Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is a completely new to me author and I’m so glad I discovered her. Smart, fun, romance, with a nod and wink to American politics sent in the land of HOA. It is funny and clever and I love the emphasis it placed on female friendships. I will definitely read another one by this author.

I loved reading this modern romance! The witty back-and-forth and undeniable connection between the main characters kept me glued to the pages. Even though I wasn't familiar with Alexa Martin before, I'm now excited to dive into more of her writing.

Nate and Collins were best friends in high school…until they weren’t. Collins was so hurt when Nate ghosted her and they never reconnected after she left their Ohio community for college and life in LA. Ten years later, Collins is living in her childhood home back in Ohio. After years of trying to break into TV comedy writing, Collins finds out that her long term, live in boyfriend Peter has taken her script and sold it to a studio as his own. Collins has a spectacular melt down calling Peter many names while dancing in spike heels on the roof of his BMW. Unfortunately, a neighbor caught Collins’ performance on her phone, posted it and the melt down went viral. Peter makes sure that she’s blackballed in LA….hence Collins is depressed in Ohio. Her parents are thrilled to have her home but worried that she’s wallowing in self pity. To make matters worse, Collins sees Nate who still lives in the neighborhood and is looking quite fine. Nate has a comfortable and, to Collins’ eyes, boring life that includes being VP of the community’s HOA. Nate still has feeling for Collins and doesn’t want to hear her disdain for mid America or him that threatens to turn his life upside down. So he starts a small war by issuing a HOA landscaping fine, Collins retaliates by challenging him in a race for HOA President. The campaign get ugly but maybe Nate and Collins can’t keep their hand off each other. A terrific friends to enemies to lovers story set in the tough-as-nails world of Home Owners Associations. Hilarious!

Next-Door Nemesis by Alexa Martin is a fun, sassy, and entertaining contemporary romance that I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book. While the traditional tropes were advertised and present, what makes it is the dialogue, banter, lol moments, and the chemistry that quickly develops. Those aspects were a notch above many other recent contemporary romances that I have read and help elevate this book to the next level.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Berkley Publishing Group for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 11/14/23.

Collins has moved back home with her parents at their suburban home in Ohio. Their midwestern way of living is alive and well and Collins can’t wait to get into the swing of things. What she didn’t expect was to run into her old best friend turned nemesis, Nate. Turns out he’s moved into the neighborhood and is on the HOA board. When the HOA president leaves, Collins decides shes going to run to put an end to the overreach the board has inflicted. Nate is fuming and sets out to make things hard for Collins. With smear campaigns and the gossip mill going, Collins is at her wits end. But one night, their hate turns to lust and all the feelings they’ve ignored for years come to light.

This was a hilarious romcom and I really enjoyed it. There were some truly laugh out loud scenes that had me in stitches. The characters in this one was well developed, including the side characters. Collins parents are true relationship goals! And Collins friend were truly amazing. I did struggle a little with how Collins and Nate just went from hating each other the first half of the book to being in love. To me is was a little abrupt and I felt it could have been a little more fleshed out. Despite that, I really did enjoy this read and would highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a romcom! This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last!

If you are looking for a fun rivals to lovers then check this one out!

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing, @Berkleypub, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Next-Door Nemesis is an uproariously entertaining rollercoaster ride filled with laughter and passion! Collins and Nathaniel's explosive chemistry takes the concept of suburban warfare to outrageously enjoyable heights.

The HOA president battle between former best friends was a really cute premise for a romance novel. I thought there were some really funny scenes and I loved Nate and Collins' new neighbor that she becomes friends with. Collins' parents were also very sweet. I found Collins to be childish and spiteful and her whole vibe brought the book down for me. I also got tired of her going on about how being patriotic is cringy, white men are bad, and other left talking points.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

I've read everything by Alexa Martin and I know I can always count on smart and funny romance. In Next-Door Nemesis, we meet Collins, recently relocated to her parent's house due to an unfortunate viral video, and Nathaniel, her former best friend and now someone she thinks she detests. From the very first chapter, Collins and Nathaniel's run ins are hilarious and full of snarky vitriol and they keep running into each other because Nathaniel is living right down the street and part of the board of the HOA. As things escalate between them, they find themselves running against each other for HOA president. Interestingly, this is the turning point. They begin to rediscover their friendship, heal past hurts, and start to actually enjoy each other and even though they're running against each other, the friendship turns into love that the entire neighborhood delightedly follows--you can practically see the neighbors in lawn chairs and popcorn, watching them fall in love.

As always, both the primary and secondary character provide a lot of hilarious moments, a lot of heartfelt moments, and they make it hard to want to put the book down. Another excellent read from Alexa Martin.

