The Girl Next Door

by Mindy Kaplan

Book by Kaplan, Mindy

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[india :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved reading Ava's aunts lesbian book!! I loved the chat room aspect. I feel like it's relatable to today since online relationships are so common nowadays. I liked how Alex became softer because of Lina over the course of the book. I loved Lina's connection with Sean I thought it was so sweet how much he loved here, like matching his shirt to the color she is wearing. The ending though was crazy and overwhelming. It kind of also got confusing because they were like fighting but then last minute she decides to tell Alex she's staying but as soon as Alex is leaving?? I liked how Lina got the reading at the end but I didn't think it was neccessary for the fortune teller to be her mom. I think it would have been interesting plot that they never ended up together, they had their rendezvous then Alex went to college and Lina went back to Greece.

[Ava Kaplan]

3/ 5 (no nepotism on this goodreads !!)

LMAOO couldn’t sleep so read that shit from start to finish. Soooo funny and weird reading sex scenes written by a family member but what r u gonna do. Aunt Mindy killed this shit it was addicting and funny and cute AF. If u want a breezy but smart Lesbian romance consider supporting small indie writers and read The Girl Next Door xoxo

[mj · Rating 4 out of 5]

alanis morissette mentioned

[Chrystal714 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance is still not my fave genre. However, romance that applies to me is nice to read now and then.

[August Roberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this, and im saying this as someone who is not a romance fan. i feel like it balanced being a bit of a feel-good lesbian romance while also being very grounded in reality. I love the characters and i think the tension between the two was really well done. also, let me say, the sex scenes??? genuinely caught me off guard by how good they were. i was out here genuinely blushing at cyber-sex. werk. it's dated for sure but i think the core of the story is very timeless, great hook. an au pair catfishing the older daughter of the family she's working for? that's drama! delicious drama! im sold!
i was kind of confused about the tarot aspect of it all, i will say. the mom reveal at the end really caught me off guard. I might have liked a little more foreshadowing there. To me, it seemed like when alex told lina about her visit, it was the first mention of her. i might have like a more loaded reaction to that, really targeting her mother. as it stands, the scene is just more lina digging into alex for being careless.
That said, love love love alex and her cavalier, philosophical conversations. Girl is just casually out by the pool in a bikini talking about the meaning of life. need a girl like that in my life Stat. I really fell in love with their romance, and i think that build up really sold it for me. the way alex represents everything lina is missing. they're opposites but they complete each other. beautiful. i also couldn't help but think all throughout, this would make a great movie.