A cute and lighthearted romance. I didn't feel overly connected to the characters or their story but it was a fun read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“…that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where you’re standing, but who’s standing next to you.“

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a chance to read and review Sophie Sullivan’s upcoming release in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super cute and super cheesy. I loved the mixture of romance and interior design. I enjoyed the description of the rooms that Grace was putting together and could easily, and vividly, picture them in my head! I also very much enjoyed all of the side characters in this story, especially Morty.

The story also did well with handling family conflict and how both characters were trying to make their life their own after the destruction their parent(s) made. It was a nice side plot.

I do think the chemistry was great but also, at the same time, not so great. I know with romances like this once, it’s common to see insta-love. This is more of an enemies-to-lovers I’d say but definitely has a lot of insta-love aspects that I’m not a fan of. But that doesn’t make the story bad! It was nice seeing Noah change, for the better, throughout the book through his relationship with Grace.

Overall, a cute and fluffy rom-com that is great to read during these dark times our world is facing.

“…happiness isn’t about where you live or what you achieve. A home isn’t walls, a roof, a floor. It’s a feeling; it comes with being seen and accepted for who you are. It’s finding the person who makes you feel alive no matter where you are or what you accomplish. The person who makes you feel like you could have nothing and still have everything. It’s unconditional love.”

My first book of 2022!, and it couldn’t be better!

Overall, this book to me was. 3.75 but we can round it to 4!! Grace just moved to her new house that was left to her by her grandparents, and not even a little it later, she meets her hot next door neighbor (who she has actually met earlier that day after a slight incident hehe 🙈) who wants to buy her house! Noah, grumpy hot surfer neighbor, who just move to CA to settle and expand on his house but is having a bit of trouble because his neighbor is one stubborn person and he is beside himself cause he has never met anyone like her !!!!!!!!

grumpy meets stubborn sunshine in this cute home renovation story! I love Noah so much, you can really see his character growth 💞 Grace is great but I felt like i I didn’t connect with her as much as I would have liked. We do have some similarities in the sense of her insecurities and vulnerabilities but she never really grew on me as a person :( I really enjoy their interactions, their bantering, them together as a whole makes me want to find my own Noah 🥰💞 the side characters tho!!!!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!! THEY ALL HAVE MY HEART, and I just learned that her first book is about Everly and Chris and you can bet I’m going to read their story@!!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review~

How to Love your Neighbor was a sweet closed door romance with some laugh out loud funny scenes.

This was an Enemies-to-lovers meets home improvement show in a light romantic comedy. Sophie is an interior design student whose new Sexy, grumpy neighbor is trying to buy her house.

Kudos to the author for reviving a Trading Spaces moment. I will always be here for a Trading Spaces reference!

This book culminates in a grand gesture HEA ending. Light, sweet, and funny!

3.5 rounded up

Ready to jump back into the lives of the Jansen brothers! In this second installment of the series we follow Noah, a real-estate developer and flipper who has recently moved to California to make it on his own after years of living and working under his father's thumb, and Grace, an interior design student who has worked hard to make it on her own away from her mother, and recently inherited a beach house from her grandparents...next-door to Noah.

Read this book if you like:
- Enemies to lovers trope
- Steamy tension with closed-door romance
- HGTV-like home renovations
- Witty banter
- Memorable secondary characters
- Grumpy older characters who have strong opinions, but are secretly sweet cinnamon rolls who are very protective of our main character

Another fun read from Sophie Sullivan! I love the enemies to lovers trope, especially when the characters have a real reason to be "enemies". In this case Noah wants to buy Grace's house and is frustrated when she won't sell, and Grace is frustrated that he won't take her no for an answer. I'm also a huge HGTV fan and love watching all the home renovation shows and, as it turns out, I apparently also like to read about it in my romance books! With Grace being an interior designer and Noah usually being on the back-end of buying and selling properties, that was such a fun addition to the story!

Some of the levity was broken, however, as we learn more of their back story and how both of them were subjected to the manipulations and emotional abuse from their parents. Both Grace and Noah are still learning how to deal with their own trauma, as well as how to be in a relationship.

While there was some fun witty banter and numerous bets between our characters, I could have done without the ever-present "that's what she said jokes". It felt a little too much like middle-school humor and was even stranger considering this a closed-door romance. But, that could also just be my own personal opinion, and may not be something that would necessarily bother someone else!

