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New Hope World #4
Vada and the Boy Next Door
VadaBeing born into a family that has been feuding with the next door neighbours for over forty years. It means I have no choice but to be enemies with the boy who lives there, right? Well, that’s what Grandpa has been telling me for years.
Everything changes the day Roman shows up in my time of need. He proves he has been paying attention for quite a while, and that my quirks don’t scare him away.
Not only does he fit himself perfectly into my routine. But he helps show me what I have been missing out on by allowing my best friend and family to shelter me with their love. And best of all, that it is okay to just be me.
Roman
I’ve never cared about the war between our families. I do, however, care about Vada Logan.
The problem. I thought she was dating her best friend. When my eyes are finally open to what is going on, I realise it’s time to show Vada the real me. I can only hope she doesn’t shut me down.
Vada might have autism, but unlike how her family shelters her, I can see the real Vada hidden underneath. She is not any different from the rest of us, all she needs are friends who have her back and can understand her.
All I need to do is show her that regardless of the complicated history between our families, we could have a future together.
And I really want to kiss her.
Vada and the boy next door is set in New Hope a fictional Australian town.
Autism can present differently in people and everyone’s experiences vary, Vada has been developed based on multiple influences of those we know and love with autism.
Everything changes the day Roman shows up in my time of need. He proves he has been paying attention for quite a while, and that my quirks don’t scare him away.
Not only does he fit himself perfectly into my routine. But he helps show me what I have been missing out on by allowing my best friend and family to shelter me with their love. And best of all, that it is okay to just be me.
Roman
I’ve never cared about the war between our families. I do, however, care about Vada Logan.
The problem. I thought she was dating her best friend. When my eyes are finally open to what is going on, I realise it’s time to show Vada the real me. I can only hope she doesn’t shut me down.
Vada might have autism, but unlike how her family shelters her, I can see the real Vada hidden underneath. She is not any different from the rest of us, all she needs are friends who have her back and can understand her.
All I need to do is show her that regardless of the complicated history between our families, we could have a future together.
And I really want to kiss her.
Vada and the boy next door is set in New Hope a fictional Australian town.
Autism can present differently in people and everyone’s experiences vary, Vada has been developed based on multiple influences of those we know and love with autism.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2024
40 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 21, 2024
What a lovely read that shows even with ASD (Autism) you can still find love. This book shows exactly what it’s like when you live with someone go suffers from ASD.
Will definitely read more in this world
Will definitely read more in this world
May 4, 2024
I love all of the books written by Amber Davis. This is just a fun good time and an easy read.
April 24, 2024
4.75⭐
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Vada is a quiet, introverted member of the Logan family with autism, which makes her feel totally different from the people around her. Fortunately, she has a supportive family and a protective best friend, Taylor. Caught up in the middle of her family's feud with their neighbors, the Kellys, she doesn't understand why they continue to hate each other with such passion. But Roman Kelly is the only one who manages to get on her nerves and annoy her to no end.
Roman is the second child of the Kelly family, overshadowed by his perfect brother. He is used to being second best to everyone and envies the bond his brother and Taylor have with their girl best friends.
When tragedy strikes one of their friends, it is the beginning of a drastic change in their lives. New friends, new feelings, and new experiences await them to be embraced.
Trigger Warning~ death of parents (historical and off-page), description of meltdowns (panic attacks), and mild swearing.
A sweet and emotional story of two teenagers who are meant to be! I loved the way the characters were so distinct and unique with lovable personalities. It talked about the everyday struggles of teenagers along with the challenges of a teen with autism.
It has dual points of view in Vada and Roman's perspectives. I liked how well-written their thoughts were. I could totally understand Vada's 'quirks' and even relate to some, even though I do not have autism. I loved the character development these two had throughout the book and enjoyed the roles of other characters such as Dylan, Taylor, Isabelle, and Grayson in the novel.
