Cul-de-sac is a domestic drama about families living in a seemingly picturesque street in Florida. There's Maggie, recently separated and living with her two children, Nick and Dani (respected doctors) and their two boys, elderly Julia and her grandson, Olivia and Sean, and newlyweds Heidi and Aiden (and his meddling mother). They all have secrets and, with multiple POVs, readers get to know each of them. All are multi-dimensional characters. Some I liked and others were downright awful.
We know at the very beginning that someone dies and almost everyone in the cul-de-sac owns a gun (or several), so it really could have been anyone. I wasn't really surprised by the ending, but thought it was fitting.
Really, I thought this was a good, fast-paced book that I enjoyed.

This book grabbed me from the start. Probably Fielding's best book ever. I did not want it to end. You know from the start that someone will be shot, but seeing most of the characters have a gum, the question is "who"? The characters were easy to relate to, ordinary people with a variety of problems. Well worth reading.

This book really shows some great family dynamics within a small area. Each house in the cul-de-sac contains a family that are all quite different from each other. This shows what others might think of you even if you are quite different from what they think. This book will keep you wondering till the end what each of these family members are really like and what they might actually do in the end. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This book was sent to my by Netgalley on Kindle for review. I have enjoyed so many of this aitbor’s books. Have eagerly awaited them. That being said, this one had explicit scenes and the story with the abuse is done too much in novels. The outcome was predictable...the story took a long time to get to the closing and then it was over quickly. Predictable story with predictable ending. Leave out the explicit scenes. Just write the mystery. The story of the family dynamics…many of them…is interesting in that trying to determine what happens next…

This is about Carlyle Terrace a cul-de-sac in Florida. There are five families on the street and each family has it's own problems. First we have Maggie and she is super paranoid. Second Dani a dentist is married to another doctor but there is no peace to be found. Third is Sean that has lost his job and cannot find another one so he is a stay at home dad. Fourth is Julia a senior citizen with a bothersome son. And last Heidi that is married but her mother-in-law is a nightmare.
This book is very suspenseful, you will fly through this one.

Another fantastic read by an incredible talented author. Great read. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review

I really enjoyed this book! I loved how character driven it was and how the stories intertwined. The mystery of someone being shot was brought up at the very beginning, so the whole book I was trying to guess who did it and who was shot. There were lots of possibilities, so the book kept me guessing throughout. I read this while I walked on the treadmill and one day I walked further than normal because I needed to find out more! It was a perfect book to keep me entertained through the end of summer brain fog I’m suffering from. Overall, a very enjoyable book with lots of great characters and story lines.

Hooked from the first page, this incredibly intense story begins with a description of a group of families who all live in houses on a cul-de-sac discussing the shots fired and the death which occurred the night before.

The story then moves backwards and explains the varied lives and relationships of the families living on the street and their interactions and secrets with each other up until the sudden gunshot from the early morning hours before.

First we have Nick, a highly respected doctor and his wife Dani, a southern belle who is a dentist. Nick has a tendency to pick at his wife’s pronunciation feeling her southern slang is tacky. They have two young children, both boys. From the outside looking in they seem to be the all-American family, but when the doors close, they are anything but. Nick, by the way has a gun collection.

Sean and Olivia are next. Sean is a miserable stay at home dad. He was laid off from his executive position over a year ago and has been unable to find work. Olivia, his wife, was fortunately able to get her lucrative job back at the advertising firm she worked at prior to having their children. Sean has become extremely depressed and is secretly drinking and lying to Olivia about finding work. As his anger towards everything and everyone escalates, he considers buying a gun.

Julia is an elderly widow whose husband died of cancer. Nick was his doctor. She is incredibly indebted to him. Her relationship with her only son is a bit strained, as is his son’s relationship with his own son, Mark, a man in his early twenties who would rather steal from wallets and pawn jewelry for drugs rather than get a job. Julia takes Mark in as he has nowhere to go. While rifling through old things, Mark finds his late grandfather’s gun.

