I loved Abbi Waxman's debut novel, The Garden of Small Beginnings.  I thought it was a touchingly, beautiful story.  I was thrilled when I saw that I was accepted to be a part of the blog tour for her second novel.

Other People's Houses, is what I would consider to be a companion novel to the first book since there are brief visits from the characters of the first book in this story.  This book was such a fun read.  It was a fly-on-the-wall visit into the homes of neighbors that live on the same block.  What we see on the outside, is never as it seems on the inside and Frances finds that out the hard way.  As she glimpses an affair that she was never meant to see, the neighbors' lives are turned upside down.

I really enjoy Abbi's writing style as she doesn't hold back.  She can have a "potty mouth" and some readers may not enjoy that but taken in the context of this book, I was ok with it.  It really added to the story.

This book has several laugh out loud moments, and really puts life in a large group of friends into perspective. For me, it moved too slow and didn’t keep my attention. There were A LOT of kids to keep track of (who belonged to whom) and that for confusing for me.

The characters, for the most part, were enjoyable, but if I wasn’t already sold on not having kids, this would have done it for me. Being a parent in a group sounds utterly miserable. I think the ability to write that shows great potential for the author.

Three and a half stars: A funny book with raunchy humor that exposes the lives of every day people.

Frances is the local carpool mom. She picks up all the kids on the block and delivers them to school. It is her way of feeling needed and important. Then one morning she gets the shock of her life after she returns to her neighbor’s home to pick up forgotten toilet paper rolls. Frances gets an eyeful of her neighbor, Anne, in all of her naked glory on the living room rug with another man. Anne shuts the door and her mouth, and vows to keep quiet. Unfortunately for Anne, just when she thinks her life is back on track, her husband finds out by accident and throws her out in a very public way. The repercussions of Anne’s affair are heard up and down the street, forcing everyone to reexamine their own marriages. Can one affair cause the downfall of the entire neighborhood?
What I Liked:
I absolutely adored Waxman’s first book, The Garden of Small Beginnings, so I was more than eager to dive into her sophomore novel, Other People’s Houses. While this book lacked the charm that I loved in her debut book, I can’t deny that it was real and incredibly funny. If you want an irreverent look at life, love, marriage and raising kids, this is one to check out.
Frances is the main character, and I must say, she is downright hilarious. I loved her straight shooting attitude and the way she looked at life without filters. She navigates life in Los Angeles with realism. She doesn’t fuss over the small stuff, like her attire her curves, or whether her kids are eating the cherry tomatoes she puts in their lunch. I loved her funny voice and the truthful way she looked at life. Frances is unforgettable, and she made me laugh.
Once I figured out what this book was about, I enjoyed exploring the themes. This is a book about the ups and downs of life, love and marriage and the mine field of trying to raise kids. Each family on the block is forced to take a look at their own marriages after one of the couples endures the fall out from an affair. It was interesting to see how they all felt. I also enjoyed seeing how each family managed child rearing. This is a candid look at real life with plenty of hilarity.
The humor is not going be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. I will admit that it takes some time to adjust to Frances’ unique perspective. She tends to use very colorful language, and if you are of the more delicate persuasion, you will likely be put off by her constant use of the f bomb. That being said, there is a lot to love about Frances. I adored her humor, and I found myself giggling at her realistic approach to life. She made me laugh.
The ending was rather hurried, but I got closure, and I felt like the book ended in a good spot, even if I would have preferred more.
And The Not So Much:
The language is going to be offensive for some people. There is prolific usage of the f word. Frances uses it as adjectives, verbs and nouns. So if you don’t like that kind of language, you are best to skip this book. The thing that I found strange was that there was so much usage of profanity paired with thesaurus type words, it made for an interesting read. Not quite sure who the target audience is supposed to be when you have SAT words alongside vulgar words.
The first half of the book was a mess. I had a hard time connecting and focusing, and I almost put it down. Once the books hits the midway point, things start to flow, and I found myself enjoying the story. I think what makes the first part rocky is the book bounces around from one person to the next, it was confusing with all the different perspectives. In the latter portion of the book, it focuses in on Frances, making it easier to connect.
I was troubled by Julie’s part of the story. She is a mention early on, and I kind of forgot about her until a big revelation comes out about her near the end. I wish that there was more focus on her and her situation, especially at the end when there is a hurried mention of her.
The ending is a abrupt. I didn’t like the way it moved rapid fire from point A to point B especially when it came to Anne and Charlie. I wish there was more explanations all around for all of the characters.
Believe it or not, I actually felt sorry for Richard, and I wished that there was a follow up on him at the end.
Other People’s Houses is a book I find myself conflicted over. I was wanting go love this one, but I had a few issues. The first half of the book is too unfocused, and I didn’t like the multiple view points. The second half narrows the book’s focus, making it much more enjoyable. If you are a delicate person who is offended easily by crude language and raunchy humor, skip this one, you will dislike the liberal use of profanity. This is a book that made me laugh, and I did love the candid look at every day life. If you want a humorous book, take a chance on this one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.

