I was fortunate to get the opportunity to listen to this audiobook thanks to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia. This story is an easy listen that is quite predictable. Strong female lead who tries to stand up to unreasonable expectations of others and be a good role model for her children. Throw in a romance and you have a quick break from reality. Unfortunately I did not care for the narrator. It may have been better to have a male and female narrate to make it clearer who is speaking. #withneighborslikethis #netgalley #bookstagram #audiobookstagram #bookreviews

It takes a while for the story to get going. I'm not sure if this story matches the cover. The cover gives sexy fun vibes but this story mostly centers around gossip. It took eight chapters to reveal the divorce situation and I'm not sure what Amelia is doing now. If I were buying this (which I would not), I would not be sold on the sample since it spends ten chapters talking about gnomes and I was in no rush to pick this book back up. I haven't finished reading it but plan to. I may put it in one of my rec videos as a mention--not a recommendation. Still, because this author has an established audience, I don't want to criticize too much because maybe I just don't get her style of storytelling. It is possible that it is not the book and instead me; for that reason, I will mention it. Also, I think the narrator performs like someone reading a textbook to their self: flat, instructional, and lacks personality.

A good romance. I loved the main character and her 'you aren't telling me what to do attitude over something ridiculous. I also loved how she stood up for herself and her children. She is the mom I strive to be.

This book also made me sad, but not because of the writing. The MC had her close friends that she was able to call up in an instant and they were there right away. I love that but my close friends are an hour away.

I really enjoyed the audio and binged this book in a day.

Audiobook: This is a dual POV story with one female narrator. She was a great choice for this audiobook. The main character is doing her best to be strong and doesn't back down and the narrator conveyed all of that through her voice.

Story: Amelia is great in this story. She is relatable as a mom doing whatever is best for her children. Standing up for them in the toughest situatuions. This is a mom you don't want to mess with. But this story also shows the vulnerable side of being a parent, a single parent at that. Trying to be enough for your kids, which is something most if not all moms can relate to.

I enjoyed the banter between Amelia and Kyle in the beginning of the story. I like how the author took her time with their relationship (if you want to call it that). He proved himself and neither of them took it lightly knowing children were involved.

This story will have you laughing throughout.

Wonderful audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opporunity to listen to this audiobook.

If you like the classic Chick-lit troupes, this will be your jam. Amelia is a character full of what's horribly wrong with "Mommy culture". She feels guilt over having any actual human feelings, must always put her children above all else, has an 'honor code' for a swear jar in her quest for perfection, listens to Kidz Bop and is on a fierce quest for literal perfection (at the cost of her own sanity and happiness). She doesn't allow herself a single human emotion that is positive and will lean on her friends (the same group from high school, of course), for support as long as they're female. God forbid she has a male friend in Kyle (who, also, is perfect by the way). Oh by the way, she also apparently has a killer job she effortlessly can do whenever while attempting to handle single-motherdom. Any misstep her children have, she internalizes it and I lost count of how many times she refers to herself as a failure (cue eye roll).
She can go after gnome-gate with eyeliner, red lips, and a badass attitude! Huzzah! But dragging her deadbeat ex-husband to court to either figure out child support or full custody? Nope. Too much for Amelia. Let's put all the aggression on a community manager that pisses her off. (I'm not siding with Karla, but good lord, this is the rock she decides to die on?!)

If you're looking for a real, refreshing look into single mother life where the main character manages to find love while navigating the chaos of work and attempting to raise her children, this is not it. It's a mother on a quest for literal perfection in parenting, seeing her children as a sole representation of her worth as an individual.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book (in audiobook format) in exchange for an honest review.

Starting this book, I thought I was going to LOVE it, but in the end, I feel like it fell flat for me. Still, if you're looking for an easy, lighthearted read, this might be the book for you!

*Spoilers after this point*

PROS:

-Easy read. There wasn't too much ups and downs that made this complicated or hard to read. It was to the point and I enjoyed that.

-Communication! If you've read my other reviews you know the miscommunication trope really frustrates me. This book did a great job of having conflict that didn't rely on miscommunication. The main character was honest about her feelings with the love interest and what she needed to focus on.

-I thought the ex was written well. It was great to have him so detestable! It also showed how the kids really were struggling in some aspects but why they could get over their "dad" not being there.

-Some cute funny moments! I appreciated the main character's friends and the interactions with the love interest.


CONS:

-I don't think I've ever read a book where a mom is truly such a good mom. And with this sitting in the cons, you know I don't mean that in a good way. She is perfect, but way too perfect to be realistic. Honestly the only issue she truly seems to have is that she puts herself down and that she has to tell the kids that no, they can't have the gnome out even though that's what she was fighting for the whole time. But other than that? She's literally perfect and I don't think it's realistic by any sense.

-I ended up bored. Thought I was going to love this and the book definitely had a strong start, but unfortunately, something fell flat for me. I feel like at some point we stopped focusing on the HOA fight and more so on the home issues and romance, which I do think needed to have some focus, but the HOA issue ended up basically forgotten for a large chunk of the book.

