Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but not compelling
Review: I thought this book was really cute. I love how it was written in email format because you could hear the story from everyone's point of view. It was fun to read, however it was extremely predictable. I mean, there must be dozens of books (and movies) with slightly different variations of this plot...the whole person pretends to be someone else and falls in love thing. Meggin Cabot threw in some new aspects, like the mystery and such to keep it fun to read. I'd reccommend getting this book from the library, it's not the type of book you would want to read numerous times.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious
Review: Melissa Fuller has managed to rack up dozens of tardies, but this time, her excuse is a really good one, albeit unique. She has discovered her elderly neighbor lying comatose, the apparent survivor of the city's current serial killer, the transvestite killer. Mel now feels responsible for taking care of the old lady's dog while she lies in the hospital, and walking the giant dog with a pea sized bladder is causing serious complications to her life. With the assistance of well meaning friends, she tracks down the woman's one living relative, Max, a nephew, and contacts him to come help with the dog, and see his dying aunt.Max is, however, a selfish SOB, who had rather complete his vacation with a Victoria's Secret supermodel than come walk a great dane and visit an old, but rich relative. Thus, he calls in a favor and enlists John Trent to impersonate him so that should his aunt awaken, she won't think him the uncaring cad he really is. Reluctantly, John agrees, and immediately finds himself falling for Mel. The attraction is mutual, but the matter of his deception lies between them. What will happen should Mel find out that "Max" is John? ***** In this hilarious tale told via email messages, Ms. Cabot has created a GRIFFIN AND SABINE for the new generation. We get to see all sides of the story as Mel and John's friends and families communicate their varied opinions of the whole situation. From Mel's newly emailing parents, to her catty coworker who has inherited her exboyfriend, to the supermodel Max is dating, we are charmed by the situation that is so unbelieveable that it could be real. If this were a movie, Meg Ryan and Hugh Grant would be the ideal stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but herione is tiring
Review: I'm almost finished listening to this book on tape, and I've found it very entertaining; however, the herione, Mel Fuller is an idiot. She is very tiring....to the point that you just want to skip over parts to see what happens in the end. In general, all the characters are wonderful creations, and the email format is good...good departure from the norm.
Summary of book: Mel Fuller, Page 10 gossip columnist, has become romantically involved with who she thinks is her neighbor's nephew....only he's not, the nephew got one of his friends to fill in for him while aunt is in a coma...she's rich so the nephew doesn't want to look inattentive...he's meanwhile in Key West with a supermodel who is super nitwit; however, even super nitwit doesn't deserve the nephew who's totally untrustworthy. When nitwit model tells all to Mel, Mel becomes inraged and won't forgive poor John Trent (that's who the nephew's friend really is, and John is super rich plus really in love with Mel...stupid Mel). Many women find "true love," but few find "rich true love." Love the rumor mill at the paper where Mel works....Dolly is wonderful creation....the office sophisticate who doesn't have a "real" man of her own....Nadine, Mel's best friend, with the Brooklyn (?) Bronx (?) accent is great. Actually, I enjoy them more than Mel. Mel whines too much. I would recommend this book, but there is the big temptation to fast forward to the end when Mel is whining too much. She's very life-like, we've all had friends who have just wanted to whine and endlessly regurgitate their on/off love lives and can never make up their minds. So I guess Cabot did a good job with her, just a little too much of her. Again, the supporting cast are more interesting. Maybe they should get their own spin-off book.
Rating:
Summary: Romance with a lighthearted twist
Review: Melissa Fuller is a journalist in New York City. She is single, and has little hope of finding a perfect man. When her neighbor, Helen Friedlander, is attacked, things become interesting. Mrs. Friedlander's only living relative, Max, comes to take over her apartment and care for her pets. Mel gets to know Max, and soon they fall in love. Yet something about Max is different. Is he really what he claims to be, or is Mel in for a major heartache? I have read several of Meggin Cabot's other novels, and when I heard The Boy Next Door was completely written in e-mail format, it intrigued me. The characters are completely likeable, and the story is funny and romantic at the same time. This novel is like a more sophisticated version of the author's The Princess Diaries series. The Boy Next Door is definitely a worthwhile read!
