the girl next door

Film club nerd Cleo Ferrara’s senior year was like a storyboard waiting to be filmed. She knew the scenes, the players, and the eventual happy ending. Get into NYU. Attend with her boyfriend, Daniel Sheridan. Become the film-making power couple who takes Hollywood by storm. Cut. Print. Fade to black.

But in a plot twist Cleo never saw coming, Daniel dumps her for Kiki Pearson, the head cheerleader. This would be the point in the movie where the Sad Girl Music plays while the protagonist looks longingly out her window, but when Cleo looks out hers, she sees Marianne Lacerda, her former best friend . . . and a new storyboard unfolds.

Marianne is also nursing a heartache. When Daniel was dumping Cleo for Kiki, Kiki was dumping Marianne for Daniel. So instead of watching their exes parade around school, Cleo and Marianne start fake-dating each other to ignite a little chaos in this bizarre love square. But any movie buff knows that when you introduce fake dating in Act I, it’s going to get real by Act III.

With friendship, the future, and love on the line, can Cleo script a happy ending for herself—or will she get her heart broken again?

Now available from Quill Tree Books and Harper360. 

Amazon (U.S.)

Barnes & Noble (U.S.)

Blackwells (U.K.)

Books-A-Million (U.S.)

Bookshop.org (U.S.)

Indiebound (U.S.)

Target (U.S.)

Waterstones (U.K.)

Add it to your Goodreads.

praise for the girl next door

“A delightful ode to the best tropes of romance and horror. Vinesse writes her characters with compassion and complexity; Cleo and Marianne positively leap off the page.”

—KELLY QUINDLEN, bestselling author of She Drives Me Crazy

“A rom-com lover’s dream, filled with heart, laughter, and characters to cheer for. I’ve got the biggest book crush on The Girl Next Door.”

—ELIZABETH EULBERG, international bestselling author of Better Off Friends

“[A] witty, charming, and at times aching romance perfect for romance trope lovers and horror cinephiles alike.”

—DAHLIA ADLER via BuzzFeed Books,15 Amazing Upcoming YA Books With Queer Characters

“This romantic comedy follows a cast of high school students who are comfortable in their sexual orientations…This fast-paced story is highly character driven and includes a nod to fans of horror movies...A solid choice for fans of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper and Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"A warm, charming tale of a horror-loving film buff who’s stuck in a romantic comedy."

—KIRKUS REVIEWS