Pub Date April 1st
Format Audio 🎧

This was very wholesome & cuuuteee. I was never bored at any point in this book. Interesting plot, engaging, & funny.

Holland is a small town girl looking for a new start & ends up in New York after inheriting her biological Aunts house. The next door neighbor is Nolble fine self who is also on a new journey in his career. That mannnn did not play about Holland from the beginning. He adored her & it was the cutest thing.

The “plot twist” about the mom I wasn’t expecting but also feel like it was just off & not needed. I really didn’t care for that. Other than that I recommend reading this one. i truly enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley & Harlequin Audio for the ARC.

This is a cute book, it’s not ground breaking but it was entertaining. I had just finished a fantasy and before jumping into another one I wanted a palette cleanser type of book and this hit the mark. While it was an entertaining read it really could be a 5 star for some people I just personally did not feel a connection to the characters like I wanted too. The book almost read a bit fast which left me feeling detached. I believe with a bit more time these characters could have better developed and I would have felt more for them.

I do however know a Ms Elsie type of person and I loved her as a character!

I am thankful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance!

Overall, 3 stars. The story was interesting, but it didn't trigger an emotional response, I read the words instead of feeling the words. Holly and Noble were at a turning point in their lives and I enjoyed how the author guided me through their journeys of self-discovery. The plot twist with Holly's family was very shocking and life altering, I know this was secondary to the relationship between Holly and Noble, but I wanted more from this turn of events.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced audiobook!

Format: audiobook

When two worlds collide, unexpected things will happen.

Unlikely Neighbors by Renee Daniel Flagler and narrated by Keisa Parrish and Jamal West is a standalone novel and is such an interesting blend of two people’s lives who eventually cross paths and intertwine.

While this is what I would call a book for grown folks, it is beautifully deep. There’s so much happening due to the dual storylines but it works very well by bringing them together. I really love that this story is not just a usual romance, but so much more and has substance that is relatable to everyday people.

The biggest thing that felt off was the sudden conflict after the midpoint. It feels a bit forced and I couldn’t get back into the groove due to the reasoning behind Holland’s choices. They came off random and just for the sake of creating a problem.

I also enjoyed the fact that there’s so many themes like family, health, mental health, life altering suggestions, and loving life to the fullest. These and the story in general were brought to life through the voices of Keisa and Jamal. They were able to present the main characters in a strong manner as well as shifting between the other characters and narration. The emotions were also portrayed very well which allowed the words to feel more authentic. Great job!

If you are looking for black romance stories, found family, some spice, working through anxiety and grief, strangers to lovers, family secrets, CEO vibes, or even a small town girl big city guy vibe, then this is for you! I highly recommend! But be mindful that there may be triggers within so priced as needed. Enjoy the ride.

Others books by Renee: Asylum, Other Wives Club, One More Second Chance (By Nicki Night), Intimate Negotiations (Nicki Night)

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Unlikely Neighbors from Renee Daniel Flagler via NetGalley

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟
I gave this story 4 stars because it sometimes felt like a young adult (YA) story, even though it isn't. It's definitely a quick and easy read, something you could easily read in one or two days. This was an enjoyable read.

The audiobook was good, easy to listen to and understand. Its dual narration is a huge plus. I listened at 2x speed.

Holland Davenport is ready to go beyond her small-town existence. Her plan involves moving into an apartment in Charleston, not inheriting a run-down brownstone in Brooklyn from a relative she never knew. Yet, in a burst of daring, Holland meets the challenge head-on, moving to New York to learn more about her family and renovate the place. Noble Washington is the successful CEO of a company he spent a decade building.

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
•Found Family
•Small Town Romance
•Black Romance
•Black CEO

Thank you, Netgalley, and Harlequin Audio, for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I was so close to giving this book five stars. While I did enjoy the romance I enjoyed the story of family more. My mom died when I was young and I was adopted, so reading this story about finding family but having family touched my heart in a way I did not expect. The romance was good. I was so happy she had someone to lean on that was outside the family drama, but I also liked Nobel’s family drama. I am they type of person to cut you off, move on, and never look back so it was very interesting to see Holland and Nobel work through their family issues and come out better on the other side.

