Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young [Review]

Next to You (Next #2) by Hannah Bonam-Young
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: September 11, 2023

Next
1. Next of Kin
2. Next to You - Paperback | Kindle

Hannah Bonam-Young
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Lane is in the middle of an identity crisis. Her friends are all partnered up, her career is leading nowhere, and simply put, she’s not happy. So after a night out celebrating (drinking) on her birthday, she makes one hell of an impulsive purchase. A giant yellow forty-eight passenger school bus that she intends to make a home.

With little-to-no renovation experience but a large sum of inheritance money, Lane enlists the help of her friend Matt—a mechanic by trade, handyman by practice, and hottie by nature.

While their mutual attraction is undeniable, Matt and Lane have silently agreed that a friendship is the only thing that can ever exist between them. Matt’s a total family guy with “settle down with me” tattooed across his forehead, whereas Lane is entirely commitment-averse.

So when Matt offers to help her with the bus and in the bedroom with no strings attached, Lane’s feelings evolve faster than you can say “just good friends.” But she soon discovers that in order to build something new, she has to first heal her past.

Thoughts on Next To You: Lane, Chloe's friend and former roommate, is up and she has A LOT of heavy baggage to sort through. From lingering bouts of depression to guilt over her perceived part in her father's death to some serious feelings of inferiority when she starts comparing herself to her sister, this poor lady is just a mess. She's also prone to impulsive drunk-purchasing and now she's the proud (but slightly overwhelmed) owner of a school bus she has dreams of turning into a home.

Enter Matt, the hunky mechanic (and friend to Warren) who Lane is trying VERY HARD to not develop feelings for. Spoiler: her feelings don't care what she wants. They see someone worth falling for and they dive right in.

That said, it's not easy for these two. AT ALL. Matt knows Lane is his person, but he can also see she's not ready to tackle that level of commitment. So he settles for being a good friend while also doing what he needs to do to make sure she starts seeing him as more than a friend.

One impulsive purchase, a whole lot of elbow grease and can-do attitude, some sisterly misconceptions, a family that loves hard, a man who has endless patience, and a lady who has to do some healing before she can commit to a relationship. GOOD STUFF.