Rowan Mackey, a teacher and fix-it queen with a past marked by serious burns, seeks solace in a quiet life with her boyfriend, Dean. However, when her relationship hits a snag, she finds herself drawn to her next-door neighbour, Jack Graham, a bestselling romance writer with a reputation as a playboy. Despite their initial clashes, Rowan and Jack discover a surprising connection that challenges their preconceived notions about love and relationships. As they navigate the complexities of their feelings, they must confront difficult choices that could change their lives forever. With heartfelt emotion and engaging characters, this is a captivating romance that explores the power of love to transcend barriers.

This is everything you could want in a neighbors to friends to lovers/slowburn romance! I absolutely loved this book! This book touched on so many heavier topics very beautifully while still keeping the story relatively light. I loved watching Rowan and Jack’s relationship grow and how they helped each other through their trauma and hardships. The found family aspect through Rowan’s sister to fostering to the nosy neighbors was absolutely amazing! I highly highly recommend adding this to your TBR and reading it asap!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. the characters were interesting, the side characters were awesome, and the plot was pretty good. That said, I do think that there were some minor issues with some things that happened that made me genuinely pause and ask what was the point of adding this to the story. Overall it was fun to read but I do think it drug on way too long and unfortunately the epilogue was really dissatisfying. The end of the book left me really bummed it didn’t have more tied up ends and instead it was finished in a weird way during the epilogue. Hence, 3 stars.

**thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy to review!!**

after reading ‘one thing better’, i was so excited to get my hands on another book by jessica sherry and this didn’t disappoint!

rowan was an easily likeable character, and i was quick to root for her to stand up for herself and demand better and so glad she did! both her and jack are flawed but realistic and still likeable characters, and the daisy chain community add a bit of humour too!

another great read :)

I loved this book. The story was deeply emotional and dealt with important topics. Jack was the most loveable a-hole and he completely swooned me. Rowan was just simply amazing. This was the slowest of slow burns, but it was worth the wait.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the book.

This is one of my most favorite recent romcoms. Rowan and Jack are such complex and likable characters. I give the writer so much credit for getting into the characters' flaws, and providing multiple avenues for exploration of those flaws. The story was fun. The cast of characters varied and their own bright spot (yet never stole the show). Really fun and enjoyable read.

This book came to me via Netgalley – I liked the concept and wanted something fun and quick to read. And Yes No Maybe delivered just that 😊

This is the story of Rowan, an English Lit teacher at her local high school. Rowan is proposed to by her fellow-teacher-slash-desperate-to-have-his-big-break-actor boyfriend, Dean, in a very public setting which leads her to respond to his question to marry him with “yes. no… maybe”. While Dean decides to go on a summer-long road trip with his wannabe-actor pals (driven by the humiliation of Rowan’s response, so he claims) to score some roles – and ideally his big break – Rowan decides to buy that house that she’s been eyeing up and moves into a new neighborhood that has the grumpy-to-her-sunshine romance writer Jack as her next door neighbor.

This book is “only” a three-star read for me. I did have a great time reading it and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a found family, sassy teenagers, and a lot of literary talk in their romances. This book also deals with a lot of trauma which I think it handled really tenderly, giving Rowan a lot of different facets and colors.

But as much as I enjoyed the actual story and many of the characters, the book did feel rushed to me. There are a lot of side plots – issues/developments that popped up that I don’t think needed to be included. This diluted the overall story and many things were “sorted” somewhat unsatisfyingly. It felt at times that in order to drive the story forward, another issue needed to be added. And then another one. So I didn’t necessarily feel this progressed naturally.

I also wish the reader would’ve been clued in on the actual incident of Rowan’s scars sooner. We only find out the real, heartbreaking reason once we’re way over 50% into the book. It keeps us at a distance and makes understanding certain aspects of Rowan’s life (and of another character’s) difficult.

We were also told a lot of things instead of being shown them. One example is our desperate-to-have-his-big-break-actor fiancé Dean: for up to 90% of the book he is pretty insufferable and mean… until suddenly he is not but instead is the great friend he’s apparently always been.

