Talk about a neighbourhood watch. What goes on behind closed doors on Pleasant court is the subject of this soap opera-esque, entertaining read. Three couples, each with a couple of kids and one with a mom living next door go about their daily lives appearing to be no different than any other suburban families. All is not quite so clear cut.

Each couple are dealing with something. Essie struggles with postpartum depression while her easy going husband works long hours at his job. Fran and Nigel have faced some bleak times in their relationship and Fran’s stress levels have only increased with the birth of their second child. Lucas is a great dad to his and Ange’s two sons. Why then is Ange suspicious of the people Lucas associates with when he is not at home?

When a childless, husband-less woman rents a home on the street asking the women a lot of personal questions, their fragile lives filled with secrets, lies and envy begin to fray at the edges.
Grab a bowl of popcorn and watch the secrets unfold. Mind fluff but difficult to put down mind fluff. There are a few twists and turns and like the All My Children groupie I once was, I got sucked into the lives of these not so perfect couples.

3.5 stars for an entertaining if occasionally eye rolling read.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.

This was like Desperate Housewives meets Liane Moriarty.
I found it a bit predictable with everyone's problems a little too easily resolved, but it was overall entertaining and a fast read.
Definitely a beach or poolside kinda read!

Three families each with 2 children live on Pleasant Court, a seemingly ideal family neighborhood. When a single woman moves into the neighborhood, everyone is curious and wonders why she would want to live in such a family oriented community. It turns out that each family is not as perfect as it would seem from the outside. Each has it's secrets and problems. This one is quite a page turner. It has interesting characters and family situations along with the more surprising thriller aspects.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of this book.

The characters in this book grabbed my attention and pulled me in pretty much immediately. I certainly can see why her writing style is compared to Lianne Moriarty (who is one of my favorites) as she writes the same kind of engaging characters and twists that help you realize you can never really know what someone else's life is like.

You never know what goes on behind closed doors. In small neighborhoods where everyone is friendly but not too friendly, other people's relationships seem to be objects of envy. Perfect marriages are actually few and far between. In these house live three separate families raising children and muddling through the days. The exhaustion of raising children has about done them in.

Then a young, single woman moves to the neighborhood and things get shaken up. People start to examine their lives and choices and all of a sudden secrets rise to the surface. And these are some real humdinger secrets. How they women confront their problems and the choices they make is quite interesting.

This is for fans of Big Little Lies and set in Melbourne Australia although it could be any suburban neighborhood. Our problems are all the same no matter where we live. The weariness of raising children, the struggle to make and maintain friendships and the luxury of a satisfying relationship are all things we all struggle with.

It's a fast read and keeps you turning the pages. It also reminded me why it's good to have infants when you are young. I don't think I could live those sleep deprived and mind numbing days again.

Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

3.5 stars from me for Sally Hepworth's latest offering The Family Next Door. Though it kept me turning pages to learn more about her version of Wisteria Lane, I didn't think it was as good as two of her previous books (The Things We Keep, and The Mother's Promise). The characters in The Family Next Door seem a bit shallower than those in her previous books and the ending was a bit too much of a stretch for me.

Nevertheless, this chick-lit book is sure to be a big hit with lovers of the genre. A small neighborhood with secrets, lies, and affairs abounding is just the sort of escapism that many crave, and Hepworth is good at giving the reader things to delight in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Goodreads who each gave me early access to this book, and a big shout-out to St. Martin's Press too! I very much appreciate the efforts to give readers sneak-peeks at books soon coming to market.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 solid stars!

First of all, many thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth was a very entertaining read if I do say so myself. This book seems to be marketed as a thriller among other things, but I didn't really find it to be much of a thriller myself. I felt like there was some good suspense, especially towards the end, but it felt more like I was watching an episode of Desperate Housewives than anything else. In my world it is more of a contemporary domestic/psychological drama. Which is A-OK in my opinion!

Set in a small suburb of Melbourne, Australia called Pleasant Court, The Family Next Door centers on the lives of a few of the wives that live there and what happens when a new single woman moves in. Really it is so much more than that, but when Isabelle moves in it sure does cause a bit of a ruckus. Especially since she seems to know everyone's names even the children. There is also a hefty dose of how well do we really know our neighbors, which was a lot of fun.

