This book was amazing! I love the setting and the characters! I would definitely recommend this book to another romance lover.

This book was one of those you tell yourself "I can't finish this", but then you find yourself still reading it. Some of the parts were really good (don't want to give spoilers) and I loved the connection with Dee and River. Other parts just seemed to drag on and could have been shorter or not in the book at all.

The Neighbor Wager by Crystal Kaswell is beautifully written and I am looking forward to reading more books by her. While this one has some character development that was not my favorite, this book is sweet and entertaining.

I'm going to start off by saying that I adore Crystal Kaswell and her writing.

The Neighbor Wager is filled with her intensely descriptive and melodic almost poetic writing style. It's the a writing style that I feel is almost unique to her and while it could be viewed as a bit stilted to some I personally have always enjoyed it. While this book is supposed to be a modern take on Sabrina (honestly though I have never seen it so I cannot really make the comparison) Crystal still manages to infuse her usual broody artist vibes and those real life traumas and issues that add so much depth.

As far as the story itself- it was enjoyable. Is this book my absolute favorite from Crystal? Unfortunately no but I still appreciated the overall journey of Deanna and River. The story has this intensity and sexiness to it, and while there is some humor but not necessarily what most would consider a rom-com which I think is some of the disconnect for some readers. I loved how they seemed to fit so well in some aspects but were completely different in others. She was the cynic that didn't really do love or relationships- not to the extent of her sister but Dee followed logic over instinct. River on the other hand was a romantic, a true artist that led with his heart and feelings. For me personally I had a little trouble getting connected with River and Deanna. Like I finished the book and of course was rooting for them to find that middle ground that resulted in their happiness but I also wasn't as invested in them as I have felt with some other characters in the past.

I remember watching both versions of Sabrina when I was younger and loving it. The idea that infatuation when one is young can be quite different when one gets older is an intriguing prospect. The idea that your perfect person can be someone you have known for a long time but never really saw appealed to me then as much as it does now.

This book puts a modern twist to the timeless story. Deanna and Lexi are wealthy sisters who adore each other but are completely different. Lexi is the sun, bright and all consuming; Deanna is the moon, glowing and mysterious. Their erstwhile neighbour, River, who nursed an all-consuming crush on Lexi is back in town to visit his grandmother (who is her own force of nature) and encounters them both while they are managing a start-up dating app that focuses on logical algorithms as a foundation. They are both drawn to him in different ways and he, although still nursing his infatuation with Lexi, starts to see Deanna in a different light.

River is a wonderful character - he's romantic, artistic and wears his heart on his tattooed sleeve. I adored seeing his evolution. Deanna also transforms in an interesting way, despite herself, through her interactions with River. I also liked the way that Lexi wasn't demonised to make the love story work between River and Deanna - she's just different.

There's all sorts of discussions in this book about the nature of love, and lots of different examples of it. River's love for his grandmother and his cousins/sisters really stood out for me. Deanna and Lexi's relationship is depicted as complex but completely loving as well.

The only issue I had with this book is the amount of dialogue. At times I had to read over the same paragraph over and over before I could figure out who was talking and what they were responding to. I found it a bit confusing. It was almost script-like. In saying that, perhaps seeing this book adapted for the screen would iron out those issues.

I debated whether this was a 3 or 4 star read - I loved the story and the chemistry between River and Deanna is immediate and potent. But I also found myself wondering where it was going at times.

I've settled on 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. A good romance with an interesting premise and message, but one that could perhaps do with another round of editing.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Entangled Publishing. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

💖 I went into this knowing full well that I was about to fall for the stunning (and now grown up) gorgeous dark-haired and tattooed neighbour next door, and you know what? I absolutely LOVED reading about River and Deanna and them working together…and eventually falling for one another 🥰

💖 River has always had a crush on Deanna’s sister, Lexi, a gorgeous blonde Cali-girl, so when he comes back home all those years later, that crush is still there. But, on the other hand, Deanna has created a new dating app that relies on logic and stats to pair you with your perfect match…and Lexi has found her match, but both women are not for falling into the magic of love. River makes a deal with Deanna to PROVE that there is magic in love and oh boy do we find out that there is.

💖 Oh, and let’s mention that this book is 🌶spicy🌶 in the best way possible. All of the characters fully consent and explore one another kinks, which is such a fun difference from all the other books that I have read. I mean, River (who lives with his Grandmother, who is a super well-known erotica author) is fully open to any and all conversations on the topic, and he fully uses that knowledge 🥵

💖 overall, I really enjoyed this one. If you are looking for a fun romance that dives into the magic of love while still presenting the logical aspects of finding “the one”, then this should definitely be on your TBR!

I loved the characters and plot line was well knitted. The writing was smooth and easy narration helped me to finish this in one sitting only. I had a great time reading this.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I personally loved this romcom. It was full of love, friendship, family loyalties, grief, insecurities. I was a fun, quick read. I loved the storyline. I liked the main characters. They were fun and “different” than the popular kids. I loved having the point of view of both characters.

This book was okay. It started slow and has a slightly odd love triangle with the FMC trying to keep the MMC away from her little sister. It’s an open door neighbor to lovers story.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and Net Galley for this advanced copy.

