Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced reading copy.

The New Neighbors is a dark and twisted psychological thriller.

Something is off right from the start. Somehow Jack and Syd are able to buy a house they really can't afford in a highly competitive London housing market. How did they get so lucky? Not long after they move in, they notice a bad smell that leads Jack to a gruesome discovery in the attic. Then he hears sounds at night like someone moving around the house. Is he imagining it? And when someone is murdered outside their back door, events turn from creepy to dangerous.

The New Neighbors leans towards the Gothic. Jack and Syd's new home is full of clutter left by the previous hoarding owner; it is in serious need of updating. And, of course, there are all the bizarre events in the home. Is this a ghost story or a horror story? Either way, the who, what, and why behind these bizarre events is a bit of a mystery, and one can expect a few red herrings thrown into the mix.

Jack and Syd need to figure why these things are happening before it's too late. Too late for what, you may wonder. You're not alone; the reader is left wondering for quite a while too. It is a technique for building suspense and tension that will keep the pages turning.

So, they begin journaling as a pursuit for truth. Jack and Syd take turns writing about their past, their relationship, the house, and responding to each other's entries. The alternating first-person narrative delivered in an unconventional style gives insight into both characters: their good and bad qualities, their internal struggles, their mistakes, their lies, shame, fear, and regrets. It works well to rationalize their personas; these are full-fledged characters.

There is a problem with the journal, though. As events continue to unfold, and the journal gives new insight into the other, a rift forms in their relationship. They reconsider what they feel and believe about the other, and in turn, develop a new understanding about the other feels and believes about them. More tension.

In a related story, Jack, who is a social worker, helps a family from Baghdad. Lelic provides a very positive and refreshing portrayal of this family

I’d never heard of Simon Lelic before i got this book, although I now know he has written some other thrillers. But his latest book The New Neighbors got a positive blurb on the cover from Tana French, and I figured if it’s good enough for Tana, it’s good enough for me.

The story revolves around a young couple named Jack and Syd who have recently been able to (at long last) buy a house in London. It came with all furnishings, including some weird stuff, but they felt terribly lucky to have been picked by the seller to be the buyers of his house, especially as they didn’t have enough money to afford such a big place.

Before long, they start to clear out some of the detritus left by the former owner, when Jack makes an unsettling discovery in the attic. Around the same time, Syd befriends a young girl from the neighborhood – a girl who is apparently being abused by her father – a fact that hits very close to home for Syd. Neither Jack nor Syd shares either of these factoids (the attic find and the abuse) with the other.

The story is told in alternating points of view, as Jack and Syd each write about what happened. There are twists and turns, and suspense as the book moves toward the big reveal – which I (as usual) did not see coming. This has “MOVIE” written all over it – not necessarily a bad thing. For fans of Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, or The Couple Next Door. Escapist entertainment. Well done, and even though I doubt I will remember it in another month, four stars (and thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for this honest review).

And I will probably pick up one or more of Mr. Lelic’s earlier books – pure entertainment!

This book took a while to get going. It took me until about half-way through to really figure out what was going on. Then I found it to be a much easier and quicker read.

Told in journal form from the two halves of one couple, this is a book that may have you rethinking moving house. Syd loves the London house they have just won, despite underbidding other buyers. Jack thinks the place is off, strange and creepy. The previous occupant left a lot of stuff in the attic, among the contents is a child's toy box. Jack and Syd hear strange sounds emanating from the attic as a police car watches them from the street. What's going on? This twisted tale had me twisted up in knots, it's a subtly threatening tale

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Simon Lelic, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

What if your perfect home turned out to be the scene of the perfect crime?

Londoners Jack and Syd moved into the house a year ago. It seemed like their dream home: tons of space, the perfect location, and a friendly owner who wanted a young couple to have it.

So when they made a grisly discovery in the attic, Jack and Syd chose to ignore it. That was a mistake.

Because someone has just been murdered. Right outside their back door.

And now the police are watching them...

