Guest Book Review & Giveaway: The Boy Next Door

By Jilleen Hays

**Giveaway is now closed**

Sometimes, love is closer than you think.

Did you ever have a crush on the boy next door? I sure did! From 3rd – 5th grade I was “in love” with Ricky, whose grandmother lived next door. My BFF (we didn’t call it that in the “old days”), Janine, lived one block over and she was “in love” with my next door neighbor, Jimmy! Jimmy and Ricky were best buddies and all four of us were in the same class too!

What great memories I have of “spying” on the boys and doing all sorts of “crazy-kid” things to get their attention. Then the day came that Ricky moved away….breaking my heart. Believe it or not, we ended up going to the same University, but there was no “spark” left when we bumped into each other!

I was thrilled to have the chance to review The Boy Next Door by Annabelle Costa. In The Boy Next Door, Tasha has always able to count on Jason through middle school, high school, bad dates, and an ill-advised punk phase. Since the day he moved in next door, he’s gone from the weird kid in a wheelchair to Tasha’s most trusted friend. But lives change and the friends are going in different directions. When Jason and Tasha rekindle their friendship, sparks fly. After years of being a wild soul, now the ex-lead of a band turned music teacher is just looking for a relationship to last.

When none other than Jason introduces her to a man who can give her what she wants, Tasha is on the verge of throwing passion and love away just so she can forget her troubled past and settle down. But Jason isn’t ready to give her up just yet.

I really enjoyed The Boy Next Door. It was a quick, but a predictable read. I loved the characters….Tasha, Jason, Melissa and Larry! They seemed very relatable. The story starts when Jason moves in next door to Tasha in middle school and quickly moves through to present day. Jason sets up Tasha with Larry, his co-worker, on her 32nd birthday. He is a bore, but Tasha tries to overlook it. Jason has been dating Melissa for a while and she doesn’t care for the friendship between Jason and Tasha. She also works with Larry and Jason.

When Tasha goes back to Philadelphia for a family funeral, Jason drives her. It is a road trip she won't forget for many reasons, trips down memory lane and a fight with her sister. Sparks fly between the two sisters causing an explosion of emotions. When they arrive back in NYC, Tasha discovers other sparks flew while she was away! What starts well, ends well!

If you are looking for a quick and fun read, I recommend The Boy Next Door and don’t let the YA cover fool you….it is not for a YA audience!!

 Also, thanks to Dev Love Press, LLC for the book in exchange for an honest review. They also have a copy to give away to one lucky reader anywhere in the world!

How to win a paperback copy of The Boy Next Door: 
Please tell us, which crush of yours stands out the most?  (One entry per person.) Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted.

Giveaway ends January 7th at midnight EST.

Jilleen Hays is the owner of Seaside Book Nook blog, Corporate Controller for a Health System in NY, adjunct accounting instructor at SUNY, wife and mother of three (one son and twin daughters). When she isn’t working, running to her kids’ sporting events or teaching at the university, she is reading. 

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