I can never get enough of Karen Cleveland. The New Neighbor was really fast paced and I flew through it. The twists and turns definitely kept me interested and the ending was satisfying. 4 stars

Beth's last child has left home and her marriage is over. She is CIA and is being removed from the case she has investigated for 15 years. However before she leaves sees a clue that has her questioning the person who bought her house. No one will listen so she begins her own investigation. This takes us down a twisty path of intrigue, suspicion and paranoia. I enjoyed every minute of it. I love psychological thrillers that having me questioning everything and suspecting everyone. This is my first book by Karen Cleveland and definitely will not be my last.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an ARC of this book. I liked the mix of thirller and domestic drama. The premise is that the main character, Beth, is a CIA agent searching for The Neighbor, who is a spy. The synoposis insinuates that it may be one of her neighbors. So, from the beginning I had a feeling that Beth was going to suspect each one of her neighbors at different points, which is exactly what happened. While it was intriquing, and it did keep me guessing, I felt it was a little overdone and predictable.

I was totally able to relate to Beth's sadness and nostalgia after her youngest child leaves for college. Her recollections of her their family in the early years pulled at my heartstrings. However, I found the relationship between Beth and her husband unbelievable. I feel like the author didn't give the reader a true depiction of their marriage and why it fell apart. Morever, she really didn't seem that upset about it.

I was ultimately surprised by the ending, but felt like it ended a bit quickly without a full resolution I enjoyed the opportunity to read an author I've never read before. Although I didn't totally love this one, I will definitely read another of Karen Clevelands books.

I enjoyed this fast paced spy thriller. There was plenty of action and lots of suspects. It was hard to guess who the final guilty party was and the author kept you wondering if the main character was crumbling under all of thr stress in her life or on the right track. Is it really true that so many employees for the CIA live on the same street? Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. If you like, spy thrillers it’s worth reading.

There were some great spy movie moments in this book, but the story felt predictable. Also, for someone working in counterintelligence, Beth Bradford seemed to miss some really obvious questions and warning signs about the case she's working on. I guessed the identity of The Neighbor about halfway through the book and stuck with it mostly to see whether I was right.

The twist in the last few pages felt a little forced -- like the book was trying too hard for a major "aha!" moment to catch readers off guard. Also, the fact that the majority of the book was told in first person and then suddenly switched to third person toward the end didn't feel natural. I got more of a sense of "we need to wrap up the story about these characters" rather than an organic progression of the plot.

The story spent a lot of time on Beth feeling sorry for herself, drinking wine, and thinking about how everyone else was wrong and no one would believe her. I was hoping for more from this book, especially considering it was written by someone actually in the field. Nevertheless, it was a fairly enjoyable read. Anyone wanting a regular spy story will probably like this one.

The book open as Beth Bradford and her husband Mike are unpacking their youngest child at college. They return to their home on a cul-de-sac where they watch the movers pack their van to put their belongings in storage, while Beth and Mike move into a rental. However, Mike tells her that he is not moving into the rental with her - that he wants out of the marriage, and will be living elsewhere. On top of these 2 major stressors, Beth is removed from her job at the CIA, where she is hunting an Iranian intelligence agent (The Neighbor) who recruits American spies, and is reassigned as a training advisor. She watches the new owners via cameras installed in the house and becomes obsessed with them and with all the changes in her life, becomes unhinged and an unreliable narrator in the story.
I loved the fast pace of the book, and the short chapters that lead me to read just one more chapter, and maybe just one more - so that I finished it in 3 days. The author developed fully defined characters, settings and situations. However, the flimsy and frequent accusations and speculations about who The Neighbor could b brought my rating down a notch. The reveal was a BIG surprise twist for me, but the epilogue spoiled it as I really thought The (New) Neighbor was unrealistic-and the person so tapped was not worthy of the role.
I thought that some of the things that Beth did in pursuing The Neighbor were a little impulsive and unethical, and I doubt if a 15 yr CIA operative would go down those paths. Some of the action was far-fetched, and the situations toward the end were too contrived.
Still, The New Neighbor was a worthwhile book, with plenty of twists and turns, secrets and spies.

Wow, this book reads like a CIA action packed movie! It is fast paced with lots of twists and tension and EVERYBODY IS A SUSPECT! Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available for purchase on August 26, 2022.

What seemed to be a fast paced espionage type thriller,
this book actually had too many twists and turns that made it a bit too much to follow.
And like the Cul-de-sac that the story mostly took place on, the ending ....
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine and the Author Karren Cleveland for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Karen Cleveland, the publishers, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! The story follows Beth in hopes to finding the new neighbor to protect intelligence from Iranian intelligence. The story had a gripping plot, but remained a bit slow moving to me. It kept my interest and was enjoyable, but not one I would come back to. Overall, definitely 4/5!

Stayed up late to finish this one!

Beth Bradford, CIA analyst, knows that something is wrong in her neighborhood. She needs to follow her instincts and investigate everyone she thought she knew to figure out what is going on, all while pretending to NOT still be doing her old job.

I found the plot and characters completely believable and it was super fun to watch the story unfold. Perfect for anyone who wants a psychological thriller that is not full of violence or sex, but is still full of everything else that made "Gone Girl" or "The Girl on the Train" a hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A close knit neighborhood in a DC suburb, close to CIA headquarters where their are strong ties. Beth Bradford is a analyst and facing many obstacles…empty nester, divorce, selling a much loved home and losing a position she so loves and had focused so much of her life on. To all her friends, she seems to be coming unhinged, paranoid. But Beth knows she can solve this and believes the woman who bought her house is the person she’s been searching for with ties to Iranian Intelligence. When the search for the New Neighbor and Cul-De-Sac comes to a major threat for the CIA, Beth realizes her neighborhood is a perfect place to insert a spy and needs to uncover who, not only for National security, but also to prove she is still at the top of her game.

Interesting premise, enjoyable story. Slowly unwinds, and really leaves you thinking. Very plausible situation, scarily so. What skeletons are in your neighbors closet, or your closet?

Thanks to Ms. Cleveland, Random House Publishing/Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

This was a good book. Do you ever really know people? Beth is downsizing now that her last child is gone to college. Her employer and husband are downsizing more than she planned. But after working a case for years, she can’t let it go. After some stops and starts she finally puts most of the pieces together and discovers, everyone lies. Even those closest to her.
The twist at the very end was shocking. Was the author hinting at another book with these characters?

I didn’t realize this was more of a spy thriller than the usual thrillers i’m used to. It was still interesting nonetheless and enjoyed the mystery to it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine books and the author for an e-ARC of this book which published 7/26/22 and is OUT NOW!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5. There were parts that I found to be predictable and some of the twists felt forced. Almost as if there were too much of it. I did however, find myself wanting to uncover who The Neighbor was that I was flipping through the pages quickly to get to the end. I did enjoy this novel and recommend it if you’re not into the usual gory murder type thrillers!

Can you ever really know who lives in your neighborhood?

If you are looking for a solid thriller/mystery with lots of twist and turns I would definitely recommend The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland.

CIA analyst Beth Bradford has lost her marriage, home and now her role on the team that is tracking down an Iranian spy known as The Neighbor. When she receives new information that The Neighbor could be closer than she thinks, she takes on the search herself and starts to realize that even the people you think you know the best may be keeping secrets.

I flew through this book as I was trying to piece together the clues as to who The Neighbor could be. Cleveland has a complex cast of characters and suspicion was running rampant! With short chapters, this was an easy read that kept me engaged as I was wanting to ignore all others and just read! This was the first book I have read by this author and I’m glad that I picked it up!

I love a good slow burn novel, but unfortunately this one was a bit too slow for my taste. The characters and the plot just didn't gel for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had to DNF this book and I wish I didn’t… the book started off slow and it kept going down that path… The plot was interesting but not enough for me to keep going :(

This book was quite different from the neighborhood thrillers that I usually read, but I enjoyed all of the crazy twists, as over-the-top as they were.

Beth Bradford is a CIA analyst who appears to have it all, but her world suddenly comes crashing down after dropping her son off at college. Her house has been sold, her husband has decided he wants to end their marriage, and to make matters worse, she has been removed from a case that she’s been working on for fifteen years. Now a woman named Madeline has moved into her cul-de-sac home, and though she seems to be taking over what once was Beth’s perfect life, she suspects Madeline has ties to Iranian intelligence. From the moment Beth jumped to this conclusion, everything spiraled into a tangled web of suspicion where no one is to be trusted.

Overall, I thought the book was quite enjoyable and definitely intriguing at times, though the plot seemed a bit far-fetched. I did find the twists at the end surprising. I had my own suspicions, but the manner in which they panned out was still shocking.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

2 stars

I honestly really didnt care for this book. it wasn't anything spectacular for me. It took me a few days to read and I had a hard time picking it back up when i put it down to go do something.

It was really slow going and seemed a little just off to me. I didn't like the main character and the fact that she has so much going on, being an empty nester, getting a divorce and selling her family home. To add to it she is being removed from the case she has been working for almost a decade. It just felt like too much and it wasn't for me.

thank you to netgalley and Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A solid 3.5 stars for a story that teases right to the end.

The cul de sac is full of families who work at the Agency as they call it, CIA that we call it. They raise their kids, have wine and fun together, but do we really know those we are close to?

Beth and hubby Mike bring their youngest off to college and come home to finish packing up their home as the movers are due to arrive. It turns out it is not just their home, but their lives they are packing up. Spoiler alert** Mike announces he is moving out, but not with her, which is not exactly a shock that he wasn't happy, but that he would leave just as she thought they'd have time to work on their relationship.

Going off to work, she learns she has been demoted off the case she has worked on for 15 years. She knows bits and pieces of the new intel, but is prohibited from learning more. That makes her decide to figure it out for herself. Who is the Neighbor? What cul de sac are they referring to- hers? What about the new family who moved into her house? Is Madeline the new neighbor in more ways than one?

At times it seems like she is seeing proof where there isn't any and it's obvious that some feel she is losing it or has already lost it with her allegations. Stick with it until the end. It's worth it.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

The narrator and hero, Beth, is both likable and unreliable. Like the characters she interacts with, we readers never can be sure whether to believe her and her claims about what’s going on. Conversely, we never can be sure she isn’t just about to “crash and burn” and lose absolutely everything. All of which adds to the tension of the