“A sweet, sexy read, featuring a couple that feels both true-to-life and aspirational.” Kirkus Review, Starred Review American Angie Donovan has never wanted much. When you grow up getting bounced from foster home to foster home, you learn not to become attached to anything, anyone, or any place. But it only took her two days to fall in love with Australia. With her visa clock ticking, surely … clock ticking, surely she can fall in love with an Australian–and get hitched–in two months. Especially if he’s as hot and funny as her next-door neighbor…
Jace Walters has never wanted much–except a bathroom he didn’t have to share. The last cookie all to himself. And solitude. But when you grow up in a family of seven, you can kiss those things goodbye. He’s finally living alone and working on his syndicated comic strip in privacy. Sure, his American neighbor is distractingly sexy and annoyingly nosy, but she’ll be gone in a few months…
Except now she’s determined to find her perfect match by checking out every eligible male in the town, and her choices are even more distracting. So why does it suddenly feel like he–and his obnoxious tight-knit family, and even these two wayward dogs–could be exactly what she needs?
Each book in the Patterson’s Bluff series is STANDALONE:
* The Aussie Next Door
* Her Aussie Holiday
more
Another win for Stefanie London. This is my favorite story to date, and that is saying something because I love the Bad Bachelor series! This is a must read for romance readers (and writers!)
A gem of a story!
I fell madly in love with Jace, the hero and the “Aussie” in the title. Jace cherishes order and routine. American-born Angie crashes into his quiet, regimented life and, with the help of 2 canine friends, pulls Jace out of his self-imposed exile. Although life has knocked Angie down several times, she hasn’t lost her zest for life and meets all challenges head-on, including Jace.
The author weaves her magic making this story both funny and emotionally moving.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Excellent book, easy to read, & didn’t want to stop reading.
I will read this one again! I liked the characters, the pacing, Jace’s family, the dogs….everything!
Update: read it again, and enjoyed it every bit as much as the first time around. This book is on my “forever” list.
Sweet fun sexy read!
I absolutely loved this book! The characters and storyline were great. It drew me in so much that I didn’t want to put it down.
This story will make you laugh, maybe cry a little, but in the end will leave you feeling like love won and wanting more from Stefanie London.
What a perfect blend of emotion and sweet, funny moments that just reached out and wrapped themselves around my heart and held on tight. These two characters were made for each other even though they seemed too opposite and it appeared the deck was stacked in all the wrong directions. I loved watching them bond over the dogs, and try to be the perfect person for each other and learning what love is really all about.
Not only did Stefanie London bring us two really great main characters to love, but she brought us a great cast of secondary characters to love like Jace’s sweet mom, and his over-the-top brother, and crazily competitive family, and of course, lovable Truffle and Tilly.
After reading The Aussie Next Door I’m ready to pack my bags and head to Patterson’s Bluff where I plan to grab a cold one from the Esky, slather on some sunscreen and kill it in a game of beach cricket at a twilight party. But no worries, I’ll keep an eye out for any jellies laying about, after all, wouldn’t want to get one of their stingers in my foot!
But since I can’t head down under just yet, I’ll make do with reading more books from the amazing Stefanie London!
Jace and Angie were delightfully imperfect and so sweet, I couldn’t help but root for them to find-and grab-a big falling star of happiness! I loved how real these two could be with one another. While most of the story was relatively light and amusing, there were serious moments to balance out the fun, keeping the story pretty well-balanced.
My two favorite scene stealers, however, were Tilley, an older and sarcastically expressive German Shepherd, and Truffle, a rather rascally Chihuahua! The dynamically silly, four-legged duo stole every scene they were in and had me laughing at their antics almost every time they crossed the page!
This book was a delightful read with laugh out loud hilarity, a reluctantly charming and introverted hero, a generously sweet and extroverted heroine, serious doggy cuteness/hijinks, and a touching romance! Basically, if you like romantic comedies, this book would be a perfect fit
Thank you, Aly for this wonderful birthday gift!
Seriously, Angie and Jace are the freaking cutest. Not only is the community they live in seem inviting. The adventures they encounter while they are dog sitting. Loved It!
I didn’t realize until I started reading the book that Jace (the hero) is on the autism spectrum. As a mother of two sons who are also on the high-functioning end of the spectrum, I appreciated just how realistically Jace was portrayed. I also loved how both he and Angie are perfect for each other. They’re both quirky and they’ve both been hurt in the past.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series once it comes out.
4 Stars
Review by Elizabeth
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
I have not had the pleasure of reading a book by Stefanie London before now and I have to say I am disappointed in myself. Stefanie is a talented author that drew me in with her words in The Aussie Next Door. I cannot wait to dig into another book by her.
