I loved this book. I always enjoy books that are about seemingly normal people and what their lives are really like behind closed doors.

In this book you are following the lives of characters living in a cul-de-sac. From the outside they all seem like perfectly normal people. You have the elderly woman who's grandson lives with her to help her, two prestigious doctors and their idyllic children, a stay at home dad and his wife, the newly divorced mother trying to find her way, and the newly married young couple.

In the beginning you know that one of the characters has died. Flashback to before the murder and the characters start telling their stories about their lives.

The character development is so good. The author does a great job of really making you feel certain ways about the characters. Some of them I wept for and some of them I wanted to tell off in real life. There were parts of this story where my heart ached. The author also does a great job of leading you to the climax without giving away too much. You feel like any of the characters could be responsible and I was shocked by the ending.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to read more of her work.

This was an interesting read and all of the neighbor’s secrets reminded me of Desperate Housewives. I have enjoyed this author’s work in the past and she did not disappoint this time. It was well written and the plot was engaging.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This a great book about a cul-de-sac and everyone while lives there. It's especially great having grown up in a cul-de-sac because the environment that is built in the book is 100% accurate. The characters are complex and dealing with their own problems, but everyone is nosy about their neighbors.

Loveeeee Joy Fielding!!! Cul-De-Sac had me yearning for more! 5 families are followed, and each is fighting their own demons -- marriage difficulties, PTSD, abuse, addiction... so many of the wild things I love! A domestic thriller with plenty of twists and turns that left me wanting more! 5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve lost count of how many neighborhood stories I’ve read this year, some better than others, and I’m glad to say Cul-de-sac is one of the good ones! It just comes to prove that looks can be deceiving and you can never quite know what happens behind closed doors.

A shot rings out in the night. A neighbor is dead. The question is…who?

The residents of this cul-de-sac in Florida are hiding lots of secrets and some of these secrets will be the end of one of them.

One thing is sure, I would not like to live in this neighborhood. For starters, most of the people living there were quite unlikeable. Some of them grew out of it but others kept getting more and more horrible. And two, why do they all have guns at home? From the story point of view it was a great way to misdirect suspicions about who the shooter and the victim were but, from a real life point of view…Why? I will never understand the fascination.

Having so many characters and POVs made for a terrific pacing and when a character’s chapter ended I could not wait to go back to their storyline.

The secrets they were all hiding made of this a very entertaining read and didn’t allow for a single moment of boredom.

The tension keeps on building in most of the households until the shot is fired and with several likely candidates to die, I can’t say I was sad to see that one go.

Great story of domestic suspenses that will keep you turning pages like mad.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the reason I am not to friendly with the neighbors. It is definitely a cautionary tale. It was definitely an eye opener and quite the wild ride. The book has an eerie and disturbing feeling to it. It was superb!

I thought that the book, was such a page turner. A great read. I loved the book. The plot was very well written and the story was one where the reader could get lost in. I cannot wait to read another book by this author.

Its normally a quiet peaceful street. No one would of believed what happened that July night. It was so shocking. None of their neighbors seemed capable of committing such a cold blooded heinous act. How could this happen?

The street is a cul-de-sac which is a dead end street, like a horseshoe. The street's name is Carlyle Terrace. There are five houses on that street. The neighbors that live on that street are a single mother, and her two children, a doctor and his dentist wife with their two sons, another couple who are married with their three offsprings, a widowed grandmother, and another married couple only married for one year.

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. "

There were shots that went off in the middle of that July night and no-one would of thought that it was a gun that was held mere inches from its targets head.
All of the neighbors have secrets and have access to guns and not all survive that night.

I did enjoy the first half of the book. There were too many characters to keep track of. This is a domestic drama and a who-dunnit. It did not to be a thriller for me. I am not a big fan of these two genres. I am a big thriller fan. I was disappointed because I loved several books of by this author and they were all thrillers.

