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Not Good Neighbors
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Expected 2 Jun 26Win a free print copy of this book!
9 days and 16:01:48
5 copies available
U.S. only
Penny Huff and Jack Craig are neighbors by floor plan…and enemies by choice.
Thanks to a tragically thin wall in their NYC apartment building, Penny knows far too much about Jack―like his taste in too-loud music, the noxious fumes from his kitchen, and his habit of suspiciously aggressive vacuuming. And she knows all about the tearful brunette fleeing his apartment the day he moved in―the one crying about her cheating ex. Not even Jack’s piratical charm can undo what Penny knows: the man is bad news.
When her attempt to get the wall soundproofed literally blows a hole in it, the two are forced into a DIY disaster that traps them in each other’s lives...and spaces. With eviction looming, prank wars escalating, and unexpected sparks flying, Penny starts to suspect her insufferable neighbor might just be the plot twist her love life needs.
Packed with witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and sizzling tension, this fast-paced romantic comedy proves that love can bloom where drywall―and patience―have crumbled.
Thanks to a tragically thin wall in their NYC apartment building, Penny knows far too much about Jack―like his taste in too-loud music, the noxious fumes from his kitchen, and his habit of suspiciously aggressive vacuuming. And she knows all about the tearful brunette fleeing his apartment the day he moved in―the one crying about her cheating ex. Not even Jack’s piratical charm can undo what Penny knows: the man is bad news.
When her attempt to get the wall soundproofed literally blows a hole in it, the two are forced into a DIY disaster that traps them in each other’s lives...and spaces. With eviction looming, prank wars escalating, and unexpected sparks flying, Penny starts to suspect her insufferable neighbor might just be the plot twist her love life needs.
Packed with witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and sizzling tension, this fast-paced romantic comedy proves that love can bloom where drywall―and patience―have crumbled.
368 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 2, 2026
About the author
Violet Lumani
2 books165 followersViolet Lumani is an American author. She lives in Connecticut with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 20, 2026
Look, someone had to give this book five stars & I happened to be available. ;)
Writing NOT GOOD NEIGHBORS was the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s chaotic, funny, romantic, and full of people who are trying their best to be better people (characters I legitimately love so flipping much). I can NOT wait to see what you all think when it’s finally out in the wild -- pre-order now wherever books are sold! Out June 2, 2026!
Writing NOT GOOD NEIGHBORS was the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s chaotic, funny, romantic, and full of people who are trying their best to be better people (characters I legitimately love so flipping much). I can NOT wait to see what you all think when it’s finally out in the wild -- pre-order now wherever books are sold! Out June 2, 2026!
May 22, 2026
This book gave me all the feels!!
Penny lives in a. NYC apartment and works in Marketing. Her neighbor Jack in a lawyer. 5A an 5B do not get along and that is putting it lightly. They are constantly at odds throughout with what i would say is childish pranks or ways to one up the other. But everyone can see what they are so blind to from the very beginning.
I honestly wasn’t sure how i would feel about this book. It is my first rom-com and now every one after has something to live up to. I enjoyed the wit and the painter between the whole bunch of characters. Margies inability to let her inner thoughts settle. Avery and his boyish charm and so many others that i feel helped to push the plot forward. I also greatly loved the use of mental health and the character digging deep to find out the cause of why is the way she is. I loved that the author her actually dealing with her issues and not “curing” Penny automatically. Keeping it a realistic with the growing pains of therapy. The familial aspect between Penny and her mom, Jack and his sister and Averys family was interesting as well. It shows how your environment has such a huge impact on how you turn out. There was also the nuance presented that just because it looks golden on the outside doesnt mean there was a lack of struggle before, during and after. I had such big feels reading this. And I enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you entangled publishing for the chance to read this ARC. #NotGoodNeighbors #NetGalley.
Penny lives in a. NYC apartment and works in Marketing. Her neighbor Jack in a lawyer. 5A an 5B do not get along and that is putting it lightly. They are constantly at odds throughout with what i would say is childish pranks or ways to one up the other. But everyone can see what they are so blind to from the very beginning.
