Grace is a design student working many jobs to make ends meet. She inherits her grandparents’ house. The house is a fixer upper, and with her many jobs and financial issues, she has decided to fix it up at a realistic pace. Enters her neighbor Noah who seem to have an opposite view on property development.

I love love a grumpy and sunshine love story especially with a hate to love twist. I love this as a summer read so I’m curious how it will do with a winter publication date.

These book covers are really popular right now and I totally get it. I was drawn to the cover right away and appreciate the “cartoon” people on the cover over real people. The light purple is not a popular color for these covers so I think the cover will pop on the shelf!

My only critic is I wish “drama” at the end was more drama. It just seemed a little forced? I’m a sucker for a big drama/climax, and I was just hoping for more.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books!

How to Love Your Neighbor is a wholesomely cute, slow burn, closed door romance that will leave you with all the warm feels

Grace and Noah both suffer from dysfunctional parent issues and are unsure of each other at first. Their character development both individually & as a couple is truly adorable-- I loved them as a couple

Thank you, NetGalley, St Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this eARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an arc of this book! My review will be posted closer to publication date, but I can’t wait to read this!

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan is about how a real estate developer, Noah and soon to be interior designer grad student, Grace, tensions fly when they move in next door to each other. After some back and forth fights, they team up to decorate Noah’s house for a big magazine shoot. I thought Noah and Grace had good chemistry together and I enjoyed the setting but I think the pacing was a little off for me. I thought some parts, especially the end, were rushed through and some parts drug on and didn’t add much to the plot. Overall, it was a cute book that I think many people will enjoy.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️/5
How To Love Your Neighbour by Sophie Sullivan
(Advanced Copy)

Grace & Noah are both struggling to break free from the paths their parents put before them; while forging new paths for themselves, they end up as unexpected neighbours struggling find common ground. Through various twists and turns, they end up calling a truce (in more ways than one!) and decide to work together; of course, this leads to unexpected emotions that neither of them are quite ready to give in to… or are they?

How To Love Your Neighbour is a classic enemies to lovers trope, but yet, so much more. The main characters are flawed, and I appreciate the authors ability to have both of them acknowledge their flaws and work through them. They are realistic, vulnerable, and honest characters - and they don’t magically just become better people to make the other fall in love with them and live happily ever after. Nope. They are written to evolve throughout the book and learn how to become better people just from the example the other sets, and from the desire to be more than they originally thought themselves capable. I think part of why I loved this book so much was how relatable both Grace & Noah are, and that I just rooted for them from start to finish.

When I read a romantic comedy, I’ll be honest - I love the classic tropes, cliche plots & predictable endings (this book has it all 😉) but what makes this particular one a 4/5 is that I felt like I was one of Grace’s best friends while reading; perhaps the Kit to her Vivian (iykyk 😉) …. And I ended this book with a smile on my face and a warmth in my heart. Perhaps not super high on the 🌶 spicy romance side of rom coms, but a sweet read that made me feel all mushy inside.

Thank you Net Galley, St Martin’s Press and Sophie Sullivan for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review & rating!

I love this rom com book! It was and up and down emotional roller coaster that had you rooting for everything to work out. I love the HGTV reality show vibes, and I think that’s what sold it for me!

This had a promising start but just stalled in the plot mid way through. I found myself losing interest and skimming to get to a good part. Unfortunately this just wasn’t a great read for me. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this story! Grace and Noah and the whole cast of characters were great. The only point I struggled with is how Noah was the one always in the wrong but Grave wasn’t. She wasn’t perfect yet she never did anything wrong like Noah did.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How to Love Your Neighbor is a slow burn, closed door romance. It's a classic enemies to lovers story with lots of tension in between. Noah is a real estate developer trying to get out from under the shadow of his father. Grace is an interior designer trying to find her way both personally and professionally. When Grace inherits a home from her grandparents right next door to the home Noah purchased, they begin a back and forth competition of sorts.
I had not read the first book in this series, 1o Rules... but didn't have any trouble investing in the characters as this can also be read as a standalone.