There were some unlikable characters in this book. My favorite character was Maggie because she would go out of her way to help others. I did enjoy the ending.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy a domestic drama and a who-dunnit. If you enjoy these two genres I think you will love it.

This was a buddy read with Susan. She enjoyed it a lot more than me so go check out her review. I am an outlier on this one.

I want to thank Netgalley, and Ballantine Books for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Cul-de-sac by Joy Fielding.

One quiet summer night, in a sleepy cul-de-sac, a gunshot is fired and someone is left dead. But in such a sweet and friendly neighborhood, how could it happen, especially shortly after they all spent an evening playing ball together.

But in a neighborhood of dentists, doctors, and doting parents, secrets bubble just under the surface, and now someone has been shot.

Hoooo, I had fun with this one! I love books like this. Not quite And Then There Were None-esque, but give me a mystery amongst an interesting cast of characters any day.

The author did a fabulous job of fleshing out each household, highlighting their troubles and strengths, as well as the relationship that they had with each other. It was a highly satisfying read.

I love watching shows like Fear Thy Neighbor, so I thought this would be right up my alley. Because, let's be honest. You just never know what is going on with the people you live by, friends or not.

I did have some issues with this book, starting with the characters. I didn't really like any of them, and when that happens it makes it hard to like the story. There were a lot of overused tropes in the context and that made it hard as well, especially when it was more than a few.

This is not the first book I have read by this author, and her grasp on plot and character development was good as always. And the basis of the story was good as well. I just wish I could have connected with it more.

This book shows the exact meaning of " Its not always greener on the other side." Each neighbor judges the others and makes assumptions, which may or not be true. Everyone has their own problems though, and you can't judge a book by the cover- or in this case your neighbors!

Cul-de-Sac opens with a bang -- literally. Someone has been shot, but it's anyone's guess, as the residents five houses on this quiet cul-de-sac are all keeping secrets, some of them explosive. This was a slow burn compared to some of Fielding's other books, but the characters are all well drawn and the ending is satisfying. I will say they should have gone with a punchier title. Nitpicky, I know, but Cul-de-Sac does not scream 'thriller' to me.

Everyone dreams of living in a friendly neighborhood where the kids can play and the adults can share some cold drinks and hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. But how well do you really know your neighbors? Everyone has secrets but what happens when your neighbors learn about yours? I enjoyed this “whodunit” story and would recommend it ! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Between the Wines book review #101/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: Cul-De-Sac
Author: Joy Fielding
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on August 10, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: I enjoyed the idea behind this story but thought the execution didn’t meet the goal. While there was mystery and suspense, I thought that it took entirely too long for the main climax to happen. I would have liked to see it happen earlier in the book and be able to see more of the repercussions. Also, it was so easy to figure out who the culprit was going to be. With that said, I loved the character development. Most of the characters were so unlikable but the writing makes you invested into their life stories.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @RandomHousePublishingGroup for an advanced copy of @Culdesac.

#Culdesac #RandomHousePublishingGroup #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller #GeneralFictionAdult

If you like Desperate Housewives, you will enjoy this novel by Fielding. The neighborhood is keeping lots of secrets even though everyone looks “perfect” from the inside. As the neighbors get to know each other, the tea starts spilling. I’ve always loved Joy Fielding and this is another winner.

This is the second “neighborhood drama” that I’ve read recently – and certainly the best. Joy Fielding has a knack for writing about domestic drama and this one is a thriller. I certainly didn’t like all the characters, I think that was the point! If you are looking for a psychological drama, I would definitely recommend this book (or any Joy Fielding books). Thank you for NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and the storytelling. It was also interesting the way my opinions on certain characters changed the more I read. I was a little surprised by some of the events of this book and maybe should have looked into the trigger warnings there. Overall, this was a solid read for me. At times it felt a bit slow, but the last quarter of this book especially had me not wanting to put it down.

4.5*
Oh what scandalous, delectable fun!
I just adore neighborhood books and this was among the best of them!

