I was extremely intrigued by the premise of Those People. Louise Candlish uses the voices of many to tell the story, including police interview notes, and neighbor flashbacks. Once I settled in to the author's style, I found the action easy to follow. The story is well woven, with a few untelegraphed twists and turns. The character profiles are well drawn. I appreciated the complexity of the story and I think Ms. Candlish kept the promise of the premise.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

This wasn't my favorite. I liked the set up, with a close up look at a group of families that have worked to cultivate the perfect community. Something bad has happened to one of the neighbors and the rest of the people on the street are reporting what they know about it to the police. It’s got elements of Big Little Lies and Watching You, but ultimately there wasn't enough there to really grab me. I dont necessarily need to like all of my characters, but I do need to understand them and I didnt get that here.

I wanted to like this novel so much! I loved Candlish’s previous book and chose it as one of my top 10 for 2018. But I just couldn’t get into this one. I found that the more I got into it, the more I wished it was a shorter read. Which is problematic... It’s an interesting book, just not my cup of tea.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Books, and Louise Candlish for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm sure everyone has had one of those neighbors. The ones who just don't fit in. Who don't play by the rules. Such it was when Darren and Jodie moved into what was the perfect neighborhood. The neighborhood that won awards for coming up with Play Out Sunday - where the street was blocked off and the kids played outside, no screens allowed. But Darren and Jodie started selling cars from their house and didn't respect the street rules. And they played heavy metal music really loud at all hours. So who could blame the neighbors for wanting them gone? But then someone dies.

Each of the neighbors has their own reasons and their own secrets. Told in their different voices, complete with police interviews, this was a dishy read. Until that ending! It left me hanging and hoping for just one more page to wrap things up! Is there another book following up? Or am I just left to wonder...

Ralph and Naomi live on Lowland Way and his brother and his wife, Finn and Tess live right next door. They and their neighbors take great pride in their street.

That evening coming home from work, Ralph is shocked to find the new owner of the home on the corner out smashing an old wall that the neighbors had lobbied to keep intact due to its historical significance, The man’s name is Darren Booth. The next day. a few neighbors go over to introduce themselves to Darren and his wife, Jodie. They both are unfriendly and uncouth. In addition, he has five cars. As most people have to park on the street and the parking spots are limited, they see this new neighbor as a real problem looming.

Next door to Darren are Anthony and Em and their young baby. They share a drive and a wall so when Darren starts drilling and playing loud hard rock music, Anthony and Em are furious. Talking to Darren simply seems to raise his ire and he becomes even more obnoxious.

They soon learn that Darren will be having a car sales business in the yard which is not good at all. So, some of the neighbors try to record him making a car sale.

As Darren’s appalling and irritating actions escalate, the neighbors become even more angry and are determined to put a stop to it. This anger also leads to infighting amongst the neighbors themselves. What will it take to make something happen and how far are they willing to go to stop the man?

This was an interesting story but I found it hard to believe that the police or city council seemed to have little if no authority to stop Darren and his actions. That’s what made it a bit hard to believe. In addition, the characters all come across as wimps. You can’t treat jerks like Darren like they have the capability to even care what they’re doing. I was on the fence about rating this book but as I know the author is quite good, I decided to give the book 4 stars. Hopefully, her next book will pack more punch.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The book starts out as a "neighbors from hell" story and morphs into a whodunit. Interesting neighborhood dynamics and the author does a good job with the array of characters--good, solid read!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy...

To be honest, it was alright but it was different I guess..

Probably looking forward to read more book from this author soon...

I really liked this book - although I think that because I didn't really get attached to the characters I was left wanting. There were definite twists and turns and I could feel the frustration the neighbors felt! Dragged a bit - but overall a really good read!

Those People is about a close-knit neighborhood that is disrupted by the arrival of a new neighbor who is outrageous and thoughtless. As a result, his presence brings discord and upheaval to the once quiet neighborhood.

After reading Our House by Louise Candlish, I was looking forward to her new novel. While Those People had some good moments, it didn’t live up to her first book (which I enjoyed immensely).

