Oh how I loved this book. All the feels! And the sexy scenes... *fans face*

I've read some other offerings by Jaime Clevenger but Houseswap 101 is my absolute favorite and makes me want to seek out her back catalogue and get to reading. What a great job of bringing Devlyn and Robbie to life and making me care about them.

There wasn't loads of background info given but there was enough to make the issues they had to deal with believable. And while there was some lack of communication, it didn't feel contrived simply to create drama. I hate that. So much. There was just the right amount of angst. *chef's kiss* A beautiful, slow-burn, not-quite-enemies-to-lovers romance. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley (especially the read-aloud option on NetGalley's Shelf app) for letting me make a couple new imaginary friends. And thanks to Ms. Clevenger for sharing her imaginary friends with us.

When Devyn Lancaster comes home from a busy shift at the hospital, the last thing she expects to find is a woman weed-whacking her garden. It gets worse when she learns her ex-husband invited the woman to trade houses with him—all without telling her a thing about the plan.

Robbie Price was looking forward to a month-long vacation in San Diego. A break from the Seattle rain in exchange for doing a few home repair projects and taking a cute dog to the beach seemed well worth a house swap. Then she meets her coworker’s ex-wife. For Robbie and Devyn, even tolerating each other feels impossible at first. And neither expect to learn to like each other. But at the end of the month, parting ways is what feels impossible.

This was so much fun. Moving into someone else's house for a while, planning on a quiet wonderful sunny change of pace. Or maybe not! I love how Robbie starts knocking down Devyn's walls. Good steamy scenes in this book! Great characters, great relationship development, enjoyable writing. This is definitely one to pick up if you like Sapphic love stories!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really easy read for me, I loved the house swap setup and can't wait to read more by Jamie in the future.

What can you do when a hot stranger invades your house with no notice? Of course you hate her….and then fall for her completely. Of course!

I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Devyn’s life has been reduced to working long hours as an ER doctor and getting cuddles from her dog Angel. Her marriage to Matt ended after he couldn’t deal with her work schedule and decided to seek attention from another woman. Or other really, other women. Devyn is left alone in their big house in San Diego while Matt moves into the little cottage in the yard. They have to sell the house in order to get everything finalized with the divorce. But the house is not nearly ready to be on the market because Matt never completed the work that needed to be done.
One day Devyn comes home exhausted after another long shift at the hospital to find a strange woman attacking her precious pollinator garden with a weedhacker. What the actual F?

Robbie is done with the rain in Seattle. She loves her houseboat and she loves her uncle who lives on the same dock. But the rain. Nope, she needs a change of scenery. A sunny escape if you will. The proposition her colleague Matt presents her with comes at the exact right time. A month in sunny San Diego, living rent free, in exchange of doing some DIY projects on his house. Matt himself can’t wait to get away from his ex wife. Robbie and Matt swap houses, each with a to do list for the chores they’ll complete for the other. Robbie arrives and digs into the first job immediately: weeding the garden. She did not expect Devyn to come barging out of the house screaming about bees and butterflies. Nor did she expect that Matt hasn’t told his ex of the plan. Robbie did expect Devyn to be gorgeous, though she would never have predicted that she would find the woman of her dreams right then and there.

Jamie Clevenger can write a very good story. This one had me hooked from page one. The initial situation in which the women meet is hilarious and of course you know that Robbie will charm the pants off of Devyn. The way she does it is so entertaining though. The story is told from both viewpoints, which makes it so much easier to understand where Devyn is coming from. She tries to put up walls as high as the heavens but Robbie chips away it them one DIY project at at time.

It’s heartwarming to see Devyn warming up to Robbie and starting to open up and give glimpses of the woman she actually is. Robbie proves to be such a good and respectful person. She completely understands the demands of Devyn’s job and her hesitations towards trust. Robbie never pushes her to do anything beyond what Devyn is willing to do or feels comfortable with. She truly is a gem!

If you need scorching hot, this book is for you. Robbie and Devyn are very, let me repeat that, very compatible and combustible in the sheets. Or against the wall. And in this case too, Robbie let’s Devyn set the pace and matches her where she is. It doesn’t take long for Devyn to feel completely safe with Robbie and lets herself explore and feel and desire.

The relationship Robbie has with her uncle is so loving and tender. He raised her as his own when her parents failed to do so. Their bond is strong and equal. I love the part where her uncle talks to Robbie about the choices he made in the past about his love life. He wants to protect her from doing the same. I wanted to squeeze the old grump in a tight hug for that.

