“You only get one true love, one soulmate. Not everyone is lucky enough to find that person in a lifetime.”
5 stars!
OMG, I loved this book! It’s a friends-to-lovers romance with fantastic and natural chemistry, great banter, delicious angst and sexual tension, breathtaking romance, and SO. MUCH. MORE! This book took off in a direction that I definitely wasn’t expecting and it made me feel EVERYTHING. I sat down and read it in one sitting and I’m on such a high after finishing it, I’m tempted to go back and start over at the beginning again. I absolutely loved it!
If you’ve read Stepbrother Dearest, you may remember that the hero, Elec was with a girl named Chelsea, but left her to claim his HEA with Greta. Well, this is Chelsea’s story after Elec left her broken hearted and struggling to move on - but this one can absolutely be read as a standalone.
It’s been a year since Elec shattered Chelsea’s heart, and she is still sad, lonely and full of questions about how it all went wrong. While pouring her heart out to her therapist on speakerphone one night, she hears chuckling from her neighbour on the opposite side of her bedroom wall, and it’s then that she realises that he has heard every single word.
“You've been listening to me...through a glory hole?"”
“No. You've been subjecting me to asinine conversations with people who are ripping you off...through a glory hole.”
“You are such a...”
“A-hole?”
Chelsea’s neighbour, Damien, is super-hot and effortlessly sexy artist, but he’s also an angry, broody and sarcastic. They have never held an actual conversation, and they obviously don’t get off to a great start, but after he inadvertently learns all of her secrets and uncertainties, they get to talking and he offers her advice – the first piece of advice that actually gets her thinking and starts her on the road to recovery.
They start talking more, and even hanging out, and before they know it, they’ve become the best of friends. Chelsea has been attracted to Damien pretty much from the beginning, but he’s made it clear that he’s not the man for her. So they try to ignore the sizzling chemistry even though neither of them can deny that they are wildly attracted to each other.
“You have no idea how close I’ve come to losing it with you so many times. No clue … Don’t think I can’t tell exactly what you’re thinking when you look at me. You are so transparent, and it drives me crazy.”
Chelsea and Damien are both wonderful characters, and they are so fantastic together. They’re both smart, funny and sensible, and they have so much fun together. Their friendship is filled with shared jokes, moments of bonding over Damien’s dogs, movies, internet dating and dirty texts, and they’re both straight-talkers, and I LOVE that! And even though they’ve openly talked about it, the angst and frustration comes when their feelings for each other become too hard to ignore, and I loved their honesty as through it all they don’t hide what they’re feeling and they talk from the heart.
“You can’t have it both ways, Damien. You can’t look at me the way you do … You can’t keep me close and treat me as if I’m a huge part of your life and expect me not to get attached to you. It’s unnatural and unhealthy, and whether it’s your intention or not, you’re hurting me.”
It’s an angsty situation that is just bursting with sexual tension, but OMG it’s so good! The banter, flirty conversations and intense stares create a fantastic feeling of want between them, but something keeps holding Damien back. And though they are brutally open and honest with each other about everything else in their lives, he never talks about his reasons for not acting on his feelings – not matter how much it hurts them both. And it’s not until the drama, angst and emotional intensity builds to epic levels that his secret is revealed and the story takes a huge shift. It’s very well done and with their hearts on the line, they can’t hold back from each other anymore.
“You know why it didn’t work out with him?”
“Why?”
“Because God made you for me.”
“You’re perfect for me, baby. I always knew that, never doubted it.”
OMG, the swoon! After all of that build up, the swoon is off the freaking charts! This relationship is truly something special, and I love that by the time they get together, they are already crazy in love with each other, which makes everything so much more intense. And I love that the book takes us beyond the stage of falling in love and coming together to show us more of their journey. This truly is a complete story, and the emotion continues to build all the way through. This is the first time in a long time that I have actually cried in a book because it’s just. that. beautiful!! Seriously, the epic romance and swoon in this book is gorgeous, and at one point I had tears streaming down my face.
“As long as I’m walking this Earth, I’m going to love you … You’re it for me.”
*sniff*
I have loved Penelope Ward’s other books, but with this one she has become an auto-buy author for me. I loved these characters, I loved their journey, and I loved losing myself in their absolutely gorgeous story. Here’s hoping for more with a book for Damien’s brother, Tyler very soon!
5 huge stars.
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Reviews with images
A girl falls in love with her next-door neighbor who happens to be her landlord.
REVIEW FOUND ON MY BLOGI love Penelope Ward and her books so much. She sure knows how to write a good romance. Neighbor Dearest follows Chelsea. She has just been broken up with and is heartbroken. Suddenly, her hot next-door neighbor Damien throws himself into her life. Little does Chelsea know is that he owns her apartment building.What starts off as a beautiful friendship, grows into a full-blown hot relationship. Damien is just the thing that Chelsea needs to move on from her ex. Just when Chelsea thinks she is done with love, she falls again. Damien is hiding a secret and refuses to start anything serious with Chelsea.Damien is a new favorite book boyfriend of mine. There were moments of tender relatable getting over ex moments. All the characters in Neighbor Dearest are incredible! This is a character-driven story. Penelope Ward is easily a must buy author of mine. This is another great romance with so much substance and heartfelt moments.I did not know that this book was a sequel but you can still read it first like I did and know what is going on. In a way, it is kind of like a stand-alone novel. However, now that I know the first book revolves around Chelsea's ex..... I now have to read that one too, of course, because I have to read all of Ward's books.I did not want Neighbor Dearest to end. There is not one negative thing to say about this book. I LOVED IT SO MUCH! Plus, Damien's dogs made me love it that much more. Any story with animals is a must-read for me. Five stars easily! This book is a brand new favorite of mine. Get ready to swoon with Neighbor Dearest because I sure did. Gosh, Penelope, you have outdone yourself again with all that sexual tension.
Top reviews from other countries
Terri T.
Another excellent book from Penelope Ward !!!!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2016