This book is probably more like a 4.5 than a straight up 4. Honestly, I'd rate it a 5 if it was the kind of book I could recommend to lots of different people. Unfortunately I can think of at least 10 people who would be unable to stomach the profanity so there's that.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
For context, I swear like a sailor and Superbad is among my favorite movies of all time. I'm not shy when it comes to profanity. This book was a teeny bit excessive in the profanity department, which is kind of a bummer because it's really funny and tale that I think so many can relate to.

WHAT I LIKED:
I love that every single character in this book is going through something. It's a good reminder that there is always more than meets the eye and really no one has their crap all together. There were also phrases about parenting and life in general that I have felt, but never had quite the right words to say.

I also really enjoyed the constant switch of perspectives, while in the chapter and sometimes even in the midst of a scene. I often find that most authors seems to only want to do that sort of thing with a clear, distinct break of some sort so as to make it very, very clear that a completely different character is taking the wheel. The characters in this tale all had very distinct voices which made this an effective and enjoyable technique.

This book is so funny and was made to be made into a short series or a movie.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS:
I would say anyone with a sense of humor, but again the profanity might be too much for some. It's a great read with some excellent characters, so read at your own risk?

Thank you Berkley Pub. #partner for the free E-ARC of this book, in exchange of an honest review. All opinons are my own.

This was a quirky, clever, humorous, and kind of sad book. I feel like this is an average everyday neighborhood, where every family has their own secrets and lies. It doesn't pay to be a cheater, and I really lacked sympathy for Anne. However I was sad for her husband and children. I liked the complexity of the characters, I pretty much liked them all. I enjoyed it for the most part. However I wasn't a fan of the foul language, it just didn't seem fitting to the story. I'm not sure exactly how to explain my thoughts on it, just felt like the story could have done without it. I also sadly, felt that parts of it felt extremely immature, I had a hard time thinking women, and mom's in their 40's talked and behaved like they did in parts of the book. 

I hadn't read Abbi's first book, so she was a new Author to me. I enjoyed what she wrote, and I am glad I got to read this one a bit early. Typically I don't post reviews so early, but I figured since this book was offered in The Book Of The Month box, it was safe to post my review now. Have any of you read this yet? what were your thoughts?

I adored THE GARDEN OF SMALL BEGINNINGS and recommend it often (it made the 2018 Texas Library Association Lariat List). This new title, however, surprised me with the frequent profanity and graphically described sexual references. There's a place for that in novels, of course, but I was not expecting it after reading the delightful first novel.. The author does a fantastic job of giving unique voices to her characters, and the dialogue is always wonderful., but I was disappointed in this one.

Frances Bloom, stay-at-home mother of three, is the connection between four families who live on the same block in Los Angeles. She voluntarily carpools their seven children, ranging in age from 4-to 14-years old, to school each day and often helps in other ways. They all seem to have lives that are working well from outward appearances but that notion gets destroyed when Frances walks into Anne Porter’s home and finds her in the throes of passion on the floor with someone other than her husband Charlie. The repercussions of that affair strips away the doors and walls of each of these families, exposing their truths and realities.