So, if you like strange but funny situations, scorching scenes and witty banter, this is a story you’ll definitely like!

"House Swap 101" by Jamie Clevenger presents a captivating tale of unexpected encounters and unlikely connections. When Devyn Lancaster returns home to find a stranger tending to her garden, she's thrown into a whirlwind of confusion and frustration. Little does she know, her ex-husband orchestrated a house swap without her knowledge, leading to a clash of personalities with Robbie Price, the unsuspecting house guest.

As Devyn and Robbie navigate the awkwardness of their situation, their initial animosity slowly gives way to unexpected understanding and genuine camaraderie. Clevenger masterfully weaves a story of two women brought together by circumstance, discovering common ground amidst the chaos of their lives.

With vivid prose and authentic character dynamics, "House Swap 101" explores themes of forgiveness, friendship, and the transformative power of unexpected connections. Readers will find themselves drawn into the lives of Devyn and Robbie, rooting for them as they navigate the complexities of love and loss.

Filled with heartwarming moments and poignant insights, Clevenger's novel is a delightful exploration of the bonds that form when we least expect them. "House Swap 101" is a charming read that reminds us of the beauty found in unlikely friendships and the magic of new beginnings.

Sweet, sexy housebutch
A great idea: rain-weary Seattle-denizen Robbie goes for the offer to houseswap with her San Diego colleague … and falls for his unsuspecting ex-wife, Devyn. I loved the idea of a housebutch and Robbie is not only handy with tools around the house but with tools of all sorts (just sayin …). Fun and sexy times are developing quickly.
There is a lot of lightness in this novel, esp. the cute dog and the beach times. The staunch friends of Devyn are a welcome addition. Of course there a bumps on the road to HEA but nothing which can not be handled by true love and a little determination.

I received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.

This was a story about Robbie who is an IT systems engineer and her co worker Matt who is just getting divorced from Devyn. Matt is broke and wants to get away from Devyn so reluctantly Robbie agrees to a 30 day job switch. Robbie moves into the guest house in San Diego and Matt moves into Robbie’s houseboat in Seattle.

Robbie and Devyn get off to a bad start when Robbie cuts down her pollinator plants on accident. Both have an instant physical attraction for the other. Devyn is straight and fights her attraction to Robbie. Robbie is really patient and understanding with her and that’s what endeared her to me, eventually they seek each other out and and have the start of a relationship. Until the 30 days ends and…..

I really liked both Robbie and Devyn and Robbie’s uncle. The characters were well developed and we got to know both povs.

Clevenger is always entertaining and a good read for me. Oh and the dog Angel was the star of the book, he was very entertaining.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book

this has to be one of the best books i have read in a long time...just what the doctor ordered....

Devyn arrived home after a long shift at the hospital to find a total stranger in her garden hacking down her pollinator garden for butterflies and that wasnt the worst of it... her dog was also be her side.....

robbie was at devyn house, the plan was she stayed a month and did all the jobs that matt her friend and devyns ex husband was suppose to do around the house...only it seemed that matt hadnt said anything about the swop and devyn wasnt happy at all in fact devyn had told robbie to pack up and leave.... not a great start....

but she couldnt go back home not just yet and so an uneasy truce settled between them both

what a ride this book was.... funny in places and frustrating as hell when things got difficult for them both but the scene with the dog brought a tear to my eye

well worth a read and will be keeping an eye out for more books from this author

I had already been a big fan of Jaime Clevenger’s work but with Houseswap 101 she’s raised the bar yet again. This book has everything I’ve come to expect from this author; well-drawn characters and a story that completely drew me in. As an extra bonus it introduced me to the term “housebutch” which I will now be using copiously.

Like most of Clevenger’s books, the true strength of this story is the chemistry and passion developed between the two main characters, Robbie and Devyn. They don’t start off on the best foot, but the journey from enemies to lovers is swoony and I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for that first kiss. And oh my goodness, when I said this book was passionate I meant it. Literally some of the best plot-driving spice I have read in a while.

This story isn’t all sweetness and spice though, there is some definite drama during the last quarter and a very well-written will they, won’t they get together that had me hanging on every word. While some of the lack of communication was frustrating, it fit with the personal growth both mc’s had to go through to make it to the HEA I was hoping for them.

