I’ve enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s first three novels, so I was thrilled to receive an advanced reader’s copy of The Family Next Door, which is coming out in March. This one has a different feel than her previous novels. There are more characters and a level of suspense this time. It has the feel of a Liane Moriarty novel combined with Desperate Housewives. I started it on a Saturday morning and was almost halfway through by the evening. Then I would think about it when I wasn't reading it, and worry for all the characters. That’s how captivating it is!

There’s a lot happening throughout the story and the characters are all relatable. Essie is dealing with post-partum depression and is intrigued by her new neighbor, Isabelle, who is keeping a huge secret from everyone on their street. Ange is worried that her husband is still being unfaithful to her, even after she caught him one time. Fran is keeping some important information from her husband, which could potentially ruin their solid marriage. The characters are neighbors, so their lives intersect in some ways, but what they do in their own lives doesn’t really impact the others, except in one situation. I just liked seeing all their perspectives anyway and found myself caring about what happened to each of them. The suspense leads to an interesting twist that I did not see coming at all. I love being surprised by books!

Overall, this novel is definitely a page turner and one to check out when it releases in the spring. In the meantime, if you haven’t read her other novels, you have the next five months to get caught up! (They’re all stand-alones, and very much worth checking out, as well.)

Here is my dream movie cast. Since locations get changed for film anyway, I figured it wasn’t a big deal where the actors were from. They can always put on regional accents if needed.
Ange: Amanda Schull
Lucas: Geoff Stults
Essie: Yael Stone
Ben: Ryan Eggold
Isabelle: Michelle Monaghan
Fran: Elena Anaya
Nigel: Sam Worthington
Barbara: Mary Steenburgen

Suburbia, neighbors, families, secrets and not-so-quite-perfect lies.... this one keeps you guessing until the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved every thing about this book. Can’t wait for it to come out so I can have all my friends read it.

This was an enjoyable book about a group of neighbors and things are not how they appear on the surface. I found this book very entertaining and reminds me of Liane Moriaty's books. I would consider this a great beach/vacation read.


I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

Fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced from beginning to end, and I loved how all of the characters were connected. I did not want to stop reading!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sally Hepworth is a brilliant writer. She makes characters so relatable, and she writes on subjects that most people are not willing to discuss. Every book has touched me, and this one blew me away. I kept referring to the saying "everybody's got something" . Each family in this book was dealing with their own issues and keeping so many secrets. I didn't know what to think of Essie initially. Her story grew on me quickly. This is one outstanding read!

In Pleasant Court, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, three families who are neighbors know each other well enough to wave hello, but are not close friends. Both internal and external family relationships change over the course of this story, with each family feeling the impact of a closely-kept secret. The author is adept at depicting scenes of family life, post-partum depression, and mother-child bonds. It is filled with twists and surprises for the reader. I found it a compelling and quick read.

Recommended to those interested in family dynamics from a woman’s point of view.

I was lucky enough to get an early reader copy via Netgalley. The book comes out next March. The story focuses on a neighborhood in Australia, which is made up of families with children who are buying their homes. Each of them has a different, but life-changing secret. Essie, Fran and Ange are the wives. Then Isabelle moves in, throwing the balance off. She’s single, no children, renting her house and obsessed with Essie.

The story moves fast by alternating between each woman’s point of view. The characters are well drawn, and you feel how hot it is the summer the novel takes place. I got a little mixed up between some of the characters and that may be because this is an ARC that still has proofreading errors in it. So go ahead and read this if family drama is your preferred genre. I think you’ll like it. I gave it four stars, because personally I felt that the mystery was solved too soon. You may feel differently.

I received this book "The Family Next Door" from Netgalley for my honest review.

It took me a little while to understand who all the characters were and how they connected. The writing seemed to jump around a bit. The story picked up quickly and can keep you guessing what everyone in the neighborhood is up to.

Isabelle in a newcomer to the neighborhood. She seems like an anomaly, no children or husband in sight. What Isabelle does have is a secret, but so do the other women living nearby: Fran, Essie, Barbara (Essie's mother) and Ange all have things in their past that they don't want to think about, though it haunts them. On the surface, each of these families seem picture perfect, the kind of families proudly plastered on Facebook feeds. But everything isn't as it seems.

I truly enjoyed reading this novel, and learning about each of these women's lives. Some of the twists were completely unexpected, and blew me away! There was one event at the end that seemed over the top, especially considering the tone of the rest of the novel. It almost seemed too convenient, more plot-device than organic story-telling. Other than that, however, I thought this was a quick, absorbing read.

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC*

The family next door are not always what they seem, and that's perfectly illustrated in this story about the seemingly idyllic neighborhood of Pleasant Court, a suburb of Melbourne. Ange is a married mother of two pre-teen boys, a real estate agent, married to Lucas, a photographer. Essie is a stay at home mom of two girls, preschooler Mia and baby Polly. Essie's husband Ben owns a fitness studio. Fran is a lawyer, home on maternity leave. She's married to Ollie and they have a preschool aged daughter. Isabelle who is unmarried and childless moves to the street and for some reason the veneer of Pleasant Court begins to crack. It seems that everyone's got secrets, including Isabelle, but everyone is very busy pretending they are living the perfect life, until one day, they're not. I received this advanced reader copy from Great Thoughts Ninja Review team. All opinions are my own.

Excellently written book about the power of secrets that I completely related with. I had no idea what to expect next but I loved this book so much!! Five stars!!!

5 stars.

How well do you know the people closest to you? Are they who you think they are? Is anyone?

These are the questions at the heart of Sally Hepworth’s new novel “The Family Next Door.” It is a phenomenal novel that delves into the minds of several families and specifically five complicated women. Some are mothers and daughters; others friends or neighbors. The only thing I can tell you is that nothing is as it seems. Essie and her mother Barbara, as well as Ange, Fran and Isabelle live in a community where your become friends with your neighbors - and you think you know them and you think you know them well. All I can say is that no one is ever who you think they are. Eye-opener!

