3.5 Stars

On the Corner of Love and Hate is an enjoyable and fun enemies to lovers trope with a backdrop of small town politics. This slow burn romance is perfect for your summer vacation read!

Would recommend to fans of contemporary romance.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Emmanuelle (Emma) Peroni loved her small town. As a local government employee, she dedicated her time in helping to make Hope Lake thrive. With the upcoming mayoral election, the town was abuzz with candidate Cooper Endicott’s not-so-savory past exploits. She was strategically roped in to help his public image and political campaign. The only problem was they couldn’t see eye to eye without wanting to punch each other’s face.

This book pleasantly surprised me because I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. I was worried about the political part of the story but it wasn’t stuffy and quite entertaining.

Cooper was an unrepentant Casanova but that’s part of his charm and I liked how deep down the things he did were important to him. Emma was likable and relatable, even though there were times I wished she wasn’t so obstinate.

I adored the picturesque small-town setting and the antics of the tight-knit community. The romance was a very slow burn and low on heat, but I loved the banters and tension between them, so it worked for me.

In the Corner of Love and Hate is a story of working for what you believe in. It would appeal to readers looking for a lighthearted enemies to lovers romance.

On the Corner of Love and Hate was a bit of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, I was invested enough in the characters to want to know what happened with them. I was also intrigued enough by the secondary characters to want to know what their stories will bring (especially Henry, with whom I'm already half in love).

On the other hand, this slow burn romance was a little light on the burn and a little heavy on the slow. I felt like the majority focus was on the mayoral election storyline and the romance was more of a secondary plot. Which, would maybe have been fine if I hadn't gone into this looking for a romance. And, there is a romance here - but it ultimately didn't feel satisfying in the way I wanted it to. By the time the burn caught flame, I wasn't really sure how to feel about either of the characters anymore.

In the end, it was a bit of a lukewarm reading experience for me, but I'm still glad that I read it. I'm definitely invested enough to pick up the next one!

I really enjoyed this friends-to-antagonists-to-lovers romance. Add in the small-town politics and the sense of humor and this made a very enjoyable read that I stayed up late to finish.

We see everything from Emma’s point of view. Her father is the long-time mayor of this small Pennsylvania town and his chosen successor is Cooper whom Emma has had confusing feelings about since she was a kid. First they were friends and then she had a crush on him. But Cooper was immature at the time and enjoyed all the women who were attracted to him. Then they ended up working in the same community development office for the town. WHile they both had the same goals to help the town grow economically, Emma can’t help resenting Cooper.

And now she’s having to pick up the slack at the office while he’s busy campaigning for mayor and getting involved in several scandals stemming from the appeal that he seems to have for women.

It’s clear that there is much more to Cooper than Emma allows herself to see. She’s just rather blind to how Cooper has matured since college. For such a smart, driven woman, she is still rather dumb about what she feels for him. I would have enjoyed it more if she hadn’t been portrayed as so blind to what was going on. She might have noticed that Cooper’s opponent was fighting dirty and instead of waiting for the next attack, gone on the offensive. Why did it take so long to figure out the connection between the opponent and the newspaper editor? Why didn’t Cooper and his campaign do more to attack his opponent on the issues rather than seemingly depend just on Cooper’s charm winning over voters?

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

4.5 stars to this wonderful romance! It was more like frenemies-to-lovers than a typical enemies-to-lovers love story, which added a unique dynamic between the main characters. The reason it wasn't a complete 5 star read for me was because the backstory between the characters was confusing at first and not fully explained until too late in the story. The two had great chemistry, but I wished for a little more *romance" (if you know what I mean ;) ). I also loved the politics storyline, although it was so cut-and-dry that it made it super easy to root for the good guys.

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Emma's father is the current mayor of Hope Lake, PA and he wants to retire. His protégé, Cooper is running to replace him, and Emma's father wants Emma to be his publicist. Emma and Cooper have a history, and Emma is less than enthusiastic to take on the job. Cooper attracts women like bees to flowers and Emma finds it more and more difficult to give Cooper a clean image. Emma decides Cooper needs to have a steady girlfriend to make him seem more mayor-like. Will it work? A genuinely enjoyable tale.

