3.5 stars

‘How to Love Your Neighbor’ is a rom com in its truest form. It’s light, airy, with minimal angst. It’s definitely more of a slow burn type of novel, and all of the romantic… “action” is fade-to-black. So, if you’re looking for something with a little more bite and a little more steam, this is probably not the book for you. If you’re looking for a fun escape with some banter and low stakes, this is totally going to tick all those boxes.

Aspiring interior designer Gracie Travis has dreamed of establishing roots ever since she was a little girl. And inheriting her grandparents’ house allows her to do just that. It’s a fixer upper, to be sure, but there’s no way that Gracie will ever move. Not even when her extremely grumpy, distractingly handsome neighbor offers her double its value. Real estate developer Noah Jansen isn’t used to not getting his way. He believes everyone has a price. What he didn’t account for was a stubborn, beautiful, caring neighbor who is determined to stay.

The ideas in this book carried so much potential, but I’ll be honest when I say that it all fell a little flat for me. When I think of enemies-to-lovers as a trope, I want a little more banter, angst, and a lot more steam. Not that the dynamic between Gracie and Noah didn’t have its moments… I was just left wanting more. However, I think that this is mostly because of my personal preferences. I tend to prefer romances that have more on-page steaminess, especially when they’re this particular trope.

That being said, it was kind of nice to just one-hand this read and enjoy the ride. It’s kind of like wrapping into a nice warm blanket and drinking a cup of hot chocolate. There’s never any gut-wrenching conflict, and there are a lot of fun, humorous moments that happen. So, if rom com is your thing, and you don’t mind fade-to-black, I think you’ll find this novel delightful.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“How to Love Your Neighbor” by Sophie Sullivan is a meet-cute enemies-to-friends romance book. This wasn’t quite the “light fluffy romantic escape” type of book I was expecting. I didn’t really connect with either main character (Grace and Noah), though I must say that they are, for the most part, presented as mature young adults. Grace is an interior design student and Noah is a business guy. They meet cute while Grace is dog walking (they notice each other and think the other one is quite attractive!). Grace inherited a house that is next to Noah’s - and Noah really wants Grace’s house for his own. There’s a little tiff over fixing a fence (and, yes, in my opinion one neighbor not consulting with the other but expecting said neighbor to pay half is rude), but if that was the “enemies” part, it didn’t seem like enemies to me as the story quickly moved onto them being friendly neighbors and then dating. I did like that intimate parts quickly faded to black (in other words, if you’re looking for “sexy time” romance, this is not the book for you). However, there’s a nice supporting cast - er, um, friends - that are themselves interesting - Morty and Tilly I found both amusingly annoying and complete characters. This was a fine book, but, as I stated above, it was not what I expected from the description. If you’re interested in interior design (at a pretty basic level), this might be up your alley (yes, a grey couch with teal pillows can be a centerpiece in a room). All the above being said, however, I’d read another book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review, all thoughts are my own. Grace a twenty something hard worker who suddenly find that she has inherited a home from her Grandmother. Grace has big plans to renovate the home and turn in into her own. Her neighbor Noah wants to buy her house so he can expand his house and sparks fly. Noah is wealthy but miserable and in search of something that he doesn't what. This is fun book with likeable characters - didn't want this book to end.

I liked the premise of this book but not the execution. There really wasn't much hate between the two. I liked the heroine a lot more than I liked the hero. Their relationship wasn't that interesting to develop. It was a pleasant read to pass the time but nothing I would read again

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A quirky, cute, fun romantic little read. If you want to settle in with something light and fun this one is perfect.

3.5 STARS

Grace Travis hopes finishing her interior design degree and moving into a house, inherited from grandparents she never met, will set a new life on the right track. She has been working tirelessly while going to school in order to realize her long held dreams. Grace’s poor relationship with her less than charming, user of a mother pushes her to be a super achiever.

Grace’s simple house is nothing like the mansion next door. Her new neighbor, Noah Jansen, does everything he can to offend and annoy Grace so she will sell her house to him. After all, Noah wants to put in a pool and needs more space. As an entitled, poor little rich boy, Noah is trying to reinvent his life after moving away from his unpleasant father who runs the family business. Noah makes a lot of missteps initially, but once he learns Grace is someone to contend with, they begin to work together on a mutual project that will be a big help to both of their careers.

Grace and Noah each have a lot of family baggage to overcome and since all that time spent together makes a relationship very likely, it is not surprising Grace’s issues and Noah’s big learning curve causes the course of love to run less than smooth. Grace’s skills and hardworking ethic teaches Noah a lot about not letting one’s past rule the future.

Noah and Grace have a fair amount of work to do to overcome personal issues to not only have a professional relationship, but have a chance at a personal one. Grace’s odious mother who sponges off her daughter as well as Noah’s bully of a father cause some problems not surprisingly. Noah is the brother of Chris from the previous book, Ten Rules for Faking it, although this story can be read as a standalone.