Otherwise, I enjoyed this wholesome story and highly recommend it if you like young adult stories highlighting family, friendship, and love.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Vada is a quiet, introverted member of the Logan family with autism, which makes her feel totally different from the people around her. Fortunately, she has a supportive family and a protective best friend, Taylor. Caught up in the middle of her family's feud with their neighbors, the Kellys, she doesn't understand why they continue to hate each other with such passion. But Roman Kelly is the only one who manages to get on her nerves and annoy her to no end.
Roman is the second child of the Kelly family, overshadowed by his perfect brother. He is used to being second best to everyone and envies the bond his brother and Taylor have with their girl best friends.
When tragedy strikes one of their friends, it is the beginning of a drastic change in their lives. New friends, new feelings, and new experiences await them to be embraced.
Trigger Warning~ death of parents (historical and off-page), description of meltdowns (panic attacks), and mild swearing.
A sweet and emotional story of two teenagers who are meant to be! I loved the way the characters were so distinct and unique with lovable personalities. It talked about the everyday struggles of teenagers along with the challenges of a teen with autism.
It has dual points of view in Vada and Roman's perspectives. I liked how well-written their thoughts were. I could totally understand Vada's 'quirks' and even relate to some, even though I do not have autism. I loved the character development these two had throughout the book and enjoyed the roles of other characters such as Dylan, Taylor, Isabelle, and Grayson in the novel.
Otherwise, I enjoyed this wholesome story and highly recommend it if you like young adult stories highlighting family, friendship, and love.
April 28, 2024
⭐ 3.5
Vada and Roman's story is heartwarming, with adorable characters that kept me smiling throughout. Although this book falls into the YA category, it's enjoyable for readers of all ages. The plot revolves around Vada and Roman and their journey from "dislikes to lovers". who happens to be Vada’s best friend’s brother and neighbor, takes care of her when things go wrong with her best friend. His entry into her life brings independence and warmth. All in all, it's a delightful read, even if the ending leaves you a bit confused.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Esto fue muy adorable, bien escrito y con personajes tan entrañables que solo tenía una sonrisa mientras lo leía.
Este libro es un YA y lo sientes pero también lo disfrutas, la historia de Vada y Roman me atrapo, vamos que casi fui a ciegas con este libro y la trama me gusto ¿dislike to lovers? diremos que si, Roman es el mejor amigo/hermano del mejor amigo de Vada y también su vecino, cuando cosas pasan con el mejor amigo, Roman toma la iniciativa de cuidar y ayudarla, y oh mi dios aquí es donde todo me gusto porque fluyo muy bien el como el entra a su vida y la hace sentir independiente, siento que todo está bien representado aunque se final me dejo un poquito confusa fue una buena historia.
Vada and Roman's story is heartwarming, with adorable characters that kept me smiling throughout. Although this book falls into the YA category, it's enjoyable for readers of all ages. The plot revolves around Vada and Roman and their journey from "dislikes to lovers". who happens to be Vada’s best friend’s brother and neighbor, takes care of her when things go wrong with her best friend. His entry into her life brings independence and warmth. All in all, it's a delightful read, even if the ending leaves you a bit confused.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
---
Esto fue muy adorable, bien escrito y con personajes tan entrañables que solo tenía una sonrisa mientras lo leía.
Este libro es un YA y lo sientes pero también lo disfrutas, la historia de Vada y Roman me atrapo, vamos que casi fui a ciegas con este libro y la trama me gusto ¿dislike to lovers? diremos que si, Roman es el mejor amigo/hermano del mejor amigo de Vada y también su vecino, cuando cosas pasan con el mejor amigo, Roman toma la iniciativa de cuidar y ayudarla, y oh mi dios aquí es donde todo me gusto porque fluyo muy bien el como el entra a su vida y la hace sentir independiente, siento que todo está bien representado aunque se final me dejo un poquito confusa fue una buena historia.
July 4, 2025
This was one I picked up because Amber Davis (who co-writes the book) is a RARE author, and I wanted to try some of her writing before I head over there in October.
