Friendly neighbors can have their benefits…
Nicole Louie-Edwards enjoys the nightlife and bringing men back to her apartment, although lately, she’s gotten tired of the chase. Her quiet new neighbor, David Cho, isn’t her type, but after they get trapped in an elevator together on her birthday, she develops a friendship with the kind geology professor.
Then, blushing, he tells her that he can hear her having sex but tries not to listen. Except it’s clear he’d like to, and she’s surprisingly turned on. They embark on a friends-with-benefits arrangement hotter than any she’s had before. She didn’t expect him to be so naughty between the sheets.
David becomes a bigger part of her life outside of the bedroom, too, bringing her desserts and going viral on TikTok with her grandmother, but she can’t imagine he wants to be her boyfriend, and it’s not like she wants that, either. She’s convinced she’d lose her identity in a relationship, like she did ten years ago.
Yet she can’t help getting more and more attached to the professor next door…
Review:
It’s official: I. Love. This. Series!
Also Jackie Lau‘s writing. And her taste in food. And her descriptions of the taste of food. Especially food I’ve never heard of before and must now try immediately. Curse you, closed border!
Nicole’s story is all that her Twiter feed promised, and more. I absolutely loved that Nicole liked to have sex, had it a lot outside of relationships, and not one person in her world gave her any kind of grief for it. Even her evil aunt only called her a derogatory name because of the size of her breasts, not because of anything Nicole had any control whatsoever over. Everyone else she knew just accepted her as is, even the professor next door. Especially the professor next door. I am so here for this attitude!
I also loved watching how Nicole’s perception of David (the aforementioned professor) changed throughout the book–he went from the okay looking guy next door but not her type at all to exactly her type, even when he wasn’t feeding her desserts. (And OMG, the desserts. I can’t even begin to describe how fabulous they all sound, so I’ll just say DON’T READ THIS WHILE HUNGRY. There. You have been warned.)
I loved how David listened and paid attention and never, ever pushed Nicole to be anything she wasn’t…except that he could be a little on the bossy side in the bedroom. But he still stuck to her boundaries even there, which makes him a god among men. A god who gives endless orgasms, which IMO is the best kind of god.
I loved the side characters in the book–the rest of the Cider Bar Sisters, Nicole’s slightly crazy family, David’s mentor–and again, the FOOD. Honestly, it practically has a starring role in this book.
I guess I just loved this book. 😉
You don’t have to have read the other books in this series to enjoy this one–the “sisters” do play a part here, but if you haven’t read their stories (yet! You should 100% read them) you won’t have any difficulties enjoying Nicole and David’s.
But I really can’t stress this enough: don’t read this while hungry. Unless maybe you have your own professor next door to bring you delicious desserts? Because that might work…
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.