I thought this new imprint from Harlequin was super cool, and I’m glad that I got to read some books from this imprint. I can’t wait to do more books from these tours, and I hope that I’m able to support more. Thank you again so much for allowing me to be a part of this tour, and for hosting.

Iris Turner hightailed it out of Salty Cove, Maine, without so much as a backward glance. Which is why finding herself back in her hometown—in her childhood bedroom, no less—has the normally upbeat Iris feeling a bit down and out. Her spirits get a much-needed lift, though, at the sight of the sexy girl next door.

No one knows why Jude Wicks is back in Salty Cove, and that’s just how she likes it. Jude never imagined she’d be once again living in her parents’ house, never mind hauling lobster like a local. But the solitude is just what she needs—until Iris tempts her to open up.

A no-strings summer fling seems like the perfect distraction for both women. Jude rides a motorcycle, kisses hard and gives Iris the perfect distraction from her tangled mess of a life. But come September, Iris is still determined to get out of this zero-stoplight town.

That is, unless Jude can give her a reason to stay…

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

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Chelsea M. Cameron is a New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author from Maine who now lives and works in Boston. She’s a red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader, and world’s worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, tweeting, and playing fetch with her cat, Sassenach. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is. Visit her at www.chelseamcameron.com.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories featuring beloved romance tropes, where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

A new Carina Adores title is available each month:

• The Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover (available May 26, 2020)
• Just Like That by Cole McCade (available June 30, 2020)
• Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters (available July 28, 2020
• Better Than People by Roan Parrish (available August 25, 2020)
• Full Moon in Leo by Brooklyn Ray (available September 29, 2020)
• If You Can’t Stand the Heat by KD Fisher (available October 27, 2020)
• Just Like Us by Cole McCade (available November 24, 2020)

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley, and Carina Adores for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Iris being back in her hometown is exactly how I would feel if I had to ever go back home. I don’t know why, but I would just feel like an absolute failure for not being able to make it out in the real world and having to go back home and live with my mom, but that’s just me. Apparently, it’s not something that is just going through my mind though, because both Iris and Jude are having to reset their lives back in their hometowns for their own reasons, and are not completely happy about it.

Maybe spending the summer together – summer loving a la Grease movie, anyone? – will give Jude and Iris some time to forget about their troubles and just go with the flow before having to go back to their “real” lives, but what happens when Fall comes around? Will they be able to call their relationship quits? Is it really just a summer fling? Or are there stronger feelings at play here?

I loved the relationship at play here between Jude and Iris. I love that this started off as a simple summer fling, and I love that there was a conflict of how they were supposed to figure out how to move forward from there when Iris was set in her ways to leave home and go back to wherever it is that she was planning on going to. Even though her summer may have been really great with Jude, she went home with the plan to only stay for a certain amount of time, despite what happened at home. I like that this book showed that we are okay to change our minds if we find something better in our lives that makes us happier than what we initially thought. I also love that we already know that we are in for a “HEA” – meaning Happily Ever After – so I kind of know what to expect, but still has some drama and tears along the way.

What quality do you love most about Iris?

She’s stubborn as hell, and I love that because we share that same quality. It’s a good thing and a curse if you end up single-mindedly pursing a goal that no longer works for you. She’s so intent on getting out of Maine that she can’t open her eyes and see that it’s really where she needs, and wants, to be. At the same time, she also doesn’t back down when it comes to Jude, and trying to be her friend.

What three words best describe The Girl Next Door?

Quiet, quirky, sexy

What would you like readers to take away from reading Iris and Jude’s story?

That a love story doesn’t have to be high-stakes to be worthwhile. There are no car crashes, or love triangles, or explosions (unless you count the kind happening in the bedroom *wink*), but this is still a story about two imperfect people fumbling and finding their way to each other. I hope they can find a moment of respite from the world with my two girls. If I can give someone a few hours of escape, then I’ve done my job.