There are a couple of easy ways to get me to buy into a book immediately, and one of them is to feature theater in any way shape or form, so when this book opened with a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, well, I was all in.

Bree is an ensemble actress living in the house left partially to her when her grandmother passed away. Living in the house is giving Bree the chance to, for the first time, put down roots and establish not only her career, but her living situation. In the past, Bree has flitted from job to job, but in order to retain ownership of the house, she promises her parents to stay in one job for at least a year. But a renovation at the theater where she works threatens to make that impossible. And when she comes home one day to find a sexy new neighbor with a dog who can't leave her alone, Bree is pushed to the brink. Chip moves into the house next door to Bree with plans to renovate it. Having just split from his family's construction company to start his own business, Chip is in need of work, fast. Winning the bid for the theater renovation is just the project he needs to put him on the map. But once his dog goes after Bree, Bree fights back, and the two begin a prank war that could end up costing both of them. But it doesn't obvs, and they live happily ever after.

So as I said, this book had me from the beginning. Yes because of the theater tie in, but also because the voice was super witty and charming from the get. These prank war kind of books seem to be popular right now, and I for one am here for them. I loved seeing how these two were going to torture each other next. I would have liked there to be more kissing (no shock there), and I personally would have liked Bree and Chip to get together sooner, but it was really fun watching their relationship play out and seeing them go from (legit) enemies to lovers. I blew through this book super fast because I just wanted to see what they were going to do next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm sorry, I think it was me, but I found this book quite hard to get into. There were a lot of characters and interactions, but not much explanation or perspective about their actions. Bree wasn't particularly easy to like either. The beginning issues with the houses were quite farfetched too. I won't be posting this review to other sites.

This is the perfect book to read after you’ve read a lot of thrillers and heavy content books! The Cul-de-Sac War is a cute and light rom com! The pranks Chip and Bree pull on each other were funny and had me snickering. I rooted for them the entire book! This is the kind of romantic comedy you want to read about or watch after a long day at work to unwind.

The book is told from alternating perspectives of Bree and Chip. There’s been many books I didn’t love when the perspectives would shift because I often found one character to be more boring and would inevitably skim the chapter to quickly move on to the character I do like. This was not the case for The Cul-de-Sac War. I found both characters to be likable and funny. Each shift in perspective added more to the story and I liked both equally!

Do yourself a favor and pick this up when you want something lighthearted and fun! It’ll put a smile on your face!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my review!

This was a really cute book. The story is paced and well written. The characters are likeable. It is a great quick read that will make you feel good. I would definitely recommend!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Melissa Ferguson delivered everything I hope for in an enemies to lovers romance. I caught myself laughing and grinning while reading and was sad when it was over. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters.
It was full of sweet and sassy fun filled pranks between two characters with fantastic chemistry.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love Melissa Ferguson's books ever since I read The Dating Charade. I was really excited for this one too. I mean enemies to lovers romance- yes please, where can I sign up? I was very excited and I was right to be excited because I loved reading every second of it. The chemistry between Chip and Bree is amazing and the execution of the story is completely charming. As I said before, I loved reading it and I highly recommend it if you like romantic comedies or enemies to lovers romance. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the free copy.

This book is good, clean fun. I loved the meet cute. The subsequent meetings are hilarious. Chip and Bree are great characters, as are all the supporting characters. There are some great serious moments as well. I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

This book had some truly great pranks! Like the sneaky part of me is tucking these ideas away for futer reference!
I adore books with the love /hate trope and this book definitely delivers so much of why I love this trope. It is very entertaining to watch the sparks fly!
I know that I shouldn't compare one book to another (I really try to rate each book, based on it's own merits). I do want to mention to other readers that the spiritual message is definitely not as prominent in this book as her first one. I had read a review that eluded to that so I was aware of this going in.
However she used a quote from c.S. Lewis that really hinted at a deeper meaning and I thought that was a clever way to weave a bit of a spiritual message without making it obvious.
I do tend to gravitate towards the books that are uplifting and have a clear spiritual message.
However it is still a great story.
There were times I was just grinning like........Chip really!
The antics were so fun, and there were deeper topics that were included. I like the way the author added that level of depth to the characters.
A light entertaining read!
I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgally. All my opinions are my honest feelings and opinions about this book.

I absolutely adore a good enemies to lovers trope. It always makes for such a fun read.

In this fun quirky novel we meet rising actress Bree and witty contractor Chip. Together shenanigans ensue as they struggle to find their balance as neighbors.

What I loved: the inner dialogues of the two main characters within the dual POV. This allowed it to feel like more than just a rom com. Also, Russell the Mastiff was such a highlight.

