Next of Kin (25 in 2025 #11)

Author: Hannah Bonam-Young Title: Next of Kin Publisher: Dell Date Published: 05/27/2022

Read Dates: 05/26/2025- 05/27/2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Next of Kin is a single POV forced proximity romance. Chloe is trying to get custody of her newborn baby sister, Willow, but can’t quite pass all the CPS hurdles. She agrees to be part of their TeamUP campaign with Warren, who is trying to get custody of his 15 year old brother Luke. On paper they make sense, Chloe has a stable living situation and Warren has job security. In person they couldn’t be more opposite! Over time they learn to depend on each other, moving from reluctant roommates to partners.

This was my first Hannah Bonam-Young book and I loved it! At times I wished for Warren’s’ POV but it worked really well as a single POV story too. I loved the opposites-attract, forced proximity, and found family aspects of the story. I like that they took time to grow into friends before jumping straight into a relationship and that they were there to support one another with their goals.

When people-pleasing Chloe learns that her birth mother has unexpectedly had another baby, she doesn’t hesitate to become a next of kin guardian. But when she fails to pass Child Protective Services’ financial evaluation, she is faced with a choice: see her baby sister placed in foster care or participate in CPS’ new initiative, TeamUp.

Enter Warren, a surly mechanic’s apprentice attempting to get custody of his deaf fifteen-year-old brother after failing CPS’ housing evaluation. The two strangers immediately clash but agree to live together until Warren can find housing elsewhere and Chloe can further grow her freelance career.

As their lives intertwine, Chloe and Warren both realise that they’re far more similar than they could have imagined. What started as forced begins to feel natural—and far less lonely. Chemistry soon intensifies beyond what either of them can stand, but they must each decide if what burns between them is worth risking their arrangement and, ultimately, the well-being of their siblings.

With banter, heart, and steam that will have the reader blushing, Next of Kin is a true underdog story of two young adults redefining what family can look like.