How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan


This is a contemporary, sunshine/grump, enemies-to-lovers-romance. Grace is a design student, working multiple jobs to make ends meet. She inherited her grandparents house by the beach and intends to fix it up and make it the home that she never had growing up. Her new neighbor, Noah, is an ambitious real estate developer who is trying to put down roots and start a new life in California. He desperately wants to buy Grace’s house and tear it down so he can add a pool to his property, but she continuously refuses his offer. This causes a lot of tension and makes an enemy out of the sexy, surfer next door.

Overall I liked this story, but I started to lose interest in the plot about halfway through. The characters had plenty of time to build up lots of angst and tension, but it dragged and fell short for me. I loved the next door neighbor love story, but I wish there was more steam. I really enjoyed the banter between Noah and Grace, and I think the family drama they were both dealing with and the cast of side characters added a lot to the story. I think Sullivan is a great writer, but unfortunately there was something missing for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC to read and review.

***4 Stars***

This was a sweet, slow burn opposites attract enemies to friends to lovers romance that had some great moments and a lot of character growth for both Grace and Noah and filled with a bunch of great supporting characters that brought life and depth to the story.

I liked Noah and Grace. Both are at crossroads in their lives and are trying to figure out just what they want their futures to look like, well Noah is as he has become a fish out of water, while Grace has a plan and just needs to make sure everything gets done. Their journey is a slow one, filled with some interesting situations they find themselves in and the realization that, while they are opposites in many ways, they are actually perfect for each other.

This is my first read by the author and I enjoyed it. The writing was engaging, though the pace did sometimes drag for me, it was a fun read filled with fun characters. I loved Morty, Rosie and Josh. Rob was awesome and Chris, Everly and Wes were fun to get to know and see how they helped both Noah and Grace along on their journey.

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

This was a heartfelt, humorous enemies to lovers romance between two neighbors working on renovating their homes outside of LA. I really enjoyed this closed door, dual perspective love story, even more than the author's first book. The cameos with Chris and Everly were fun and the secondary cast of characters were strong. Highly recommended, especially for fans of HGTV shows. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.

I adore the cover and the premise. It was a next-door-neighbor, instant dislike tied in with instant chemistry and then they're forced to work with each other? It's a perfect set-up.
What didn't work for me was how repetitive each character's feelings were on page. There were multiple references to the same thing, so it bogged down a bit for me.
There are several bright moments. I particularly loved their first date and it brought on memories of when I first started dating my husband so I had perma-smile for a couple of chapters. I also enjoyed seeing characters return from the first book of the series and the newly introduced additions to the cast.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This book is a funny, sweet, hate to love romance with family drama. This book kept me entertained from beginning to the end. I really enjoy reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read a sweet romance with laugh out aloud parts. I received this book as an advanced copy from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This book was such a great read! I went into it expecting a romcom and definitely delivered all the pieces I love about that genre, it also offered so much more! The heaviness it brought with discussing family dysfunction and how it can impact your ability to trust others and understand your own self-worth was really well done. The author was able to weave those pieces of the story in so effortlessly and it brought so much more dimension and insight into the characters. I really loved Grace and Noah and the progression of their relationship, personally and professionally, in this novel. Grace was such a strong, independent, and thoughtful female lead and Noah grew and matured into such a wonderful character. I highly recommend this book!

I’m not usually a fan of enemies-to-lovers stories but I really enjoyed this book! It wasn’t as angsty/angry as some and I liked the back and forth between Noah and Grace. I didn’t read Sophie Sullivan’s first book “Ten Rules for Faking it” and didn’t feel that I needed to for background on this one. But now I’m going to go back and read it! “How to Love Your Neighbor” is an excellent stand alone (but part of a series) that’s a sweet, very little angst, lovely HEA. I thoroughly recommend it.