The back and forth between Noah and Grace is playful and fun, but never becomes mean spirited. There were parts of Grace's character that I loved (she was very independent, self-assured, and hard-working) but there were also parts I didn't (she seemed particularly naive at times and could be impulsive). Overall How To Love Your Neighbor is a sweet story, nothing scandalous or eye-brow raising, but enough slow-burn tension to keep your attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While I was interested in the start of the book, the middle really lagged for me. It felt like the plot fell away and the story relied on the supporting characters — who were just okay — to keep things moving. I enjoyed the setting and the design/renovation descriptions, but I wish this would have been a more engaging read.

The book started off alright, though I started to lose interest about halfway in as it seemed the plot wasn't propelled forward enough and almost in a limbo state. Overall I thought it was good, but the chemistry between Grace and Noah didn't feel super organic. It could be because the book is lacking in the "steaminess factor", but also that it felt quite surface level, like "ooh he looks hot" or "gosh my neighbour is so annoying". Some interactions/scenes felt a bit forced and didn't really draw me in. Wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't really pick it up again.

I received a complimentary copy of Love Your Neighbor from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I realized early on in this novel that I have read from this author before: I loved the previous book, so there were high expectations. This novel exceeded them. I relished the banter and friction between these two neighbors as they became less frazzled by one another. Sophie Sullivan is fantastic at developing 3-D characters—I feel like I really know these people. The plot unfolds naturally making the reader wish for more from. Noah, the real estate magnate, and Grace, the interior designer. I do hope there are more novels—one for the third brother and also for the sister…. I would happily read them all!

4.5 stars

I didn't really know what to expect going into this since there was no synopsis available, but the plot ended up being amazing. I was really close to giving it 5 stars, but I think I've decided on 4 and a half for now. This was the second book I've read where home renovating played an important role in the plot, and I can definitely say that this is one of my favorite concepts in this genre. It just really helps give the story a well developed setting, where I can truly imagine what everything looks like. And, although it wasn't mentioned too much after the beginning of the book, I did love the beach setting. As for characters, I think Sophie Sullivan wrote them amazingly, especially Grace. She really feels like a comfort character to me now, and I think readers will really be able to connect h her character. It was so nice to see her find herself throughout this story, she starts off confused with the home she's inherited and by the end her character arc came together so beautifully. I really enjoyed Noah's character, as well. Although, I didn't always understand his motives, I liked that we also received a backstory on him, and were able to witness him on his journey of truly opening up to someone for the first time. All the side characters were also done very nicely here, and I loved that they also held importance to the plot. Josh and Rosie were adorable, I'd definitely read a book about them. Now, Noah and Grace. Or Gracie. Their dynamic is why I loved this book so much. Although I wouldn't necessarily call it enemies to lovers like the blurb said, I still loved them so much. Their banter in the beginning was really entertaining, and then their eventual project together was just as enjoyable. Their chemistry was just really well done from when they first met, and it held up so well throughout, which is something a book in this genre needs to get a good rating, in my opinion, and luckily it was done very well here.

My only complaint with this book really is that the plot did become slow at times, but it really wasn't too much of an issue because I did the feel the characters were written strongly enough to carry the book for a few chapters, while the plot was sort of slowed down.

Also, this book is technically a sequel to the Sophie's other book, Ten Rules for Faking It, which I didn't even know when I went into this. It can definitely be read as a standalone, though. However, since I did love this so much I will certainly be reading the first book, even if I'm going backwards in the timeline.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press (via NetGalley) for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Definitely recommend requesting from them, this is my fifth book under their publishing, and I've truly enjoyed them all.

This was cute but definitely felt a little bit too long and it seemed to drag on in the middle. I don't watch HGTV or have a particular interest in home design, but it was fun to read about. Not a lot of heat here, other than kissing, so if you're looking for anything steamier you won't find it here.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Grace, a design student, has finally taken the leap and moved into the house her grandparents left for her in their will. Too bad she didn't know she'd be moving in next door to Noah, real estate royalty and grumpy to boot. The first thing Noah does is ask Grace to sell him her house so he can expand his property line. What follows is a lot of home decorating, head butting, and learning how to make a house a home.

