4.0 (1 rating)
The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere)
What happens when the man you had a one-night stand with moves in across the road?
Ellie Newman broke her vow to never leave her hometown for anything and went to Barcelona to a business conference. She broke another of her rules and had a one-night stand with the handsome man who asked to share her table in the busy hotel bar.
Drinks turned into a meal, and a meal turned to a nightcap… and then nakedness.
They agreed on no names or anything specific that could identify them afterwards.
Lewis Mercer didn’t need to bother keeping the promise.
On his first day at his new business premises, he came face to face with the bombshell he’d spent an unforgettable night with. Not only was she living in the same town, but Ellie also lived directly across the road from him.
Lewis saw it as fate throwing them together. However, Ellie wasn’t convinced when Lewis’s new business venture made her life miserable.
Ellie had given up a brilliant career in the city to start her tech business. If she doesn’t win the pitch she has to deliver, she’ll be back to job hunting. If Lewis doesn’t win his contract, he’ll go bankrupt and lose his house.
Lewis faces a choice when it comes down to the wire. He’s spent countless weeks persuading Ellie they are good for each other. So how will Ellie react when he chooses business over love?
Enjoy this standalone novel with brand new characters. Get ready for a hilarious small-town romance.
Ellie Newman broke her vow to never leave her hometown for anything and went to Barcelona to a business conference. She broke another of her rules and had a one-night stand with the handsome man who asked to share her table in the busy hotel bar.
Drinks turned into a meal, and a meal turned to a nightcap… and then nakedness.
They agreed on no names or anything specific that could identify them afterwards.
Lewis Mercer didn’t need to bother keeping the promise.
On his first day at his new business premises, he came face to face with the bombshell he’d spent an unforgettable night with. Not only was she living in the same town, but Ellie also lived directly across the road from him.
Lewis saw it as fate throwing them together. However, Ellie wasn’t convinced when Lewis’s new business venture made her life miserable.
Ellie had given up a brilliant career in the city to start her tech business. If she doesn’t win the pitch she has to deliver, she’ll be back to job hunting. If Lewis doesn’t win his contract, he’ll go bankrupt and lose his house.
Lewis faces a choice when it comes down to the wire. He’s spent countless weeks persuading Ellie they are good for each other. So how will Ellie react when he chooses business over love?
Enjoy this standalone novel with brand new characters. Get ready for a hilarious small-town romance.
Published: August 16, 2021
Pages: 298
ISBN: 9798457887145
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Available in: Paperback
Reader Reviews
4.0
1 rating
Dhawy F.
Aug 15, 2026
This novel is not filled with wisdom you would want to highlight on Kindle. Lewis is romantic, but still not a good brother. Even so, I would say this is a good and easy read, with Noel standing firmly at the center of the town’s conflict.
Conflict begins after Ellie Newman comes back home from a business conference in Barcelona. Every morning, she cannot work on her tech business because of the loud music from the new business in town, which turns out to be a gym. Every single day, the music keeps coming. Later, she finds out that the business venture is owned by someone named Lewis and his sister.
First of all, I love the part that shows Ellie’s bravery to march around with a placard that says CLOSE THE GYM, because honestly, that would be me. If I were her, I would absolutely protest like that every single day.
Why not, right? Noel, Lewis’s sister, never takes her seriously. The authorities do not seem to care either, unless Ellie can somehow measure the exact decibel level of the music from the gym. I would rather stand outside waving at every passing car than call staff who respond carelessly and dismiss the problem.
“Up and down the path, I paced, waving my placard that said CLOSE THE GYM. None of the passing cars took any notice. It didn’t deter my efforts.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 76). Kindle Edition.
On the first day of his new business premises, Lewis Mercer found that Ellie, the girl he had one-night stand with in Barcelona, lives in the same town, directly across the road from him. Knowing his business has ruined Ellie’s peace, he then tried talking it through with his sister, Noel. But, what can you really do if your business partner always gets you out the way?
“I don’t interfere with the sales and marketing, and you don’t interfere with the running of our operations.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (pp. 80-81). Kindle Edition.
Yes, Noel always pushes her brother aside so she can upset every neighbor in town. There is also a boatyard owner named Irvin whom she completely angers. She allows her clients to park on Irvin’s grass until it turns messy.
While reading this book, I got seriously annoyed with Noel. She does not just upset the people in town. She is also overly confident about how good she thinks she is at managing operations. Not Noel claiming she has everything under control while causing constant inconvenience to the entire community.
“You see what I have to put up with, Lewis? This woman is driving away our customers,” Noelle called over to me.
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 89). Kindle Edition.
That line comes after Ellie’s umpteenth complaint. Hey Noel, she is raging because she cannot get her work done. How do you not understand that?
I am looking forward to telling you guys how dismissive Noel is, but then if I did, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Instead, I’ll will just throw a few snippets all around.
