I was instantly drawn to the punny title on this one - (what? it got me! If a title is something to judge by, this book would be GREAT - im easy to please). I can ignore the Ai cover, and the premise looked promising, and for a little while, it was everything i wanted it to be! Until it wasn't.

I was hooked by the drama and the pacing during the first third of the novel; I loved the twists and turns the book was taking and I really enjoyed the 'slice-of-life' feel to it The writing was accessible and the author managed to make the large cast feel memorable, which somehow made this neighbourhood feel tangible.
The issue was as I read further, the momentum took a dip, and the plot seemed to stall. I would have loved to see escalation of certain situations develop and be brought up in the first half. By the end of the book, my goodwill and patience had drained, I was frustrated by the slower pace and the flaws of the book became harder to ignore - and to top it off the ending kind of fell flat.

There were a few points where it honestly felt a little sloppy, there were typos, and it tended to repeat itself again and again. Despite these issues, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the quirky neighbours in the first part and It hooked me, i only wish it kept me hooked, but instead it lost its spark.

I got access to this book through NetGalley months ago, and it's taken me this long to get to it. I feel bad about that, but I have a lot going on, so it is what it is.
~
I can't say I was enamored by this book. I just didn't get it. Maybe it's because I have no experience with a HOA environment and have no clue how they work. Maybe I just wasn't getting the characters and their relationships with each other. I just really struggled to get through it personally.
~
The fault doesn't lie with the author nor with the book itself, it just wasn't my thing unfortunately, but I tried it.
•
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

In the seemingly idyllic community of Sterling Winds, Gwendolyn Thornton, the unwavering Homeowners Association (HOA) President, maintains a facade of order and serenity. Beneath the manicured lawns and elegant facades, however, lies a brewing storm of tension and discord.

As the gatekeepers of the neighborhood's pristine image, Gwendolyn and the HOA navigate the delicate balance of maintaining the community's outward charm while grappling with the clash of personalities among its residents. The arrival of Preston and Carter Higgins, Sterling Winds' first openly gay couple, disrupts the established norms, exposing the underlying prejudices and biases that simmer just below the surface.

In a community where appearances are everything, not everyone welcomes the Higgins with open arms. From high-strung personalities to ruthless neighbors, the once-tranquil Sterling Winds becomes a battleground of egos, secrets, and suburban drama. Gwendolyn finds herself torn between upholding the neighborhood's image and fostering a more inclusive environment.

Amid the perfectly trimmed hedges and picturesque streets, Up Your HOA Hole explores the struggle for acceptance, the price of conformity, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of societal expectations. Will Sterling Winds weather the storm of transformation, or will the facade of perfection shatter under the weight of its residents' conflicting desires?

Loved it

I'm DNF'ing this book! I will give feedback for what I read. I believe Gwen the HOA president was supposed to be an anal retentive type A control freak whose main purpose is to be the best. From what I read, I believed she loved her community & was open to diversity i.e. LGBTQ and BIPOC in their community. However, not all felt this way. Gwen's old widow neighbor was over the top & in a silent competition with Gwen. Gwen's husband from what i read seemed far to passive & seemed to rely on Gwen for everything. I was beginning to wonder if this was just a facade on his part. After reading the part where the gay couple are welcomed to the neighborhood is when I started to feel bothered. I identify as queer & it felt like any gay stereotype was being used w this couple.
Instead of the antics being funny they were annoying. The story just started to get in my nerves so i chose to DNF.

This book was just not for me. I loved the idea of this book.
Thank you to the publisher for an E-ARC of this book.

In Up Your HOA Hole, the uptight HOA President, Gwendolyn, faces chaos when a gay couple moves into her picture-perfect community, stirring up drama among the nosy neighbors. It’s a wild, hilarious ride that highlights the absurdities of suburban life while tackling themes of acceptance and conformity.

living and the often absurd world of homeowners' associations. From my perspective, Irons’ writing presents some sharp and witty moments, effectively capturing the frustrations and eccentricities that can arise within tightly-knit communities. However, I found it challenging to connect with the author’s style at times, which impacted my overall enjoyment of the story.

While the protagonist’s journey through HOA regulations and interpersonal drama is both entertaining and relatable, there were aspects of the writing that felt a bit over-the-top or disjointed, making it hard for me to fully immerse myself in the narrative. I appreciated the humor and the balance of absurdity with moments of genuine reflection, but the execution sometimes detracted from the message.

Overall, Up Your HOA Hole offers a fun take on the ridiculousness of community life, but the writing style may not resonate with everyone. It’s a decent choice for readers who enjoy satirical humor, but I felt that the author’s voice didn’t fully align with my preferences.

Lovely book that everyone should read. The cover pulls you in immediately. I had heard about this author from tiktok. So glad to have received an ARC of this.

