Billed as lighthearted, but the book actually touches,on many volatile social issues and topics.
The base story is good. Pete, an all around good guy, wants Noelle who is still in mourning for her husband. Pete’s sister, Vanessa, advertises him on her FB mom’s page and the drama unfolds.
There is character growth with Noelle finding her ground while Pete makes his intentions known.
The surrounding characters are good and I was glad Phil gets a Taste of his own nastiness.
Noelle and Pete become the toast of the town!

This was such a sweet and fun small town, single parent, slow burn romance between friends and coworkers! Noelle and Peter have been friends and coworkers for years. Noelle is a single mom to a 6 year old boy who Peter actually coaches. The Skagiton mom Facebook group was a hoot. Especially Vanessa always posting about Peter being single and where to find him if you were interested. I loved how Peter was with Noelle's son and his nephews! Such a great family aspect to the story! I think they had great chemistry and glided from friends to lovers effortlessly. Definitely a cute read!!

I was rooting for Noelle the entire time - wanting her to find her voice and realize that she is more than what her father thought she was. I was also rooting for Noelle and Peter and I was more than happy with the ending. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My first read by this author and a very enjoyable one at that! This is a friends to lovers trope/office romance in a small town setting. The authors use of posts in a FB mom's group provided some comic relief.

Noelle was my favorite character. She had a lot going on, but she carried on with grace and compassion. She is a fairly new widow, but the bigger story for her was her past. She was raised by very backwards conspiracy theory following parents and really had a lot to overcome to hit the "normal" stage once she left home. Her family keeps trying to draw her back in, but she is finally strong enough to stand up for herself.

The romance between Noelle and Peter was sweet. They danced awkwardly around each other before finally going for the relationship. They were simply perfect for each other. He totally supported her and quickly fell in love with her son also.

Thanks to Grey's Promo and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Talk of the Town 🗣️

This novel was so fun! The whole book revolves around the Skagiton Mom’s Facebook group where they share local gossip.

Vanessa and Peter are brother and sister and they have both lived in Skagiton their whole lives. They grew up pretty poor and now Peter is the biggest realtor around and lives more than comfortably. He’s in love with his colleague at work, Noelle, but she’s dealing with being a single mother after the death of her husband.

Vanessa is the mom of 3 and happily married to Ian, but you can tell she’s kind of bored. She stirs up a little trouble for Peter by advertising (without his knowledge) that Peter’s single and looking. She also mentions where to find him. This leads to a lot of the town ladies trying to meet with Peter.

The book is really fun and humorous, but also covers some heavier topics like grief and feelings of inadequacy. Skagiton sounds like a beautiful town and there’s several characters that really added to the story, like Carol the diner waitress and Fern, the health nut in the mom’s chat.

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours @jenniferbardsleyauthor and @amazonpublishing for my signed gifted copy.

Fun, sweet: will this single mom EVER fit in?🙄

4.5🌟 stars
A really heartwarming read!

This novel had sweet romance for Noelle and Peter, but it was also focused heavily on the importance of female relationships and networking. It read faster than I had expected, and the Skagit Mom Facebook group chats added some fun as did the scenes with Noelle's son Daniel and Peter's nephews.

Noelle, the single, widowed mom at the heart of it feels isolated by the other mothers in Skagit, Washington after one wrong step, so she mostly watches from the sidelines and keeps her head down, mourning her husband and building a real estate career to support her six year old son Daniel, not realizing that her work colleague Peter is just waiting to be noticed. And Peter's sister Vanessa leads the female posse that has it in for her. But then, gradually, things change and I loved Noelle's metamorphosis.

Noelle's backstory is quite sad and sets her apart from most of the residents in town. Joyce, her dead husband Jeff's mother, was a great character, providing a bit of chaos and whimsy, and a lot of emotional and childcare support for Noelle when other female support was sadly lacking. Joyce's mess can be trying but she's got a good heart.

Perhaps the most interesting dynamic, though, was Peter's sister Vanessa and her hostility toward Noelle. She's got deeper family issues that color her attitude. She can be a bully and somewhat cruel at times, but it was good to see her behavior morph through the story and her steadfast support for those she cares about.

This was the second of author Jennifer Bardsley's works I've read and she continues to impress me with her ability to paint realistic pictures of family life and the challenges her characters face. I'll be looking for more by her.

Thanks to publisher Montlake and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This was a super cute book! It got a little heavier than I expected with Noelles abusive family but I was so proud to see her stand up for herself by the end. Peter was always so understanding of everything and he just loved her so much. I loved the scenes of him bonding with Daniel, they are so cute. I also really enjoyed how it was never a thing with Jeff, Noelle wasn't afraid to bring him up and Peter embraces the fact that Jeff was great and that he's not replacing him.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This book was a fun take on a close knit community. A Facebook mom group is where everyone goes for the gossip, the advice, and sometimes even the drama. Noelle doesn’t have time for drama but she likes to lurk in the background. Her real estate business is thriving, her son is growing, and life is getting a bit easier after the passing of her husband. (Off page) Peter, another real estate agent in her office, is kind and she really enjoys her morning coffee with him…but is it too soon to start dating?

