On the Corner of Love and Hate has all the ingredients I typically enjoy in a rom-com—enemies to lovers, a quirky small-town backdrop, and a cast of lovable side characters—but unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite land for me.

Let’s start with the good: the town of Hope Lake was absolutely delightful. Nina Bocci does a great job crafting a cozy setting full of charming details and fun, eccentric residents. I especially loved the side characters and the sense of community throughout. Emma’s friendships felt genuine, and the portrayal of family life was surprisingly refreshing—supportive parents are always a plus in my book. I also found myself chuckling at a few of Emma’s inner monologues, which brought a light and playful tone to the story. And can we talk about the covers for this series? Absolutely adorable.

That said, the story moved too slowly for my taste. I kept waiting for the spark between Emma and Cooper to ignite, but the chemistry just never got off the ground. With the story told entirely from Emma’s point of view, I found myself wishing for Cooper’s perspective—his motivations and feelings remained a mystery for much of the book, which made it harder to connect with their dynamic. And honestly? Neither of them was quite likable enough for me to root for their romance.

The political campaign plotline also felt oddly intense for such a quaint town and ended up overshadowing the love story, which was disappointing. I came for the slow-burn romance and left with more frustration than butterflies.

All in all, this one had its sweet and funny moments, and I’d still be curious to read more from the series—especially since I adored the world of Hope Lake. But as far as this couple goes, I wasn’t quite convinced they were meant to be.

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci

I think comparing this book to the likes of Christina Lauren might have made me go in with higher expectations than I should have. There are some cute moments, and Nina Bocci's writing style is great. I loved the descriptions of Hope Lake, which sounds like the most perfect small town ever. I got very weighed down by all the day-to-day business hustle and all the politics. Cooper's Mayoral campaign takes away from the romance, which was disappointing. Today's political climate and all the news headlines send me off to read and escape, and this book did not give me that escape. Cooper, who enters the scene as a very unlikable guy turns out to be a sweetheart, which was a major relief for me. But I wanted to know more about him. I feel like a requirement for enemies to lovers should be that we get points of view from both characters, because Emma's wasn't enough for me. I wanted to know how he was feeling and didn't even know if he liked her for a very long time. I also really struggle with the miscommunication/lack of communication plot device that is so common in romances, and I wanted to shake Emma for refusing to ever talk about anything important. There wasn't a lot to like about her, but she did have her moments that softened my feelings towards her. Really, the town and Nina's writing shines in this book. The story itself just wasn't my cup of tea. I am excited to read the next book, though, and hopefully the politics will stay out of my romance this time!

Emma Peroni and Cooper Endicott have known each other forever--since they were children. They have always had an up and down relationship. Though they may currently work together, Emma feels that this is one of their down times. He drives her crazy.
At 28 years old, Cooper is running for mayor of their small town of Hope Lake. He needs to curb his hound dog ways and to do so, he needs Emma's help.

This is a slow burn...if there is even a burn. I really didn't feel the chemistry between Emma and Cooper. They felt more like good friends. I did love hearing all the "Emma thought" spread throughout the book. They were usually quite humorous. I enjoyed the secondary characters of their friends, Nick and Henry, and will definitely be reading their stories.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I got halfway through this book and put it down. I just wasn't interested in finishing. I appreciate the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free review copy.

On the Corner of Love and Hate was a light read, and fun. While it was kind of slow in my mind, I enjoyed it, and the characters. The two main characters were pretty predictable, and both very stubborn. I was a tad bored while reading, as it has taken me a long time to actually get thru this book. Maybe it was just the wrong time to read it, but it wasn’t horrible either. I’m going to give Nina Bocci another try!

Friends to lovers is a trope for a reason, and On the Corner of Love and Hate does a good job with it. I loved the wit and banter between Emma and Cooper. Kind of reminded me of West Wing. With politics being so divisive these days it was nice to read something fun involving politics.


Thank you to Netgalley and to Gallery Books for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been trying to go back to my older books in my Netgalley TBR and my reading preferences have changed so much that I couldn't make it very far in this one. Just wasn't quite working out for me. At this time, I'm no longer interested in this title. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

It is with a heavy heart that I write this review. Why? Because I had high hopes for this book. I had really enjoyed this author’s debut (ROMAN CRAZY) and I definitely had high expectations for this series. I have to admit from the very beginning this book didn’t meet those expectations.

