Back in the Burbs

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review* Mallory Martin Bach, soon to be just Martin again, is determined to start fresh. After catching her husband cheating on her with his mistress, she left him and went back to her parents house. And suddenly, it's like a veil has been lifted from he face and she realizes how through all her relationship with her ex she let herself get annuled: she agreed to drop out of college to help advence his career, she managed his law practice for minimum wage and she basically did everything he wanted, the way he wanted, just to avoid discussions... Not that being back at her parents house makes her feel any better since, to them, the end of the wedding was her fault and the best thing she could do was to convince her husband to accept her back... To make everything worse, her favorite aunt dies. But, with her death, a beam of hope surges, since her aunt left Mallory her house. And, despite everyone's insistence for her to sell the house, she decides to move there and start a new life. She knew the house needed work, but nothing could have prepared her for what she finds when she arrives at the house... Not only there are countless repairs to do and many infractions to the HOA to be adressed, but Mallory also discovers that her aunt had been an hoarder and no one knew... And as if that wasn't enough, she still has to put up with Nick Holloway, the grumpy neighbour (and quite handsome, not that she noticed) that won't stop bugging her to mow the lawn. But who also, mysteriously, seems to always be there when she needs him. Even if at the time she's unable to admit it... This book has two of my favorite tropes, neigbours with benefits and enemies to lovers, and I really enjoyed being able to follow the evolution of Mallory and Nick's relationship. Since the story is told only from her perspective, we never really know what is going through Nick's mind but, in the end, it all makes sense. Mallory doesn't want to commit the same mistakes of her past and the fact that Nick is a lawyer like her ex, is very decided and determined and always follows the rules, signifies that she's constantly comparing them. And she ends up making different mistakes. But when she finally realize what she wants will it be too late? I also loved all the secundary characters, especially Nick's parents that, despite only making an appearance at the very end, make a nice impression! I don't think I'll ever forget that dinner and the conversation about The Lord of the Rings.. Oh, and I cannot forget aunt Maggie. Even though she's only present in memories, she's a crucial character throughout the whole story. I would love for the authors to write a story for Sarah, especially if they paired her with Mikey...