Rated 3.5 Stars

I struggled with On The Corner of Love and Hate in the beginning but it grew on me. It's a mash up of a few things, women's fiction, contemporary small town romance, friends to lovers and enemies to lovers with a political bent. It's also sweet with a bit of humor. I liked it and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Thank you Gallery Books and Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of On the Corner Between Love and Hate in exchange for an honest review!

New from USA Today best selling author, Nina Bocci, is an enemies to lovers romance centered around a small town election. Cooper Endicott is running for Mayor of his small hometown of Hope Lake. But navigating the media and pressures of the campaign calls for him to enlist the help of his once best friend and now less than friendly coworker, Emma Peroni.

Emma is less than thrilled when she is asked by Cooper to help with his campaign. In fact, she would rather poke her eyeballs out than help him, but her love for her small community propels her to be the bigger person. Putting aside her personal grievances to help playboy Cooper with his image, Emma finds herself grappling with long buried feelings towards the one person she thinks she can’t stand.

This one is being touted as perfect for fans of Christina Lauren or Sally Thorne. While I thought it was fine - the story is compulsively readable - I did find myself becoming slightly annoyed with Cooper and Emma. This book will be perfect for those who want a lighter read and want a little romance. It does lack some of the signature wit and snark we’ve come to associate with the likes of CLo or Thorne’s books, but nevertheless romance readers should enjoy it.

Mixed feelings here... 3.5 Stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The title captured me because I think we all have those feelings where we love and hate someone at the same time. This book certainly proved that point because I also had a love-hate affair with it.

This book was a little complicated in that Emma and Cooper were best friends. However he broke her heart twice in her tender years and she never forgave him.

On one hand she was helpful and kind, but on the other hand she was angry, bitchy, and mean. While I understand that women get this way, she held her anger throughout the entire book. I think that’s what frustrated me the most.

One of their big problems was communication. He never communicated his feelings. She never communicated what really happened to break her heart. He was in love with her but didn’t want to break their “friendship“. She was in love with him but did not want to admit it, so she was just mean and short a lot of the time.

At one point in the book I was just telling Emma to get over it and grow up. And I have to give it to Cooper, he was a great character because he understood her and knew that he had hurt her, and he still kept forgiving her for being a bitch. He was the only reason I kept reading the story. So much love for him!!

Could I relate to this book? Absolutely. Do I harbor a grudge that long and yet still call myself a friend? Heck no. Plus, by the very end where we finally get the truth coming out and a little bit of romance, I was very frustrated.

So while I love the author and will definitely read other books by her, this one just did not capture me the way I wanted it to.

Which is exactly where this book found me. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I tried to like it. It's not the first time I've read Nina Bocci so I was a little surprised at my lack of enjoyment with this one. While the plot was okay, I had a great deal of trouble liking the characters. I found Connor very hard to take, I liked Emma a little more, finding her to be more relatable in the role she was cast in. I had to keep reminding myself these two were crowding thirty because their behavior came off more like early twenties and that's even a stretch.
I rarely have to push myself that hard to get through a book but this was a tough one for me and at halfway I almost put it aside. I think this book definitely has an audience, it just wasn't a good fit for me.

arc from NetGalley and publisher for an honest review

If you loved the Hating Game you will want to read this.
It's a love/hate/friends/lovers story. Emma has known Cooper her entire life, they have a long and complex past. So when she is volunteered to help Cooper with his Campaign to become Mayor of their town she is not jumping at the chance, Cooper drives her mad at the best of times, so becoming his Campaign Manager can't end well, can it?
I loved the dynamic between Emma and Cooper, their ups and downs had me on the edge of my seat! This is one of the few romance stories where I couldn't guess what was going to happen next and the sexual tension is palpable! I just couldn't read it fast enough.
In summary, this book is just bloody brilliant, I can't praise it enough. I'm so excited to read the next one!

