Girl Next Door DEALS
What if you found out that someone from your past was harbouring feelings for you? Would you be embarrassed, seek answers, or maybe explore a residual connection years later? People change and grow, but sometimes a spark that once existed can be reignited. Such is the premise of Rachel Meredith’s debut novel, Girl Next Door.
A bestseller from an unknown author sets off a chain of events for a writer in New York that opens up old wounds while exploring new connections in this charming and emotional romantic dramedy.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an ARC for review of Girl Next Door for review! Minor spoilers ahead.
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Girl Next Door Summary
MC Calloway has carved a niche for herself in the freelance writing space. Is she happy? Questionable, but she’s satisfied with what she’s achieved.
When MC’s best friend Joe calls her to frantically beg her to return to their hometown on Long Island and go undercover to discover the identity of an unknown author whose recently published novel, Girl Next Door, is the talk of the town.
Being an editor for the infamous gossip website, Jawbreaker Joe, he is searching for the ultimate exposé. He believes that Girl Next Door’s reclusive author, who uses the pen name S.K. Smith, is in fact Nora Pike, their standoffish childhood neighbor, who Joe is convinced harboured a secret crush on MC. In fact, Joe is convinced that Nora wrote Girl Next Door as a fantasy of what could have been an epic love story between the two of them.
It all came crashing down on her. The purpose of her visit, the sudden escalation of unrelated obligations. The way her reluctance to get down to business felt directly proportional to her sense of impending doom.
Soon, MC finds herself back in her hometown facing not only Nora, but her fraught relationship with her brother Conrad, and coming to terms with her former crush on his now-wife, Gabby. She might be in over her head, but this experience will help her take a closer look at her past, and maybe help her decide how she’d like to move forward.
What I Loved About Girl Next Door
The Characters
A rom-com is nothing without memorable characters and interactions, and Girl Next Door provides this in spades.
The banter in this novel is top tier, filled to the brim with witty and playful interactions. The conversations between MC and Nora are particularly memorable, but her back and forth with Joe reads as characters with many years of friendship between them, and her tension with her brother Conrad also provides an additional layer of complexity.
The dialogue doesn’t feel forced or over the top. It’s witty without being overblown. There’s an equal balance of lighthearted and serious moments between all parties, and the relationships have a real air of authenticity to them.
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The Setting
I love an air of returning-to-your-hometown awkwardness in a story, and MC being thrust back into not only the place where she grew up, but also becoming involved in activities at her old high school makes for a great plotline.
Her character is forced to reflect on her past while also returning to the place where her past occurred. It’s a specific choice by Meredith, but one that adds nuance to the characters due to their surroundings.
The Chemistry
Obviously, no romance novel stands a chance without good chemistry between the leads. Every interaction between MC and Nora is fantastic because they have tension for multiple reasons. Old and new feelings mingle to create an atmosphere of will they/won’t they that’s hard to forget.
Of course, Girl Next Door plays into certain tropes of the genre, like forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine, but their moments together never feel over the top. The book doesn’t fall into the stereotypes too heavily, which one can’t say for some other romance tales of a similar nature.
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Wrap-Up
It’s actually quite difficult to pinpoint any aspects of the story that I didn’t enjoy. I think the end of the novel only frustrated me slightly because we weren’t able to see much of a continuation of the romance at its core. Also, MC and Joe’s relationship – which hits quite a rough patch – was maybe wrapped up in a bit too neat a bow for my liking.
That being said, I do appreciate that many times in life the consequences of our actions are not packaged cleanly, and so I can understand that certain plot points can be messy and reflective of reality.
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Final Thoughts
A perfect LGBTQ+ rom-com to steer you towards the fall season, Girl Next Door offers both humour and heart, and demonstrates that sometimes we should be willing to give our pasts a second look.
I’ll certainly be on the lookout for Rachel Meredith’s future work. Great banter and layered characters are two of my favourite things, and this debut does not disappoint. Girl Next Door is available September 9th wherever books are sold!
*Disclosure: We only recommend books that we love and would read ourselves. This post contains affiliate links, as we are part of the Amazon Services LCC Associate Program and others, which may earn us a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
The Review
Girl Next Door
A perfect LGBTQ+ rom-com to steer you towards the fall season, Girl Next Door offers both humour and heart, and demonstrates that sometimes we should be willing to give our pasts a second look.
PROS
- Characters
- Banter
- Chemistry
CONS
- Wrap Up
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