I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!

Loved it! I found the characters to be relatable and liked them very much. I read this book in one night because I got so lost in the story I didn’t realize what time it was. Very good book!

I'm a big fan of Sally Hepworth. Her novels are usually intricately woven stories with several main characters and The Family Next Door was exactly what I was hoping for. It wasn't fast paced and it took a long time to come to a peak but I was hooked from the first few pages.

Likely being a mother and a spouse allowed me to place myself in each woman's shoes a little bit more easily. I could relate to each family in one way or another and was intrigued by the concept that you don't really know what's going on behind a neighbour's curtain. Hepworth writes in a way that gives the women the central voice but she also manages to convey the male position as well. Though not the focus she doesn't leave us guessing.

Most interesting though was that I didn't see the end coming at all. I was entirely surprised by the twists at the end...shocked even that I hadn't seen it coming. Hepworth writes books that people can relate too and then throws in a curve-ball which will make you think, really think.


Thank you to St.Martin's Press for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

Why did I read this book? I was expecting some really engrossing Liane Moriarty-esque drama and secret lives, but oh no honey, all I got was confused. In The Family Next Door, the author, Sally Hepworth was trying way too hard to make storylines happen simultaneously that were bigger and bolder than the last, and she failed miserably.

The story starts with Essie, who leaves her brand new baby at the beach. She goes back for her of course, but then years pass and we don’t hear much about this incident again. As she has gotten older, she’s had another baby, but you can see that she still holds on to some of her mental instability.

Then there is Ange, Essie’s neighbor, who has her own secrets. Not to mention Fran, who has her own set of issues as well. See a theme here? Everyone’s hiding something. All three of these neighbors have really big deep dark secrets, but that’s just not that fun. Let’s throw in a random stranger, a new neighbor named Isabelle who has the biggest secret of all. All of the girls want to be friends with her because she’s just so aloof and carefree. That’s not enough for you? Toss some scandal in there and make one of the girls fall in love with the new neighbor. Gasp. Shock. Awe. Wow…not.

Ugh. This book. It was just sooo cliche and boring. I got almost done with it and I just gave up. I already knew what’s going to happen, I already figured everything out, even though it was extremely confusing to keep all of the secrets in order. I was fed up about 2/3 of the way through when he story started going in a million different, even weirder directions, that weren’t explained from the beginning. Plot twists were just thrown in willy-nilly, and I hate that about a book. I was just supposed to believe that this was the pain the entire time? No. Just no.

Hated it. Wouldn’t recommend it. Don’t read it. There are millions of other books with probably the same name out there that are way better. 1 out of 5 stars from this girl.

Drama about three families with a bit of mystery. Very fast paced, read it in less than a day. Kept me turning pages to find out exactly what was going to happen. Can't quite call it a psychological suspense book, but readers who enjoy those will like this one. Lots of secrets that come to light over the course of a heat wave in Melbourne.

Thanks to my association as a blogger with NetGalley, I had the wonderful opportunity to learn about author Sally Hepworth when I read and reviewed her book, The Things We Keep, back in January of 2016. When I saw that Hepworth had another book out, I jumped on the opportunity to read it.

Each chapter of this book is told by a different woman from the neighborhood. At first, I thought maybe that would become confusing to me, but Hepworth makes it easy to follow and you very quickly get wrapped up in the drama of each woman's life.

As everyone knows, no one's life is what it seems to others - especially if it looks picture perfect. No one knows what's going on behind the neighbor's curtain. This story unleashes the stereotypical secrets that people keep. It also shares some crazy "dirty little secrets" that other people keep.

.......and then there's GSA - ever heard of it? I hadn't but I'm not going to disclose this acronym since I don't write spoilers. Hepworth writes in a way that gives the women the central voice of the story, but she also manages to include the male position too.

The characters were very believable and interesting; the storyline kept me guessing.  Interestingly, I didn't see the end coming - in fact, I was thoroughly surprised by the twists at the end.  Author Sally Hepworth writes books that are very relatable and her books cause us to reflect back after we've finished the book. 

I received an advanced readers digital copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to provide a positive review but I chose to because it was a great book!! Thank you NetGalley!

The Family Next Door may not be all that it's cracked up to be, that's the premise of this novel by Sally Hepworth. Three suburban families, secrets, lies, mystery, and intrigue abound. It's light, fast and entertaining. Alternating from the three wive's viewpoints, the story flows fairly smoothly. There is a bit of suspense, but it's pretty predictable. It actually reads more like a television show, and the characters are a bit two dimensional for my taste. The Family Next Door is something I'd choose for a beach read.

I was completely engrossed in this book right from the start. Likeable, believable, flawed characters, and a story that builds like a mystery all the way to the end. Hepworth handles all of her characters with love and empathy. A very good read.

Enjoyed the honesty in the first part of this book and continued to enjoy as Hepworth pulled out an unexpected story. Realistic. Captivating. Honest in presenting characters and situations, the different story lines and characters all come together in the end. This novel reminded me of the television limited serial, Big Little Lies. It’s gripping. You will want to find time in your day to keep reading.

Appearances can be deceiving… no, wait, that is the opening line for the old television show, “Desperate Housewives.” On the other hand, appearances are deceiving and this book greatly reminded me of that old show.
This is the story of three desperate housewives whose lives all seem fairly normal from the outside – until a fourth woman, who is single, moves into the neighborhood. Isabelle doesn’t quite fit in with the mothers, wives, neighborhood, and she unreasonably appears to know far more about the women than she should. Soon, secrets are told but to what end and why?
Sally Hepworth is a very good writer, very readable and she definitely has an artful way with adjectives when describing everyday, mundane life as a mother. There are lines in the book that will make most women say, “Uh-huh, been there, done that too.”  However, I had a huge feeling of disconnect with the women in the book. None of these women were like anyone I knew, their relationships with their husbands never rang true to me and what is up with women who only are friends with their other neighbors? Don’t they have any interests outside of their neighborhoods? This is the second book in as many weeks revolving around neighborhood women. The first I related to because they did have an outside life – friends, jobs, family. This one, not so much. There simply was no believability factor for me, therefore, I found myself reading the book simply to find out who was Isabelle and what were her motives. If that is enough to keep you satisfied, then you might like this book more than I did. I tend to like books that have some character development, thought, purpose. This was just, well, something to pass my time.

This is a great comp for BIG LITTLE LIES! I loved the twists and it was incredibly gripping. Great read!

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

Brief Summary: This story is a domestic drama that tells the stories of three women and their families living in a suburban neighborhood in Australia. Isabelle has just moved to the neighborhood; single, childless and allegedly gay, she catches the eye of her new neighbors; though readers quickly learn that Ange, Fran, and Essie have their own secrets to hide. I really enjoyed this author’s previous work, The Things We Keep, and was eager to read her latest work.

Highlights: This is an easy to read and quick paced novel. I kept reading to figure out what brought Isabelle to town and who the unidentified voice in the novel was. There are many interesting relationship and psychology factors. The multiple view point narration keeps it interesting.

Explanation of Rating: 3.5/5: Slightly above average. This book held my interest but I would recommend others over it. This novel normalized common relationship pitfalls that will resonate with readers.

Psychology Factors: Postpartum Depression, genetic attraction, postpartum psychotic episode, and depression in young adult men. All these factors helped shape the novel. Genetic sexual attraction is very misunderstood but got my attention after it was on a recent episode of Law and Order: SVU. It’s also under researched. Nigel’s depression and subsequent effect on his marriage was very real; unfortunately not everyone is open to help. I had never heard of postpartum psychosis; likely because it’s so rare, occurring in 1-2% of births but is very serious due to the risks to the infant and mother.

Favorite Quotes: “Back then everything had been so clear and so simple. Now despite everything Lucas had done; nothing was clear. Ange had always been so clear about what she would and wouldn’t put up with in a relationship, but he was a good father.” It’s easy to say what you would do in someone else’s place until you are there.

This is an enjoyable quick and easy read; perfect for the beach this summer. Book clubs will find some good discussion points too.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Now when she walked out of her house and saw one of the neighbors, she went over and said hello-even if it was early in the morning. It seemed impossible to her now that they had all been going through their own private torture while living right next door to each other.

I have read Hepworth before and am I big fan. Her plot is driven thru her characters that each have their distinct mark on the story. This is no different however, it was a thrilling read. I was at the edge of my seat, turning the pages of my trusted kindle as fast as I could.

First of all, I wasn't sure what "family" this was geared towards. There are several families in the mix set in Australia (also a different setting for Hepworth). Neighbors Ange, Fran and Essie are wondering about their new neighbor Isabelle. She is mysterious and single, and vague. However, each of these neighbors are keeping something from each other. Essie whose mother lives next door helps Essie with her babies. Her mother and husband are terrified that another incident will occur where Essie will leave her baby unattended. Is Essie an unfit mother and would she do harm to her children.

