Very interesting book. The ending is not what I expected but I like surprises. The description does not really tell what it is about. It will hold the reader's attention waiting to find out what happens next. Lots of twists and turns along the way. If you like psychological suspense you will like this book.

A solid 4/5 stars - full review to follow closer to publication day!

The New Neighbors is a deeply-rooted dark and devious thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Jack and Sydney (Syd) are a modern couple in London looking to buy a house after saving everything they could in order to fulfill their dreams together. The duo attend an open house with their realtor, Evan, and immediately fall in love with this particular property. The house has more than enough space, is in a great area in London, and is around the price range that they are looking at. Luckily for the couple, the previous owner accepts their bid and the exchange is settled. Jack and Syd have never lived together and this will be the first time that they'll be residing together as a couple. Once the couple moves in, they agree to sell off all the furnishings that were left by the previous owner. The previous owner mysteriously bolted to Perth, Australia to follow his heart and left all his belongings with the house. As the couple starts rearranging the house and making it theirs, Jack finds something unsettling in the attic. Jack decides to keep this discovery a secret from his overly emotional significant other in hopes to not terrify her into second guessing this move together. As their progress with the house develops, the couple starts experiencing further disturbances around the property. Soon enough, the police have been called over to their residence—to solve the murder in their backyard.

I was really excited to pick up The New Neighbors as soon as I read the plot. My first opinion was that this story would having The Couple Next Door vibes and I really wanted to compare the two. As I begin reading, my initial impression of the story was, "wow, this book is going to be creepy! I'm getting The Grip of It vibes instead!", which if you know me—that is a very good compliment! Without giving anymore of the plot away, I was really intrigued by this possible haunted house/horror story. As the story progressed, Lelic changed course and the story became a domestic thriller/crime story. I was skeptical at first while reading during this recourse and was kind of disappointed by this transition. The writing in the first half of the story is so juicy, so robust, and so masterfully persuasive that I started to get discouraged by where the story was heading in the second half. As I kept reading about Jack and Syd, I felt that it was going to become very predictable for the avid thriller book seeker. What saves this story is Lelic's usage of red herrings along the way! I usually am not a big fan of red herrings because they can be cheap ways to promote suspense in a lackluster story, however the red herrings in The New Neighbors really added to the plot while giving us a detour in the main plot. I wholeheartedly welcomed each plot twist along the way! As I got towards the end of the story, I grew a connection to the characters. I related to Syd's challenges growing up and Jack's strength to hold on. There's a few other characters that I grew to have strong feelings for as well, but I'm going to leave that up to you to figure you. With a satisfying ending, The New Neighbors gets a solid 3 stars from me. Thank you Berkley Publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the writing style of this book, and the back and forth banter between Jack & Sydney. The premise for the book was really great, the flashbacks, I just think there wasn’t enough explanation for some parts, and other parts didn’t seem entirely necessary.

Moving into a house they never thought they would get.

Moving into a house with all the previous owner's things left inside.

Moving into a house and finding things that should not be there and hearing things.

Syd and Jack were excited to move into the house they actually got for a bargain, but things they didn't bargain for happened.

The neighbors were a bit odd as well.

THE NEW NEIGHBORS was difficult to connect with for me because of the writing style of the author. It was confusing when the chapters went from one character to one situation with hardly any connection for me.

There are many characters and many stories going on but it always comes back to that house and Syd and Jack bought. Even Syd’s mother sees something in the house that made her upset when she stopped for the first time.

There also were some things that I wasn't comfortable with like drug use and mental abuse, but I continued to read because I had to find out what the story was with the house.

THE NEW NEIGHBORS had many broken, hurt characters that all stemmed back to their childhood and to one person. Could it be more than one person causing all the grief?

This book is definitely a psychological fest. It plays on your mind just like the author has others play on the minds of the characters and storyline.

Everything doesn’t seem to be what it appears to be.

If you enjoy characters that are secretly twisted and a storyline that keeps you wondering, watching, and waiting, THE NEW NEIGHBORS is for you.

It is difficult to rate this book because it held my interest, but it also was frustrating. 3.5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I haven't heard much about this book outside of Netgalley, but I really enjoyed it and I thought it was the perfect blend of contemporary and thrilling aspects.

Jack and Sydney both know they were incredibly lucky to snag a house in their price range in London. It's such a bargain they overlook the taxidermied birds and improbability of the previous owner's abrupt departure. Harder to ignore are the inexplicable smells and their new neighbor, a little girl covered in bruises. Something is rotten in their perfect home, something the couple dances around in alternating chapters as they edge closer to the cataclysm that forced them start writing everything down. An eerie thriller, driven far more by the damaged Syd than her affable boyfriend. Time jumps and dueling narrators very effectively ratchet up the tension.

Update: This book is now being published in the United States and it has a new name. My original review (August 2017) of the book is below and you will see that I start it by stating that the book title is misleading. The new title does make more sense.



The New Neighbors

by Simon Lelic

Berkley Publishing Group

Pub Date 10 Apr 2018



Original Review:



Idgie Says:

The book title is misleading. I thought this would be a spooky story about a young couple moving into an old house, but soon realized it revolved around events that occurred in their lives after they moved into the house. The house itself was walls and rooms, nothing more.


That being said, this was a very interesting book - psychological warfare throughout the story. So many twists and turns. I can't say too much about it as that would reduce the shock value.