Then there’s our MMC – Jack. Oh man, I don’t know where to start. I find Jack kinda (totally) unlikable. He’s not just portrayed as the grumpy, sexy, handsome, smart neighbor, he is also particularly slutty (no shame in his game – just a statement of facts) even when he starts spending more time with Rowan and clearly takes a liking to her.
(I think I might be spoiled by the Ali Hazelwood’s, Mariana Zapata’s, or Elsie Silver’s who have their MMCs “sort out” their sex lives usually before they meet the FMC. And I like that as it shows the behavior has changed instead of just having to take the dude’s word for it.)
And here lies my biggest problem: like Rowan, I don’t know where we stand with Jack. When we’re in his storyline, he tells us a lot about how he feels and his intentions. When we’re with Rowan, we see very little of that. (That scene when Rowan witnesses yet another woman in his “rotation” arrive at his front door… nope, no thank you.)

With all that being said – this is a very well written book. I like the banter between the characters, I think the teenagers are portrayed really, really well, and I like the strength of our girl Rowan. The dudes I don’t care about at all within the romance setting – but outside of it, they’re entertaining, too. Would I read another book by the author? For sure! I know I’d enjoy the journey and have laugh-out-loud moments.


🌶️ Spice-level: not closed-door but still pretty tame

I fell in love with this book quickly! I enjoyed how much of an antihero Jack was and how he and Rowan complimented each other. Seeing the growth of them both, especially with Rowan and her scars, was so satisfying and such a journey. I highlighted all over my Kindle and fell in love with these perfectly imperfect characters.

This gem had some of my favorite tropes! Opposites Attract, Neighbors, Grumpy/Sunshine, Overcoming Challenges, and of course Hot Chemistry.
Rowan has felt broken her whole life. She was involved in an accident with a boiling pan that has left her scarred from her face to right above her heart. She has felt her whole life that she has repulsed people and is going to settle when her fellow teacher, Dean, proposes to her. Except, she falters and answers with a yes, no, maybe. Dean leaves for the summer claiming he needs space from Rowan.
Rowan had been looking at a house that was small, cute, and a place she could call home. She decides to go ahead and buy it. She was not aware that her neighbor was Jack Graham, the romance writer. The angsty, crabby, and emotionally distant author that is. He lives like a frat boy trying to work through his writers block and that's when he sees Rowan. She is the woman from the restaurant that changed the trajectory of his career and she has no idea.
Jack is falling hard and fast for Rowan, but old habits die hard. Rowan is still trying to convince herself Dean is what she wants and needs. This story develops so beautifully with found family, past hurts being healed, and showing what baring your soul is really about. I absolutely loved it!
Thank you to @NetGalley and @jessicasherry_books for my copy to read and review. This book is a very special gem!

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Sherry for the advanced reader copy. These are my honest opinions.

WOW! This book was absolutely wonderful. I am currently experiencing a book hangover because I cannot stop thinking about Rowan and Jack. This story is going to live with me for a long, long time. It was heartwarming, hilarious and deep all at the same time. There were some amazing quotes that I don't think I will ever forget. Jessica Sherry was able to write about traumatic and triggering events with care and tenderness that made me feel so seen and validated. This book made me both laugh out loud and shed some tears.

Jack is a moody writer type (romance author) who's experiencing some major writer's block. He has a cat named Harper Lee.
Rowan is a high school English teacher and avid reader (everything but romance). She has a cat named Edgar Allen Poe.
He's grumpy and she's sunshine.
The two end up living next door to one another and their relationship is described as "cordially volatile."

I could literally sit here and gush about this book for hours, but I don't want to give too much away. Read this if you enjoy:
Dual POV
Grumpy x Sunshine
Nosy neighbors and cute side characters (LOVED Rose & Vernon)
Found family
Literary puns
He calls her princess
Enemies to friends to lovers
Slow burn
Angst and tension

"A good romance is everything- scary, thrilling, mysterious, happy, sad, funny, dark. I wanted a genre with an emotional depth that could be anything I wanted it to be. Romance fits me best."

I absolutely adored this story. The touching on trauma was a refreshing break from the typical romcom we see. I loved Rowan from the beginning. Jack and Rowan’s romance felt realistic and heartfelt. The neighbors and side characters were such a fun touch. It was fun seeing the MMC be the romance author in this scenario! This book was super sweet and touching and I definitely recommend it!

