This book had a lot of promise, and in many ways, it lived up to that promise, however in other ways, for me, it missed its mark. Ferguson promised a book with a sassy and strong female character, and we got that in Bree. Bree was willing to stand up to her family to protect herself, and that was great. Also, Chip was a great romantic foil for Sassy. They have several charming moments together. I enjoyed their interactions and, I enjoyed their slow-burn romance. However, I didn’t enjoy their suburban war. The beginning of their interactions was enjoyable, but as the book progressed I grew very tired of their hijinks. Also, as their prank war heated up, I became very fed up with their childish behavior. There was at least one prank that I believe would have resulted in a court case. Basically, half of this book was a cute romance filled with charming moments, but the other half was a slightly annoying, childish book about adults behaving like children. Anyone who considers reading this book must decide if they can take the good with the bad.

This book was a fun and cute read! 

I went into it not knowing what to expect aside from what the title offered (I like to go in blind) and was pleasantly surprised by the 'war'. I love a good enemies-to-lovers and, while I wouldn't say the main characters were truly 'enemies' they did seem to push each other away relatively well. 

I think one thing I struggled with while reading (listening) was that Bree seemed so quick to judge Chip and the issues that create the first friction are never really discussed afterward. 

But, I did get a laugh out of some of their more ridiculous interactions! And I really appreciated something that Chip said (in a deeper capacity) about this life not being "everything" to us. 

All in all, a fun and easy read that will likely make you chuckle at some of the more ridiculous things that these characters put themselves in. 

My rating: 4*

This was an audiobook review read for me - thanks to the publisher for this copy.

OK so I read this book but I didn't love it. I did enjoy the prank aspect of it. But the main LI having a girlfriend throughout a good majority of the book was not for me and then as soon as he breaks up with his girlfriend. He skips back to our main character professing his love. I couldn't believe the love. The pranks were ok and kinda funny.

I was totally influenced to read this one by the super cute cover! An enemies-to-lovers plot, with pranks, is right up my alley. Unfortunately it never hit the mark for me. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the main characters (other than the first chapter) and I didn’t enjoy the storyline. The audiobook I listened to was quite monotone, so that may have also contributed to me not really enjoying this book.

I enjoyed this warm hearted romcom. The war between Bree and Chip was fun to read about and some of the pranks were hilarious!  I felt like there wasn’t quite enough romance between Bree and Chip though.  I would’ve liked to read more about their relationship once they worked things out.

Finally finished this book. It took me a little bit more than two months to listen to this audiobook. It’s not even a long book, I just really didn’t get into the story. I think I’m not really made for romance. I mean I like them when they’re really cosy and cute but it wasn’t the case here in my opinion. Hence, this review is going to be quite negative.
First, the characters. I liked Chip though he was sometimes annoying. However, I didn’t like Bree. She was really always complaining and I just didn’t like her personality. I think it is supposed to be a sort of enemies-to-lover trope but I am not sure as I understood the story like only Bree thought of Chip as an enemy while Chip tried to be a good neighbour and then pranked her. Now, the story. It is a romance so of course; you know from the beginning what is going to happen at the end but it is often interesting to see the in-between. In this book, it’s kind of like a ping-pong match: Bree pranks Chip, Chip pranks Bree, Bree pranks Chip…  It is just too long. The author tried to talk about cancer through the characters of Bree’s niece and Chip’s brother but it was quite quick and I completely forgot about it for the rest of the story.
A positive point was the narrator. I liked her voice and she illustrated the characters very well. She is part of the reason why I finished this book. I don’t recommend this book but maybe if you are a big fan a slow-burn and light romance, this might work for you.
2/5

The Cul-de-Sac War is the perfect light-hearted listen for 2020. Bree Leake and Chip McBride are each trying to establish themselves as adults. She accepted a challenge from her parents to hold down a job for one year and be financially stable in order for her to keep her deceased grandmother's house as her own. The problem is she is a theatrical actress and not a very talented one. Her neighbor, Chip, is attempting to start a construction business on his own without using his powerful family name and money. The lives intersect at Abingdon, Virginia's Barter Theater where Bree is fighting for a role and Chip is bidding for a renovation of the theater and of course at the cul-de-sac as they are also neighbors. As each torments the other with humorous pranks, it is obvious that Bree and Chip are not mortal enemies but two people falling in love.