One very interesting fact about this novel is that the first part of the book is told in "letters". Jack and Syd are both writing letters - you are not sure to whom and you're not sure why. The chapters hop back and forth between their letters, slowly building the story line. You have to pay close attention because the timeline also hops around.

I definitely recommend this book! Review will go live on release date. http://dewonthekudzu.com

Honestly I didn't really care for the way this book started off, written in the form of a journal, switching back and forth between Jack's point of view and then Syd's. A few times I wasn't even sure which point of view I was reading. I was considering giving up on it. I'm glad I stayed with it,
Jack and Syd were two broken people before they found each other. Now happily in love and moved into their new home it seems like maybe life will turn out ok after all. Except for that foul smell of death in the attic and the strange box hidden towards the back. Then there's the sound of footsteps where nobody should be walking, and the neighbor who threatens you for daring to be nice to his abused daughter. Something from the past has followed the couple to their new home and it's not the welcome wagon. This was a dark and twisty psychological thriller and the ending took me by surprise.

This is a good suspense book but I struggled with the narrator and the back and forth storyline. I think it will be a great read for many. Clever and intriguing plot.

Pretty disappointing - characters weren’t really all that appealing and, thus, neither were their circumstances. Plot was contrived. It might be ok for those who like this genre, but definitely not a stand out.

Sydney Bailey has a troubled past, including drug use, that makes it difficult for her to connect with or trust others. But she does connect with Jack, a social worker who lacks social skills. They become a couple and find what may be the perfect house for them. But is it too perfect? After all, it is beyond their price range, yet their offer is accepted by the buyer, who has reportedly left all of his belongings behind and moved away to be with the new love of his life. As soon as Syd and Jack move in, strange things begin to happen. Jack makes disturbing discoveries in the attic and Syd becomes entangled with a troubled neighbor girl, Elsie, who has no friends and an overly controlling father. Events quickly spiral out of control as details about Elsie's past are revealed and Jack finds himself in jeopardy. Or is he? The story is told from two narratives drafted by Syd and Jack which are conflicting and, frankly, confusing at times, requiring patience on the reader's part. That patience does pay off, however, as the puzzling events are gradually explained. Some readers will find the ending quite frustrating, while others will praise author Simon Lelic's inventive and thought-provoking conclusion. Deeply flawed characters who prove to be wholly unreliable narrators, bait-and-switch plot twists, and Lelic's unique style make The New Neighbors a compelling read.
(Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Copy of the book.)

Wow, what a ride!!! This is one of those books that you can't say too much about without giving it away. Suffice it to say the author cites both Gone Girl and The Shining (among others) as inspirations for this book, and it evokes both of them well. I read this book in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. Don't read this at night if you're home alone - I'm scared to go to bed now! The first few chapters were slow for me while I got oriented to the story and the alternating POV style, but once it got going - whew! Read this book!

Jack and Sydney seem to luck into buying a beautiful old house in London. It's a fixer-upper, but they are eager to begin. Soon after moving in, Sydney meets a neighbor girl who is dealing with an abusive parent. Memories of Sydney's own childhood abuse comes rushing back to her, and she is determined to help Elsie escape the same fate. The story is told by Jack and Sydney in turn. Intriguing, gritty, and surprising. Fans of Gone Girl and Into the Water will enjoy it.

This was so boring to read! I couldn't get past the first few chapters.

Utterly riveting, cunningly written and bursting full of character. Fast paced and action packed. This was not the book to read while I got new neighbors.

The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic is a creepy good read that will keep you up all night convinced that you can hear footsteps in your house. This book features a couple who luck out on a great house for a good price. Little do they know that the house comes with an unexpected price tag. Be prepared for a great read with plenty of twists and turns. Read and enjoy!

Jack and Syd think they've hit the jackpot when they buy their first home together. From the first few days they move in, weird things start happening...

This story is told from alternating perspectives in the form of journal entries from each couple. It was a unique writing style I didn't quite like at the beginning, but it seemed to grow non me and worked out for the best by the end of the book.

The characters are unique and intriguing and kept me engaged. There are plenty of plot twists to keep me wanting to read more. While this wasn't the most compelling and riveting psychological thriller I have read, I did enjoy it and it did keep me guessing.

The ending was a bit rushed, and I had a hard time following as all the questions i had throughout reading unraveled so quickly. The weird happenings throughout the story were explained, but it was a bit too neatly wrapped up.

This book is due to be released here in the U.S. in April 2018. If you are looking for a quick read, you can pre-order now! I give this book a 3.5 star rating!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group to allow me the eARC to read and give my honest review.

Happy Reading!

I read the description of this book and was immediately into it. However, halfway into reading the book I had to read the description again because I found that, like movie spoilers, the written description was really only the few little exciting snippets there actually were in the whole book. This book goes by another title, “The House”, however I feel like both titles don’t really do the plot justice. There is a lot going on in this book that finally comes together at the end but I really felt like the book just kind of dragged on. Syd is kind of an odd misfit girl and Jack is pretty normal. I think the author tried to get the reader to sympathize with Syd and her fought background by introducing the little neighbor girl Elsie, but the two storylines felt flat, in my opinion. I didn’t really feel anything for either of the main characters. The ending, although I didn’t guess it, was not incredibly imaginative and was pretty unrealistic. This is one of those books you buy in paperback format and stick in your bag to bring to the beach because you don’t really need to pay too much attention to it while reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon Lelic, and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite the psychological thriller! Definitely a clever story that has many unexpected outcomes. This was my first time reading work by Simon Lelic and I look forward to reading more.