Whether you’re already a fan of Jamie Clevenger or not, I highly recommend you buy this book if you’re looking for a steamy, emotionally poignant, and just overall really great piece of sapphic fiction. You will be a fan once you finish reading. 4.5 stars

I received an ARC from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

Robbie agrees with her best friend from work, Matt, to swap houses between Seattle and San Diego. He wants to escape his soon-to-be ex-wife Devyn (which he still shares the house with). Robbie wants to to exchange the rain in the North with the sun in the South. The deal includes also that both do each other's chores at their respective new location. In Robbie's case this is a number of house repairs needed so that Matt and Devyn can sell the house and finalize their divorce.

This setup includes also a series of more confusing and silly details, like that Robbie and Matt have to impersonate each other at their respective new work location or that Matt "forgot" to inform his ex. Thus, Robbie and Devyn are in for the worst possible start when Devyn finds Robbie mistakenly destroying her garden. But romance has to have its ways, so we get what is going to happen.

I thought that such a silly and unrealistic prerequisite would make this a dull read for me. But surprisingly, after I got around the initial part, it was a really well-written and captivating story with enough realistic detail and secondary characters that make it relatable.

I liked also the emergence of the "housebutch"--not an entirely new concept but fun anyway!

(based on an ARC from NetGalley)

Robbie loves certain aspects of her life, living on a houseboat on a lake near Seattle, being close to her favorite uncle, and cheering on the Mariners. But she hates the constant rain so her work counterpart in San Diego agrees to houseswap for 1 month to also give him a break from a messy divorce. What is not disclosed to Robbie is that Matt did not inform his soon to be ex-wife that Robbie will be living in their cottage on the property to take care of diy projects before it’s sold.

Devyn is an Emergency Room doctor with long hours and not much time for anything else, other than her Jack Russell, Angel. Devyn is a decent human being who just finds herself in an impossible situation and is having a tough time processing the past year. Then a stranger appears. Who wouldn’t feel ambushed if someone shows up at your doorstep unannounced, sent by the lying ex? So when Devyn meets Robbie, there’s a harsh confrontation. I felt for Devyn but I also knew Robbie was a good hearted person. Both are excellent characters but I wanted more depth, even if it meant a longer book. Three weeks is just not enough time to work through both their pasts, their fears, and to fall in love. Don’t get me wrong. Houseswap 101 is a solid romance chockfull of steamy scenes and cute as heck doggy moments. There are also good supporting characters like Devyn’s best friends and Robbie’s uncle. But I wanted to know more about Devyn and Robbie. I recommend if you like cozy romances with a small bit of angst/pining, housebutch/femme tropes, and good boys (dogs) in a story.

Before this I had never read any books by Jaime Clevenger and this was definitely my loss. I am glad that I had the opportunity to read this book and discover this author. We are taken along a journey as all three characters get to know each other (I say three characters because I count Angel as a main character). I admire Ms. Clevenger's writing style, character development and story line. I am off to purchase more of her books.

Enjoyable story with two main protagonists that are easy to like.
Robbie wants to get away from the rain in Seattle and her coworker who is going through a divorce wants a change of scenery (to escape responsibilities 🙄) and suggests a house swap for his cottage in San Diego. Robbie agrees and is staying in a cottage on the property where her co workers ex wife still lives.
Devyn is a doctor at a local hospital and is left with finishing repairs in the house to ready it for market. Her ex husband had agreed to do the repairs, then took off. She stumbles across Robbie, thinking she is a gardener her ex must have hired as he didn’t tell her about the house swap arrangement.
Devyn comes off a bit icey and is irritated at the situation and her exes behavior and lack of communication. She needs the repairs in the house done and since Robbie is there to do it, she acquiesces and lets her stay.
Devyn, who has always been in straight relationships is surprisingly drawn to this “house butch” staying in the cottage. Even her dog, Angel, who hates everyone likes her. She and Robbie settle into sharing space and feelings develop for each other. Will they take a chance? Robbie has responsibilities in Seattle, helping her uncle with the marina and Devyn isn’t really keen on relationships atm.
This is a fun, engaging and sweet read. I’m often found myself smiling as I read. I have enjoyed all of Jaime Clevenger’s books and this one is at the top of my list now. I’d rate is 4.5 stars if I could.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story has had several positive aspects for me, the main one being that I loved the two protagonists.

One is Robbie, very butch, housebutch according to Devyn's friends,. Devyn, for her part, is very femme, in the process of separating her marriage with Matt, Robbie's co-worker.

