⭐️ 3.5/5. This was a cute grumpy/sunshine story where the two main characters love drinking tea and lowkey act like they’re in their 70’s 😂 There’s self-discovery, hidden baggage, lots of cozy scenes, humor, and a sweet ending. 🫖

But he’s my grumpy neighbor - Annah Conwell Book 1 of But He's a Carter Brother

Super cute rom-com with an adorable sunshine/grumpy dynamic!

We are introduced to Jules and Adrian. Adrian just moves in next door and as they reluctantly become friends, they both open up in ways they never have before. Both have pasts and they connect on a level neither of them were prepared for.

It was sweet and I really connected with the characters. It made me giggle and made me tear up! Best kind of small town romance! Great narration and I will be waiting for book 2.

4 stars

Really enjoyed this romance!
The characters are super loveable and definitely grumpy x sunshine, they both have their own experiences and traumas and you find out more about them through the pages.

Narrators were amazing! I need more books about all the brothers 🤭

Perfect romcom that would make a great movie! The characters were relatable and likeable and you really wanted to see that happy ending. Juliette was wholesome and sweet and wins over the grumpy and closed off Adrian, who is also a great person battling internal issues. Can't wait to read more in this series!

This is a closed door, small town, enemies (not really enemies but reluctant) to lovers, slow burn romance.

The audiobook was well done and I listened to it in 1 sitting (at work).

But He's My Grumpy Neighbor by Annah Conwell was super cute. I love a grumpy/sunshine romcom, and this one delivered! Adrian seems like a grump when he moves in next door - but we get to see that he is really a sweetheart underneath that gruff exterior! Jules was a wonderful FMC - I loved her POV and her sunshine vibes.

No explicit scenes, but very sweet.
Leanne Woodward and Evan Sibley did a wonderful job with the narration!

I loved this so much. Both MCs are strong and assertive, and their chemistry was great. I would say this is a grump X sunshine trope book, but she calls him sunshine, and I find that so cute in retrospect! It's super cozy, easy to read and overall enjoyable. I'm loving the introduction that Adrian's brothers got was so enticing! Can't wait to get my hands on the next books in the series now. Honestly, the dynamic between all the side characters in the book with the MCs should be a blueprint for other authors. They're all super fun, love their people, and know when to push them. Listening to this in the audio format was just perfect, with the narrators doing an awesome job of voicing these lovely MCs. I don't know if Juliette's best friend has a book for her own romance story, but I'd love to read that too! Gonna add all of Annah Conwell's books to my TBR right now!

Grumpy/sunshine
Clean romance
Small town
Romcom

Audio review
Narrator: Leanne Woodward, Evan Sibley

Sweet story. Likable characters and a fun time. Entertaining quick read.
Adrian may be a bit of a grump but he loves deeply. His family and then Juliette have his devotion.
Juliette is our sunshine. It was great to see her gain confidence.

Definitely one to keep

Thank you Dreamscape Media for my gifted copy! This was my first Annah Conwell book, but it won’t be my last. I read more open door romance, but this is why I like closed door romance too. Adrian and Juliette are next door neighbors, but don’t have a great first meeting. Juliette was so sweet and welcoming despite a difficult past. This was the ultimate grumpy sunshine. I loved the antics of their small town (giving off Gilmore Girl vibes) and also seeing Adrian’s family. This has some swoon worthy moments and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

I absolutely adored this closed door, kisses only, grumpy/sunshine romcom!

Adrian and Juliette felt so real and relatable. They both had struggles to overcome and past hurts that made them wary of letting people in, but once they started opening up to each other...sigh. This book was sweet and romantic with hidden depth. The character growth was well paced and the romance was sweet with lots of underlying tension.

I adored Adrian's family and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

I listened to the audiobook and the dual narration was really well done. The pacing was good, the characters sounded age appropriate, and the narrators brought the emotion.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a cute feel good story. I like the grumpy hero that really is a hidden softy. I do wish there was a little but more steaminess to the story but it was enjoyable. I liked the narrator too.

