Loved reading the amazing and awesome romance story. When Deanna makes a wager with River, surprising chemistry ignites between the two of them. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story.

I really enjoyed this. I liked the strong female characters and sweet River. I liked the twists, keeping it not so predictable. Fun rom.com! I don’t love the title. It makes it seem like a less substantial story. Otherwise, great read! I couldn’t put it down.

I love the premise and the cover. And this did start off very strong! But unfortunately I made it to about 30% wondering when the book was really going to start.

What didn’t work for me:
-the MMC is so obsessed with not the FMC. It bothers me in romance when a main character is hung up on someone else for so long. I’m here for the romance! And honestly it did make more sense for him to be with Lexi or at least would have also been a compelling story, Lexi is pretty cool too and they had chemistry.
-I honestly thought it was a little gross the art he made of Lexi. I know he was a teenager at the time but it was objectifying and as an adult he still sees no issue with it.
-Possible plot holes. The timelines of when they lived next door to each other and at what ages doesn’t seem to be consistent. There’s one point when the FMC puts on a song and says it was her mom’s favorite (CW death of a parent, historical) and the MMC says “I know” then only just 2 pages later she asks what he remembers about her mom and he says not much, just her smile. How do you know her favorite song?? They were never friends btw so it’s not like Deanna mentioned it in passing. Conflicting moments like that took me out of the story.
-Conflicting characterizations. Deanna the FMC puts her and her sister into an anti-love box. And Deanna mentions how her and her sister only have casual hook ups. But then later she has internal musings wondering how and why her sister can only have casual intimacy. You just said you were the same?
-Too much internal dialogue. Everything that is shown is also debriefed internally and it slows the pace way down.

What I liked:
-I loved the sister dynamic. They really do seem so connected and their “us against the world” was definitely believable. Honestly I’d love to read just regular lit fic of them and their journey especially healing from the loss of their mom.

Thank you to Entangled for this eARC.

I struggled to get into the style of the book at first because it was an odd cadence, fast scenes, fast banter - pseudo-Gilmore Girls style. But then the inner thoughts hung up the story a bit and it felt stunted and picked up again. I felt the connection between Deanna and River; it was real, visceral, palpable. They just got in their own way! Yay for a happy ending and a strong woman with a strong man.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s not you it’s me.

I might come back to this at some point because I do think the book has potential but it’s just not holding my attention at all so I’m dnfing at around 15%. I’m struggling to connect with the characters or really even care about what they’re doing.

Thank you to Entangled publishing for the gifted eARC

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It was a slow start but it picks up and is such a good story.

The Neighbor Wager is a super cute opposites attract, boy next door (but all grown up) romance. It has a cute mix of falling for the unexpected

Deanna, our FMC, is everything her sister is not. She’s strong, independent, and business forward yet everyone always falls for her sister over her. She's so used to being second, but I love how she still knows her worth. On the other side, River is quite the opposite. An artist and happy-go-lucky he also falls into the "always loved Lexi" category. I loved watching these two get to know each other and eventually realize maybe what you thought you always wanted isn't what you actually needed.

This is an adult romance, so there is some good spice sprinkled in which I always appreciate. I think it also had a really cute story line. If you're looking for a quick, fun romance read about a grown-up boy next door... this one is for you!

This was a fast read but felt slow at the same time? I must say I hate love triangles but I thought this was a cute new twist on an age old trope. However Deanna was a walking contradiction in my opinion and it made it hard for me to like her. I also think it’s more contemporary romance than romcom because it did not have me laughing. Cringing a little with grandma joining the casual sex conversations but not necessarily funny.

This book my me smile and blush.

This book follows River and Deanna and how they fall in love with each other. River is the boy next door and was head over heels for Deanna's sister. Lexi. River was the geeky, invisible dork throughout high school that knew he was out of Lexi's league. 10 years later, River is this hunk who has a tattoo sleeve and can be viewed as eye candy. River who has been living in New York comes back to California due to family matters. River and Lexi reconnect, but it isn't until River spends time with Deanna that he starts to realize he is falling for her.