I loved this book. It brought out many true things about HOAs and how there’s so many things to worry about. It was humorous and entertaining. I enjoyed the characters and the pacing and writing style!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

3.75 stars! I was laughing so much during this - the drama was DRAMAAAA and I was so here for it. There were some very important themes in this book along with the hilarity and outrageousness and it was a great way to kick off pride month with this book, focusing on the first gay couple to live in Sterling Winds (think gated community vibes). I don’t often love multiple POVs when they focus on more than 2 people BUT this was a pleasant surprise! I really loved getting inside the minds of so many different characters of Sterling Winds. They were crazy and hilarious!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!!

Despite the bad (bad!) AI cover, I was instantly drawn to the punny title (I'm a simple girl) and premise. And it was everything I wanted it to be! Until it fell apart a little bit...

I was enthralled by the drama during the first third of the novel; I loved the twists and turns the book was taking. Women being catty? Juicy gossip? Sign me up! I also enjoyed the cast rotation and 'slice-of-life' feel to it (for example, there are several 'one-off' chapters from the POV of residents we never see again—which makes the neighbourhood feel so much more lifelike). The writing was accessible and the author managed quite the feat by making the very large cast memorable by name, so that you never actually feel lost while following the characters around.

However, as I read further, the momentum began to wane. The plot, which initially promised so much, seemed to stall; I'd have loved to see escalation of the various situations brought up during the first half. The ending also fell flat for me; my goodwill for the book had dwindled by then, and I found myself increasingly frustrated by its few flaws and slower pace. The writing also lost its utilitarian quality and slipped into lazy territory. There are typos, repetitive words, and the fact the prologue is copy-pasted as is in the climax irked me.

Despite these complaints, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the quirky neighbours in the first part. I just wish the story had maintained its initial spark and delivered more of those giggle-worthy twists!

There is a media frenzy awaiting Gwen on her arrival back to Sterling Winds. As the president of the HOA she has cut her well needed family holiday short as duty calls! But how did we get here?

Well it all started when Sterling Winds received their first gay residents in this exclusive, picture perfect neighbourhood. As Preston and Carter settle into life in Sterling Winds, they find that not everyone is welcoming of them. They also discover secrets and power dynamics aplenty!

This was a lot of fun. Think Desperate Housewives and you would be right on the money.

The story starts with Gwen returning to the media frenzy, and then takes us back in time to Preston and Carters arrival. Each chapter is told from the POV of one of the residents of the neighbourhood. As you read through each of the events, you gain different perspectives of the neighbourhood dynamics. You learn about the motivations and the drivers behind each.

It really makes you laugh at how something so small could be such a mountain for the residents. How they constantly try to one up each other, or how they try to bend the rules for their own gains, or simply because they have nothing better to do with their time.

I tore through this because of how fun it was. I really loved each of the characters in their own ways, except the Conrad’s, they deserve everything they have coming for them 😂

Definitely recommend this one from @bjirons if you’re on the look out for a fun weekend or holiday read. (Also Christina Hendricks to play Gwen in the TV adaptation please 😂)

I fell in love with the cover and loved this story
Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now even if I enjoyed this book. as it's well plotted, twisty and entertaining. I liked the good storytelling
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I think that this book has a really cool and fun concept. I was really excited to start reading it, and think that the story structure really builds engagement and excitement. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book, as I found it to be rather poorly written. The actual content of the book was unengaging. Within each chapter, information and details were repeated. This book just tells the story, without providing any sort of suspense or illustration. I found the characters to all be rather bland and their actions to be too predictable. I read almost half of this book and simply couldn't force myself to read any further.

This was a fun, quick book and the title really sucked me in. I know that this is not my usual genre, but I thought I'd try something different than my usual horror and magical realism. I liked parts of it, but I feel like it wasn't fully fleshed out. I did enjoy the characters, but I was hoping it would have more humor. I get that it was satirical, but I was hoping to at least a few chuckles out of it based on the title. It was quick and fun and I liked getting into the heads of the characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story revolves around a gated community that has received it's first gay couple, Preston and Carter. Though many are thrilled to have them join their community, not all are What happens next is the residents showing everyone their who they really are.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A couple years ago I read 2 books by this author: one of them I liked it, the other one I really didn't like it. So, I decided to try this author for the 3rd time, and even though I didn't end up enjoying this book I gotta admit I was a little surprised by the drama on this book. At least the other 2 books I've read there wasn't really drama in the story. I also didn't particularly care for the characters, but none of them truly annoyed me.
I do love stories set in a neighbourhood full of secrets or drama among its residents, which was the case here.
A little too long, for my taste. But that's probably because I didn't connect to any of the characters.
I also expected this book to be more focused on the gay characters, considering what the author did in his previous books.
All in all, not a hit for me, but not disappointing, whatasoever.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure, I only read this because of the title. I sooooooooo know that feeling. Also, I am kind of ranting below, with some very choice words thrown in so if you are offended by this, don't read it. Spoilers Ahead.