-Not an enemy to lovers romance. Again, this was marketed as an enemy to lovers romance but they weren't enemies. Yes, there was some initial tension because the love interest is the president of the HOA, but he's not the one being a jerk and the main character realizes that. They aren't butting heads at all.

Now if this was a queer romance where the main character got together with another form of Carla? Maybe.

-I don't think the kids were that realistic. Getting into fights? Yes. But writing kids is hard and I'm not sure if this hit the right note. You can definitely tell these are kids from an adult POV and completely fake.

-This book wasn't very memorable. You know how I know that? I genuinely can't remember their names. I think the love interest was Kyle. I also couldn't tell you if they officially got together at the end but I'm assuming they did.

Beyond Thunder Gnome - Two foes enter. Only one leaves.

"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. The last thing she needs is to be the center of community gossip. But 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."

While I contend this is NOT an enemies to lovers story, it was a good time.

What I liked:

The siblings' relationship - Chloe and Jacob have issues, but ultimately have each others' backs.

Amelia's friendship group - Not only did they love and support each other through tough times like divorce, spousal death, and The Game of Gnomes, I love the hints of future books involving the two other female characters.

The books gentle vocabulary and romantic scenes - While I'm 100% down with open-door scenes, and have no problem with spicy language, it's nice to have a book one can recommend to friends with more delicate constitutions.

What I didn't like:

There was not a lot of follow through with secondary stories. Problem with Kyle's company? Taken care of after a conversation. Bullying at school? Solved after one conversation (and one email). Divorce Trauma? A couple months of therapy, and the kids are fixed.

There was not a lot of tension with the main characters. The HOA thing is set up as the main point of contention, but really, everyone was always on Amelia's side, so there wasn't much tension. Is it weird that I don't want things to go perfectly smooth? I probably need some therapy myself.

All in all, a solid 6.5/10.

I'll definitely look for future books in this series. I'm interested to see where her friends end up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this book.

This was very entertaining. Amelia is a newly divorced mom with two young children that move into a new neighborhood where she comes to war with the HOA representative Carla who throws a fit about the gnome in her yard. This escalates to what became known as gnome wars which was pretty funny and made me laugh. Lets face it if you live in a neighborhood ran by an HOA board this is a very relatable story. The romance factor comes in with Kyle AKA Mr. Hot Bunny. They bud a friendship which is a slow burn due to Amelia's dead beat husband who doesn't want anything to do with them. The story has all the elements and was lighthearted. I just wish it was funnier and few more angst moments between Kyle and Amelia. I did enjoy listening to the audio version on this.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC audio! A story about a single mom who moves her kiddos to a new neighborhood in a new town for a fresh start after her husband leaves her for a Victoria’s Secret employee (no joke). Things get sticky when she breaks the rules of the neighborhood by putting a gnome in her yard. She decides to boycott the rule and fight the homeowners association, ends up meeting the man in charge of the HMO, and of course, falls for him. It was very much a cozy mystery, which is not my favorite genre, but as far as cozies go, this one was pretty good!

A fun, easy cozy romance that was a breeze to get through.

Amelia, divorced mom of two, finds herself moving to a new neighborhood with an HOA that has harsh rules on her garden gnome, gifted to her by her children. When she encounters HOA President, Kyle, she finds that she is in a fight with not only the HOA, but the walls her heart has put up after her divorce. Amelia fights "the man" while finding a man in this slow burn, PG romance.

I have mixed feelings about this book overall. I enjoyed the storyline of Amelia, and could totally feel her pain as a divorced, essentially single mom of two children trying to start anew. The character building of Amelia and her children was well done, as I really felt connected to her story and wanting them to find happiness.

While I appreciated Amelia's story and the depth it provided to the book, I did not quite connect with the storyline about the garden gnome. Although I'm aware that this argument was likely meant to be a metaphor for the greater picture, I simply could not get into it and it fell flat for me. Starting out the book was a bit slow for me as it focused on this storyline more, but as her connection with Kyle grew, so did my interest in the book. I enjoyed their connection and watching it grow. Especially the moments when the children were involved as those moments of them with Kyle were heartwarming in an otherwise challenging situation for Amelia.

I absolutely adored the narrator Eva Wilhelm and believe her narration certainly contributed to the enjoyment of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not connect with this book at all. I did not enjoy the writing as a whole and it was a boring slow burn for me. I wanted to enjoy it, but no.

Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me. I felt like it was more about sharing life lessons than a romance. It definitely left me wanting more. HOAs can be frustrating and annoying which left so much room for comedic relief. Plus, the romance almost seemed like an after thought.

The narrator did a good job.

