Other People's Houses

By: Abbi Waxman

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

“Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin

The author of The Garden of Small Beginnings returns with a hilarious and poignant new novel about four families, their neighborhood carpool, and the affair that changes everything.

At any given moment in other people's houses, you can find...repressed hopes and dreams...moments of unexpected joy...someone making love on the floor to a man who is most definitely not her husband...

*record scratch*

As the longtime local carpool mom, Frances Bloom is sometimes an unwilling witness to her neighbors' private lives. She knows her cousin is hiding her desire for another baby from her spouse, Bill Horton's wife is mysteriously missing, and now this...

After the shock of seeing Anne Porter in all her extramarital glory, Frances vows to stay in her own lane. But that's a notion easier said than done when Anne's husband throws her out a couple of days later. The repercussions of the affair reverberate through the four carpool families--and Frances finds herself navigating a moral minefield that could make or break a marriage.

Critic reviews

Praise for Other People's Houses
Named A Highly Anticipated Book for 2018 by InStyle online, Elite Daily, and Hello Giggles • One of Popsugar's “10 Books Your Favorite Celebrities Are Reading This Spring”

“We absolutely adored Abbi Waxman’s The Garden of Small Beginnings. And if it’s possible, we’re even more in love with her much-anticipated follow-up, Other People’s Houses. April’s book club pick is set in stone.”—Hello Giggles

“Meet your new favorite wry writer.”—The Daily Beast

“Hilarious ruminations about child-rearing, shopping, and other parents give [Other People's Houses] broad appeal that should extend beyond fans of Waxman's first novel.”—Publishers Weekly

“Once again, Waxman manages to take a far-reaching topic and sprinkle it with spicy dialogue, adorable kids, and characters who feel like best friends...Frances is equal parts warmth and snark as she considers her friends and neighbors through the lens of TMI. Recommend to those who like to turn pages quickly without sacrificing complex characters.”—Booklist

Praise for The Garden of Small Beginnings
As seen in Elle.com, The Washington Post, Woman’s World, Flavorwire, HelloGiggles, Bustle, Brit & Co, and more!

“Filled with characters you’ll love and wish you lived next door to in real life.”—Bustle

“Brilliant...Quirky yet very real characters sparkle on every page.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author

“A quirky, funny, and deeply thoughtful bookl.”—HelloGiggles

“A summer beach read with meat.”—Associated Press

“This is my favorite kind of book—hilarious, sad, joyful. Beautifully written. Fun. I dare you not to enjoy it.”—Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Be Frank With Me

“A beautiful book full of humor, heart, and deep insight...Abbi Waxman’s quick wit and heart shine brightly throughout this debut novel. I just loved it!”—Molly Shannon, actress

“Funny and poignant. Guaranteed to make you laugh and cry. May make you want to play in dirt and grow a new life of your own.”—Wendy Wax, USA Today bestselling author of One Good Thing

“Full of wry humor and a cleareyed view of how life keeps offering good things...This debut begs for an encore from Waxman.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[Waxman’s] narrative and dialog are drenched with spring showers of witty and irreverent humor.”—Library Journal (starred review)

meh

it is an okay story. predictable. I like the narrator. she did her part well.

I LOVE her writing style -- this book is money

Where have you been all my life, Abbi Waxman? I have heard of you. I have seen you. But I have never read you. My mistake.

Other People's Houses is a raw, unapologetic account of four families in a neighborhood, their lives, their children, and how they are all intertwined but do not necessarily know the real ins and outs of each other. Waxman puts it all out there, the words and thoughts and comments we all have internally -- she writes them down. She's my hero.

If you haven't read this (or I am assuming any of Waxman's works), you are really missing out.

Mmmm...

did I love the book? I'm not sure... I'm not usually someone who writes reviews, however I felt the urge to write this review in order to put my thoughts in order...
back to my question, did I love the book.. no not really.. i liked the book.. I thought it's interesting and very accurate in many ways.. as a mom and wife myself it was almost depressing being in the mind of the main character.. going through the everyday routine, Boring, tiring, stressful and always playing catch up with your own life.. but it did have a sense of humor that veered it away from being completely depressing.. then comes the stories of everybody else in the neighborhood.. most of the people are likeable and listening to the book feels like a day in the neighborhood.. anecdotes here and there, drama and some funny situation.. but that's it... that is what makes this book hard to review.. it feels like nothing special, but the characters are nice.. the drama sometimes felt to me unnecessary... all in all it's an enjoyable listen but forgettable... was it worth a credit? honestly the jury is still out

5 stars

Good listening! Some moments LOL funny. Good story and well developed characters. Great choice for narrater

A look at other people's lives...

This was a fun read, but when I finished it, I found myself wondering what the point was. I guess, at the end of the day, it was a glimpse into the lives of characters who seemed so real I felt like I knew them! No complicated plot twists, just well described characters living their lives.

Slice of Life

This book was able to make me laugh and pull on my heart strings all at the same time. It examines the inner workings of a suburban neighborhood and what kind of fall out there will be when a woman is discovered cheating on her husband. The standout character for me was Frances. She was incredible.

Loved the raw emotions. F word overused.

I liked this book overall. The emotions expressed in the story were genuine, raw, and relatable but the rampant use of the F word was a bit much.

great book!

the main character was super funny! I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the book, nothing too deep, nothing too sappy. great to listen to while I worked.

An interesting mix of characters

I liked the relatable interactions between a fairly broad range of characters, and their inner dialogues regarding their family members, neighbors and themselves. The author was able to instill humor where appropriate but some of the
interwoven plots in this story were serious and troubled.

Didn't want it to end!

I really loved everything about this book, didn't want it to end!! I'll definitely be reading more by the author.