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Neighbor Dearest Review

Posted on 22 August, 2016 by in Penelope Ward, Review / 0 comments

Neighbor Dearest ReviewNeighbor Dearest by Penelope Ward
on August 15, 2016
Goodreads
three-half-stars

A STANDALONE NOVEL that does NOT need to be read in conjunction with any other book.

From New York Times bestselling author, Penelope Ward, comes a friends-to-lovers story with sexy new characters.

After getting dumped, the last thing I needed was to move next door to someone who reminded me of my ex-boyfriend, Elec.

Damien was a hotter version of my ex.

The neighbor I’d dubbed “Angry Artist” also had two massive dogs that kept me up with their barking.

He wanted nothing to do with me. Or so I thought until one night I heard laughter coming through an apparent hole in my bedroom wall.

Damien had been listening to all of my phone sessions with my therapist.

The sexy artist next door now knew all of my deepest secrets and insecurities.

We got to talking.

He set me straight with tips to get over my breakup.

He became a good friend, but Damien made it clear that he couldn’t be anything more.

Problem was, I was falling hard for him anyway. And as much as he pushed me away, I knew he felt the same…because his heartbeat didn’t lie.

I thought my heart had been broken by Elec, but it was alive and beating harder than ever for Damien.

I just hoped he wouldn’t shatter it for good.

Author's note – Neighbor Dearest is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Neighbor Dearest is a sexy STANDALONE friends-to-lovers story! Enjoy a sneak peek below and make sure to enter the giveaway! Good luck!

I LOVE Penelope Ward. She is one of my favorite go to authors. That being said, Neighbor Dearest was not one of my favorites from her and I am so bummed that I didn’t love it. It has been getting some great reviews so this could be the case of it’s not the book but me.

Penelope is known for giving us some of our favorite book boyfriends and Damien is no different. I loved this “Angry Artist” and even more so digging deeper to find out what was beneath his outside layer (secrets and all). Damien is pretty straightforward from the get go letting Chelsea know that he is not looking for anything more than friendship and these two begin a friendship through a hole in the wall and with the assistance of the Double D’s (read the book to find out more about the Double D’s and it’s definitely not what you are thinking!).

I absolutely love the push and pull in a friends to lovers story. I love that Ms. Ward gave Chelsea her own story as many of you may remember her from her book Stepbrother Dearest as she was the ex girlfriend of Elec. Chelsea certainly deserved her own HEA.

This book was good and there were definitely some emotional parts in the story that touched my heart. However, I felt like I was missing something while I was reading…like I just wanted MORE. More emotional, more connection – I felt like this story somehow felt lacking. I didn’t love how sex was so overdone either. While I enjoy heat in a book, often times I prefer the epic romance vs. the physical aspect of the relationship. Again this is my opinion and just how I felt while I was reading this book.

I will continue reading Penelope Ward books as she is without a doubt one of my favorite authors. This one just fell short for me 🙁

Excerpt

Looking tense, he placed his hands slowly into his pockets as he looked at me. “What exactly happened last night?” “What are you talking about?” Nice try dodging the question. He moved in closer to me. “What am I talking about? You leaving me with a giant fucking basket of muffins and running off before I could even say anything? Ring a bell?” “I thought you’d be alone. It caught me off guard.” His eyes softened. “You were upset…” “No, I wasn’t.” “You’re a terrible liar, Chelsea. Fucking horrible at it. You don’t hide your feelings very well.” “You think you know just about everything there is to know about me, don’t you?” “Not everything. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read you. It’s one of the things I like about you, though. You’re one of the least fake people I’ve ever met.” “Then, tell me. Why do you think I was upset?” “Honestly? I think you’re confused about me.” “Confused…” “Yes. I think you’re wondering why I opted not to have dinner with you and instead ended up with a woman I’d literally just met, someone who isn’t as sweet as you and sure as fuck isn’t as pretty as you. So, you’re wondering what the hell I was thinking. Am I right?” That’s exactly what I was thinking. He continued, “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I do feel a connection with you, okay? If you’ve sensed something, you’re not imagining it.” “Well, if I wasn’t confused before…now I definitely am.” “I feel like I need to say this now, because I can’t stand the thought of you thinking that I somehow find you undesirable when it’s exactly the opposite.” I crossed my arms. “Again. Not following you.” He closed his eyes as if to try to find the right words. “It’s just that I know for sure that I can’t ever be what someone like you needs in a boyfriend, in a partner. It’s not that we wouldn’t have fun or be great together at first. I’m just not good for you in the long-term—not marriage material. And the reasons are too complex to get into, except to say that it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I can’t, in good conscience, start something with a girl like you.” “A girl like me…” “Yes. You’re not the kind of girl a guy takes home for a quick fuck. You’re the girl he keeps.”

Right. Just like Elec did.

AVAILABLE ON ALL RETAILERS:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2bqUAc3

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2bKKdn3

iBooks: http://apple.co/29iqvtJ

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aT108M

Nook: http://bit.ly/2b6hVkQ

Giveaway

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three-half-stars

About Penelope Ward

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.

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