**Many thanks to Catherine Barra at Berkley and Alexa Martin for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**

No blue trampoline covers! A 5 minute open garage door limit?!....No more than 15 lbs of PET???

(In that case, apologies to my lovely cat...sounds like we need to bump up the cardio!)

What do all of these bizarre and restrictive rules have in common? They are all ACTUAL HOA rules in REAL neighborhoods. (At least...according to the Internet.) Collins Carter is glad to have moved far away from this sort of goofy gatekeeping...until she finds herself RIGHT back in her parents' neighborhood and subject to all of the rules and regulations that come along with it. An embarrassing viral video and a manipulative hotshot Hollywood ex brought her writing career in LA to a grinding halt, and Collins returns home to find her hometown much as she left it. And there's one particular thorn in her side who makes his annoying (and annoyingly HANDSOME) presence known: she comes face to face with her former best friend Nathaniel Adams.

But Nathaniel hasn't been resting on his laurels...and his aspirations seem just within reach. Already a successful real estate agent in the area, he is about to run for president of the neighborhood's Homeowner's Association (HOA) and feels sure that his involvement and good favor in the community will lead him to a landslide victory. However, Collins is looking to make a name for herself too...and two can play at the public takedown game! With her lawyer sister Ruby's long-distance support and a fast friendship with a zany girl from her high school past to bolster her confidence, Collins launches an all-out battle for HOA president, determined to take Nathaniel down a peg...or several! But with smear campaigns flying and pranks whizzing back and forth, why is Collins suddenly feeling stirrings of feelings from so long ago? Is the fiery contempt of the past slowly morphing into something ELSE fiery... passion? And when all the votes are counted, will winning the HOA STILL be more important than winning a certain someone's heart?

Although I'm far from a romance aficionado, this sort of romance is what I'd call standard fare. There are few surprises to be found, a small cast of characters (thankfully!), and the sort of silliness you'd expect from a premise like this one. Since in general it's hard to take a HOA TOO seriously, there's a certain amount of suspension of disbelief you need to have in order to take this journey with Collins. As much as I was rooting for some personal growth in our MC, she seemed young at the start and pretty much stayed in that place throughout the book. As much as I appreciated that she had some pals in her corner, it was a bit strange that the OTT and sort of valley girl, MLM loving neighbor became such quick friends with Collins also...she went from finding her sort of nuts to inviting her over and spilling her darkest secrets to her at chain restaurants over drinks pretty quickly. (Maybe this is what friendships are like for 20 year olds these days...but for me, I found it a little off putting).

Of course, the other piece of this puzzle is Nathaniel. This is enemies to lovers romance, but I'll be honest: these two NEVER really felt like full-blown enemies to me. There was a bit of snarky comments shot back and forth at the beginning, but Collins was acknowledging his hot bod from pretty much the get-go, and once we found out these two had such an intense past and were SUCH good friends...to the point where Collins' mom pretty much couldn't stop fawning over Nathaniel, it didn't feel like these two were so much enemies as Collins had been scorned when Nathaniel basically swapped high school cliques without an explanation.

I mean...it may have seemed world ending in high school I suppose. But a quick conversation between these two could have cleared that up at ANY point in time (and eventually does)...so the 'conflict' seemed a bit weak to me. Nathaniel is really 90% at fault for the entire demise of their relationship, so I didn't really get why Collins was so desperate to forgive him and so wooed by his 'newer' self. I also didn't really jibe with the banter or find it that funny, although again, this may be a sign of being a bit older than the target demo for this particular read. I just felt like the characters read a bit more juvenile than I'd expect and in that way I had a lot less buy in for the inevitable conclusion of this predictable rom-com. (No spoilers, but there may be a TV script penned by Collins that is actually called HOA**holes...with asterisks and all)

Though Martin's twist on the neighbor to you love to hate...and eventually hate to admit you love...felt a bit unique with the HOA angle, when it comes to this neighborhood?

I may have paid my dues...but I still got the eviction notice. 🏠

3.5 stars

A fun enemies to lovers. I loved the Midwestern charm throughout the whole book.

The MCs had a great back story, although the reason for them growing apart when they were younger seemed a bit unlikely.

Their chemistry together was great, a bit spicy but only a few scenes

This was cute, fun, sweet, eventually hot and just a tad emotional. I really enjoyed reading this one, the childish back and forth was fun to read. When these two finally get together, it’s full steam ahead until some blasts from the past show up. Collins has always hated living in her small hometown and that plays into a lot of the story, both past and present. The book takes place entirely in the present but Collins does have memories and conversations about the past. It did get emotional for me when Collins and Nate had their conversation about what happened in high school but it wasn’t for too long or too heavy. The spice was hot but not too descriptive or explicit. I enjoyed the side characters, the friends and parents, and the main characters too.

This was a cute and fun Rom-Com about a second chance - old best friends now enemies - to lovers small town romance.

Collins comes home after a devastating social media situation that leaves her back home from LA in her small town in Ohio and loses her dream job. She finds her old best friend- then turned enemy- Nate bought a house in the same neighborhood and is on the HOA board. This story shares Collins time back home- will she learn to love it? Was her ‘dream’ in LA really the dream?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

Thanks to NetGalley and Good Girls PR for this ARC!

✨Sexy Hallmark!!!✨

[To set the scene: She’s back in her small town; he never left. They’re former best friends, current candidates running for the local HOA president position. It’s raining and she’s just shown up at his house late at night. Gasp! He answers the door shirtless and confused. They are currently enemies.]

“You know I still hate you, right?”
“Yup.” His eyes drop to my chest. My light cotton tee has molded to my breasts and I feel my nipples harden beneath his gaze.
“I hate you too.”
“Good,” I say between heavy breathing.
“Good,” Nate repeats.
And that’s all we say. Because it’s kind of hard to talk with our lips smashed together and our tongues in each other’s mouth.

And lives were changed!!! Who knew sexual tension at an HOA meeting could be so delicious? It was the perfect Hallmark plot with a GREAT third act and some solid sex. Also this is a me thing but the sex is always so much hotter when the hero is a nerd and the heroine is just so surprised he fucks well. Like yes National Treasure is his favorite movie and he is a prominent member of the HOA AND he gives good dick! A multifaceted king!

It’s a pretty basic plot, but Alexa Martin really brought something special to the table. It was funny and cozy and just wanted to keep reading. I loved Collins so much!! Let heroines have tempers!! I was cackling; sometimes vandalism IS the answer. So sorry. And the fact that she befriended that one person who always falls for MLMs made my day.

The only thing I wanted more of was Nate. I’m not sure if I’d go as far as say that I want his POV, but I wanted to know just a bit more about him. A lot of their relationship relied on their past history, so I would’ve liked to see them develop a bit further in the present. It’s more of a “I loved everything we got I just want more” situation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️*/5

*We got a couple open door scenes. They were pretty explicit but most of the time body parts weren’t mentioned if that makes sense. I think it could’ve been a bit spicier since they put “steamy” in the summary. The first scene was a really good length but the next ones were super short or off page.



Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

I love discovering new-to-me authors who write romances with a fresh perspective. Next-Door Nemesis is a great example of this. I've seen Alexa Martin novels everywhere in the last few years, but never picked one up. This one caught my eye and I dove in. I love the whole second chance romance trope and the enemies to lovers trope and this fun read mashes these up into a fun story about running for HOA president (I really wasn't sure about this in the beginning, but it was so much fun!) I loved the chemistry, the banter, and the depth of finding what you truly want from life. I will definitely read more of Alexa Martin!

Collins Carter is taking a break from her tv writing job in LA, and moves back home with her parents in Ohio. She realizes her life is going to go from bad to worse when she runs into the HOA president, and her ex best friend, Nate. Collins decides to run for HOA president against Nate, and their feud continues despite not seeing each other in over a decade.

This was a cute rom com. I enjoyed the audio and felt the narrator did a great job of bringing the characters to life. I felt Collins was a bit difficult to root for at times, and I found myself rolling my eyes at her actions. I felt she was immature for being 29. However, I enjoyed the banter between Collins and Nate, the steam was fiery, and the cast of supporting friends were fun. Definitely give this a try if you like enemies to lovers, laugh out loud moments, and small town romance.

After losing her job Collins returns to her parents’ home. Her high school nemesis Nate seems to be everywhere, and he is not happy she is there. After learning Nate will be running for HOA President, naturally Collins decides to run against him.

This rom-com will have you laughing early and often, you will side with Collins and be frustrated with Nate, the tension is evident. She is sassy with a side of stubborn, and Nate and his sweater vests. As they spend more and more time together….

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group; this is my voluntary review.

This was a new author for me and I am so glad I gave it a try. I really enjoyed the story, I thought it was fun and fast-moving and the spicy scenes were very good.

I didn't totally get why they needed to hold onto grudges from high school and I cringed when they were yelling outside--that is just a huge ick for me.

Hello folx! I’m here with another teenage enemies to lovers, second chance, rivals romance. You know, next week when we’re carving up mr. tom turkey I’m going to give thanks for all of you romance authors serving up delicious helpings of E2L goodness on an ongoing basis. Is it toxic? Probably. Does anyone care? Nope, not at all. So let me bend your ears? Eyes? Whatever, let me tell you about the newest from Alexa Martin, Next-Door Nemesis, a book about rivals competing over the run for HOA President. Yup, you got that right. Home Owners Association President. I’m going to be totally honest here, it’s a trip, a delightfully low angst rom-com that will leave you smiling and shedding a couple tears along the way.

A Little Bit of Plot
Colins Carter, wannabe in demand screen-writer finds herself hiding out in her parents middle Ohio home at the ripe old age of 29 after a viral video forced her to exit Hollywood. Who does she run into on one of her first days back in town, none other than her high school nemesis and former best friend, Nathaniel Adams. Nate, sweater vests in June wearer, real estate agent extraordinaire, large old school Buick owner, and HOA President hopeful, is not delivering the warmest of welcomes. The friction between the pair results in Collins throwing in her hat in the ring and competing against Nate the Snake. Can these two put the past to bed without falling in one themselves?

The Compliment Sandwich
The Top Bun
Collins Carter herself
You see Collins begin the novel as sad, rage-filled and sullen, which, she has every right to be. What she’s gone through is thoroughly infuriating. While I never imagined that a run for the office of HOA president would be the inciting incident that pushes her to move forward and reinvent herself, it works here. Having lived in the neighborhood all her life up through high school, she spent the majority of her time dreaming of a life outside of Ohio. After being chewed up and spit out by LA, she begins to appreciate the more sedate life with her family and friends in this sleepy Columbus suburb (I will not call it C-bus, thank you very much). Once she accepts that this life isn’t inferior to that of California, it’s just different, we start to see a calmer more accepting Collins. While I appreciate a lady who can go from 0 to Angry in 60 seconds (myself included), it’s tough to carry this through the entirety of a novel. Who wants to read about a lose cannon raging heroine for 300 pages?

We start to see this transformation in little increments. Mostly I got the feeling that she was starting to evolve as a character upon her first conversation with her new OTT neighbor Ashleigh. Recognizing her from high school, Collins begins, at first, with no intention of getting to know or becoming friends with Ash.

“Thank you so much, Mark. Let me just say goodby to my friend and I’ll be right there,” she says.
I don’t know what’s more shocking: that she called me a friend or that her tone was devoid of the condescending tone most people around here have when speaking to hired help. I’ve kept to myself, not even remotely interested in forming any new bonds or friendships. But even with her ultrabubbly personality and zest for reminiscing, I feel like Ashleigh is creeping past my defenses.

Those defenses that she kept so high at the beginning quickly crumble as she’s forced to participate in parades, canvassing for her candidacy, and being outright ‘neighborly’. When she delivers her big speech at the HOA debate, you feel she’s grown and begun to appreciate the small things - not a small town thinking necessarily, but living comfortably in a small tight knit community.

The Meat (The con)
Nate divulges what drove him to cutting ties with her in high school and while I understand it…I also don’t? Also, this is only 12 years ago…how was there no therapy for this child!

The Bottom Bun (The Pro)
I Sorta Felt Seen?

I’m going to preface this by saying I was on the board of my HOA at one time, and it was nothing like the book (although a few things were similar) I still appreciated the aspect of placing your rom-com in the low stakes run for HOA political office. Everything that happens in this book, while seeming outlandish, actually if you think about it, really isn’t. I can totally imagine one of my neighbors with a giant inflatable Ben Franklin for Independence Day, I’ve actually been to the Ohio State Fair (I performed at it one summer), and know many women who still get sucked into MLM’s. I’m not going to say I feel seen, but quite possibly maybe glimpsed at. Or...Maybe it’s just living in Ohio. As much of a hell hole it’s been living here the past few years, I definitely felt a connection just the same.

"I've loved you since I was fourteen Collins, I've been waiting for you to be come home my entire life"

Super cute childhood friends to enemies to lovers! It was a typical plot of this type of trope. I loved the banter between the MC's and you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Their chemistry fly off the pages. If you're looking for a lighthearted read, this would be it.

This book was an easy five stars for me. I’ve never read a book by Alexa Martin before, but I damn sure will be picking up the next REALLY freaking soon. I absolutely loved it. I haven’t read an enemies to lovers in a very long time where they actually stay enemies for a big chunk of the book. Where there is GOOD tension before it finally snaps. This had it. The slow burn was delicious, the sexual tension was sweet, and the spice was so freakin’ hot you needed a fire hose.

It also had a good plot that kept my attention, and I loved the side characters. Alexa’s writing is so readable and addictive. And yes, I cried on a plane while reading. 😂

OH... and yes, he was a butthole for the first bit of the book. It was ENEMIES TO LOVERS. A REAL enemies to lovers. He wasn't supposed to be a teddy bear.

Thank you to Netgalley, Good Girls PR, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Next Door Nemesis is a childhood friends turned enemies to lovers romance. The idea of old friends turned enemies running against each other for HOA president was unique and sounded like it’d be a lot of fun.
After reading, I have mixed feelings. I was really enjoying it in the beginning but the more I read, the more Collins and Nate bugged me. They’re supposed to be nearing 30 but neither acts like it.
They have history and their friendship ended quite abruptly over a decade ago so both have their reasons to be wary of the other but instead of talking it out like adults they resort to childish behavior. And once the reasoning for their falling out is revealed, Nate’s treatment of her when she first returned just didn’t fit. She definitely should have made him grovel a bit.
The change to lovers was a bit abrupt (though that could just be me wanting more drama for once) and I was hoping for a dual POV story so I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I realized it wasn’t.
That being said, I loved the side characters - Ashleigh and Ruby were so fun! - and I was very happy with the ending.

11/9 Instagram post.

Next Door Nemesis by Alexa Martin comes out next week on Nov. 14th! Thank you NetGalley & Berkley Romance for the arc!

This was a fun book. Definitely very silly and filled with romcom shenanigans. If you’re looking for a light hearted read that won’t hurt your feelings TOO MUCH. It will a little 🤣 but mostly it’s funny and also it’s spicy. About the typical amount you would expect in a romcom.

I think this is the 6th book I’ve read by Alexa Martin and I’ve really enjoyed them all! I’m just missing Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes.

Short synopsis: After her job imploding, Collins moves back home to Ohio to find space. But her old childhood best friend turned nemesis Nathanial Adams is turning to neighborhood into a nightmare, so Collins decides to run for the HOA Board Director against him.

My thoughts: I am somewhat torn on my thoughts for this one, there were things I really liked and things I felt underwhelmed. I really liked the way the author wrote the job loss conflict. It was great insight into women (especially women of color) in the workplace and how others didn’t even bat an eye when her white boyfriend stole his work as his own. I really liked the exploration into race and sexism.

There were some great lines and situations mixed throughout, that had me giggling out loud. Collins was a bit petty, but it made for some great posters! I also really liked her relationship with her parents especially her dad. It was so tender!

I don’t really buy into the main conflict of running for HOA President, no one likes their HOA and no one wants to the be the president. I also was very confused as to the miscommunication that led to the breakup of the lifetime of friendship. Like, just talk things through people.

Anyway, I think if you like enemies to lovers this will be your jam!

Read if you love:
- Childhood Friends to enemies to lovers
- Your neighborhood and HOA
- Interracial romance
- Funny one liners

Thank you NetGalley, Berkeley, and Good Girls PR for the chance to read this fun enemies-to-lovers rom-com!

Collins Carter never thought she'd ever step foot in her hometown in Ohio, yet now she's back for good. Between a viral video and running into her high school nemesis, Collins feels as if she has hit rock bottom.

Then a complaint from her parents' homeowners association came, delivered by none other than her nemesis himself, Nathaniel Adams. Once announced that Nathaniel is going to run for the HOA presidency, Collins can't help herself and decides to run against him. As they continue their campaigns, these enemies start to explore real feelings and what happened to their friendship over a decade ago.

I never thought I'd read a story centered around an HOA election, but it was such a fun read. The witty banter and chemistry between Collins and Nate added a level of entertainment to this story that kept me reading late into the night. In addition, the Collins' friends, Ruby and Ashleigh, brought so much comedic relief to this book as well. Highly suggest this book if you are a lover of rom-coms and/or childhood friends to enemies to lovers.

