Sally Hepworth is the Queen of Twists! Her books are about real life. Women my age, family, work, children, sticky situations. She is the definition of Women's Literature. If you like Liane Moriarty, Jennifer Weiner, Swan Huntley, Jane Green, then Sally's books should be at the top of your TBR list. Especially, The Family Next Door. We all go through trials separately, living right next door to each other, thinking everyone around is perfect. Let's do it together. We're all messy. Not to mention, THE TWIST! You all know I love a good twist at the end.

In the perfect suburban Melbourne neighborhood, Essie, Fran, and Ange raise their children. All three women understand how hard it can be to care for children, keep their houses in order, and keep the spark in their marriages. Add in depression, job stresses, infidelity, secrets, and lies, and you get one crazy ride of a story.

And then Isabelle moves in.

Essie has two young girls to raise, and she feels especially fortunate when her mother moved close to help her out. Especially since she struggled so hard when her first was born. The postpartum depression was so hard for her, but she got help and was able to manage her stress. Things were better when her second daughter came along. But now the new neighbor is making Essie spin out of control once again. Will she be able to regain her balance, or will she suffer from another psychotic incident?

Fran also has two young kids. She’s still on maternity leave from her job as an attorney, and when things get too much at home, she goes running. But she worries. Her affair with the man at work was still going on when her daughter was conceived. Could it possibly be his, and how will her husband react if he ever finds? The secrets are eating her up inside, but she doesn’t know who to talk to. So she runs.

Ange’s two boys are older, no longer infants. Her real estate business is going strong. And she thinks her marriage is strong, until a chance encounter in a hospital waiting room causes her to wonder if she’s missing something. If he hasn’t been faithful to her, how will she react? What will happen to her family?

And then there’s Isabelle. The newest resident to this neighborhood has no children. She isn’t married. There must be a reason she chose to live in a neighborhood full of families, but what could that reason be? What is she hiding?

As the weeks go by, the temperatures rise, and the secrets come out, these neighbors find out what everyone is hiding behind their closed doors and realize that maybe they can build the kind of friendships that can help them endure whatever life may throw at them.

Sally Hepworth’s The Family Next Door is a moving novel about family and friendship, about making mistakes and finding forgiveness, about finding strength within yourself so you can be strong for others. I listened to this on audio, and narrator Barrie Kreinik brought these characters to live with a delightful Australian accent that added so much personality to these characters.

I really enjoyed The Family Next Door. I felt transported to another place that felt like it could be the neighborhood I live in here in America. I was really moved by these characters’ stories, and I was rooting for them to find the resolutions they so desperately wanted. The Family Next Door is a heart-warming novel of real life and family secrets that resonates long after the last page is read.

Galleys for The Family Next Door were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, but the audio was provided by me through Audible.

This wasn't my favorite Sally Hepworth book... A look inside the neighborhood and really goes on in other people's lives. To be honest, I felt there wasn't anything new from this book to add to this genre.

Adored this story! Face paced and thought the characters were well developed. This would be a perfect beach read or a cozy read on a rainy day - you could easily finish it in a day. I loved that no one was as they seemed in the beginning and the suburbia aspect - its the perfect recipe for a page turner!

What a page turner!! Sally did such an amazing job making these characters relatable and totally flawed at the same time!! This is one of those books you think you will be able to casually read and then you find you don't want to get up!!

Sally Hepworth has done it again. I loved "The Mother's Promise" and thought I would be disappointed with this book. However, I was not at all. Hepworth did not disappoint me. She has delivered a novel that had fabulous characters, fast paced, so many twists and a great ending. I highly recommend this book and look forward to her next novel.

This is the first book I've read by Sally Hepworth, but I really enjoyed this one. 3 different sets of neighbors, each with their own set of problems. The story really pulled me in. It wasn't overloaded with characters where you forget who is who and who did what. It was very easy to get into the story even after putting the book down for a few days. All the characters had their flaws but their was also plenty to like about them. Essie, Ange and Fran each have interesting stories to share, as does Barbara and Isabelle. It was sad at times especially for Isabelle, and I felt sad for Barbara as well. I recommend this book.. I look forward to reading more from this author.