The Cul-de-Sac War is truly a LAUGH OUT LOUD romcom! I listened to the audiobook and loved every second. I love the pranks and antics of Chip and Bree, their delightful frenemies-to-enemies-to-romance journey, and the little bits of realistic heart-truths in this story. Most of all, I loved the way I couldn’t predict what crazy thing would happen next or how much I would be surprised by the way it comes together. I especially like how it’s centered on two people who have no idea that each is the answer to the friendship and encouragement they are seeking.

So many aspects of this novel line up to result in such perfection. A short list:

-the cast of supporting characters: Bree’s off-the-grid obsessed roommate, her matchmaking obsessed parents, and Chip’s pretentious family, just to name a few.
-relatable humor: Subarus. Duct tape and home remodeling.
-quaint-but-still-real-life setting: just go Google The Barter!
-random farm animals: I’ll leave this comment a mystery until you read it for yourself 😉
-a dog named Russell: so prolific, he deserves his own category. His Slim Jim obsession is award-worthy.
-finding purpose in life: a major theme here!
-a surprising, heart-tugging story thread with Bree’s family — and the way Chip relates

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers romance. I like it better than Melissa Ferguson’s other book The Dating Charade - maybe because this felt more realistic. 🤷‍♀️ This is a cute story and a quick listen!

A fun lighthearted romance with lots of laugh out moments for me. I lost count of the times I laughed out loud while listening to the story. The narrator of the audio was very good and made the listening aspect very enjoyable. The end was cute and overall I enjoyed the story. Some of the pranks they pulled on each other was a bit over the top but that's my only minor complaint of the story. This a great story if you are looking for a quick, funny and light romance.

The Cul-de-Sac War was just down right fun and entertaining but provided me no connection point. I can't really say if it was the story or the narrator. I was just ready for it all to be over with.

Cul-de-sac War by @melissafergusonauthor was our pick for last week’s buddy. 

🎧 I listened to 2/3 of this book and read the other 1/3 📖 I hate to say this, but I don’t recommend the audiobook 😔 It was hard to follow and everyone who listened kept missing stuff. The physical book on the other hand, was good! So I’d love to reread it for sure! 

8 ⭐️ 

What I loved ❤️: The notes (totally missed that in the audiobook btw) were the best! ❤️ The pranks, they were so funny! ❤️ It was a super clean book, no cursing, no funny business. 

What I liked 👍🏼: Her parents were the cutest and I love how they meddled. 👍🏼 Russell, the dog, he was the best! 🐶 drool and all! 

What I didn’t like 👎🏼: I felt like maybe both characters were dealing with too many things at the same time, instead of just exploiting just a couple of problems/ventures 👎🏼 They were both dating other people when they fell for each other. 

💎 They were tons of funny moments but I feel they would be spoilers. So I’ll just share this quote, and I’ll dedicate it to my husband: 
“You need to keep on moving until you find the one who makes you want to stop”.

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook.

Ever think you had already written a review for a book, and then when going through your Netgalley feed a month later, you realize it never happened?

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Thank you to @thomasnelson and @netgalley for the ALC of The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson and narrated by Kate Rudd! If you are looking for a cute enemies to lovers rom-com to get you through the Winter season, this might just be what you need!

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Synopsis from the publisher: Bree Leake doesn’t want to be tied down. She’s had more jobs than she can count, and she plans to move as soon as the curtains fall on her less-than-minor stage role at The Barter—the oldest live performance theater in the US. But just when it’s time to move on again, Bree’s parents make her an offer: hold steady for a full year, and they will give her the one thing she’s always wanted—her grandmother’s house. Her dreams are coming true … until life at the theater throws her some curve balls. And then there’s Chip McBride—her handsome and infuriating next-door neighbor. Chip just might be the only person whose stubborn streak can match Bree’s. She would move heaven and earth to have him off her cul-de-sac and out of her life, but according to the bargain she’s struck, she can’t move out of her house and away from the man who’s making her life miserable. So begins Bree’s obsessive new mission: to drive Chip out of the neighborhood—and fast. Bree isn’t the only one who’s a tad competitive, and Chip is more than willing to fight fire with fire. But as their pranks escalate, the line between love and hate starts to blur—and their heated rivalry threatens to take a hilarious, heartwarming, and romantic new turn.