I've liked everything I've read by Alexa Martin, and this was no exception, though I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites from her catalogue. FMC Collins Carter is back in suburban Ohio staying with her parents after a video of her vandalizing her boyfriend's car in LA goes viral and she loses her job. Being home is especially hard as she escaped to LA immediately after high school with dreams of becoming a screenwriter, and was doing really well until the video incident. While she's home figuring out her next steps, she runs into Nate, her high school best friend turned enemy when he ditched her for the popular jock crowd before senior year. Nate has moved into her parents' neighborhood and an officer in the HOA, and to get revenge on Collins for spraying him with a hose, he threatens to fine her family for unauthorized landscaping unless she leaves town. Collins gets her revenge by running for HOA president against him, but they end up spending a lot of time together and this is a romance novel so you can guess what happens. I liked Collins and I think this may be the first romance I've read with a screenwriter as the main character, but I didn't like Nate all that much and I didn't feel like they had a ton of chemistry on the page. Still, solid writing and I enjoyed the various HOA shenanigans in this story, and will definitely keep Alexa Martin on my to-read list.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Next- Door Nemesis by Alexa Martin!

Next-Door Nemesis was such an amazing rival to lover romance read. It had me giddy at their shenanigans when Collins and Nathaniel were at each other's throats. ‘ Cause you already know that they have feelings for each other, even though they will deny it at first.




Next-Door Nemesis reunites Collins and Nathaniel again after ten years. They were each other's rivals in high school. And they are still fighting each other when they see each other. It’s a bit ironic to think that after so many years, they happen to live in the same neighboring community. It’s kind of meant for Collins and Nathaniel to see each other.




Collins didn’t realize that she would see Nathaniel again after high school. She thought she was safe when she returned to her parents hometown after burning out in LA. Surprised, surprised. She sees Nathaniel in her parent's neighborhood community. It shocked her to her core after so many years had passed. And she still has hurt feelings regarding Nathaniel. They were best friends during high school until senior year, which made them rivals. And until this day, they are still rivals, no matter what people say.




It’s kind of funny to read how much Collins and Nathaniel still despise each other. You would think that they would outgrow their rivalry with each other, but nope, they never did. And they are more than determined to outmatch each other when they are both running for HOA presidency seats. But you know what they say—there is always love when you hate or dislike someone. Expect some tension, chemistry, or attraction between Collins and Nathaniel.

There's nothing I love more than a new Alexa Martin book. I'm deeming her the Queen of Epic First Lines, because I'm always pulled into her books from the first page. And her next book, Next-Door-Nemesis is no different. The first line got me (and kept me laughing) throughout the entire book.

Next-Door Nemesis has everything I look for in a rom com - witty banter, laughs, emotion, found friendship, and steam. It follows Collins, a down on her luck author, who's forced to move back home to Ohio after her life completely implodes, only to run into her high school nemesis, Nate. The pair are still at odds all these years later and when Nate decides to make Collins' life miserable now, Collins gets back at him the only way she knows how - she runs against him for president of the neighborhood HOA.

I honestly could go on and on about all the things I loved about Next-Door Nemesis. There are so many funny one-liners and coupled with shenanigans and pranks, plus endless Ohio jokes, I was absolutely cackling throughout. (see some of my favorites below) Collins' snarky inner voice throughout made the book so enjoyable, I read it in one sitting.

💬 “How about you take this letter and shove it up your H-O-A-hole!”
💬 "I inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth just like my therapist taught me, only to find out the bitch lied because I’m still mad as hell."
💬 "The fuck I can't." "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" "Sure do...but you're welcome to use yours to kiss my ass!"

Throughout the book, Nate is such a mystery and I loved figuring out what makes him tick and what happened between him and Collins in high school that made them enemies right alongside Collins. Their romance developed believably and featured a mature third act break-up that made sense and I didn't hate. Nate and Collins made each other better.

It wouldn't be an Alexa Martin book without amazing side characters and found family. I was completely obsessed with Collins' dad and how he supported her whenever she needed it most, but also could coax her to see the light sometimes. And her friendship with Ruby and Ashleigh made me want to take an uber to C-Bus with them and drink the night away. They are exactly the type of friends you want in your corner.

Next-Door Nemesis is a single POV, enemies to lovers steamy romance packed with laughs and full of heart. It publishes November 14.

This was my first Alexa Martin book and definitely won't be my last.

Imagine your life has gone to hell and you have to move back home to the town you ran from. Now picture that your worst day/moment was captured on video and went VIRAL. NOW IMAGINE, that you move home, you're unhappy and your arch nemesis still lives in the small town you grew up in AND is part of your HOA. Your nemesis is destined to make your life harder but he doesn't know you're already at your lowest low so let the games begin.

Collins is stubborn, competitive, petty, funny and gorgeous.

Nate- Charming, witty, everyone loves him, cares about others.

These two go head to head for the presidency of their HOA and spare no expense. In the fight Collins starts to miss the way things used to be and realizes maybe Nate isn't as bad as she thinks.

Absolutely recommend 4.5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

I've really loved all of Alexa Martin's book that I've read. If you can get me to care about football players I trust you with any story. I really enjoyed Collins and Nate. They were well matched with their snark, stubborness, and their ability to balance being an adult with having childish tenancies and moments. I loved Ruby and Ashleigh and I want their stories please! I wanted to know more about them and their friendships with Collins. I also wished Nate had a more well rounded life that showcased what his life was instead of just existing to be with Collins and be her rival and foil during the HOA presidential election.