I was so excited when Nina’s publicist invited me to read On the Corner of Love and Hate and let’s be frank, the title couldn’t be more perfect! And although Nina’s covered the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope pretty darn well, this first stand-alone in the Hopeless Romantics series has so much more to offer. Smalltown romance is one of my favourite subgenres; throw in a race for mayor in a politically charged campaign spices up the read no end. Bocci’s given life to loveable characters whose rib-tickling one-liners had me grinning from ear to ear. Realistically narrated and despite my ignorance regarding US politics, learning what goes on behind the scenes kept my interest piqued throughout the book.

So, Emma Peroni’s dad is the mayor and decides it’s time to call it a day, making room for new blood. Leaving his position in the capable hands of the town’s blue-eyed boy he’d watched grow up was on the cards. Trouble was, Cooper Campbell-Endicott needed help and fast. His sense of loyalty to Hope Lake's constituents is unquestionable, but convincing them to vote for him is hard work, especially seeing as his opponent’s not playing fair.

Coop and Emma had been the best of friends since youngsters but when they returned home after finishing their studies, something just didn’t feel right. I liked how I didn’t get to find out what caused them to fall out until quite a way into the read. Working in the same office complicated matters even further, and signs of a huge lack in communication kept cropping up. This made me question Emma’s stance many a time because I wanted her to be more honest with her feelings.

Emma holds her own up to a certain point. She’s a feisty lass and goodness me, does she work her you know what’s off! In the first place, she’s been cajoled into being campaign manager against her better judgement. Not only is she the best candidate to troubleshoot, but she also knows the ins and outs from her father. Although the idea seemed logical at the time, having to deal with someone who’d been brought in to help causes an inner turmoil. I can’t say her attitude towards this person surprised me, but she’s strong, discrete and well...thoroughly kickass.

I really liked how the story revolved around Coop’s family’s historical reputation and despite him wanting to carry on the political legacy, he comes up against pretty difficult problems. Emma respects his mother, the governor. Listening to her advice as one would do after having had quite a tight relationship with the family over the years didn’t exactly convince Emma or me. There seemed to be far too much water under the bridge to let bygones be bygones.

I couldn’t quite work out which one of these two dug their heels in more. Iron-willed, it felt like the Clash of the Titans on nearly every page I turned. Their constant bickering drove me around the bend, but the quirky banter made up for them constantly having a go at each other. On reflection, their persistence to win the elections together was without a doubt, a goal on a much more personal level than just politics. Dormant feelings knocked at the door; proving that they’d both chosen not to address certain issues… On Emma’s part, I think it was out of cowardice. On Coop’s, I truly believed he thought she’d look for all the excuses to turn him away.

Harsh, eh? I have to say I unjustly blamed Coop most of the time. Stressed out, he couldn’t have envisaged winning without Emma by his side. They needed to see what was staring them in the face personally and professionally. Both families are perfectly imperfect. Getting to know their life-long friends was a joy and I hope to see them in this series. Narrated from Emmanuella's POV as Coop insists on calling her, left me yearning for his side of the story. That being said, this romance is totally worth reading. Bravo, Nina!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.
First off the bat, this book started out slow. I literally started it, had trouble getting into it, and put it aside to read another book. I gave it a second chance and I'm glad that I did. It really is a slow start to a slow-burn frenemies to lovers romance. Emma and Cooper have known each other their whole lives and their parents not-so-secretly rooted for them to get together. That didn't happen. Instead, something ruined that chance back in college and now they don't get along.
Most of this story is about Cooper's run for mayor. Emma's dad has been mayor for years so she's kind of stuck in helping him out, making sure that Cooper's playboy image doesn't affect his run. The other candidate plays dirty so she has a big job ahead of her. It takes a while for Emma to understand her feelings but the reader can see them start to form before she gets it. What I liked more is that Cooper clearly has feelings for her too but can't figure out how to go about it. They bicker and argue and the banter is really well done. It's clear these two characters have known each other a while and know how to get under each other's skin. While the pacing of this book is a little slow, it works for 2/3rds of the book. You don't realize you're into the story until you're in it. You're seeing all the little hints of these characters falling for each other and reading between the lines for more. The build-up is slow and subtle and your own mind wanders to how they possibly can figure it out. The supporting characters are just as charming, including Emma's parents, and I definitely would continue reading this series. The epilogue is absolutely adorable and it works so well with the rest of the book. So, my advice is to push through those first few chapters so you can get to the good stuff because once it starts going, it doesn't stop.

