Mr. Right Next Door

by Katie Montinaro

When you start the search for Mr Right, perhaps the best place to begin is right next door…

It’s Josie’s birthday, and her biological clock is ticking. Loudly. At least that’s what
society and her mother would have her believe. Josie sets herself a
deadline; find the man of her dreams before her next birthday. Simple right? If only it was. When Josie is torn between a man she just met and the man she’s been having a no strings attached situationship with, her friends convince her to date them both. Three dates is all she gets to decide where her future lies – she is on a deadline after all.

Nick knows that he and Josie are meant to be together, so when she tells him of her plan to date both him and some other pin-up wannabe, he jumps at the chance to finally show Josie just how ready he is to settle down and build a life with her. However, life doesn’t always go to plan and neither do his dates. Can Nick open Josie’s eyes and help her see what’s been in front of her this whole time? Or has he left it too late for a happily ever after?

Genres: Romance

274 pages, Paperback

Published January 4, 2024

Reviews

[Emma Mugglestone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Aussie romance and Mr Right Next Door was everything I hoped it would be. Full of heart, well rounded characters I wished were real and plenty of laugh out loud moments (the bowls scene - IYKYK). I can't wait to see what's next for the Russo sisters!

[Zara · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

2.5 stars - nothing amazing but was easy to read (apart from the few typos)

[Tara Jenkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

e-ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The first in a romance trilogy centred around the Russo sisters, Mr. Right Next Door follows headstrong, funny teacher Josie, who is on a mission to settle down before her 30th birthday - if only she could stop casually hooking up with her Zac Efron-esque (Down To Earth version, NOT High School Musical version) neighbour Nick, who is secretly in love with her despite his reputation as a player. Nick also suffers from anxiety and is struggling with emotional baggage due to a complicated relationship with his father, both of which prevent him from being able to express his feelings for her... until Josie starts dating her sexy optometrist Milo and then Josie finds herself in a "Couple's Survivor" style dating scheme set up by her best friends Ant and Elle.

The sexual tension is off the charts and the witty banter is hilarious, plus the quirky supporting characters (my favourite kind!) are the kind of friends you wish you had in real life. I'm especially looking forward to spending more time with Josie's sister Franki in the next instalment of the series and delving more into the sisters' complicated relationship with their mother, and I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of anxiety shown throughout the story, as well as the male bisexuality representation.

The novel ended on a cliffhanger, which makes me want to read the next instalment even more!

Well done, Katie 👏

[Nikki Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review ✨

Mr. Right Next Door by Katie Montinaro

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Release Day - 4th January 2024!

Firstly, thank-you to Katie for this ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review - I am always so grateful when I receive and am chosen for these.

I was the outsider looking in at these Characters, Nick and Josie and I just wanted to shake them both - their back and forth annoyed me and boy was I happy when they finally communicated clearly.

I found many parts while reading this quite repetitive and many phrases were repeated over and over.

I would have liked a bit more scene building and description around like the city the lived in and the apartments where they lived - there were small descriptions that popped up towards the end, that made me go “oh” and changed how I looked at the story a little and I feel that if this had been earlier in the book and a bit more, I would have connected with the story more.

I did love how this touched on men’s mental health and how important reaching out is. The men’s shed and the elderly guys giving Nick advice was a great touch.

It’s a really quick read and if you enjoy the friends to lovers trope, this one’s for you.

[Helen Farch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to receive an eARC of this upcoming new book from the fabulous Katie Montinaro.

I am a huge fan of anything Katie writes...

She has written one of my favourite YA romance reads - The Girl in the Sunflower Dress - as well as an adult Christmas novella that makes you swoon - Holly Jolly Christmas.

Now she is publishing her first adult romance - and it does not disappoint.

There are so many things I loved about this book:

I loved Mr Swoon-worthy man next door - I might even change my opinions on beards 😂

I loved Josie's best friends

I loved loved the old guys from the swimming group, and their advice for Nick

I loved the accurate teacher rep - Sunday night spent planning 😂

I loved the complicated family relationship Nick had with his dad and his step-mother and brothers

I think what I loved the most was seeing the portrayal of the leading man having anxiety rather than the woman.

Definitely a Summer holiday romance read to look out for.

[Pandora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this adorable romance! Josie is highly relatable, she's almost 30, feeling the ticking clock and hasn't settled down. Nick doesn't appear to want to settle down but the girl next door changed that for him. Everyone can see they're meant to be together but will Josie see it before it's too late?
There were so many good moments in this book, especially the bowls scene! Sometimes I wanted to reach out and shake Josie to make her go with Nick! But also a few moments where Nick needed a good throttle as well 😂
I'm looking forward to seeing more about the Russo sisters! Big thank you to the author for providing me with an arc for review.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adorable Fluffy romance is just beautiful 😍
The found family and the way they joke around with each other but are there for each other is just perfect.
Set in Melbourne Australia, you get a fair bit of auzzie slang to which I very much enjoyed seeing in a book.

My favourite quote or advice in this book was a bit long for the reel, but here it is.

"Your father was always the first person I wanted to call whenever I needed help. Or something good happened. He still is.
You asked me how I knew he was the one. That's it."

❤️ no spice but very romantic

[Lisa]

Another fun, banter filled, love story by Katie. Characters with heart that are easy to connect with and a story line that will have you cheering from the sidelines at who will win Josie’s heart! A story about finding love and listening to your heart even if it means going against the rules and expectations that have been planted in us from the very beginning. A great read overall and I look forward to reading more by this author. Well done!

[lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

I liked this book a lot. I loved the Men’s mental health rep, Aussie slang and the relationships between each of the characters - specifically Nick and Ant’s.

Overall it was pretty repetitive and also clear from the very start which of the two love interests Josie would end up with. I also wish we got more details about Franki’s relationship - I’m excited to read her book if she gets one! All that aside, I enjoyed it. It was a fun, flirty, cute and quick read. :)

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rom-com feels very Mornington Peninsula/Great Ocean Road, it was super fun seeing all our Aussie slang in a book for once! Flirty, funny... like if 'Sit, Stay, Love' and Tessa Bailey got mixed together. Very loveable characters, a great summer read!!

Read by Jemma and Sage

[Tehcup · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute romance story!
I loved the character of Josie. I found her very relatable.

[Heidi Epp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick is the novel equivalent of Nick from New Girl. No drive in life, kinda a slob, but a good friend and worth the investment. Josie projects all her insecurities onto others and avoids her true feelings. The love triangle was an interesting way for her to avoid the inevitable and pretend she was calling all the shots, when really she was in limbo and scared to live her life.
A quick read with a typical romcom ending.

[Evie Pavone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. All the characters were great, as well as each scene.
Was engaged from the start to end of the story and read super quickly.
Love this authors writing and looking forward to her future books. Recommend.