What an original, creepy read! This psychological thriller is dark, twisty, gripping, with an eerie setting, and I read it in one sitting. I enjoyed the writing: it was alluring enough to keep me clinging to my Kindle until the very end. I also enjoyed the mystery interwoven throughout. This one, without a doubt, could become the next Hollywood blockbuster due to both thrilling and original aspects.

I loved this book ! I found so many twist and turns, not to mention heart pounding terror at points ! A tru,y memorizing read, that stayed with me long after I finished a chapter, I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen and how it all finally turned out was just brilliant!!

Genre: Mystery and Thrillers
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Pub. Date: April 10, 2018

Mini Review

Why do I keep accepting Advance Review Copies (ARC) books that I suspect I will not like? I am sure many other readers and reviewers will enjoy this novel. For me, it is a real stinker. Okay, I didn’t think the first half of the book is so terrible. A young couple in their twenties buys a home together. The previous owner leaves them all his belongings. This consists of cheerless junk and his dead stuffed pets, making the house downright creepy. At first, I thought I was reading a haunted house story. The author does a good job of keeping it spooky. I also enjoyed the prose, which is an open journal that the couple is writing for each other. Alternately, one would write a segment on what is happening to him or her in their weird home and then give it to the other to read and reply. It did get a tad confusing; still, it is an interesting format. I often chuckled on how the couple would see the same incident so very differently. Think “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.”

The reader knows in the first half that the woman has toxic parents. She had a very abusive childhood. In the second half, we learn how and why. She escaped her parents in her teens by running away. Now, in her adult life, the parental abuse begins again. Honestly, the abuse, as an adult, is hard to buy. If I explain more it would be a spoiler. However, you need to know that this reviewer was once a court-appointed Social Worker who helped put abusive parents in jail. I have worked in the trenches with many violent families. I tell you this so you can understand just how illogical and far-fetched the plot became. Additionally, it doesn’t take the reader long to figure out that they are reading a murder mystery. Alas, the “who done it” is also unbelievable with predictable twists. For all these reasons, I cannot recommend this book. Still, you might want to give it a try. As I said, I know many will gobble this one up. Readers seem to love a page-turner that will keep them up all night. I’m guessing the unrealistic feel won’t bother them. Psychological thrillers are not my favorite genre. But, I can enjoy also enjoy a page-turner, only if they are intelligent and taunt unsettling as well as unsettling.

Read under the title of "The New Neighbors"

At first I was really into this book. But I think that's because I assumed it has a paranormal bent to it. The interesting dual character narrators and intro chapters were both certainly creepy. That was backed up by awesome lines like the following (spoken by a man wandering around a creepy old house at night in the dark): "There was nothing on the landing. I mean, there was, but I didn't see it then."

Goosebumps, right?

However, at a certain point, I realized this was going to be a different book entirely. Unfortunately I was not really into that book. I get that real life people can often be scarier than imaginary ghosts and monsters. But that scariness generally comes from getting a peek inside the twisted heads of those real life people. That didn't happen here. Our villain is simply a very bad person inside and out because...well just because. And the villain goes to elaborate lengths to destroy this couple because...well just because. That plot line, plus the twisty ending (which I kind of wasn't buying) were kind of a let down for me personally.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 Stars rounded up
I think there's something slightly misleading about the description of this story, and that if it didn't hint at so may different potential horrors, I would have felt the mild disappointment I did as some of the mystery was revealed.

The story does a tremendous job of showing us that some of the worst monsters in the world are actually human beings, and Lelic writes their demented actions and reasoning with a kind of specificity that requires the reader to understand exactly what kind of monster we're dealing with.

But every time that some new piece of the puzzle was revealed I said, "Okay."
There wasn't shock or a wow-factor in any of the reveals, it just all felt like a natural if slightly hard to believe, progression of the story.

I'm also a little confused by the concept of the book, which is that begins as a manuscript written back and forth by our main characters trying to explain "what has brought them to this point," but once we pass that point in the story, one has to wonder why the decide to keep sharing their thoughts back and forth, especially when one of the characters isn't likely to have access to writing material. Then it feels very much like a novel, and one being authored by an outside hand.

