Love Next Door by Helena Hunting
Love Next Door by Helena Hunting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Love Next Door is a fated enemies to lovers romance.
What you need to know about “Love Next Door”:
✔ Enemies to Lovers
✔ Dual Point of View
✔ Dillion Stitch, returning home to Pearl Lake from Chicago
✔ Donovan Firestone, clearing out his late grandma’s cottage
✔ Forced Proximity
✔ Complete Standalone
✔ Small Town Romance
When “Love Next Door” begins, Dillion Stitch has just lost her job, her apartment and has gone through an amicable breakup. After some unforeseen circumstances, Dillion agrees to go back to her small hometown of Pearl Lake to help her Dad out with his construction and renovation business while she tries to figure out her next steps.
Donovan “Van” Firestone’s trip to settle his late grandmother’s estate (in the cottage next door to Dillion’s parents) takes a turn when he gets a phone call that he’s being accused of stealing three million dollars from his late mother’s charity. He suddenly finds himself the center of an investigation and out of a job. He decides to hide out in Pearl Lake while the dust settles.
Their meet cute is more of a meet-naked on Van’s part. They start bickering about the masses of misunderstandings that led them to this situation. Nothing gets resolved leaving the reader to think: well that’s going to be an interesting summer!
Dillion and Van are thrown into each other’s path again and again through circumstance. They each have their own vastly differing opinion of Pearl Lake and their own set of memories of the place. This is due to the fact that Dillion is a “townie” and Van only came to the lake on vacation.
They maneuver around the lake and each other, push each other’s buttons and rile one another up.
This is an enemies to lovers romance and once that balloon pops the tension remains for the rest of the novel through all the action happening around and through our main characters.
A worn sign at the beginning of the town proclaims “Your Dreams are a Boat Ride Away!”. It’s details like this that provide this book with the world building you need to make Pearl Lake seep into you so that you feel it’s somewhere you’ve already been. It’s recognizable with its sleepy cottage homes, still lake, leafy trees and nosy neighbors.
I could not put this book down and I didn’t, not until I read the last oh-so-satisfying page. I really enjoyed both main characters; Dillion is a bit of a subdued firecracker who is sad to learn she may have made some decisions in the past based on one person. Van is an honorable man who may not be living his life to fullest in “the city” and gets a truckload of problems dumped on him through no fault of his own.
I also loved the character of Grammy Bee although we only get to meet her through stories.
We even get glimpses of some characters from Hunting’s All In series who are living on the “rich people” side of the lake.
“Love Next Door” is a novel that draws you in about a romance that isn’t as unlikely as it first seems, in fact, it might have been fated from the beginning.
WRITING STYLE: 5/5
PLOT: 5/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 5/5
PACING: 5/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
ROMANCE: 5/5
HEAT: 5/5
I received an advance reader’s copy from the author, my opinions are 100% my own.
View all my reviews
Synopsis
When Dillion Stitch left her hometown, she had no intention of going back. But when her brother gets into trouble, Dillion reluctantly agrees to return home to take her place at the family business.
Being back in Pearl Lake after all these years feels familiar, but also brings a few surprises. She’s quick to notice that someone new has shown up at the cottage next door. Dillion gets more than an eyeful when she goes to check out the newcomer and meets Donovan “Van” Firestone—her beloved neighbor’s grandson—in all his unclothed glory.
Having gotten off to a rocky start, it’s not long before they begin bickering with each other all over town. All that back and forth inevitably sparks an undeniable attraction. But Dillion’s family has issues, Van’s family resents him, and neither Dillion nor Van feels truly at ease in the small town. For these Pearl Lake exiles, home isn’t just where the heart is—it’s where things get complicated.
About Helena Hunting
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
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Love Next Door by Helena Hunting comes out July 27th. Please feel free to consult my list to see what else is coming out this month. What are you reading in July?