While there are multiple points of view presented, Frances is the dominant and serves as the filter for those that follow. Her insights are raw, outrageously funny and authentic. She’s a reflection of the modern parent who is sincerely working to have meaningful relationships with her children and spouse, making decisions in the moment as to what to let go and what has to be managed. Anne’s betrayal shatters some of that idealism that earned her the nickname (behind her back) of Saint Frances. This is an extremely messy story that’s well written, with humor, irony and heartbreak deftly dispersed throughout the story. The other characters, though having secondary voices, are richly developed and nuanced.

I was hooked from the beginning and there is nothing predictable at all. This is a realistic view of the those in other people’s houses that dismantles preconceived notions of who they are and what they’re managing. I’m definitely going to read more by this author as this is a clever and insightful story on a topic that’s been covered ad nauseum. This is different.

While some readers may be into this type of book, it was not interesting to me; the characters seemed very superficial and the excessive profanity was a turnoff.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I simply adored this book! I loved the multi POVs and all the characters. I loved the writing style and the way we see what is truly going on in other peoples houses. I found this honest and refreshing and shows us what truly goes on behind closed doors and the way we portray ourselves to other people vs how we really are. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Other People’s Houses by Abby Waxman is a contemporary novel which follows four families in an LA neighborhood with an affair that changes everything. Overall, I thought this was a decent read. The writing style is quirky and funny. However, I feel that there are way too many characters and they were lacking substance. I liked that there were juicy tidbits here and there. A couple of the plot lines seemed far stretched especially the end, but still piqued my interest. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a lighthearted funny chick lit. The book releases on Tuesday 4/3/18.

How well do you really know your neighbor’s? Do you really know what your husband/wife is thinking and feeling? These are some of the topics explored in Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman.

Narrated mainly by Frances Bloom, the ever-helpful, people-pleaser who is married to Michael and mother to Ava, Milo and Lally; this is a hilarious and heartwarming story of the residents of one neighborhood in Los Angeles.

What I enjoyed most about this book was how real it was. The gossipy woman at the weekly soccer games and the level of snarkiness as well as the more serious topics including infidelity were perfectly written. This story could happen in any neighborhood in any city.

I highly recommend this book for fans of Liane Moriarty and the recently released Class Mom by Laurie Gelman!

This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed! It was a hilarious, realistic, and brutally honest look into modern day family life. I am in awe of how author, Abbi Waxman, managed to spin the everyday mundane happenings of child rearing, grocery shopping, and marriage into such a delightful story.

This book is about a group of neighbors whose lives are detailed after the main character, Frances, heads to one of her carpool kids' houses for a forgotten school item and walks in on her neighbor, Anne, having an affair on the living room floor. This effects not only the life of Anne and her family, but every family whose child rides in the carpool also.

This story follows the lives of 4 families that live on the same block and have daily interactions with one another. Some are friends out of mutual interests, other just because their children play together. I loved this book because it shows that everyone's life is anything but boring. It's always interesting to know whats happening in other people's houses.


While everyone in this story has some kind of insecurity and marriage problem of their own, I feel the way the characters dealt with their issues were a real to life and completely relatable to most families today. Its a book that shows that not every family is perfect, no matter how they look to others on the outside, and that everyone has their own way of dealing with all the minor or major crisis's that appear daily in family life.

"Other People's Houses" is due to be released here in the U.S. on April 3, 2018 so pre-order it now! I give it 5 stars!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read and give my honest review.

Happy Reading!

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book..

I loved Abbi Waxman’s debut novel, The Garden of Small Beginnings, so I was excited to read this one. I did my best not to compare the two. Especially since Other People’s Houses has a more serious tone.

I didn't connect to the story right away. It made me think back to the neighborhood I lived in as a kid. There were different family dynamics and there was some drama. This story follows four distinct families in a suburban neighborhood and what happens between the walls. It felt a little like Desperate Housewives but with more humor, minus the murders. It felt very original.
But I did find the story a little disjointed. I needed more character development from some and less from others. Some of it was very distracting and I found I wasn't loving it as much as her first book.
I liked it, but didn’t love it. She is a lovely author with great characters, I just didn't feel a pull from this one as much as her first one.