On the plus side, we have an Australian author (two of them, I believe), an Australian setting, and strong autism rep in a main character with Vada, the FMC. I also mostly enjoyed the storytelling, although I do struggle with YA books, just because high school feels so incredibly long ago now!
BUT. One thing I did find distracting was the writing style, particularly the only-very-occasional use of contractions - maybe one in every five possible places to use a contraction did so, which made not just the dialogue, but the narrative voice as a whole, seem very formal and stilted. This is a book written from the viewpoints of two small-town teenagers, so there's no obvious reason for either of them to speak this formally. Because the first few chapters were from Vada's POV, I initially wondered if the authors were using the lack of contractions as a way to subtly highly Vada's autistic social awkwardness... except that ALL of the characters speak the same way.
That's another issue I had: Vada and Roman have very different backgrounds and approaches to life, but their narrative voices in their POV chapters were identical (to the point where I'd regularly find myself flipping back to the beginning of a chapter once I was a page or two in, just to check whose viewpoint the chapter was from.
Still, even with those surface issues (which I know are likely ME-problems, rather than book problems), I did enjoy the book overall, and I'm curious about the rest of the New Hope books, which I believe skew more NA than YA, and involve considerably more spice.
On the plus side, we have an Australian author (two of them, I believe), an Australian setting, and strong autism rep in a main character with Vada, the FMC. I also mostly enjoyed the storytelling, although I do struggle with YA books, just because high school feels so incredibly long ago now!
BUT. One thing I did find distracting was the writing style, particularly the only-very-occasional use of contractions - maybe one in every five possible places to use a contraction did so, which made not just the dialogue, but the narrative voice as a whole, seem very formal and stilted. This is a book written from the viewpoints of two small-town teenagers, so there's no obvious reason for either of them to speak this formally. Because the first few chapters were from Vada's POV, I initially wondered if the authors were using the lack of contractions as a way to subtly highly Vada's autistic social awkwardness... except that ALL of the characters speak the same way.
That's another issue I had: Vada and Roman have very different backgrounds and approaches to life, but their narrative voices in their POV chapters were identical (to the point where I'd regularly find myself flipping back to the beginning of a chapter once I was a page or two in, just to check whose viewpoint the chapter was from.
Still, even with those surface issues (which I know are likely ME-problems, rather than book problems), I did enjoy the book overall, and I'm curious about the rest of the New Hope books, which I believe skew more NA than YA, and involve considerably more spice.
May 8, 2024
Vada and the Boy Next Door is a sweet YA coming of age, first love story that any reader will enjoy. Vada is the quiet member of the Logan family, she’s also autistic therefore she sees the world differently compared to others around her. Roman is the stereotypical playboy next-door who also happens to be Vada’s best friend’s brother of sorts, so when Vada’s life begins to fall apart he steps in and soon realises there is more to the introverted girl next-door than he realised.
This was such a heartwarming story filled with banter and a hilarious generational family feud. I loved the progression of Vada and Roman’s relationship as well as the reappearance of some much loved New Hope World characters in the story. I also thought the ASD representation was fantastic as there is honestly not enough books with this type of content.
This was such a heartwarming story filled with banter and a hilarious generational family feud. I loved the progression of Vada and Roman’s relationship as well as the reappearance of some much loved New Hope World characters in the story. I also thought the ASD representation was fantastic as there is honestly not enough books with this type of content.
May 3, 2024
This was a heart warming story of mainly two households next door to each other.
Vada was on the spectrum, a special girl who liked listed routines, next door was her best friend. This story mainly revolves around Vada, her struggles and accomplishments with her life. Roman, her neighbour is fascinated by her, at 17 he is more experienced that her and learns to be patient with absolutely everything.
I really enjoyed the character Dylan, she's the total opposite of Vada and good for her. Vada has been sheltered for too long.
A wonderful story with interesting characters, I really enjoyed it.