The budding relationship between Noelle and Peter was promising and it was definitely my favorite story line. At times I felt that the book didn’t know what it wanted to be -a romance…neighborhood drama…mean PTA mom…? Then you throw in a coffee bar with questionable uniforms for their employees…🥴


My takeaways:
1)Light and fun.
2) Lots of characters.
3) Friends to lovers.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥.5

Peter Marshal and Noelle Walters have known each other for a long time. They work together. They're friends. For as much as they confide in each other, they certainly keep their crush on each other a secret from one another.

Noelle had good reason. She was raised in a very strict and overbearing family, and when you add being a widow and a single parent, she has a lot of crosses to bear. Besides, they have plenty of time to eventually sort their feelings out. Right?

Not so much as Peter's opinionated sister Vanessa just posted what amounts to a dating ad on the Facebook group for local moms. This definitely lights a fire under long-time group lurker Noelle.

I love the easy friendship and dynamic between Peter and Noelle. While we definitely get more of her in terms of character arc and history, Jennifer Bardsley provides enough banter and interaction to connect readers to the main characters. The skew of attention toward Noelle certainly made her more relatable as the book drives home the message that our born family might not necessarily be the family we want in life.

What kinda stole their thunder is the Facebook group. I mean, it portrays the online forum full of outspoken, oversharing member to horrifying perfection (#IYKYK). It provides some great comedic relief as we traverse through the slow burn.

If you love small-town and friends-to-lovers, this standalone read provide wholesome light entertainment with minimal spice on the side.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Jennifer Bardsley, Montlake, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

Small town romance

I feel like this book is a pretty good rendition of small town America. A small group of Mom's, very active on social media, know everything that is happening, do lots of trash talking to each other and spread gossip. They can also be supportive and helpful to each other.

Noelle has had an unusual upbringing, and once she got herself out of that situation, happily married and then widowed early. Now she and her young son Daniel live with her mother-in-law and Noelle is doing very well for herself as a real estate agent. One of her co-workers, Peter, is interested in Noelle but shy about asking her out.

When Peter's sister Vanessa uses the facebook page to advertise her brother's availability, it seems all the single women in town are interested in signing up, but Peter only has eyes for Noelle.

I appreciated the way Noelle was able to move beyond her raising, as they say. Her family was cruel and spiteful, but she didn't inherit any of those qualities, instead she was kind, loving and giving to those around her. Peter didn't have a great childhood either, and he also broke the cycle. Good life lessons in this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘖𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 follows a small-town community where Peter's sister is advertising him to get a girlfriend but Peter's already has his heart set on Noelle, a single mother who's also his co-worker.

- ~ -

This was a mess in a good way.

Peter's sister has added on Skagiton single mom's group chat that her brother is single and all the ladies should snatch him up.

But Peter's already got Noelle on his mind and amongst batting away unwanted attention and trying to get Noelle's, he also discovers some disturbing facts about Noelle's upbringing and how they shaped her into the woman she is today.

I did like the small town support aspect but said disturbing facts about Noelle's upbringing disturbed my state.

It was horrible what she had to go through and the fact that she kept defending some of it, though she realised later, ruined it for me.

At the end however I will agree that Women indeed carry the world.

- ~ -

3.38 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

My Friday favorite this week goes to Talk of the Town by Jennifer Bardsley. This is the cutest small town romance that I have read in some time.Thank you to @jenniferbardsley and @letstalkbookspromo for including me on this tour.

Noelle Walters is a young widower raising a son in her late husband’s hometown. Most of the time she feels like an outsider there, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to have a successful real estate career. Her co-worker Peter Marshall, is the most eligible bachelor in town and he only has eyes for Noelle. Peter has been quietly pining for her and doing things like volunteering as her son’s t-ball coach and patiently waiting until she’s ready to move on. Noelle starts to think of Pete as more than a friend when his older sister launches a campaign to find her brother a match.

My thoughts

This was a heartwarming small town romance with a whole lot of substance. I enjoyed the formatting of the book that included a Mom’s Facebook group. It was a great way to include the vibe of the community. I liked that the women didn’t put up with sexism and really seemed interested in helping those in the community that needed it. I also enjoyed the romance between seniors dating in their twilight years. I learned a lot about farming in they book especially between organic and commercial. The main characters family reminded of the parents from Educated or The Great Alone and I was glad to see she was able to break free from that toxicity.