Starting off with my dislike for the hero. I can get behind an unlikeable hero but somehow Cooper rubbed me the wrong way and I just couldn’t get past that. I also don’t think he did enough to justify his earlier behavior. It wasn’t all towards the heroine, it was also the way he was acting at work and skirting his responsibilities at first. And yes, we find out why but I just didn’t have much sympathy.

Then we get to the heroine and quite frankly as the book progresses she just got more and more on my nerves. While on paper this would’ve been a story right up my alley and providing me all of my catnip it just fell short. I couldn’t come to care for either of the main characters or the HEA.

In terms of the writing I also found it very different than Roman Crazy. I was expecting this to be fun and upbeat, to make me laugh. Instead it was flat and at times choppy. I did manage to finish it and I think there was something there that could’ve been a gem. But in the end it wasn’t a hit for me. Which saddens me because I really wanted to like it. Will I continue the series? To be determined.

I love the author Nina Bocci, but this book wasn't my cup of tea. I liked the writing style of the book, but didn't love the characters. It won't stop me from recommending this book to those I think will love it, and I still plan to read more by Bocci in the future.

Personally I find enemies-to-lovers to be the most fun type of romance to read, because I love that tension when the main characters think they are at odds, but I just know something is brewing between them! I also love when they realize they are attracted to one another, and that they challenge one another to be a better version of themselves. This was no exception!

Emma is the daughter to the Mayor of Hope Lake (which is an adorable town nestled between a lake and a mountain that I definitely wanted to move to) and she works for the local government for the town that is so important to her and her family. Cooper is her former best friend from childhood, and now the current thorn in her side at work. And let’s not let Cooper off the hook for what exactly turned their friendship to a battle ground.

Emma ignores Cooper at work for the most part, until the day that her father asks her to assist with Coopers run for Mayor and help him improve his image. Cooper should be a lock for Mayor, having grown up as the son of the current Governor, but Cooper has a bit of a play-boy image to contend with, and Emma’s father thinks she is the one to help fix that.

The chemistry between Emma and Cooper is evident from page one, but of course these two have quite a few hurdles to overcome before they acknowledge it. Their best friends Nick and Henry and some other quirky townspeople will help push them along, since Emma in particular is not interested in discussing what led to their falling out. Filled with snarky banter and fantastic characters, this one was easy to lose myself in for a few hours! I am excited to read more about some of the other characters from the town in future books.

This is also quite timely since the mayoral election is front and center in the book, and there is a consistent message of the importance of voting and getting involved, especially in local politics.
Full of small town charm, humorous dialogue, and heart-warming moments—this is sure to a be a great escape read!

Thank you to Gallery Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

DNF at 20%. This book has a pretty slow start and I’m not feeling attached to find out how things are going to go. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

As the first book in the Hopeless Romantics series, I enjoyed this new release from Nina Bocci.

I am a fan of the Enemies to Lovers trope, and Cooper and Emma really walked that line! Overall it was a cute and quirky read that was a slow burn, and I’m excited to continue on in the series!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery books for the free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 11%. I was interested in this romance but I could not connect with the writing or the romance. I decided to put it down.

I started this book over a year ago and was not a fan. After going back and still not connecting with the writing I had to put it down.

Overall, the writing was not the best and with romance novels I can tell pretty quickly if I will like a book and this is not one of those.

always impressed with nina bocci. although i am only just reviewing this book, i read it quite sometime ago and fell in love with it and have recommended it multiple times

Thank you so much for the copy. I tried to pick this one up but it did not work for me. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

Thank you, Gallery for our gifted review copy.

I had super high hopes for this one! I certainly love a small-town romance & especially if it's an unlikely match. While I loved the setting, unfortunately, I was missing the connection between the main characters. I didn't really love either of them so it was hard to root for the romance. That being said, I will gladly read and look forward to more of Nina's writing.

Loved this slow burn and loved the idea of politics and romance. Great characters and plot line. Good beach read or a weekend read.