What I didn't love as much: it was slow going. There definitely was a more lax pace than some of my more recent romcoms.

Overall I would recommend this for someone who needs a cute story outside of their current reality. The romance is not heavy handed and there is no steam.

Thank you Thomas Nelson pubs and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well written book that a person younger than me would love. I just couldn't connect with the characters in the story. Please don't let my review stop you from giving this book a chance. Thank you Thomas Nelson--FICTION via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own. I'm giving this book 4 stars.

What a delightful laugh-out-loud romantic comedy! If you're looking for a fun escape and some good laughs with sweet & funny characters, look no further than "The Cul-deSac War" by Melissa Ferguson! I really enjoyed this book.

It is a joy to read a book that involves conflict and trials, but is at it's core a kind book. This describes 'The Cul-de-Sac War' for me. I laughed, I was touched and I was ultimately rewarded with a feel good resolution in the lives of two people whose 'relationship' started off magically, but deteriorated quickly. The ensuing journey was a delight and a great escape. This was a fitting follow-up to Melissa Ferguson's first book and I anxiously look forward to many more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Cul-de-Sac War was captivating from the very beginning. The introduction starts with talk on first impressions and this book definitely made a good first impression in those opening pages. The story is filled with laugh-out-loud moments that made it a fun read all the way through. I could just imagine how much fun the author, Melissa had while writing this and I would love to see this in a movie! Truly hilarious. Well done Melissa!

As a fan of Hunger Games, I found those references hilarious. I found it coincidentally strange that both Hunger Games and Selena were mentioned in the book and both those movies played on DSTV the same day I was reading the book (10 Oct 2020). Talk about synchronousity!

There are three types of books: love, hate, and meh. This one was a meh for me.

The idea and plot were fun if not familiar. An enemies-to-lovers troupe where two neighbors prank war each other over bad first impressions but eventually realize they are meant for love instead of hate. Although, in this case, it was more like angry second impressions. I’ve got to be honest, it just didn’t work.

Bree—what can I say? I didn’t care for her at all. Her immaturity and determination to hate her neighbor (mostly because he was attractive but had a girlfriend and she didn’t like ‘crushing’ on him) was too forced. I’m going to sound like a broken record, but: it just didn’t work. Every time a ‘this is war’ statement was made from either side, I didn’t take it seriously. I couldn’t. Because I really didn’t see a believable reason for it. It was…*cringe*…boring.

Not at all what I was expecting or hoping for. I’ve read these kinds of stories before. Maybe I had too-high expectations because of how good those other stories were. This one didn’t meet the mark at all… It didn’t even come close, no matter how hard it tried.

That’s the key. The entire story felt like the author took a square peg and kept forcibly jamming it into a round hole. It was painful.

I felt no real connection with the characters and many moments (based on the writing style) confused me. How do I describe it? It was like walking into the middle of a conversation or an inside joke, and I just had to nod and smile as if I knew what was happening even though I didn’t. Have you ever put together a puzzle only to find out some pieces were missing? It’s not that you can’t see the picture, it’s just those empty spots are an eyesore and an annoyance. Sometimes I wondered if I there was a previous book that would explain what I was missing—a kind of behind-the-scenes manual.

I rarely feel so lost when reading a book, but paired with the boredom this one made reading a chore I didn’t want to continue. I wasn’t even midway through until I started skim-reading.

The author tried; she had a picture and a pretty plan—just a poor execution. There were some scenes I enjoyed; some catchy phrases and sentences that were well-constructed, thoughtful, or amusing. But all-in-all, nothing I would care to force myself to read again or recommend to anyone.

I received a complimentary ARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Bree and Chip have a chance meeting while Bree has a costume malfunction during a performance. The two immediately have chemistry, but Bree is quickly turned off by Chip as he tailgates her home from the theatre only to discover that he purchased the house fixer upper house next door. Bree is seriously peeved at Chip as his construction continually does damage, minimal damage, to her property. She demands that he fixes all the errots and sparks fly between the two, even though she really doesn't want to like him. They pull laugh out loud pranks on one another until they can no longer resist their feelings for one another. This is a fun rom-com read!

If you like the idea of two people acting like second graders who think the opposite sex has cooties, this is the book for you. If you like Hallmark movies, this is for you. It was not for me. GROW UP.

3.5

This book had a really good plot: two next door neighbors in a cul-de-sac warring about the construction the one is doing. The one who has an enormous dog who just happens to think the other is his favorite person. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the wit. I enjoyed how they eventually began to fall for each other. It was a fun book to read. I was a bit disappointed at the absence of a faith element, as it's marketed as Christian fiction. But it was a good book and I can recommend it.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion here is my own.

