2.5 stars

I enjoyed the first novel from Sophie Sullivan, Ten Rules for Faking It, and was excited to dive into her latest novel!

While this is a standalone novel, it does take place in the same world as Ten Rules and characters from that book do make an appearance in this one. I highly recommend reading Ten Rules first.

I found that I enjoyed the first half of this novel more than the second. I am at a loss as to find what really sparked - and kept- the two main characters into a relationship together as they are an unlikely pairing.

I did enjoy how this was a sweet romance with an endearing soul.

PS— if a friend ever invited me to hang out and then said I was to paint their room? I’m heading out. That’s not what friends do 😂



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I was already feeling lukewarm toward this one when I received extremely unexpected and devastating news about my dog, so that didn't do it any favors. I hate sob stories and could have done without the unnecessary side plots involving Noah's dad and Grace's mom. And whatever feel-good charity work Noah ended up doing with the kids in the community. Sadly, there weren't even smut scenes to save this one - this isn't even a fade-to-black, closed door read. There's just...nothing.

Grace, an interior design student, inherited the house next door to real estate developer, Noah. Noah had plans to buy and bulldoze Grace’s house, so the two become instant enemies. When Noah hires Grace to help him design his house, the neighbors start rethinking their relationship.

This is an enemies-to-lovers, sunshine-and-grump novel set in the world of HGTV. I loved Sophie Sullivan’s Ten Rules for Faking It, but I just liked this. It started off slowly, and it just didn’t live up to the expectations I had for it. I just didn’t really like Noah. That being said, I loved the mentions of Everly and Chris.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my early copy. (I totally read this before it came out, but I’m so behind on my reviews!)

Grace & Noah are neighbors in this enemies to lovers rom-com. I only wish the characters were developed a bit further and earlier in the story. This lack of development made the story feel long. I liked the HGTV spin, but it wasn't enough for me to fall in love.

I truly enjoyed this sweet and emotional love story. It developed perfectly and the ending was what it should be. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan was a delight to read, I enjoyed every page from start to finish. It is the story of Grace Travis, an interior design major about to graduate, and Noah Jansen, her grumpy and hot next-door neighbor. When Grace first meets him she is instantly attracted, but once she realizes he is a businessman not used to being told no (and she has something he wants), she realizes nothing between the two of them would work. That is until a proposition is put forward that she knows she would be crazy to turn down. The story is charming, and oh so cute!

Grace was a strong character who really knew her career path. Noah was just an annoying alpha male until he realized how special Grace was and he needed to change. The romance was a slow build and i thought the story was rather too long.

I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and exchange for an honest review. The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorite in romantic fiction and for that reason alone I enjoyed this novel. I would definitely recommend it to those who want love fixer upper shows.

How To Love Your Neighbor is a fun enemies to lovers contemporary romance. Grace Travis is attending college for interior design and recently inherited her grandparents house. The house has been empty for about and is in need of some serious TLC. It also comes with a neighbor, Noah Jansen, who wants to buy her house out from under her. Their initial interaction is filled with negative first impression and so unexpected tension. As they continue bumping into each other as neighbors, they banter and get on each other's nerves. That is until Noah realizes he needs an interior decorator for his house and agrees to hire Grace. And the more time they spend with each other, they realize maybe they don't really hate their neighbor.

How To Love Your Neighbor paints a picture of two people who meet as neighbors and have a magnetic tension between them. Yet the more they are in each other's orbit, the more they realize the that under the tension then just simple dislike. They are pulled closer and closer together as decisions are made to their respective houses. I have to admit I'm a softie for HGTV shows. Back in the day, I used to love to watch Extreme Home Maker and would cry everything the house was revealed. In present day, I love watching the partnership between real life partners Chip and Joanna against. Grace and Noah are not Chip and Joanna but they do form a special connection.

These characters were so easy to like. They both have been hurt and are reluctant to open themselves up. Grace does not have a positive relationship with her mother, and it is because of this that she is so desperate to turn her grandparents house into a home. I seriously despised her mother as a character. I also despised Noah's father who was awful to him. He is trying to break out of his weather fathers shadow and one of the ways he doing so is by reconstructing this house. Unfortunately, his father continues to throw up road blocks to make things harder for him. With the amount, I despised their parents, I was so glad that Grace and Noah found each other and learned to trust each other.