Amelia Marsh is recently divorced and moved to a suburb of Houston with her two young children. She brought along a garden gnome her children decorated for her, putting it in her front yard. But when she receives a letter from the HOA manager declaring the gnome a violation, she realizes that she’s going to have to take on the HOA. She meets Kyle, the president of the HOA, who is unfortunately just as kind as he is handsome. As she battles against the HOA, she wonders if Kyle may just be the answer to all of her problems.

Amelia was a funny and relatable single mom, with reasonable and relatable self-doubt balanced well with confidence and the ability to get things done. However, she was a bit too perfect (meaning she was absolutely perfect, could do everything above and beyond to an unreasonable degree). I loved the way that Chloe and Jacob’s sibling relationship was portrayed – it was cute realistic and made them feel alive. Kyle was a little less well-rounded; the story is told partially from his POV, and there’s no real conflict or tension with his character – he’s perfect, kind, empathetic, and everyone breaks up with him even though he’s always 100% in for his relationships. This made him boring, unfortunately. Many of the characters felt more like caricatures than real people (Carla especially), which detracted from the story.

There were a few things I disliked about this work. The reader is told over and over about how much Amelia loves her kids, then we get to listen to her tell her friends how much she loves her kids, then the same conversation with Kyle, then again in her inner dialogue. Over. And. Over. The work began with a focus on the HOA tensions with Carla, but it quickly took the backseat to the barely-there romance; I think the story would have been much more engaging if there was more conflict with the HOA included. The work honestly felt like it was about 50 to 75 pages longer than necessary.

This was an easy-to-read slow-burn romance (definitely not enemies-to-lovers though, just a heads up). I listened to the audiobook version and think the narrator did a great job with the story. It was a fine read, but I didn’t find it to be very engaging unfortunately. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The characters in this book were cute and very real, but it seemed like a long novel for a slow building plot.

Thank you NetGalley, Tracy Goodwin and Dreamscape Media for the Audiobook of With Neighbors Like This. This is my personal review.
Eva Wilhelm did a fantastic job of narrating this book. She made the characters come to life for me.
Amelia moved to a suburb of Houston with her two children to start her life over after her divorce. She was hoping that the new area would allow her to adjust to her new life and make a comfortable home for her and the children. Little did she know that an HOA representative would cause her such issues and it started over her decorative gnomes in her yard that her children had made for her. But the removal of the gnomes was not something she was not in agreement to do – she was refusing to back down.
Kyle Sanders is the HOA President and Amelia finds out he is someone he can turn to, and he is really a good guy.
I enjoyed this book so much. The interaction between Kyle and Amelia felt so right and watching them develop a relationship was heartwarming.

A humorous take on the horrors of HOAs. Amelia Marsh moves into a Houston sub-division after a nasty divorce. She is working hard to heal her children, and do her best to move on. When the HOA cites her for a sentimental lawn gnome, it is game on. Amelia low-key gets her revenge, and finds love with the HOA president. An enjoyable, quick story.

Amelia, divorced mom of two, relocates in a neighborhood managed by an HOA that highly disapproves of her love for garden gnomes. She's looking for a bit of normalcy for her kids, but now finds herself the center of community gossip. However, she refuses to back down and tries to befriend the HOA's president, Kyle, all while keeping him at arm's length for the sake of her kids.
This was a fun read, slow burn romance, with cute kids. It was funny, and heartbreaking at times. I listened to the audio book and the narration was great.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 stars. Fun, entertaining, easy to get into and easy to focus on. There were also some funny moments. It was predictable but I still enjoyed the story. I loved each of the two main characters, Amelia and Kyle. Amelia is a single mom trying to make life as enjoyable as possible for her two kids. I felt the love she felt for her kids. I liked the narrator but I wish there were two narrators (one female, one male). If you are looking for a fun romcom, I recommend this audiobook!

Big thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook. #WithNeighborsLikeThis #NetGalley

Desperate housewives and Cougartown vibes. Very cute and fun! Amelia’s petty actions against the HOA are bylaw goals. The narrator was awesome and the book was light and quick. The perfect vacation book.

Hope for a sequel that has her leveling up to take on that rotten ex husband of hers.

Romance, but very PG.

Tracy Goodwin’s “With Neighbors Like This” is the best cozy romance that I’ve read in a long time! If you are looking for a laugh-out-loud funny story of a recently divorced mom’s settling into the ‘burbs of Houston, this book is for you. When I read the synopsis, I was like, “You had me at ‘Game of Gnomes’”, but that was only a teensy bit of the hilarity that went on between those book covers.

Anyone who has ever been written up by an HOA needs to read this book so that you can laugh along with the main character, Amelia and her very own Gnomegate, pitched against the management rep and also her very hot neighbor, with his 30-pack of abs.

I love how realistic and difficult Amelia’s life is portrayed. I also love her tribe. I love that the author didn’t leave her flapping in the wind after her divorce (even though she needed to have said good riddance to her ex, whose description would require Many swear-jar fines, long before she did).

Pick up this book!! We all need more laughter and love in our worlds!

A huge thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.