One well kept neighborhood is home to several families who seem to have good lives. In The Family Next Door, readers learn that things are not always as they seem. Slowly and carefully, the neighbors secrets are revealed, often with shocking results. The narrative is presented in the voices of the different characters and readers get to know them quite well. They are well drawn and three dimensional.
I found this to be a fascinating story. It grabs the readers attention from the first page and holds it until the conclusion. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of The Family Next Door.

Pleasant Court is exactly how it sounds, pleasant. Everyone is friendly, crime is low, and kids run free in the streets. So it's hard not to take notice when childless Isabella moves in, with an unknown and mysterious past. Why move here? Who is she? And is she a threat?

I love a book about female friendship and drama. I love women who are given complex personalities and starring roles. This book was no exception. All the women have multiple secrets, and lives that they are desperately trying to hold together. I also loved how much they affected and influenced each other, as well as supported. It was a firm reminder that you never know what a person is going through when you say hello to them, even when you think you know someone well...

Sally Hepworth creates a haunting tale, that is hard to put down. I found myself drawn in by the characters, who were relatable and realistic. I also found the story line, believable which kept me coming back for more. Very enjoyable read!

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Family Next Door. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Essie has the life that most can only dream to have: a loving husband, precious children, and a mother that lives nearby and is willing to help out whenever she is needed. Her neighbors would be shocked to learn Essie's secret, that in a moment of despair, she left her eldest child in a park. When Isabelle, a single woman with no attachments, moves next door, Essie is inexplicably drawn to the woman. As Isabelle asks questions and worms her way into the circle of woman neighbors, will the secrets that Essie and her friends are desperate to hide come to the light?

The biggest issue that I had with The Family Next Door was the fact that there were some many mini plots running concurrently with the main one. Everyone in this neighborhood had a secret or a problem, which just did not seem realistic. The author tries to direct the reader into believing Isabelle is up to no good, but the plot suffers because of this. Without spoilers, I can only say that I found the ending to be a cop-out, as it seemed to be there without any basis in fact. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Family Next Door to other readers.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

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.

Who doesn't like a little peek into the neighbour's lives? Who would pass up the opportunity to take a look into the private lives of the very people we live next door to? The people who are too good to be true? Let's face it, we all do - and this book gives us that opportunity (without the fear of prosecution for stalking!)

But at the heart of this book, for me, is the unravelling of the characters stories. The story of Essie and Isabelle really dragged me in and watching - in horror at times - as the reasons why Isabelle moved into the community reveal themselves, the beauty of the writing reveals itself as well.

Tense, taut and terrific - a great read!


Paul
ARH

This is my second book by this author. The characters are well developed and sympathetic. My only issue is some of the references were difficult to understand not being from Australia. I also felt there was a bit too much going on at times which took away from the story.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Hepworth, but I recognized the author and requested it. Boy am I glad I did. This was great identifiable writing. The story was interesting and the characters were well developed.

This novel is told in shifting perspectives about the residents of a cul de sac (three families, one grandmother, and one new neighbor who is a single woman), whose lives may look perfect on the outside, but each have their own secrets/issues. There was a strong Liane Moriarty vibe to this one, with its domestic drama with a slight undercurrent of suspense, and it was even set in Australia. So if you are a fan of Liane Moriarty and looking for a book of that style to read while you await her next book, this would be a good choice.

Three stars: An interesting peek into the lives of four women and the secrets they are keeping.