I honestly wasn’t sure how i would feel about this book. It is my first rom-com and now every one after has something to live up to. I enjoyed the wit and the painter between the whole bunch of characters. Margies inability to let her inner thoughts settle. Avery and his boyish charm and so many others that i feel helped to push the plot forward. I also greatly loved the use of mental health and the character digging deep to find out the cause of why is the way she is. I loved that the author her actually dealing with her issues and not “curing” Penny automatically. Keeping it a realistic with the growing pains of therapy. The familial aspect between Penny and her mom, Jack and his sister and Averys family was interesting as well. It shows how your environment has such a huge impact on how you turn out. There was also the nuance presented that just because it looks golden on the outside doesnt mean there was a lack of struggle before, during and after. I had such big feels reading this. And I enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you entangled publishing for the chance to read this ARC. #NotGoodNeighbors #NetGalley.
May 22, 2026
Thank you to Entangled Publishing for this ARC!
This was such a laugh out loud but also emotionally rewarding? I was so very impressed with how these characters bantered back and forth but also saw their flaws and chose to work on them by going to therapy and actually talking to each other. We meet Penny who finds out she could lose her apartment in NYC if she doesn’t buy it. Of course the craziness ensues and she is left with scrambling to get a raise at her marketing job and also hope her hot rival neighbor doesn’t try to buy her apartment out from under her. Jack is the man who only seems to want to make Penny’s life more difficult when a trues is called after a giant hole ends up in the wall between their apartments. The witty banter had me cackling out loud. Jack and penny really knew how to get to each other and it was hilarious. Penny struggled with overcoming her need to people please with therapy had me so proud! If you need a funny and endearing romcom then this one is it. You’ll find witty banter, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, and therapy rep, which I definitely recommend!
This was such a laugh out loud but also emotionally rewarding? I was so very impressed with how these characters bantered back and forth but also saw their flaws and chose to work on them by going to therapy and actually talking to each other. We meet Penny who finds out she could lose her apartment in NYC if she doesn’t buy it. Of course the craziness ensues and she is left with scrambling to get a raise at her marketing job and also hope her hot rival neighbor doesn’t try to buy her apartment out from under her. Jack is the man who only seems to want to make Penny’s life more difficult when a trues is called after a giant hole ends up in the wall between their apartments. The witty banter had me cackling out loud. Jack and penny really knew how to get to each other and it was hilarious. Penny struggled with overcoming her need to people please with therapy had me so proud! If you need a funny and endearing romcom then this one is it. You’ll find witty banter, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, and therapy rep, which I definitely recommend!
May 21, 2026
This was absolutely hilarious and entertaining from start to finish! It had me laughing so many times throughout. The characters were chaotic in the best way possible and completely kept me turning the pages. The banter was witty, the tension was so good, and the character dynamics made this story incredibly fun and addictive. I can’t wait for the audio to release, I’m definitely going to give it a listen! If you love funny romances with entertaining characters, nonstop chemistry, and laugh-out-loud moments, this one is definitely worth picking up!
Thank you so much to the author Violet Lumani, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early before release.
Thank you so much to the author Violet Lumani, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early before release.
May 21, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A new favorite author! Enemies to lovers. Angst. Fast paced. Glitter. And the witty banter had me laughing out loud. 5 stars!!
A new favorite author! Enemies to lovers. Angst. Fast paced. Glitter. And the witty banter had me laughing out loud. 5 stars!!
April 14, 2026
This is a cute story of two neighbors who don’t get along based on first impressions and a lack of sound proofing between their apartments. Jack is a handsome lawyer who loves to vacuum. Penny is a marketer who loves plants and hates asking for the raise she deserves.
A series of unfortunate events leads to a giant hole in the wall between their apartments. Now these enemies are forced to work together to restore the wall and the normal order of things.
But we all know what happens when enemies are forced to work together…
Read this if you like:
+ enemies to lovers
+ forced proximity
+ controlling parents
+ construction
+ pirates
*thank you to Entangled Publishing for the advanced reader copy*
A series of unfortunate events leads to a giant hole in the wall between their apartments. Now these enemies are forced to work together to restore the wall and the normal order of things.
But we all know what happens when enemies are forced to work together…
Read this if you like:
+ enemies to lovers
+ forced proximity
+ controlling parents
+ construction
+ pirates
*thank you to Entangled Publishing for the advanced reader copy*
March 27, 2026
I absolutely LOVED this book. The true definition of a Rom-Com. Laughter, check. Tears, check. Good time, check. Anticipation, check. Yearning, check. Kick my feet with joy, check. The FMC, Penny is so relatable, her mother-daughter relationship and her people pleasing ways, hit the nail right on the head. Her relationship with her friends was so refreshing. Most of all her growth was inspiring. Being able to read this before the release date was such a privilege. I also must note as an Albanian reading this book, Gence was the funniest character and I LOVED reading his lines. Each and every one of them had me truly laughing out loud. Thank you Violet for this fun read! One of my favorites of 2026 for sure!
