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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
**I received a copy of The Aussie Next door from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions were not solicited in any way.**
The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London is I hope a new series featuring the town of Patterson Bluff and the Walters family. I loved this book and even though I've only read one other book by Ms. London (Beauty and the Greek Billionaire) her books are just fantastic. This is Jace, a comic artist and Angie's story with a sassy group of senior citizens the Poker Ladies, and of course Tilly and Truffle a pair of dogs that are mismatched, a Chihuahua and a German Shepard, but will keep you in giggles until the early hours of the morning.
Angie Donovan grew up in the foster care system in the US and a when one of her parents abused left her with scars both inside and outside. But she's come to Patterson's Bluff, Australia where she not hounded by the press but is just Angie it helps her landlord Jace Walters but wonderful people who don't care who she is or or why she's there. But after only two days she's fell in love with the town and it's people oh and Jace. But can she win over the board of the local care center as well as Jace who's orderly world has been turned upside down and now includes dog sitting for his mother's friend.
Jace Walters has always been different than the rest of his brothers and sister he loves routine and order calmed his "high functioning" autism. When he gets talked into watching Tilly and Truffle for 2 months will throw his schedule off, now if he can just get beyond his writer's block for his comic. When he finds out Angie may have to leave because her visa extension is denied and if she wants to stay she'll need to get married. Will he watch while she researches the towns bachelors or will he offer himself because she's become very important to his life?
The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London is I hope a new series featuring the town of Patterson Bluff and the Walters family. I loved this book and even though I've only read one other book by Ms. London (Beauty and the Greek Billionaire) her books are just fantastic. This is Jace, a comic artist and Angie's story with a sassy group of senior citizens the Poker Ladies, and of course Tilly and Truffle a pair of dogs that are mismatched, a Chihuahua and a German Shepard, but will keep you in giggles until the early hours of the morning.
Angie Donovan grew up in the foster care system in the US and a when one of her parents abused left her with scars both inside and outside. But she's come to Patterson's Bluff, Australia where she not hounded by the press but is just Angie it helps her landlord Jace Walters but wonderful people who don't care who she is or or why she's there. But after only two days she's fell in love with the town and it's people oh and Jace. But can she win over the board of the local care center as well as Jace who's orderly world has been turned upside down and now includes dog sitting for his mother's friend.
Jace Walters has always been different than the rest of his brothers and sister he loves routine and order calmed his "high functioning" autism. When he gets talked into watching Tilly and Truffle for 2 months will throw his schedule off, now if he can just get beyond his writer's block for his comic. When he finds out Angie may have to leave because her visa extension is denied and if she wants to stay she'll need to get married. Will he watch while she researches the towns bachelors or will he offer himself because she's become very important to his life?
Maybe 2.5 stars?
This seemed cute at first, but it lost momentum halfway through, and then their miscommunication and breakup, and how they made up from it, we’re just kind of annoying to me. It seemed a bit cheesy at times. More typos than I would have expected too. But the ending was nice enough, I suppose. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t really like it and struggled to finish it.
This seemed cute at first, but it lost momentum halfway through, and then their miscommunication and breakup, and how they made up from it, we’re just kind of annoying to me. It seemed a bit cheesy at times. More typos than I would have expected too. But the ending was nice enough, I suppose. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t really like it and struggled to finish it.
A nice relatively low angst romance novel with an Australian setting.
I totally related to loving those cheesy 90s early 2000s rom coms.
I totally related to loving those cheesy 90s early 2000s rom coms.
I am hesitant to say "read" here because I didn't even make it to page 100. The book was so slow, so uninteresting, and while I'm not sure how I would have wanted her to handle Jace being on the spectrum, I don't like how it was done. The front said Romantic Comedy, but it wasn't funny.
Perfect mix of sweet and spicy
This is a really heartfelt romance with two great protagonists as leads and a wonderful seaside town called Patterson's Bluff as the backdrop. Jace and Angie have wounds from the past that they need to work through but if they can do it together they will be all the better for it. This book has it all: cute dogs, quirky town, beach parties, and hot and steamy times. Can't wait for the next trip to this town!
