A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler was very unlike her last book I read, A Well-Behaved Woman, but just as good. While her previous book was historical fiction, this one is contemporary fiction and tackles several pressing issues within the setting of a suburban neighborhood in North Carolina. At the beginning we meet Juniper Whitman, the teen girl who just moved into a newly built house in the neighborhood with her mom, local celebrity stepdad, and little sister. Then we meet Xavier Alston-Holt, the teen boy who lives behind them with his college-professor mother Valerie. These are major vices in the book as well as a “narrator” that seems to be the neighborhoods which was an interesting viewpoint. Immediately you realize the two teens are very likely to develop an attraction to each other so you wonder if this may just be a story of how young love can be a challenge for the teens as well as their parents. However, what transpires comes from the overarching theme of racism, but also includes topics such as male-privilege, cult-like religion, environmental preservation, sexual assault and local politics. You see, Valerie Alston-Holt is black, Xavier is bi-racial, and the Whitman’s are all white. At times, I was afraid this was going to get too preachy, but Fowler does a good job making the storylines so heartbreaking that I couldn’t help but examine my own thoughts on if our country has really made any strides in tackling racism, taking environmentalists seriously, and how our justice system works. Fowler admits that she is a white woman writing parts from a black woman’s perspective but I think she did a pretty good job there.

Okay. I just finished this and LOVED it. I couldn't put it down. It was so tragic, so infuriating, and so real. This story touches very directly on the themes of racism, white privilege, power, and justice as certain circumstances play out in a plain, ol', American neighborhood. It was raw and uncensored and I really enjoyed the narration by a seemingly outside observer (or busybody neighbor - lol). This perspective added some objectivity to the starkly contrasting and opinionated main characters/families. I suspected the horrific ending to this tale but kept silently begging Fowler to prove me wrong and surprise me with an unexpected twist. Alas, my suspicions were correct and, although heart wrenching, further locked in A Good neighborhood as a one of the most powerful books I've read in a while. My heart raced, my palms clenched, and I often spoke aloud, as to the book. If you only like happy endings don't pick this one up, as Fowler does not sugar coat the rancid taste of disparity and inequity, mirroring what often occurs in our modern world. There is a hint of justice in the end, but it clearly feels more like a consolation prize.

I really thought I was going to love this book! Unfortunately, the story was extremely slow to unfold and felt unfocused. It was hard to get attached to any of the characters. I always finish any book I start, but I was seriously considering putting this one down.

There has been so much buzz around "A Good Neighborhood" that I just couldn't wait to read the book for myself! This novel revolves around two teenagers from very different backgrounds: Juniper, a white girl who was raised to save herself for marriage and Xavier, a black boy who is raised by a single mom and doesn't share Juniper's beliefs. Will these two be able to overcome their differences and begin a relationship?

This book began well enough, but I couldn't enjoy it any more once the topics of inappropriate feelings (the stepfather) and suicide came up. I wish I could have liked this book more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you St Martin's Press and Netgalley for A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler for review.

I read A Good Neighborhood in a buddy read group but if I didn't, I am not sure I would have finished this one. I felt the first part was really very very slow and dragged quite a bit and then the next couple of parts had content that was not for me and I did not enjoy reading at all. I was reading for escape at the time and it just was not a place I wanted to escape to.

Her writing was well done, as usual, especially in the second two parts, so if you don't mind reading about some really hard topics then you'll probably like this one a lot more than I did. I wasn't a fan of the neighborhood being a type of narrator either, it did not add anything to the story at all for me except to slow it down a little.

I nominated this book for my book club, and we will be reading this novel in May. We wanted to discuss the questions - “What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?”

The story starts quickly with portentous events to come. The narrator tells us there’ll be a conflict and we’ll take sides.

Based in North Carolina and referring to the Southern states, the questions of race and class differences are examined. In this novel, we see an interracial marriage, the single mother, and her well mannered, educated teenager with a bright future in front of him. They have new neighbors, a family whose members came with backstories of their own.

As events unfold, the characters could be people you know. If you were in the neighborhood, how would you react to the events? What would you say? Which side will you be on? The author gives us multiple viewpoints because they’re all possible...

I find it interesting that in examining race in the story, the central conflict is similar to events from decades ago, or as far back as slavery goes. The story struck me that while some things have changed, much remains the same. The true story of Emmett Till from the 50s comes to mind, though he suffered far worse. And while there isn’t an Atticus Finch or Jean Louise, we again have our era’s version of Tom Robinson.

Despite the similarity noted, I really enjoyed the coming of age love story aspect of this version of the “same” conflict. I also find the characters believable, with the exception of one. Brad, Julia, Juniper, Xavier — they’re all very real or seem like people you’d know. I’m still trying to trace Valerie’s character... she seems more disjointed and inconsistent, whereas all the others had been consistent.

