Breezy, funny and charming. Loved the FMC’s campaign for the hearts and minds of her suburban paradise.

I adored this!!! I'm a huge lover of romcoms and this one did not disappoint me. The chemistry was fantastic and I loved the characters. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Alexa Martin ever, and for the most part, it really worked for me! Some rom-coms that are billed as such tend to neglect one half of that equation for the benefit of the other, but the antics that Nate and Collins got up to in competition with each other were pretty hilarious, especially when they both refused to back down initially from their escalating rivalry over who'd end up being elected HOA president. I also loved Collins' relationship with her parents, and the built-in history that revolved around her being high-school friends with Nate. The only thing that proved a bit of a sticking point was her initial judgment of Ashleigh, which I think was intended to be more humorous on the part of the author but almost came across as mean at times. That said, once Collins realized Ashleigh had a lot of endearing traits that could complement her own habits and the two became fast friends, their dynamic grew on me, especially when Collins' other BFF Ruby showed up for them to form a tight-knit trio. Overall, though, a fun second-chance, enemies-to-lovers story!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

such a cute romcom!!!!!!!

the plot of this book was just so fascinating and interesting to me and i loved how the HOA election was brought into the story to enhance the rivalry between collins and nate.

i loved these characters and it pained me hearing about nate's past. the conversion about why he stopped being collins friend hurt me so much.

i think this book did amazing job at shedding light on flaws of the entertainment industry, especially for writers, and how much of a power imbalance there is for women, and in collins case, being a woman of color.

overall this was a cute easy read and i’m in awe of alexa martin's ability to write such a fun romcom!

thank you netgalley for providing me with this arc

‘Next-Door Nemesis’ by Alexa Martin was an absolute delight, literally the PERFECT rom-com. I already want to go back and read it again. Highly recommend!

Okay. Dare I say that this is Alexa’s funniest novel to date? She has always made me laugh out loud but this time around, I was doing it often. And loudly. Alexa can truly break our hearts with one book and then make us cackle with the next.

I was rooting for Collins and Nate’s love (even when I shouldn’t have been). I was rooting for the friendships. I was rooting for it all. Loved this book so much!

Neighborhood drama gets taken to the next level in Next-Door Nemesis!

Alexa Martin's latest book is set in suburban Ohio-- if you think the setting sounds boring you haven't seen what this neighborhood is up to! After fleeing LA following a viral breakdown, Collins Carter finds herself jobless and moving back in with her parents. She's only here until she can get back on her feet. When she runs into her ex-best friend from high school things turn personal. Suddenly, she finds herself embroiled in a battle for HOA president, alongside her best friends, new and old.

NDN is full of humor and heart with Easter eggs to her other books-- perfect for fans of Alexa Martin!

4.5 ⭐️

This witty funny romcom follows Collins Carter, an aspiring author, who recently moved back home to her hometown in Ohio. After a falling out with her life in LA she is living back in her childhood home. She soon realizes her neighbor is her former childhood best friends, now arch nemesis, Nate Adams. Collins makes it her mission to take him down by running against him in the HOA election. The banter between our 2 main characters had me giggling so much! Also, Collins parents are literal goals. They’re just too stinking cute. She also has best friend goals!

This was my first Alexa Martin book and I genuinely enjoyed it so much! I love her writing style and sense of humor. This book had me chuckling constantly. I love a good childhood best friends to lovers as well as enemies to lovers and both tropes were done so well in this book!

A big book ick (that this book DID NOT HAVE 👌🏼) of mine is a unnecessary third act breakup due to some stupid misunderstanding. The ending of this book for me did not fit that at all. It came from such a place of love and respect that instantly made me gain so much respect for the MMC.

Thank you so much Alexa Martin, NetGalley, and Berkley for an ARC of this book! I throughly enjoyed it!

<b> Thank you to Alexa Martin, Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC to review. </b>

Collins finds herself back home in her childhood room trying to pick up the pieces (or ignore them) after her ex-boyfriend steals her script and has her blacklisted from Hollywood. Her plan to hide from the world and spend some quality R&R with her parents stopped when her childhood best friend turned nemesis delivers an HOA violation letter to her - remove the tree she and her father just planted for her mom, pay a never-ending fine, or Collins can move away. Stunned by Nate's audacity she decides, this time she's not going to let him trample all over her instead she's going to steal the HOA president election from him. Enlisting a new and an old friend, patriotic flamingo lawn ornaments, an inflatable US President, and other HOA-violating tactics Collins discovers the meaning of "keep your friends close....". Things to love about Next-Door Nemesis: former best friends - enemies - lovers trope, an MMC with a sexy dad - bod and an FMC with a cute but average bod, biracial couple, Mama Kimberly! and BFF Ruby, and lots of fun turns of phrases and quippy comments.

At a solid 4/5 Stars and 3/5 Spice Next-Door Nemesis is a fun read that reminds us to find grace and forgiveness in our own lives because it's always worthwhile to revisit the past and that we rarely know everything about the people we love most.

I wasn't sure what happened between these two in the past but you could just feel the tension radiating through the book as soon as they saw each other again. It was crackling and the banter was just spot on.
Collins is home from LA, after a spectacularly bad breakup and break down. Nate is living in her parents development, and wouldn't you know it, is the president of the HOA. He sees that Collins is back from her glamorous LA writing gig and can't wait to jab her about leaving in the first place. It's clear that he wants her gone, but the reason is something we don't know until much later and when we do learn about it, it broke my heart.
Nate is used to being left and he may or may not have a complex about that, but one thing is clear, he has some deep rooted feelings for Collins Even though the book is from her POV, we can still see the longing and yearning for what they once had evident in his actions.
When the two of them finally got together, it was explosive. I had been waiting on the edge of my seat for the point when they would finally give in. Collins and Nate both let their guard down and I was here for it, all of it, but the question is, will she leave again to pursue her dream or are her dreams right here in Ohio?
Being from Ohio I loved the Buckeyes references and the state that shall never be named. 4.5 Stars
Thank you to Berkley, Alexa Martin and Netgalley for an early copy.