This is a really heartfelt romance with two great protagonists as leads and a wonderful seaside town called Patterson's Bluff as the backdrop. Jace and Angie have wounds from the past that they need to work through but if they can do it together they will be all the better for it. This book has it all: cute dogs, quirky town, beach parties, and hot and steamy times. Can't wait for the next trip to this town!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
“She’d always known she would marry for love — because her life would have been very different if she’d had love…from anyone.”
The Aussie Next Door, Stefanie London’s newest book, is a story of two unlikely people falling in love in an unlikely situation. Angie, a U.S. citizen, is trying to stay in Australia, the place where she has finally found peace. The problem is the courts don’t agree, and she must leave Australia and return to the country of her birth, much to her dismay. One angle: find a man who will fall in love with her and marry her to keep her in Australia. Enter Jace, Angie’s landlord and next-door neighbor. Jace and Angie are attracted to each other, but very different. Jace, a comic creator, likes his solitude and routine. Everything has a very specific place in his life. Coming from a large family where there was constant chaos lead Jace to his very exacting life. Add in his being on the autistic spectrum, and routine and solitude are necessary. Unfortunately, his neighbor who is attractive is the opposite. She loves to talk and is generally messy. However, whenever she is around, Jace fixates on her. As the story progresses, these two fight their feelings for each other as Angie tries to find a husband. Eventually, the two cannot deny it, but can Jace fall in love with Angie? Will he marry her and keep her in Australia? Even more, can two seemingly opposites find love?
I was intrigued by this story from its blurb. Opposites attract? Check. Australia? Check. $exy hero and heroine? Check. All of the boxes were checked just in the blurb. Then, I received the book for an honest review, and Stefanie London blew me away for a number of reasons.
London gives us Jace. Yes, he’s handsome. Yes, he’s attentive. But he’s also on the autism spectrum. Obviously, he’s very high-functioning. However, his autism informs his daily living, and this adds a complication to any relationship. For most of the book, Jace doesn’t believe he can actually maintain a relationship. His heart is broken early on by a former girlfriend, and he lives with self-doubt. Jace is not an alpha-hero. He carries a bit of brokenness and self-doubt around, and it causes some of the angst of the story. And I loved this about him. When he finally falls, he’s sweet, cute, and cherishes Angie. His sensitivity becomes his super-power, and the reason I love him in this story.
London then gives us Angie. I am a sucker for broken characters, and Angie is one. Except that she covers it with a smile and a profound love for helping people. Of anyone in the story, Angie should live under a dark cloud. She’s a former foster child. She’s been taken advantage of by the system that was meant to protect her. She’s lived a life with very little love. Yet, she’s the most profound person in the story. She volunteers, brings light into the lives of the seniors and other townspeople, and quite frankly, she challenges Jace out of his comfort zone. “He didn’t want Angie to leave, that much he knew. She made the place brighter. Happier.“ Angie embodies love, even when she has never felt it. Her brokenness comes in her want of it, in her defense in hiding her true self in order to be loved. But it’s Jace who finally fills her love quota to overflowing.
I love the setting of this book. I’m quickly becoming a fan of romance novels found in other countries and continents. I think it exposes us to different cultures, and above anything else, books should challenge us. London gives us the Aussie culture, expanding our understanding of the world. She helps us see the difficulty of staying in a place that feels like home when you’re a foreigner.
The Aussie Next Door was such a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t read Stefanie London previously, but I am intrigued with reading more from her, especially if we get more books in this series. What London has crafted is a story of broken souls: one who thinks he can never be good enough to be loved because he is different and one whose true self has never been seen because she needed to fit in to find love. Together, these two souls are mended by love. And it’s the most beautiful part of this book.
“She’d always known she would marry for love — because her life would have been very different if she’d had love…from anyone.”
