Esme and Benedict live in a very small community. Making friends with their neighbours was easy, because they are who they meet everyday of their lives. Attending and hosting get-togethers often, this neighbourhood seem very close. But is it, really? When a car accident happened, secrets and lies come up one by one, and at the end of the day, you wonder if these neighbours were even friends at all.

At first, I was a little confused. The accident happened right in front of everyone in broad daylight, so what mystery was there to solve? And then as I slowly went through the pages, I began to understand. The author's style of writing was extremely captivating. As each chapter passed, going between the past and present, I found myself looking forward to more. But the ending left a lot to be guessed, and I found that a good and a bad thing, but mostly bad, to be honest, because I was frustrated and wanted to know what would happen if things didn't go off-course all of a sudden. The question of 'what if?' is very real. It may seem unfair, but it felt too convenient for the author to pen the ending this way. Loopholes scream out at me, and glossing over details seemed pretty lazy. I wanted to know more.

That said, how the book had enraptured me could not be easily ignored. Even the poor decisions the characters have made — as an adult, mind you — did not turn me off as easily as if this book had been a YA instead. Reading how they dealt with the blows, how hateful some of them can be, made this a thrilling read.

Esme and Benedict Werner have an idyllic life in a tight-knit community until an accident in their cul-de-sac ends in the tragic sudden death of one of their dearest neighbors. After vindicating eyewitness accounts morph into contradictory memories, suspicion, and unaccountable accusations, Benedict is arrested. Esme’s life, too, is changed forever.

As the neighborhood largely turns against her and her family, Esme has time to think about her past and what to do next. Then her fellow residents start looking deeper, questioning one another, and themselves, about hidden lies and betrayals.

Esme has more than her share of secrets. And the consequences of what happened on that fateful late-summer evening on Raven Lane are far from over. When the mask of civility slips, can friends and neighbors recover from seeing the monstrous truths beneath?

I found the book good. Not GREAT, but a good book. There were just some parts which didn't seem right. I can say, I would not live on Raven lane.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of the book.

While mystery and suspense novels are always my favorite, at this point, I've read so many of them that I'm often let down by what others consider a truly suspenseful novel. Being that Raven Lane is only Amber Cowie's second novel, I honestly didn't have the bar set too high, but the book completely exceeded my expectations.

The story is set on Raven Lane, a small cul-de-sac filled with big name residents. The main character, Esme, is a one-time actress married to a modeling agent. They live with their teengae daughter on the same street as other notable people., but their past and present fame don't do them any favors when one member of the community is mistakenly killed by another. While the accident seems innocent enough (and I started out wondering how this could possibly turn into something interesting when the sequence of events leading to the death seemed so clear cut), past secrets begin to unravel the tight-knit community who maybe don't know each other as well as they thought.

The action starts off quickly and the death scene is almost immediate, but you get flashbacks of parties and hang-outs between the neighbors to give you context within current events as Benedict, Esme's husband, is on trial for murder. At first, I was really confused about who was who as the characters are introduced one after another and I had to keep pausing during the group conversations to make sure I remembered who each character was. Soon, I got a handle on each character and really started to enjoy how the story was unfolded.

Ultimately, Cowie cleverly crafts many moments of "Wait, did I just read that right?" that I didn't see coming and some other reveals that I did, but still found enjoyable. Her writing style is unique in the sense that she drops unexpected twists in the middle of a chapter, not waiting for the traditional end of chapter cliff-hanger or slow build up to the end of the novel. I devoured the book quickly, often seeing how many pages I could cram in (even when I knew I only had 5 minutes to spare) because I was that invested. I also spent a bit of time going over in my head everything I learned about the characters and their story immediately after finishing the book, which for me, is the mark of a truly great novel. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of hidden lies and juicy secrets reminiscent of a Liane Moriarty style. I'll definitely be picking up Cowie's previous novel and I'll be keeping an eye out for what she has in store for the future!

I hate to be unkind about a book. I couldn't finish it. While the story line was interesting enough, things starting going out of control and out of my pretty vast realm of tolerance. The party, the drugs, Esme going along with it all....a gay man's attraction and subsequent infidelity with a straight woman. It was just too much. I appreciate the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, but this was just not for me.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Some books are hard to love. Some books are hard to like. This book is both

I loved to judge these characters, Benedict in particular. I was on the edge of my seat for the second half, having followed an intriguing beginning. I felt like I was in the neighbourhood, and I did love that creepy atmosphere. It's an incredibly quick read (I began and finished it within an evening).

This book takes place in a Idealic neighborhood , filled with beautiful houses, artistic people , with a lot of socializing going on amongst the neighbors. This was a great domestic thriller. Love the characters of Esme and Benedict .A great surprise ending. Thank you so much for my advance copy of this book. I will continue to follow this author and would certainly recommend this book to friends and family.

An excellent thriller! Kudos to the writer for bringing the characters to life, and for making the plot so fascinating. I enjoyed the book very much and woul love to read more by this talented author.

Esme and Benedict live in a charming, friendly neighborhood, but the death of one of their neighbors changes everything. Benedict is arrested and Ema finds herself tried and found guilty by the neighbors she previously regarded as friends. The picture perfect little neighborhood is revealed to be filled with jealousy, rage and hatred. This book struck a chord with me because I have lived in areas where neighbors are willing to throw neighbors under the bus. Forget serial killers, your next door neighbor is much scarier