Craig and Maggie found themselves living on the cul-de-sac after an incident occurred with Maggie and the family was being harassed. They were so affected they moved to another state. But Maggie’s personality changed because of what happened. She has become fearful and paranoid of everything and everyone, to the point where Craig has moved out, unable to live with her anymore. They have two children, a rebellious teenager and a young boy. Maggie secretly carries a gun in her purse everywhere she goes and keeps it by her bedside at night.

Finally, newlyweds Heidi and Aiden are happily in love, except for the fact that Aiden’s mother dislikes Heidi and is super rich and has basically bought them everything they own, even the house where they are living. This has put incredible pressure on the couple who both work at the mall and without her help could barely make ends meet. To add to their stress, Aiden sees a therapist for PSTD from what he saw during combat in the war. As his stress increases, it seems so do his flashbacks.

So here are the cast of characters who live on this beautiful street, some of whom have unbearable deep rooted secrets. As they begin to interact and get to know each other, some of the secrets begin to fall out of the houses and into the streets where others can see. So which of these neighbors will finally snap? And who is the victim?

Cul-De-Sac reads like an updated version of Peyton Place or Knot’s Landing, where the dark secrets run deep and the gossip flows like good wine! Quite the page turner!

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #Cul-De-Sac #JoyFielding for the advanced copy.

Carlyle Terrace - a quiet street in Florida with five houses. But those five houses hold many secrets.

The residents are varied - a women running from a traumatic experience and estranged from her husband and trying to move on with and raise her children; the doctor and his dentist wife with two small children, what appears to be an amazing life and many secrets behind their doors; a couple struggling after the husband loses his job and weaves a web of lies he can't seem to get out of; an elderly woman whose somewhat troubled grandson moves in and might be more than she bargained for; and the newlyweds with the meddling mother in law who only adds to their problems.

Then there's a gunshot and someone is dead. But who? And why? As the story unravels you realize it could be any number of people and the reason are plentiful.

The characters and their secrets were well told. The multiple point of view, I believe, only added to the depth. I really liked some of the characters, while others I grew to despise.

Lost of twist and turns in this page turner and it will keep you on your toes until the very end.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

While this is not the first book to plumb the depths of the dark secrets your neighbors may be keeping, it is definitely a standout. Expertly written, nuanced characters and a carefully interwoven plot about several families in a well-to-do cul-de-sac come together beautifully with a suspenseful tone to make this book a great read.

Joy Fielding does a fantastic job of demonstrating the tension bubbling and brewing under the surface of numerous happy-looking families, making it possible that any of these houses might be the one on the cul-de-sac that has a murder. She builds suspense expertly in each family’s story. There’s the well-respected doctor who may be horrible to his wife behind closed doors….the grandma who’s being robbed by her grandson and urged into assisted living by her selfish kids…the recently laid-off VP who can’t stand his wife being the breadwinner….the recently separated wife on the run from a motorcycle gang (yes, really!) and more! I was really impressed by the way Fielding drew all the characters. She made me care about all of them, and made me switch my opinion of which family would end up resorting to violence several times throughout. She also did a great job of joining some of the characters’ stories together.

Though the real “action” does not take place until the end of the novel, the suspense and thrills throughout are very satisfying. I am always pleased to find a thriller author with writing chops like these, and I will definitely be jumping on Joy Fielding’s next read! Page-turning, suspenseful and thought-provoking.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC! 4+ shiny stars!

4.5 stars

How well do you know your neighbors and what really goes on behind closed doors?

It seems one small cul-de-sac in Florida harbors more secrets than anyone could have ever imagined. Five homes, each with their own problems, begin to intermingle as they gradually get to know one another. No longer the short greetings and subtle acknowledgments as they come and go from their homes, they now are uncovering the dirty little secrets that could ultimately destroy their families and reputations. Will loose lips make matters worse and cause more pain, or will they continue to pretend to live in ignorant bliss?

