Welcome To The Neighborhood is an entertaining and heart-warming story of a single mother and her daughter from Queens who marry and anticipate their happy ever after in a new home and neighborhood. But life isn’t that easy, is it?
From The Publisher:
After years of struggling to make ends meet, Queens single mom Ginny falls for sweet, divorced Jeff, and relishes the idea of moving with her quirky eleven-year-old daughter Harri to his home in an upscale New Jersey suburb. Though she’s never been impressed by material things, she is thrilled that getting a second chance at love comes with the added bonus of finally giving Harri everything she never could before.
And then she meets the neighbors.
Ginny is quickly thrust into the complicated realities of a neighborhood defined by the ever-shifting alliances of PTA moms, Real Housewife contenders, and their mean-girl daughters. When the neighbors’ secrets, back-stabbing, and bad behavior take a devastating toll on her daughter and new marriage, Ginny must decide what really matters—and protect it at all costs.
Book Review:
I really enjoyed Welcome to the Neighborhood. For fans of Gilmore Girls, think a Lorelai and Rory mother-daughter relationship moved from Star’s Hollow to a neighborhood of Real Housewives. Throw in an opportunistic ex-wife and you have an engaging read.
Ginny and her daughter Harri are very likeable characters whose life changes when Ginny marries Jeff and they move from Queens to a pretentious New Jersey suburb. Jeff had lived in the home with his ex-wife and son and apologizes profusely to Ginny that he is moving her into this house. If it wasn’t for financial reasons he would have bought her a different house she could call her own.
Unfortunately, shortly after the move, Jeff’s employer sends him to Dublin for 6 weeks (which later is extended) leaving Ginny and Harri on their own to get to know neighbors and fit into a new school and community. Aside from the next door neighbor (who they meet in his birthday suit), the neighbors are pretentious albeit interesting.
Ginny and Harri do their best to fit in while at the same time begin to lose their identities. The messaging of being true to your own values comes through loud and clear making this a book I’m recommending to everyone.
Audiobook Review:
I listened to the audiobook version of Welcome To The Neighborhood which was narrated by Emma Love. Her enthusiasm and expression made this an easy audiobook to listen to. I recommend choosing this format to those that appreciate audiobooks.
What I Liked:
- The strong relationship between Ginny and Harri
- The highly entertaining storyline and cast of characters
- The messaging of being true to yourself
I Recommend This Book To:
Readers that enjoy Women’s Fiction or stories of mother-daughter relationships.
My Rating:
★★★★☆
Add Welcome To The Neighborhood to your Goodreads shelf
Acknowledgments:
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:
A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler
Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan
I hope you have a wonderful day!
Fadima Mooneira
This book sounds like my kinda read. Will add this to my TBR. Thank you for sharing.
thathappyreader
I hope that you love it Fadima! Thanks for reading.☺️
Carla
Nice review, it sounds right up my alley. I also love audiobooks, so this one sounds perfect.
thathappyreader
Thank you Carla! I hope you enjoy it.
Wendy Williams
I loved the Gilmore Girls and mother-daughter books. Terrific review, Jodie.
thathappyreader
Thank you Wendy!
Kelly Diane
This sounds like such an easy yet enjoyable book to read. I loved Gilmore Girls so I definitely need to read this book.
thathappyreader
I hope that you enjoy it Kelly Diane! Thanks for reading.
Angie Soul
Sounds like a book I would enjoy! I can’t believe Jeff got sent to Dublin for work for an extended amount of time. Talk about a plot twist! I will need to check this out. Thank you for sharing your review!
thathappyreader
Thanks for reading Angie!
Aspen Hite
Great review! Thank you so much for sharing!
thathappyreader
Thanks for reading Aspen!
readandreviewit
Great review! I always find books about neighborhoods super interesting and I love that this book has a really important lesson in being true to yourself – that’s the most important thing! Thanks for sharing.
thathappyreader
Thanks for reading Ceri!
According to Chren
Love the Gilmore Girls comparison!
thathappyreader
I am a big fan of the show! Thanks for reading. ☺️
Jaya Avendel
Goin’ straight onto my Goodreads shelf! Though I hate that such toxic relationships can spring to life among kids and moms, the narrative sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
thathappyreader
It is really interesting with such a strong lead character Jaya! Thanks for reading.
Her Digital Coffee
This sounds like a wonderful read. I like that these characters have a similar relationship to Lorelai and Rory, such a great show! Great review, thank you for sharing!
thathappyreader
Thank you ! I loved Gilmore Girls too!