Ginny has had her ups and downs in her life but her number one priority has always been to let her daughter Harri be herself in whatever that means to her. When Ginny meets Jeff he is sweet and loving and loves their quirky little family, enough to ask if he can be apart of it. When Jeff offers to move them to his nice house and nice neighborhood in New Jersey Ginny sees a way to open up a world of possibilities to Harri so that she will never want for anything.

Cue the Stepford Wives....

As Ginny struggles to fit in she notices the more Harri does the more she loses herself and the more it seems like everyone is out to get them. Throw in a crazy ex-wife a husband who is moved across the country for work and she is about to fall apart. There has to be a way to make all things work without losing the people she loves right?


I love this book.
As a former single mom myself I often felt torn and still do in a million miles away. This book (rich neighbors and husband aside) is relatable because it shows that sometimes the childhood bullies never grow up. They just find new and meaner things to act on. It was nice to read a book where the main character is allowed to be them-self and doesn't change everything about them just to appease everyone else around them.

I really look forward to reading more from Lisa Roe.

Ginny is a down-to-earth, single mom who moves into a very posh suburb of New Jersey with her quirky daughter Harri when she gets married to an amazing man. She is so excited to be able to give Harri the things she never could before
When she meets the other women in the neighborhood, she is unsure how to proceed. When her new husband takes a job overseas and leaves her with these Real Housewives, Ginny starts to question her choices

Readers will enjoy getting to know Ginny and her daughter Harri as the embark on a new life in a new neighbourhood. Both characters are thoroughly enjoyable however the drama within the neighbourhood is beyond cringe worthy and the bullying they face seems a bit contrived. Roe satisfies the need for develop as both Mother and daughter show immense from start to finish. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light general fiction as far as romantic comedies go, this does not truly fit the bill.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars with a PG rating

This book was too sweet!!! Artsy mom, moves to the suburbs with her new husband, and her almost pre-teen daughter. This is a new world for them, and they both get to deal with these “mean girls” of society. This book was so relatable in every way, and also so funny, because Ginny is seriously MY TYPE OF MOM. I really liked this book.

I loved this heartwarming story about being true to yourself while navigating a new marriage, raising a tween, and dealing with “mean girls.” Great pacing, humorous and relatable scenes, and a satisfying ending.

Ginny and Jeff are newly married. She and her daughter Harri have moved into his home in a tightly-knit neighborhood in the suburbs from their comfortable home in Queens. Harri's just 11 years old and adjusting to making new friends and finding her way in a new school. When Jeff is sent out of the country on business, Ginny and Harri are on their own to integrate into the neighborhood, the school, and the community. This book has a lot of heart and is a beautiful depiction of a mother and daughter growing together.

When single mom Ginny marries Jeff, she and her daughter Harri move from Queens to an upscale New Jersey neighborhood. Ginny is excited to move until she meets the neighbors. After one too many encounters of the mothers who could be on Real Housewives and the daughters who could star in Mean Girls, Ginny will have to decide what really matters and what she is willing to sacrifice to make it happen.

I have to start off by saying that I immediately pre-ordered this book as soon as I saw the author’s name, which just happens to be my mom’s old name, too. I didn’t even look at the blurb, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I am happy to say that the story was well worth the pre-order! The story reminded me somewhat of <i>Big Little Lies</i> without the death. <i>Welcome to the Neighborhood</i> deals with some tough issues, and Ginny is a strong role model for Harri in dealing with these issues. I am sometimes iffy about books featuring kids because they sometimes end up sounding nothing like how a child of their age would actually be, but Roe nailed it with Harri. Emma Love did a wonderful job narrating the audiobook version of this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

I have to admit I struggled with this one and, because of that, I wasn’t able to listen to more than a third of the audiobook. It was partly because the narrator sounded like a teenager, which was a bit disconcerting considering the protagonist is a middle-aged single mom, and partly because I didn’t quite connect to any of the characters.

I feel like the author was going for a version of Desperate Housewives, but there was no intrigue. I honestly couldn’t see the point to this story, so I did what I never do before finishing a book, and looked up other reviews. Even the four and five stars didn’t adequately explain why exactly they enjoyed the book. I didn’t see a single review that convinced me it was an enjoyable read. Plus, the mentions of a few triggering events that I admittedly could’ve guessed would happen just made the prospect of continuing with the narrative unpleasant.

I hate to say this but I was just bored listening to this audiobook. Aside from a PTA meeting and a lot of conversations between the protagonist and other people, nothing much happened. It just didn’t hold my interest, and I couldn’t see that changing with the husband being gone, the daughter being miserable, and the mother getting swept up into the not-so-wild world of suburban housewives.

Welcome to the Neighborhood
by Lisa Roe


Gina and her daughter, Harri, lived in Queens after her divorce. They struggled to make ends meet until Gina met Jeff. Jeff and Gina married and moved the family to Jeff’s upscale suburban home in New Jersey. As they were settling into their new home, they began to meet the neighbors. The women all seemed to be very nice, or were they? Not long after their move, Jeff was sent to Ireland for work. Gina and Harri were left on their own to finish settling in. The neighborhood women continued to offer help and support. Harri struggled to find friends and tried hard to fit in. Many things go wrong while Jeff is in Ireland which forces Gina to rethink whether the neighbors are really helpful. She also has serious doubts about Harri’s friends. You’ll have to read the book to see whether this neighborhood is as nice as it seems.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good and that added to the story.

#netgalley #Welcome to the Neighborhood #Good Reads

2.5/5 (rounded down) – I listened to the Audiobook via NetGalley eARC access.