The narrator is compelling and the themes are relevant today, making this a 4 stars read. Since I’m still trying to figure out Valerie’s character arc, it’s not 5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book through #NetGalley and while I had it a while before it went on the market, I struggled to get into it. However, my book club selected it (based on my recommendation) so I had to definitely give it a go!

This is a difficult review to write and I've been thinking through exactly what my opinions are of this book. I'm not going to regurgitate any of the details of the book as you can really find those on Amazon or Goodreads but will stick only with my thoughts on it. First, I'm a lifelong North Carolinian and while yes, we have people who may resemble some of the characters in this story, I did feel somewhat insulted by the overall portrayal of NC. I both audio and kindle read this book and the audio was especially offensive with regard to that. I had to stop audio-reading it because it just made me to angry to continue hearing the depiction of the character's accents.

While I appreciate the flow of the book and the use of a third person/people (who were they anyway?!), I have to say that I didn't care for this style personally. I also felt that there were too many hot issues and too many stereotypical personality representations covered in this story. There was absolutely no one in the book that I even particularly liked. The longer I read, the lower my rating went and the ending...I can't say that I've been that mad at the end of a book, ever.

Therese Anne Fowler is an amazing author. I have loved her books, "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" and "A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts." I knew going into this that she was departing from historical fiction with this one. I just truly didn't expect such a dramatic departure as this!

I thought this book was very well written, and evoked a ton of emotion from me. After reading it a couple of weeks ago, I am still thinking about it. That being said, there was a lot about this story that was very hard for me to read, and was honestly too much for me. I started off liking it, I really enjoyed the voice of the neighborhood, and thought it brought a great perspective and lightened the story a bit where it was needed. But as it kept going, it became a bit unbelievable on both sides of the fence, if you will, and not only lost me, but made me angry. I finished the book because I had to know how it ended, but am not sure I was happy with the ending.

I had such high hopes for this book but, sadly, it just did not work for me. The subject matter was heavy, as expected, but all of the evil was just hammered over and over until I was left trying desperately to come up with one redeeming thing to say about the story. 2.5/5

Takeaways: very important subjects, delivered in a far too heavy handed manner.

Recommend for fans of Jodi Picoult and Little Fires Everywhere. There was one storyline that I really did not like and wish hadn’t existed. IMHO, the book could have gone the same way and had the same impact without this storyline. But, I’m trying to review books based on what they ARE and not what they should be so ... overall strong writing and characters I cared for.

A Good Neighborhood takes place in a diverse neighborhood, an established neighborhood with a long history. It is named Oak Knoll, a sign that it is proud of its majestic oaks. It is a good neighborhood. It is pressured, though, by people buying up older homes, demolishing them and building over-sized houses. Valerie Alston-Holt is unhappy that when the house next to hers was torn down every single tree was razed. The house and pool fill the lot and make her worry about the health of her own magnificent oak tree, one that has significant sentimental value to her. She is predisposed to dislike the Whitmans and they seem to conform to her worst expectations when Brad Whitman, the father assumes Valerie’s son Xavier is her yard worker.

But Xavier is attracted to Juniper, Whitman’s stepdaughter and Valerie likes Julia, his wife. Xavier is a talented classical guitarist eager to start college in the fall, having won admission and a scholarship to a prestigious California school. His attraction to Julia is the first serious relationship.

Valerie’s oak tree is damaged and will die and she learns the Whitmans built a larger home than allowed. She files suit. Meanwhile, we learn Brad is anything but a nice guy. It is clear he is racist and eager to exploit racism to his own ends. He sees Valerie through the stereotypes of Black women even though she is a college professor. He exploits racist libels of Black men to attack Xavier to gain leverage against Valerie. Things will not end well.



Is it horrible to say I wish A Good Neighborhood were less realistic? It seems when white and Black individuals or families come into conflict, the Black people lose. I think the premise is credible. I can see Valerie filing that suit. I can see Brad exploiting his connections and racism to gain leverage. I thought, though, that Brad Whitman was made less interesting by his sexual interest in his step-daughter. It was making him too evil without mitigating and interesting complexity. There is nothing complex about him. He is just awful.

My favorite thing about the book was the voice of a person in the neighborhood telling the story. Fowler perfectly captured the way people always find themselves innocent.

A Good Neighborhood will be released March 10th. I received an ARC from the publisher through Shelf Awareness and NetGalley

A Good Neighborhood at St. Martin’s Press
Therese Anne Fowler author site
Interview with Therese Anne Fowler by Southern Review of Books

So much packed into a small book. Given the times and other literary controversies of 2020, I can’t seem to realize what this book what trying to do or add to the landscape,

“What has more meaning to humankind than words? Without a call to action, change rarely occurs.”

A tragedy strikes a “Good Neighborhood.” This is where good families and good people live. But under the veneer of perfection, exists deep-seated racism, gender bias, class separation, and a sexual predator. Families are ripped apart based on choices made stemming from greed, desperation, “doing the right thing,” and love.