I really enjoyed reading this thriller and getting to know all of the characters and their drama. It didn’t go unnoticed that as each family was introduced, we were made aware of who owned or had access to guns…and that was all of them. Clearly someone wasn’t going to make it to the end of this dysfunctional tale. It could’ve been anyone, but it ended up being exactly who I thought would meet their demise. I was a little disappointed that the end was a bit predictable, but overall I really liked this book would definitely recommend it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4146618474

A slow beginning for me on this book because there were so many characters and I was having a hard time keeping everyone straight. Gradually, though, I got to know everyone thanks to the excellent character descriptions and development. We know from the beginning that someone is going to get shot and I admit to hoping it would be one of two detestable people!

The characters are believable, and so is the story. We never know what goes on behind the doors of our neighbors' homes! I enjoyed getting to know the various characters and watching the changes in their lives.

Best of all, was the ending! I was also glad for the epilogue so we could see how everyone had handled the events of that evening.

I've read Joy Fielding books for years and was glad to see she's still great!

#culdesac
#joyfielding
#NetGalley published 8/10/2021
#mystery
⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 houses. Multiple people in each house. For me, too many people for me to keep track of. That is why I took away a star. It took me until 3/4's through the book to know who belonged to whom and which background. Each household had their own secret. The reader has zero idea as to which house the body belongs to in the beginning.

Each house/family has secrets. Each house has someone seriously thinking about killing someone. One house has abuse. One house has an alcoholic loser adult. One has a kid who is lost and does too much weed. One house has a controlling MIL with a PTDS husband. One has a PTDS wife who is trying to get back on track.

They are good stories by themselves. We get to see them interact a bit from a street party and just seeing each other around. I would definitely give this author another read.

#ballantinebooks
#randomhousepublishing
#bookstagram #booknerds #bookworm #booklover #bookdragon #readalot #ilovereading #inkdrinker #librarymouse #booknerdbookreviews #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookrecommendation #bookreview #booknerdigan #bookish #gottareadthisbook

I really had high hopes for this book, but I was not impressed. The overused tropes of spousal abuse, ptsd, etc make it really hard to find original thrillers these days, I am not anti-gun in any way, but I just didn’t care for this storyline.

Just about in every town in America you will find cul-de-sacs but in this story there will be a deadly shooting in one of the five almost identical homes and someone won't live to tell their version of what happened on that fateful day.

Who might the shooter and the victim be? Maggie and Craig have only lived in the area for two years and have recently separated leaving Maggie in the home with her two children while dealing with severe PTSD.

Dani and Nick another middle aged couple and their two sons. Dani is a dentist and hansome Nick is an Oncologist and they also have plenty of problems in their marriage as well.

Heidi and Aiden, a lovely young married couple although Aiden also suffers from traumatic episodes of PTSD from serving time in Iraq but another problem is his mother who wants to control every aspect of their lives.

Olivia and Craig, a middle-aged couple with their three children who have always been happy until Craig lost his prestigious job and cannot catch a break at getting hired anywhere and their savings have finally dried up. Craig now suffers from depression and a wounded ego while Olivia stays strong and supportive.

Last but not least, there is Julia who is an elderly widow living alone until her twenty year old grandson moves in with her while carrying a lot of baggage with him including drugs and no job.

One of these homes will suffer and unspeakable tragedy which will leave a devastating effect on all the other people who lived in their very lovely and special CUL-DE-SAC.

This was another terrific novel from Joy Fielding to add to her credits. I am a big fan and started reading her books many years ago and will always continue to seek out any new book that she writes. This book was current and stylish and possibly represent many homes or families and their problems. What fun and drama along the way trying to figure out who will be the shooter and the victim while all their stories unfold. The story was entertaining and so enjoyable that I didn't want to put the book down. The characters were relatable and for the most part likeable while all dealing with different weighty problems. I loved the book and I absolutely recommend it to any domestic mystery/thriller reader.

