This is the second book of Melissa's that I have read. While I did think that Chip was borderline stalking her - looking at her through the bedroom window made me wonder - it did make sense at the end of the book. I enjoyed reading about theater life, their real life struggles with making ends meet, and their competitive pranks. All in all, a good romcom that I would recommend to friends who love boy next door stories and small town romances.

1.5 stars
Well, this wasn't for me. The premise sounded fun and lighthearted - a neighborly war that would most likely end in romance, I'm there for it! But the story was mostly just Chip and Bree doing their jobs, worrying about their jobs, coming home from 12 hours on the job and then doing something ridiculous to each other. I didn't buy the animosity between them and I definitely didn't buy the love either.

I didn't particularly care about any of the characters. Both Chip and Bree were annoying and rude and they didn't treat their significant others very well, which did not endear me to them. Also, I love dogs, but it's really rude letting your dog - nay, encouraging your dog almost - to trample your neighbor so that's she's almost afraid of leaving or entering her own residence. And that happened several times the first, what, week of their acquaintance? Can you really blame Bree for thinking you're a disrespectful jerk then?

I also felt it dragged a lot. Maybe it was just my disinterest in it, but according to my kindle, it could be read in about 4 hours. It took me 10 days instead. Okay, that might just be my disinterest. I did end up finishing it in the end, though, so I'm also a little miffed that the ending was so ... underwhelming? So yeah, this wasn't for me.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I put off reading this because I was so sure that it'd be another poorly written first person narrative that would make me give up half way through. Man, I was glad to be wrong!

I loved everything about this - it's not often that you read a book with secondary characters as strong as the main characters. The "war" between Chip and Bree was funny and imaginative and made me laugh out loud. I think I literally melted at some bits, Chip is a very swoony hero!

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good romcom!

So many wonderful descriptions of Virginia, I now want to visit. Especially since The Barter Theatre is real. This book is less war and romance than the description says.

Just love Melissa Ferguson books, they are so upbeat and funny with a great story. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good novel that has everything in it. Loved the ups and downs between these two neighbors who seemed to be in love-unlike/frustration relationship. (don't want to use the word hate). Loved his dog...oh he was so funny. There are so many great parts to this book and it just flows so well that before you know it your finished!

Little bits of humour gave me hope, but this was a slow moving one for me. Lots of depth and intricacy in the characters however I don't think I was expecting what I hoping for. The writing was great but I wanted it to move along faster than it did. I wanted more romance!

I want to go into this review saying that I was definitely not laughing a maniacal laugh that would make my siblings proud.

That being said, this was one of the most humorous books I've read in a long time. I had such a great time and I'm sure that smile never left my face. All those pranks *sighs* - inspirational. Melissa, please teach me your ways. :)

Just like with The Dating Charade, I'm sure this one will be one I read over and over and over again.

If you are having a rough day or just need some cheering up, The Cul-de-Sac War will be sure to put a smile on your face right from page one.



Rating: 5/5

Language: n/a

Romance: one kiss

Spiritual: characters are Christian

Violence: n/a



*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

Review will be published to the blog on October 10, 2020.

I loved The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson. It was hilarious, heartwarming, and romantic. From the first pages I was captivated by the witty dialogue.

How can two people navigate such a crazy all out war, gaining vengeance with every plot. The unpredictability of what they would do next kept me turning the pages. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as each took turns waging yet another dart.

Bree Leake is as unpredictable as marbles moving in a circle. Chip McBride, trying to make it in his own business, is the perfect staple in this story. He moves in next door to Bree, who has an instant dislike for his rented power truck with all kinds of unsavory bumper stickers.

Melissa Ferguson has such a creative imagination. The scenes with Bree and the 230 pound English mastiff Russell were fun and hilarious. But the beauty of this story is the complex relationship between Bree and Chip. Their attraction is magnetic. Yet what draws them together in the end is heartwarming and beautiful. I always love happy endings and I love how Melissa ends this story.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ferguson shows great growth as an author in this, her second book. I enjoyed "The Dating Charade" and found it witty and charming, but man, this just took my enjoyment of her writing style to a whole new level. It's like when JK Rowling released "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"; my brother and I looked at each other after reading it and went, "What?! Amazing! Such growth after OOTP!"

I laughed so much as I read "The Cul-de-sac War". It's the perfect pick-me-up when you need a chuckle, or even if you don't. (But who doesn't, in this time of coronavirus?) There were several really good lines near the end that I want to add to my quote book, too -- a rarity for fiction books. Love, love, love.

The last couple chapters in particular were poignant and bittersweet, as some dreams were met and others weren't. But, the growth and maturity the characters experienced were admirable, real, and believable. I could learn from them!

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

This was a fun to read romance. Bree and Chip live next door to each other in the titular cul-de-sac and start engaging in a fun prank war once Bree realizes that Chip was lying about moving his dog’s fence. There were some logical gaps in this book that stopped me from loving it completely (Bree’s job is to be in community theater? Chip never really explains if he’s fixing up the house for himself? Bree needlessly has a roommate?), but like a Hallmark movie it was more about the sweetness of the love story than the realism. Oh, and the epilogue was a little barf-worthy.