I wanted to like this audiobook but I found that the main character had a tendency to be overly talkative to the point of irritation and Ihad to stop listening. Perhaps this would not ave been so off-putting in a physical format but with an audiobook, it did not work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s a wonderful feeling to discover a a new to you series and love the first book so much that it makes you excited for the next novels in the series. That’s how happy I am about But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor. I listened to the audio book, with it’s dual narration, and absolutely adored this grumpy/sunshine story!

There were some moments in this story that tugged at my heart and made me feel like I was going to tear up. It’s a romcom and there are plenty of sweet and fun moments, but this story also has a female main character who escaped a childhood of abuse. That impacts the way she relates to others and the way she views herself. Yet, Juliette has an optimistic personality and is the perfect complement to Adrian’s more stoic demeanor.

I loved seeing the way Adrian began to connect and open up to Juliette, even as he resisted doing so. He simply couldn’t help himself and before he knew it, they were friends. But his desire to hold his heart apart from Juliette and not give more of himself almost cost him not only a special friendship, but what could be the love of his life.

This book was fantastic and I loved the way it introduced the Carter brothers. I’m looking forward to reading the other brothers’ stories and want to go back and read their sister, MJ’s, story from a previous series, as well.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book, however, I purchased the ebook. All opinions are my own.

But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor was super cozy and sweet. I loved the grumpy/sunshine theme throughout the story. The characters are so lovable and so is the town. There are a couple steam kisses but is otherwise spice free. There is tension and banter galore which I love. The audiobook was fantastic. I loved both of the narrators - thank you for dual narrators! I fully recommend this cozy sweet romance to anyone who is vibing with that description.

Thank you to NetGalley, Annah Conwell, and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC.

Pensando, pensando e pensando como colocar em palavras o que senti sobre essa leitura. Mais uma autora que eu já queria conhecer há tempos, tive a chance de ouvir o audiobook dessa série mais recente da Annah Conwell, já bem certa, por comentários de outros livros dela, que encontraria um romance clean e leve, e nesse ponto já adianto não me decepcionei. Em meio a tantos romances com plots bons mas cheios de hot, é um alívio encontrar as exceções e But He's My Grumpy Neighbor é uma delas. Melhor de tudo é ser, ainda, envolto no clichê de grumpy x sunshine que eu costumo gostar e aqui não foi muito diferente, ainda que o Adrian não seja um grumpy de tanto peso, senti ele apenas como mais reservado, por uma ou outra questão do passado e da própria personalidade dele mesmo, mas que acaba por se abrir um pouco mais de uma forma bem fofa com a presença de nossa mocinha que representa bem o lado sunshine também, mesmo com algumas marcas complicadas no passado.

Marcas essas que são avisadas pela autora no início do livro e até que são bem abordadas num geral, mas eu ainda senti falta de um tratamento mais aprofundado nisso, mesmo entendendo que não era o foco da autora, mas mesmo recuperada em alguns âmbitos, por outros, a Juliette ainda carregava marcas que podiam estar sendo melhor desenvolvidas não só juntas ao romance em formação, aliás. Romance este que, em algumas vias, também soou meio rápido demais para mim na intensidade do sentimento dos personagens antes deles se conhecerem com mais afinco, e ainda que tenha continuado tudo muito clean e tranquilo nesse ponto, poderia ter sido mais desenvolvido para cativar melhor, apesar disso não impedir um ou outro momento do casal nos fazer suspirar por entre as interações ora divertidas, ora inusitadas deles, com direito ainda à presença de um doguinho muito amorzinho e a família do mocinho, em especial seus irmãos que continuarão nos demais livros da série, que definitivamente, mesmo com aparições sem muito foco, mas conseguiram atrair minha atenção para eles aqui e ali e ficar curiosa com o que virá nos livros individuais deles.

