Title: The Lyons Next Door
Author: Inda Herwood
Genre: YA / NA clean contemporary romance
They say more money, more problems. This is something Blaire Cromwell finds out the hard way after her family miraculously wins the lottery.
One minute Blaire is the average seventeen-year-old who goes to school, works a part-time job to help her family out with the bills, tries to keep her Nana’s mouth in check when they’re out in public, and dreams of one day taking her painting hobby to a professional level. And the next, her family is richer than anyone in the state.
But it isn’t long before they face backlash for their good fortune in their poor neighborhood, forcing them to move to a place where their wealth won’t be so noticeable, or a point of friction for everyone around them. A place where money practically drips off the beachfront mansions it’s famous for…
Yep. You guessed it. The Hamptons.
But with this bizarre new lifestyle comes different challenges. One of them being the cute but cranky boy next door, who has a prejudice against Blaire that she can’t understand, but is determined to find out.
Spread out over the course of the summer before her senior year, Blaire learns that there’s a lot more to being rich than she originally thought, and that some lies have consequences she never could have anticipated.
Told in dual POVs, fans of Kasie West, Maggie Dallen, and Jenny Han will love this cute story about finding love, and friendship, at the shore.
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
The Lyons Next Door is the second book I have read by Inda Herwood and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. Herwood has a way of creating believable story lines and characters you want to be friends with.
The Lyons Next Door tells the story of life for Blaire Cromwell after her family wins the lottery and things aren’t as grand as they expected it to be. After being taken advantage by and ostracized by their friends, her family decides to pick up and start over in the Hamptons were they wont be treated differently because of their new wealth. In her new home Blaire becomes friends with her next door neighbors. She quickly gets close with the family except for Beckham who at first pushes her away. They go from “enemies“ to friends to dating fast when they accept their feelings for each other but Blaire’s omissions of her past might destroy all they built.
“Our mutual dislike for one another has evolved into something that slightly scares, but also excites me at the same time.“
There was so much I loved about this story. Blaire is sweet and genuinely kind. She didn’t let her families new money change her. She would rather hold up in her room all day with her art than go to parties and socialize. Beckham is moody, loyal and just as much of an introvert as she is, preferring to spend his time with his music or with his nose in a book. Together they have some great memorable scenes that were adorable and exactly what I want to see in a YA contemporary set during summer. Hands down the make up scene between them at the end was one of the cutest I have ever read ! Besides our two leading characters, I love each member of the Lyons family and Nana Cromwell was a delight.
“I know I don’t just have a crush on Blaire Cromwell – artist, teacher, friend, beautiful soul, and the one who makes my heart beat like no one else.“
The Lyons Next Door by Inda Herwood is a story about family, friendship and summer love. A story about honesty, imperfection, forgiveness and never giving up on those we care about. I can’t wait for the rest of the future books in this series, I have a feeling they are going to just as great.
“He leaves me with an unbalanced feeling, like being blindfolded on the edge of a cliff.“
4.5/5⭐
OnceUpon_A_BookDream 