The Aussie Next Door, Stefanie London’s newest book, is a story of two unlikely people falling in love in an unlikely situation. Angie, a U.S. citizen, is trying to stay in Australia, the place where she has finally found peace. The problem is the courts don’t agree, and she must leave Australia and return to the country of her birth, much to her dismay. One angle: find a man who will fall in love with her and marry her to keep her in Australia. Enter Jace, Angie’s landlord and next-door neighbor. Jace and Angie are attracted to each other, but very different. Jace, a comic creator, likes his solitude and routine. Everything has a very specific place in his life. Coming from a large family where there was constant chaos lead Jace to his very exacting life. Add in his being on the autistic spectrum, and routine and solitude are necessary. Unfortunately, his neighbor who is attractive is the opposite. She loves to talk and is generally messy. However, whenever she is around, Jace fixates on her. As the story progresses, these two fight their feelings for each other as Angie tries to find a husband. Eventually, the two cannot deny it, but can Jace fall in love with Angie? Will he marry her and keep her in Australia? Even more, can two seemingly opposites find love?
I was intrigued by this story from its blurb. Opposites attract? Check. Australia? Check. $exy hero and heroine? Check. All of the boxes were checked just in the blurb. Then, I received the book for an honest review, and Stefanie London blew me away for a number of reasons.
London gives us Jace. Yes, he’s handsome. Yes, he’s attentive. But he’s also on the autism spectrum. Obviously, he’s very high-functioning. However, his autism informs his daily living, and this adds a complication to any relationship. For most of the book, Jace doesn’t believe he can actually maintain a relationship. His heart is broken early on by a former girlfriend, and he lives with self-doubt. Jace is not an alpha-hero. He carries a bit of brokenness and self-doubt around, and it causes some of the angst of the story. And I loved this about him. When he finally falls, he’s sweet, cute, and cherishes Angie. His sensitivity becomes his super-power, and the reason I love him in this story.
London then gives us Angie. I am a sucker for broken characters, and Angie is one. Except that she covers it with a smile and a profound love for helping people. Of anyone in the story, Angie should live under a dark cloud. She’s a former foster child. She’s been taken advantage of by the system that was meant to protect her. She’s lived a life with very little love. Yet, she’s the most profound person in the story. She volunteers, brings light into the lives of the seniors and other townspeople, and quite frankly, she challenges Jace out of his comfort zone. “He didn’t want Angie to leave, that much he knew. She made the place brighter. Happier.“ Angie embodies love, even when she has never felt it. Her brokenness comes in her want of it, in her defense in hiding her true self in order to be loved. But it’s Jace who finally fills her love quota to overflowing.
I love the setting of this book. I’m quickly becoming a fan of romance novels found in other countries and continents. I think it exposes us to different cultures, and above anything else, books should challenge us. London gives us the Aussie culture, expanding our understanding of the world. She helps us see the difficulty of staying in a place that feels like home when you’re a foreigner.
The Aussie Next Door was such a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t read Stefanie London previously, but I am intrigued with reading more from her, especially if we get more books in this series. What London has crafted is a story of broken souls: one who thinks he can never be good enough to be loved because he is different and one whose true self has never been seen because she needed to fit in to find love. Together, these two souls are mended by love. And it’s the most beautiful part of this book.
I very much enjoyed this book. I thought the story was well done and I did love Angie and Jace together.
The Aussie Next Door is a quick, realistic story that is so sweet.
I give this 4 out of 5.
The Aussie Next Door is a quick, realistic story that is so sweet.
I give this 4 out of 5.
I genuinely really enjoyed this book! It wasn't a typical cliched romance novel, and definitely had a slow burn. I enjoyed the characters and all the effort the author put into making them seem human. I subtracted one star because of the use of the miscommunication trope, which is definitely my least favorite! Overall, loved the characters, loved the dogs, and loved the story!
Funny and super sweet while also delivering an engaging plot and two complex, relatable leads you just want to cheer for.
Plus dogs.
Plus dogs.