There are also some really fun background characters who bring a real homey environment to the story. I really like the room competition and how it brought everyone closer together. It also showed how well Grace and Noah already knew each other even though they were just starting to enter the "just friends" with maybe actual feelings zone. The whole scenario brought such a smile to my face as a reader. It was such a sweet contemporary romance.

How To Love Your Neighbor brings you the classic enemies to lovers story mixed with neighbors falling for each other mixed with a topical character and a typical grump character troupe. It was mixed together so well and created a story that was both funny and sweet. The interior design plot was also so enjoyable and kept engaged from beginning to end. This is such a good story for those readers who enjoy contemporary romances with a enemies to friends story intertwined.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan! I absolutely adored this romcom. Haters to lovers is probably my favorite romance trope, and this book did it so well. I adored both main characters - as well as two supporting characters, whose story I am so excited to read (I didn't realize this was the second in the "series" by Sullivan!). I loved all the home design details, too - it made my organizer/currently nesting heart so happy. This is also more of a fade to black/closed door romance on the steam scale, which I find myself more drawn to these days...maybe since I'm typically reading/listening to my books around my 14 month old son? Making super steamy scenes a little #awkward. The balance in this one was perfection for me.

Highly recommend this super cute romance!

After reading Ten Rules for Faking It last year, I was really looking forward to Sophie Sullivan’s second book, and very excited when I learned it would be Noah’s story. How to Love Your Neighbor is a good follow-up to Sullivan’s first book, but doesn’t quite have the same spark. I didn’t get as invested in Grace and Noah’s relationship as I had in the one between Chris and Everly; the characters seemed less fully developed, and their story dragged on for a few too many pages. I still liked it enough to finish, and I hope that Sullivan gives us a story for the third Jansen brother.

This is our February pick for #GiveMeCoffeeAndBookClub! I loved reading a romcom this month during Valentine’s month, and I decided to do the audiobook for this one. I’ve read some pretty intense books lately, so this was just what I needed to lighten the mood a bit while also keeping me guessing and connecting with the characters.

I loved the development of character within Grace as she navigates a tough relationship with her mother, and the developing friendship before relationship between her and Noah.

Full of sweetness and love this romantic comedy swept me off my feet. I was unable to put this book down. A tale of love winning the hearts of two stubborn people, this book made me smile and laugh out loud. It was easy to share in their love while not being exposed to the details. Great book to cuddle up and escape with.

This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and unbiased review:
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3,5*
Pros: For all home reno lovers, this is the romance for us. Lovable characters with some complexity to them. Very cute PoV into home renos and the challenges and excitement around it. Interesting secondary characters. Touches on some important topics, such as toxic family relationships and living under heavy expectations and stereotypes.
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Cons: Cliché scenes and stilted dialogues. Lacking in the steam department.

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan was a delightfully fun and creative romance between Grace and Noah. I lost myself in their romance. It started as an enemies-to-lovers and quickly transformed into a workplace romance. I love watching HGTV, so I appreciated the details about home remodeling since Grace is an interior design student. This is a closed-door romance with multiple POVs. This could be standalone, but I enjoyed the moments with Chris and Everly from Ten Rules for Faking It making appearances in this book. This romance gave me all the right feels!

Thank you, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for my gifted copies to review honestly.

*** I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost ***

This was a fun and easy read with lot of drama, romance, and a hero that I wanted to choke sometimes but ultimately grew to adore.

Grace has lived with Morty, an elderly gentleman who needed someone to provide companionship and medical care, for a while. She finally makes the decision to move into the home that her grandparents left to her, a cute little fixer upper that she can make her own. Her neighbor, Noah, has just moved to California and is the epitome of spoiled little rich boy. His family has money, he's used to getting what he wants, even if that means dropping cash to make it happen, and he's arrogant. He's also gorgeous and charming, when he wants to be.