In Melissa Ferguson's latest rom-com, two enemies find something they never expected in one another--taking "all's fair in love and war" to a hilarious and heartwarming new level.

All’s fair in love and prank wars.

Bree Leake doesn’t want to be tied down. She’s had more jobs than she can count, and she plans to move as soon as the curtains fall on her less-than-minor role at The Barter—the oldest live performance theater in the US. But just when it’s time to move on again, Bree’s parents make her an offer: hold steady for one full year, and they will give her the one thing she’s always wanted—her grandmother’s house. Her dreams are coming true . . . until life at the theatre throws her some curve balls.

I enjoyed this book and kept grinning at how far Bree and Chip would go to annoy each other. They wound each other up, but still, when it all mattered, they were there for each other and could be serious when it came down to it. I love those kind of relationships.

It’s exactly the kind of rom com you’d want to be reading in times like these!

A rom-com that will make you laugh until your side hurts!

The Cul-de-Sac War was one of the funniest and charming contemporary romance novels I have read all year! Clean and full of spirit, the characters were hysterical, and the plot a perfect pick-me-up! If this were a movie, it would be my choice for a girl's night or lazy day!

Bree Leake has never settled or known what she wanted. Having adorned many hats, it’s not until her grandmother leaves a part of her house to Bree that she starts to dream of a stable future. With a job at the local theatre, Bree’s life finally feels like it is falling into place, that is until she meets Chip McBride. While sparks flew at their meet-cute, things take a fiery turn when Chip moves into the fixer-upper next door. Caught in a war where both parties will go to the extreme to win, nothing is out of bounds; however, when their jobs and relationships are put in jeopardy, one of them will have to call a truce, but who will be the one to raise the white flag?

With the classic love-hate relationship, The Cul-de-Sac War meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Bree’s quirky personality — which reminded me a lot like Louisa Clark's from Me Before You — and Chip’s fierce competitive yet charming nature creates a match made in heaven.

At first, I didn’t think I would like this book as I felt like the hate-to-love scenario had already been done so often; however, I was hooked by the end of the first few pages. Laughing my way through each chapter until the wee hours of the night, I think this was the fasted book I’ve read all year, and honestly, I already want to reread it!

Side note: Is it strange that I pictured the characters speaking with British accents? Probably... Nevertheless, an author can only do so much to create a fictional world; it's up to the reader to fill in the pieces and use their imagination to interpret each scene in their mind.

This was my introduction to Melissa Ferguson, and it will not be the last book I read of hers. In a year surrounded by disappointment and uncertainty, this book's publication couldn't have come at a better time! If you're searching for a novel that will make you swoon, laugh, and feel as though you're watching a movie, The Cul-de-Sac War is perfect for you!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a pre-release copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own!

The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson is a humorous and lighthearted story about neighbors who are at war with each other.
This is one story where you really cannot go by first impressions…or can you?
Bree and Chip meet in a most unusual way, outside the backdoor of the stage, during a live production in which Bree has a small, if somewhat unimportant part. She dodges outdoors in the middle of the show because her dress is falling apart, and she needs help, STAT. Chip, who just happens to be in the right place at the right time, comes to her rescue. Bree thinks they might have a special connection going, until she sees him later with his gorgeous girlfriend.
It wassn’t till a short time later that they discovered that they’d ended up as next-door neighbors, and because of various unfortunate events, neither one of them was one bit happy about it. What got them onto a bad note was that Chip’s very large dog, Russell, decided Bree was his most favorite person. He launched himself at her, knocked her over, slobbered all over her, and more. Bree, who felt stalked and attacked by Russell, tried to get Chip to control the dog, but all to no avail.
As the story progresses, other humorous and somewhat unbelievable things take place, until finally, they find themselves in a war of sorts. Both Bree and Chip stretch their imaginations to the max to come up with something to drive the other one a little bit more insane. I found their pranks to be humorous, but rather unrealistic, and somewhat childish. Bree absolutely took it too far when she placed a craigslist ad that had people showing up with all kinds of animals, and practically turning their street into a zoo.
Melissa Ferguson does have a way of writing characters and scenarios. In spite of the fact that I found myself rolling my eyes at the characters, I still had to chuckle at their antics.
If you are looking for a fun, clean, light hearted romance, then I do recommend this one. I’d just like to leave this word of advice – do not try these pranks on your neighbor, because you never know what it might lead to!
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255