Vada was on the spectrum, a special girl who liked listed routines, next door was her best friend. This story mainly revolves around Vada, her struggles and accomplishments with her life. Roman, her neighbour is fascinated by her, at 17 he is more experienced that her and learns to be patient with absolutely everything.
I really enjoyed the character Dylan, she's the total opposite of Vada and good for her. Vada has been sheltered for too long.
A wonderful story with interesting characters, I really enjoyed it.
April 20, 2024
This was a beautiful book written very well as a young adult read. The main character Vada has ASD and features many of her struggles to her surroundings and feelings. Roman approached their relationship with thoughtfulness and care whilst also encouraging Vada to break down some of her barriers. He doesn't push her to overcome her struggles instead he provides the support she needs to choose how to manage them.
Their connection was sweet and I loved the addition of Dylan! Everyone needs a Dylan in there life to have their back and add a dash of drama.
Their connection was sweet and I loved the addition of Dylan! Everyone needs a Dylan in there life to have their back and add a dash of drama.
April 21, 2024
I love this series. The friendships and relationships are ones we all need in our lives. Vada is different and very much needs her routine. I love how Roman understands and doesn’t push her, he just adjusts and does what he can to make things easier for her. Dylan comes in like a hurricane but she is the same, never pushing or ridiculing Vada, just meeting her where she is and becoming her bff. It was nice seeing a little glimpse of some of the previous characters, Arden has always been my favorite. Can’t wait for Isabelle’s story and whatever comes next.
April 26, 2024
OMG! I loved this so much. This book had amazing representation of autism and the facets of that. I love that this book showed growth in Vada and that just because she has autism, that doesn't mean she can't do certain things.
As for Roman, this book gave "if he wanted to, he could" vibes. I enjoyed every part of their friendship turned relationship. He accepted Vada for who she was and never tried to change here. He only encouraged her to try new things.
I am in love with this New Hope world and cannot wait for the next book!
As for Roman, this book gave "if he wanted to, he could" vibes. I enjoyed every part of their friendship turned relationship. He accepted Vada for who she was and never tried to change here. He only encouraged her to try new things.
I am in love with this New Hope world and cannot wait for the next book!
May 25, 2024
This book was so cute atory of two households next door to each other. Vada is on the spectrum and is different to other people. She has struggles with her life so she very much likes her routine. Roman is her neighbour who lives next door in the same house as her best friend. I really loved getting to know Vada and Roman and how they both overcame their struggles and came together. As a sister and aunt to to special needs kids I was very happy to see a book with a main character who has autism. I have read every single one of Amber’s book and cannot wait for the next one.
April 27, 2024
What a story! Fantastic representation of autism and all the behind the scenes work for both the family and the person with autism. I love that Roman realised he wanted to be a better version of himself for Vada and how beautiful for Vada to feel all the feels! Dylan is fantastic and the story in the background makes me want to read the rest of the series! What a fantastic light hearted romance novel.
January 25, 2026
Really liked this book amazing representation of autism didn’t really like Taylor though he wasn’t a good friend to vada and was quite happy to change her and felt he was embarrassed of her quirks.
Loved Roman and the way he treated vada supportive and respectful and fully understood her in a very short time. Felt like there ending was really short would have liked an epilogue at the end to show the rest of the summer was good and that they were happy hope they both appear in future books.
Loved Roman and the way he treated vada supportive and respectful and fully understood her in a very short time. Felt like there ending was really short would have liked an epilogue at the end to show the rest of the summer was good and that they were happy hope they both appear in future books.
April 25, 2024
Gorgeous
Wow I'm speechless what a read, it's sweet, stunning, heartbreaking 💔, heart-warming, loving.
Friends becoming more new and old, love, betrayal and coming together.
Learning new thing's and way's without a list.
Truly exceptional read, the feelings and emotions you have truly beautiful 😍
Wow I'm speechless what a read, it's sweet, stunning, heartbreaking 💔, heart-warming, loving.
Friends becoming more new and old, love, betrayal and coming together.