So, overall, the book was enjoyable, but I felt like it was falsely advertised as a Romance. Ginny is already married, and the romance aspect is more of continuation, than a love story. This book was 95% general fictions (I hate the categorization Women’s Fiction). The drama within the neighborhood was so cringey, and the bullying her daughter experiences just seemed odd. (But what can I say, I’m not a mom so maybe my opinion is skewed). Overall, the storyline was fine, but I didn’t feel anything special towards the book after it was over.

Brief Plot: Ginny, and her 11 year old, Harri, are moving to the suburbs after Ginny is remarried. When her husband goes out of town for work, Ginny is thrust into the world of the New Jersey suburbs, and the drama that can occur for the moms and children. Ginny has to battle secrets, back-stabbing, and bullying, and every day, questions further whether living in Jersey, with her new husband, was the smartest idea of not.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the eArc access of the Audiobook version of Welcome to the Neighborhood, by Lisa Roe, narrated by Emma Love.

I didn’t care for the narrator and couldn’t finish. I’m going to try the paperback. I just couldn’t get into it listening but I liked the story line and still want to read it.

Such a realistic look at the lives of certain suburban moms. I loved the characters. And all the storylines. I would love to be friends with the main character and her daughter!

Wonderful narrator that did a terrific job with all the characters!

I received this as ALC from NetGalley! So thank you very much for the chance to listen to this book! It took me a little to get into this book, it was definitely out of my usual choice, while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t for me. I definitely loved the growth of both mother and daughter but was kinda disappointed that she moved to the neighbourhood for her new husband then bam he leaves and is gone pretty much the whole book! Was hoping to get more of their story background. By the end as a mom myself I felt bad for Ginny! It was one thing after another and I couldn’t imagine if my child had gone missing, even as short as it was.

I read this book a while back so I don't remember many details, but I'll say this much. I loved it.

It was slow and dragging in the start, but when things get spicy, I couldn't put it down. More than an adult romance novel, it's something even teenagers can read and relate with (obviously others too).

Now when I mention the general odd one out/ peer pressure theme of the story, most people will drop everything and run, but hang on. Roe handled this sensitive topic do well and kept a perfect balance between the serious stuff and the humor.

Narration was done very well, especially the childish voice modulation. The reading added a positive dimension to my listening and I'm so grateful for that.

Perfectly worth your time!

What a pleasant surprise! I hope this book does immensely well. It was cute but serious at the same time. I keep getting thrown for a loop by this new illustrated book cover trend expecting chick lit every time. But this was the best kind of women's fiction through and through.
Ginny and Jeff have just gotten married--blending their family and their lives. But do they really know each other? Jeff has Ginny and her 11 year old daughter, Harri, move in to the home he made with his ex-wife--gold-digger Stacy who left for a man making more money. But in the meantime chaos ensues with Ginny in the neighborhood where Stacy had so many friends. And then Jeff make a crazy decision about his job. One that for me was the only part of the book I thought to be completely unrealistic. He knows they just got married. Why would he do it? Also, Harri was asking to be homeschooled....and Ginny is an artist who could literally work from anywhere. Why would she not want to give her daughter and herself the amazing experience to go with her husband....SO STUPID!
But the book wouldn't have happened if she had gone....so alas, stupid decisions make for good stories! Ha!
I love that the main theme is a woman finding her place in a new life and helping her daughter along the way, while not adding infidelity or a terrible marriage to the mix. That's the fresh take on women's fiction that is SO needed.

GREAT narration that fit the character and story so well. The voice done for the daughter was a little young and grating for my taste, but not a deal breaker.

relatable story (moving, new adventure, meeting new people, trying to fit it)
contemporary chick lit
a book with a mother-daughter relationship also with other things
the dream come true life until having to deal with the neighbors/community
wow that ending
I listened to the audiobook from NetGalley as an ARC, I am happy to give my voluntary review

I thought this was a decent read for a contemporary read. At times I thought the characters got a bit annoying and predictable. Overall, I liked the storyline.

Single mom Ginny falls in love with divorced dad Jeff and moves with him to his suburban home in hopes of a better life for her daughter (room to roam! a backyard chicken!). Artist Ginny finds herself a fish out of water with the other women in the neighborhood, especially when Jeff is called overseas for work. Some of the relationships and characters felt a bit over the top or stereotypical to me, but overall it's a sweet story of mother-daughter relationships with some heavier topics weaved in.

If you're a fan of the Real Housewives series, you'll probably enjoy this. Our heroine Ginny has moved into a fancy, upscale neighborhood with her daughter Harri into the home of her new husband. I found Ginny to be quite naive for someone who had grown up/lived in NYC for her whole life. She has had a life obviously before this move, but here she seems so completely like a fish out of water, that she somehow has lost her head. She makes some interesting choices that I found questionable, but ultimately I think she was meant to come off as flawed but loveable, but instead I just found her confusing and selfish. Her husband is gone for the majority of the book, and basically she has problems with everyone she encounters in the book. I did enjoy the general writing of the novel, and I think some may enjoy this overall it fell flat for me. I did enjoy the narration, and the audiobook was well done.

I absolutely loved this book, and can't believe it's a debut! I wouldn't categorize this as romance however. It's more about how Ginny copes with her new life on Elderberry Lane as the requisite hippy artist amongst the sharks who live there. I was immediately drawn into the Stepford Wives lifestyle with poor Ginny and Harri feeling completely out of their element. There are some darker moments and trigger warnings like sexual assault, bullying, and eating disorders. But overall this was an engaging and absorbing read with three-dimensional characters that felt so real. I even found myself rooting for one character in the end whom I previously hated. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent as well and really brought the story to life!