This book takes some heavier topics and presents them in a fairly light manner. I loved the switching viewpoints, and even though there are a few different characters it wasn't confusing. I didn't think the ending was super shocking for whatever reason, but there are a lot of revelations in the book and a few things you just will not see coming. At least I didn't.

Final Thought: I thought this was a very satisfying read, and if you are a lover of contemporary drama that is reminiscent of Desperate Housewives you should totally check this out. It was a page-turner and I can't wait to read more by Hepworth.

The Family Next Door in 3 words: Entertaining, Addictive, & Fresh

This is a page turner of a book with lots of twists and turns. Several families who are neighbors, all know each other, but don’t really know what is going on in each other’s lives. How well do you really know your neighbors and friends, and even family?!

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth is based in a suburban neighborhood, Pleasant Court, where everyone is happily going about their seemingly perfect lives. Consumed with their own personal struggles with postpartum depression, infidelity, newborns, children and spouses they are a somewhat unsociable group until a new neighbor arrives. Isabelle is chic and single and all of a sudden they find themselves at coffees, dinners and neighborhood watch meetings. Why is Isabelle so interesting and why is she so interested in them? Will their worlds come crashing down as these revelations come to light? Once I got into this book I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are some great plot twists and I was not disappointed in the ending! I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book has a fun vibe reminiscent of the TV show, Desperate Housewives. There are plenty of secrets behind the closed doors in this Pleasant Court neighborhood, and there are enough twists and surprises along the way that kept me flipping the pages.

Altogether, this was a fun, entertaining read that was a refreshing change from some heavier reads. It was a nice easy read with a little mystery and conflict that kept me reading and wanting to know how it would all turn out. For a contemporary women’s fiction book, I give it 4 stars. I look forward to reading more from his author.

*Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an e-galley of the book in exchange for an honest review

You can tell immediately when a master storyteller has written the book in your hands. The story grips you from the beginning, pulls you in completely and doesn’t let you go until the author decides to release you.

This is one of those books. Sally Hepworth has described these young mothers so well, that I think women with children everywhere will see a bit of themselves in them. The character development was some of the best I have ever seen. On the outside, this group of women seem to have perfect lives with handsome husbands and children. They live in a community where the houses are lovely and the neighbors all wave at each other, but no real friendships have formed. Each woman is wrestling with something and the secrets are about to be exposed.

I enjoyed this well-developed story.

Worthy of noting: The f word is used a few times, and sex is mentioned between the married couples; however, there are no graphic scenes. Overall, compared with most books on the market, this was much cleaner in that respect.

I was very much looking forward to The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth, but felt it didn't quite live up to all the hype. "A gripping domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse and Kerry Fisher." That is from the Goodreads listing.

The story wrapped up nicely, but it was the getting there that was spotty and unreliable for me. There was a lot of flitting about by the mothers in this book, but everything seemed to be very surface level until near the very end suddenly everyone was best buddies. We didn't see how they got there. **SLIGHT SPOILER** Perfect example, Essie leaves her baby, Mia, at the park. All by herself in a stroller. Then she walks home. Quite a while later Essie's mother, Barbara, comes by and wants to know where Mia is. We see them show up to get her and then *poof* it's years later.

Most of what happens in this book is approached this way. Things happen, but we never get the meat of the story, just the surface. It may just be me, but after seeing the hype and listening to others discuss this book, I wondered what I missed. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible book, but I was left wanting more out of the characters - the women carry the story and their husbands are primarily filler.

If you like suspense you'd probably enjoy this book. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it, which I was hoping to. Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and author for an early copy.

This is one of those stories that makes you examine the people around you and think that you really don't know anyone.

Neighbors, Secrets, and Scandals - one of my favorite genres!

This novel explores the themes of marriage, family, parenting, postpartum depression, friendship, and infidelity. It reminds us that each person is dealing with something beneath a cool, calm, and collected surface.

Essie, Ange, and Fran are cordial neighbors and mothers. They view the new neighbor Isabelle as mysterious because she doesn't fit the stereotypical mold of having a spouse and 2.5 kids.

I enjoyed this story, but for me, it wasn't as good as some of the other books that I've read with similar themes. I didn't really connect with any of the characters until 75% into the book. I had challenges keeping the characters straight because they were written so similarly.

