Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.
Book Description:
From the outside, Essie’s life looks idyllic: a loving husband, a beautiful house in a good neighborhood, and a nearby mother who dotes on her grandchildren. But few of Essie’s friends know her secret shame: that in a moment of maternal despair, she once walked away from her newborn, asleep in her carriage in a park. Disaster was avoided and Essie got better, but she still fears what lurks inside her, even as her daughter gets older and she has a second baby. When a new woman named Isabelle moves in next door to Essie, she is an immediate object of curiosity in the neighborhood. Why single, when everyone else is married with children? Why renting, when everyone else owns? What mysterious job does she have? And why is she so fascinated with Essie? As the two women grow closer and Essie’s friends voice their disapproval, it starts to become clear that Isabelle’s choice of neighborhood was no accident. And that her presence threatens to bring shocking secrets to light.
“Things were far better watched from a distance…When you watched too closely, you saw things you didn’t want to see”.
My Review:
This story is told from multiple point of views as the plot centers around five women, Essie, Fran, Ange, Barbara, and Isabelle, who are all neighbors in Pleasant Court, a suburb in Melbourne. Isabelle is the newcomer; she’s single and childless in a cul-de-sac full of families, which immediately draws attention to herself. Of course these women take an interest in her but nothing is as it seems.
I had so much fun reading this book!! I got swept up in these women’s lives, their lies, betrayals, and so many secrets! It is such a compelling and addictive read that I got through it in no time! Each family had its own secret that made reading each perspective so interesting. I flipped right through those pages because I HAD to know what would happen next.
This is very reminiscent of Big Little Lies but excellent in its own right. With a plot full of intrigue, expert character development, and a ton of intricate drama, I highly recommend THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR! Trust me, you won’t see the end coming!!
My rating is 5 / 5 stars!
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