I was slowly reading Unlikely Neighbors over the course of two weeks and it had a simple premise of country Southern girl moves to the big city and falls in love with the guy next door. Instant cuteness, right? But I never found myself connecting with Holland and Noble as a couple. The simple premise gets a little more depth since the reason Holland is in New York is because she inherited a brownstone after her biological aunt passes. Though Holland is curious about her family she just wants to pack things up and move to Charleston which is more her speed.

The author had a lot of ideas for this book but some elements were glossed over or only used in certain chapters. There was definitely room to add more depth and follow up but the pacing of the story hindered these developments.

I found some of the reveals in the second half to be interesting but the actual romance itself fell flat for me. I just never felt like these characters had enough chemistry which made it hard to get into this story. On paper they made sense but their actual interactions were lacking.

I found myself more concerned with Holland's story around getting to know her deceased family and the secrets there which felt breezed through.

Even the New York as a setting could've been better fleshed out. The things that made Holland fall in love with New York felt very hallow and were more things tourists enjoy about New York instead of feeling like she actually fell in love with the heart of the city.

Unlikely Neighbors publish April 1, 2025
Holland goes to New York when she inherits her estranged biological great aunts brownstone after being notified of her passing. Holland who was adopted really didn’t know much about her biological family and this was an opening to learning all about them but also makes her sad that she never got to know them. Holland meets her handsome new neighbor Nobel, a man looking for a new start. They had instant chemistry and sparks were flying. The only problem with this new love is that they are both dealing with personal issues that need to be resolved before being able to focus on someone else in their life. Holland moved away from her family, found out secrets her adoptive mother was keeping from her about her biological family. Can you say narcissist much?!
I really enjoyed this romance and all the other plots such as career change, grief, reconciliation and family. The story really flowed well. This was such quick read and so wholesome. The author did a really good job not making the grief and anxiety not super heavy which can make it hard for some readers to finish a book.
If you like:
Black Romance
Steamy Scenes
Opposites attract
Family and belonging theme
CEO mmc
New beginnings

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ARC Audiobook.
This review was voluntary and of my own words

This story was cute but it had its moments that really irritated me, like constantly saying "down, girl" when speaking about her hormones. It was said too often. This was a short book about the FMC finding out about her past and moving forward towards better things. I give it a solid 3.75 but round up to 4. I didn't understand why the Holland didn't expect more from Ma or alienate her more after she found out she was kidnapped. I was confused and upset on her behalf.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this gifted ALC.

I really wanted to like the narration, but I didn't love it. As an audiobook listener there is a difference between someone reading the book and someone acting out the book. This definitely plays as someone reading the book. I appreciated that there was a male narrator for Noble's POV and a female narrator for Holland's POV.

I was a little confused at first with the story because it's mentioned that Holland doesn't have any living family but she has been talking about her mother. It feels like that part was rushed or skipped in editing. Also, there's a comment about early on about how no one ever asked Steve Jobs to step down from his company but it's easily verifiable that they did in fact push him out for a period of time.

Despite the early inconsistency, and the narration, I really liked the story. My rating is based on the story itself. If I were to rate the narration, it would sadly be ⭐⭐. I thought this was a sweet love story about an unlikely pair and had a lot more complexity during the last quarter of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed it, so I will share my review to followers and recommend the book. I'll just be recommending the printed version instead.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to read the book and provide my feedback.

I enjoyed this romance book. I got this book as an ALC and I very much enjoyed the whole plot the narration. It was a good book. I felt that I was in a genre, slump when I was starting this book. But this book was upbeat. Caught my attention. I liked the narrator, especially the girls voice, she gave so much character.. All in all cute romance if you want a cute rom com that will get you through a slump- this is definitely the book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC for my honest review.