March 30, 2026
Not Good Neighbors had me chuckling. Funny, sweet, and just the right amount of tension. Lumani’s writing was vivid, that it felt like I was watching a romcom play out in my head. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was a cute story with such a beautiful character arc. The shenanigans between our main characters really had me chuckling and the tension between them was there from the start. The forced proximity between them with "The Hole" made things pretty interesting. I loved seeing them navigate this enemy relationship that slowly turned into caring about one another.
Jack was a lovely character, impossible not to love and Penny went through so much but was still full of banter and never giving up, which I liked about her. The friend group was also very nice to follow, and I loved having them around. I enjoyed that the relationship between Penny and her mother was imperfect even though it was full of love and Jack and his sister also needed to work on their relationship because love isn't necessarily easy.
There are some things our characters did at times that got me pretty frustrated but the fact that they were working on themselves, seeking help and trying to get better, acknowledging their bad reactions, made it all work for me in the end. This was way more than a simple rom-com, it had a lot of depth to it and that's why it stood out for me. That's a must-read for sure!
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and MTMC Tours for the early copy. All opinions are my own.
Jack was a lovely character, impossible not to love and Penny went through so much but was still full of banter and never giving up, which I liked about her. The friend group was also very nice to follow, and I loved having them around. I enjoyed that the relationship between Penny and her mother was imperfect even though it was full of love and Jack and his sister also needed to work on their relationship because love isn't necessarily easy.
There are some things our characters did at times that got me pretty frustrated but the fact that they were working on themselves, seeking help and trying to get better, acknowledging their bad reactions, made it all work for me in the end. This was way more than a simple rom-com, it had a lot of depth to it and that's why it stood out for me. That's a must-read for sure!
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and MTMC Tours for the early copy. All opinions are my own.
May 13, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Thank you so much to the author, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC before the release date!
🌟 Book releases on June 2, 2026
This book had all the makings of a wildly entertaining enemies-to-lovers RomCom - forced proximity, PETTY chaotic prank wars, and two neighbors who absolutely could not stand each other. The banter between Penny and Jack was sharp, hilarious, and packed with chemistry, giving me a few laugh-out-loud moments throughout the story.
While the romance took a little longer to fully develop than I expected, I still found myself completely invested in their journey. The second half leaned a bit more emotional and angsty, but it added depth to the story and made the payoff feel satisfying in the end.
Overall, this was packed with great humor, memorable tension, and characters that kept me entertained from start to finish.
If you love enemies-to-lovers with chaos, PETTY pranks, and slow burn chemistry, this one is definitely worth picking up!
Thank you so much to the author, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC before the release date!
🌟 Book releases on June 2, 2026
This book had all the makings of a wildly entertaining enemies-to-lovers RomCom - forced proximity, PETTY chaotic prank wars, and two neighbors who absolutely could not stand each other. The banter between Penny and Jack was sharp, hilarious, and packed with chemistry, giving me a few laugh-out-loud moments throughout the story.
While the romance took a little longer to fully develop than I expected, I still found myself completely invested in their journey. The second half leaned a bit more emotional and angsty, but it added depth to the story and made the payoff feel satisfying in the end.
Overall, this was packed with great humor, memorable tension, and characters that kept me entertained from start to finish.
If you love enemies-to-lovers with chaos, PETTY pranks, and slow burn chemistry, this one is definitely worth picking up!
Want to Read
March 31, 2026The cover is so cute!! Excited for this one
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the early chance to read and review “Not Good Neighbors.” All opinions expressed in the review are my own.
“Not Good Neighbors” is en enemies to lovers romance involving warring neighbors who suddenly find themselves forced to work together after a construction mishap merged their two apartments into one. My feelings about this one are kind of mixed:
What worked for me: The trope - I love enemies to lovers and the genuine animosity Jack and Penny felt for each other clearly came across the page. The pranks they pulled on each other were clever and there were many laugh out loud moments, which made for a great rom-com set up.
What didn't work as well: the enemies took too long to become lovers. After a bit, the pranks seemed to get a little immature and Penny seemed to set up obstacle after obstacle preventing her from building a relationship with Jack. The tone in the second half of the book shifted and seemed more angsty than rom-com. And also, maybe I watch too much HGTV, but it seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to fix “The Hole.”
