A fun read with cupcakes and sex toys - need I say more?! It definitely falls in the cute holiday romance category and feels a bit unrealistic at time, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of the story. I'm sure this book will win many fans this xmas.

While this book wasn’t for me, don’t let my review sway you. My opinion is only one of many.

I was excited by the premise of this story line but honestly, it just fell flat for me. There are some really spicy scenes that I haven’t seen in other books, and I appreciate the representation of LGBTQIA+ in this book. I was introduced to some things in the LGBTQIA+ community that I was unaware of and wished it would have elaborated on them more so I could have a better understanding of what terms and things meant. My biggest issue is it lacked character and relationship development and a connection between the FMC’s. I didn’t feel the vibes of a romance between them. Also, the story line is so far fetched for a former Hollywood star to end up opening a sex positivity shop over the course of a couple weeks in a tiny remote town and fall in love with the baker next door. Definitely has hallmark written all over it. I feel like this could have been written a lot better than it was. It lost my interest really fast.

Cupcakes and sex toys: holiday shenanigans
I liked the premise of the book (clever title too!): a sex shop suddenly dropped right into an old-fashioned mountain town with a big Christmas vibe. I could practically smell the heavenly cupcakes Tara is producing and sense the shock when a city slicker, Casey, opens her shop next door, which may or may not stifle the sale of backing goods.
There is some enemy-to-lovers vibe at the start until the heat really turns up and I loved the mix of romance, Christmas and hotness the authors mixed up. When Casey‘s old holiday days and her ex creep into the story it is a good backdrop for all the small town goodness and adds a pinch of angst.
I had some good laughs about how the classy sex shop wins over the town and how the bigotted scrooge is driven out of town.
To sum it up: A lovely holiday which needs lots of cupcakes to go with it.

I received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.

A fun and spicy holiday read! Casey and Tara have such a spark that can't be denied even when at first they have a bit of a friends to lovers vibe. It's thankfully short lived as I am not a huge fan of that trope and we get right to the two of them building a beautiful friendship and then more. I loved the setting of this book and it is seriously straight out of a Hallmark movie where all the folks know each other and everyone runs a small business. There is of course all the holiday book musts like ice skating and decorating contests but they come with new twists and fun tweaks that will make you smile. I loved that it was queer and seemingly everyone was open to that in town too. They may have been a bit nervous about the whole shop opening but they certainly showed up to buy stuff! There were a few parts that had me frustrated at the end when I couldn't understand why Casey clammed up like she did and didn't just explain what was happening to Tara but I guess they needed some way to stir up drama and push them to really talk. I did really appreciate the epilogue at the end that gave us a one year later follow up. Really all books should have that!

I received an advanced digital reader copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Frosted by the Girl Next Door was a sweet and fun sapphic romance, and I really enjoyed the dynamic and banter between Casey and Tara.

(3.75 Stars)

I really liked the premise of this and the bakery x sex shop neighbouring stores was a nice little dynamic. I also particularly liked the way the sex shop plot was handled (aka it was trans-positive).

The romance was cute but I can't say I was super deeply invested in it, but it was decent enough to keep me engaged.

It's hard to summarise how I feel because while I wouldn't say the plot felt disjointed, it did jump around a bit. The plot point about Gary the angry conservative got dropped halfway through and then is quickly resolved at the end. The plot with Casey's ex is hinted at and then all of a sudden everything is happening at once but was resolved very quickly. I think I almost wish the drama had been, yanno, more dramatic.

Words aren't working for me today so that's all I'm gonna say. Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read! I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. The story was well written and engaging. I would definitely recommend!

Casey Stevens needs distance from her movie producer parents and her social media starlet ex-wife. When she lands in Rocky Springs with a bruised ego and a pile of cash, the quaint tourist town seems like the perfect place for a fresh start. But is it the right place to make her dream of owning a classy sex shop a reality?

Tara McCoy knows a thing or two about licking her wounds. She never wanted to move back home, but she’s making the most of it, turning her family’s sleepy bakery into a cupcake destination. The last thing she wants next door is some seedy sex store, even if it’s promoting self-care as much as sex. And especially if the new owner is drop-dead gorgeous.

This was a fun read for me. I love the big-city/small-town conflict, and the cupcakes and sex toys was an entertaining setting. I really enjoyed watching these two women find themselves and find each other in this great story!

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

This was a sweet romance story that skirts the edges of several popular tropes, without really making them the defining part of the story (frenemies to lovers, frosty icy main character, holiday season, small town / big city). Both main characters (and several side characters) were relatable and quirky. While there were some scenes in which one or the other main characters frustrated me with their actions or inactions, this was overall a highly enjoyable read, and I’ll definitely be rereading it again when as we get deeper into the winter and holiday season.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley.

Sweet and cute small-town holiday romance, perfectly scratching that Hallmark holiday movie itch. I loved watching Casey fit into Rocky Springs and start to find her confidence back, especially while running a sex shop that really focuses on all things positive for body and soul. Tara I had a little less of a feel for, especially as we got more into the conflict of the book and a lot of it hinged on issues that weren't really touched upon. We get a lot more of Casey's history and inclination to back down or flee at a conflict, but Tara's need for someone who would fight for their relationship, which a good foil, wasn't built up enough to make their conflict feel anything other than out of left field.

