More than Neighbors

More Than Neighbors is a quintessential feel-good romance. I loved the way Shannon Stacey was able to take a boy meets girl love story and make it unique. I was hooked on the first page and read through the book in one sitting!

If you are interested in an escape from your current reality, fall into More Than Neighbors.

An irresistable new contemporary romance from forever fave Shannon Stacey, MORE THAN NEIGHBORS is an exciting start to her first series for Harlequin's Special Edition Line. Widowed Meredith moves back to her small New England hometown of Blackberry Bay with her daughter and dog in tow, not expecting to fall for new neighbor Cam, who's carrying his own baggage. A lovely neighbors to lovers story with a great setup for potential future couples in the series.

Beautiful and soothing to the core, a lovely book perfect for reading on holidays, on the beach, or just for making one feel better in between major reads.

I have loved everything about this book. It was so well written and easy to read, simple yet thoroughly thought out characters, with clear values and goals, yet easy going and almost felt like I could pop in to their barbecue dinners or go for an ice cream with them.

Blackberry Bay seems like the perfect place to start a new life: far from the hustle and bustle, a place where family life can play a major role every day, building on the dramas of the past or actually healing all main characters Meredith, Cam and Sophie. Meredith and Sophie moved to the Bay to start over after a personal tragedy, they needed the nature, new old friends and faces and a more simple and happier life. Indeed they could find what they were looking for, and the sassy, playful character tones make up for the sweet predictable ending.

I will for sure pick up the next books in this series and will follow Shannon Stacey from now on. Many thanks to Lisa from Harlequin Special Edition and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

I absolutely loved everything about More than Neighbors and the town of Blackberry Bay. From the characters to the quaint little town, Shannon Stacey drew you into the lives of Meredith and Sophie from the first page. Meredith is a widow at the ripe old age of 30 and she's decided to move back to her hometown of Blackberry Bay. She grew up there but hadn't been back for years since she moved to California and married her college sweetheart. When he passed away, she wanted a new start for her and her six-year-old daughter Sophie.

Cam Maguire felt like he was living in a timewarp. On one hand, he was still working for his father, albeit remotely, for their corporation in New York. On the other hand, he was living in a cottage in Blackberry Bay that once belonged to his paternal grandmother. A grandmother he didn't know even existed. He's joined only by Elinor, his grandmother's finicky cat, in the small cottage by the bay and his summer of discovery stretches before him to remind him how lonely he truly is. Until Meredith arrives next door.

Cam and Meredith have sparks from the first time they meet and there's no denying it. Whether Sophie and her dog Oscar are swinging in his hammock reading books, or Cam is accompanying them to the library and for ice cream, the two of them can't seem to keep their eyes off each other. Meredith is torn by her desire to find someone new. She loves her husband, but at thirty, she knows she's too young to stay single forever. Cam is torn about how to be what Meredith and Sophie need when he doesn't even live in Blackberry Bay and there's no way he'd ask them to move to New York. He wonders if he'd be able to be the step-dad Sophie needs after losing her own father, a man she will always remember.

I loved the maturity of this romance, meaning I think the author did a nice job with keeping the overreacting to a minimum by making sure the characters communicated their needs and desires (For the most part. Sure there was conflict, but it wasn't over the top ridiculous).

The secondary cast of characters in this book leaves the door wide open for many more novels in the Blackberry Bay series and I can't wait to read Reyna's story. If you're looking for a new series to start that's full of laughter, love, and a wonderful town I'd love to live in, you definitely want to grab More than Neighbors by Shannon Stacey!

Shannon Stacey's "More than Neighbors" was a sweet and heartwarming novel featuring likeable characters, an engaging plot with touches of humor and mystery, and a charming small-town New England setting rich with future story possibilities. Main characters Cam and Meredith seemed to have very little in common at first, but I enjoyed watching them get to know each other and slowly come to realize just how perfect they were for each other. Cam's friendship with Meredith's daughter Sophie was also adorable, and I loved how patient Cam was with Sophie and how he fell in love with her just as much as he did with her mother.

Meredith and Sophie had a tough time after the death of Sophie's father, Devin, but I really appreciated that Meredith was open to dating and possibly finding love again. I also appreciated that no "big secret" came out about her late husband after his death to make him look bad and Cam look better by comparison. I believe it's possible to love more than one person over the course of a lifetime, and a truly loving spouse, as Devin seems to have been, wouldn't want Meredith to be alone forever. Meredith's grieving process and choice to move on with her life was handled well IMO, and I didn't feel that her relationship with Cam moved too fast or was happening before she was truly ready for it.

Overall, I recommend "More than Neighbors" for all fans of contemporary romance and look forward to reading future books set in the charming town of Blackberry Bay.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.