Cover Image: The Neighbor

The Neighbor

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Member Reviews

Suspenseful paranormal horror story, pretty creepy and chilling.
Very fast paced, fantastic tension.
Authentic characters and world building.

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The plot of The Neighbor was definitely frightening. However, I could not put this book down. I kept trying to find opportunities when I had free time to read it. I was terrified for Claire and her four girls. I found myself wanting to protect them from whatever evil had invaded their house. I loved how the supernatural element of the story did not feel forced or cheesy. It was very believable so much so that I kept having to check for shadows as I read this book! The pacing was done perfectly. Although there are some parts of the story that are a bit predictable with how they will play out, I felt that it didn't take away from the narrative at all. I will say all the demon encounters were the spookiest though! However, London Clarke writes them in a way that won't leave you too scared to continue reading. She writes them in a way that will leave you wanting to know more. By the end of the book, all loose ends had been tied up, and there were no cliff hangers.

All of the characters in The Neighbor were fleshed out perfectly even the supporting characters. I really connected with Claire the most, not because she was the main character, but because we are both mothers. While I have two boys instead of four girls, my youngest, funnily enough named Levi (if you read The Neighbor, you'll find out why I find it funny), is the same age as Claire's youngest daughter named Paris. My oldest isn't much older than Claire's oldest daughter Annalen. Plus, Claire and myself are very close in age. I was behind Claire 100 percent, and it annoyed me when her ex-husband, Gunnar, thought she was just losing her mind instead of trying to help her out. I found Clair to be a very strong female character, and I felt so much admiration for her for what she chose to go through for her girls. (I know that most parents would have done the same though.) I also felt bad for Claire that one decision is what caused this whole supernatural mess. Steel was a definitely an interesting character that I did not trust from the very beginning. He is written perfectly, and even though I didn't trust him very much, he was still fun to read about. I found myself trying to figure him out all the time! Whitney was another character that I liked but didn't trust. It was so weird how her life seemed to mimic Claire's.

Trigger warnings for The Neighbor include profanity, violence, murder, death, suicide, alcohol, pedophilia (though not graphic), sex scenes (not very graphic), demons, and the occult.

Overall, The Neighbor is one heck of a rollercoaster ride, so be sure to strap yourself in tight. With it's terrifying plot and interesting characters, this book sucks you in from the very first page and won't spit you back out until it's had its wicked way with you. I would definitely recommend The Neighbor by London Clarke to those aged 18+ who love their spooky novels with a big helping of terrifying on the side. You will not be disappointed, that's for sure!

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3⭐️⭐️⭐️


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Thankyou netgalley for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.
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Confusing. I’m confuse .
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Story starts with a recently well over a year divorce ‘Claire’. She has 4 kids and just exploring one night a met steel?
Okay that’s great . We’re getting romance vibe here.
Not until after a few chapter, it’s getting more on thriller side which a lot of things keeps on appearing and disappearing on the house . Okay great.
Now on the part of horror which one of the kid seeing shadows, then some inserts of sex and romance with steel . Then on the middle of the story the story telling comes in into third narrator which where it does exist?
It’s coming and going on the middle up until when the spirit or portal coming so we’re getting supernatural vibes here. Which I’m getting confuse at . It doesn’t add up to the sequence but by the way , the author has a great mind blobbing moment here but they don’t add up.
Then it comes to the end part which I keep on repeating itself as it doesn’t mix everything with the e’xorcist father’ who’s there to open a portal but doesn’t actually close it? How come Claire has another identity to be become Lucinda? Confusing. I’m confuse .
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Anyway, 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ .
It would have been a great story even a lot of genre is happening here as it was a multi verse sort of thing .

❤️shaye.reads

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This one was a DNF for me, unfortunately. I wasn’t immersed in the storyline or characters. I believe this has more to do with me than the story itself. The star rating is only due to the fact that Netgalley requires a star rating. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given any stars due to me not finishing it.

