Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau

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The seventh book I read for the Kindle Clear Out Readathon was Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau. This is the first in her newer series, Cider Bar Sisters. As you've probably read from my previous reviews, I absolutely adore Jackie Lau and she's one of my favorite contemporary romance writers. Her books are almost always feel good, low angst, funny, foodie, Canadian goodness. While this book would fit multiple prompts on my bingo board, I ended up using it for the Favorite Author prompt.

This book actually focuses on the newest (we see her become a Cider Bar Sister) member of the group Amy and her grumpy, tattooed neighbor Victor. Her first sight of him is mowing the lawn without a shirt and she can't keep her eyes off of him. However, quick PSA, DO NOT mow without a shirt. Even if it's hot outside please wear proper protective equipment when mowing. I work at a lawn mower and lawn equipment repair shop, so please don't be unsafe. Outside of every time he was mowing without his shirt, I adored this book. Victor is the grumpiest of grumps, dealing with grief from his brother's passing several years prior and is just not a people person in general. Amy is the sunshine to beat all sunshine and there are several moments in the book where Victor jokes with her about having ladybug, glitter, unicorn and rainbow things. 

Even though he originally was irritated by her and her friendliness, I loved that he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame and couldn't help but want to be around her. I also liked that they both quickly noticed the desire between them, but let it simmer. The first time they both cave, they keep it to kissing and making out. It stays that way a bit before they do more intimate activities. Another thing I love about Jackie's books is there's a lot of great food descriptions and she really leans into the diversity of Toronto (where this and a lot of her other series are based). Reading her books can make you hungry or sad you don't have those type of restaurants near you. Amy had moved to Toronto from her small town after inheriting her Great-Aunt's house and is constantly trying new restaurants and cafes. We also see her visit the Pie and Ice Cream shops from her Baldwin Village Series (which I highly recommend)! 

What brought this down to a 4-stars for me was the angst I was unprepared for. I did expect more than she usually does just based on the feelings that Victor was struggling with, but it went a little further than I wanted. It also felt a little cliched with their break-up. Although I did like that Amy stood up for herself. It just didn't quite hit as well as her previous books have. I still loved it and am excited to see her new friends/roommate find their HEAs and can't wait to see what's to come in the series! It's also nice that this series will mainly stay around older people with the Cider Bar Sisters all being in their early 30s. As that's my current age, it feels nice to read people my age that don't have their lives already figured out and settled.

Have you read Her Big City Neighbor?

Bookishly Yours, 

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Her Big City Neighbor, Jackie Lau, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 213 pages, published in 2020