This was a unique premise that I couldn't wait to dive into. We know about the neighbors that wish well but watch behind closed doors for you to make a mistake. I liked reading from Nicole's perspective because while she isn't perfect she is really dissecting her neighbors and their relationship with their adoptive daughter. It is hard to decipher what is true and what is perceived.

Good Neighbors was an interesting read. It centers around four families who seem on the outside to be good friends. However, they constantly gossip about one another. I found it somewhat engaging, but the ending wasn't as I expected.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased.

thoroughly enjoyed. great plot. interesting characters. fast reading. kept me engaged the entire book.

This book HAUNTED me for days after I finished. I would wake up in the middle of the night and find myself thinking of the ending. It was as compelling as it was horrifying. I found myself both dreading picking up my kindle to read and needing to finish the book immediately.

3/5 stars
I really enjoyed this book and had never read this author before. I cared about all of the characters and their different viewpoints. The writing was easy to follow I could hardly wait to reach the end to see where the story was going to take me.

The ending ... this is where it all fell apart. I feel as if I had invested so much time and emotional energy and was then slapped in the face. When I finished I thought “WHAT!!!” That’s it ??? That’s the end ??? What a letdown.

The story in this novel fascinated me. Imagine if you lived in a very beautiful residential area. All houses are beautifully portrayed. The perfect road and the life of a very friendly neighbour. Also cities that don't have any shortcomings. I think this is my dream.
The story of four couples in this novel has a very good and normal relationship. All have close relationships. In fact, they are described as having different types, properties and other things. This means that the characters in the story are very complete.
Until a small and light conflict began to appear. At that time there were couples who adopted children. All become chaotic when this imperfect child enters perfect character. Begin to open some masks such as looking at ugliness, attitude that is rude, racial, lacking in empathy and not caring. But readers should not be fooled by the arrival of this child. It could be all sourced from characters that act perfectly.
I give five stars for this novel. But actually there are still some disadvantages. I am sure Joanne Serling will improve again in the next novel. However, the story in this novel is as warm as the cover.
Thank you to Joanne Serling, Twelve Books and NetGalley.

I liked the concept of this novel, its an interesting one. What if you think your neighbor is abusing her child. What would you do and how far should you take it? The authors style is good, the storyline is compelling and could have been great but unfortunately, it was too chatty and it kind of fizzled out for me. The book started off well and I enjoyed parts of it. If you're a fan of family dramas then maybe you'll like this one, so give it a try. Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Some days you can't turn your eyes away from a car crash. And some days you need to read books that keep your eyes glued to the wreck. This was the case with Good Neighbors by Joanna Serling.

Good Neighbors is about a group of upper middle class neighbors who form what looks like tight bonds from the outside. However, from the inside, it is clear they aren't really as close as they want people to believe they are. For example, these families have dinner together, party together, and even travel together. But, they are quick to gossip about one another and turn on one another.

The underlying issue in this book is that one of the families adopts a little girl from another country. The adoption goes through and then the family seems to be dissatisfied. So much so that it makes others in the group uncomfortable. The former friends begin to gossip about the family and believe the girl is in an abusive situation.

From the beginning, reading this book was like reading a train wreck because these people are obnoxious. The kind of obnoxious people that wind up on reality shows. So, when the adoption takes place, the story moves away from what could be a great conversation about cross-cultural adoption and the potential issues families face, this book goes off the rails. It is extreme and maddening at points. But, once again, I just reminded myself I am reading car wreck fiction and not sophisticated literature.

Overall, I think there will be many people who enjoy the gossipy dramatic nature of this book. However, there will also be many others who will put off by the author's handling of adoption.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this copy to read and review!

An adoption of a preschooler in Russia, brings drama and judgement to the clique of wealthy neighbors.

When Gene and Paige decide to adopt, they soon find out that they are not prepared for the many issues that arise. Some of Paige’s friends sense that she is not bonding to the little girl and they begin to worry and fear for the child’s well-being. One neighbor becomes worried.

I did enjoy the setting of the neighborhood and the friendships that were explored. This is my type of book; great balance of suspense.

Four young families living in a cul-de-sac are brought together as friends thanks to their children's ages.

When the one family adopts a Russian child, Nicole can't help noticing that all is not what it seems and amidst the chaos in the background of her life she wonders what is really going on.She finds herself caught up in the middle, trying to please everybody.

The book is very "chatty" but with darker, disturbing undertones and events. It keeps the reader wondering what the hidden story is.

The first half of the book was okay - the normal coming and goings and get togethers of friends with young children; albeit with a few mysterious events tossed in; with a person not really knowing where the story was heading.
It picked up dramatically in the second half. So much so, that you couldn't put it down, wondering what was going on behind closed doors.

You start to feel the internal dilemma Nicole is faced with; witnessing a breakdown of bonds formed over many years; the dissolution of promises and friendships.
At times you are not even 100% sure of who is telling the truth.

The ending came so fast and was not at all what I thought it would be. I felt the crushing disappointment/regret that Nicole must have been experiencing.

The fine line between a good neighbour and a bad neighbour can become a blurred line if you only see half the story and use that to create the whole story that suits you.

Good Neighbors by author Joanne Serling is a great domestic fiction! The feel of the novel was awesome, the characters really fall into each well and the plot is thick with fast paced moments that have you flying through!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Good Neighbors in exchange for an honest review.

In an idyllic suburb, four young families quickly form a neighborhood clique, their friendships based on little more than the ages of their children and a shared sense of camaraderie. When one of the couples, Paige and Gene Edwards, adopt a four-year-old girl from Russia, the group's loyalty and morality is soon called into question. Are the Edwards unkind to their new daughter? Or is she a difficult child with hidden destructive tendencies?