Who hasn’t had a neighbor (or two or three) who could try the patience of Job? In this case the neighbor in question is boorish, slovenly and insulting. The neighborhood tries to unite to fight the interloper but with limited success. For the most part the various characters are unsympathetic and/or simply lacked integrity. The story, at times, moves fairly slowly, the few twists that occur are unexpected and somewhat jarring, and the story itself feels unsatisfying. While I can’t quite put my finger on it, Those People just doesn’t have the energy or creativity that Candlish’s first novel exhibited. Even so, I am still a fan of this author and will eagerly read her next novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

The residents of Lowland Way are proud of their beautiful homes and tranquil neighborhood in South London. Therefore, they are unnerved when a boorish couple, Darren Booth and his partner, Jodi, move in and immediately reveal a lack of respect for "the prevailing culture." Darren and Jodi drink excessively, lace their crude remarks with profanity, and start a used-car business on the block. Furthermore, Darren, who fancies himself a do-it-yourselfer, has begun to renovate his house. First, he breaks down a wall, and later, he embarks on a project that generates ear-splitting noise and unsightly rubble. Darren and Jodi ignore the complaints of Anthony and Emma Kendall, who live next door with their six-month-old son. The Kendalls have good reason to be furious, since they are subjected to a cacophony of ear-splitting music on an almost nightly basis, thanks to Darren's love of hard rock played at deafening decibels.

In Louise Candlish's "Those People," someone dies, although we do not know the identity of the victim until later. The author fleshes out the story using flashbacks and witness statements, but keeps us in the dark until she is ready to reveal the truth. The book's themes include the snobbery of those who have made it and do not want riffraff ruining their comfortable lifestyle; the cracks that threaten previously sound relationships when husbands and wives are forced to deal with overwhelming emotional stress; and the misdeeds that law-abiding citizens are capable of in their desperation to protect what they have worked so hard to achieve.

"Those People" is a skillfully written, suspenseful, and at times, heartbreaking novel. However, since the factions on both sides of the conflict are clueless, self-centered, and reckless, it is difficult to care very much about their fate. The smug Naomi and Robert Morgan live next door to Robert's brother, Finn, and his wife, Tess. Tess is a stay-at-home mom who resents Naomi's bossiness and condescension. At least Sissy Watkins, "a touchstone of old-school decency," is a woman with whom we can sympathize. She is a divorcée who lives alone and is struggling to make ends meet by running a bed and breakfast. Finally, all-out war breaks out between Darren and his foes. Violence ensues, lives are ruined, and there are no winners in this cautionary tale about the perils of acting impulsively without considering the possible consequences.

Everyone's worst nightmare - neighbors from hell. well written and enough suspense to keep you hooked. I recommend this book.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Lowland Way is a fantastic neighborhood especially if you have children. Nice homes, good schools, and friendly neighbors. The entire street is closed off on Sundays so that the kids can play in the streets like their parents did when they were youngsters. Those Sundays have brought the neighbors together to support each other.

Then the woman at the start of the street passes away. The neighbors are all hoping for a nice family or elderly couple to move in. Instead, they get Darren and Jodie. The first day Darren breaks down a wall the entire neighborhood had fought the council to keep. Then the loud music starts and the cars start to pull in taking up the limited parking on the street and fill Darren’s yard. Trash and debris from a renovation project litter the lot. The Sunday Play-Out has to be canceled when one of the children is hit by Darren moving one of his cars. The police are no help, saying it is a council issue. The homeowners tried to reason with Darren and Jodie, but all that does is make them rachet up their behavior.

Things don’t change until someone dies. The crash brought everyone out of their houses. The police finally have to do something, but it is the neighbors who are suspect. Everyone is shocked and their stories don’t add up. Could someone on Lowland Way be a killer??

_____

The story opens just after the horrendous crash that left one person dead and one injured, then it takes us back in time eight weeks to detail what events led up to the crash told from several points of view. What we quickly learn is everything is not as idyllic as it seems, but when “THOSE PEOPLE” move in people band together. Meanwhile, whatever cracks that were already present in the resident’s lives continue to erode.

All these characters are flawed and most, not that likable, but they earned my sympathy. Here in the States, police would have stepped in to handle Darren and Jodie. Things that were sending them over the edge just wouldn’t happen here. I also felt the one idea the residents came up with near the end should have been thought of much earlier, avoiding much of the conflict, but that would have eliminated the story.

The setting was interesting to me because I remember playing outside with my friends. The same for my children. Sadly that is not the case for my grandchildren. The days of “be home when the streetlights come on” and neighbors keeping an eye on each other’s children are over. This affluent neighborhood did an excellent job of creating a child-friendly environment until THOSE PEOPLE arrived.

The drama was high but the pace was a little slow. The complexity of the story was peeled back in layers filled with tension and conflict. I did enjoy the varied points-of-view. It gave an added depth to each of the characters and exposed the interpersonal relationships for what they really were.