Noelle and Peter’s friendship that blossoms is adorable. I would love for someone to go those lengths to win my affection!

Read this if you enjoy:
Small town romance
Friends to lovers
Community
Books that are written in epistolary fashion
Books that discuss social issues
Mature romance (secondary characters)
Sibling relationships

I am so happy to have been included on this book tour for Talk of the Town by Jennifer Bardsley. It is a cute, small town romance that I really enjoyed.
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One of my favorite things was the messages between members of the local moms Facebook group. They preceded each chapter and are deliciously snide, giving us a great insight into some of the women of the town. I grew up in a small town and can relate to the gossip mill, I am just so thankful that I lived there before social media!
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Unbeknownst to local realtor, Peter Marshall, his sister has been doing more than sending potential homebuyers his way on the moms group, she has also been telling all the single moms where to find him and how to win his heart.
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Peter isn’t interested in anyone but the one woman he thinks he can’t have, Noelle Walters. Noelle is a widow with a young son and works in the same real estate office as Peter. Their little awkward dance around each other at the beginning is fun and I enjoyed reading as they tried to figure things out. They both had so much past baggage from childhood that it really made me feel for them and cheer them on even more.
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As in all well written small town romances, the side characters make the book. These were all such unique characters, I really wouldn’t mind a trip back to visit them all.
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This book stressed me out. The petty gossips in the town, the aggressive women going after Peter, Noelle’s parasitic family. No thanks.

A sweet small town romance! Peter's sister wants to see him happy and in a relationship so she promotes him on Facebook (the FB entries are a hoot) while he's most interested in Noelle, a widow and protective single mom. Multiple people tell this story (which works well) and while there are no surprises it's an enjoyable read that made me smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. One to relax with.

I really enjoyed this book, the first one I’ve read by this author. It follows Noelle, a young widow and single mom, making her way through life after loss in a small town. There were multiple POV’s in this book - Noelle, Peter (her coworker and love interest) and the small town FB mom’s group. The latter was so funny….catty gossip queens, typical of any FB mom’s group. Peter’s loudmouth sister, Vanessa, posts about him incessantly on FB, and tries to get him set up with the single women in town (without his knowledge) while Peter only has eyes for his coworker and friend Noelle. It was a wholesome read, with some trigger points - bullying, childhood trauma and abuse, family drama, religion, and spousal loss. But it was handled in such a way that didn’t feel pushy or too heavy - it truly added dimension to the characters and situations. It was a delight to read, a little heavier than my usual romcoms but some scenes did make me laugh out loud. Looking forward to the next book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is such an interesting look at life and dating in a small town. Mean girls abound, FB posts that can be helpful or petty, some very unique characters, and a hot single male with a meddling sister. Add to that mix a sheltered widow with a young son and a family that defies description and you get a slow burn quirky romance that will keep you entertained.

This was a super sweet, small town, friends to lovers romance. I loved the small town setting. The characters were relatable and I enjoyed getting to know them all. I love Jennifer Bardsley's ability to write the perfect small town romances that make me want to move to her fictional towns.

Oh, the fun in this light-hearted romance! The minute Peter’s meddling sister tells all the single ladies to track down her very eligible brother at the local diner, I knew I was in excellent hands for the perfect small-town love story. Peter and Noelle are a pair to root for in this adorable single-mom romance.

JJ Knight, USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Confession

Thank you @jenniferbardsleyauthor @amazonpublishing @letstalkbookspromo for my gifted copy and my spot on the tour. My thoughts are my own.

After reading the publisher’s description, I was expecting a light-hearted, laugh-out-loud romcom, but this novel turned out to be much more! I would describe it as women’s fiction with an intriguing storyline, lots of drama, and a slow-burn (clean) romance.

SHORT SYNOPSIS:
When Peter Marshal’s sister promotes him as the town’s most eligible bachelor in her women’s Facebook group, he is suddenly surrounded by women vying for his attention. But the unsuspecting Peter only has eyes for his co-worker - single mom and widow, Noelle Walters.

Meanwhile, Noelle finds herself secretly attracted to Peter, but with the newfound competition, she is not sure how to proceed.

MY THOUGHTS: This entertaining story alternates between the third person perspectives of Peter and Noelle, with a humorous Facebook chat of the Skagiton Moms included after each chapter. The characters are likable and well-developed. Both Peter and Noelle have traumatic backstories with deep-set issues (extremist father, male domination, parent abandonment, extreme fundamentalist church practices, ) that the author addresses throughout the story. The small town atmosphere is perfect, with a couple of smaller storylines going on as well. Noelle has strong opinions about organic farming vs. regular farming, dairy products, and food sensitivities.

All of this was beautifully orchestrated into an enjoyable read! Read this if you enjoy women’s fiction, small town stories full of drama and colorful characters, and slow-burn romance.