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This book was fun and super cute! While the relationship between Chip and Bree felt forced in a lot of places (why did the parents have to be pushing him on their daughter?) they did have a fun competitive chemistry throughout the book. I also loved the backstage theatre aspect of this story as a former theatre geek. Also Kate Rudd is a fantastic narrator! I listened to this one easily at 1.4x

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3.75⭐️’s

This book had potential.  I really did enjoy the narrator, who can make or break a book.  The story and characters, however, were lacking.  I did not have a connection with any of the characters and frankly didn't really care about them.  The story seemed surface-level and I wanted to connect with the town and other characters. That was not to be.  I also didn't feel a spark or connection between the H and h.

Now for the upside. I did like the author's writing style and dialogue wasn't trite or predictable. I will try another book by this author. It could just have been the story and I am curious enough to want to read more of her work.

The Cul-de-sac War by Melissa Foster initially appealed to me with its narrator.  Kate Rudd performed this book flawlessly.  She adds the right emotions and brings the characters to life.  Thank you Net Galley for letting me review the audiobook.  The setting of this book gave me warm feelings from my childhood.  I could envision so many details with the theatre.  The characters were appealing and I found the pranks to be inventive.

I was going through English Audiobooks available for review on Netgalley when I saw the title "The Cul-de-Sac War" by Melissa Ferguson. The very first thing I checked was the language settings in Netgalley. Then I google the word "Cul-de-sac", what I gauged from the title was the book must be around neighbors. And that was described in the blurb. Based on these few things, I applied for the review copy in exchange for an honest review, and luckily I won it. So here I am discussing the sweet love story.

Written in settings of a cure rom-com (you may say sitcoms), the story revolves around the personal & professional lives of Bree & Chip. I don't want to discuss the plot once again as the blurb is more than enough. Let me talk about things I liked about the story
1. Pranks between Bree & Chip
2. Gentleness of Chip in all situation never losing his temper
3. Characters of the girlfriend of Chip & boyfriend of Bree. Both were caring and marriage material.
4. Fun-filled incidents ( I know the very first point was a prank, but I feel I should mention it)

Coming towards good points about the book
1) Light read
2) Language is easy and age-appropriate
3) The pace of the story is fast and will maintain
4) To the point story

Overall I enjoyed listening to this book. The book deserves 3.75 stars out of 5.

This was a good light read that had some funny moments but honestly, it really just didn't work for me. The parts that were funny but not enough to actually laugh out loud. The characters felt flat to me and the banter and relationships felt forced. The narrator did a really good job on the audiobook and kept me listening longer than I would have kept reading.

Bree Leake doesn’t know if something’s wrong with her. She can’t seem to stay interested in one job or one man for longer than a few months at a time. When her parents offer her grandmother’s house, she’s determined to make a change. Once her handsome yet stubborn neighbor Chip comes into the picture, Bree doesn’t know just how much her life will change.

I usually love lighthearted reads, but this one didn’t do anything for me. I found both of the main characters a little childish with the way they were passive-aggressive flirting with each other. Bree herself is just very immature and at the same time expects her parents to give her an entire house in order to stay at one job for only a year?! How is that even supposed to be a challenge?! The enemies to lovers trope is written all over the synopsis which I enjoy, and yet I never found a reason to want them to actually be together. And on top of it all there was an insanely sad side story towards the end that was tastelessly used to make Bree seem like she had a heart. Skip it. The narrator was good, though!

Thank you @netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my audio version of The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson narrated by Kate Rudd. It published November 10, 2020.
What a super sweet book! You of course go into this book knowing how it will probably end, and this is just the sweetest romance I've listened to in a long time. It is also truly hilarious, I laughed multiple times at the antics they pulled with each other. Another thing I really enjoyed and appreciated about this book is that it is G rated across the board. 
The narration was very well-done and I would definitely listen to other books Kate Rudd narrates!

I listened to the audiobook version of The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson, so I was interested in listening to The Cul-de-Sac War. Although I liked both, I preferred The Cul-de-Sac War. I found Bree irritating at times, but I enjoyed her friends and family (especially her mom and stepdad). The novel is clean, funny, and lighthearted--a combination I wish was easier to find!