this book. The spelling and grammar mistakes rapidly piled up. In one instance, they’re calling the magazine Home and Heart magazine, and in the next, they call it Heart Homes magazine. Then Noah thinks, “like one of those animals in the game Whac-A-Mole.” One of those animals? Do you mean... a mole, as implied in its name? The book was so utterly sloppy with things like that, it was offputting.

One of my anticipated 2022 releases!

Enemies to lovers but with an instant spark on first meeting
Next door neighbor
Working on a project together

Grace Travis, a design student, and Noah Jensen, a real estate developer, have sparks that I find believable. I thought they were adorable and fun together before discovering they were neighbors, with Noah trying to buy Grace's property. After that, I enjoy the flirty banter between them as they contend over their property issues. I also like how remorseful they are as they come to know and understand each other, realize their preconceptions, and understand they have similar parental problems. While the book's first half is really engaging, I feel like the latter half felt flat and unexciting up until that bit with Grace's mother.

This book has closed-door scenes if it's something that you prefer with your romance. All in all, it's a sweet book I recommend to someone looking for something light and sweet with some home renovation involved!

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the advanced e-ARC.

Just a great weekend read to get you through a slump. I find myself laughing at the antics throughout and wishing I had a cute neighbor next door to start a war with.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't for me. Listen, I love me some romance. I consume it greedily when I can. I come to rely on its "formulaic" approach as a way to soothe my anxiety because I can rely on romances. They are comforting and dependable. They are also fun and intriguing, or at least they are supposed to be.

The biggest crime of this book is that it's boring. I am all about enemies to lovers but the antagonism was not there. I didn't see the sparks, I didn't see the desire in their body language. The supposed chemistry is just not there, the dialogue was clunky and I am having a hard time connecting with Noah or Grace. I just found it hard to care in general.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute rivalry romance between Grace and Noah. Grace is currently finishing up interior design degree and inherits her grandparents little house on the beach. She moves in and wants renovate it but Noah (her neighbour and a real estate developer) wants to buy her house to expand his plans. Grace refuses to sell but Noah continues to push which leads to a feud between them that had me laughing out loud at times.

Noah is a sexy and grumpy neighbour and Grace is a strong, smart, resourceful and independent woman. This is Dual POV and I really enjoyed Noah’s chapters to see how his feelings developed for Grace. Both Grace and Noah have family issues (toxic relationships with a parent) which I can relate to.

I wouldn’t say it was a true enemies to lovers as their rivalry wasn’t very heated and they didn’t hate each other. Overall, I enjoyed this cute, light hearted rivalry romance.

*This is a closed door romance*

My favourite quotes (which may be different in the final edition):

“Family isn’t what you were born with. Well, that’s not all it is. It’s what you want it to be.”

“You have the most incredible eyes. The only thing prettier is your mouth. Especially when you smile. When you smile at me, I feel that high I only get when I go for a great run or hit a particularly good wave.”

'How to Love Your Neighbor' will stay with me a long time. The relationship between Grace and Noah is fraught with all kinds of real life problems, heartbreaking ones. As they struggle to overcome their issues any successes are all the more joyous because of their difficulties. I especially appreciated that intimacies were private so that the love story could be appreciated. I'm going to go back and purchase the first book in the series, and I look forward to more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

How To Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan was a delightful, charming enemies-to-lovers romance. The story was humorous & heartwarming with a huge cast of lovable characters. I particularly enjoyed the witty banter between the main characters and loved watching this slow-burn romance develop. If you’re looking for a heartfelt romance that will leave you smiling, look no further.

Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted arc.

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan is more about learning to love yourself. Loving yourself despite pasts that make it hard to believe you deserve the best. Loving yourself enough to know that those people in your life who SHOW you love are your people. Loving yourself enough to open yourself up to the possibility of pain in order to find the beauty of the future. Loving yourself enough to believe you deserve all of the success, love, faith and loyalty. I enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Grace and Noah. The design part was a bonus that had me thinking of changes to my own home. Giving yourself permission to protect yourself and allow others to protect you can bring only the best of change. This would be a great beach read (because, beach houses).