Enfim, é um romance fofinho, com alguns temas mais sérios que podem ser gatilhos, então fiquem atentos à nota da autora no início, mas ainda assim ela sabe dosar sem pesar a mão e entregar uma romcom como muitos gostamos, e que, apesar das ressalvas, ainda assim indico, fechando nas 3,6 estrelas.

He's a 10 but ... he's also my grumpy neighbor. And a Carter brother.

I just finished listening to But He's My Grumpy Neighbor by Annah Conwell, Narrated by Leanne Woodward; Evan Sibley, and it was so good. The narrators were fantastic and drawing me in. I was in a bit of a book rut and this story was the answer!

Juliette has spent the last several years surrounded by people of a significantly greater age. She loves the peace and serenity of the area but longs for human connection. So, when her new neighbor shows up and starts moving things in, you can bet she's spying through the blinds. Even better, the new neighbor is dark and brooding and nearly her own age!

I loved the grumpy Adrian who couldn't help but smile around Juliette. The story was full of sweet, steamy chemistry and you could feel the draw these two characters had for each other.

The only thing I didn't love was the references to Adrian's past. We get vague comments here and there but I never felt like they ever REALLY explained why he had such a hard time with his feelings and emotions and relationships in general.

But don't let that minor thing keep you from reading. Annah Conwell does an amazing job at writing loveable characters. In fact, I'm all in on the Carter Brothers. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next books in the series. They are definitely going to be some new favorites. I can already tell.

This is a Sweet, Kisses only romance
TW: Previous abusive parents to a child and some past betrayal in work and relationships

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC. It was an absolute delight.

A grumpy neighbor with a little light stalking? This one was a really fun listen!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All comments are my own.

I have quickly become a fan of Annah Conwell and listening to this first book in the But He’s a Carter Brother series was all kinds of bliss. And as much as I’m not quite ready to let go of summer, this sweet love story had me craving cinnamon rolls…especially because Adrian is that type of grump who is all the warm gooey sweetness in his “abs for days” core. Juliette and her golden retriever, Murphy, are two peas in a pod with their sweetness and likability, and it’s all about the connections they make with their cantankerous neighbor that had me swooning.

What kind of man will stay in and dog sit on Valentine’s Day while his attractive neighbor attends a singles mixer and then texts his brother to keep an eye on her? Adrian. I adored the electric sparks between these two that gradually polished a rough exterior, and I really loved the exciting flirtations.

These Carter brothers have me all kinds of intrigued and I loved this first book.

But He's My Grumpy Neighbor is the second book I"ve read by Anna Connell, and it did not disappoint. She's definitely a new favorite author of mine! Already looking for my next read by her!

But He's My Grumpy Neighbor is a sweet, and wholesome story, with great characters you'll love (and root for).

Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for advanced access to the audio version.
Publication date is August 7, 2024

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine trope in this book (probably one of my favorites). Maybe I like the grumpy characters so much because they remind me of my husband HA! I also loved the retirement community vibe and their side characters. I mean you have a grumpy old man who is persistent in trying to get rid of the ducks at their lake. You have a crazy old lady on a motorized scooter who is always wearing a yellow helmet. The town meetings remind me so much of Gilmore Girls.

I would say the last quarter of the book got a little repetitious and predictable, but still very cute. I just felt like it took Adrian too long to finally give into his feelings for Juliette. It was a constant one step forward, two steps backward for three-fourths of the book.

I also really appreciated the introduction at the beginning. It gave you a few content warnings like anxiety, childhood trauma, and death. It also was straightforward with it being a closed door romance - there would only be kissing on the page. I wish more books did this. It would help the people who want closed door romance books to find a safe read, and it helps the people who want the steamier read to know they won't find that here.

I definitely plan to listen to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

Wow! But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor is an absolute delight of a love story! Witnessing two timid, beautiful people find solace in each other the way I just did with Juliette and Adrian was just… stunning. I don’t think I even fully understood how much I love to see a MMC take care of a FMC until reading this book. The care and understanding between these two characters is just gorgeous and inspirational.

The narration in this audiobook only added to how beautiful the book was. I was just fully swept away!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review.