The reason that the two of them coincide in Devyn's house is that, with the divorce, and as long as they can't get rid of the house, Matt and Devyn can't stand living near each other and Matt proposes to Robbie a temporary change of residence, between Matt and Devyn's in San Diego and Robbi's in Seattle. All without Devyn having a clue. So, with enormous surprise to Devyn but also to Robbie that Matt didn't say anything to Devyn.

Devyn is straight and not even the first meeting with Robbie made her change this fact. But since that first meeting was somewhat tense, that also contributed to Devyn's lack of attraction or even tolerance for Robbie. It was Robbie's housebutchness that won Devyn acceptance, previously it had been the approval of her Jack Russell, Angel, usually surly towards strangers.

Robbie's good nature and her easy manners and availability to solve any domestic problem, including cooking and taking care of Angel, gradually weakened Devyn's reluctance. Once Devyn decided to take the step, the temperature level rose to the top.

In the final part, as things did not start out completely clear, the situation had an expiration date and each of them had their own issues to solve, it gave rise to the usual and expected small final drama. But overall it was a really interesting story.

This book had me laughing out loud with the hilarious dynamic between these two ladies. Their stark differences made for an entertaining read, though their communication skills left so much to be desired. Despite this, the storyline felt authentic, with relatable expectations and outcomes. While the ending seemed somewhat abrupt, the plot remained engaging throughout. From Devyn's unexpected encounter with a garden intruder to Robbie's unplanned house swap, the narrative unfolds with surprises and humor. Watching their initial disdain turn into unlikely camaraderie was both heartwarming and believable.

You really can’t go wrong with anything by Jaime Clevenger. This was another wonderful book with lovable characters and animals.
As always, they really know how to write spicy scenes.

Gotta hand it to this book to expand my vocabulary. My new word? Housebutch.

I have a couple of issues with this story. I can’t really tell you what they are because I’d basically be spoiling the entire book. Let’s just say most of it comes down to (lack of) communication. I’m learning that I either like my books to be ridiculous and not take very things so seriously, or with substance and communication. This falls right in between and I don’t know how to feel about it.

As always, this Clevenger book is well-written, the story has a certain flow and pace that you can recognise.

It’s an enjoyable read but I had some minor issues with it.

5/5 for me! I couldn’t put this one down and finished it in a day and a half. Would have been sooner if having to work didn’t get in the way. I didn’t have that high of expectations, the cover seemed cutesy. This book was anything but. I think I’m just a big sucker for the enemies to lovers troupe. Emotionally unavailable to falling in love? Sign me up. The fire and spice between the two main characters, I definitely need a cold shower. I am off to read everything else Jaime Clevenger has written. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! I was surprised at how much I loved this book. The tension and heat had me 🥵

Houseswap 101 continues Jamie Clevenger’s theme about featuring a masc and a femme in the lead character roles. That’s something that I really enjoy, but Clevenger has taken it one step further with featuring a housebutch. A housebutch is someone who can complete needed lawn chores, fix things around the house, and perhaps cook a scrumptious meal. Robbie Price perfectly fills the role of housebutch with the exception of weed whacking the pollinator garden of the home’s owner, Devyn Lancaster, where she is staying. Robbie has swapped houses for a month with her friend and coworker, Matt. He will stay on her houseboat in Seattle and she will stay in a carriage house in San Diego in exchange for doing some home repairs to the main house. Devyn just happens to be Matt’s ex and he has not told Devyn about the house swap.

At first Devyn is frustrated with the stranger, but chore by chore Robbie begins to win over Devyn. As Robbie completes a chore Devyn leaves Robbie an adhesive star ⭐️ to thank her. Eventually Devyn’s attraction begins to grow for Robbie. Robbie already thought Devyn was attractive and smart but somewhat stressed. Another thing that wins Devyn over is Robbie’s instant love of Angel, her Jack Russell terrier who is a combination angel and squirrel killer devil.

Give this rom com with real life situations a try and you won’t be disappointed. 4.25 stars

I received an ARC from Bella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Houseswap 101 is a cute, rom-com style read. Devyn comes home from a long shift at the hospital to find a stranger weedwacking her pollinator garden. And it turns out Robbie is not a gardener her ex hired but she plans to live on the property for a whole month. There’s no way Devyn will allow that. But Robbie manages to knock down wall after wall, one apology or repair at the time. I enjoyed reading this book.
Free ARC via NetGalley