📖 Short synopsis:
Riley, divorced and financially strained, finds herself living with elderly roommates and grappling with hallucinations her mother interprets as clairvoyant visions that Riley attempts to disregard. When her elderly neighbor is discovered deceased, suspicion falls on Riley as a possible suspect. In the midst of this, Nick, a private investigator enlisted to solve the murder, enters the picture. As Riley and Nick collaborate to solve the case, their mutual attraction begins to intensify, adding a layer of complexity to their investigation.

💭 Thoughts
This was the first book that I have read by Lucy Score and I loved it. The banter between Nick and Riley was a highlight, adding a delightful energy into the narrative. Nick's rapid transition to a protective stance over Riley was absolutely adorable. Riley's elderly neighbors provided comedic moments that were thoroughly enjoyable. The unpredictable storyline kept me hooked, with each twist and turn adding to the intrigue. I found myself laughing aloud numerous times, making this book a consistently engaging and entertaining read from beginning to end. I look forward to reading more books by Lucy Score!

-fake dating/engagement, opposites attract, fun characters
-Nick is a playboy PI who is hired to solve the murder in Riley’s building, mix in some fake dating, Riley’s psychic abilities and a lot of chaos 🔮💭🕵️📑
-this was an overall enjoyable read with nice added mystery element
-thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

3.6 ⭐️

I really enjoyed the mix of mystery and romance, which is different from what I had come to expect from other Lucy Score novels. A lot of funny characters and I plan on reading the second one in the series.

If you are looking for a rom com with a bit of suspense and the otherworldly, Lucy Score has you covered with The Dead Guy Next Door! Poor Riley has to deal with hearing ghosts in her everyday life, which isn't so bad until she gets a vision of her neighbor being murdered. Somehow she and her elderly rambunctious housemates end up involved in the whole messy case. I really enjoyed this crazy ride! Lucy Score writes the best characters - I feel like they are going to walk in my door.

I always enjoy Lucy Score books, and this one hit all the right notes! I think I'm a little late to this series (TWNGO was my first from LS) but this is a wonderful set up. LS has such a way with creating whole communities you want to be a part of.

This book was an extremely entertaining and a fun read with both swoonworthy and laugh out loud moments. i definitaly recommend

thank you netgalley and publisher. all thoughts are my own and arent influenced by anyone else

I’ve found myself starting recent reviews with something along the lines of, “XYZ author is one of my new favorite authors.“ And nothing‘s going to change with this review.

Lucy Score is one of my new favorite authors. This is the first romance/mystery I’ve read by Lucy and although I still love a romance more than a mysteries/romance, this one did not disappoint.

Riley Thorn is divorced, broke, and living in an old mansion with a bunch of elderly roommates. She’s also a psychic. A reluctant psychic, but a psychic nonetheless. Then one day her neighbor is murdered, and Riley saw it all happen through her peephole. Or was it a psychic vision?

Enter Nick Santiago. Nick is a private investigator, former cop, player. In fact, he prefers a buffet for dinner almost to the same degree that he prefers to date multiple women, and not be tied down. Until he meets Riley, of course.

The story was fine, the mystery that is, and the romance was good too. What I liked the best about this was the repartée between Riley and Nick, and the way they went back-and-forth at each other is the same way their relationship developed. It was fun, and I would recommend this for a quick fun read.

Thanks to Bloom books for the galley, all opinions are my own.

I think the Riley Thorn series if my favorite Lucy Score, probably because it is my first venture into her books. I love a fast paced romance with a hint of mystery that ups the stakes and add in some psychic elements? Yeah, I'm all in. This was such a fun beginning of the Riley Thorn series. Like typical Score book, we have witty banter that is so quick and fun, and a hot dreamy main male character in Nick Santiago. The side characters are so funny too- how could you not love Mrs. Penny?? I cannot wait to see where the rest of these books take us!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

I’m really happy I tried this book after reading the corpse in the closet. While I had a lot of issues with the last book I genuinely enjoyed this one. I found the whole mystery romance storyline to be incredibly cute and wholesome . This might have convinced me to read another Lucy Score book.

WOW!!! If I could give more stars, I would. I absolutely LOVED this book. It had a little bit of everything, the Rom-Com I have come to expect from Lucy along with some murder mystery and sci-fi! Riley was such a likeable character and who wouldn't love our hottie Nick. Together, they really created a witty and entertaining read.