Overall, I wish Penny and Jack’s relationship had progressed earlier in the story so that the ending felt less rushed and more realistic. I think the rom-com parts worked better than the more dramatic plots toward the end. The humor is what kept me reading. Overall I would rate this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
“Not Good Neighbors” is en enemies to lovers romance involving warring neighbors who suddenly find themselves forced to work together after a construction mishap merged their two apartments into one. My feelings about this one are kind of mixed:
What worked for me: The trope - I love enemies to lovers and the genuine animosity Jack and Penny felt for each other clearly came across the page. The pranks they pulled on each other were clever and there were many laugh out loud moments, which made for a great rom-com set up.
What didn't work as well: the enemies took too long to become lovers. After a bit, the pranks seemed to get a little immature and Penny seemed to set up obstacle after obstacle preventing her from building a relationship with Jack. The tone in the second half of the book shifted and seemed more angsty than rom-com. And also, maybe I watch too much HGTV, but it seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to fix “The Hole.”
Overall, I wish Penny and Jack’s relationship had progressed earlier in the story so that the ending felt less rushed and more realistic. I think the rom-com parts worked better than the more dramatic plots toward the end. The humor is what kept me reading. Overall I would rate this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Since the day that Jack Craig moved in Penny Huff knew he was going to be one of those neighbors, the ones that tests the limits of your patience every chance they get... the ones you wind up despising! Or maybe falling for?
Not Good Neighbors brings us into the lives of two people who are forced to share a wall and find themselves at odds because of it. Their neighbors, not by choice, but circumstance and Penny has had it with Jack and all his vacuuming! When she attempts to bring peace to her life by hiring someone to put a sound proof wall in, it backfires big time. Now they find themselves more involved in one another's lives than they'd like to be and it starts an all out war. One that is likely to get someone evicted, and one that causes some serious tension! The spicy kind mostly!
I really enjoyed this first time read, the lengths these two go to to get one another's nerves had me laughing out loud more than a few times! It's a lighthearted romantic comedy that is destined to find it's way into the hearts of many romance readers! Highly recommend you take a chance on this one, it's pages will have you laughing and swooning the whole way through!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
Not Good Neighbors brings us into the lives of two people who are forced to share a wall and find themselves at odds because of it. Their neighbors, not by choice, but circumstance and Penny has had it with Jack and all his vacuuming! When she attempts to bring peace to her life by hiring someone to put a sound proof wall in, it backfires big time. Now they find themselves more involved in one another's lives than they'd like to be and it starts an all out war. One that is likely to get someone evicted, and one that causes some serious tension! The spicy kind mostly!
I really enjoyed this first time read, the lengths these two go to to get one another's nerves had me laughing out loud more than a few times! It's a lighthearted romantic comedy that is destined to find it's way into the hearts of many romance readers! Highly recommend you take a chance on this one, it's pages will have you laughing and swooning the whole way through!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Hijinks and banter-filled conversations await readers of this feel-good rom-com. Penny and Jack are nightmare neighbors to one another, constantly bombarding one another with loud noises. To force her landlord install a soundproof wall between their apartments, Penny “accidentally” breaks the wall separating them. DIY shenanigans and a prank war ensue. As the wall comes down, Penny and Jack start to learn more about each other and themselves. They recon with how their own actions created the animosity in their relationship, and they begin a new romantic relationship. This is a silly and sweet, albeit formulaic, romance that will appeal to a wide range of romance readers.
Thanks to Entangled and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC.
Thanks to Entangled and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
*thank you to Entangled Publishing for the advanced reader copy*
I honestly loved this one—it was the perfect, breezy escape. From the second Penny accidentally blasts a hole through her wall into Jack’s apartment, the energy is just high-speed and hilarious. The banter is actually witty, the enemies-to-lovers tension is top-tier, and it never feels like it's dragging or hitting a lull. It’s one of those rare rom-coms that’s just pure fun and kept me totally hooked from the first page until the very end. Definitely a must-read if you need something engaging to enjoy!