Fowler explores themes of racial and class divisions through the characters of Xavier, Valerie, vile Brad, and Julie, and Juniper. Through them, we learn of bias, racism, gender dynamics that exist in "the good neighborhood." As difficult as it is to read, themes of social justice and love leave the reader feeling a little hopeful.

My one criticism of this book is the narrator. Told through a third person POV, the narrator is invasive, offering commentary on characters/events. They often direct the reader on how to think or feel about certain situations. I feel that this book could have reached me on an even deeper level if I had more of an opportunity to think of broader implications on my own (but that’s just me).

I appreciate what this book has to say about American society, but I would not want to read this again! I knew what I was getting into reading this, but reading about it and hearing about are two very different things. Sickening, disturbing, beautiful at times, this book hit me hard. It took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride and left me with a broken heart.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Good Neighborhood focuses on a progressive North Carolina neighborhood where neighbors socialize, host book clubs, and look out for one another. When a "McMansion" is built directly behind Professor Valerie Alston-Holt's home, there are repercussions for her beloved old oak tree. The McMansion is the new custom built home of Brad - the HVAC king of North Carolina, and self-made local business giant. Brad has two daughters - one a teen that is very close in age to Valerie's son - a senior in high school and talented musician. When her bi-racial son introduces himself to the new neighbor - self made millionaire Brad - he assumes he is the "hired help". The racial tension, the entitlement of Brad, and the budding romance between Juniper and Xavier is reminiscent of a Greece tragedy. What boils to the surface is the racism that is still present - even in "progressive" or good neighborhoods. I'm still thinking about these characters after finishing - Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the perspective of it being told by the neighborhood to be a really interesting literary device and way of telling the story. Many of the characters were really easy to like. Though I knew from the beginning that it was going to end tragically, the book kept me guessing as to how that happened and to whom.

Again, the question of whether a white person can write a book with the perspective of a minority. This falls short. Yes, she quotes Zadie Smith in the foreword, but the story doesn’t follow through. Perhaps before the uproar over this issue earlier in AMERICAN DIRT, I might have enjoyed this book more. The story is okay, but the characters lack depth. After reading the book, I never felt I really wanted to live in this good neighborhood. Xavier is too much of a goody-goody bi-racial boy being raised by a single mom. Juniper, his neighbor who had a purity ceremony with her father in a church ceremony at age 14, is flat. I felt I was reading a story filled with clichés about various people.

This was an interesting story of racial relations and prejudice and had a good point to make. However, the narrator's voice really annoyed me the way it was written, and we never do find out who the narrator was. Just so-so for me.

A Good Neighborhood, by Theresa Anne Fowler, is unquestionably one of the most compelling and complex novels I have read in the past year. Character-driven, it will make you laugh and cry, but most of all, it will make you think. Set in a middle to upper middle-class community in today’s America, the story focuses on two families and two love-struck teens. One or more of the neighbors serves as an “off-stage” narrator, providing an outside perspective. Every character is deftly drawn, with ample background to contextualize who they are and why they choose the way they do. As in real life, the more you know, the more your feelings are likely to change.

Fowler adds to the complexity by setting her characters against the muddy landscape of today’s political issues: racism, misogyny, privilege of many kinds, economic disparity, environmental and criminal injustice. In a very real sense, that landscape colors and shapes much of what happens. While Fowler offers no resolution, she highlights the impact those issues have on daily, mundane actions.

This is a memorable, heartbreaking story you should not miss. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was my pleasure.

I received a reviewer copy of A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler from the publisher St. Martin's Press from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Valerie is an ecology professor with a love of conservation and a desire for her son, Xavier, to grow and accomplish everything as a young black man. Things begin to shift on both accounts when Brad Whitman, an HVAC guy, buys a house in their neighborhood, destroying an old tree and Xavier falling for the oldest Whitman daughter. Things quickly spiral out of control.

What I Loved: I have to say this book is compelling and I wanted to know what happened. It raises important questions about race and community. Fowler writes a compelling book even when you want to punch a lot of the characters. The book would likely serve as a good book club discussion.

What I didn’t like so much: TRIGGERS galore and no warning which given the trigger content is frustrating because it just dives right in. But here are some triggers for you: pedophilia, childhood sexual assault, rape, racism, abuse, violence, probably more but it's a lot. Also, I'm not sure the material is handled in the best way. I also wish that the main characters had shown more development but, otherwise the triggers and the trauma were a lot and perhaps could have been handled better.

Who Should Read It: People who love a complex book with lots of angles of discussion. People who don't mind trauma in their reading. People who can deal with dark plots and challenges.

General Summary: A dark yet compelling take on a 'progressive' North Carolina neighborhood.

This book was devastating!!! Very interesting structure, with the neighborhood being the narrator. There was also a lot of valuable social commentary in this book on race, power, and privilege. Really well written, and really powerful! 4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book.