Poor Riley, all she wants is a normal life. Unfortunately for her, the ghosts and unwanted voices just won't leave her alone! Try and she might not to pay attention, some things just can't be ignored. It doesn't help that her entire family has "the gift" and are encouraging her to embrace it. She just wants to learn how to block it out, stick her head in the sand and live like everyone else.

So, when she is pushed to trying to save her neighbor from an untimely demise, she finds herself in over her head. How do you warn a guy he's going to die without sounding insane? Unfortunately for her, said advise is ignored and said bullet finds itself lodged inside the brain of said neighbor. And the police are looking at her as the main suspect.

In walks Nick, a too hot to handle PI who is only interested in one-night-stands to Riley's white picket fence dreams. He finds himself being drawn into her life in an attempt to solve the murder that the incompetent police are not having much luck in. What follows are many laugh out loud antics with a light touch of steam to keep the pages turning into the wee hours of the morning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. My opinions have not been influenced in any way.

What a romp of a book! This book reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series, but only in all the best ways. Amazing characters, snappy plot… this book is a winner. I loved every minute I got to read this! More, please!

This is my first Lucy Score book that I have read (though I have several on my shelves). I have to say that I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised!

This is also the first time I have read a fake relationship trope. It may become a favorite. This was the cutes story I have ever read, but in a good way! There is a tad bit of spice in it, but not much. For the most part it is just a well though out and beautiful story! I greatly enjoyed the lighthearted banter and the slow burn that occurred throughout this book.

Stellar job on this one! I would also consider this a cozy mystery/thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat for a lot of it. Totally enjoyable, and I cannot wait to read more stories about Riley Thorn!

This was such a fun and interesting read. I loved the quirky characters and the different storyline. I’ll definitely be finishing the series!

I've heard about Lucy Score for years but sadly hadn't picked up anything by her yet. Based on the rave reviews people have had on her books, I went into this with pretty high expectations. I'm very glad that I ended up really liking this! A great cast of characters and a hilarious premise that was executed well. I loved the romance and humor, and thought this was a perfect blend of all things Romance. Definitely excited to pick up more books from her!

The Dead Guy Next Door was a fun romantic suspense staring an enjoyable cast of characters! It was quirky and out there and perfect! Can’t wait to read the next one!

I got accepted for the eARC just the other week. It was my first read from Lucy Score and I really enjoyed it! I’m going to continue the series and would like to try out another story from this author.

This is an eccentric story full of action adventure from two leads, Riley Thorn (Psychic 🔮) and Nick Santiago (Private Investigator 🕵️‍♂️) with a nice sprinkle of romance throughout. I liked the humour and the chaos that ensues in the book. I thought the banter between Riley and Nick was great. To be honest, I find that I usually don’t like the “Fake Dating” trope that much, however this one was set up well. I found myself actually interested in the characters together and their cause of connection.

✔️ Fake Boyfriend
✔️Fake Fiancée
✔️Working Together
✔️One Bed

I did find the story was a bit too long. I think some aspects could’ve been cut down a bit while still giving the reader the same effect. I also found the Nick player angle was a bit overdone with character interactions (ex. Karen aka the mom’s second cousin)

I would recommend to anyone who loves action romantic comedy movies (esp ones involving crime/spy). If you liked shows such as That’s So Raven and The Good Place - you will enjoy this!

Thank you Sourcebooks (Bloom Books) and Netgalley for the eARC!

A beautiful romance! I loved the characters. I laughed out loud, and rooted for the romance. A must for all rom com lovers!

Lucy Score never disappoints! Absolutely loved this book! It was captivating and kept you intrigued the whole time. It kept me wanting more. I did take a little while to finish this book, but it was totally worth it in the end. I cant wait to have a copy for my shelf!

What a fun story! I love the romance, the mystery, the adventure, the banter, the puns. It's all so delightful. I'm so glad this was my first Lucy Score—I can't wait to dive into the rest of her work now.

I've loved other works by Lucy Score, so I was all in on trying her new series.

This novel was very much a comedic murder mystery with a little bit of romance sprinkled in. The romance was almost an afterthought, taking a third-row seat to the mystery.

I can't say it was a bad story. The mansion full of elderly mischief makers was lovely, and Riley's family added drama and comedy. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the Knockemout books simply because murder mysteries aren't really my thing. If you do like romance and murders in the same package, you will probably enjoy this.