From the moment Grace and Noah met, I knew I was in for a fun and exciting ride. Grace is super focused on getting her degree and becoming an interior designer. Growing up with a mom who kept looking for the next guy to make her world perfect, Grace knew she would forge her own path and not rely on anyone. When her grandparents left her their house, she was shocked but also incredibly grateful. She now had a place to call her own. When the sexy guy she ran into on the beach ends up as her neighbor, she is surprise and excited until he offers to buy her house, constantly. Noah has moved to the west coast to make a name for himself in real estate and investments away from his father. But he’s realizing that he doesn’t know what makes him happy until he riles up Grace. Suddenly, working on his own home renovation sounds like fun as he hires Grace to lead the project. As they both deal with personal and work pressures, will they find a new path that allows them to include love? I enjoyed this story from the moment I started as I was pulled into their crazy and intense world, never knowing what they were going to do next. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

Thank you @smpromance for a copy of How to Love Your Neighbor. I read Ten Rules of Faking it and enjoyed it so I was happy to hear this is book was part of the series involving one of the Jensen brothers. This book is a stand alone and it was nice to see Everly and Chris appear.

If you are looking for a fun forced proximity, grumpy and sunshine characters and closed door dormancy - this one’s for you. Noah and Grace was great together and I love the things they did together. I appreciate that Noah was discovering himself and figuring out what he wants in life.

I thought Morty stole the show in this book. He was just so grump and sweet. I want a neighbor like him.

I adored Ten Rules for Faking It. I thought it endearing, a fantastic portrayal of social anxiety, and romantic. So when the opportunity came to read the next book in the series, I jumped at the chance. This too is a heartwarming and charming read even if it did not quite live up to the first for me. The characters are endearing (a big Morty fan here) and I was excited to see everyone's journeys. It made me smile and if you are looking for a comfort read I think this one will fulfill that order.

I think where it fell a bit flat for me was in its length. Some parts of the plot and character development felt a bit like a rinse and repeat. I had a few moments were I was like, "Didn't we already establish this?... Also Grace had a kind of 'not like other girls' vibe that lowkey bothered me. Despite this bit of character repetition and critique, it was still a pretty adorable read overall so I am not mad about it.

I think this is a charming closed-door romance. It is not a perfect read, but it is definitely a 3 1/2 star read rounded up to 4 based upon how it feels like a warm cup of tea and a blanket. The tea maybe has a bit too much sugar, but it is still comforting overall. I definitely recommend to romance readers looking for a cozy vibe to their romance.

DNF. I couldn’t get into this. This has a promising, if a bit odd start, but it draaags from there. There’s not even any fun banter between these tepid characters!

A charming romantic comedy! To preface, I didn't realize that it was meant to be a sequel until I was halfway in but that definitely didn't hinder me in any way. The book stands well on its own. Noah and Grace are enemies to friends to lovers and very much embody the sunshine/grump trope which I adore. Their romance is engaging and a little cheesy at times but even the cheesy parts are very sweet. I can't say there was anything in this story that truly blew me away but it was a light and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me this ARC!

3.5 STARS

I’m just not sure what to make of this?

The premise of this book — “Enemies-to-lovers meets HGTV” — is my catnip, and I did enjoy it for the most part. But for some reason, I couldn’t get into the romance bit. I don’t know if I just didn’t connect with the characters, or I just didn’t buy into their chemistry, but it didn’t really work. It was a bit too long for me, and the pacing felt off in parts, (plus, it took me a least halfway into the book to feel invested in the story), but I felt like overall, it was still worth reading. Fun with charming side characters and setting.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Such a refreshing romance! This book combines two of my very favorite things: reading and home improvements!!! I absolutely adored this sweet hate to love story about new neighbors! Both characters were so determined and hard working in their own ways - I was really rooting for them!

💜Read this if you love:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
HGTV
Great SoCal setting
Fun supportive friendships
Grumpy old men

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy of How To Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan.

I love home reno and watching HGTV so How to Love Your Neighbor is a romance right up my alley. Enemies to lovers as neighbors when one is a real estate developer and the other just inherited a house and is finishing up a design degree, how can you go wrong?

Grace and Noah had such great chemistry and witty bickering. I loved the side characters and while overall this was a fun and upbeat book, there was a little with strained relationships with parents. This is a closed door romance, so is perfect if you're looking for a fun and sweet romance!

I'm so glad I discovered this happy story on netgalley, and discovered a new (to me) author as well! Grace is a hard working student. She has almost graduated in interior design, and recently inherited a house from her grandparents. New neighbor Noah wants to buy that house so he can build a pool.

I loved how their relationship developed, and I liked that there wasn't too much hate at first. Noah and Grace both have family baggage to deal with, but they have a solid group of friends who become family. Those side characters made me really enjoy the story - I loved how everyone worked together and the humor in the relationships.

Grace Travis has a plan. After she finishes interior design school, she can quit her million odd jobs and finally achieve her degree and dream job. When Grace gets the opportunity to live in and fix up a beach cottage, she jumps at the chance to make a house into a home. Then she meets her next door neighbor, gorgeous real estate developer Noah Jansen. Noah has a vision for his home and he’s convinced that Grace’s home is the key. Before long, Grace and Noah find themselves in a neighborhood feud. Is it true when they say home is where the heart is?