Rating:
Summary: Cute, funny, purely enjoyable!
Review: Mel Fuller is cute, sassy, funny, honest, and the girl next door. Her neighborliness gets her in deep, but her trusting nature prevails! What a fun and romantic novel.
Rating:
Summary: fun
Review: It's very cute, funny, and it kept my attention. I couldn't put it down. It's a book for the 20s something crowd, and the whole book is written in email format. Its hilarious, and I really liked the characters. It would have been very interesting if the author had done some chapters as a novel. Anyway, I only object to some sexual references that the author made.
Rating:
Summary: Give This Book a Chance
Review: I heard about this book on the Regis and Kelly show. I have to admit when I heard that this book was written in e-mail format I didn't think that I would like it that much. To my surprise I actually liked this book. This book is cute, but it's also funny. The charaters are great and the storyline isn't bad. Melissa Fuller takes care of her neighbor's pets when something happens to her neighbor, and that's when she soon meets her love interest, but he isn't what he seems. I have to say that this is one of Kelly Ripa's better book selections, the rest haven't been so good.
Rating:
Summary: Cute--but not too cutesy!
Review: I had thought that perhaps this book would be like the dozen or so similar books which I have abandoned, unfinished; books that were an attempt to write humorously about the single life, boy-meets-girl in a big city. Same old, same old. To my surprise, "The Boy Next Door" was different and I actually finished it! Not only that, but I finished it in record time! Perhaps it was the format that I liked best, with the entire book comprised of e-mails. Since I love epistolary novels, this appealed to me, and the e-mails gave just enough information, without too much detail but with fairly distinct characterization. The story was also helped along by the touch of mystery and the bit of well-intentioned deceit. While it was not great literature, it was an entertaining read. I liked this book with its slightly wacky, fast-moving and ever-changing plot and found it a good diversion. It was cleverly done in a way that roped the reader in and made it hard to put the book down. I could not wait to open the next e-mail and see the direction which the story would take.
Rating:
Summary: funny but lies needed more justification
Review: Melissa (Mel) Fuller really cares about Wynona Rider and other celebrities, as well as her 80-something next door neighbor. When the neighbor gets hit on the head, Mel takes care of the pets, at least until the woman's nephew arrives. When the nephew finally shows up, it's definitely love. All of the stories about Max can't be true because Mel is sure that he's the nicest and most caring guy. After what she's been through with men, she really deserves someone who cares about animals and who won't cheat on her or lie to her. Even if he has maxed out his credit cards. John Trent (of the billionaire Trents) is just doing his friend Max a favor. While Max vacations with a super-model, John can ride in, help out with the pets, and let the aunt know that Max really cared, assuming she ever recovers from her coma. When John realizes that he's falling for Mel, it's too late to just tell the truth. He starts looking for the perfect time and place, but that can be tricky with a woman who has been burned by men in the past. Author Meggin Cabot delivers narative of THE BOY NEXT DOOR as a series of e-mails sent between Mel, Mel's co-workers, Max, John, and John's family. This device makes for fast reading with lots of white space and no need for introspection or dialogue. Surprisingly, it works. Cabot's light style and clever sense of humor keeps the reader going and laughing. I would have liked to see a little (okay, maybe a lot) more justification for the initial lie--I mean, couldn't John have simply told her, 'uh, listen, my friend Max didn't want to seem like a heel when he couldn't come so he put me up to this. But now that I've met you....' Some better justification for continuing the lie would definitely have helped. THE BOY NEXT DOOR is pure chick-lit. Women complain among themselves that all of the men are married, gay, or dating supermodels, while living in New York and working in the literary scene (Mel is a gossip reporter for a New York journal). Fans of the genre will definitely enjoy THE BOY and those new to it will find a lot to like here.
Rating:
Summary: very fast, very fun read!
Review: I picked this up on a saturday morning, and could not put it down all weekend long! i was done by sunday night. it was a fast, fun read. the characters were well defined, and very real - I truly enjoyed this book, it was my first by this author, and i will definitely read her again! I would recommend this book highly if you are looking for a cute, light romantic comedy.
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