This book started out strong. I loved the premise. It reminded me of THE SOULMATE EQUATION by Christina Lauren, which is one of my favorites. However, this book felt a little too instalove for my liking. Almost the entire premise takes place over the course of a week, where River and Deanna basically just talk about sex and then decide they’re in love, which goes against the message of the book. Attraction does not equal compatibility. There were a few other inconsistencies I found, not to mention the fact that River immediately jumps ship between the sisters without thinking twice, which has happened all of Deanna’s life. If it were such a sticking point for her, I ‘d think she would have fought her feelings a little more. I would have also liked to see more of the relationship between Lexi and Jake take place on page. It’s an essential part of the plot but we only ever hear about it secondhand.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I really kind of have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I did enjoy it for the most part and thought it was cute. On the other, I didn’t love the love triangle or how much this book just felt like attraction between the main characters. I get that these characters knew each other in their childhood, but it still felt like more attraction than anything else between the two. After I got about 35% into the book, I finally thought the story started to pick up and enjoyed the rest of it for the most part. If you are looking for a book where there is a strong FMC who is an entrepreneur, then you might enjoy this one.

I thought this was cute, it felt like something I've read before. It's a cute story but I was expecting most of the story

Woof! I really struggled with this one.

The MMC is like obsessively in love with the FMC little sister, who completely dicks him over, and it makes their relationship kind of come off as a consolation prize? Idk the love triangle just make it so awkward and weird. It did hold my attention though and it wasn't badly written or anything, just wasn't my jam.

Personally, I am tired of reading stories about the cynical, I don't believe in love, woe is me because I'm a woman, story. At first I like Deanna's character but it quickly passed when her entire backstory and just everything about herself seemed to contradict itself. She doesn't believe in love, but created an app for people to meet, continuously talks about how she has casual sex but also doesn't? That was another thing I couldn't take anymore, in literally every chapter there are full conversations about how everyone and their freaking grandmother, literally, has casual sex all the time! We get it, you guys have sex with whomever you want, whenever you want. I personally don't care unless it's about the couple that I'm reading about. I lost interest at %56 and quit reading.

When I saw the phrase "gender swapped Sabrina update" I knew I had to read this. I loved the characters and I loved many of the ways the story was updated. I did not want the story to end & leave the world. (The epilogue is very satisfying.) I would totally watch the movie version of this. The only negative from me is that some of the prose (esp. from River) was repetitive in a way that felt confusing and first-drafty... it was not to my liking but it might work for someone else??

This book was a good time and I mostly liked the characters. However there was just something about ut that just kind of put me off and just wasn’t my favorite. I have no clue what specifically it was, but the story, the plot, the characters all had something that just kind of made me not care too much? I’m not sure how to explain it, but overall the book just wasn’t for me. I do think that it would be a hit with the right audience and I did still REALLY love some of the aspects of the novel. I do feel it was missing something and I am leaving wanting more from the story, but it was a good time.

3⭐️ This was an almost DNF...
Thank you so much NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for this book!

I will admit that I enjoyed the last 45% of the book, but getting there was truly a struggle.

This story has two POVs, one for each of the main characters. The FMC, Deanna, and the MMC, River, have been neighbours for most of their lives. The problem is that, although they've known each other for years, River has always been in love, and frankly obsessed, with Deanna's little sister, Lexi. For the first 30% of the book, River only has eyes, compliments, thoughts and dreams of a future with Lexi. The FMC's sister takes one look at River -who after a few years living in New York and getting a few tattoos is no longer scrawny or completely invisible to her- and decides that she's going to leave her first-ever real boyfriend so she can f*ck and dump River, mainly for sh¡ts and giggles. The whole thing felt pretty gross to me, tbh.

It gets better after a while, sure, but the feeling of Lexi, Deanna and River being dismissive and weird towards both their feelings and each other was hard to get past. The writing also didn't work for me, to the point where I had to reread some paragraphs multiple times to see if I had skipped something, or a piece of dialogue because some of the conversations were so stilted and unnatural that they didn't make sense.

There are some interesting dynamics, and I think one of the only things that made me push through some of the awkwardness and uncomfortableness that the weird love triangle made me feel here, is the fact that there are open discussions about k¡nk and sexual exploration on page. It's not news that I love books with Dommes in them, and although I probably wouldn't consider this one to have a Domme, there are enough descriptions and conversations about it to make it worth it for me.

Overall, I liked the ending and the concept was nice, but I'm not sure I'd pick this book up again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️★★

This review has already been published to Goodreads :)

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was cute. Predictable and cute. I didn't get totally sucked into the story which was a bummer but I did enjoy it a lot.

Deanna and River seem destined to be together, algorithm or not. I liked seeing how they came together and fell apart, too.

Ida is a hoot and definitely my favorite character from this book. She adds a lot of heart, honesty and sex to the story.

I enjoyed the ending too, which doesn't happen very often for me. It's the best part of the book, in my opinion.

I'm torn on if I'd recommend it because it's not the best book I've read but it was good.

Thank you to netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for allowing me to read this book. I was expecting a little bit more but it never came. Overall it was just okay.

I was so excited to read this book, but what a big disappointment it was😭
I found the FMC so damn annoying you can’t even change my mind about it
But MMC so damn irritating and trust me Ive tried to give it so many chances but it just didn’t work

Thanks netgalley for the arc🫶🏻🫶🏻