Towards the end, Ellie’s rage goes extreme. At the same time, more impact on the gym’s business finally starts showing through all the inconvenience caused. And still, the root of it all is Noel. Noel, Noel, Noel.
Then my rage spreads to Lewis. At this point, I would not mind cussing him out if he were a real human being. What kind of brother uses Noel’s fear of a cancer diagnosis as a reason to forgive her and even clear her name of unprofessionalism? That is not compassion, Lewis. Business is business. A big mistake is still a big mistake.
If Lewis had given her real consequences right before the ending, it would have been realistically fire. Unfortunately, he is a weak hearted brother, and it makes it hard for him to resolve anything properly.
“In my defence, I was a little stressed about dying,” she said.
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 227). Kindle Edition.
“Let’s get down to business. We are going to contact our lawyers to end the lease for you and your sister.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 251). Kindle Edition.
“I’d never known what it was like to wait for a diagnosis. I’d never been sick a day in my life. Her quiet apology made me feel like an arsehole.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 256). Grace Harper. Kindle Edition.
Now the questions are these:
1. Other than what Dhawy mentioned, how big is Noel’s impact on the gym business through her conflict with Ellie and the community in town?
2. Can Lewis, the weak hearted brother, come up with a solution that makes everyone happy?
3. Can Noel finally understand how big of a mess she makes?
Conflict begins after Ellie Newman comes back home from a business conference in Barcelona. Every morning, she cannot work on her tech business because of the loud music from the new business in town, which turns out to be a gym. Every single day, the music keeps coming. Later, she finds out that the business venture is owned by someone named Lewis and his sister.
First of all, I love the part that shows Ellie’s bravery to march around with a placard that says CLOSE THE GYM, because honestly, that would be me. If I were her, I would absolutely protest like that every single day.
Why not, right? Noel, Lewis’s sister, never takes her seriously. The authorities do not seem to care either, unless Ellie can somehow measure the exact decibel level of the music from the gym. I would rather stand outside waving at every passing car than call staff who respond carelessly and dismiss the problem.
“Up and down the path, I paced, waving my placard that said CLOSE THE GYM. None of the passing cars took any notice. It didn’t deter my efforts.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 76). Kindle Edition.
On the first day of his new business premises, Lewis Mercer found that Ellie, the girl he had one-night stand with in Barcelona, lives in the same town, directly across the road from him. Knowing his business has ruined Ellie’s peace, he then tried talking it through with his sister, Noel. But, what can you really do if your business partner always gets you out the way?
“I don’t interfere with the sales and marketing, and you don’t interfere with the running of our operations.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (pp. 80-81). Kindle Edition.
Yes, Noel always pushes her brother aside so she can upset every neighbor in town. There is also a boatyard owner named Irvin whom she completely angers. She allows her clients to park on Irvin’s grass until it turns messy.
While reading this book, I got seriously annoyed with Noel. She does not just upset the people in town. She is also overly confident about how good she thinks she is at managing operations. Not Noel claiming she has everything under control while causing constant inconvenience to the entire community.
“You see what I have to put up with, Lewis? This woman is driving away our customers,” Noelle called over to me.
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 89). Kindle Edition.
That line comes after Ellie’s umpteenth complaint. Hey Noel, she is raging because she cannot get her work done. How do you not understand that?
I am looking forward to telling you guys how dismissive Noel is, but then if I did, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Instead, I’ll will just throw a few snippets all around.
Towards the end, Ellie’s rage goes extreme. At the same time, more impact on the gym’s business finally starts showing through all the inconvenience caused. And still, the root of it all is Noel. Noel, Noel, Noel.
Then my rage spreads to Lewis. At this point, I would not mind cussing him out if he were a real human being. What kind of brother uses Noel’s fear of a cancer diagnosis as a reason to forgive her and even clear her name of unprofessionalism? That is not compassion, Lewis. Business is business. A big mistake is still a big mistake.
If Lewis had given her real consequences right before the ending, it would have been realistically fire. Unfortunately, he is a weak hearted brother, and it makes it hard for him to resolve anything properly.
“In my defence, I was a little stressed about dying,” she said.
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 227). Kindle Edition.
“Let’s get down to business. We are going to contact our lawyers to end the lease for you and your sister.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 251). Kindle Edition.
“I’d never known what it was like to wait for a diagnosis. I’d never been sick a day in my life. Her quiet apology made me feel like an arsehole.”
Harper, Grace. The Girl Upstairs (Fastlemere) (p. 256). Grace Harper. Kindle Edition.
Now the questions are these:
1. Other than what Dhawy mentioned, how big is Noel’s impact on the gym business through her conflict with Ellie and the community in town?
2. Can Lewis, the weak hearted brother, come up with a solution that makes everyone happy?
3. Can Noel finally understand how big of a mess she makes?