What Sally Hepworth does here is nothing short of brilliant. She writes about people’s idiosyncrasies; their secrets, what makes them human, what makes them tick and how they operate. And in “The Family Next Door” no one is left unscathed.

“The Family Next Door” is a must read. Like all of Sally Hepworth’s other novels it is compelling and extremely well written. Ms. Hepworth lured me in from the first sentence and kept me enthralled throughout. She has a way with words my friends. If you haven’t picked up one of her books, I highly suggest you do so.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads and Twitter on 10.2.17.

Will be published on Amazon on 3.13.18

Really enjoyed this read. It was a page turner for me trying to figure out who would be the most affected by all the kept secrets.

This excellent new book by Sally Hepworth is about secrets, both those that we keep from our friends and neighbors but as important the secrets that we keep within our families. The author does an amazing job of giving us a great plot with people that we all feel like we know in our day to day lives.

Pleasant Court is a small neighborhood and Essie, Fran and Ange all live their with the families. They are all parents of small children and even though they all wave to each other and talk everyday chatter, they aren't really good friends. They all wonder why Isabelle decided to move there since she's a single woman with no kids. The story is told from all 4 woman's point of view and as they each tell their story, secrets are revealed in each family. Even though mistakes were made - some major - all four women remain likable.

You never really know the secrets that someone else is keeping from the world. This book about friendship and motherhood and secrets is a great read.

Thanks to goodreads and the Great Thoughts Ninja Review Team for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ever been curious about that goes on in your neighbors' homes? Ever thought about what secrets your neighbors try to hide as they close their door and window shades at night? Surely, most of us have and that is the premise of this novel by Sally Hepworth.

The people of Pleasant Court have secrets and as we delve into the novel, we learn more and more about what is driving them. Some secrets are those of infidelity, some of a lost child, and some are of the illusions we sometimes see in marriages and relationships. Essie, the main character suffers from postpartum depression but is befriended by a new neighbor, Isabelle, who seems to take quite a big interest in Essie. That interest is returned as Essie seems more and more drawn towards Isabelle. Essie fears she might be harboring a gay relationship. Essie is the mother of two children with a doting husband yet why is there this overwhelming attraction to Isabelle?

Then there are the other residents of Pleasant Court. Ange, Fran, and Essie's mother hold within themselves their own secrets. Why is Ange such a controlling person? Why is Fran so afraid to let her husband near her newest child? Finally, why is Barbara, Essie's mother, always so solicitous? All of these questions are answered as the book continues to a somewhat surprising, yet to to this reader, a somewhat hard to believe conclusion.

The book is certainly a quick read, but the problem is some of the reasoning behind the secretive nature of the characters seems far fetched. I enjoyed the story however, as it leads one on a journey to find out what their neighbors hid behind their doors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for an arc of this book.

Strap on your seatbelt and get ready for a riveting read! I often “solve the mystery” before the end of a novel but an “aha” moment escaped me with this one…

There is a nagging memory of a child in a nearby suburb that went missing years ago. That child was never found. Something like that would never happen in Pleasant Court.

The novel centers around three families in a small Australian neighborhood and each home could be the family next door. Essie had a mental breakdown a few years ago. Her mum and Ben are concerned now that they have another baby. She seems to be handling the stress alright but you can never be too sure. Fran is a super intelligent attorney currently on maternity leave. She seems hyper-focused on her newborn and won’t let her sweet hubby near Ava. Ange is the quintessential control freak of the bunch. She’s happily married with two sons, owns a real estate agency and always looks spectacular.

As the women slowly form a bond, Isabelle moves into the neighborhood. She’s aloof and without a husband or children and what exactly does she do all day? She’s certainly secretive and doesn’t make an effort to fit in. What’s her story?

How well does anyone ever really know their neighbors and the dichotomy within their households? How long will they be able to keep their secrets secret?

I received an advance review copy of this book from Great Thoughts Ninjas. All opinions are my own.

Since I don't read a whole lot of chick lit, I'm choosey about which titles to read when I do decide to pick one up. This one said, "for fans of Liane Moriarty", which I found to be completely true while reading. It's an Australian suburban mystery among young mothers and families. There are several families living on the quiet street of Pleasant Court in Melbourne. Each family has their own struggles, which include crying babies, postpartum depression, feelings of isolation from the rest of the world and detachment from the people they were before marriage and babies. Each family also has their own secrets, which emerge as twists and turns in the story as it progresses.

I didn't love this book right from the start. It took me a while to get everyone's husbands and kids attached to the right mother/wife, and it took me a few chapters to start becoming invested in what was going on with the characters. But it turned out to be a great read, so much so that I finished it in one day. If you're looking a good little, reality escaping, light reading--The Family Next Door may be just the ticket.

"She couldn't expect every puzzle piece of her life to click together just because she wanted it to. All her life she'd lived with a peice of her puzzle missing, and maybe that was just the way life was."
I was quickly absorbed into this neighborhood, and anxious to learn each persons secrets.
I was shocked at the twists and turns of this novel and it kept me wondering right up to the last few pages, just how things would end.
Sally Hepworth does an amazing job of making you feel as if you are actually standing in the kitchens of these homes listening , to solve the dilemmas in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. When I started this book, I wasn't sure what to expect, but as soon as I sorted out who the characters were, and "got" their voices (quickly), I was hooked. Most families have a persona people believe is truly them, but usually there is always a story behind the appearance. This book takes this premise and runs with it. What added to my interest was that it kept me guessing, and each time I thought I knew where it was going, another turn came up. Highly recommended.