Rom-com falls flat due to undevelopment

     In her newest romance book, Melissa Ferguson shows how far a neighbor can push your buttons. In The Cul-de-Sac War, which comes out November 10th, two neighbors begin a prank war that might just end in romance.
     Bree Leake doesn’t want to be tied down. She’s had more jobs than she can count, and she plans to move as soon as the curtains fall on her less-than-minor stage role at The Barter—the oldest live performance theater in the US. But just when it’s time to move on again, Bree’s parents make her an offer: hold steady for a full year, and they will give her the one thing she’s always wanted—her grandmother’s house. Her dreams are coming true . . . until life at the theater throws her some curve balls. And then there’s Chip McBride—her handsome and infuriating next-door neighbor. Chip just might be the only person whose stubborn streak can match Bree’s. She would move heaven and earth to have him off her cul-de-sac and out of her life, but according to the bargain she’s struck, she can’t move out of her house and away from the man who’s making her life miserable. So begins Bree’s obsessive new mission: to drive Chip out of the neighborhood—and fast. Bree isn’t the only one who’s a tad competitive, and Chip is more than willing to fight fire with fire. But as their pranks escalate, the line between love and hate starts to blur—and their heated rivalry threatens to take a hilarious, heartwarming, and romantic new turn.
     I was so excited to read this book and loved the concept of it, but I just found this book to be very underdeveloped. The entire plot felt very rushed, yet also very slow-moving at the same time. What is supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers romance instead is two neighbors who assume too much about one another and act childish and don’t actually have a civil conversation until 70% into the book. The book was close to the end and it felt like there was so much left to happen and any major plot points just got brushed over to move on to the next chapter break. I just wanted this book to be over so I could get to the good parts, but they never quite came.
     Aside from the plot, almost all of the characters lack depth and I hoped for more background on some of them. I just didn’t like the main characters all that much. Bree is a childish 34 year old woman who seems to take everything Chip does negatively and overreacts at everything that happens. I just found her to be mean and immature. And Chip was constantly infatuated with Bree while still dating his girlfriend and continues to bother Bree just because he finds it amusing.
     Someone else might appreciate this book more than I did, but I think it’s safe to say that I was disappointed by it. If you're looking for a fun and flirty romance book, I don’t think you’ll find it here.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

---