Wow!
This is a book about a neighborhood. It is also a book about spies. Could a foreign operative infiltrate a neighbor and get information from the residents? Could this really happen?
The book is about a CIA employee looking for a spy called the Neighbor. Is it possible that the person is in their neighbor hood where everyone is friends. The book will keep you constantly guessing and when it ends you will still be thinking about what you might have missed. It is an exciting read and I would recommend it.

Thank you to #netgalley, @KarenCleveland and @BallantineBooks for a copy of this book.

Karen Cleveland has done it again.

This novel was a fast paced, I read it in two days. I had to put it down a few times and couldn't wait to pick it back up. I like how it jumped back and forth between the past and the present. It would make a great tv show or mini-series.

I loved the twist at the end. I did not see that one coming.

How well do we think we really know somebody? This would include our own family and our neighbors. The story hits on all fronts. We have secrecy, indiscretion, dishonesty and nostalgia. I would classify this book more of a family drama/fiction rather than a thriller. There were no anxious moments for me.
I have never read anything written by Karen Cleveland before so I was a little unsure as to whether I would enjoy this novel. I was wrong! I really liked her writing style and the story kept me guessing. There were a few little twists and turns and the characters were interesting. I was relieved she didn't delve into the CIA and espionage too deeply, because too many details can be boring and hard to understand in my opinion. I read these types of novels for entertainment and I don't want to have to think too hard. I will be checking out Karen Cleveland's other writings as well.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

UNBELIEVABLE! Devoured this book in one setting. Great for fans of "Homeland" starring Claire Danes.

Cleveland's background as a CIA counterterrorism analyst definitely paid off in this story. I truly could not stay ahead of her in this book. Each time I was led to believe I had figured it out, Cleveland spun the plot into an entirely other direction. I loved how her writing style almost came from the mind of a terrorist, always "one step ahead" of the reader. Could not believe the final twist in the last pages of the book! I thoroughly enjoyed this ride & would love to see a sequel centered on the new neighbor!

I dont read many "spy thrillers" because sometimes the jargon/storyline can go over my head or be hard to keep up with. I did not feel that way with this one.

Beth is a CIA analyst pulled from a case she's been working on and feels close to solving. Beths suspicions soon turn to the wife of the family who just moved in next door. Despite being off the case Beth doesnt stand down and uses her own resources to get the job done.

This read like a movie and I truly could not put it down. Will be on the lookout for more by this author

4/5

Wow! Amazing read! I received an ARC version of the book but the opinion is mine and mine alone, not influenced by that fact at all. Who is “the neighbor”? That is the main question and even after finishing the book, and the seeming disclosure of who it is, I’m still not really sure who it is. Really good read, would definitely recommend this book!

Pub date: 7/26/22
Genre: thriller
In one sentence: CIA agent Beth has spent her life tracking a foreign intelligence agent named "The Neighbor", and she may be closer than ever.

This book is a hybrid spy/domestic thriller, and I enjoyed seeing these two genres come together. Although there's not the jetsetting travel you'd expect in a spy thriller, The neighbor plot was still compelling to me, and I read it in two sittings.

Beth is dealing with both personal and professional problems, and Cleveland paces the reveals well with a few good twists. New cul-de-sac resident Madeline has a few secrets of her own as well. Cleveland is known for the "last page twist", and this book does not disappoint in that regard.

I think thriller lovers will enjoy this one. While you wait for pub day, I recommend checking out Need To Know, my favorite book by Cleveland.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was not what I expected. It involves a CIA agent who has worked on a case for a long time and believes that she is close to breaking it. Then she is transferred. She continues her work and interviews a myriad of suspects.

This book here was a wild ride from start to finish!! I absolutely loved it and the twists it gave. Just when you think you have it figured out nope right till the end it keeps you turning.

The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland is a superb read. With tight plotting and great characters. A read well worth spending time on.

The New Neighbor is an exciting read. This story opens with Beth meeting someone near a boulder with an x drawn in chalk. Then the story goes back to the beginning when Beth and Mike and their three young children move into a cul de sac. The house is perfect and the kids are soon riding their bikes with neighbors young children. The parents set up their folding chairs and share a bottle of wine while they watch their children play. Most of them work for the near by CIA in different departments. The real excitement begins with Beth working to find a terrorist called The Neighbor that has eluded capture for 15 years. Great character development. There were several unexpected moves that surprised me. I enjoyed Karen Cleveland's writing.
I received a complimentary advanced reader's copy from Ballantine Books through NetGalley.

