Have your neighbors ever driven you completely insane? Have you ever shaken your head when you looked out your window and wished the people next door would just sell their house and leave? Have you ever logged onto your neighborhood Facebook page and wondered how the heck people can be so ridiculously self absorbed? Welcome to Louise Candlish's Those People.

This one is about a quaint little suburban street in the UK where everybody gets along. The neighbors are all friendly and happy. The kids play in the street every Sunday. The women and men congregate in their yards and everything is lovely. Until Darren and Jodie move in next door and all hell breaks loose. Think your typical loud, obnoxious, inconsiderate, awful neighbors who are so unpleasant to live next to that you question whether or not you should put a for sale sign on your front lawn. So the book is about these awful neighbors and somewhere in there is a murder mystery or two (but I won't tell you much about that because it will give away half the fun).

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. I think we can all relate to having a neighbor or two that are not our favorite people. This one had me thinking of Investigation Discovery's popular TV show Fear Thy Neighbor. The way that Louise Candlish unraveled the first half of the story was crafted wonderfully. She gave little snippets of information away at the right times, giving enough to keep me hooked while not revealing everything at once. However, right around the halfway point I started to slightly lose interest. The story slowed WAY down and seemed like it dragged on forever. I must say that I wasn't entirely surprised by the "whodunit" in the end and felt like there was a really long and drawn out series of events to get there.

There was a whole cast of characters in this book and my impression is that they were put there as red herrings to throw you off the scent and place suspicion on other characters. But in the end I found myself feeling as if those characters felt a little unresolved. Given how drawn out the rest of the story was, the ending felt a bit rushed in the sense that I was looking for a little more closure, especially with those secondary characters.

Overall, this book was just okay for me. I struggled with whether I wanted to give it 3 stars or 4 stars because there was a lot about it that I really enjoyed. But at the end of the day, as a complete package, I found myself leaning closer to 3 stars. I have a feeling this one will still be a popular read this summer so definitely check it out for yourself.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Louise Candlish, and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

I wanted to like this book, I just couldn't get into the story, it didn't hook me. I will still recommend to patrons as someone with different reading preferences will probably enjoy this book.

The new neighbors are not very posh. In fact they are rude, loud and not a little dodgy. Darren and Jodie don't fit in, and they don't care. They play loud music at all hours, have started renovating a, frankly, historical icon in the neighborhood, and how did they get that house anyway? Then a sudden death shocks the whole community, and accusations turn ugly. Naturally, fingers start pointing at the offensive new couple across the street, but are they really to blame? Or, do they make excellent scapegoats?

Highly recommended!

3 1/2 ⭐️‘s
Lowland Way is an idyllic street. One where the neighbors all get along. A street that even shuts down on Sundays so that the children can safely play. A street that others would like to live on, but all of that is about to change when Darren Booth moves in. With his loud music, scaffolding in the yard and his used vehicle business, everyone on the street has a reason to want to get rid of him. When a tragedy strikes the neighborhood, all fingers are pointed at him, but could someone else be responsible? Things heat up as the neighbors become suspects, keeping you guessing until the very end. While good, it didn’t live up to “Our House”.

Those People started off very strong for me, but lost a little of it’s steam along the way. However, it was still a highly entertaining story that I enjoyed.

Who hasn’t had a horrible neighbor? As a long time renter, I’m used to sharing walls and ceilings and though I do get frequently frustrated, I have a pretty high tolerance for other people’s noise. There has only been one neighbor that was so awful I complained to management about, but it was nothing compared to what happened with the people on Lowland Way. The street is idyllic with neighbors that all know each other and get along. They even have a standing agreement to close off the street every Sunday so the kids can play without fear of cars. Everything gets turned upside down, though, when the Booths move in. They play loud music while working on noisy home renovations at all hours of the night and take up all the parking spots on the street with their questionably legal car business. They also don’t care at all what anybody else thinks of them. They are completely unapologetic about the mess and the noise they make or how it effects anyone else. This causes all the “sensible” people on the street to lose their minds a bit.

The story is told through multiple POVs, rotating mostly between Ralph, Tess, Ant, and Sissy. For about the first half of the book, each chapter begins with a short excerpt from a police interview. It gave me serious Big Little Lies vibes and I loved it. I loved seeing how the neighbors all interacted with each other and the gradual reveal of the mystery of who was killed. Where it started to lose momentum for me was after the victim was revealed and the investigation took over the focus. I wasn’t terribly surprised by any of the reveals after that and I felt it was a little longer than it really needed to be. What I did like, though, was seeing how the situation started to drive everyone to madness. It was fascinating seeing how different people reacted to the stress.