A shot rings out in the night. One neighbor is dead. Of course, everyone wants answers.

Although there’s a considerable list of characters in this book, Ms. Fielding did an amazing job of bringing vivid depth and life to all of them. At no time did I have any difficulties keeping them apart.

The storyline unfolds from multiple POV. and I enjoyed them all. Once again, I think we can all agree, no one ever really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

My third read from this author and my favorite to date and can’t wait to see what she conjures up next. Meanwhile, I have an enormous backlog of her books to keep me busy!🤓🍿

Enjoy domestic drama? Make sure this book is on your list!

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for granting my wish.

Years ago I read PUPPET by Joy Fielding. I was hooked from then on. I've read every book she's written since then including this one. To me each one is better than the last. The first one, Puppet, I found in a condo in FL when on vacation.

This book is not a thriller but it will keep you on the edge in many parts. It's the story of five neighbors. Each with their own lives. Their own secrets. Their own problems. And their own lies. From the outside it seems like a quiet and peaceful neighborhood. From the outside you would never think anyone had the problems these people have.

Five neighbors. One will end up dead. There are four couples and one elderly lady who live on this Cul-de-Sac. One family is dealing with a lying husband, Sean. He lost his job and then makes his wife, Olivia, think everything is one way when it's not at all. Can she forgive him for the cost of their trust? They have three children. One, Nick, is a wife beater and at times rapes her in sadistic ways. They have two sons. The oldest one he treats horribly. Always pushing him. Everyone thinks Nick is so a good looking, nice, and great doctor. Dani, his wife, is a dentist. How much more can she take before he kills her? Maggie's husband, Craig, decided he could not live with her any longer and leaves. She's terrified and buys a gun. For protection. They have two children. The young couple, Heidi and Aiden. Aiden is a big mama's boy and puts her above his wife in every way. Heidi is so tired of competing with Lisa, Aiden's mom. She can't possibly win. But can she? The older woman of the neighborhood, Julia, has her grandson, Mark, staying with her. He's a bit of a pot head and tends to steal from his grandmother. Julia's son wants her to sell the big house and move into a living assisted facility.

This book is so good. You get to know each of these families. Some you will like. They may even give you a chuckle. Some you will hate. They get under your skin. Anytime abuse is present it seems people want to say the woman is weak. I disagree. The women for the most part are pretty strong. They have jobs, pay bills, take care of their homes, husbands and children. It's the men who are truly weak. If not they would not do the horrible things they are doing. Put the blame where it belongs please. Also sometimes a woman has no choice. Sometimes they feel trapped.

Who will end up with a bullet in their head? Who will be responsible? Will it be the lying husband who is ashamed of things he has done? The abuser who should be ashamed? His wife? The mama's boy? The mama? An innocent child? On the night the shot rings out who will be the victim? Who will fire the fateful shot? Will these neighbors be able to pick up the pieces and move on?

I throughly enjoyed this book. I always look forward to a new book by this author.

Thank you #NetGalley, #JoyFielding, #RandomHouseBallantinePublishing for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars and a huge recommendation.

Do you ever really know your friends and neighbors? Everyone has secrets, as well as demons they are either trying to hide or are trying to fight, and it's possible we might never know anything about any of it. This book has a large cast of characters that were very well written given the strength of emotion I had as I learned each of their stories. Maggie was my favorite, and I appreciated her personal growth to regain her confidence and self-esteem. I appreciated the multiple narratives and found this made the book a very fast read that I did not want to put down. I had not read a Joy Fielding book in many years and was not disappointed!

This books has a heavy hand in everything guns, and I couldn't quite tell if Joy Fielding is for or against the owning of guns. My guess is she is against it as the neighbors and their thoughts and actions clearly give us numerous reasons we shouldn't be allowed to own guns. I did notice therapy is noted multiple times and was thrilled to see this so openly welcomed and normal. Bravo!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.