Abbi Waxman shows us that peoples lives are not always as they seem. A very funny, irreverent novel.

Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman is a well-told tale showcasing what peoples lives look like when they think they aren't being observed. This book lets us get to know a neighborhood of families and is told in a manner that is slightly snarky and sarcastic. This tone makes the readers feel as though we are chatting with a good friend. There's plenty of gossip and interactions that leave you not wanting to put the book down. Read and enjoy!

This book is focused a lot on parenthood and is centered on Frances Bloom, mom and do-gooder who runs the daily neighborhood carpool to school and works to hold the neighborhood together. When she walks in on her neighbor having an affair with a younger man, she starts to realize she should stop involving herself in other people’s business as much as she does. But that’s easier said than done, especially when so many people are counting on her.

I thought there were lots of funny moments in the book and also a few emotional ones… But I have to say, it also made me pretty thankful I don’t live in a neighborhood like Frances's (the gossip is out of control!). I'm probably not the exact target audience for this book, but I think it's an entertaining read that moms of school age kids will likely especially enjoy, though anyone will get some laughs out of it.

Other People’s Houses centers on the inhabitants of a closely-knit neighborhood in a hip part of Los Angeles. There, Frances Bloom discovers her neighbor Anne, one morning, lying naked on the living room floor with a man who is not her husband.

Luckily for Anne, Frances is the one person you’d want by your side in a crisis. Still, a smart and glossy dramedy ensues. There is much soul-searching and life lesson-learning by Frances, Anne and the other members of the neighborhood. But this is so much more than just another precautionary tale or voyeuristic look behind closed doors. It is immensely enjoyable.

Abbi Waxman is a master at delivering heartfelt musings with wry humor, such as: “it was one of the paradoxes of parenting that the children you wished you had were actually the version of your own children that other parents saw.” Or: “I had no idea how much mind-numbing, repetitive detail went into just keeping them alive.”

Waxman is adept at serving up a knowing slice of life “in all its imperfect, fractured, embarrassing glory.” Her tongue-in-cheek observations—“Marriage had so little to do with the bedroom, and so much to do with every other room in the house.”—and rich figures of speech—“There were drifts of clutter in every corner, like sticks and leaves in the edges and eddies of a stream.”—make this novel a wry and amusing examination of affluent suburban life.

If you can’t wait until its publication in early April, you can read Waxman’s first novel Garden of Small Beginnings now.

Best paired with a venti Americano and tiny tartelettes, each one folded like origami, filled with fresh figs and mascarpone.

Note: Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group provided Booktenders Review with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Oh, Abbi Waxman, I'd love to have you as my neighbor, especially since I I really don't know many of mine! This is the second book I've read by this author and while it is somewhat different than her previous book, The Garden of Small Beginnings, it was written with the same truthful, snarky (maybe even snarkier?), observations of life. Frances narrates and leads us through events on her street, since she seems to be the one everyone turns to for help, so much so that she drives the kids from three other families, in addition to her own, to three different schools, everyday!! This woman deserves a medal!
While I couldn't relate on the level of carpooling with the neighborhood kids and knowing what was going on behind the family's doors (and for that I am grateful), I could relate to being at point in marriage where maybe you don't feel appreciated as much as you used to or you don't have sex as often as you used to. The fact of the matter is that while we may look similar on the outside, we are all waging our own personal battles and no one else knows what we're going through.
Did this book give me any deep answers to the meaning of life? No, but it reassured me that I am not alone in any of my daily struggles that I may have. This book was a great distraction from real life, but I need to go deal with my laundry now.

I was in love with this book from the very first page. Following the intertwined lives of four suburban neighbors, Other People's House is a delightful read. Parents will relate to pitfalls and proud moments. I never wanted this insightful and intuitive book to end.

Four suburban Los Angeles families, sharing a carpool, have their lives disrupted when Frances, discovers her neighbor Anne 'in flagrante delicto' with a handsome young man, not her husband. Waxman uses her cheeky humor and insight to describe a neighborhood caught in the shock waves of adultery, as they all cope with the tribulations of marriage, parenthood, friendship and family. Highly recommended..