I didn't dislike it, and was happy to keep reading, though I admit to skimming a bit over the longer sections devoted to a character's self-assesment. But I didn't love it either, it didn't have me turning pages, breathless with anticipation, and not every mystery has to be like that.

Creepy, disturbing & a great psychological thriller you won’t soon forget!

Mr Lelic presents us with a novel that looks at the question of how our childhood and family background affect our adult life. Jack and Syd boyfriend and girlfriend find a house they like in London. It is large enough to satisfy their needs although cluttered with the items belonging to the previous owner. The former owner had suddenly decided to move to Australia in order to be with a woman he met on line. His house than, enters the market in a London suffering from a shortage of homes for sale. Jack and Syd submit an application which much to their surprise is accepted by the owner in spite of the couple bidding below the asking price.
The format used in telling the story is alternating sections narrated by one of the two. It is in this way that we find out that Jack is a product of a well to do family that is not accepting Syd. Syd on the other hand grew up in a home in which her father was a pathological bully browbeating and stifling her until she moved away. Syd's younger sister dies after Syd leaves home with the finding that a disease was the cause.
The initial set of incidents presented in the novel include mysterious footsteps and noises throughout the house leading to the possible existence of ghosts. In addition Syd meets a young girl from the area who is suffering from an abusive father in a manner that reminds her of her own horrible childhood. Both circumstances contribute to the effectiveness of the book's plot.
During their individual narratives Mr Lelic shows how both Syd and Jack react to events occurring when in the house. The move forward for both of them is very well handled and the changes in attitude of both of them are tied to their past. The novel is a fascinating study of past being prologue and character shaped during a period of great stress. The book is very well done and invites a good deal of thought about the meaning of the narrative. An engrossing novel not easily forgotten by the reader.

I love it when I finish a book and can say to myself, “I did not see that coming!” And that’s just the case with this book.

It’s extremely suspenseful, though the story seems pretty straightforward. However, there’s that little niggling voice in the back of your head telling you that you’re missing something in the story. There’s something you aren’t seeing.

And, boy was there!

The author doesn’t cheat. It’s all in there, presented subtly in the voice of our characters and in their backstories. And it’s oh so satisfying when you find out just what’s going on here.

I simply loved it!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I loved Simon Lelic's other works, so I was excited about this one. It did not disappoint. I loved the twists and turns of it all the way to the ending. I loved the setting, the characters, the plot building...I just loved this. Sure, there were a couple of places where I thought it really wouldn't work that way....but honestly, I didn't care. The book was so good.
I'm so excited to recommend this book to everyone I forced to read his other works.
Definitely one for people who enjoyed reading The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney

O.M.G

I just devoured this gem....

Perfect execution of a psychological thriller right here. I know the release date is a long ways off but I just HAD to dive right in and once I started I couldn't put it down.

The writing is pure genius. SO original, so clever- the way Lelic starts off "telling" the story. You find out more later why it's this way and I loved it even more.

"You see, the thing was, I hadn't touched her. Not when I'd got up, not when I'd come back into the room. Whoever's hand she thought she'd felt-- it wasn't mine."

Right away we're thrown into the telling of the story. It gives off such a creepy, mysterious, ominous vibe. Jack and Syd just moved into their new house but not all is as it seems. A series of events happen that has Jack wondering if he's just paranoid or what's really going on? He warns us early on it's not paranormal, so it's really got you on your toes wondering what this eerie feeling is.

"When you're caught inside a dungeon, even the faintest flicker in the dark is like a promise of daylight. And if it turns out not to be, if it turns out instead to be a burning staircase... Well. You take your chances anyway."

Meanwhile, Syd develops a close relationship with a young troubled girl in the neighborhood. One that she can relate to a lot from her childhood. One that just might get her in trouble herself, or could end up being her saving grace.

Tangled webs are woven.... lies are told... secrets are buried.... When it all comes to light and the truth comes out you will NOT see it coming!

My rating: 5/5 stars
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for allowing me to read this book!

.This book is SOOOO good! I love the way this book is written in a conversational tone which I found very interesting, new and different. Great plot which is riveting and draws you in, along with many unexpected twists along the way. Fast paced and creepy yet suspenseful. Could not put it down!!!