4 Stars
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date of publication: March 13th, 2018
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Number of pages: 352
POV: 3rd person
Where you can find The Family Next Door: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
Book synopsis (from Goodreads):
A gripping domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse, and Kerry Fisher.
The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.
Isabelle Heatherington doesn’t fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.
But Ange, Fran, and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange’s compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won’t let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park – and returned home without her.
As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread – and they’ll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.
Trigger Warning: Post Partum Depression, Kidnapping
My review:
When I read the synopsis for The Family Next Door, I thought that this would be a quick read. Something that would be a light read. Yeah right. This book is anything but light.
The Family Next Door has two major storylines and four sub-storylines. One of the major storylines was the mystery lady who is telling her daughter how thankful she was to have her. The other major storyline was about Isabelle and the reasons she moved to Pleasant Court.
The sub-storylines center around Ange, Fran, and Essie. Each has a secret that no one knows about. Ange needs to control every aspect of her life. Fran will not let her husband come near their newborn daughter. Essie’s storyline is a bit more complex. It focuses on her leaving her then-newborn daughter to a park and leaving her.
I loved how the author took each woman’s story and interwove it with Isabelle’s storyline. Each woman added depth to Isabelle’s storyline and they all interconnected. The mystery woman adds a bit of mystery that makes you want to know more about her and her situation.
I am not going to get into each woman here. But I will say that I did enjoy each woman’s story. I also felt bad for each woman portrayed. Each woman had issues to overcome and each did it in their own way.
I did predict what happened towards the end of the book. But I was not ready for the lengths that the person would go through. I actually felt bad for her. The trauma she endured was crippling. Doesn’t excuse what she did but still.
The Family Next Door is a gripping drama that breaks your heart. The characters are fleshed out. The plot is great. This was a book that made me think at the end of it.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex, language, and mild violence
I would like to thank Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing to read and review The Family Next Door.
All opinions stated in this review of The Family Next Door are mine.
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
