Novel Review: The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harlequin Superromance

Release Date: January, 2013

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The best thing between Oliver Barrett and Mackenzie Williams is a fence. Ever since Oliver's new-neighbor gestures were met with unfriendly responses, he's decided to keep his distance. After all, he's in this seaside town to get his life on track again. That doesn't include working hard to get on Mackenzie's good side—no matter how intriguing she may be. His intentions are put to the test, however, when his dog becomes infatuated with hers. The two crafty canines do their best to break down the barriers between the properties. And where the dogs go…, well, the humans must follow! It doesn't take long for a powerful attraction to build between Oliver and Mackenzie. They soon discover that the worst of first impressions can lead to the best possible outcomes….

The Cover:

This is a pretty average adult romance cover. Not overly cute, or representative of the book. But I do think that the color works for the book, and I guess the couple on the cover might be a little like the characters? It's alright.

Quotes:

• "'Sometimes, even though you know something is a mistake, you can’t stop yourself from going there.’” (Mass Market Paperback, pg. 129)
• "After all, most women had been trained and indoctrinated from a young age to find fault with their own appearance. It was practically a national pastime.” (Pg. 140)
• "'I only know that life is short and time passes anyway, so you might as well do something you believe in as something you don’t.’” (Pg. 203)

Review:

I did rather enjoy this book, but it didn’t excite me or affect me as much as I wanted it to.

I did enjoy the characters. They were well rounded, full characters, I understood and liked them. I liked their relationship, how they developed, their chemistry. Their banter was really fun, and I liked how they got along. The big climax at the end could have been easily avoided, but I’m okay with that, and I like the ending. 

The story, the writing, just didn’t have me grinning or all that attached, which is why the rating is pretty average, but I did rather like the characters and their development and overall the story was really cute and sweet. It was also rather innocent, not super hot or smutty, but very focused on the romance, along with a good mix of their non-romantic lives mixed in, and I liked that.