Even with the unlikable characters, I was drawn into this book. I wanted to know what happened next. With its well-plotted twists, the ending really took me by surprise.

In my opinion, I could see a movie made of this story or a television series like How To Get Away With Murder, so easily. The author has written a story with a dark twisted theme many people would enjoy.

Note- There is a fair amount of profanity in this book which may put off some readers.

Those People. Louise Candlish. Penguin Publishing Group. June, 2019; pb, 368 pp.; ISBN #: 9780451489142.

Lowland Avenue is an upper middle class street in a perfect neighborhood, where the residents get along and cherish the Sunday street rules which ban parking and establish a place where children can draw in the streets, ride bikes, skateboard and all in all play without fear of approaching danger from encroaching transportation.
But the peacefulness and perfection are about to disappear.

For Darren and Jodi, a young couple, move into the neighborhood. Their noise of blaring rock music at all hours of day and night along with their car business manifest in dozens of cars and vans parked on the lawn and around the street immediately draw the ire and complaints of their neighbors. Efforts at talking out the problem result in the hurling of foul language and angry diatribes.

At first there are efforts to band together but it turns out that nothing being done is illegal. But the spreading of the neighborly hate is fast spreading through the internet and yielding some protesting articles in a local newspaper. However, all of this turns ugly very fast with no change looming on a street fast moving toward attitudes that could become very dangerous.

Finally, a disaster happens with the collapse of a scaffold for renovations and the death of a resident on the street. Accusations fly and now it’s hard to figure out who is throwing legitimate protests and threats of a response and what turns out to be another death before the end of this riveting but virulently angry novel.

What is most amazing is how what starts out as a disagreement quickly destroys the peace of home owners, frays the tempers and marriages of some, and elicits a response that becomes criminal. Astonishing and violent story that doesn’t end soon enough!

I read so many psychological thrillers and have read a book or two by this author, so I thought I would like it, however, it fell very flat. Not engaging enough and the characters were dull.

I was really looking forward to "Those People" because I had really enjoyed Louise Candlish's previous book, "Our House." However, this one was pretty disappointing. It had an interesting plotline but...something just did not work with this one. If I had the chance again, I would probably pass on this in favor of something else.

2.5 stars
I have had my share of terrible neighbors, and really could feel for those in this close-knit neighborhood when Darren and Jodie move in and wreak havoc on their tidy little world. But I didn't have much sympathy for the neighbors, because their pretension overrode everything. They acted like they were so above these people (who were definitely horrific, they really didn't have any redeeming qualities at all).
That said, there wasn't enough here to really propel the story for as long as it lasted. There wasn't any real scandal, real drama, just neighborhood squabbles that turned deadly for one poor person. The resolution of that incident was the best part of the story, but the rest of it was just a lot of petty stuff that I didn't really want to read about. Too little suspense, too little plot to carry such a lengthy book.

I loved Candlish’s last book, Our House and found it to be so unique and well done that I was very excited to read Those People. Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. I still gave it three stars because I like Candlish’s style and the premise was interesting. The book though was too slow for me. It just didn’t hold my attention the way I was hoping. Although this one wasn’t a good fit for me, I’d still say give it a try if you like the premise.

Neighbors...Aren't they the worst? Imagine living next to "Those People” You know the ones who break down walls, don't follow the rules, park where they want, play loud music, etc. They suck, right? But what about the neighbors who think it is their job to police the neighborhood and make it their mission to make their unruly neighbors fall in line.

This was slow all the way through for me. Yes, it looks at behavior and social class. First impressions go a long way and the neighbors in this book really failed here. I think most readers can relate to one time or another of having a neighbor or neighbors who was annoying or obnoxious in some way. In this book, readers are presented with their characters perspectives and their versions of what occurred - but are they being truthful. Try finding a likable character, I dare you! You may find one or two, but in the end, even they might let you down.

Although I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed, Our House, said that, I do believe this is a great book for book clubs. There is a lot to discuss in this book and whether one enjoys this book or not, there is a lot to discuss and stories of bad neighbors to share.

This was a Traveling Sisters Group read.

I received a copy of this book from Berkley Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me like OUR HOUSE did. It didn't feel propulsive, nor did the plot grip me in the same way of Louise's debut. Hoping to see more from her in the future, however.

The narrative moves pretty slowly and the characters are varying degrees of unlikeable. What a horrible situation to have new neighbors like these low-life and disagreeable people (they're SO disagreeable they almost seem like caricatures). With characters I didn't like and a slowly moving story, I can only give this book 3 stars for the descriptive writing. Just my opinion.