Hedging your bets

Hedging Your Bets is an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about two neighbors who clash over almost everything. It comes from Jayne Denker, the author of The Rom-Com Agenda.

Gillian has been happily divorced for several years. After a run of dating apps, dates with fat shamers and some distinctly lackluster men, she has decided to stay single. In her spare time she would much rather tend her garden, where soft roses and vibrant tulips beat rude remarks and awkward first-date small talk.

Noah West has just arrived in Willow Cove, the small town where he spent summers as a teenager. A rough breakup made him want to get far away, and his new house sits right next door to Gillian's. He believes in minimalist design and holds that the best plants are the ones that never flower, so he knows from the moment they meet that the two of them will disagree about nearly everything. He also can't stop noticing her, which doesn't help.

When a gardening contest brings out their competitive sides, the result is dueling plant arrangements and sparring banter. Underneath their differences, though, they might be a better match than either expects.