Grace is determined to make her house into a home. Noah is determined to see a design vision he has come to fruition ... and to see this happen, he needs to purchase Grace's property. She's not willing to let it go however, and there we have our story.

I liked both main characters in this. Grace is smart, motivated, and can stand on her own two feet. She's had some unsavory experiences in life that have left her hesitant to trust others and afraid to believe anyone will stick around for long. She felt so human to me, because her flaws and her positive traits balanced each other out. Noah drove me crazy at times and at first I wasn't too thrilled with him, but he grew on me. He's got his own set of issues to attend to but beneath the exterior he's built there's a charming, funny, and good guy. It just takes a bit to unearth that side of him.

I adored the relationship between Grace and Morty. In the absence of her grandparents, he's the closest thing to family she has, and that's exactly how the two of them are.

This story read well and kept my attention. There were surprises that I wasn't expecting and lots of moments that made me swoon. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and flirty romance read.

Four stars to this novel!

Grace is an interior designer who is almost done with her degree and has moved into a house she inherited. Noah is a real estate developer who lives next door to Grace. He wants to buy her house but she refuses, which causes a lot of tension and a little bit of a feud between the two of them.

This was a fun romance that wasn’t super steamy. It’s funny, witty and dealt with some important things like family drama and realizing you’re worth more than other people may think.

I wanted a little more hate before they became a couple, like having them play pranks or do some crazy things to each other's homes or property. But I loved when they finally got together and I really liked Grace and Noah as a couple. The other characters were also enjoyable and I really liked Morty!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was worth the wait! It was the perfect amount of swoon and banter! It was everything I want in a romance novel! If you have not done so already, add this to your TBR!

At first this book hooked me and I found myself wanting to sit down and read it, but then, it didn’t, and I realized after being about half-way through the book two weeks in, that I lost interest. I usually like books that have more dialogue, but I felt that the dialogue in this book did nothing for the story; it was odd, conversations that may be conversations you’d have in every day scenarios, but they did nothing to add to the story and move it along. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t finish the book.

Title: How to Love Your Neighbor
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Series: n/a
Pages: 352
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Date: January 18, 2022

Summary:

Interior Design School? Check. Cute house to fix up? Check.

Sexy, grumpy neighbor who is going to get in the way of your plans? Check. Unfortunately.

Grace Travis has it all figured out. In between finishing school and working a million odd jobs, she’ll get her degree and her dream job. Most importantly, she’ll have a place to belong, something her harsh mother could never make. When an opportunity to fix up—and live in—a little house on the beach comes along, Grace is all in. Until her biggest roadblock moves in next door.

Noah Jansen knows how to make a deal. As a real estate developer, he knows when he's found something special. Something he could even call home. Provided he can expand by taking over the house next door--the house with the combative and beautiful woman living in it.

With the rules for being neighborly going out the window, Grace and Noah are in an all-out feud. But sometimes, your nemesis can show you that home is always where the heart is.

Review:

I have read this book twice and it was definitely better the second time. I think that is because Noah is not a likable person at the beginning of the book. Knowing how much he grows emotionally made the second reading more enjoyable.

Both Grace and Noah have relationship issues due to each of them having parental horrors for parents. Grace’s mother lets the men in her life define who she is and never takes responsibility for any of her problems. Now that Grace is an adult, her mother expects her to be the one to bail her out financially whenever the need arises.

Noah’s father is a millionaire who collects trophy wives. He uses his money and influence to control his sons. Noah, finally, has had enough and moves from New York to the west coast. Unfortunately, what he knows about relationships, he learned from his father. He thinks any problem can be solved by throwing money at it.

As I said to start with, Noah is not a likable person. However, the changes he makes are what made me really like the book on the second reading.

Although Grace has issues to work through, she is a strong character from the beginning. She has friends and knows how to be a friend. She knows what she wants and is willing to work as hard as necessary to meet her goals.

I liked Grace a lot, but it is the way that Noah grows that makes this book so good. As a reader, I have a hard time overcoming a negative impression of a character. Noah is an exception.

This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.