Deanna has always felt like she is in Lexi's shadow. Deanna talks about how all the guys she dates tend to want Lexi instead causing her not to trust the intentions of guys who say they are interested in her. Deanna acknowledges that she is a logical person and tends to see love in a different light. She also believes that she will never find love so she puts all of her work and data from dates in the app that she is working on with her sister, Meetcute.

4/5 stars for the Neighbor Wager as it was a fun read and kept me interested throughout the whole story. 2.5/5 on the spice scale as there were a few spicey scenes in there that I would want to read again. Thank you, NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, LLC, and Crystal Kaswell for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Popular Tropes (GrumpyXSunshine, the boy next door, friends to lovers)

I don't know how I feel about this one, to be honest. I went in blind not knowing what the storyline was truly about. It started great because I thought the story was about River and Lexi. He's had a crush on her for ages, she's never noticed him, and then they meet again in the future and they end up together, etc. (At least, that is where my mind went, when I read the prologue). Then I discover there is a POV from Deanna, so I know for a fact that she is then the love interest, not Lexi. I'm not a fan of the trope where the MMC likes two sisters, so I was already skeptical about it. But then I started following the story and I liked the interactions between Deanna and River. It kinda reminded me of The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren or The One by John Marrs. The whole science match-making thing. To be honest, the story got boring around the 67% mark, and the whole dom/sub conversation was not my vibe. All in all, an okay read. 3 stars!

Deanna and Lexi are sisters who run a dating app. Lexi is a noted commitment phobe but has found a match! When their formerly nerdy neighbor (who now is a tattooed hottie) comes back in town and has always had a thing for Lexi, Deanna is determined to keep them apart to show that their app is correct. I enjoyed Deanna and River becoming closer but the depth and length of his borderline obsession with Lexi was a bit much for me to move past. Lots of sex positive talk from the couples, sister and even River’s grandma. There were some sensitive topics discussed but mainly it was just a slow burn sexy book. 3.5 stars

2 ⭐️. The synopsis hooked me, but the writing did not meet my expectations of the book. I wanted to DNF about halfway through, but I also needed to know how it ends. I was often confused with the dialogue and where it was going because majority of the sentences were short and jumped around a lot. If you’re looking for evidence of chemistry between the leads, this isn’t the book for you. Though the characters were exaggerated, but likable, they weren’t believable. They started out as neighbors making a deal and then bam- they rip each others’ clothes off and are “in love”. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this book.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I read this book as an ARC from Net Galley and it was a I don't believe in love trope. The girl next-door falls in love with the boy next door and they don't ever dream of being together. River returns home looking stunning and Lexi realizes how much she likes the boy nextdoor.

This was a really cute book and I really enjoyed it! Thank you, Entangled for sending me an ARC for a review!

This is one of those stories where you have a character who is highly dependent on numbers and doesn't really believe in love (Deanna) and an artistic, nerdy, hopeless romantic who is hung up on his childhood neighbor crush (River). Deanna happens to be the sister of River's childhood crush, and from the beginning tells River he needs to get over Lexi because they would never work. Years later, when River moves back next door to take care of his sick grandma, feelings start to kick up again, and Deanna has to do everything she can to keep River away from Lexi.

Deanna is techie, and has developed a new dating app that she's trying to get investors for to make even bigger. She has used numbers and algorithms to find the perfect matches for people, including her playgirl sister Lexi. She is currently in her first real, longer term relationship and Deanna doesn't want it messed with. When grown up River catches her eye, Deanna makes a bet with River. If he can convince her of the magic of falling in love, he can go after Lexi. If he can't, he has to stay away and help Deanna keep Lexi and her boyfriend together. It really isn't an issue for Deanna pretty quickly because River starts to fall for her the more they hang out and get to know each other.