Learning new thing's and way's without a list.
Truly exceptional read, the feelings and emotions you have truly beautiful 😍
May 8, 2024
Vada and Romans story was so cute and I loved it. I honestly wished it was longer. The story was told so well and I love that the author properly portrays people with disabilities so well, which is hard to find sometimes. I hope to see more of Vada and Roman in future Nee Hope stories
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 19, 2024
The friendships in the book were well represented and Vada was an amazing character. 👏 I wish for more of an ending but it was nice to see some other characters mentioned from other books in the same world.
April 20, 2024
loved it
This book was honestly amazing
I love how understanding and caring Roman was towards vada
Even tho he wasn’t close to her before but he still made the time to study her time list and her steps through the day because he cared but just didn’t want to admit it yet
This book was honestly amazing
I love how understanding and caring Roman was towards vada
Even tho he wasn’t close to her before but he still made the time to study her time list and her steps through the day because he cared but just didn’t want to admit it yet
April 20, 2024
Oh. My. God.
What can I say about this book…. It’s was amazing, I was dying to read the next book in the new hope world and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. Started and finished in 1 days. I can’t wait for Isabell’s story!
What can I say about this book…. It’s was amazing, I was dying to read the next book in the new hope world and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. Started and finished in 1 days. I can’t wait for Isabell’s story!
April 23, 2024
I love this series and this book was no different. I love how these are written and are fun, easy reads. I especially enjoyed this book. I love how there were protectors and then there was just acceptance. Being a very shy introvert I could relate so much to this book. I highly recommend it!
May 5, 2024
This book is a quick read that is worth every second. The characters are well written and the story has a perfect level of angst. The representation is well written and leaves reminds everyone that they deserve to be loved for who they are.
June 10, 2024
It was a really good quick and easy read with good found family! this series is amazing and always gives me what I want haha. Loved the representation in this book! definitely recommend this series especially if you want a good easy read that is interesting and always has representation
July 12, 2024
Sweet
A sweet romance by Amber and Jaye. They work well together. It was lovely to have a book which is written about an autistic lead. It shows the struggles you can have being neuro divergent.
As a family we are mostly ND.
A sweet romance by Amber and Jaye. They work well together. It was lovely to have a book which is written about an autistic lead. It shows the struggles you can have being neuro divergent.
As a family we are mostly ND.
March 3, 2025
Together with Arden’s? This is the one of the best books I’ve read in this series. I think nothing would pale in comparison on how much I love this book to death.
They’re so perfect for each other 🥺🥺🫶🏼🫶🏼
They’re so perfect for each other 🥺🥺🫶🏼🫶🏼
April 21, 2024
A great coming of age story that so many of us autistics struggle with, the in between leaving what we know and becoming adults.
Well written, with amazing respect and understanding.
Well written, with amazing respect and understanding.
April 21, 2024
Heartwarming
An honest written view of Autism and its traits. This is a wholesome novel and the relationships are expertly crafted. A must read for anyone.
An honest written view of Autism and its traits. This is a wholesome novel and the relationships are expertly crafted. A must read for anyone.
May 6, 2024
I started this book this morning and couldn’t stop. I needed this book even though I didn’t know when I started.
August 13, 2024
I love the autism representation
February 3, 2025
Cute like read now to the next in the series because I started this series a couple years ago and just saw more books are out
February 25, 2025
best one of this series so far
May 5, 2024
Another amazing book!
I have read every single one of Amber’s books, and so, I have been very eagerly and impatiently waiting for this book. As usual, the storyline was fantastic. However, the end is what disappointed me because it ends so abruptly. I definitely think there needed to be a bit more to the ending. Despite that, I still highly recommend the book.
I have read every single one of Amber’s books, and so, I have been very eagerly and impatiently waiting for this book. As usual, the storyline was fantastic. However, the end is what disappointed me because it ends so abruptly. I definitely think there needed to be a bit more to the ending. Despite that, I still highly recommend the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews