I liked this book in the beginning, funny, fun, and their hatred was incredible.

Alas, chapter 30 and beyond ruined the book for me, miscommunication typically doesn’t bother me but Elle was SO MEAN to Parker. Unforgivable.

I absolutely love @alexaster Lightlark series so I was really excited to read her debut adult novel. It was really good! Loves the storyline and I couldn’t put it down! Perfect amount of plot, character development, and romance.

This book instantly hooked me with the classic enemies-to-lovers tension—so much banter, chemistry, and slow-burn goodness that I quite literally couldn’t stop reading. I was completely invested in these characters and their journey!

I absolutely loved the idea of exploring different parts of the city, and it added such a fun layer to the story, though I will admit I wished we got a few more stops along the way. Still, the whirlwind of events kept me flipping pages like mad.

And can we talk about Parker for a second?! His thoughtfulness, his effort—ugh, he melted my heart. His intentions were everything.

This book had me chuckling one moment and tearing up the next. So much happened in one summer, and it was such an enjoyable, emotional rollercoaster. The ending did feel a bit rushed for my liking, but I still closed the book with a big smile on my face.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this sweet, swoony summer story!

Knowing of Alex Aster from the fantasy genre, I was ecstatic to see her branching out of her comfortable niche and trying a new style. Getting this ARC was icing on the cake!
This book was such a cute and fun escape to the world of NYC where we followed along as Elle and Parker work through their ... issues and arrangements. The banter was incredible and scenes were pristine!

Brava, Alex!

Thank you for the chance to read and review this ARC! Now I need to go back to NYC!

This was a sweet one! I loved the flow of their story, It truly felt like its sent up like one of Elle's movies. I loved the TENSION between the main character, their fake relationship blossomed beautifully into a real one. I hope Alex Aster continues to write romance novel! As a debut, its amazing!!!

The end felt weird. Having them apart for 18 months simply to run into each other again. The proposal plus the town house thing was a lot but I understand how it was necessary to Elle's fears and reality.

This review will be live on my instagram: @lastbookshelfontheleft on 4/5.

I was very indifferent about this book for the first half. I couldn't connect to the characters, especially Elle. They felt very flat and two dimensional to me and became pretty cliche/stereotypical (her a bit more so than him, but the way she thought about him never really changed much from her stereotype idea of him).

I also felt like there was important information given about Elle that would have been more helpful to have earlier in the story rather than getting an insight into her as a character as the events arose. Plus, I would have rather been shown the characters personalities than rather than being told a lot of the time.

I ended up finding Elle to be really annoying as well, especially towards the end (she was gave me whiplash right as things were wrapping up nicely, she did a complete 180 out of nowhere and it just ended up doing way too much). I don't mind a hyper independent character but she was too hyper independent.

The pacing and progression also felt choppy, especially in the last 2 chapters (those chapters also ruined the rest of the book for me). There were moments in the book that went by really fast while others seemed to almost drag on, it was just all over the place.

There were some really good lines in the book that I enjoyed though.

I originally was going to give this 3 stars, since I didn't love it but it also didn't hate it. However, the last 2 chapters really ruined it for me.

2.5 stars

Thank you Alex Aster and NetGalley for the eARC.

When screenwriter Elle, has to move back to New York City for the summer, she does not expect to be neighbors with her angry muse, billionaire Parker Warren.

Welcome to the land of contemporary romance, Alex. You definitely know how to write a MMC.
Parker was... swoon. Here's the thing. Parker doesn't like movies that jump ahead in time, and I agree. The 18-month jump was a NO for me. It lost my faith in this hunk of a billionaire. He made billboards for her?? Why didn't he chase after her???? I was really enjoying this book until the time jump. Now I'm left feeling upset. Maybe that's just me.
Also, I would have liked more than a glimpse of Parker's mom. We had more facetime with Elle's crappy dad than we saw of this wonderful women.
3/5 Stars

Give me all the billionaire romances! Elle randomly meets Parker randomly at a club and they hit it off until he put his foot in his mouth and she starts to hate him. Yes, he becomes her hate muse! Fast forward a few years later and they become neighbors for the summer. I love how Elle grows in this book and starts to realize what's important to her and Parker learns he can't buy everyone's love. Its a great summer read.

THIS is a classic 90's rom-com at it's core. It's utter chaos in the best possible way. I loved the Lightlark Series, but as a contemporary romance reader THIS is my favorite Alex Aster book. I am OBSESSSSSSSSED.

As is typical for a book like this, everything could've been resolved much sooner if they'd just actually talked to each other about their thoughts and feelings, but I really enjoyed myself while reading this. I'm not usually big on billionaire romances, but this one worked somehow!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

This book started off really strong. As a Lightlark/Nightbane fan, I was extremely excited for this o e, and I think Alex did an amazing job with the writing style and descriptions of NYC. The entire thing felt very magical–like I was there living it like Elle. I was hooked immediately, and this one helped pull me out of a reading slump that I’ve been struggling to peer through for months now. That being said, the last 25% or so really through me off. There were two third act break ups (both revolving around miscommunication, which I’m not a fan of) and the ending felt rushed. I also felt that it was a tad too unrealistic for me. I love a billionaire romance as much as the next person, but this one ended up being a little too extreme. All in all, I’d absolutely recommend it as a cute, fun romance read perfect for the summer!

Alex Aster debut romance novel was done perfectly! I wouldn't change a thing and enjoyed reading every page.

Elle Leon is a screenplay writer with writer's block. Parker Warren is not only the billionare neighbor but the guy she shared a kiss with a few years ago.

The combination tropes like fake dating, close proximity and billionare mmc, are my favorites. Elle was hesitant to date someone like Parker for real so fake dating didnt seem like it would effect her much but Parker kept surprising her. He was thoughtful, considerate and caring. Whatever he didnt say with his words, he said with his actions.

Elle was such a sweetheart and she definitely deserved someone like Parker, consistently proving why they were perfect for each other. Elle's writers block did not last long in nyc either. Parker became her somewhat of her inspiration and helped her in so many.
I loved exploring Nyc throughout the pages and I loved their cute outings and date nights.

Overall, This is one of my Faves from Alex Aster! I Highly recommend!

Thank you William Morrow/NETGALLEY for the ARC!

I was nervous going into this based on how I felt about Skyshade but was happily surprised!

some things I liked:
- it wasn't insta-love
- the "is this real" thoughts that happen in every fake dating wasn't redundant
- quick descriptions of locations
- a fun setting!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a fun cheeky romance following a billionaire and a screen writer who hates him. I loved the journey across the city, finding themselves, the growth each character had as well as the perfect ending!

For Alex Aster’s first adult romance this did not disappoint!! I’m not one for billionaire romance, but I found myself not able to put this book down! Also the fact that this was placed in New York when I’ve never been there myself was so much fun, all the descriptions and details of all the places they explore was wonderful!

All I know is that I loved Alex Aster before with her Lightlark Series, and now with this adult romance I love her even more!!

This was my first Alex Aster book! And, I really enjoyed it. It was fun and overall full of love. I enjoyed the character building and their story. Parker was very dreamy and the best part of this story.

This was a quick read. People aren’t always what they seem like. It’s very easy to judge someone based on appearances and attitudes alone. The main characters are well developed, have flaws, but are very likable. Spending a summer in a city that you think destroyed you and finding out that’s it’s one you truly love was a good background to the story. New York City is the perfect setting for this book. I liked how the love story played out.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

🎬🏙️🗽💰

enemies to lovers, second chance romance, forced proximity, opposites attract​, neighbors, billionaire romance (kinda?), fake dating

📖: Screenwriter Elle moves to NYC for inspiration while writing her next script, only to find herself living next door to Parker—the tech billionaire she once hooked up with and now can’t stand.

💭: LOVE LOVE LOVE. This story had me blushing so many times! Parker, the busy billionaire who still made time and bent over backwards for Elle, was so swoon-worthy. While I did feel like he was money/love-bombing her at times—despite her clear discomfort—I still really enjoyed the story.

That said, I wish the engagement at the end didn’t happen. It felt unrealistic since they had never officially dated and had only been together for about three months. Parker went from not believing in marriage to proposing in such a short time, which felt rushed. I loved the time jump, but everything wrapped up too quickly in a single chapter. I would have loved more insight into their time apart and how they found their way back to each other.

But overall, the plot was chef’s kiss—live, laugh, loved this story!

I have read past fantasy books by Alex Aster and loved them, but this book just didn't hit the mark for me. The initial meeting felt rushed, and I feel like moments that should have been bigger and elicited more emotion seemed rushed and fell flat. For example, the reveal that they knew each other came and went in a heartbeat, and I feel like it should have been bigger. Their relationship itself was well paced and sweet though.
I don't like the FMC. She kind of seemed like a bitch. I understand her past and issues with money, but it seemed like they were an issue of convenience. She commented about how she hated he flashed his money around and made it a big deal to her (which is fine, and I support that), but then immediately decided it was fine when he was giving that money to charity. It was still the same show of money though?
I liked Parker. He was a little boring and started off the book a little short, but he ended up having more to say and expressing himself more towards the end. I enjoyed his genuine interest in her and unwavering devotion to her.
The writing in this was kind of juvenile. There could have been so many more uses of descriptions to tell and explain the story. It seemed like words were put on the pages with the purpose of being put there to get from point A to point B, vs being weaved into the story and connecting the parts and dialogue together better. Ironically enough, it almost felt like it was written like a screenplay vs a romance novel.
This story had a lot of potential and was a good plot overall (can't go wrong with fake dating), but it unfortunately fell a little flat for me.

This was the perfect rom com and just what I needed. I stayed up late and finished it in 7 hours. It gave me all the feels - I laughed, I awed, I teared up, I gasped. I loved that the third act breakup wasn’t dragged on for long. Sometimes in those stories, it seems to drag on where you’re practically yelling at the book to hurry up and make up already. This moved at a good pace for my emotional sanity and patience level.

If you’ve read any recent rom com, you know the arc and have some expectations of what will happen and when. It’s the characters and dialogue that set the stories apart. I loved the characters’ personalities and wit, their supporting friendships, and their relationship with each other - each had their own dynamic, shined in their own ways, and supported Elle in different ways.

If you want a cute, enemies to lovers, quick-to-read rom-com, this should be your next read.