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madnabox's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
tate94's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Trope-y, written in the 3rd person, cringey. Uses tickling as an odd, repetitive plot point. Did not enjoy the writing style or the story, but the main characters were built out. Hardly any spice, so don’t expect that.
kle105's review
4.0
There’s no place like Gnome!
Amelia is a single mom of two who just moved into a new suburb community. She promised her kids that their gnome could be put in their new front yard to make it feel like home. The mean girl HOA representative is not having it, and her snide comments are overheard by Amelia. For Amelia though she’s not going down without a fight.
While Amelia plans on taking on the HOA, she wasn’t expecting the HOA president Kyle to be on her side.
Kyle has dating single moms before but he’s been burned. Falling for their kids only to be later dumped. He’s vowed to never do it again. There is something about Amelia and her kids though that he can’t seem to walk away.
I loved the sense of community in this story, as well as the normalcy of Amelia’s struggles trying to raise her kids and everything she juggled. The chaos, the random frog rescue, and a stray kitten that added to the mix. Above all fighting for what you believe is wrong, knowing when to step back, and finding a little bit of love along the way.
I received an arc via NetGalley for review, all opinions are my own and given freely.
Amelia is a single mom of two who just moved into a new suburb community. She promised her kids that their gnome could be put in their new front yard to make it feel like home. The mean girl HOA representative is not having it, and her snide comments are overheard by Amelia. For Amelia though she’s not going down without a fight.
While Amelia plans on taking on the HOA, she wasn’t expecting the HOA president Kyle to be on her side.
Kyle has dating single moms before but he’s been burned. Falling for their kids only to be later dumped. He’s vowed to never do it again. There is something about Amelia and her kids though that he can’t seem to walk away.
I loved the sense of community in this story, as well as the normalcy of Amelia’s struggles trying to raise her kids and everything she juggled. The chaos, the random frog rescue, and a stray kitten that added to the mix. Above all fighting for what you believe is wrong, knowing when to step back, and finding a little bit of love along the way.
I received an arc via NetGalley for review, all opinions are my own and given freely.
jillmlong's review
2.0
This book didn't work for me. I found the plot to be a little thin. Not much really happens except the kids are over the top annoying.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
This was a fun and funny story about a newly divorced single mom who moves into a new neighborhood and is stuck fighting against the HOA rules to keep a beloved gnome. Lots of laughs with some romance in the form of the HOA president, I really enjoyed this women's fiction/love story perfect for fans of Christina Hovland's Mommy wars series. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced digital copies in exchange for an honest review!
This was a fun and funny story about a newly divorced single mom who moves into a new neighborhood and is stuck fighting against the HOA rules to keep a beloved gnome. Lots of laughs with some romance in the form of the HOA president, I really enjoyed this women's fiction/love story perfect for fans of Christina Hovland's Mommy wars series. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced digital copies in exchange for an honest review!
emily_loves_2_read's review against another edition
4.0
With Neighbors Like This
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Audiobook
Date Published: 9/22/22
Author: Tracy Goodwin
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrator: Eva Wihelm
Goodreads Rating: 3.47
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: When divorced mom of two Amelia Marsh relocates to a northern suburb of Houston, all she wants is a bit of normalcy for her children. When a disagreement between Amelia and the HOA representative over whether or not her children's garden gnome violates the association's rules, Amelia doesn't back down. HOA President Kyle Sanders would begin to be a good friend-and something more-if Amelia wasn't gearing up for battle with the HOA in her determination to make her house a home and her neighborhood a community...
My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Amelia, with other chirping in, from their perspectives. This audiobook did not have great reviews but I loved the premise, single mom standing up for what she believes in, to show her kids the right thing to do. This classic enemies to lovers trope was sweet and heartwarming. Single mother of two + enemies to lovers + taking on the HOA + community of support = a heartwarming novel. This was a very quick listen, I listened on 2x, it did not sacrifice the quality, and I got through it in just a few days. The narrator really gave life to the characters, made me feel I was with Amelia fighting the HOA together! The characters were well developed, with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and well written. Amelia extremely likable; Kyle extremely likable; who doesn’t love kids; however, Roger, I absolutely despised. The author’s writing style was complex, emotional, endearing, and intriguing. I highly recommend this audiobook that is being released later this month, the book is already out, but I believe the audiobook is better.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Audiobook
Date Published: 9/22/22
Author: Tracy Goodwin
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrator: Eva Wihelm
Goodreads Rating: 3.47
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: When divorced mom of two Amelia Marsh relocates to a northern suburb of Houston, all she wants is a bit of normalcy for her children. When a disagreement between Amelia and the HOA representative over whether or not her children's garden gnome violates the association's rules, Amelia doesn't back down. HOA President Kyle Sanders would begin to be a good friend-and something more-if Amelia wasn't gearing up for battle with the HOA in her determination to make her house a home and her neighborhood a community...