I loved Better Than Fiction, so when I had to DNF this one halfway through, I was really disappointed. While I do think that romance readers will find bits of this to latch onto and love, the motivations behind them becoming nemeses weren't convincing enough to carry me through to their eventual relationship.

Such a great read! I loved the concept of the novel, the homeowners association, it’s original and so funny. So many well written characters. I would definitely recommend this book to someone interested in everything romance and spice.

It was very cute!! I loved how entertaining and witty the characters were. I so loved and adored them. Their constant push and pull made it so angsty. I simply loved it

The HOA election concept was original and I really liked the character of Nate. All along he just seemed like a nice guy who needed to fit into a community and create a family for himself.

I like the enemies to lovers trope but the banter in the first part of the book was often teetering on the razor’s edge from fun, clever and witty to mean spirited.
I also thought some of the Midwestern digs and cuts on Ohioans were a bit stereotypical and cliched. If Collins was from NYC or LA originally maybe these would have played differently, but since she was born and raised in Ohio, they felt overdone and often came off as insulting.

I liked the second part of the book much better than the first. After Nate and Collins talked and understood why he changed after a summer away in high school, Next-Door Nemesis was more enjoyable to read.

Alexa Martin excels at writing friendships and the new friend MLM magnet Ashleigh and her childhood friend man-hating divorce lawyer Ruby are excellent examples. I am hoping Ruby shows up in her own book as her emotional growth story arc would be interesting as she moves toward her own HEA. Perhaps one of her beleaguered assistants will ignite a spark.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Berkley for an arc of this book.

I did overall enjoy the story and found the sense to be charming. It just took be a bit of time to get into the story.

3.5 stars!!

I won’t lie the beginning of the book wasn’t my favorite, considering I found Collins a bit annoying and just too much. Nearing the middle, it got a lot better, and I truly enjoyed reading about them, finally realizing they had feelings for each other. The whole competition for the presidency of the HOA was entertaining to read.

This novel was a solid rom-com, witty and charming. Loved the mash-up of childhood friends to lovers and enemies to lovers tropes.

Love this! I love Alexa Martin, but some of her work has been hit or miss for me. This is definitely a hit! Great chemistry between leads, great plot and a fun premise. I also love some supportive parents and a second chance (though technically there was never a first chance, so I'm not sure it counts.) I love the conflict, the protagonist, and the supporting characters. No notes!

This was super cute and a really enjoyable read. At first I wasn't sure how much I was vibing with our FMC, Collins, but then she grew on me. I ended up really enjoying this book and I'm so glad I picked it up. It was well written with a nice and lighthearted plot and enjoyable characters.

This was my first book by Alexa Martin, but it definitely won't be my last. I'm looking forward so reading what else she's got in store for us.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Alexa Martin once again proves her mastery in crafting captivating romance novels with her latest release. This time, she takes the thrilling concept of neighbors from hell and combines it with the irresistible enemies-to-lovers trope, resulting in a book that will have romance enthusiasts utterly enthralled.

In this addictive tale, we meet Collins Carter and Nathaniel Adams, former best friends whose relationship took a sharp turn when Nate abandoned Collins to join the popular crowd at school. Their animosity has only grown over time, turning them into fierce arch-nemeses who can barely stand each other's presence. Collins, determined to move forward, pursues her dreams of becoming a screenwriter. However, her world comes crashing down when her long-time boyfriend and mentor betrays her, causing her to have a public breakdown that quickly becomes an internet sensation. With her reputation in ruins and her career prospects dwindling, Collins finds herself returning to her childhood home in Ohio, where she seeks solace living with her parents, immersed in daily Bible rites and indulging in home improvement reality shows alongside her mother. But fate has a wicked sense of humor, as Collins discovers that Nathaniel has moved in next door. Dressed impeccably and radiating an air of pretentiousness, Nathaniel works as a realtor and holds a prominent position on the Homeowners Association (HOA), earning him popularity in the neighborhood. He wastes no time in rubbing Collins' failures in her face, pushing her buttons, and even stooping to blackmail in an attempt to get rid of her.

But Collins isn't one to back down easily. Determined to stand her ground, she enters into a heated competition against Nathaniel for the presidency of the HOA. Assisted by her brilliant lawyer friend Ruby and newfound ally Ashley, a master mixologist, Collins unleashes her arsenal to secure victory and protect her newfound peace. However, amidst the chaos and rivalry, Collins begins to question her assumptions about Nathaniel. Could it be possible that she misjudged his intentions? Is there a chance that beneath their fiery exchanges, a flicker of their former friendship remains? As Nathaniel gradually lets down his guard, Collins finds herself torn between her deep-rooted animosity and an undeniable, simmering attraction. With each passing moment, their chemistry grows stronger, tempting them to explore a connection neither anticipated.

This novel is an absolute delight, offering a perfect blend of humor, passion, and redemption. Alexa Martin's witty writing style shines through, enveloping readers in a story that is as entertaining as it is heartfelt. The exploration of the thin line between love and hate adds depth to the characters, keeping readers on their toes and eager to witness their transformation. Prepare yourself for a wild ride of emotions reminiscent of the finest rom-coms, with echoes of the beloved enemies-to-lovers and friends-to-lovers tropes.

I extend my sincerest gratitude to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for generously providing me with a digital review copy of this enjoyable book. It was an absolute pleasure to immerse myself in its pages and share my honest thoughts.