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This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

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#The Neighbor by # London Clarke is a terrifying tale. Also add in suspense, supernatural, and get ready for chill's! Claire has a secret. And to cope often participates in risky behavior.....
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, #London Clarke, and #BooksGoSocial

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What a creepy cover! This storyline had me gripped and I raced through it...well worth reading :) I can't wait to read more from this author!

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I love reading thrillers and suspense novels that keep me on the edge of my seat! I am grateful that Netgalley and the publisher allowed me to read this ARC in exchange for a review!

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Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

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I really enjoyed this book even though it scared the crap out of me at times. I found myself peering into the shadows (I read when I go to bed) several times.

Claire, a recently divorced mom to 4 girls, lives in a close-knit neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. The ladies of the neighborhood have a book club and when, a new and handsome new neighbor, Steel Nolan moves in, it's all the neighborhood ladies can talk about.

Claire and Steel start a fast romance but then strange things start happening, voices, sleepwalking, a stuffed cat appears out of no where. This book digs into the thrill of danger and what can haunt us.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC for the ARC. If you like creepy horror stories, you will love this one!

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I love reading horror novel and this was definitely an endearing read that kept me in edge. Thank you Netgalley for approving my request.

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Really good read, will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat till the end. Glad I was able to get a copy to read.

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The Neighbor was such a great spooky read! I picked this up a while ago and then it sat on my shelf for too long so I thought November was a great time to read it and I'm glad I waited.

Claire is adjusting to her new life as a single mom to 4 girls after she and her husband split. A handsome new neighbor, Steel, moves in and shows interest in Claire... Claire's youngest daughter doesn't like Steel because "he has a shadow man following him." Right there I was hooked.

Weird haunting type, paranormal things begin happening ever since Claire and Steel meet. There's a spooky stuffed cat that seems to be talking to the youngest daughter, strange voices, sleepwalking and more.

This book was very much giving me Insidious vibes (and I LOVE those movies). A paranormal expert comes to try and help with the dark entity.

There were a few things about Steel and Claire's "romance" that I thought were cheesy and just over the top that made me roll my eyes, hard. But other than that I really loved following along on this crazy journey to see what would happen to this family.

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I thought that the book, was such a page turner. A very well loved read book. The plot was very well written and I cannot wait to read another book by this author.

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I cannot believe what I just read! Claire seemed to have it all together but she engages in risky behavior to "blow off steam" Who among us needs a break from the overly scheduled, highly structured, demanding lives? Beware though, there are always consequences to our actions; some much more damaging than others...

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Oh my god, I loved this one so much. This is one of those rare books where you forget you're reading. It was like watching a movie, really. Afterwards, I kept recalling scene and trying to talk about it with my partner, only realizing it wasn't a movie that we had watched together. This *should* be a movie.

It's creepy as hell! Don't read by yourself or at night. I never feel that way when I read, so ... yeah, that's saying something. London Clarke has a great way of putting us right in the action. I will be rereading this in the future, and it's going on my favorites list and best books of 2021 list.

There are some minor copyediting issues, but this is a case where the story is so good, I didn't think about it too much.

Content note: off-screen pedophilia, murder, children harmed, some religious content (not gratuitous jesus stuff thankfully).

A huge thanks to London Clarke, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC. This was fantastic.

#BooksGoSocial #NetGalley #LondonClarke #BookReviews #MustRead

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Claire Vogel is a divorced mother of four girls who has a secret. A therapist, she likes to live on the wild side, stepping back just before she might tip over the edge. When she begins a flirtation with sexy, new neighbour Steel Nolan, odd things start happening around the house.

Before long, there is an unexpected murder-suicide in a family in the neighbourhood, and Annalen, her oldest, begins to suffer blackouts. Youngest daughter Paris expresses a vehement dislike towards Steel.

Meanwhile, one of Claire’s patients claims to be living a life that is a mirror image of her own, down to the smallest details. The woman even claims to be seeing a guy called Steel Nolan.

At first, Claire wonders if Steel is two-timing but then she gives in to his seduction and sleeps with him. It is the beginning of the worst nightmare of her life. Creepy things began to happen, with stuffed toys moving around, and her own children behaving as if they are possessed.