I honestly loved this one—it was the perfect, breezy escape. From the second Penny accidentally blasts a hole through her wall into Jack’s apartment, the energy is just high-speed and hilarious. The banter is actually witty, the enemies-to-lovers tension is top-tier, and it never feels like it's dragging or hitting a lull. It’s one of those rare rom-coms that’s just pure fun and kept me totally hooked from the first page until the very end. Definitely a must-read if you need something engaging to enjoy!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book was basically:
two hot idiots
one shared wall
escalating acts of psychological warfare
and an alarming amount of sexual tension
I had so much fun with this. Penny and Jack’s banter felt sharp and natural, and the chemistry absolutely carried the whole thing for me. The friends were laugh out loud funny. Also it felt like one of those romances where you can tell the characters are annoying each other because they’re already halfway in love and just refusing to admit it. Loved it.
two hot idiots
one shared wall
escalating acts of psychological warfare
and an alarming amount of sexual tension
I had so much fun with this. Penny and Jack’s banter felt sharp and natural, and the chemistry absolutely carried the whole thing for me. The friends were laugh out loud funny. Also it felt like one of those romances where you can tell the characters are annoying each other because they’re already halfway in love and just refusing to admit it. Loved it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was lucky enough to receive the ARC from Entangled Publishing yesterday. I spent the entire day reading it and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!
The banter was the absolute best between Jack and Penny. The tension in their relationship and having to deal with a giant hole in the wall between their apartments was just chef's kiss! This was literally one of my favorite reads this year and I cannot wait to order a copy as a shelf trophy.
You can pre-order now.
Not Good Neighbors is available on June 2nd, 2026.
The banter was the absolute best between Jack and Penny. The tension in their relationship and having to deal with a giant hole in the wall between their apartments was just chef's kiss! This was literally one of my favorite reads this year and I cannot wait to order a copy as a shelf trophy.
You can pre-order now.
Not Good Neighbors is available on June 2nd, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Forced proximity
✨Banter like you wouldn't believe
I went into this one absolutely blind and wow oh wow did I love every crazy, messy second! The side characters were SO fun and dynamic and really brought a lot of life to the story. Penny was CRAZY and damn did Jack love it LOL. These two had incredible chemistry and such fun antics together. I enjoyed every second and highly recommend this one!
Thank you so much to Entangled Publishing & Violet Lumani for the gifted PHYSICAL ARC 🤩🤩🤩
✨Forced proximity
✨Banter like you wouldn't believe
I went into this one absolutely blind and wow oh wow did I love every crazy, messy second! The side characters were SO fun and dynamic and really brought a lot of life to the story. Penny was CRAZY and damn did Jack love it LOL. These two had incredible chemistry and such fun antics together. I enjoyed every second and highly recommend this one!
Thank you so much to Entangled Publishing & Violet Lumani for the gifted PHYSICAL ARC 🤩🤩🤩
Currently Reading
May 22, 2026While there were definitely moments of laughter, loyal friendship, and sparks of romance, I had a really hard time getting over what a horrible person Penny is. In general, she's not so bad - clearly suffering from family drama, but she is completely delusional about her behavior towards Jack. And for the first half of the book, any time she gets an inkling that *she's* the villain, she doubles down and is even more horrible.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is an absolutely delightful enemies to lovers romcom.
Penelope is one confused woman, but wouldn’t anyone be when finally dealing with childhood trauma! But she does the work to better herself. Jack has some issues to deal with as well, and he does.
I just loved the banter between the two of them. And we can’t forget about the side characters. They added the perfect dialogue without overpowering any scene. I could use a Margie in my life.
I absolutely loved the ending!
Penelope is one confused woman, but wouldn’t anyone be when finally dealing with childhood trauma! But she does the work to better herself. Jack has some issues to deal with as well, and he does.
I just loved the banter between the two of them. And we can’t forget about the side characters. They added the perfect dialogue without overpowering any scene. I could use a Margie in my life.
I absolutely loved the ending!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
What a fun read! I was immediately sucked in to the drama and tension between the main characters and loved watching them grow together and just as people. This book touched on healing and mental health in such a beautiful way that felt true to the storyline. This was the perfect read to start the summer - it left me feeling happy and fulfilled! Love love love!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Adorable "I hate you. I kind of like you, but I don't want to. I love you." aspect between neighbors with all the hilariously, tension-filled aspects of a cute rom-com. Loved all the friendships with side characters that added to the overall storyline.
October 5, 2025
Absolutely loved this book- hilarious enemies to lovers. Start to finish, had me cackling. Highly recommend for an enjoyable romcom read with character depth and great momentum.
Review of advance copy
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Very entertaining. Difficult to put down once you begin.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A classic rom com that had me giggling throughout the whole book! So entertaining and such a page turner.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Fun, banter, mom drama.
Platonic guy friend, love to see it! 🙌🏻
Love the growth and setting of boundaries.
Personal and Professional
Meddling intrusive mom.
Platonic guy friend, love to see it! 🙌🏻
Love the growth and setting of boundaries.
Personal and Professional
Meddling intrusive mom.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews