Welcome to the Neighborhood by Lisa Roe

A NOVEL PAIRING because I love books and wine.

I got a bit of Lorelai and Rory versus The Real Housewives when reading Lisa Roe’s debut novel and if you know what/who I’m talking about you will love Welcome to the Neighborhood.  When citified Ginny and her daughter Harri move to the elite suburbs, they try to fit in and get to know their neighbors, and unwillingly, Ginny’s new husband Jeff’s ex-wife. But soon they begin to wonder if they even want to be bothered with any of them. Welcome to the Neighborhood’s characters are well fleshed out and relatable. Good, bad, likeable, or not, you get to know them, and it’s hard not to let empathy get in the way. This story was a joy to read, and I look forward to more from Ms. Roe.

It was much harder to choose a wine I would want to sip while reading this urban mom-com knowing Ginny and her husband Jeff are craft beer people. So, for this blog post only, I think it’s prudent to forgo the wine and order one of their favorite craft beers. Funnily enough, this wine drinker knows all about these Vermont craft beers because they are the same favorites as my brother-in-law who lives in Essex Junction, VT. My family looks forward to him bringing a cooler full of these New England IPAs to our two-week family vacation in Nantucket every July.

We have a large family, with new members reaching legal drinking age yearly, but due to limited purchasing availability (sometimes you can only get a couple of four packs at a time) of Heady Topper, an American double IPA brewed in Stowe, VT, my brother-in-law must strategically plan ahead to have enough for those who would like to partake. Most reviewers claim the taste of Heady Topper is a bit odd-in a good way, has a (possibly) grapefruit-y lingering taste, and that you will never forget your first sip- if you can get it at all.

Another beer that both Ginny and Jeff drink on Elderberry Lane as well as a fam favorite is Fiddlehead- another Vermont (Shelburne) brewed beer. The reviewers claim it’s a medium bodied American IPA with hints of citrus and spice- which to me sounds like lemongrass, but what do I know.

Now, I’m not necessarily prepared to give up my wine calories for beer calories, but I will offer one of these ice-cold beers to my sister when we’re sitting on the beach reading. Me? I’ll be reading whichever book my sister brings to share with me as she enjoys Lisa Roe’s Welcome to the Neighborhood.