“…there’s no such thing as destiny, only dick-stiny.”

The Neighbor Wager reads like both a fun, early aughts romcom & a classic Hallmark movie but with more self awareness than the former & more spice than the latter (though, it’s not difficult to be spicier than a Hallmark movie). You have Deanna, the classic “I don’t believe in love, I only believe in algorithms” type of FMC who couldn’t put herself first in any situation ever. You have River, the literal boy-next-door who goes through a real Matthew Lewis-level glow up, but who is also apparently still obsessed with Deanna’s sister, Lexi. Then you have Lexi, the golden girl who is so afraid to accept the good in her life that she turns her focus on River as a literally attractive avoidance technique. And Deanna is convinced that the success of her app, & her very specific world view, depends on keeping Lexi & River far apart. So Deanna takes a really sexy bullet & decides the easiest way to keep them apart is to just make sure he’s only hanging out with her, instead of Lexi. If this isn’t a 2004 romcom, I don’t know what is!

I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, though I’m not sure why outside of, apparently, my own thoughts which are cynical enough to give Deanna a run for her money. But yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Every character was dynamic in their own way & it’s always great when it feels like no one has any malicious intent but rather, they’re all just silly humans fumbling along & trying to navigate their feelings as they manifest in confusing &, often, unproductive ways. The writing was fun, the story flowed in a smooth way, & the spice was spicy; on a basic level, there’s really nothing else I need from a romance!

Thank you to NetGalley & Entangled Publishing for providing an advanced digital copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This was such a good read for February! It had all the great pieces that make romance so enjoyable to read. It had unrequited love, glow-ups, and friends-to-lovers. It very much had a little 27 dresses feel with the two sisters, without all the weddings. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. The characters were relatable, realistic, and their chemistry/relationships with each other was so great. I really loved the relationship between Deanna & Lexi...sisterly love for the win!! Also, that a person is more than what's on the outside or what they may portray.