This started off okay, and I was doing good with learning about the community and neighbors. The HOA crap was really annoying, mostly because I've lived in a community with an HOA and they are a nightmare (don't do it!!!), and this community was extremely over the top and crappy. No thanks. So that was not to my liking, but that's not a fault of the book, it's actually a plus because it captured HOA's well (they stink!). But it was still annoying to be reminded of how crap they are. :)

I have several issues with this book, one of which is the wording choices. Instead of using contractions, it was the two words separately. Instead of "wasn't", it was "was not," things like that. People don't speak that way - we use contractions all the time in the real world and to read without it and believe this is how the people were really speaking, it was hard to get through some of those.

Next on my issues list is how over the top this community is. Like, come on!!! I barely knew my neighbors when I lived in an HOA. Mostly because I am an antisocial bookworm, but still. I would not care if I wasn't invited to a neighbors party, or was otherwise left out. Wouldn't have attended anyway. But in this neighborhood, all things are taken personally. Yikes!

And now, to the biggest of big issues. Carter and Preston have a fight, and not just a disagreement, an actual fight that was implied could have hurt their relationship. I don't think this is how a partner would react to learning the truth, which I'm getting to, and I really struggled with this and had some serious sighing events over it. Here is what happened: [There is an affair going on in the community between two friend's spouses. The affair is revealed, and Carter is MAD and UPSET with his husband Preston for NOT telling him he had known about the neighbors/friend's affair. Like, he was seriously upset and walked away from his husband.

"His discovery of Preston's long-held knowledge..." Really, discovery?

"I promise I didn't do it to intentionally harm you. I really didn't." This is Preston to Carter saying he didn't keep the affair a secret to hurt Carter. Why is this hurting anyone in their relationship? A spouse is not required to share gossip with their spouse. Unless it's in their vows, then all bets are off.

"Preston's intentions had been in the right place..." Uh, okay. This is about Carter calming down and rationalizing that Preston hadn't kept the affair a secret out of malice towards Parker. Right. Okay. Sure. This seems like a very selfish take on an affair that ANOTHER COUPLE is having. Why exactly is Carter upset? I could not care less if someone doesn't tell me about a friends/neighbor affair. I would prefer NOT to know.

"They were both victims of circumstance, caught in a web of secrets and lies." Yeah, no. This is hysterical. They were not both victims of any circumstance. This is about Carter being a selfish dick. Who the hell does he think he is? Yelling at his husband for keeping this a secret from him. I do not in any way understand his reaction. This affair had nothing, literally, nothing to do with these two. These neighbors are still virtual strangers to this couple - they've only been living there a few months!!!! Yes, months. They just moved the F*@k in! (hide spoiler)] Yes, all of this bothered me.

How it ended is my final issue. The ending is so anti-climatic. [They (Preston and Carter) drop the lawsuit and just go about their business living in the community. Really?!?!?!?!?! This WHOLE BOOK was leading up to the big blow out at the end and then it's just forgiven/forgotten? Uh, no! Long story short, Preston and Carter were suing the HOA because they felt they had been singled out and treated differently because of a Pride flag in their yard. There is more to the story here, but I don't feel like explaining. The point is the book starts with the ending as a prologue, the whole rest of the book leads us to the end and how we got to the lawsuit, etc., and it's just wrapped up and forgiven in just a few pages? I feel cheated. (hide spoiler)]

Lots of ranting there, so basically read at your own risk. :)

I know it seems like this was a horrible book, but as a whole it was fine. I would have preferred things been done differently, but I give great kudos to the author for writing, finishing, and publishing. Not an easy feat. A job well done for all of that!

While the book didn't live up to the spectacularness of the title, I don't think I will forget the story behind it.

2 stars for the story, 5 stars for the title and for that reason alone you should read it. :) Just don't expect to be blown away. My opinion. ;)

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I admit, I chose a house in a non-HOA neighborhood, and this book shows admirably why. If you like books that are talking about behind the scenes backstabbing and negotiations of the upper middle class, you'll probably like this one"

. It's funny and a nice light read, and I suspect would make a good "beach book", and it filled time on an airplane, but that's all it is, and I can't help but feel that life would be better if no one was telling you what color to paint your mailbox, that you can't have a Virgin Mary Statue, or that you can't fly a Pride flag. Having said that, not all books need to be earthshaking.

Bringing together a diverse population in a small community with it's ups and downs and especially assumptions was very entertaining. It was a book told from various viewpoints and often left the reader wanting to tell the various characters just to TALK to each other!

What a perfect book for a quick weekend or holiday read! I got sucked into it immediately. The characters change quickly and the story moves along at a great pace. It was an easy and fun read but not a simple or dumb story. I loved the progressive undertones!
The story takes place in an unnamed coasted city, in a fancy subdivision. The picture-perfect community is not what it appears and fun to read about. It's like reading the truth about people's real social media personas.