Item: Next-Door Nemesis
Rating: 4.00
Author: quirkycat

by Alexa Martin

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES' BEST ROMANCES OF THE YEAR!

"Martin’s prose is a live wire: There are little shocks of pleasure on every page."—New York Times

Two rival candidates for a homeowner’s association presidency are about to find out how dirty suburbanites fight in this steamy new romantic comedy from Alexa Martin.

After years of hustling, Collins Carter has finally made it...back to her parents’ house. Between tending to the compost with her newly retired dad and running into her high school nemesis at the only decent coffee shop in town, Collins realizes this subdivision from hell she swore she’d never return to is her rock bottom.

Then the homeowner’s association complaint arrived.

Nathaniel Adams always dreamed of a nice, quiet life in his suburban hometown. Or at least that’s what he thought until Collins moved back and sent his quaint, organized life into a tailspin. He thought Collins was infuriating ten years ago, but when she announces she’s running against him for HOA president, all bets are off.

From secret board meetings to vicious smear campaigns whispered over backyard fences, Collins and Nate sink to levels their sleepy suburb has never seen before. But as hate turns into lust, these two enemies are forced to reckon with the feelings they’ve ignored for years. If only there were bylaws for real life.

Book Summary:

Some people are fortunate enough to never have a bad neighbor. Collins Carter is now one of those people. She recently moved back into her family home, only to find her old high school nemesis living next door.

Worse, he's the president of the HOA. Imagine the mayhem Nathaniel can cause as complaint after complaint rises up against Collins. The only way she can deal with it is head-on; she will run for the role of president of the HOA.

My Review:

Oh, I do love it when a book can merge multiple tropes into a fun and delightful read. That is certainly what happened here! Next-Door Nemesis blends enemies-to-lovers with the neighbor-from-hell trope, and it is perfect.

The novel starts off relatable, with Collins having to move back home. It quickly goes off the rails in true quirky/comical romance fashion. In truth, this book had me laughing more often than not. It really was exactly what I needed this week, so thank you (Alexa Martin) for that!

The escalation and HOA shenanigans were hilarious, though maybe those in an HOA would feel different? Either way, this rom-com is well worth the read, I promise!

Highlights:
Contemporary Romance
Chick Lit
Neighbors from Hell
Enemies-to-Lovers

Thanks to Berkley and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Next-Door Nemesis

by Alexa Martin

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Nov 19, 2023

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