This was a highly entertaining, cute romantic comedy. Boy, a wealthy property developer, meets girl, a new homeowner and interior design student. Boy wants girl's property. Girl wants nothing to do with boy. A love/hate relationship develops and the fun begins. If you like a fun romantic comedy with a happy eding, this should suit you just fine.

This was an absolutely adorable and precious enemies-to-lovers romance novel that's hard not to fall in love with. Told in dual perspectives, the two love interests are equally vulnerable and authentic characters, though I wish it didn't take nearly 100 pages to get somewhere after a super slow start. That being said, their romance and eventual HEA were very precious and I can't take that away from this read because it was very very cute. Maybe even a bit too sweet and idyllic?

I'm a huge fan of romcoms recently and I knew that this one was going to be a fun one the moment I read the synopsis. Enemies/rivals to lovers is one of my absolute favorite tropes of all time, and I love a good interior design/fixer upper show so I was really excited to give this book a go. I was pulled in right from the start and found it so fun and heartfelt throughout the entire book. I absolutely cannot wait for this book to release so that I can get a copy for my shelves!

How to love your neighbor is a good romantic comedy written by Sophie Sullivan. It was a cute story about enemies to friends to lovers. The book was nicely written and flowed well. Noah was a little over the top he did straighten up and became a better person.
Very cute and worth a read – thank you net galley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this one. Grace was too bossy for my taste, and I didn't understand her disdain for Noah at first. They started off hating each other and then suddenly they didn't hate each other. I didn't see any depth to their connection or any chemistry between the two. There were glimpses of a connection on paper but I didn't really feel it.

I though all of the bets and competitions and the magazine spread was too contrived. It was one thing after another and it felt too gimmicky for me.

Steam level: 🔥🔥
⚠️: toxic relationship with a parent

This book flowed from beginning to end. The characters immediately came to life and I enjoyed the light humor between them. The story was a journey of personal growth and coming to terms with relationships good and bad.
I truly enjoyed this book and I’m sure others will too.

I enjoyed this book so much! I love a good design make over and then add in the drama of the two neighbors, everything from their past, their families and everything in between and this was a great book!

Absolutely joyful to read!! I loved this book so much and found it really refreshing. I’d not heard of this author before but it is one I’ll certainly be wanting to read more from

A great romantic comedy story about finding the best of you to be the best for someone else. I loved the design backdrop of fixing up a house and how it fixed up Noah and Grace. Their friends are who everyone would want to be around. The story seemed a bit long at times but was perfect by the end of the story. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Grace Travis knows what it’s like to come from nothing and to work for what you want . Grace does a little bit of everything to make a living, attends design school, and has a clear path for herself. Then there’s Noah Jensen he doesn’t know what it’s like to have to work for what you want. Noah comes from a wealthy family, has worked in his family business and always gets what he wants. What are the odds that Grace and Noah end up being neighbors and enemies! There seems they will have nothing in common and will never see eye to eye.

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan was one of my favorite reads this month. I loved watching Grace and Noah’s relationship change over time. Sullivan also does an amazing job showing how each person grows into themselves and they find out who they really are in life. I definitely recommend this book!

Very enjoyable book! It was my first time reading this author. I am very curious to see what else she comes out with.

I love a good neighbor's hate to love trope and this delivers! The characters had interesting issues and the chemistry was solid! They had some great banter as well which is always a plus. I loved the arguing/tension and the payoff is a good time!

While this book was quick and fun and super easy to read, it was a little lacking in parts. Not going into too much detail since personally it really didn't bother me too much, just could have been better with a little more involved. I wouldn't say it's a true "Enemies to lovers" trope but it was still good. 4⭐

Grace and Noah are both looking for something that they cannot name. They each think they know what they want but are not entirely sure. At first glance, it might seem that they new neighbors have little in common besides attraction but that is not true. They are both running from a past, not of their making, and trying hard not to repeat the sins of their parents. This leads to them questioning their relationship with each other and the future.
I like that we get to know these characters' personalities a bit before they become an us. As the grow together, we get to see both the good and bad. Often in romance books, once we get to the good the bad can become the focus but Sullivan finds a good balance. We see both Grace and Noah learn along the way and how they ultimately decide on a future together.

Contemporary Romance is my jam! I was excited to read How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan. This is a stand alone book but is in the world of Ten Rules for Faking It.

Grace is a design student who just inherited her grandparents’ beach house. Noah is real estate developer who lives next door and he wants to buy Grace’s house.

I enjoyed watching Grace and Noah’s relationship grow from not liking each other to getting competitive while working together on a design project. And then finally falling in love. So many swoon worthy moments but I would have liked a little more steam. Fans of Ten Rules for Faking It will enjoy seeing Chris and Everly again.

I recommend for readers that enjoy:
💜 enemies to lovers
💜 fans of HGTV design shows
💜 closed door romance

Thank you to NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.