I do wish the conflict had also been kept in Rocky Springs; the whole drama that Pavia managed to stir up felt both overblown and disconnected from what was going on in the town. But the ending really brought the holiday vibes back, and I enjoyed the window competition and banter.

This was a super cute sapphic romcom set in an adorable small-town! There's funny banter, small businesses, lots of cupcakes, and also some serious moments. I love the queer representation as well as the therapy positivity. I love the important conversations had about sex positivity and safe spaces for teens. I also loved getting to see Tara and Casey navigate their own selves as they get to know each other and fall in love.
A perfect book for the holiday season!

LOVED this book, It was great. It was funny, heart warming, heart breaking and spicy.

I love how Casey went against the town to do her own thing and stood up for what she really wanted. It was great how the people’s perception changed over time as it’s realistic it’s hard when somethings never been done before and a town is stuck in its own ways, I also loved that karma hit eventually.

I loved how despite everything her ex had done, Casey still wanted the best for her recovery but also I wanted to strangle her for not just telling Tara the full situation.

I’d really enjoy a book on shawn and kit and how that went down

I so needed this
What a beautiful hallmark perfect story which has me feeling all the feels
I loved Casey she’s trying to best to make her little shop the best she can which I find iso sweet I feel like I need to try one of Tara’s cupcakes they sound like heaven
I adored the setting it was just so beautifully described
This is a perfect Christmas read
I whole heartily love it

Sex positivity
LGBTQ+
Christmas

That’s just three main thing's of what you’ll find in Frosted by the Girl Next Door.

Firstly. My name is RARELY ever used as a name for a main character in a book. Tara McCoy works WITH her brother, Shawn, ironically also MY brother’s name, at their families bakery.

Next door to the bakery comes Casey, in hopes to open her very own sex shop after her divorce.

It was all so weird reading this and just imagining my own brother as Shawn in this book and seeing my name all over 😅

If you’re into LGBTQ+ and a good spicy Christmas story, give this a try!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

I was really looking forward to this next collaboration between Aurora Rey and Jaime Clevenger since I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their other joint books.

However, this book was a little dull and the two main characters lacked that sizzling chemistry that was present in other collaborations. In my opinion, this story got off track with the Pavia storyline and the addition of Ingrid. I truly did not care about these characters or the need to send Pavia to rehab. I chose this book for the relationship that was to develop between Tara and Casey. The last twenty percent of the story was redeemed slightly with the twelve days of Christmas gifts that Casey planned in order to try to get Tara back. 3.5 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!! Thank you so much NetGalley for an early copy, I’m so incredibly grateful!
I loved this book so much, it was so Christmassy and I loved the town and I loved the coziness of the book, I loved Aspen too, rainbow converse for the win, I was so happy when Casey gave them a job too. The first 50% of this book was so perfect and cozy and christmassy and everything I want in a Christmas read, the romance too was so amazing and perfect. I also loved how everyone at the town meeting seemed against Casey’s store but then once it was open it sounded like everyone has been in at least once to buy something. Even Tara’s grandad came along in the end.
The third act break up and the whole Pavia situation kind of dragged it down to a 4 star for me, I still loved it though, for me I just think it dragged too much and I don’t know why Casey didn’t just tell Tara about it in the first place, and it just got too heated, and I didn’t understand the whole 12 days of Christmas gifts thing either, like how is that fighting for the relationship? It came across as kind of love bombing to me, and even after that they didn’t talk about it straight away, which sounded important to Tara in my opinion, and I would have liked to have seen that whole conversation rather than it be a “wake up in the morning and this is what happened last night” kind of thing?

It took a bit to growth on me but once the Main Characters really get to know each other the story moves at a great pace. It was fun the watch the characters grow together while working through their own issues.

It’s a good story about living large and finding yourself in a small town.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

This is an adorable festive season meetcute romance of two women looking for their new starts.

Casey finds the tourist town of Rocky Springs the perfect place for a fresh start. She's burnt out from the fallout of her divorce from her diva ex-wife and the publicity of her parents' glittering Hollywood lives.

Tara has returned to her hometown, and she's working hard in her family's bakery to prove herself to everyone. She doesn't need hot butch Casey arriving in town, threatening to open an upmarket sex shop next door to distract her.

As their attraction gains heat, they fall into bed together (eventually... they don'tmake it to the bedroom at first). It becomes clear that although they communicate extremely well on a physical level, they both have issues to work through before a healthy relationship is possible.

Can Casey learn to communicate what she needs and stand up for not only herself but also in their relationship?

Can Tara lower the walls built to protect her heart and learn to trust Casey and their relationship?

Between the frosting of cup cakes and the melting of hearts, this cute HEA read will leave you feeling warm and cosy as Christmas draws near.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

Who doesn’t love a Clevenger/Rey mash up?
A cute little Christmas book.
Thank you for the opportunity to read