Maybe David doesn't hate his neighbor Beji as much as he thinks. They may argue about farming and their shared boundary all while exchanging vegetables and cooked casseroles, but there is definitely something more that has grown between them than thistle.
From the blurb:
My neighbor paints his gate purple. His experiments with organic farming drift onto my land. He feeds me casseroles while we argue about everything from water rights to rugby selections. For five years, I’ve told myself he’s the worst thing to happen to farming since foot rot.
Then my orphan lamb escapes, and we end up tangled in a hedge together (don’t ask), spying on something that turns my whole world upside down. Suddenly, I realize that all the vegetables I leave on his doorstep and the casseroles he makes me might not be just neighborly gestures. And maybe the way my pulse races during our arguments isn’t about the disputed thistle paddock at all.
Is it possible that the biggest thorn in my side is exactly what I’ve been missing all along?
Feeding the Grump is a 16,000 word enemies to lovers novella that features a grumpy farmer and his sunshine neighbor. It was first published in May 2025 as part of a charity anthology and no additional material has been added.
SNik's review:
Standalone novella. Adversarial to lovers. Neighbors. Mostly single POV.
David’s neighbor gets on his nerves, and for the past five years they constantly get into minor squabbles about their shared boundary and farming techniques. But both Benji and David remain neighborly, from exchanging vegetables and cooked foods to helping each other out whenever needed.
This was such a cute story about how maybe after years of orbiting each other, Benji and David have been building a slow kind of relationship that just needs a final push. It was so funny when David realizes he might have feelings for Benji, and I really enjoyed that there’s no hesitation on his part to see if Benji feels the same. A sweet short take on how a love language can be all the little things you do for someone and how maybe bickering over best farming practices can be a type of foreplay for two meant for each other guys.
What an adorable story!!
I loved these two together. It was so clear that they were into each other and had been taking care of each other for years, I was surprised how their other neighbors and friends couldn't see what was happening between Benji and David.
Both characters were immensely likeable. I don't know that I would call this one an enemies-to-lovers so much as a frenemies-to-lovers because these two had each others' backs. Benji absolutely knew how to get under David's skin and loved to do it.
It's a short, sweet, well-written, adorable story between a sunshine farmer with big ideas and a grumpy farmer who keeps him grounded. I'll read it again anytime I need a little pick-me-up.
Feeding the Grump is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Comments
Post a Comment