I love when you read a book and it just hits you in the right way. When I picked up Next to You, I just couldn’t put it down. This book made me laugh and cry and I just had to talk about it. So keep on reading to find out more about this book and what I thought!

Two friends battle feelings for each other as they work together to renovate a school bus into a home in this charming romance novel from viral TikTok author of Next of Kin and Out on a Limb

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 her birthday, she makes one hell of an impulsive 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. It could never work . . . right?

Review

“I promise to love you forever. Simple as that. My love will not always be perfect. I won’t always be kind; I won’t always be generous; I won’t always be rational—but I will love you every single day I have on this earth. And I will tell you I love you with my words and with my actions.”

Have you ever picked up a book and just felt at home? That’s what I had with Next to You! Lane and Matt now both have special places in my heart. Hannah really knows how to write characters and books that really stick with you.

Lane isn’t really sure what she wants in life. All of her friends are settling down and that’s not something she sees for herself. She has really bad anxiety and is trying to get over the traumatic experience of losing someone close to her in a way she blames herself for. While she did frustrate me at times, I could definitely understand how hard it was for her to open up her heart again.

Matt is such a sweet man and will bend over backwards to give Lane what she wants and make her happy. I really wish we had his POV as well, because he was so special. When we met his family it was clear he was a protector and had such a kind heart. He was really someone who needed to know he was wanted and loved.

I loved that Matt and Lane started off as best friends and Lane was open from the start she couldn’t give more than friendship. This slowly changes of course, but while there were some frustrating moments, I did appreciate a lot of the communication. I also really appreciated the little side story with Lane’s family and us getting to know Matt’s family a little bit more.

All in all, Next to You was such an emotional book, but it had me smiling frequently. A really sweet romance and amazing side characters definitely made this book complete. I was actually sad when I read the last page. I hope this author continues to give us lots of books like this.

I have a feeling Next to You is going to be on my 2024 favorites list and Hannah has definitely become a favorite and auto-buy author. Have you read anything by this author? Or have you found any new favorites this year? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.