2.5 ⭐️Ummm...I wasnt a fan of this one. I didn't connect with the characters and honestly I couldn't feel the connection between the 2 main characters. Idk if it's because I didn't like the audio as much but I just couldn't get into it.

Cute and surprisingly steamy once the romance kicks off. I assumed it would be closed for since there were several mentions for God and religion. The family drama and mystery was a bit frustrating, Holland forgives far too easily for me but I enjoyed it all.

Holland is all set to move from her small town to Charleston when she gets news that her biological great aunt has left her home to her. She never knew her bio family, and when she goes to her aunt's house, she finds more information on her family than she ever expected to have. It's overwhelming, but her gorgeous new neighbor Noble helps her through it. As they get closer, Holland starts to wonder if maybe she wants to stay in this home that's her connection to her bio family.

I really liked Holland and Noble, and Miss Edie. I also loved how their family issues were similar in some ways while being so different. I did struggle with Holland's family some. Her adoptive mother kept information from her, some of which (like medical history that she knew) I found borderline unforgivable. I was happy with how things resolved but hated how quickly her family told her to forgive her mom, especially since they pushed her to do so on her birthday, before even really celebrating. Like they couldn't let her have this one important day before telling her to forgive her mom for THAT? That was my one big issue though, aside from that I did really like it.

I loved Keisha Parrish's narration, and mostly loved Jamal West's narration too—my only issue with his was the way he narrated women's voices. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary (I often don't love how narrators handle the voices of people of other genders) but it did pull me out of the story slightly a couple of times.

Overall I really liked Unlikely Neighbors and would definitely read more by Renee Daniel Flagler.

This book checked the boxes for me
✅️ Self discovery
✅️ Opposites Attract
✅️ He Falls First
✅️ Supportive Friends
✅️ Family Secrets
✅️ Forgiveness
✅️ And Don't Forget the Spice

This book explored what happens when you take chances and open your heart! I loved this book so much!!!!!

Holland is on a self-discovery journey with plans of moving to Charleston, South Carolina. Unexpectedly, she inherits a Brooklyn brownstone and learns more about her family than she could’ve ever expected. Her new brownstone also comes with a sexy next-door neighbor named Noble, who is trying to figure out his next steps. The two form a connection and eventually fall in love.

I really enjoyed this story and the narrators! You should definitely check this out.

Thank you Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Such a quick listen! I really enjoyed the relationship between Holland and Noble but also with the next door neighbor. It really transported you to a Brooklyn neighborhood with the neighbors being involved in each others lives. I enjoyed the look into Holland's family history and her finding out her true history. Noble had great character development as well even though he started out being asked to step down from the company that he started. Listening to him find something that he was passionate about was great.

This was super cute and enjoyable. I loved how realistic the pacing of their relationship was and that they took time to get to know each other. Also the complexities each was going through with finding out about lost family and career confusion. Great read.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters were so relatable, and their chemistry was amazing. The story had the perfect balance of romance, drama, and heartfelt moments. I was hooked from start to finish! Some parts were a bit predictable, but it didn’t take away from the charm. Such a great read!

Opposites attract
Family drama
Starting over
Black romance
Spicy


Main Characters
Holland Davenport
Noble Washington


Audio review

Narrated by:
Keisa Parrish; Jamal West

The narrators did a great job of capturing the personality of each character. The flow of conversations and scenes were smooth.

Holland and Noble both experience major changes in their lives. Careers. Family and life itself make things difficult

Holland is an about to move from her close knit family to Charleston SC. She is adopted and her great aunt from her birth mother has left her a house in Brooklyn NY. While in NY, she discovers that not all is what it seems.

Noble is the CEO of the company he and his best friend founded in college. He was just voted out and is kind of floundering and feeling out of place. On top of that his family has been a mess for a while

There is instant chemistry when they meet. They go quickly from strangers to lovers. The spice is perfect for the story. Just the right amount without detracting from the plot.

When everything hits the fan the story becomes very emotional. Both characters did well with all the drama and stayed true to themselves.