What starts as neighbours clashing…

Synopsis

You never know when love may come knocking…

Hopeless romantic and romance editor Elle Thompson lives for happy endings—but real-life love? Not so much. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t thrilled when her best friend gets engaged. Really. Not jealous at all.

Meanwhile, Oliver Cole likes things a certain way. Schedules and routines and order. So when his move back to New York is disrupted with the unwelcome addition of Thor—the dog his sister adopted for him—he’s less than enthused. Even less enthused than Oliver? His neighbour, Elle.

When Elle can’t bear to hear Thor howling all night, the two agree to strike a deal: she’ll dog-sit while he’s on shift.

But what starts as a reluctant arrangement soon turns into late-night chats, sizzling chemistry, and two lonely hearts daring to let each other in.

My review

Elle Thompson is a real romantic. She believes in finding The One and Happy Endings. And with a job as romance editor, she for sure has the job of her dreams. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found that Love herself. And while she is over the moon that her best friend gets engaged, she cannot deny she is a liiiiiiitle bit jealous. Meanwhile she cannot stand her new neighbour, Oliver Cole, who leaves his sister’s dog Thor alone for hours. As Elle cannot stand the howling of Thor anymore, and she truly feels sorry for Thor, she makes a deal with Oliver. While he is working his shifts at the hospital, Elle will be dog-sitting Thor. While initially reluctant, because Oliver likes to follow his schedules and his routines, this may be the solution that Oliver was looking for, even if it is with his nosy and annoying neighbour Elle. However, slowly their picking up and dropping off of Thor turn into late – night chats and a real understanding of each other. Could this possibly evolve in something more, even if the both of them are guarding their hearts?

I was very eager to read this book, because I just felt it that right from the start I would like Elle. Not only because she is working as a romance editor (that just sounds an amazing job!) but also because just at heart she is also a real romantic.

And the way she cares about Thor, even before she knows the cute little dog! I don’t think that many people would sleep on a doorstep to not leave the poor dog alone. My admiration and like for Elle only grew the more!

So early on, we get a clear idea of what Elle’s character is. She is kind, caring and loving. But we also see that in fact, while she wants the best for everyone, she feels also rather lonely. This we see in several moments, where she is happy that her best friend has found love, but also moved away. And the fact that everyone around Elle seems to find love, but Elle does not, only adds to her feelings of loneliness. And that is something recognizable for many, isn’t it?

On the other side of the building, we have Oliver. And I liked Oliver, even if at the start he may not seem so approachable or likeable. Of course after reading the blurb you will already know about Oliver and I was a bit afraid that he would turn out to be a caricature.

Luckily, the author made Oliver and his ‘condition’ very realistic and human most of all. As I am a believer that there is something ‘different’ in each person, I was happy to see Oliver being the male main character.

Like I said, at first he isn’t the most approachable person, but the more I got to know him, the more I understood him, and the more I could see how much his struggles, on several levels, are weighing on him. And that broke a little bit my heart, seeing how he is finding his place in this world, where expectations are so high where being yourself is not always accepted.

At the same time, I found it so heartwarming reading how Elle and Oliver are getting closer, obviously with the help of Thor. And more important, it was lovely to see how there is a sort of acceptance of each other’s ‘flaws’. Both Elle and Oliver don’t try to change each other, but they try to find ways to work around the struggles.

Of course are Oliver’s struggles more obvious, but we also see how Elle is struggling with her loneliness and how she just wants to please people. Both characters in this book have learned in the past to hold back somehow, not allowing themselves to get hurt somehow. And even if the attraction between Elle and Oliver is obviously growing, their fear is holding them back, even letting Elle date someone else, while in fact who she truly wants is Oliver…

I found this truly a wonderful story to read, because of its realism. Everyone has their own struggles to live with. Some struggles are easier than others, but struggles they are nevertheless. And in this book we see how these struggles can hold you back, but also how it can prevent you from living your life at its best.

We also see how expectations from others can be a burden, and how those expectations have made it impossible for yourself to find your path that will bring you happiness.

Elle and Oliver both go through a lot of growth in this book, even if it is not without hiccup. But that is also the beauty of the story. Things don’t go easy in life, sometimes you have to fall to be able to get up again and spread your wings like you’re supposed to.

I found this truly an amazing story to read, a story that truly touched my heart. Cristina Wolf wrote a romance showing us that romance isn’t always an easy path to follow. But despite the struggles the main characters are gong through, there is so much warmth, love, care and kindness in it. And it has the cutest possible dog ever!😊