Ehhhh.....it's been done.

It's another neighborhood drama type book. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing new. Nothing shocking. Nothing I haven't I haven't read before.

Book club aka women get together and drink wine and gossip. Teenagers with teenage problems. Too many characters. Too many emails about dumb emails.

I've read better.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

A superbly written book, this held my attention and made me laugh out loud multiple times with it's dry wit. I predict this will be the sleeper hit of the season.

Annie wanted so badly to live in Cottonwood Estates. While her home isn’t one of the largest in the neighborhood, it’s nice. Her children go to an excellent school, at which she is fortunate enough to work as a guidance counselor. She has a great circle of friends and looks forward to their monthly book club meetings.

Lena stays to herself, knowing that she is still, 15 years later, the topic of neighborhood gossip. Janine is mostly a spaz, but means well. Jen is smart and funny, but worries incessantly about her son’s abnormal social development. Debbie, Priya, Harriet, these women are all part of the prestigious neighborhood that is Cottonwood Estates.

But, as usual, people may not be who they seem, especially these teenagers. Any of us who have ever tried to parent a teenager knows that you NEVER know what they are going to pull next, but these kids? They definitely keep the neighborhood on their toes. And the kids aren’t the only ones keeping secrets. Not by a long shot.

Overall, I liked the book. It was a good thriller, had some great twists and turns, and while I wasn’t able to really connect with any of the characters, they all play their parts well.

The book comes out on Oct. 5, 2021. I would recommend it for a quick weekend read.

Thanks to L. Alison Heller, Flatiron Books and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

The Neighbor’s Secret by L. Alison Heller is a well-written psychological thriller made even more interesting because it all takes place in the idyllic suburbs where you least suspect such dark secrets. And it seems that everyone in the expensive Cottonwood Estates has something to hide. I enjoyed the alternating POVs of the characters who all belong to the same neighborhood book club, but I occasionally had trouble keeping it all straight.

The book centers around three characters. One, Annie seems to be the most friendly and well-adjusted, but then she reveals her past could come back to haunt her. Two, Jen struggles with her son who may be a sociopath and the vandal. Three, Lena has some serious secrets that have driven her to be a recluse until she’s asked to re-join the neighborhood book club. Add in some interesting minor characters and the story keeps you guessing.

The tension increases when someone starts vandalizing the property of the book club members, one by one. The crimes increase in scope with each person which leaves everyone feeling very vulnerable and wondering what will happen next and to whom.

The plot and pacing of the novel kept me interested. Each character has a secret or two to hide. I kept trying to figure out not only who was the vandal but, more importantly, how each character would fare if/when their secret came to light.

Readers of Big Little Lies will enjoy this book about a close-knit community crumbling under the weight of secrets and lies.

I would like to thank Flatiron Books for this ARC via NetGalley.

Lots of people have attempted to replicate Liane Moriarty’s best-selling formula for success, but this is by far the best American novel version I’ve yet had the pleasure of reading! Told from shifting third- and first-person perspectives, with the occasional hilarious email punctuating the proceedings, The Neighbor’s Secret examines the lives of several residents of the Cottonwood Estates, a relatively affluent subdivision that is home to Annie, Lena, Jen and the book club that brings them closer together.

The monthly book club is a big part of Cottonwood Estates’ social life, especially for the adult women. While Annie, Lena and Jen all live on the periphery of their neighborhood’s teeming social milieu for one reason or another, book club is their main way of connecting. Jen, especially, uses book club as a shield from criticism over her dire lack of social activity otherwise:

QUOTE
Jen trotted out her book club membership when she wanted to appear normal. Jen’s mother fretting aloud (again) about how Jen didn’t have a support system since the move? <i>I’ve met some lovely women at book club, Mom!</i>

[Her husband] Paul breezing in from a business trip with stories of the outside world and pausing to ask gently if Jen talked to anyone, anyone at all while he was gone, about something other than [their son] Abe?

<i>Book club!</i> Everything’s fine, nothing to see here.
END QUOTE

Jen’s preoccupation with young Abe’s mental health often leaves her too exhausted to function. So she’s thrilled when he seems to be building a genuine friendship with Laurel, Annie’s daughter. Annie is also pleased: 14 year-old Laurel has recently turned secretive and disgruntled, but her rebellious instincts have relaxed considerably since meeting Abe. Both mothers have also been quietly concerned that their children might have had something to do with a spate of vandalisms that preceded their friendship, and breathe a sigh of relief when the criminal mischief dies down considerably in the wake of the children’s burgeoning relationship.

It’s actually the vandalism that brings Annie and Lena together, when Annie finds Lena’s graffitied mailbox during one of her daily walks and decides she doesn’t want to let the reclusive older woman be as unpleasantly surprised by the discovery as she was. A friendship quickly springs up between them over books, and Annie soon strong arms Lena into attending book club. But as the three women begin to grow closer and their lives become more deeply intertwined, a series of shocking revelations will result in a violent death that may have ties to another deadly night from over a decade earlier. How far will the women of Cottonwood Estates go to protect their secrets and the children they all fiercely love?

Unfolding as delicately and suspensefully as the most finely crafted puzzle box, The Neighbor’s Secret is chock-full of mysteries that are elegantly solved as the narrative unravels. One of my favorite sub-mysteries was the identity of the narrator who divined the entire truth but wasn’t sure of what to do with the information:

QUOTE
Miss Marple would report it without hesitation. Same with Inspector Gamache, but justice looks a little different off the page.

I’ve gotten as far as tracing the numbers on my phone. 9-1-1.

Hello? I’d like to report a murder.

When I imagine the flash of police lights reflecting against darkened houses, my stomach twists in objection.

But when I think about letting the foothills absorb the secret, that doesn’t sit right either.

I don’t know what to do.
END QUOTE

Peopled with relatable characters, this often humorous novel isn’t above skewering the ridiculousness of tony neighborhoods while still treating each individual who’s trying their best as a person deserving of empathy and warmth. Probably the most relatable issue the book discusses is the minefield of modern parenting, and how parents twist themselves into knots to do what’s right for their kids. It also makes a surprisingly strong case for in-person book clubs, that’s almost convinced me to join one once pandemic times are over! L Alison Heller has definitely knocked it out of the park with this, her third and latest novel.

Thank you to Flatiron and NetGalley for an ARC of The Neighbor's Secret.

I was very excited by the synopsis of this one and excited when my request was approved but sadly, this didn't live up to my expectations. There are just way too many characters unneeded fluff, and flashbacks that make it hard to keep up with the storyline. If you like character driven novels and are interested in white suburban type characters then this book is for you. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

The Neighbor’s Secret by L. Alison Heller is reminiscent of a Liane Moriarty book with the characters and storylines. If you were a fan of Big Little Lies and that kind of unfolding of a plot, you will for sure enjoy this book!

With its sprawling yards and excellent schools, Cottonwood Estates is the perfect place to raise children. The Cottonwood Book Club serves as the subdivision’s eyes and ears, meeting once a month for discussion, gossip, and cocktails. If their selections trend toward twisty thrillers and salacious murder mysteries, it’s only because the members feel secure that such evil has no place in their own cul-de-sacs.

Or does it?

What happened to Lena’s family fifteen years ago was a tragic accident, and she will never admit otherwise. Devoted wife and mother Annie refuses to acknowledge—even to herself—the weight of a past shame. And new resident Jen wants friends, but as always, worry about her troubled son gets in the way.

When late-night acts of vandalism target the women of the book club in increasingly violent and personal ways, they will be forced to decide how far to go to keep their secrets. At least they all agree on what’s most important: protecting their children at any cost—even if it means someone has to die.

Coming out on October 5.

It all boils down to, everyone wants to feel like they belong. We all just want to be a member of some kind of group where we can fit in without standing out. Enter the Cottonwood Estates neighborhood book club. A place to read the monthly bookclub selection, attend the meeting at a rotating neighbors home with a specially concocted libation each month and themed party food. They did not really want to know everyones dirty little secrets, or did they?
A neighborhood vandal, a mystery/murder from the past, sociopathic children, and nosy neighbors, sounds like every neighborhood right? This was a fast paced novel with an interesting story line. The only reason it did not receive 5 stars from me was the abundance of characters and my inability to sometimes keep up with them.

Received this ARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting through this one at first because I didn’t find it very interesting. Maybe because I’ve never been in a setting like this, I can’t picture it all.

The vandalism felt like an after thought. It was sporadically put in and didn’t give much impact. I really wasn’t thinking about it most of the time.

The character were interesting but I didn’t connect with them. Honesty, it probably would have grabbed my attention better as an audio book. Towards the end, I started turning pages faster and did enjoy it but I’m overall indifferent!

I’ve heard about this book over and over, that combined with the synopsis and stating it was for readers of Big Little Lies- I was really looking forward to it. I was so disappointed- it felt overdone and very predictable. This will certainly be a favorite for some but is not the book for me.

This book jumps between the perspectives of Cottonwood Estates moms - Jen, Annie, and Lena. Their stories are linked by their bookclub, by their kids' interactions, and by daily life in this suburb. Quickly, it's revealed that there are nefarious things happening - something that caused a rift in Lena's family 15 years prior, a neighborhood vandal, and things causing upset among Annie's daughter Laurel and Jen's son Abe. What's happening in this neighborhood and will someone die at the end?

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: Psychological Fiction, Thriller (Lite), Contemporary Fiction
Location: Cottonwood Estates, suburbs

I loved the pacing of this book - the chapters earlier on were longer and by about the middle of the book, they became shorter (1-4 mins long on my kindle), bouncing back and forth quickly between characters' perspectives. I like that this built in regular cliffhangers as you jumped between people. The book also integrated little hints toward a crime in the present and book club emails from their fearless president Janine.

There were places where it was confusing -- the chapters sometimes would progress forward on the timeline, and at other times would go back several minutes and repeat a scene through a different character's perspective. I wish there was some clarity of when this was happening. I also couldn't quite put a pin on the age difference between Rachel (Lena's daughter) and Annie, who had encountered each other as kids. I think, in part, because it kept referring to a time in the past when Rachel was 7 and Annie was in HS (maybe?), and later when Rachel was in 11th grade and Annie was in college. Repeatedly I was left trying to figure things like this out.

I love a good red herring and I was pleasantly surprised by how things unraveled at the end!

Read if you like:
*Jumping between character's perspectives
*Slow-burn psychological fiction
*Mama drama and book clubs in suburban spaces

Thanks to @flatiron_books and #netgalley for this eARC!

This is one of those ... it is probably me things. I like my psychological Thrillers to actually be just that rather than literary fiction bogged down in a bunch of drama.

Of course you want a plot and dimensional characters but this just got ultra repetitive. And some of the characters just wore me down by the 75%mark.

I kept hoping for the ending to save it but, no.

Cottonwood Estates is the perfect place to raise children ... or is it?? The women get together each month for book club, cocktails and gossip. Several are putting on a front. Fifteen years ago after a party at the Meeker’s, there was a tragedy in the neighborhood, one that isn’t talked about often. Since that tragedy, Lena has been reclusive choosing to distance herself. With a vandal doing property damage in the neighborhood, Annie starts to bring Lena out of her shell. As things escalate and parents are worried about their kids, Lena decides to have another party. Fifteen years later ... is Cottonwood Estates destined for another tragedy?? A twisty good read...”but enough chit chat, it’s time to discuss the book”.

I really enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down. It is a domestic suspense story, centering on a group of neighbors in an excusive community and how their lives intertwine. The book alternates POVs between Annie, who is struggling with her rebellious teenage daughter, Jen, who is worried that her son may have serious behavioral issues, and Lena, who is living the aftermath of a series of terrible incidents that happened at a party 15 years prior. Turns all all the women (not to mention other characters in the book) have secrets they are hiding, and some of them may hit closer to home to the rest of the group than expected.

I enjoyed the back-and-forth between the 3 voices as well as the flashbacks to 15 years ago. I saw some other reviewers say that they had trouble following what was going on, but I think that was the point. The author sets up seemingly innocuous (or red herring) scenarios throughout the story and the end ties up all the loose ends (very well). There were some pretty major twists in the book, most of which I didn't see coming but ended up making total sense once revealed. I found all 3 women to be semi-likeable, or at least realistic, in the lengths they would go to in order to protect themselves and their kids. I could definitely empathize with each one, even when they made poor decisions. I also thought the book club gossip and possible over-reactions to local vandalism in the neighborhood, felt real.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book to those who like domestic suspense stories. I was literally reading during commercials of the football game I was watching because I was too impatient to find out how it all ended. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Neighbor’s Secret is such a fun domestic suspense for anyone who knows the drama of local book clubs. It contains several stories within the story but is ultimately about confronting (or ignoring) past wrongs. It is a fast fun read and full of dishy secrets.

The women of Cottonwood Estates get along well and enjoy their time in their book club. However, many of them have secrets.. such as who is vandalizing their community?

I love a good suburban thriller. My favorite part of this book was the women in the neighbor and their conversations. Especially during their book clubs! Unfortunately the suspense didn’t really do it for me and I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on… not much was. I started to lose interest towards the end.

“The motive is the easy part. It’s the same reason for murder as in ninety-nine percent of mystery novels: Revenge.”

The Neighbor’s Secret comes out 10/5.

Domestic "suspense" is always hit or miss with me, and this one, sadly, was a definite miss. There was nothing suspenseful about the plot, which meandered in so many different directions that by the time the "secret" was revealed, I didn't care.

It had all the makings of a great read...dark secrets in suburbia, strange vandalism, a mother quietly wondering if she's raising a sociopath, and that book club...the e-mails about the book club were the best part of the book.

There are many higher reviews, so don't let my experience dissuade you. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

The premise of a neighborhood with secrets intertwined with a book club sounded very interesting to me and I was so excited to read it. However, this did not hit the mark for me and I ended up not finishing it. I read a third of the book before giving up. I had trouble distinguishing all the characters and timelines and I had to often go back and reread. It was too much of a slow burn for me and I generally wasn’t excited to read it when I had the time.

I couldn't put this one down--I had to finish this one on my phone during half time to see how everything wrapped up! The Neighbor's Secret is smart and funny, yet it's still an easy page-turning read that is perfect for book clubs, moms of middle schoolers, and fans of Liane Moriarty. The three perspectives in the book belong to Annie, whose teenage daughter is rebellious, Jen, whose son might be a sociopath, and Lena, the recluse who is still dealing with the aftermath of a party gone wrong that is 15 years in the past. All three women and their neighbors commune at their monthly book club meetings, where they trade parenting tips, discuss books, and speculate about the vandal who is terrorizing their neighborhood. I really enjoyed reading all of the characters' stories and finally learning everyone's secrets! Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron for the librarian preview copy!

If you like desperate housewives and neighbor drama rama you will like this book.

I enjoyed it and can't wait to talk about it with my friends when it releases.