How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: How to Love Your Neighbor
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Series: n/a
Pages: 352
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Date: January 18, 2022
Summary:
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.
Review:
I have read this book twice and it was definitely better the second time. I think that is because Noah is not a likable person at the beginning of the book. Knowing how much he grows emotionally made the second reading more enjoyable.
Both Grace and Noah have relationship issues due to each of them having parental horrors for parents. Grace’s mother lets the men in her life define who she is and never takes responsibility for any of her problems. Now that Grace is an adult, her mother expects her to be the one to bail her out financially whenever the need arises.
Noah’s father is a millionaire who collects trophy wives. He uses his money and influence to control his sons. Noah, finally, has had enough and moves from New York to the west coast. Unfortunately, what he knows about relationships, he learned from his father. He thinks any problem can be solved by throwing money at it.
As I said to start with, Noah is not a likable person. However, the changes he makes are what made me really like the book on the second reading.
Although Grace has issues to work through, she is a strong character from the beginning. She has friends and knows how to be a friend. She knows what she wants and is willing to work as hard as necessary to meet her goals.
I liked Grace a lot, but it is the way that Noah grows that makes this book so good. As a reader, I have a hard time overcoming a negative impression of a character. Noah is an exception.
This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Elaine Reads . . . constantly! 