My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Amelia, with other chirping in, from their perspectives. This audiobook did not have great reviews but I loved the premise, single mom standing up for what she believes in, to show her kids the right thing to do. This classic enemies to lovers trope was sweet and heartwarming. Single mother of two + enemies to lovers + taking on the HOA + community of support = a heartwarming novel. This was a very quick listen, I listened on 2x, it did not sacrifice the quality, and I got through it in just a few days. The narrator really gave life to the characters, made me feel I was with Amelia fighting the HOA together! The characters were well developed, with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and well written. Amelia extremely likable; Kyle extremely likable; who doesn’t love kids; however, Roger, I absolutely despised. The author’s writing style was complex, emotional, endearing, and intriguing. I highly recommend this audiobook that is being released later this month, the book is already out, but I believe the audiobook is better.
lifeasmrsbaker's review
2.0
I really wanted to love this, but in the end, it wasn't for me. I thought the portrayal of the HOAs was spot on, but I just did not connect with the plot of the book overall. However, I did like the writing style and the author did a great job of developing the characters.
heatheradoresbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.25⭐
Featuring ~ dual 3rd person POV, single mom, cheating ex-husband, absentee father
NOT enemies to lovers as it states in the blurb ~ not sure why it says that at all, did I take a snooze while I was reading?
Oh the joys of living in a community with a HOA.
Amelia is trying to start over with her 2 children after her divorce. She moves into a neighborhood and right off the bat she has an enemy in Carla, (they don't get together so that's not the enemy part). Carla has a problem with the gnome in their front yard ~ the gnome that she promised her kids she'd display as a way to ease into their new life. Now Amelia has a fight on her hands ~ can she convince the HOA to change the by-laws?
HOA president, Kyle, is easy on the eyes and trying to keep the peace in the hood. He was never interested in being around children, but can't help but befriend Amelia, Jacob and Chloe. An attraction is there, but can they make this work?
Overall, I wasn't wowed, but I did like that Amelia was such a great mom. There were some really heartfelt moments between them and she said all the right things.
I didn't really care for any of the characters, Amelia's friends and her next door neighbor were okay, but Carla was just awful.
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I started out listening to it, then switched to my kindle, then back again and ultimately I preferred the kindle, so that's how I tackled most of it.
Narrated by Eva Wilhelm for 8 hours and 34 minutes. I was not overly in love with her narration, she sounded robotic at times. I really wish there was a male narrator.
*Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media, the author and NetGalley for the ARC and the audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me ➡ Heather Adores Books
Featuring ~ dual 3rd person POV, single mom, cheating ex-husband, absentee father
NOT enemies to lovers as it states in the blurb ~ not sure why it says that at all, did I take a snooze while I was reading?
Oh the joys of living in a community with a HOA.
Amelia is trying to start over with her 2 children after her divorce. She moves into a neighborhood and right off the bat she has an enemy in Carla, (they don't get together so that's not the enemy part). Carla has a problem with the gnome in their front yard ~ the gnome that she promised her kids she'd display as a way to ease into their new life. Now Amelia has a fight on her hands ~ can she convince the HOA to change the by-laws?
HOA president, Kyle, is easy on the eyes and trying to keep the peace in the hood. He was never interested in being around children, but can't help but befriend Amelia, Jacob and Chloe. An attraction is there, but can they make this work?
Overall, I wasn't wowed, but I did like that Amelia was such a great mom. There were some really heartfelt moments between them and she said all the right things.
I didn't really care for any of the characters, Amelia's friends and her next door neighbor were okay, but Carla was just awful.
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I started out listening to it, then switched to my kindle, then back again and ultimately I preferred the kindle, so that's how I tackled most of it.
Narrated by Eva Wilhelm for 8 hours and 34 minutes. I was not overly in love with her narration, she sounded robotic at times. I really wish there was a male narrator.
*Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media, the author and NetGalley for the ARC and the audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me ➡ Heather Adores Books
christinareadsontheroad's review
2.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book as the premise sounded fun, but I almost DNFed at several stops along the way. I kept with it hoping the writing would improve or the story would engage me as a reader, but sadly I was disappointed. I felt particularly annoyed by the main character's ex-husband and the HOA (not only the community manager but also the plans to rebel against the rules).
The redeeming factors were Amelia's parenting style for her children and Kyle's overall good-ness for the community and Amelia (and her kids).
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The redeeming factors were Amelia's parenting style for her children and Kyle's overall good-ness for the community and Amelia (and her kids).
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
_basicbookworm's review
3.0
A single mom moves into a new neighborhood with her children and almost instantly gets into a battle with the HOA over a lawn gnome. But when she meets the HOA president, he is very attractive, and as gnome-gate gets more intense, Amelia and Kyle become good friends, and maybe even more.
This book was so cute. I really appreciated seeing Amelia as a mother throughout this story. I loved how she was really there for her kids and was so wonderful and supportive as a parent. Even better, we saw her go through a healing journey of her own and still have time for herself. I’m not a parent, but I felt this was a really good depiction of motherhood. In addition to that, this book had some really funny moments. I loved the HOA battle and gnome-gate was so entertaining!
I switched between ebook and audio and really enjoyed Eva Wilhelm’s narration.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the advance copies.
This book was so cute. I really appreciated seeing Amelia as a mother throughout this story. I loved how she was really there for her kids and was so wonderful and supportive as a parent. Even better, we saw her go through a healing journey of her own and still have time for herself. I’m not a parent, but I felt this was a really good depiction of motherhood. In addition to that, this book had some really funny moments. I loved the HOA battle and gnome-gate was so entertaining!
I switched between ebook and audio and really enjoyed Eva Wilhelm’s narration.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the advance copies.