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tip_tamarack's review against another edition
4.0
This is a perfectly pleasant quick read. It's simple, and easy.
alwaysbooking's review against another edition
4.0
4 the dark to her light stars!!!
Dogs bring people closer and this book is totally proof of that, if Dolly Parton wouldn’t have run over to Jude they wouldn’t have had their reunion. Yes the dog’s name is Dolly Parton and I loved every minute with every scene of that dog. The squeaky toys are exactly how my daily life is at home with squeaky toys.
Jude is just so broody and I loved it, the broody lead characters always get me. I know why she locked her heart up and it was a valid point but her moody broody attitude was perfect. I like that she didn’t have to talk much to make a point but let Iris do all the talking. It seems most relationships are like that one is very talkative and one is quiet. Her attitude starts to change throughout the book and I like to see her slowly come out of her shell and maybe start to change how she looks at life.
Iris on the other hand is completely the life of the party, I sometimes think it might be her way to hide her hurt. She is just trying to figure out where to go in life from here, nothing is working out the way she thinks it should. I like how she just gives Jude her space to figure things out that was a really mature and supportive thing to do even though I’m sure it sucked on her end. I adored her relationship with her parents, her dad and his addiction to reading all kinds of books was so cute.
I’m starting to really enjoy this authors type of writing where the romance is super slow burn but the characters really learn about each other throughout the book. I loved the dog and family dynamic of this book, not even the blood family but the work family in this book was super cute. I wouldn’t mind having stories on some of the side characters in this book.
Find more reviews at alwaysbooking.wordpress.com
Dogs bring people closer and this book is totally proof of that, if Dolly Parton wouldn’t have run over to Jude they wouldn’t have had their reunion. Yes the dog’s name is Dolly Parton and I loved every minute with every scene of that dog. The squeaky toys are exactly how my daily life is at home with squeaky toys.
Jude is just so broody and I loved it, the broody lead characters always get me. I know why she locked her heart up and it was a valid point but her moody broody attitude was perfect. I like that she didn’t have to talk much to make a point but let Iris do all the talking. It seems most relationships are like that one is very talkative and one is quiet. Her attitude starts to change throughout the book and I like to see her slowly come out of her shell and maybe start to change how she looks at life.
Iris on the other hand is completely the life of the party, I sometimes think it might be her way to hide her hurt. She is just trying to figure out where to go in life from here, nothing is working out the way she thinks it should. I like how she just gives Jude her space to figure things out that was a really mature and supportive thing to do even though I’m sure it sucked on her end. I adored her relationship with her parents, her dad and his addiction to reading all kinds of books was so cute.
I’m starting to really enjoy this authors type of writing where the romance is super slow burn but the characters really learn about each other throughout the book. I loved the dog and family dynamic of this book, not even the blood family but the work family in this book was super cute. I wouldn’t mind having stories on some of the side characters in this book.
Find more reviews at alwaysbooking.wordpress.com
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
The Girl Next Door is a beautifully written romance, in which the two women are more than a little hesitant at first.
FRC
FRC
lazybonesheroine's review against another edition
2.0
i wanted to like this but it was just wayyy too cheesy and hallmark-y. business girl reluctantly come to hometown, want to go back to big city, fall in love with Girl Next Door, decide not to leave hometown. there was really no big conflict or anything and it seemed like it was written by a very straight person. overall disappointing, only reason its not 1 star is bc its lesbian
james7634's review against another edition
3.25
Like a hallmark movie with girls. It was light easy and cute read.
althea's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review
Unfortunately this is the lowest-rated book I've read this year because this book is only just okay. I couldn't differentiate the two main characters, Jude and Iris, from any other romance book protagonists. They were so bland - Iris' personality was just owning a dog, and Jude's was being closed off and riding a motorcycle. There was absolutely no plot to speak of, which I normally don't mind because I love character driven books. However, the two main characters were too boring and there weren't any good side characters to save the book at all. To add to that, the writing was so lacking in emotions. Writing doesn't need to be flowery for it to be good but there were no complex sentences, no similes, everything was straight to the point, subject, verb, object, next sentence and repeat. Even the small town atmosphere was lacking, which was a real shame. I did, however, enjoy the pacing of the romance, but that's about it. I'm really sad that I was disappointed by this read as I was really looking forward to it but I'm sure there are many other f/f romance novels out there with much better characters and much better writing that you could read instead of this one.
Unfortunately this is the lowest-rated book I've read this year because this book is only just okay. I couldn't differentiate the two main characters, Jude and Iris, from any other romance book protagonists. They were so bland - Iris' personality was just owning a dog, and Jude's was being closed off and riding a motorcycle. There was absolutely no plot to speak of, which I normally don't mind because I love character driven books. However, the two main characters were too boring and there weren't any good side characters to save the book at all. To add to that, the writing was so lacking in emotions. Writing doesn't need to be flowery for it to be good but there were no complex sentences, no similes, everything was straight to the point, subject, verb, object, next sentence and repeat. Even the small town atmosphere was lacking, which was a real shame. I did, however, enjoy the pacing of the romance, but that's about it. I'm really sad that I was disappointed by this read as I was really looking forward to it but I'm sure there are many other f/f romance novels out there with much better characters and much better writing that you could read instead of this one.
laconni4's review
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
3.0
The Girl Next Door was somewhere in the fair to middlin range for me. I didn't exactly dislike it, but I didn't love it either. It's one of those books that enjoyable enough if you're looking for something quick to read that won't require too much of an emotional attachment from you. Jude and Iris are both likable, and their attraction is instant - one half of them doesn't readily admit it, but the author does make it pretty clear. The reason for that hesitance is also pretty clear from early in the story, but we aren't given the details until almost the end. The book isn't particularly long, but to be honest, it felt longer than it actually was, and I think a big part of that is because the whole story is basically on an even keel from start to finish. There really aren't any surprises, good or bad. Instead, it's predictable as it moves along. There's really no question about why the attraction isn't acted upon sooner just the same as there's really no question about whether or not Iris is going to stay in town or why that might be. In the end, I'd have to say that this one is just an okay read. It was a sweet romance with a bit of steam between two likable enough characters. It wasn't bad, but it's not something I'll be thinking about later either.
hhushaw's review against another edition
4.0
An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I have liked Chelsea Cameron's books in the past so I was very excited to start this one. I really connected with the main character Iris, she went to college, did everything right and yet still couldn't find a job. Unable to make it on her own she had to move back. Her next-door neighbor Jude she remembers for the one year they shared together in high school. The tragedy of Jude's past and the craziness of Iris' present made for a fantastic book!
miloblue's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0