This one started out really strong for me, I loved most of the book but that ending! It pains me to say that I did not like that ending at all, I was hoping for more closure. If you're a fan of family dramas then you'll probably like this one, so give it a try!

#NetGalley #TwelveBooks
Pub Date 06 Feb 2018

I thought this book was a great read overall, it kept me interested, but I felt that the ending should’ve been better developed.

Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for providing a free copy if this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Twelve for providing this free E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What would you do if you thought your neighbor was abusing their child? Would you act based solely off your intuition or mind your business? Would you think about the type of people they portray themselves to be or take it one step further and take a look at yourself?

I enjoyed Good Neighbors. I felt that the characters were unlikeable, judgmental and nosy. I’ve never been close with my neighbors but after reading this book don’t think I would enjoy that type of close nit community.

I would’ve loved to get to know Nicole and Paige’s character a bit better. I felt there is some deep reason as to why they are the way they are. Paige and her unexplainable determination to make Winnie perfect and Nicole who seems to struggle with her parenting skills herself and relationship with her mother and sister.

I needed a little bit more but overall it’s an enjoyable quick read.

This book started off really interestingly but the end just didn’t tie everything up and it kinda bugged me. There are a lot of unexplained and unnecessary sub-plots (Nicole’s mother and sister, her behaviour towards her children etc) and it was an annoying ending. It captured my interest from the start and I really wanted to know how it ended but it just has a really disappointing ending.

Where to begin? I was hooked for awhile. At the start I was interested in the dynamics of the main characters. Also, I was intent on finding out who was telling the truth and who was just a shallow liar. I believe the characters were all very capable of deceit!
However as the story unfolded, I found myself really disliking all of the characters. ( I expected Gene to be the hero!!!!!)

As most of the reviewers have said, this read had a great premise - adoption of an overseas child. Also, why bother adding in Nicole's sister and mother? This really did not add to the book. If anything, it may confuse the reader and this made me dislike Nicole even more. I expected a better ending - this one left me flat.

Great story idea and strong personality traits depicted by Joanne Serling.

Many thanks to Twelve books and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

When I saw the description of this story while browsing available books for reviewing thanks to my association as a book blogger with NetGalley, I was interested. With all the talk on the news about adoption recently, I became even more interested so I signed up and was approved.  While the book was released in February of this year, I was happy to learn that the paperback version will be available on Amazon on February 5, 2019!!

I learned that Good Neighbors is Joanne Serling's first novel, and that was impressive. The story’s narrator is Nicole Westerhof, and she shares the story through her interactions with her troubled mother and sister, her husband and sons, as well as her neighbors.  They live in an upper middle class town, and this book and its story causes readers to question whether or not neighbors can really be friends, or are they just folks who happen to live near us.  The story even made me wonder what I would do if I found out "information" about one of my neighbors and how I would act or react.

There are group of families in Good Neighbors in the neighborhood that seem to be inseparable. They all hvae young children, get together and they've formed their friendships based on the similar ages of their kids.

Paige and Gene Edwards adopt a four-year old Russian girl and they name her Winifred ("Winnie").  Winnie is an unusual little girl, and Nicole seems to take a special interest in her to the extent that she then becomes concerned about her life. Nicole tries to talk to her husband about her concern, but like most men, her husband doesn't want to deal with what seems to be Nicole's chatterings of neighborhood gossip.  This, of course, forces Nicole to share her thoughts with the other neighbors.  The friendships of the neighbors then begins to deteriorate as the "whispering" about the Edwards' adoption grows.

Nicole is a bit "surfacy" - she mentally criticizes people for the way they are dressed and notices details of folks. The other side of Nicole is that she is a great mother and wife, and her concern for Winner seems genuine.  Even her feelings for her mom and sister are believable and loving.  Paige looks perfect on the outside - perfect house, nicest yard in the neighborhood, throws awesome parties, etc. (thanks to her live-in hired help).  The truth, however, is that Paige cannot deal with a child that isn't perfect and her life starts to fall apart.

As the storyline unfolds readers try to figure out whether Nicole and her neighbors are just being nosy and judgmental or if there really is something bad that is going to happen with Winnie. The characters in Good Neighbors are well described and believable; their struggles and personality quirks draw you in as you try to understand what moves them to behave the way they do. I felt the dialogue was well written and I was engaged with the lives of these characters from cover to cover. 

Good Neighbors is a quick read (I read it in 2 days, thanks to being forced to work a day job).  Joanne Serling's first book is great, and I look forward to more from this writer!

I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my post.  I was not required to post a positive review, but have chosen to do so because it was such a great story!

The concept of this novel is an intriguing one - if you suspect your neighbor of child abuse, how far should you take it? What could have been a relevant commentary on today's modern society and where the line between nosey and protective is drawn instead fizzles on the surface.
The author's style is good but characters lack depth as does the story. Enjoyable to read but not something I'll return to read again or store in my memory banks.

A surprisingly engaging story, if only mediocre in the writing itself. While I wasn’t immediately drawn in, I did find myself eagerly turning the pages as I approprached the end, wondering how much I could trust the stories each of the neighbors shared about the adopted girl, Winnie, and the degree to which she was being ill-treated. As a book about families (ones you’re born into and one’s your make), I do believe that the author should’ve included more about Nicole’s mother and sister. They seemed like fascinating characters that shaped who Nicole is today, but we were only given a surface treatment of them.

I would recommend this book as a quick, interesting read.

Good neighbors

This is one of those books that you’ll forget about as soon as you close it. Even after trying to pick up and read this book several times, I never really got into it.