Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
Fighting an HOA over a gnome are the exact right buzzwords to make me want to read a book. The fact that the gnome was given to Amelia by her kids and is helping them feel like their new house is a home after the divorce from their dad – cute fodder for the fight, and makes you want to root for her. Doesn’t hurt that the person who keeps picking these fights is a terrible human, so you want to see them fail. HOA president is a cute guy who loves her kids? Great, we see where this is going.
Pros: it was written well, it was easy to read, and it was cute. It shows a really human aspect of a messy situation, and Amelia is doing a great job being a mom & trying to raise her kids in a positive manner. There are a lot of good morals being taught to the kids in this book, and overall it does a great job showing single-moms trying hard and being good at being moms, while still being human and struggling.
Cons: I wanted her to go to therapy *SO BADLY*. The fact that it wasn’t until 90% of the way through the book that it even crossed her mind that her kids – and she herself! – might need to talk to a professional about the major events that had just transpired, was infuriating. I am glad it did finally get there, but, so much of the relationship drama could have been avoided if a professional counselor had been involved. I also was frustrated by the entirety of the romance in this book. Like, I understand the wanting to protect your kids, but some of the relationship back and forth that was happening felt a little too excessive for me. However, I am not a mother in any way, so I have no idea if this is realistic, so I could be completely off base.
Overall, the book was cute, and there were a lot of great moments in it. I think it really just wasn’t for me though – I think I wasn’t quite the right demographic/my interests didn’t align right, for me to fully appreciate this book the way others will I’m sure.