This was such a good thriller! I was hooked from the first chapter, trying to figure out the secrets behind the neighbor. At certain points in the book I really questioned if I was dealing with an unreliable narrator. Pacing was great and it had me questioning everything right until the end!

Loved how this story started off. I would have much rather it kept going as a story of life opposed to the spy and espionage plot. The writing style was great, but it was just a little far fetched for me. I like a story that’s a little more believable. I would definitely read more from Karen Cleveland. Over all a 3.5 star read for me. Thanks @netgalley for approval of this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this AMAZING book!
Beth Bradford, an CIA cybersecurity analyst that has a perfect life! Family, house, perfect neighborhood is trying to bring down Iranian forces that are threatening to infiltrate the CIA.
Secrets, jealousy, and paranoia all comes together to this exciting story!
Karen Cleveland is amazing in her writing style! I couldn't stop reading!
Thank you

This was a pretty slow start for me and I almost gave up on it a few times. The gaslight, slightly hysterical female protagonist is just wearing and not enjoyable to read. It did pick up and get more interesting but I don't think the payoff really was there for the ending and I'm not sure I'll continue to read this author.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley and the publisher to provide an honest review.

This book wasn’t one that I would typically choose with a government backdrop but it definitely kept me interested. There are points in the book that you just want to shake the characters eyes open, and you think you know what’s going to happen. And then it’ll take a crazy turn you don’t see coming. The ending also left a surprise that could lead to a sequel should the author choose. Great read!
Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to review this book

The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland
This is one of those books I wish there was a good editor. There is an interesting, spell binding story here but it is ruined by white wine and for much of the book a somewhat hysterical protagonist. Beth from the CIA, has spent over 15 years trying to find “The Neighbor” a spy within the CIA who so far has no done anything to disrupt the CIA. She is suddenly transferred, just as her youngest goes off to college which she hopes means she has more time to focus on this “Neighbor” when she is transferred out of Langley to some campus where she no longer has secret clearance and is no supposed to teach new agents how to fill out forms. She and her husband Mike sell their home in a beautiful cul-de-sac where all the ladies would gather on lawn chairs drinking white wine and watch their kids grow up. At the same time as they are packing up their house, her husband leaves her. Not a good day.
Somehow, she thinks the people who are buying the house, might be “The Neighbor” who is under the control of the Iranians. So, for the bulk of the book, she rails against the CIA, who begin to think she is crazy. Ultimately, she does save the day but not the month. As she does thwart the plan to corrupt the software of the CIA, many of her neighbors in the cul-de-sac will go to jail as pawns bribed by The Neighbor. I will not spoil who this is but as the book ends there is a no twist in the plot. Stay tuned for Neighbor II.
As I mentioned there is a good story here but the lead character is just to drunken hysterical and the rest of the establishment is just written as to daft to see anything Cartoon movie ? Maybe. The book needed a guiding hand.

Interesting story! I was torn between 3 and 4 stars - some unique aspects but nothing extraordinary.

The main character was a narcissist who was trying to move on with her career as her marriage failed. With adult children, she threw herself into work! This caused her friends and co-workers to see her as over ambitious and later, as delusional. Lots of twists in the story with an unexpected ending!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Very clever and a great opening. A thriller about the CIA and a "perfect" family/wife/career woman. Beth is an analyst for the CIA on the hunt for "The Neighbor" an Iranian agent. But she is reassigned, her husband leaves her and she is desperate - though she isn't supposed to - to find The Neighbor. When a new woman moves into her recently sold home, Beth feels as if Madeline is taking over her world, husband, career, home. Everyone in Beth's former neighborhood works for the CIA and Beth can't shake the idea Madeline has something to do with The Neighbor. Loved the characters in this one. Fast paced, clever and original. I love spy stories.

*Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!

I had to give this one 5 stars. First, I’m a sucker for anything FBI/CIA related, and the neighborhood setting was so fun and fascinating. I couldn’t put it down, and have such a strong visual of life in Langley Oaks.

This book is fast-paced with an unreliable main character (she reminded me a bit of Carrie Mathison in Homeland). She is obsessed with her work, especially after being pulled off the case and “demoted” for no reason. She leaves no stone unturned in trying to track down a traitor known as The Neighbor, so much so that you begin to wonder if she’s truly the crazy one.

It kept me guessing until the very end (and the epilogue is 🤌🏼 chef’s kiss).

Out 7/26! I’m off to go binge more by this author.