Overall, I enjoyed Those People. I loved the multiple POVs and the inclusion of the police interviews. I wish that format would have been kept up the whole way through. Though it did end up being a little longer than it needed to be and the little surprise at the end does not compare to the twist at the end of Our House, it was still a really enjoyable and addictive read. I definitely look forward to more from Candlish.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

I really struggled to get into this book. Too much telling and not enough action. I kept hoping that the pace would pick up, but that was never the case. I"m used to thrillers pulling me in and being fast-paced, but this one wasn't.

Those People......

Hmmm well this is my second book by Louise Candlish and I have decided that I'm just not a good fit for this author. I read her first novel and gave that a two stars... because it was very dull and boring to me.

This one was unfortunately the exact same. This honestly moved at a snail's pace and I was so bored!!! I can't recommend this novel for my thriller fans.

But, if you enjoy her style than I would say that you're going to love this one too. This just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 6/11/19
Published to Goodreads: 6/3/19

This was a good book, but not one of my favorites. A hippie couple moves into a snobby neighborhood and it immediately cause problems. The new couple begins remodeling the house, playing loud music all night and running power tools all the time. Everyone dislikes the "neighbors from hell" so this is a real whodunit until the end. I came away not liking any of the characters and was glad when I finished the book. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this very interesting book.

I love Louise Candlish. She usually delivers the goods, no matter the story. This one however, just wasn’t for me. I found the story a bit tedious. I just didn’t care for the characters. There wasn’t anyone that I wanted to root for. I have no doubt that this will be a smashing success and that many readers will love it. Don’t skip out on giving this one a try. You should never deny yourself a chance to read something by Ms Candlish.

Everyone's had neighbors that they don't like but these were a nightmare. Slow paced crime drama that really didn't interest me. I just couldn't get into the story. Maybe the next one.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hilariously dark story about a neighbor from hell. I think most people can relate to this novel. Well written and good character definitions.

Lowland Gardens is an oasis within the city of London - nice houses, friendly neighbors, and the recipient of a community award for their “Play Out Sunday” where the street (Lowland Way) is closed to traffic and the kids take over and play. But when the owner of 1 Lowland Way passes away and her heir moves in, everything changes. Darren and Jodie will not follow the unwritten rules of the community - playing loud music at all hours, running a used-car business from the home, and a mess created by their renovation project. Their neighbors, Ant and Em at #3, brothers Ralph and Finn and their wives at #5 and #7, and Sissy across the street at #2 are up in arms without a plan to bring the new owner into line. And when a guest is killed in a terrible accident, the police investigation rattles the residents even more. Everyone has their secrets, and these secrets will change the neighborhood and the relationships in each home and in the neighborhood. Rating this book was very difficult for me. There wasn’t a character in the book that I liked (even the one I thought I liked turned out to be unlikeable!) but the plot line was intriguing which kept me reading. And, spoiler alert, the ending was less than satisfactory. Thank you to Berkley Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review the ARC of this book.

Lowland Way is the suburban dream. The houses are beautiful, the neighbors get along, and the kids play together on weekends.

But when Darren and Jodie move into the house on the corner, they donʼt follow the rules. They blast music at all hours, begin an unsightly renovation, and run a used-car business from their yard. It doesn’t take long for an all-out war to start brewing.

Then, early one Saturday, a horrific death shocks the street. As police search for witnesses, accusations start flying—and everyone has something to hide.

My Thoughts: Who hasn’t lived in a neighborhood with annoying people at one time or another? Noise pollution, cars everywhere, and rude attitudes make what was once a lovely suburb a place to abhor.

As each resident tries to fight the encroaching madness, police officers congregate, and strangely enough, do not seem to put a stop to the events.

Those People took the reader down a twisted pathway, and just when you wondered what would happen next, you would be stunned.

While I couldn’t stop reading, wanting to find out what would happen, I did not enjoy these characters and I was happy to put them all behind me. 4 stars.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

Interesting characters and a plot that keep you guessing. Great read for relaxation.

You know what they say about one bad apple.