Oh my word!! This book!! I don't know if I am impressed it slightly terrified of how the authors mind works!!! Hahahaha let's just say is a good thing they fell for eachother in the end or one of the characters would be going to jail for being such a rotten neighbor! His book kept me laughing and gasping in surprise at the antics until the very end. I'm a fan for life!!

<i>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>

<b>2.5 Stars</b>

Let me start off by saying that what initially drew me to this book was the synopsis- and that the synopsis didn’t really match the book. I was expecting a fun and lighthearted rom-com but it seemed more like a drama about two people trying to navigate life and contained little comedy and virtually no romance.

Chip's treatment of his girlfriend and Bree‘s treatment of Theo were both problematic to say the least, and downright rude in the case of the latter quite often.

I just didn’t connect to Bree as a main character, and I didn’t find her likeable at all.

The Enemies to lovers trope is usually one of my weaknesses but somehow I just wasn’t feeling it here - the animosity between the two seemed to stem from almost nowhere and then seemed to switch to love just as quickly out of nowhere.

Overall, this just wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I can see how some people may relate to it more than I did - but I really do think the synopsis does not really match the book!

P.s. I understand trying to be clean but actually writing bleep instead of expletives several times is an odd choice.
1 like

My concerns about the premise of this book -- that the MCs' immaturity would make a believable romance impossible -- were not entirely unfounded, but I'm happy to report that the neighborly antics between Bree and Chip never devolve into the mud-slinging childishness I feared. Their animosity is tempered by humor and some heartfelt interactions, all of which makes the development of the romance believable. What I found disappointing here was a lack of character depth and development on Bree, whose carefree attitude seems to act like fire retardant for her clearly unresolved grief and fear of death. Terrified of the yawning void of the unknown? Tap dance through it! Focus on your quirks! If this book is, in part, a story about Bree growing up (finally), she doesn't do an especially good job of it. The saccharine attempt to tug at heartstrings with the inclusion of an eight-year-old suffering from cancer felt cheap; there was plenty of meat on the bone from Bree's grandmother's death to delve deeper into her characterization, so a sick-kid play was unnecessary. Chip's relationship to his father was an unexpected delight -- one that, for me, saved Act III.

THE CUL-DE-SAC WAR is wholesome, light-hearted, and at times funny. Overall, though, it's underdeveloped and thin on emotional propulsion.

I rarely read an enemies-to-lovers story, but this one was quite the treat. I enjoyed the wit, the fun characters, and the author's writing style. A fun, lighthearted, heart-touching read.
I received a complimentary digital copy from NetGalley.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While this romantic, enemies to lovers, had plenty of quirky moments, it was so over the top that it was difficult to fully enjoy it. Bree is a young woman trying to find her place in the world and prove to her parents that she is a responsible adult but after meeting Chip and meeting up obstacle after obstacle she realizes how quickly things can fall apart. I admired her resolve to stick it through.

Despite having a girlfriend Chip is drawn to Bree and his competitiveness and intrigue makes it impossible for him to walk away.i wish I was more taken by Chip but he was too accident prone to be taken seriously.

This was a cute Rom-com but lacked that all consuming flame of true chemistry.

A sweet, light, fast and fun romance com that’s perfect for summer. Likable plot and characters that kept me entertained.

It's funny, clever and heartfelt.

If you know me you know I love a good enemies-to-lovers book so I was ready to dive right into The Cul-de-Sac War and it did not disappoint in sating my trope cravings. 

I thoroughly 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.

It's exactly the kind of rom com you'd want to be reading on a Sunday afternoon. You'll be finished before you know it and is left wanting craving more.

Despite really enjoying this book, there were times where I didn't quite like Bree as a person. I feel like she was being unnecessarily mean and unkind towards Chip, like not wanting to answer the door right away, blasting music outside to not just annoy him, but the entire neighborhood.
Thankfully it wasn't all the time I felt this way, but had it been worse I may have struggled to finish this book.

I did enjoy Bree and Chip's interactions because you just knew how it would all end so it was fun to watch them struggle, or well, watch Bree struggle, because Chip was kind of interested from the get-go, despite having a girlfriend. 

The setting looked gorgeous in my head, with the mountain range in the backdrop and a quaint little town. I think this book could easily be turned into a cute movie and in ways it had the feels of a Hallmark movie (in the most positive of ways, because I am a sucker for Hallmark movies!)

All in all it's a cute and fun read that I think many would enjoy and wishing for a hot neighbour themselves (I know I do).

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. I lost interest really early on and couldn’t finish it. The writing was good, however the characters were not entirely engaging

This was a sweet, witty, and clean read. Melissa Ferguson does an excellent job creating two lead characters that you can't help falling in love with (and rooting for!). I was provided a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a nice clean, witty romance that was funny and cute. I really liked the two characters and how wholesome this was.