Are you a fan of HGTV or DIY? Then you have to read this book! Grace and Noah were so fun. I love the enemies to lovers trope! Everything I’ve read lately has had the most realistic characters. This book was no different! The romance between Grace and Noah was slow to develop but I loved it because it made it feel more natural. One of my favorite parts was the Trading Spaces challenge they roped their friends into! It was easy to see how much they cared for one another as they kept the other’s preferences and style in mind. If you’re looking for a heartfelt, humorous read then make this book your best read!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Sophie Sullivan, and NetGalley for my E-ARC!

I read this one right before Christmas & honestly, I don’t remember much from it, so take from that what you will. Overall, though, I felt similarly to other Sophie Sullivan books I’ve read — it’s repetitive, somewhat cute and not particularly steamy as far as romance novels go.

There are some scenes concerning mental health and childhood trauma, particularly emotional abuse, so warning for those. I wanted them to be a bit more powerful than I felt they ultimately ended up being — but romance does have to be tied up with a bow and that’s certainly what happened here.

It also features the main characters from the first part of the interconnected series, Ten Rules For Faking It — which is a trend I love, by the way. Between the two, I probably liked the first one better. I’d recommend How To Love Your Neighbor to those looking for something short, sweet and slightly off-kilter to read that requires very little brain power. It’s out on January 18th!

Synopsis: Grace Travis has worked hard for everything in her life, from moving out when she was just 18 to her current degree in interior design Now, she’s finally managed the courage to move into her grandparent’s run-down house — only to find a very annoying, very handsome, very rich neighbor who is determined to run her right off the property. Noah Jansen wants her house and her land to expand his own real estate holdings - but will he end up wanting Grace more?

I enjoyed this warm book! I loved the next door neighbors arguing-to attraction-to falling in love story.

The scenery of building aesthetically beautiful houses with a backyard on a beach sounds so romantic and sweet and I loved reading about this premise. I also liked that it was insta-love for Grace’s best friend Rosie and Noah’s assistant Josh. That was a cute sub-plot.

I also thought it was realistic and added to the story that neither MC had a great relationship with their parents and it wasn’t solved in the premises of the book.

Grace Travis has her priorities in order. Finish college, quit her many part time jobs as coffee barista, dog walker and Morty’s house helper and begin a brand new career as an interior designer. Having been on her own for as long as she can remember Grace is shocked to learn she has inherited the small beach home of her grandparents - whom she never met. Having broken ties with her conniving, manipulative mother long ago, Grace considers grumpy old Morty and his girlfriend Tillie her family now. Bumping into new next door neighbor Noah Jansen changes everything. Breathtakingly handsome, wealthy and completely full of himself, Grace refuses to fall for his tricks. She will not sell him her property so he can build a pool. She will not fall for those sexy biceps and beach wavy hair. She is an independent woman who refuses to fall in love on a whim. When the hottest home magazine wants to feature Grace redesigning Noah’s property it is 100% renovation romance and her heart doesn’t stand a chance. Adorable hate-to-love romcom to start off the new year.

HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by Sophie Sullivan

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc! HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR is out 1/18!

SUMMARY:
Grace grew up earlier than most kids, but now she's about to graduate from design school, inherited her grandparents house, and she's ready to start fresh without her selfish, money-seeking mother in the picture. She has big plans to renovate her new beach cottage, but the rich guy next door wants to buy her house, knock it down to build a pool, and won't take no for an answer.

MY THOUGHTS:
🏡 I loved this cute little book! It reminded me a lot of BEACH READ, but better.
🏡 I loved the natural competitiveness and banter between Noah and Grace. Their relationship felt evenly paced and quick, but not rushed.
🏡 This book mentioned how Grace built a patio and was waiting for approval from her home owners association / planning board and that hit home as a new home owner! Just a neat little detail.
🏡 This book was sort of enemies to lovers, a tad bit of forbidden love, and lots of fun banter!

This was a cute enemies to lovers/forced proximity romance. When Grace inherits a beachside cottage from her grandparents, she’s determined to put her design skills and DIY skills to use fixing it into the home she never had. Her neighbor, Noah, is even more determined to turn her lot into a pool house. Noah is starting fresh in CA after leaving NYC to get out from under his father’s thumb.

Grace and Noah ended up having sweet chemistry. The book was slow to start and the story dragged at places. There was a lot of family dysfunction to work through but I liked that all the conflict was external to the couple. The characters from the author’s first book show up in this story, but it reads well as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the early copy. All opinions are my own.