How to Love Your Neighbor, Sophie Sullivan

I was lukewarm with Sullivan’s first book, so when I agreed to review this, I hoped maybe it was a fluke. Sadly, it was not a fluke, and it’s clear this author isn’t right for me. I didn’t like Noah. He was chauvinistic and shocked that Grace had even an ounce of talent. Because surely, someone must have helped her. Are people so stuck in the 50s that it’s hard to believe a woman can… do things? We’re supposed to think that someone with that way of thinking is an excellent person underneath? It didn’t work for me.

Grace’s inner monologue is the best thing going on here because she’s very funny. I also think she has a lot of unique insight into the world. Then Sullivan (kind of) built up tension with Grace and Noah and then skipped right over the juicy bits, which I guess some people prefer. But I didn’t understand the point of building sexual tensions to just be like, okay, so they did it, now use your imagination. Ultimately, it was a slow crawl to the finish, leaving me feeling lukewarm about the entire book. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.

A side note: As an avid reviewer, I know books I receive still go through a final round of editing before release day. Mostly, there might be a stray spelling mistake here and there, but not so with this book. The spelling and grammar mistakes rapidly piled up. In one instance, they’re calling the magazine Home and Heart magazine, and in the next, they call it Heart Homes magazine. Then Noah thinks, “like one of those animals in the game Whac-A-Mole.” One of those animals? Do you mean… a mole, as implied in its name? The book was so utterly sloppy with things like that, it was offputting.

How to Love Your Neighbor is available for preorder on Amazon, Bookshop, and B&N, it releases January 18th.

Read this review on Goodreads and Bookbub.

About the Book:
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.