Another fantastic romcom from Sophie Sullivan! I adored this book! It was sweet and romantic. with such fun and witty banter between Grace and Noah.
This book is a semi-sequel (yet easily also a standalone) to Ten Rules. If you love the enemies-to-lovers trope and a great romcom, this is the book for you. It is a behind closed doors romance, but if the book is engaging, I dont mind that. The chemistry between Grace and Noah absolutely jumps off the pages. The novel flows well and hits all the romantic highs, as the two main characters navigate the road to true love, each of them discovering along the way that the direction they had planned for their life, is changing for the better! This is a fun, sweet romance that was very enjoyable to read. I look forward to more from this author. Thank you to netgalley for providing me an arc.

You know a book is captivating when you start and finish in the same day.
I loved these characters and their story, my ONE complaint is it could have given more of their issues with their parents. That part felt really rushed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for letting me read this ARC. This was a sweet romance, featuring a dog filled meet cute, feuding neighbors, a bit of enemies to lovers, low angst/drama, and forced proximity. Enough of that though, this book is about renovation, both of houses and people. This book is tied into the world from Ten Rules For Faking it, as we now get to watch Noah (Chris's brother) fall in love as he struggles to find himself as an individual after moving across the country and leaving his father's business. There is great banter between Noah and Grace in this book, and also for all you HGTV, DIYer, home reno fans this book will call to you and make you want to reorganize or redecorate a room... If you like romance books where both characters are not sure they believe in love, have family DRAMA and struggle with the concept of being in a relationship all while they do sweet things for each other, help grow as individuals and design/redesign houses, go on the sweetest date (no spoilers but paint is involved) and learn what truly makes a house a home give this book a read.

I really enjoyed this book. The chemistry between Grace and Noah was perfectly drawn in a push and pull between their immediate attraction and their opposing goals for the house Grace inherited and Noah wants to buy. Each one has dreams for the house that are closely linked to their family background, making for believable tension between two imperfect, yet likable, characters while they find their way to each other.

Grace Travis is finally ready to move into the home that her grandparents left her and to start building a life on her own. She was recently living and helping an older gentleman in the neighborhood and she is ready. From the beginning, her neighbor, Noah Jansen, has expressed interest in buying her home to expand his own home/yard. From the beginning, they start off on the wrong foot, but can they work together to help each other out?

Enemies to lovers isn't my favorite of the genres within romance and while this one wasn't too far into the horrible enemies territory, it got a little catty and I was glad when they started working together. Because of their animosity it took me a long time to connect with the characters and care about the journey they were going to go on. And for me, that is the moral of a story of a romance book, so I didn't love this one as much as I love some of the other romance books that I read in 2021.

The characters themselves were great and the plot was good. I liked that they ended up working together and the project led them to fall in love and that felt super natural.

I did like the writing and would absolutely try another from this author. I would like to read her previous book and look out for what may come next.

I LOVED Grace's character arc so much. Her growth and journey of finding herself felt so personal and I couldn't help but cheer for her. I also adored Noah's journey but something about Grace felt deeper. Maybe because we saw her mom on page. I will definitely pick up Sophie Sullivan's previous book so I can get a look at Everly and Chris's relationships.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4356142363

Review on my Instagram will be posted week of publication. www.instagram.com/jupiterdropsco

What I loved: I am an HGTV addict and always grab books with a renovation/interior decoration theme. Grace, the main character, is an aspiring interior decorator and Noah, the love interest, is part of a family of successful property owners and developers.

What I didn't love: As I romance reader I have to root for the couple and I just didn't vibe with these two or see them as a shipworthy match. Grace had a lot of difficult family issues and a neglectful, narcissistic mother. She also had self-esteem issues. Noah was kind of a rich a-hole. The book tried to make him realize this and do better, so I stuck it out to see if I'd change my mind about him.

So you could love this much more than I did. I did think the premise was cute and the writing was good. This is the second in a set of companion books about Noah and his siblings so I am going to try another sibling's book and see if it's more for me!

Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for sharing this e-arc with me! The following review reflects my reading experience.

I’ve been all about the romance reads lately. The blurb for How To Love Your Neighbor caught my eye and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately it fell flat for me. There was a lot of build up to basically nothing. The will they won’t they tension was great but it all culminated in zero smut which was a bummer. I also was almost bored for the second half of the book.

All that being said, this was a fun and quick read. It just wasn’t the romance for me. If you prefer romance reads without smut then I definitely recommend How To Love Your Neighbor.

This book was so cute!! I loved all of the cute moments that Noah and Grace had and their banter was elite! Loved all the back and forth moments they had. It was a bit predictable as it was more of enemy to lovers trope, but cute nonetheless. Noah and Grace both went through a little journey in accepting what they need and want to help them be together and grow as a person. I also enjoyed the wholesome moments that they had with friends and family. Overall a super cute read with lots of cute moments.

Absolutely adorable. I loved the dynamic between Grace and Noah. The tempers flairing and the types of interactions they had with one another. They felt very real, relatable and believable. I like that Grace was a self assured female lead.
Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for my arc in exchange for this honest review.

How to Love Your Neighbor is a grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers romance that’s sure to put a smile on your face!
Grace Travis has it all planned out: finish interior design school, get her dream job, and renovate the cozy little beach home her grandparents left her. But the day she moves in, she meets handsome real-estate developer, Noah Jansen – her neighbor and the man who’s been desperate to take her house to expand his own lot. Grace and Noah have big personalities and a fiery chemistry that leads to short tempers. When Noah is looking to get a magazine spread for his home renovation, the author sees their chemistry, and wants them both for the spread – with Grace as his designer for the project. When they both agree, Noah and Grace start to realize they have a lot more in common than they first thought, and against their better judgment, start to fall for each other.

I really enjoyed the authenticity of both Noah and Grace’s characters – they both had flaws which played a role in the development of the story and their romantic relationship. I found Grace to be incredibly relatable, with her independent, strong-willed, and driven nature. I also really appreciated the clear communication between the two. With Grace in her mid-twenties and Noah in his early thirties, they actually worked out disagreements like adults. Never shying away from apologies or learning from their mistakes.

Another highlight of this book is the support systems behind Noah and Grace. Morty, Rosie, Josh, and Chris, especially, were charming additions to the book that never overshadowed the main story. They helped Noah and Grace keep a level head and provided support in tough moments.

Occasionally, there were some dull moments and over-the-top corny dialogue, but overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read. If you like strong-willed characters, enemies-to-lovers, and home renovation, I definitely recommend How to Love Your Neighbor.

*Content Warning: Toxic Relationship with Parents*

(Note: I was provided an advanced copy of How to Love Your Neighbor by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and Sophie Sullivan for an advanced copy of How to Love Your Neighbor. To say this book had me at the start is an understatement. The relationship between Grace and Noah was meant to be from the start, which this is something that I really loved about this book, that as a reader, we did not have to wait until the end of the book to see them become a couple, instead we were able to see their relationship grow. I really enjoyed seeing Grace, an independent, head strong person realize that she can have it all, a career and a relationship. I also enjoyed seeing Noah, successful businessman who can have whatever he wants, learn to accept that he can help the love his life, but also watch her stand on her own and support her in her decisions. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good love story from the beginning and not be tortured throughout the story.

If you are a fan of home renovation shows, this is the book for you. Wealthy developer Noah Jansen is determined to succeed after breaking away from the family business and one way to do that is to have his renovated home featured in a popular design journal. Next door neighbor Grace Travis is just finishing design school and the journal thinks hiring her is just the thing for their feature, much to Noah's dismay.

The enemies-to-lovers trope was okay but I much preferred the parts of the book where they worked together and dated. This author has a gift for showing how two people connect in realistic and substantial ways and that is where this book showed the most promise. I will definitely pick up another of her titles.