From the moment Freya looks in the window of the brash, new sex shop in Grasstree Flat she knows it will be nothing but trouble. For a start, it will clash with her own new-age store next door. And she’s right. Outgoing newcomer Lily begins to intrude on Freya’s well-ordered life. Freya’s friends, lifestyle, and even her cat are all affected by Lily’s magic touch. Even Freya’s yoga classes rub shoulders with Lily’s sexual-expression workshops. Lily stands for everything Freya has lost in life—playfulness, spontaneity, delight in the physical, and sex. But does Lily have more in common with Freya than the wall that divides them?

I wanted to like this book more. I love the premise. I disliked Freya until I got to the reveal of what made her the way she was. The book was a little too-slow paced for me. I love Cheyenne Blue's writing and will be back to read more from her, but this one just didn't do it for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

A stand-alone in YLVA publishing’s Window Shopping Collection, Cheyenne Blue cleverly brings Australian country living to the sapphic romance world in Party Wall.

Freya loves her small town. She contents herself with her friends, her new-age store, and the classes she teaches. She can ignore her body's basic needs to live a more meaningful, fulfilling existence.

Her life is thrown into chaos when Lily rents the empty store next door and the adjoining flat. Lily brings a flair and openness to the small town in the form of her female-oriented sex shop and classes of her own. She notices Freya’s reluctance to interact but pushes for a friendship, which slowly forms into something more. Lily and Freya’s lives seem opposites, yet as the communication begins to flow between the two, so do the similarities.

Both characters are relatable, and written with smoothness and ease. Blue crafts an immersive atmosphere, using words to ensure the reader becomes fully absorbed in the story world. Window Shopping is a heartwarming, enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave you with a tingly feeling in your stomach.

I received an ARC from YLVA publishing, via NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review

This is a story about two women , Freya who is silently mourning her dead wife and Lily who is joyfully happy.
They each own shops that are side by side and they start out as enemies and end as lovers.

Freya’s character was cold and aloof and I never felt I got to know her well enough. Lily ‘s character was much more open and easy going. I guess for some, opposites attack but for me I didn’t feel the connection between them.

The best part of the book for me was the description of the small costal Australian town. I’d love to visit it. And the side character, Carly, she and her husband’s relationship added to my interest in the story.

I’m a big Cheyenne Blue fan and I’ve read most of her books.

Thanks to Ylva Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoy Cheyenne Blue’s novels and their Australian settings. Although except for a few less familiar words this story could happen anywhere. Lily opens a new shop next door to Freya. They both live in apartments above their shops sharing, as the title implies, a wall. Freya seems more standoffish and aloof. Her shop focuses on mindfulness and she teaches regular yoga classes which Lily joins. Freya is not as welcoming as she could be.

The characters are well developed but I found the story slow moving. It isn't that long but I took breaks to read other things, which is unusual for me. I didn’t see much chemistry between the pair. They were both nurturing and caring for their friend Carly. But I was genuinely surprised at their first kiss. I did like Lily’s backstory and that these are mature (over 35) women. They both have loved and lost.

I liked the story but found it slow moving. I liked Carly and was invested in her story almost as much as the leads. I wish there were a few more scenes of Freya and LIly together building up to their feelings. (3.5 Stars)

Not a bad book, just a little tame.
For a romance it starts up way too late. Where these books are notorious for the 80% dark moment, for this one the romance only really kicks off at around this mark.

While it takes forever to things going, I didn’t really mind. The book flows through all sorts of things, just life I guess. Side characters have some (major) development storylines, the mains have their own things to go through.
It’s a pull fine and quite nice. Even with a grump of a main character it all is quite nice and easy.

This novel was “fine”. All of the important elements were there, but it was relatively underwhelming. It was not a bad novel by any means, it just didn’t do it for me. There were a lot of little elements and moments that I liked about this novel. There was some great banter at times between characters, particularly in scenes that involved Carly. The protagonists backstories were very well developed and their behaviors in the present made a lot of sense and flowed naturally.