Fran and Nigel with their two children appear happy and all together, but will it pass the ultimate test when a secret is revealed.

Ange believes her marriage is strong and stable. Her husband is the every woman's dream, Handsome, attentive and a loving father. What happens to their marriage when it is based on a lie.

Isabelle has the greatest secret of all. She has motive and determination to get what is rightfully hers.

Each of these women of their own narration that is unique and brings you to their struggle. A struggle in womanhood, motherhood and how each struggle is done alone. As with most struggles, it starts in the mind until you put it into action. Which each of these women did. Again always fan of Hepworth!

A Special Thank You to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

An excellent summer thriller that doesn't involve violence against women. Which, sadly, is hard to find. I read this cover-to-cover in one afternoon and have already recommended it to several friends.

Single Isabelle doesn't seem to fit into the Melbourne neighborhood of young families, and everyone's suspicious. She seems to be particularly fascinated with Essie, a young mother with a terrible secret. But Essie is not the only one with a secret: two other moms on the street wish they could run away from family crises they cannot divulge. A lot of head-hopping, not much character development.

The Family Next Door is a quick read about a neighborhood teeming with secrets. The three women at the center of the story, Essie, Fran, and Ange, are all wives and mothers, and each has her own set of problems and worries that she keeps hidden away behind a facade of domestic bliss. It’s Isabelle’s arrival in the neighborhood that kicks off the cascade of revelations, as secrets come out and lives are upended.

The book is fast-paced, and while some of the secrets may be simpler to guess, the big reveal at the end is shocking and very unexpected. I enjoyed the characters, although overall the tone of the book was a bit too Desperate Housewives for my taste.

For readers who enjoy dramas about marriage, family, lies, and life-long secrets, this will make a great choice for summer beach reading.

Sally Hepworth has done it again! This is the perfect summer beach read. I was fully invested in each woman's storyline and I was satisfied with how each one ended. I started out loving Ange's story the best, but I grew to love Fran and Nigel's story. I was surprised with Isabelle's motive for moving to the neighborhood and I loved the twist! I highly recommend this one!

Sally Hepworth writes about motherhood, families and friends. She has a knack for exploring relationships and the "everyday" in an interesting way.
In this novel, she focuses on a street in an affluent suburb in Melbourne and a few families who are neighbours. It is a suburb full of families which is why they are surprised when a single woman, Isabelle moves in. It becomes apparent quite quickly to the reader that not all is as it seems with Isabelle and that she is there to uncover a secret.

The first half of this book has a <i>Big Little Lies</i> feel to it, but by about half way it has left those comparisons behind and I was hooked and couldn't stop reading. As we get towards the latter half it feels more like a Hepworth book again as we explore relationships and motivations for decisions. She is a truly talented character writer and I look forward to reading her future books!

If you haven't read any of her work before, I recommend starting with [book:The Things We Keep|25663807]. Although I have enjoyed all of her books, I still think that is my favourite :)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Essie may seem to have it all, a loving and helpful husband, a mother who helps out and two healthy children. She’s been able to put behind the terrible moments years ago when for one moment she left her first born baby alone in her carriage while she went to have tea. After treatment for her postpartum depression, life has gotten better but she now has a new baby and doubts about her ability to be a good mother plague her.

Soon Essie will have a new neighbor who she finds fascinating. While most other neighbors wonder why Isabelle has decided to make their community her home, Essie wants to become her friend. Essie’s neighbors and friends don’t really approve of Isabelle, or are at least are more cautious about welcoming her fully, but they all have their own lives and problems to deal with.

Before too long Essie is spending more time with Isabelle and starts keeping secrets from her mother and husband. Both of course are worried about her and remember just how fragile Essie was after the birth of the first baby so could she be falling back into a depression or is something else going on?

The narrative is told from the perspective of several of the women so while there are quite a few characters to keep track of, as well as all of their problems, I didn’t find it difficult at all to keep up with and actually liked reading all the different plots. An enjoyable story of domestic intrigue.

I love Sally Hepworth, and while this book is a bit of a departure from her other books, I still enjoyed it. It reminded me a bit of Liane Moriarty's Big, Little Lies. Honestly, I didn't really care for the two side stories, but the main plot line was really interesting. Overall, it was a good read.