SCREAMING CRYING AND THROWING UP! Jessica did it again!! She had me absolutely fall in love with the story and characters and she had me chanting and crying! Honestly I can’t wait to continue reading more of Jessica’s work!! I absolutely love it!!

Also I forgot to add.. Vernon.. no.

This is such a cozy romance! The main female character is so relatable, which makes you root so hard for her to get the happily ever after she deserves. I loved the social commentary added in, encouraging people to foster, encouraging more open curriculums especially around reading. I will say the one aspect I didn’t like was that she cheats on her bf, I wish they had broken up before that first kiss, or maybe been broken up before all of it, I don’t know. But that is just my personal preference!

To say I was kicking screaming giggling like a little girl while reading this book would be an understatement. It was very cute and super easy to read and kept you hooked!

I loved this read. This didn't feel so much like a typical romance (even though it was very much a romance), in that it had a great deal of trauma bonding and backstory that shaped the narratives of Rowan and Jack as individuals and how they grow through their lives to come together.

There were some plot twists that I didn't expect, which kept me engaged and excited throughout this whole novel. Sherry was wildly descriptive and I was able to imagine myself in this little neighborhood with such a fun cast of secondary characters.

Rowan Mackey is a high school English teacher, she's been dating a fellow teacher and head of the drama department for 7 months now. What she loves most about their relationship is that they are independently happy, she has her life and he has his. Due to her awful dating history, it's made her not like nor believe in romance of any kind. It's also left her thinking that her current boyfriend is probably the best option she'll ever have, even though they don't have much in common. While her boyfriend is away, she moves into a new house and all of the neighbors are lovely, except Jack Graham, playboy, romance writing author, and party boy. He's her next door neighbor. He makes it very clear that he doesn't want Rowan for a neighbor. They turn from neighbors to enemies when he drunkenly says something horrible about her face to his friends and she over hears it. So ensues the potential romance. It was very cute!

Thank you netgalley for this eARC!

This book turned out to be a deeply engaging exploration of love, uncertainty, and the decisions that shape our lives. The main character was portrayed with both humor and sincerity. I found myself empathizing with her dilemmas, cheering for her successes, and feeling her setbacks as if they were my own.

Afflicted with serious burns as a teenager, Rowan avoids attention as she gets too many unwanted stares already. So it's no surprise when her boyfriend's public proposal goes sideways. She decides to fix it by buying the perfect little house. The next door neighbour, Jack Graham, bestselling romance author and playboy, proves to be quite the troublemaker.

Jack didn't like Rowan at first but everyone else in the neighbourhood welcomed her with open arms. Moreso, her life intrigued him to a point of curing his writer's block. He still had to remind himself that she was off-limits even though her fiancé left for the summer needing some space.

I still love that he implored her not to settle for ordinary just because her scars and past experiences made her believe she didn't deserve better.

Rowan was an awesome teacher and aspiring foster parent. I loved how creative she was with her classes and how willing she was to take on the mountain that was fostering.

The neighbours were an interesting bunch that never hesitated to help or converge for an impromptu soirée.

I love that even though it was a rollercoaster and colossal mistakes were made, a beautiful ending came about for everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book hooked me initially. It was an easy and fun read despite feeling a little dragged out and long at times. I feel like this book is an ode to teachers and the love of books. As a former teacher myself, I loved the spotlight given to teachers who go the extra mile and truly have a passion for the profession and the impact they have on their student’s lives. The nods and references to so many wonderful pieces of literature was one of my favorite parts too. Jacks tattoos were nerdy and fun. I loved all the eclectic characters throughout the book. If you enjoy the idea of a found family and finding love next door, you will enjoy this book. There were some heavy topics like grief, domestic violence, childhood trauma peppered throughout the book. However the love story between Rowan and Jack was the glue to hold the whole story together. This book was also low on spice, so if that’s not your thing, definitely give this one a whirl. Although, I can’t say I loved this book, I did still enjoy it and found myself highlighting some profound points that really resonated with me.

I love the connection between Rowan and her love for books and reading. Then she meets her Neighbor author Jack. I love the grumpy sunshine relationship vibes between the two. It was cute.