I had a lot of fun reading this, especially when it's the woman who is in the tech industry and is the powerhouse in the relationship. She's smart and intimidating, and River is all for it. There is a lot of really great banter and some really great humor from a grandma who writes smutty romance novels ;)

Spice:🌶🌶.5

Thank you to Crystal Kaswell, Entangled: Amara, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had so much hope for this book. But unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I did not like the 2 main characters. River was kind of off-putting at times. His obsession was a lot and he was creepy.

There were also times when it was hard to decipher who was talking.

River is a boy completely mesmerized by Lexi, his neighbor. Lexi on the other hand is the perfect California girl, blond, curvy and gorgeous. We all know how this perfect girl ignores that one guy who’s silent and awkward and in River’s case he’s also an artist . An artist who believes in fate and true love.

Lexi has an elder sister, Deanna. Deanna is smart, intelligent and beautiful in her own way. While Lexi doesn’t take things seriously, Deanna is calculating and logical. They together build Meetcute which is a dating app. Deanna has a lot of faith in it and believes that it’s very accurate. To Lexi’s surprise, she matches with a guy on the app who might be the one for her. But what happens when they need to prove that they are the actual thing to their financial funder? Lexi gets cold feet. Adding to the trouble, River suddenly appears and he’s no longer the awkward boy. He’s now the tattooed and gorgeous man that women fall for. Does Lexi notice him now? Of course she does. But the business relies on Lexi being successful with her match on the app so Deanna makes a plan to stop Lexi and River meeting. But what happens when Deanna herself starts falling for River? What happens when River’s world turns upside down when Lexi isn’t what he wants anymore?

The book starts really well. I couldn’t stop reading for the first couple of chapters and there were some internal monologues of River that were beautifully written. The plot had promise and the character depictions were really great too. But by midpoint, the plot starts to get fickle. The characters felt fickle. Deanna and River both take decisions that don’t sit well with their character arcs. Writing is confusing at some places and I couldn’t recognize who’s saying what. It was enjoyable to an extent but the plot could have been more entertaining and dialogues need more clarity. I don’t mind spice in books but in this, it seemed over used to fill in blanks. The story started great initially but fell flat in the end.

Thank you Entangled Publishing for my ARC. All opinions are of my own.

This one has a Sabrinas' vibe. Only in this case River is Sabrina.
But it takes a 180 turn very quickly.
River changed his mind and his love focus so fast, for the person who pined for Lexi for years.
Yes, I get it he never knew Lexi, but in a week he was in love with D.
It was a cute read. I love the conversations that they had, but I just didn't feel this book. I needed a little more from MC. It was a solid read.
It is cute and spicy, I know people will love it.

For me 3.5 stars

The Neighbor Wager is my first book from this author, and I must admit I enjoy it. The writing was quite good and while the story was a bit slow, I felt connected with the characters and their felling throughout the book.

This book had a good plot and really sounded like it would be a rom com, which I always like, but I felt like it was missing something to it. The book has a dual POV, one for each of the main characters of the story and I felt it had a darker side since it touches a few topics that are portraited in a real-life perspective. I did, however, liked the fact that the author went a bit deeper than the regular romance stories.

Overall, it was a good read and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys the boy next door kind of romance, just keep in mind that this story is a slow burn with a proximity with reality.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

I typically don’t enjoy books where the main character is so against love that it’s their whole personality trait, but I did enjoy this book. I did find the beginning to be a bit slow, but once you get over that hump of world and character building, I found the book to be entertaining and enjoyable. It was great to see River and Deanna slowly realize that they are each other’s person and to see the character growth that River has, where he realizes that Lexi has always just been a fantasy for him, but it was never what he really wanted. I will say that for as many times as the author mentions that she wants Lexi to be seen as someone who is smart despite the fact that she is seen as this “perfect” blonde California girl who likes to wear pink, the fact that she kept mentioning everytime Lexi wore pink really took the fight out of that argument. Overall, this book would be good for someone who likes the boy Nextdoor slow burn romances.