In The Aussie Next Door, we meet Jace who is at the high end of the autism spectrum. That does not stop him from living his life. Well mostly. Jace is a very kind person that thrives on his routine for a sense of normalcy. However, the routine he craves will be out the window with the new task of dog sitting for two solid months.
Next, we meet Angie. She is a citizen of the United States trying to become a citizen of Australia. Angie is the total opposite of Jace. She is a complete extrovert. When her final attempt to stay in the country fails, all that is left to do is to either go home or find a husband. In two months.
I found, The Aussie Next Door, very intriguing to say the least. Marriage of Convenience is my all-time favorite trope to read about so once I read the blurb, I was all in. The Aussie Next Door, contains just the right amount of wit, humor, charm, and romance. I also loved that it was not an ‘insta love’ type of book. They each had their own personal things to overcome to reach that place that was just right for them.
This was a hard review for me to write. Not because it was a bad read. It’s more like there was so much I wanted to say to do this job justice. Here it goes. What a great escape this book was. Stefanie has a real talent for describing this town and the residence. Heck, I want to live there. It was a great set up for a great story. Besides the set up, the characters where so well-written. They jump off of the pages.
This story revolves around Jace and Angie. Jace is a kind loaner. He is a high-functioning autistic man who likes his solitary, orderly life. But two rascally dogs and a quirky tenant, who he has an attraction to, forces him to change how he lives his life and how he views the world. Angie is a girl escaping from her past and found a home in the small beach town in Australia. After being turned down for her visa, she dares to do the impossible. Find a man, fall in love and marry him. All in a matter of six weeks. Her first thought was her hot Australian/Land Lord/neighbor. But those dreams are smashed when she discovers he does is not interested in any type of intimate relationship. She turns to other means and ideas. Chaos and adventure ensues. In the midst of it all, they find each other. Their journey to building a strong relationship based on love, honesty and communication was a beauty to watch.
This was my first read by Stefanie London and I loved every word of it. This book has turned me into a Stefanie London fan for life.
4.5
Angie is a woman running from a past in the U.S. that she doesn’t want to return to anytime soon. After growing up in foster care she just wants a place to call home for her. Jace is an Australian hottie that just wants some peace and quiet to surf and draw his comic strips. Jace is on a high functioning Autistic spectrum, therefore he likes his routine and there’s no deviation from it. When he’s roped into being a dog sitter for a few months it drives him from his routine and constantly running into his sexy American tenant.
I really enjoyed how Stefanie London wrote about a character with Autism and how people like this really can have a life function on their own. Throw in the sexy surfer and dogs, and you had me from hello!!
4.5 Stars
This was a very entertaining emotional read as we join Angie and Jace on their path to true love.
Angie grew up in foster care so has never know a family of her own and when she travels to Australia she finds herself falling in love with the small town of Patterson’s Buff and well as it’s residents. Her visa is about to run out and she really doesn’t want to leave so she concocts a plan to fall in love and get married. Jace lives next door and he enjoys living alone but when his mother convinces him to dog sit two adorable puppies the mischief they get up to draws him the attractive woman living next door to him and that’s when the fun and games really begin.
A entertaining read that has the perfect mix of love, passion, humour and drama, it’s a friends to lovers and it will appeal to all romance lovers. Great read.
For every heartache that darkens our day, a rainbow is waiting to chase the storm away. The Aussie Next Door takes a childhood wish and turns it into an adult love story. All Angie ever wanted was someone to love. After a childhood of disappointment as an adult she decides to make a change. A fresh start is just what she needs to leave her troubles behind. Her new beginning turns into an adventure of the heart. Jace is the culmination of a dream she never thought would come true. Has love finally led her to that missing piece of her heart?
FULL DISCLOSURE: I cried a lot while reading this story. Most of you won’t (maybe). On the surface, this is a sweet romantic comedy. But if you’re me and have lived my life especially of late, you’d see way more. You’d see the story of a high functioning autistic man who doesn’t quite fit society’s norms trying to love, live and grow while protecting himself from what can sometimes be an uneducated and unsympathetic world. You’d see a woman who’s finally found her place in the world grasping at any lifeline to maintain herself in that place. You’d see two people, who on paper would not match, but if you look beyond the surface, they just might 🙂
This journey was a sweet and humorous romantic read full of hope and heart. I was thoroughly entertained and engaged thru every scene. I’ve loved this author’s voice for a while but this book was next level good. I probably felt more than the average reader because I know autism and (author) got it right. I cannot tell you how many stories I have read that do not get it right and it is #eyetwitching. This was glorious. Go forth and enjoy!
“The Aussie Next Door” by Stefanie London was a true pleasure to read. I adored the main characters, Jace and Angie, and wanted nothing more than for them to find a way to be happy together. They each had more than their fair share of struggles in life, and as a result their HEA, when it finally came, felt incredibly well-deserved.
It would have been easy to pity Angie after everything she went through as a child, but she had such a positive attitude that it was impossible for me not to admire her strength and resilience. Angie’s determination to make a difference in her adopted community of Patterson’s Bluff was inspiring too. I found Jace to be an inspiration as well because of his constant awareness of how his autism might impact the people he loved, and even though he thought he couldn’t change, he certainly seemed willing to try because he had such a big heart. These qualities made Angie and Jace a fantastic couple, and it was easy to root for them both individually and together.
In addition to Angie and Jace and the story of their relationship, I very much enjoyed getting to know Jace’s family in this book. They were great fun as secondary characters and I hope that they will be featured in future books. Angie’s friend Chloe, the yoga instructor, was a lot of fun too. Patterson’s Bluff seems like a really cute little town with a wealth of future story possibilities.
“The Aussie Next Door” is the first book I’ve read by Ms. London, but it certainly won’t be the last. I look forward to the next book in this series!
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a beautiful emotional ride with Angie and Jace.
Our lovely American Angie has moved to Australia to start fresh and begin a new life . Full of enthusiasm and dreams she finds a beautiful apartment near the coast. Jace is just trying to keep to himself and create but his new tenant knocks him off kilter and makes him want things that he thought impossible for himself. When they finally become friends the interactions and the cautious nature of each of them is so beautiful. Watching their relationship unfold was sweet and sexy but be ready for all the feels some tears as you begin to delve deeper into each one of their pasts . Such a wonderful journey with them and I absolutely loved their supporting cast !!
~~Michele McMullen ~~
Patterson’s Bluff #1, I’ve never read Stefanie London before now and let me tell you it was like a change of scenery. Normally when there is an Aussie in books they move to the US in this it’s flipped the American is the transplant. Told in alternating first person the narratives are clear, you definitely can tell who’s narrating at the time. I love that she tackled the autism spectrum, Jace is a high functioning what use to be referred to as Asperger Syndrome. He likes his schedule but every now and then his mom will shake things up for him like at the beginning of the book where she volunteers him to dog sit two very different dogs, and aging GSD and a younger hyper Chihuahua. It’s bad enough Jace’s new tenant breaks his schedule as it is but now dogs.
Angie fell in love with Patterson’s Bluff, she had been all around Australia and even though she loved the whole country Patterson’s Bluff called out to her as home. Angie’s Visa is expiring and it’s too late to file for an extension she’s desperate to stay, but no so desperate that she’d marry the smarmy lawyer, but it does give her an idea. Angie doesn’t just want to get married she wants to fall in love and get married in three months.
Jace didn’t realize how much he enjoyed having Angie in his life until he knew she was going to be leaving. Sure he knew he was attracted to her but after a disastrous engagement he was hesitant to feel any of those feelings again, but the thought of Angie falling in love with anyone but him sent nervous butterflies through his gut and upset him. Angie would have asked Jace first but when she previously asked about marriage he rejected the notion of marriage so emphatically she never even bothered to ask him, so he asks her. Jace offers a thirty day engagement and if they can work it out they will go through the marriage. But they have so much baggage and insecurities between the two of them and even though they were having fun at first it’s only a matter of time before one of them snaps.
Overall, I really did enjoy this read. I loved Jace and his whole family. Angie and Jace balance each other out perfectly the sexual tension between them was well done and their romance was emotional and so funny at the same time. It was really nice for a change to have a book take place in Australia. The writing was fun and those dogs so freakin’ cute.
Angie needs a fake husband so she can stay in the country. Her hot Aussie neighbor might be a good choice but for the fact that she seems to drive him batty.
“He always had a cool head about him. He was quiet and composed, thoughtful. And hot…so hot. Like, exactly what you think a sexy Australian guy should look like kind of hot. Blue eyes, sandy hair. Crooked Hemsworth smile. Tanned skin. Shoulders broad enough to carry the world.”
Jace is on the high functioning end of the spectrum. He likes (needs) his routines, his space, and his privacy. So when his cheerful (and gorgeous) American neighbor invades his boundaries, he starts stressing. But…is he stressing because she’s upset his routine or because she’s looking for a husband among the whole town, and not looking at him?
I was surprised at how much of a quiet impact The Aussie Next Door made. Although it’s light in spots, it has a wonderful message and its themes aren’t so light. Jace and Angie are two “different” people. Different in quotations because really, everyone’s different, but here, their differences are notable. Not because they’re bad, but because they’re unique. I appreciated how Jace was written especially. Yes, he’s on the spectrum and the weight of that is significant, but he’s not written that way for dramatic effect, rather than just him being who he is – a successful comic strip writer who happens to be on the spectrum and needs his space. But pair him with Angie, a woman who is as “different” as Jace is, and the two make for a fabulous couple. Not the norm to be sure, and definitely a likable, engaging couple.