Before Darren Booth moves in, Lowland Way is a tranquil and harmonious place to live. All that soon changes when he begins disrupting the lives of the residents. He immediately begins extensive renovations. These noisy renovations take an extraordinarily long time because Darren is doing it all himself. When not working on the house, Darren operates an illegal used-car business out of the house. He commandeers all the much coveted street parking, leaving none for the previous residents. Also, and some might say more importantly, he and his partner, Jodie, play heavy metal music at maximum volume – all the time! Both Darren and Jodie are hard-drinking, chain-smoking, partiers.

The couple immediately next door to Darren have a small baby. The deafening cacophony of loud music and high-pitched power tools interrupts their sleep and the sleep of their baby. So much so that the baby is diagnosed with hearing loss…

Darren Booth is always working on his old cars. He even has an old decrepit and unsightly RV which he parks directly in front of the Morgan’s house. They bemoan the lack of parking and the “Play Out Sunday” scheme which they instigated is now impossible. Before, on Sundays, the children of the street could safely play together because the street was closed. Now, with cars coming and going, it is unsafe and is cancelled after one of the children is knocked down.

A sixty-something widow, Sissy, runs a B&B business to make ends meet. Her previous stellar rating takes an abrupt downward turn after ‘those people’ move in. Her B&B customer’s rating go from 5 stars to 2 stars – until the business flounders and closes.

The neighbours repeatedly ask Darren Booth to turn down the music etc. He nastily disregards their requests with a belligerent attitude. The authorities do not help.

Then, a tragic accident with a scaffolding collapse kills a young pregnant woman. The well-known fact that all of the residents of Lowland Way hated Darren serve to put all the residents under suspicion by the police. The young woman was going to his house to complain about the noise when the Darren’s scaffolding fell and crushed her.

Eventually, the cumulative strain and stresses of Darren Booth’s insensitivity ends up destroying friendships, businesses, and marriages, upsetting children and dogs, and ruining the lives of all who live on Lowland Way. It is as if the community had had myriad hair-line cracks that broke wide open when Darren Booth moved in. The residents can now barely recognize each other, or, in some cases, themselves.

MY THOUGHTS

Though I truly enjoyed the writing, I found I did not enjoy this novel near as much as the author’s previous “Our House”. Both were property/domestic thrillers – a genre in which Louise Candlish excels.

The setting was vividly portrayed. You felt like you lived there and could hear the deafening heavy metal music and the whine of the tile cutters and drills.

The feeling of menace and injustice was well portrayed. You really started to hate ‘those people’ almost as much as the residents of Lowland Way did. I must admit, that although we met several of the street’s residents I didn’t really come to like any of them – with the possible exception of Sissy. I did feel for them however and I felt empathy for the unjust situation they found themselves in.

The ending felt rushed, and was not altogether satisfactory, at least for me. Altogether this was a domestic thriller that will no doubt be enjoyed by many, it just was not a personal favourite. I do plan on reading more of this author’s work.

3.5 STARS rounded up

This book took too long to get going - it was about 2/3 of the way through before any real tension starting happening. I would say it might be a read alike for those who like Liane Moriarty, but this is a much less complex plot.

I have never read a book that had so many characters that I disliked! If you have ever hated your neighbors then you may enjoy this book. I got through this book a bit slower than I feel like I normally read, I'm not sure if that is due to me or something that I didn't quite like in the story. Overall it was an okay read. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it.

This was a very chilling read, which really held my interest and was full of suspense. I did feel sorry for both the neighbors used to their neighbor hood and the new neighbors and could see it would end toxic!! I think most will enjoy this deranged version of entering madness!
I will use in a challenge and recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

I enjoyed Those People - thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The style of the book for about the first half was very similar to Big Little Lies, which seemed a little too close for a book published so close to that one. That said, I still enjoyed it, and even thought this book may have done it a little better, as each chapter came from the same perspective of the statement.
The book kept me guessing and was enjoyable; it was a good summer mystery - some mystery but still somewhat light.
I will say that the ending was open to interpretation, which is not my favorite, but I did not see it coming, so I am still ok with it.

Those People, by Louise Candlish, is an interesting novel about neighbors, the friendly and the not so friendly. Anyone who has ever lived by horrid neighbors can relate to this story. Ms Candlish keeps the story flowing and the reader guessing as to who did what, and will keep you wondering what you would do under the same circumstances. I was given an early copy to review.