Then there is a creepy website that shows you your worst secrets and horrors from your past, things you cannot un-see.

Will Claire succeed in saving herself and her family?



The mood is deliciously slow, the details building up to give the book the vibe of a paranormal thriller.

There’s a minor subplot about her ex-husband, Gunnar, who has moved on and is married, and about the children’s interactions with her. This element led me to think that it might be a domestic thriller, but thankfully, it wasn’t so. The focus remains on the house, and what transpires within. Is it haunted? The author does a fantastic job of keeping us looking over our shoulders to see if ordinary objects around us have turned sinister.



I wish the author had given Claire two daughters less. Except for Annalen and Paris, the other two don’t get much space in the book, and I don’t see why they had to even be there. I couldn’t even remember their names.

To her credit, the supposed desire to live on the wild side doesn’t really show up much. I couldn’t see what the big deal was about it. For the most part, Claire is a sensible woman, genuinely loving towards her children and determined to keep them safe. I felt sorry for her. All she was trying to do was move on the way Gunnar had. Why does it always backfire on women?

Of course, she does behave in classic horror movie character style when it seems her instincts have gone to sleep and she doesn’t listen to her kids. If this element had not been there, the book would have been tighter and a few pages lighter. The climax requires us to suspend our disbelief and felt forced.

The Korean neighbour and her mother-in-law bring in a touch of Korean folklore which resonates within the novel, reminding us that stories from different cultures are more similar than we realise.



Annalen is nearing 15, yet she seems remarkably naïve. She catches her mother getting out of Steel’s truck, smoothing her dress down, and asks her, without a trace of sarcasm, what she was doing in there. How unbelievable is that!

Towards the end, when the horror element takes us out of reality and into the unreal, forcing us to confront the primal issue of Good versus Evil, we really begin to root for Claire as we wonder if there could ever be hope for her.

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I really enjoyed this suspenseful story! It is my first book from this author, and I will be on the lookout for more. The Neighbor hooked me right from the start, and it kept me intrigued and quickly reading through because I had to discover what would happen next! I connected with its characters, and genuinely cared how things would end up for them. What a thriller! I highly recommend for others who enjoy spooky mysteries.

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Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial as well as London Clarke for the ARC. I’m deeply grateful.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you one of the greatest horror books I’ve read in a long time. I couldn’t put this one down. I wish I could give more than five stars but, alas, I’m stuck.
Claire Vogel is a divorced mother of four and a clinical social worker. When a handsome, younger man moves next door to her, she finds herself attracted to him. She also finds that her harmonious neighborhood and close relationship with her neighbors is starting to fray. Her daughters begin acting strangely. Finally, she notices strange things happening around her home and office. Claire is skeptical at first but she is soon unable to deny that she has a problem.
From the first page, this story had claws. I couldn’t stop reading it. It had everything from ghosts to demons as well as characters I genuinely cared about. Ghost stories are my absolute favorite, especially ones in which the ending is not some kind of cope out. Way too often what appears to be a haunting ends up being something else. Nothing burns me up more in a story. Ms. Clarke’s writing was compelling and palpable. She has a gift for character development as well as creating a truly creepy atmospheric ghost story. I would love to see this turned into a movie. The story held hints of the Conjuring, which is a movie I love, but honestly, I enjoyed this story more.
To the author, I read your afterword as well. My condolences for the loss of your father. I can tell how much you loved him and how important he was to your family. Your afterword was moving. You have thoughts and prayers as well as my gratitude for writing this book.
XOXO

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Not going to lie this book was a lot darker than I expected and a lot creepier than I expected.... but in the best ways possible. I was not expecting the horror aspects but I also thought that it was amazing (which is rare for me because I am usually a bit of a chicken) but this book read like a movie and I thought it was amazing. I thought at first it was going to be sort of a domestic thriller, but when the paranormal and horror aspects came out my mind was blown. I thought Claire and Steel were interesting characters individually but together I was honestly... I don't even know what to say. This book was GOOD. I think London Clarke is a brilliant author who I would be a little scared to see what goes on in her head, even though I am also amazed by it!

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