I'm kind of at a loss of what to say. I think the bones of this story were good, but maybe would have played out better as a tv movie. It was hard to root for Grace and Noah because they were both so bland. In addition to that there was absolutely NOTHING at stake in this story. They met, kind of butted heads, wouldn't allow themselves to be together for reasons I didn't understand, and then fell in love. There was about one and half chapters of "drama" at the end, but again...it was nothing that couldn't be easily solved. I also felt like the book was really generic. All of the mentions of interior decorating and real estate were so vague. There was also a sense that the story was dated...especially everything in reference to the magazine article storyline. A lot of the supporting characters were interesting and added some color, but overall this book was boring.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I enjoyed the set up of two new neighbours who have opposing views of property development and have to learn to merge their sensibilities or they're doomed to endless squabbling over fences, hedges, and general differences of opinion. The central "a house isn't a home" metaphor plays out as the main characters fall in love and learn to re-prioritize. Sullivan also gives both of her MCs irredeemably vindictive parents that create both personal and professional tensions. For those who are choosing their reading accordingly, the romance is very chaste, with a few cute innuendos but otherwise only light kissing, and there's a strong marriage-minded sensibility throughout that will resonate most with readers with similar views. Overall, a cheerful idyllic love story with lots of banter and some fun home design references for HGTV fans.

This book was cute, I can’t lie, but I was a little disappointed in the steam factor!

This story follows Grace, an interior design major living paycheque to paycheque who inherits a house, and Noah, her rich new neighbour who wants to buy it to put in a pool. Some pretty lively banter ensues between the two of them until the can’t deny the sparks that fly between them. Complicating things is their business relationship build around a shared magazine article they're working on.

Overall, it really is a cute story and I liked the characters, especially Noah. I just wish there was a little more passion between them. Some things are eluded to, but I just prefer a bit more zest in my romance, y’know? I also felt that the troubles they faced didn’t have any real consequences so it was hard to feel strongly either way whether they were resolved or not. It’s an okay premise though if you’re looking for a more PG, very light romance

Thank you so much NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin and Sophie Sullivan for this advance copy of this book.

This is a sunshine meets grumpy, enemies to friends to lovers book that was very enjoyable. Although parts of the book did drag a bit for me, overall I liked the story, the backstory, the characters' friends, and some of the characters' family (other members of the family were very easy to hate!). The setting was described beautifully and it made me wish I was reading it on the beach or patio. This book left me with a smile on my face and I was sad to say goodbye to these characters.

Plot: I really enjoyed it! Hate to love is one of my favorite tropes, and I think this author did a really good job with it. The romance was fun, and I enjoyed all the side plots happening as well!

Characters: I really liked Noah in this author's first book, Ten Rules For Faking It, and I was happy to read this book would be about him. Grace was a fantastic main character as well! (And I loved that she was an interior designer!) I liked all the side characters, their friend/family group was great. And I loved getting to see Everly and Chris from the first book in this one!

The Cover: It's really cute!

Overall: I loved reading this book! And I now can say that based on this book and Ten Rules For Faking It, I will definitely read everything Sophie Sullivan writes! Overall, I highly recommend reading this book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This is a cute tale with great characters, sizzling chemistry, and slow burn. Sophie Sullivan does it again with another great book. It's rain cloud meets sunshine, set on the beach, fighting over being neighbors. It was cute, it was realistic, it was so so well done. It is a slow burn, and that does mean that there are parts of the story that feel like they drag or aren't as captivating but at the same time, you also know you need those parts for the overall, cohesive story. If that makes sense. Don't skip them, is what I'm saying. Even if it takes you a week to read, read it. It's so good. But just know that it's a slower read. It's not a fast paced, steamy read. It's a slower, more realistic, really well told story that would be perfect for a day at the beach.

It's 3rd Person, dual POV, so you get Grace and Noah's perspectives, which really add to this particular story.

This is technically a sequel to Ten Rules for Faking It, but you 100% do not have to read that one first. (But you should go read that one too.) You'll see some of the characters from that book. Which also makes me wonder if the 3rd brother is going to be getting his own book too... I'll be on the lookout if he does!

Ms. Sullivan has a way with words and crafts true masterpieces with her novels. I was so excited to read this one, and it did not disappoint.

Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to read this one via Netgalley!!