Wow this author has blown me away. I devoured this book, I heart these charters so much, they have so much depth and feels.
Highly recommended this read.

A lot of readers enjoyed this novel -- I struggled to finish it and ended by skimming the last half. Enemies-to-lovers romances can be enjoyably full of tension, smart dialogue, and growing self-awareness and insight. But like all romances, they fail spectacularly when one of the main characters is just too unlikeable. My problem is that I never found anything much to like about Emma, and I despised Cooper. The good-girl-reforms-the-bad-boy trope is common, but this bad boy was horrid. Self-absorbed, arrogant, insensitive, and far too reliant on his charm to get out of tight spots, Cooper is a disaster as a romantic hero. Add to that his long string of uncommitted relationships, and I felt that Emma's love for him became not only incomprehensible, but downright self-destructive. In any book I read, writing style is important and plot matters, but without characters I care about, the book becomes tedious. This was a dull, slow-moving train-wreck for me.

Enemies to lovers… it’s a troupe that I adore. There’s a fine line between love and hate… Cooper and Emma walk that line non-stop. They used to be the best of friends growing up. Now, they’re more like nemesis than friends.

Emma and Cooper work together, but lately Cooper hasn’t been pulling his weight. He’s running for Mayor and has a ton on his plate. Emma’s dad is the current Mayor and is endorsing Cooper. Emma decides to help Cooper even though being around him more isn’t something she’s comfortable with.

Emma doesn’t want to admit it, but she has it bad for Cooper. That is one of the reasons she can’t stand to be around him. I got the vibe that he liked her too, but for some of the book it was hard to tell. This book was full of misunderstandings. So much of it. And there was a character I legit loathed. The last 5-10% of the book was fantastic but it took so much to get there!

Even though this book wasn’t great for me, I loved Nina’s writing style. I think she’s so talented and I love the world she created in Hope Lake. I am dying for a Henry book and I would love to read about Nick as well. Even though there were some things that didn’t work for me in this particular book, I’m looking forward to reading more from this series!

I absolutely loved this debut from Nina Bocci! Emma and Cooper were fantastic characters and super relatable. I found their relationship to be believable, which isn't as common as I would like in romance novels. I cannot wait to read more from Nina!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had never heard of Nina Bocci before I received an email inviting me to read On the Corner of Love and Hate. The premise sounded like something I would definitely enjoy and I'm sorry Nina that I had not heard of you before, because you have a new fan! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the Hopeless Romantics series.

I got sucked right into this story and flew through reading since I just could not put it down. Emma is such a relatable character and Cooper, you want to hate him as much as you want to love him! And I wish Henry could be my best friend!

This was definitely a fun read and reminded me of the Hallmark Movies I love to watch!

This was a great debut by this author and I am looking forward to more. I really enjoyed the second half of the book, when the romance started to develop. I did find the beginning a bit slow, but it’s worth the wait. I enjoyed the small town politics as well.

Nina Bocci gave me a book I couldn't put down. I was drawn into Emma and Cooper's story. I loved the fact they had been childhood best friends who grew up in a tiny town. Friends turned enemies turned co-workers. They had a mutual respect of each other in business, but some of Cooper's personal choices left him as a giant thorn in Emma's side.

These two, the humor, the banter, the bickering...yep. That'll hook me every single time.
Add in the long lost feelings and the obvious crush and you can't get rid of me.

I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance.
I am a sucker for a friends to lovers romance.

Somehow, Nina delivered on both of these.