This was a really cute story that I found many connections to within my own life. The relationship between Grace and Tammy being the most relatable thing I have read in a long time. As disheartening as it was to watch a character I really liked go through that I found it extremely enduring as a reader to watch her come out the other side. Grace is a lovely MC with so much depth and just the right amount of sass, and Noah was definitely the perfect counterpart to her. Their banter was really fun and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times, because it was real and really added to the development of their relationship.

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan is a sweet and funny romantic comedy that was enjoyable. It took me a little while to get into this one but the characters were extremely likable and the writing was really well done. I would definitely try another book by this author.
I think many will enjoy this light read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

How to love your neighbor by Sophie Sullivan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release day is 1/18/22
Tropes- Grumpy/Sunshine, Enemies to friends to lovers, boy next door, found family, Dual POV

What’s special- House renovation and paint scene

“We need to stop trying to prove ourselves to people that aren’t even paying attention.”

I really enjoyed Grace and Noah’s story. I haven’t read a book where house renovation is involved so this was very unique in that aspect. There’s nothing I would change. I loved this so much. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this via e-arc. This is my honest review.

Neighbors

I had really high hopes for this book but it took me about 30-40% to really get into it.

I thought it would be more of an enemies to lovers but in my opinion Noah & Grace didn’t really have that enemy feel. They were both attracted to each other from the start. And one wanted something from the other. So it was more annoying-each-other to friendish to lovers I felt like.

It was cute and a cute premise but it also had a lot of backstory on Graces part, especially in the beginning, which was important to the story. If you like backstory with romance I think you will enjoy this.

It was good and I think a lot of people will like this one.

Grace and Noah are the best characters for this kind of story. I love a good HGTV/fixer upper romance.
Grace is finally ready to move into her grandparents house. It's the only connection she has to them and can't wait to turn that house into a home.

Noah is the nosy neighbor who wants to expand his property for a pool, but Grace isn't selling. What starts as innocent bets and fights turns into the best partnership as they realize they don't have to do it alone.
Sophie Sullivan does a great job in this book with the pacing and the drama.

A heartwarming and sweet enemies to lovers romance sure to delight readers. The story is told from two POVs, building on the chemistry between Grace and Noah. The author has a talent for drawing us into her characters' minds and emotions. Grace and Noah are charming and relatable and you just can't help but root for their happiness. A lovely follow-up to Sophie Sullivan's previous novel, Ten Rules for Faking It, with surprise cameos from some character faves. Thank you very much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

The enemy to lovers trope with a hint of a grumpy man=my fav! It pulled me in right away and I couldn’t get enough of their story. Absolutely loved their banter. Sweet moments that weren’t super sappy. Altogether fab! Though I haven’t read the first book, I had no trouble with the characters or anything in this, so it can definitely be a stand-alone.
Noah is a wealthy businessman who has worked with his father and brothers to make his professional life a success. He decides he’s had enough of NYC and moves to California to try to recreate his success on the west coast. He buys a house that needs some updating, but more than that, there’s a real fixer-upper next door that he plans to buy as well and tear down so he can have a bigger property with room for a pool. What he doesn’t know is that Grace has just inherited the house he wants to buy, and as a design student, she has plans to fix it up, not sell it.
Despite the chemistry they feel, Noah & Grace clash on almost everything as they try to live next to each other-they make bets, they challenge each other and when Noah gets chosen to be in a magazine about his renovation, he chooses Grace to be his designer, and that’s when the sparks really start to fly. They both have something to prove and despite their differences, they come to realize they both really want the same thing.

I loved that humble, hardworking Grace was so clumsy and tongue tied around Noah. It made her so relatable! And their friends and family, especially old curmudgeon Morty, were amazing supporting characters! I can’t wait for book 3!
“Slowly, deliberately, she folded her arms across her chest, right under her boobs, tucking her hands in the crook if her arms. Then she slowly, hopefully sexily, let her body relax against the wall. The effect would have been so much better if she’d made sure there was actually a wall to lean on. When she fell into the empty space, she nearly toppled over her own feet.” Literally had me laughing out loud.

Publication date: January 18, 2022
Thanks to St. Martins Griffin & Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.