Pleasant Court is a lovely place to live. The small suburb is known for the close knit, quiet community where everyone knows their neighbor or do they? Isabelle is a new comer to the small neighborhood. She isn’t married nor does she have children. She doesn’t exactly fit into the mold, so why did she pick this neighborhood? Meanwhile, Fran, Essie and Ange, Isabelle’s new neighbors, are dealing with their own issues and hiding secrets. For instance, why does Fran insist on running two or three times a day so soon after having a baby? Essie is struggling with her two children, will she crack again? Ange has a wonderful husband and two happy boys, so why is she suddenly worried about one of her husband’s clients? What are these women hiding behind closed doors?
What I Liked:
*I picked up The Family Next Door thinking I was getting a thriller. While this one doesn’t fit the thriller label, it was an interesting peek into the lives of four families and the secrets they keep. No one has the perfect life and everyone has something to hide.
*The book incorporates five different view points. There is Fran who has a new baby, and she is completely obsessed with running because she sees running as a way to punish herself for a mistake she made. Essie is a young mother who is struggling with her two daughters, her mindset is fragile especially since she suffered a severe bout of postpartum depression. So why is she suddenly obsessed with her new neighbor? Ange has the perfect husband so she thought, but suddenly she is having doubts. Could her husband be cheating? Isabelle isn’t exactly who she seems. Why is she really in Pleasant Court? It was interesting to get to know these different women and two uncover their secrets. I quickly became absorbed in their secrets and personal dramas.
*As the book progresses, each of the women deals with her secrets and conflicts. Some handle their issues better than others. I liked the way some of the characters dealt with their problems, while others I wasn’t so sure of. Either way, it made an interesting read as explored the lives of these women.
*Surprisingly, I liked all four of the husbands in the book. All of them were supportive and helped each of the wives with the children and the household. Some of them like, Nigel and Ben, are exceptional when it comes to confronting the problems.
*The book opens with a mysterious narrator relating what happened when she gave birth. After awhile, this strange story thread ties into the story. It was an interesting an unexpected story line and a startling development that I didn’t see coming. I liked the surprise twist.
*The ending is satisfying. After the dust settles, all the secrets and issues are revealed and dealt with, things settle down into a new norm. I was pleased with the way things played out, especially for Essie and Barbara. I thought the handled their situation maturely. Life isn’t perfect, and things often get messy, and that is what this book is all about.
And The Not So Much:
*I listened to the audiobook version of the book. The narrator does a good job, but I think it would have been better if there had been five different narrators. With the point of view switches, having a new voice for each character would make it much easier to keep track of the characters.
*The opening story thread is jarring, especially since it doesn’t fit into the story until much later. There are more snippets of this thread throughout until you get the big picture. It was troubling until it clicked in and made sense.
*One thing I didn’t like was that none of the women really seemed to care about one another. They were surface friends, nice in public, but no one was really there to support and help the others.
*I don’t know, I was expecting more from this book. I thought I was getting a thriller, but it isn’t. This is a book about secrets, nothing earth shattering, and how women deal with them. A good read but not a page turner.

The Family Next Door wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I went into thinking it was a thriller with some big twists, but it isn’t. Instead this is a book that shares the lives of five different women and the secrets they are hiding. Each woman must face her struggle and come to terms with it. It is an interesting read, but nothing truly explosive happens.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

3.5 - an indulgent beach read; lots of suburban drama behind the scenes, some more entertaining than others

This was my first read by this author and I absolutely loved it! It was very easy to get swept up in the drama and mystery that surrounds Pleasant Court and those that live there. With each chapter , the suspense grew and more secrets revealed. Highly recommend!

3.5
Essie tries hard to look like she is living a normal life. Only a few people know that she has something from her past that she is trying to hide. When a new neighbor, Isabelle, moves in Essie finds herself strangely attracted to her. Little does she realize this attraction runs the risk of bringing her secret to life.

Something strange is up with Isabelle and I couldn't wait to find out what it was. Was she there for good or evil?

This story kept me engaged and moved quickly. I was surprised by the twist at the end when we discover Isabelle's real story. I thought this was a well thought out mystery.


I received this from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would highly recommend to all my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!