“It might not be a popular opinion, but I’m of the firm belief that nobody is deserving of space in your life if they only cause harm.”

3.5 stars rounded up! Hurt people hurt people. That is the behavior of the main characters of this book in a nutshell. And I have to admit, initially I was so turned off by Collins and her petty and often obnoxious behavior that I almost wanted to put this one down. Like you’re almost 30 do you not care AT ALL if you hurt people?! I can’t.

But then the story continued and as we dove deeper into the history between friends-to-enemies-to-lovers Collins and Nate, some pieces started to fall into place and I found myself loving them and rooting for them! It’s almost like I was on her character arc with her as she seemed just as annoyed with herself as I was with her 😂.

This book was such a fun love story. I loved the romance of Collins’s interracial parents that has spanned many decades and the side characters, Ruby and Ashley, that each brought something unique and fun to the story. Also the importance of fair food 🙌🏻👏🏻. This cannot be understated! 🤤

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC and thanks to @PRHAudio for the free #audiobook #PRHAudioPartner.

Give me a fun romcom and I’ll love you forever 💕🥰.

I really enjoyed reading Next-Door Nemesis by @alexambooks. This is my first book of her’s that I have read, and I instantly liked her writing style.

Collins suffers a terrible breakup and ends up moving back to her hometown where she runs into her former bff, Nate, which leads to a bunch of excellent banter that made the friends-enemies-lovers trope that much sweeter.

If you are looking for a good weekend read, I highly recommend! 4 out of 5 stars ⭐️.
Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the #arc.

“Ohio is doing weird things to me.”

I struggled with this one...probably because it brought back so many memories of growing up in a small town in Ohio where everyone knew everyone else’s business and...there was that one someone that drove me completely insane, then became my other half...only to disappear on me in the course of three years. Could I picture our reunion going as outlandishly as Collin’s and Nate’s? Absolutely! Add me to the list of fans of this author!

When Collins Carter moved back home to Ohio, she didn’t think she could fall much farther. Her screenwriting career in L.A. had been put on a hard pause when the video of her yelling at her boyfriend in the parking lot went viral. So she’d moved back to her parents home, where she could regroup and figure out what’s next. And that’s where she ran into the boy who had once been her best friend, and then he was the guy who left her behind for the popular crowd, and now he is putting himself right in the sights of all her anger.

Because he came for the one thing that meant the most to her family.

Nathaniel Adams didn’t leave Ohio after high school the way Collins had. He’d stayed and became a real estate agent. He bought a house in Collins’s parent’s neighborhood. He joined the homeowner’s association. And he tried to get Collins to move away again by threatening HOA action against the tree her father had just planted for her mother.

Collins found herself at the next HOA meeting, stirring up the crowd, who was already upset by the board’s overreach. And when the president of the HOA abruptly announces his retirement, handing the reins over to Nate, Collins is done. Before she can think it through, she makes an announcement of her own, and suddenly there is a fight for HOA president, because Collins is running against her old buddy Nate.

The next weeks go by in a blur of backroom meetings and lawn decorations, glittery signs and patriotic yard flamingoes, secrets splashed across the Facebook neighborhood group and a deflated Benjamin Franklin inflatable withering on the lawn. But what’s worse is that Collins finding herself attracted to that man again. The one who broke her heart as a teenager. The one who makes her blood boil when he acts like he is the more obvious HOA president. The one she can’t stop thinking about. And not only that, he’s inspired her to start writing again after letting her laptop sit closed for weeks.

So now Collins has to decide what she really wants for her future—the glamorous Hollywood writing career and all its excitement, or a life in Ohio with lots of HOA meetings and the boy who got away.

Next-Door Nemesis is a steamy rom com about figuring out what really matters and going after it, complete with hand-painted lawn flamingoes and googly eyes. There are lots of lovely surprises, suburban gossip, lawn care, MLM leggings, sangria, chain restaurant appetizers, and Midwestern good manners. There is a lot of snark, some spicy scenes, and a State Fair, so there is a lot to love.

I loved Next-Door Nemesis. As a lifelong Midwesterner, I appreciated all the moments of Midwest love as well as the hot Hollywood writer information. I thought the characters of Collins and Nate were both charming and authentic, but I really fell for Ruby the most. This novel has a genuine sense of place, strong characters, and the writing sizzles on the page. I did not want to put this one down, and I can’t wait to see what Alexa Martin comes up with next.

Egalleys for Next-Door Nemesis were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.