I want to thank the publisher "Random House Publishing - Ballantine" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this book 4 1/2 MARVELOUS 🌟🌟🌟🌟Stars!!

In a lovely little cul-de-sac in Florida live five families in five identical houses. All is not well in the neighborhood as each house hides a secret. Well developed characters lead us on a race to see who gets shot! There is a lot of gun talk - it is Florida, after all.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC!

This book provided one heck of a ride with a great ending. Well written and fast paced, this book kept me engaged from the first page. A must have for your summer beach bag.

So many characters! So many guns!

The cul-de-sac of the title of a seemingly quiet street outside of Palm Beach, Florida. Cul-de-sacs are known in the U.S. as great places to raise kids due to their lack of traffic. They are often places where neighbors are friendly with each other, the kids grow up together, and block parties are common.

So what happens when families have secrets they don't want their neighbors to know? Nothing stays hidden for very long in this horseshoe shaped street. There's one neighbor who is always looking out the window. Another who sneaks off when her mother is gone. One who isn't the nice, loving husband he appears to be. Another one brings unseemly elements into the neighborhood. And another who totes a gun wherever she goes. And one is fighting the side effects of PTSD. And they all have motives for using their weapons.

At first, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep all of the characters straight, but Fielding does a great job of developing the characters so that they all have a distinct role in the unfolding drama. The author has managed to develop an amalgamation of all of the personality flaws you might find in a community, so if you are sensitive to triggers, read with caution.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for an advance reader's copy.

This book was well written, character driven and is a domestic drama with some suspense and definitely tension built in. Centered around five families living in a cul-de-sac in Florida, this novel starts with a bang. Someone is shot, but you have to read the book to find out who was shot and who pulled the trigger. I was engrossed from the beginning and although I usually don’t enjoy so many multiple points of view, this book flowed so well that I looked forward to reading each chapter and finding out more about each family. I was really invested in finding out whodunit. The characters were all flawed with many dark secrets and motives for having and using a gun. Racing to the final reveal, this book was a fast-paced character study of neighbors who should probably not be allowed to have a gun. It kept me guessing and fully engaged in the plot. The plot itself was a simple one, but it was made more complicated by all of the twists that kept me entertained as I played the role of armchair detective. I highly recommend this novel for its brilliant originality and fascinating character study.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

There is a group of 5 homes in a cul-de-sac located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Maggie, who is separated from Craig, and mother to Erin and Leo, fled here from California as she fears someone is after her after witnessing a murder.

Oncologist Nick and dentist wife Dani have 2 sons, Tyler and Ben. What could possibly be wrong in the marriage of two professional doctors?

Sean and Olivia have reversed roles now. He lost his job and can’t find another one. Olivia has blossomed out with a wonderful job of her own. Now, Sean is house husband to 3 children.

Julia Fisher is 84 and a widow. Her son and his fourth wife want her to move into an assisted living home but she is very happy where she is. She is also helping her grandson find himself.

Aiden has had several tours of duty in Afghanistan and suffers from PTSD. His wife, Heidi, is very supportive of him but has a difficult time with his pushy mother who takes over their lives.

A simple ball game has brought all of the neighbors out and they are getting to know one another. Now, they are planning a Fourth of July party and someone’s going to end up shot dead.

This was a good book that brought out a lot of emotions in me. I know a lot of people don’t like guns but sometimes they are necessary to protect oneself from evil. Having said that, there is evil in this book. We have domestic violence, PTSD, controlling family members, lies, and alcoholism. But even with all this bad stuff, we have some humor and great examples of people really caring for one another. Of all the characters, I loved Julia the most. She is a wonderful, witty, and wise woman. She made me laugh out loud several times. This is a terrific story that I enjoyed immensely and I’m betting many other readers will too.

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