The conflict and the plot was truly a device and every character in the story knew it, and that was such a fun device to throw all our characters together.
Ultimately, I really liked this book. I was worried their enemies to lovers was gonna be too harsh and hard on each other for the characters to come back from the things they said but the story flowed easily and was engaging enough that I finished it in one sitting!

Synopsis:
After years of hustling, Collins Carter has finally made it...back to her parents’ house. Between tending to the compost with her newly retired dad and running into her high school nemesis at the only decent coffee shop in town, Collins realizes this subdivision from hell she swore she’d never return to is her rock bottom.
Then the homeowner’s association complaint arrived.
Nathaniel Adams always dreamed of a nice, quiet life in his suburban hometown. Or at least that’s what he thought until Collins moved back and sent his quaint, organized life into a tailspin. He thought Collins was infuriating ten years ago, but when she announces she’s running against him for HOA president, all bets are off.
From secret board meetings to vicious smear campaigns whispered over backyard fences, Collins and Nate sink to levels their sleepy suburb has never seen before. But as hate turns into lust, these two enemies are forced to reckon with the feelings they’ve ignored for years. If only there were bylaws for real life.

This book was so much fun! Next-Door Nemesis is a fresh and funny suburban romcom with amazing characters and an entertaining plot! I ate this one up and now want to read a lot more from the author!

I really enjoyed this sweet romantic book! This was such a great read on my way to the beach, and I highly recommend as a summery romance.

Thank you Berkley for my copy of Next Door Nemesis! All thoughts are my own.

I have been a huge fan of Alexa Martin’s, personally and as an author, for a long time. And i am so excited to add Next Door Nemesis to my favorites list! It's a second chance, friends to rivals to lovers Rom Com that explores what it means to return to where you grew up and what home means.

Synopsis:

“After years of hustling, Collins Carter has finally made it...back to her parents' house. Between tending to the compost with her newly retired dad and running into her high school nemesis at the only decent coffee shop in town, Collins realizes this subdivision from hell she swore she'd never return to is her rock bottom.Then the homeowner's association complaint arrived.Nathaniel Adams always dreamed of a nice, quiet life in his suburban hometown. Or at least that's what he thought until Collins moved back and sent his quaint, organized life into a tailspin. He thought Collins was infuriating ten years ago, but when she announces she's running against him for HOA president, all bets are off.From secret board meetings to vicious smear campaigns whispered over backyard fences, Collins and Nate sink to levels their sleepy suburb has never seen before. But as hate turns into lust, these two enemies are forced to reckon with the feelings they've ignored for years. If only there were bylaws for real life.” —StoryGraph

What I Liked:

The Message of Home—Something I’ve struggled with a lot is what is means to find home. For me, Home has always been my childhood house. But now that it’s gone, I think Home has a different definition and one I’m really grateful to have found. I related to Collins a lot and i’m so glad I read this book.

The Characters—Obsessed with them. Side characters too!

The Humor—Alexa knows how to make me laugh off the page and she really slayed the humor in this book.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Relationship developed a * little * fast for my taste—I love you Alexa. I LOVE YOU. I just wanted like oneeee more discussion before they figured their ish out.

Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

N/A

Did not finish after 9%. For whatever reason, this book did not capture me at all. I was so bored and didn't care.

I hate getting advanced reader copies that I can't make myself read... but I also refuse to read them just because. Reading for fun and recreation shouldn't feel like a chore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an e-ARC of Next-Door Nemesis, scheduled for release this November.

With her reputation in tatters, Collins Carter flees Los Angeles for the comfort of her childhood home. No one -- no one relevant, at least -- knows her in Ohio so she'll have the privacy she needs to lick her wounds and figure out her next move. What she hadn't anticipated is the presence of Nathaniel Adams, high school best friend turned persona non grata, to pour salt on them while she does it. She's determined to ignore him but when he oversteps his authority as HOA VP to issue gardening violations to her parents because of her presence, all bets are off. To get back at him, she decides to hit him where it hurts and run for the President of the HOA vacancy. As the two battle it out for supremacy, sparks start to fly in more ways than one. Can they move on from past hurts and start anew?

I am a big fan of The Playbook Series so I was excited to snag a copy of the author's newest release. From the LOL moments as Carter and Nate battle it out to the message that not everyone is what they seem like on the surface, there's plenty to enjoy here. However, I thought the last quarter of the book was on the weaker side. I kept waiting for the conflict to materialize and when it finally did, it was resolved in a few pages. <spoiler>Second, the way it was resolved didn't strike me as very plausible for someone this early in her career. On a final note, it felt like the competition for HOA President was dropped completely.

As someone who has read everything Alexa Martin has written, she has really hit her stride with Next-Door Nemesis. I love a low-stakes conflict like an HOA board election. Throw in an enemies-to-lovers trope and a group of wonderful girlfriends and it's really great. I can't wait to read what she writes next.