I didn’t find that the protagonists had very much chemistry together. It was like they were antagonistic, and then suddenly they were together, without much of a reason or a transition period. The conflict between the protagonists was also somewhat repetitive and dull, with Freya simply refusing to engage with Lily and not much beyond that. I simply didn’t click with them as a couple. Overall, the entire novel felt like that; good pieces that didn’t quite come together. I found that although the novel was relatively short, it dragged on at times as I wasn’t very invested in the story.

Still, there was a good foundation here and there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with this novel. I can’t get excited about it, but I also don’t have any significant complaints. Its possible it simply wasn’t the right novel for me in particular, which sometimes happens.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was initially drawn to Party Wall by Cheyenne Blue because of its eye-catching cover—seriously, that wallpaper!—and the intriguing publisher's summary. Despite my usual hesitance toward books involving religious or spiritual themes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Freya’s work leaned more towards mindfulness, which made it accessible and engaging for me.

Freya, the protagonist, starts off as quite the antagonist to Lily, the new and vibrant sex shop owner next door. This contrast creates an interesting dynamic, though Freya can come across as unlikeable at first. Fortunately, the dual point of view structure allowed us to delve deeper into her character and see beyond her initial antagonism.

While I enjoyed the story overall, I would have loved to see more development in how Freya and Lily's relationship unfolded. Despite this, Party Wall was a captivating read that kept me engaged.

This book intrigued me from the very title - which had me going down a research spiral about party walls. The story follows Lily and Freya, two characters who are simultaneously very similar and very different and whose similarities and differences are the primary drivers of most of their interactions.

There are a couple of well-developed side characters who add perspective and drama, and some fun Australianisms scattered throughout. Overall, this is a well written book and I would recommend it to someone looking for a relatively easy read that is both lighthearted and that touches on emotionally challenging situations.

Lily and Freya, small business owners who are worlds apart in their lives, businesses and personalities, are thrust together when Lily opens a business right next door to Freya. They find they must share a common studio room as part of their tenancy agreement and sparks fly as they try to come to an agreeance over access to the studio. As the story unfolds, they learn to respect their personal differences for the benefit of their respective businesses, and they bond over their support of mutual friend Carly who is experiencing her own personal trauma.

As with all of Cheyenne’s books, the story has quintessential Aussie elements that make it so very endearing. Cheyenne writes with clarity and creates characters that are so natural you become emotionally invested in their wellbeing. I loved it and couldn’t stop reading.

Another tantalizing story in the Window Shopping Collection
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book; it had more drama than I thought it would be but still has plenty of laughs to offer up in counterbalance. If you’re looking for characters who are not all twenty somethings with petite perfect bodies, you’ll find them here; ladies in their thirties and forties, with greying hair and large curvy bodies populate Party Wall giving it a refreshing dose of diversity and realism.
Freya has it in for her new neighbour even before they meet; she’s made up her mind about the person and the business they open next door to her shop and she’s nothing but hostile when they do meet despite Lily’s best efforts to be friendly. There are reasons behind Freya’s judgements that eventually are revealed but until then she struck me as a very unlikeable and unsympathetic character, her actions petty and childish. I much preferred Lily and the other cast of characters (who are a colorful bunch of people) over Freya. There is some wonderful humor in the story and plenty of drama with the clashes Freya is keen to have with Lily at every opportunity. The town in Australia where the story is set has an idyllic feel to it and its quirky inhabitants enliven the story further.
If you’re looking for some laughs and drama along with a slow burn romance and well written relationships between women, give this book a read. For more good lesbian romance reading, check out the other books in the Window Shopping Collection as well as Cheyenne Blue’s ‘Girl Meets Girl’ series.
(Reviewed September 23, 2017)

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

lily is opening a new sex shop in grasstree flat, she has scoped the place out and this she feels will be where she brings her business to... she has run these types of shops for others but this time its on her.... and she plans to make a success of it for herself.... she is also hoping to make new friends here as well

freya cant believe that sort of shop is opening in her town... this close nit community cant realise what is opening and she has no time for it or the owner....

but when lily starts to come to freyas yoga classes freya cant help watching lily....

from enemies to friends it was a fun read seeing how lily worked her charm on freya but what an uphill struggle for them both

also a gentle warning about domestic abuse...