I also felt that the characters didn't really even connect with each other. I wanted a stronger bond between the ladies with more chemistry. Each of these women are self-absorbed and mired in their own problems without looking up to see if their neighbors needed their support.

The story is entertaining and well paced but is not a standout for me. However, I have seen many 4 and 5 star reviews with many people loving this book, so please don't let my review sway you!

Why in the world did this beautiful single woman move into our family oriented cul-de-sac?

This is the question everyone on the street is asking and wondering about because she has no children. There are quite a few characters/families to keep up with, but it doesn't take long to sort them out because they each have have a unique story. I enjoyed the multiple POV's from the ladies themselves. It was like getting to peek behind their doors and see behind the facade.

I liked the way this mystery unfolded and caught me off guard.  At times, I felt the tension jumping from the pages and wanted to shake some of the ladies and ask them what they were thinking.  I enjoyed Hepworth's writing style and was totally pulled into all the drama of each household.  A page turner with a tidy ending (that left me wanting something a bit more tangled).
Each chapter ended with mini cliff hangers that had me devouring this one in no time. Fans of domestic suspense are in for a ride! Lot's of fun here.

Welcome to Wisteria Lane, or maybe Knots Landing, for those who remember that show, and of course Desperate Housewives. This book contains elements of all those shows. Good looking characters, drama, post partum depression, adultery, affairs, a missing child, and of course secrets. Where would fiction be without secrets. A rare book where except for one, I felt sorry for and liked the men more than the women.

A entertaining read, I have to admit, did want to find out how everyone's relationships turned out, what happened when their secrets were finally revealed. One plot twist was quite surprising, but all in all, a soap opera vibe, which isn't quite my thing. An ending that while I applauded one woman's decision to put on her big girl panties and grow a backbone, was just too good to be true. Too tidily resolved.

A sisters read where most liked it more than I did. It happens.

ARC. From Netgalley.

I requested this title because of a recommendation from another reader. I really enjoyed this book. I love the idea of life happening all around us and we have no idea what’s going on with the people we are closest to. There is something about that that appeals to me.

This one also had a bit of mystery thrown in. When Isabelle moves into town talking about missing children, it throws the neighborhood for a loop, particularly Essie, who finds herself infatuated with Isabelle.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it.

I was bored and did not care for the main character at all. I did not complete the book. I will not put up a review. Just because a book doesn't work for me, does not mean it might not work for someone else.

The 3 neighborhood couples introduced here are diverse, multilayered and flawed. Ange, Fran and Essie seem to have pretty good lives, though behind their enviable facades, their lives are anything but normal. Secrets, struggles and betrayals behind closed doors are uncovered and lives begin to unravel.

When single Isabel moves into this family-centric neighborhood, Essie, Fran and Ange are abuzz with curiosity. She’s an enigma. Essie becomes obsessed with her. Isabel was a puzzle I couldn’t figure out. She had a specific purpose for moving to town temporarily and it seemed to have something to do with Essie’s daughter, Mia. But then, BOOM!, a pretty great twist I didn’t see coming. My brain had gone in an entirely different direction. Love a good, unexpected surprise! This was a page-turner and the 4th book I’ve read by Hepworth - love her storytelling.

How well do we really know our neighbors? It seems that when single woman Isabelle moves into Pleasant Court, a lovely little neighborhood in Melbourne, secrets come flying out like balls from a tennis machine. Essie and Ben have two little daughters. It is not news that Essie once walked away from her baby at a park. She went back but how do you get past that? Nigel and Fran seem like the perfect couple. She seems to be the no-nonsense kind of mother, always prepared, but she is hiding a big secret from her husband. Ange and Lucas are raising their two boys and Ange seems to be in charge of the goings-on in the court but they too, are not what they seem. And then there is Barabara, Essie’s mother, who probably has the darkest secret of them all. Isabelle is there on a mission and when the truth comes out, all hell breaks loose.

This book reminded me of watching that lovely little soap Knots Landing. We get these neat little peeks into everyone’s homes. We are voyeurs in a way. Each character adds something to the story. No one is out of place. I love how everything falls together and we really get to know them all. There was one part that made me think “ew” but it was explained really well and I learned something new. Sally Hepworth is such a great author with a way of making you so involved with her characters. Loved this book and look forward to the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press (really becoming one of my favorite publishers) for this wonderful novel.