Cover Image: The People Next Door

The People Next Door

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Member Reviews

Thank you NETGALLEY for this E-ARC. I greatly appreciate it.

this a good read especially if you like a good twist at the end. stating the audio book and I am loving the narrator. give this read a go, perfect for the summer at the pool.

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Ellie Summers and her boyfriend Ash Brady move into their dream home. It’s in the boonies and needs a lot of work, but it has a beautiful garden. In between working on the home and adopting a dog she accidentally hit with her car, Ellie befriends her neighbor, Benjamin, who lives next door with his sister, Virginia.

Upon learning that a brutal murder occurred in the house five years before and the seventeen-year-old daughter of the murder victim is missing, Ellie is less than happy that she was not made aware of this before purchasing the home. This right here is why I prefer to buy my homes brand spanking new. I want to be the first owner in the home. I want my bum to be the first on the toilet. I can’t be having no murder nonsense happening in the home prior to my owning it.

Ellie comes across as very skittish and highly nervous and slightly paranoid. Several scenes made me feel more tense probably because she was. Maybe if she hadn’t let her guard down later on in the book, she wouldn’t have ended up in the horrific situation she finds herself. See what I did just there? Now you are just going to have to read this book to find out what the horrific situation is. I will say the mounting terror and suspense made me feel like I was in the middle of an Alfred Hitchcock movie and Norman Bates is lurking around every corner with a giant butcher knife.

Overall, I liked Ellie and Ash and thought they were good together. Ash’s best friend, Pete seemed a likable character as well. I detested Pete’s wife, Roxanne. I found her to be an overbearing and controlling character. She talks down to Ellie and is hyper-critical of everything Ellie does, from the house to the dog. The more I learned about Roxanne, the less I liked her.

Benjamin and his sister Virginia set off my creeper alarm almost immediately. Ellie meets Benjamin at the veterinarian’s office when she brings in the dog she hit with her car. They strike up a conversation and realize they are neighbors, so Ellie befriends him. The more he comes around, the more creepy he seems. It doesn’t take me long to realize he’s obsessed with Ellie and it seems like he’s always finding an excuse to come over. As creepy as he appears, he also seems harmless. His sister, on the other hand, comes across as even more creepier. She’s mentally ill, doesn’t verbalize and never leaves the house. Ellie tries to interact with her but is unsuccessful.

Things become really sinister for Ellie when Ash leaves for a week-long business trip and I’m still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor at what went down. Some of the events didn’t come as a surprise to me, but there were many twists and turns that shocked me.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the performance by Shakira Shute for the most part. Her use of various accents was performed flawlessly. Ash is from Australia and living in England and I enjoyed hearing the inflection in his voice. I found Benjamin’s voice to be highly annoying and pictured myself probably not wanting to engage in conversation with him because of it. I am going to chalk it up to not liking him in the first place, so my subconscious was probably looking for reasons to dislike him more.

My Final Verdict: This was my first Keri Beevis novel and I look forward to reading more of her work. She weaves a story that is filled with dark thoughts and darker deeds that left me tiptoeing up to doors and cautiously peering around corners in case she had something waiting to jump out at me. Readers who enjoy suspenseful mysteries and thrillers should pick this one up. I highly recommend the audiobook, as it adds to the suspense.

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this just wasn't my favorite. I could barely make it through but I needed to know how it ended. all in all I would skip.

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This was a great thriller! I had a pretty good idea of what was really going on but I would highly recommend this one as it was a great twist. I really liked the audio and the narrator did well.

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Thank you to NetGalley for a copy to read and review. This book was definitely worth the read. What I thought was a thriller turned more sinister. This is something that I would compare to Hitchcock and King. The creepy atmosphere and unlikeable characters made the story. The only thing I wish it omitted was the constant foul language. The characters were already unlikeable so the constant F bombs were very unnecessary.

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Loved this twisty novel. Great book to listen to on audiobook. The author did a great job at developing the characters as well as their relationships with the other characters in the novel. I will definitely be reading/ listening to more by this author.

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Keri Beevis, questions how well do you really know the new house that you just moved into:

When Ash and Ellie decided to buy a house in the country, they were excited for the life that it was going to provide them. Ellie is especially intrigued by the next door neighbour, Benjamin, who has lived in area all his life in his family home and had redone the house and gardens. Ellie befriends Benjamin and is happy to have a close neighbour in the area when Ash is out of town. When Ellie discovers that her new house has a dark past and the prospect that Ash was keeping secrets from her, the idyllic country side living is starting to lose it's appeal. When strange things begin to happen around the house, from seeing her neighbour's sister around, to her new dog's obsession with the cellar, Ellie paranoia begins to go into over drive and she doesn't know who she can trust. I do feel that the one place that Beevis took away from the suspense is the reader knowing more that the characters. As you read you are now waiting for the character to catch up with your knowledge and the aspect of suspense for these parts is now taken away.

This is the first book that I have read by Beevis and she did a great job of keeping the suspense factor fairly high throughout the book. I would say this book is a country mystery with a gothic feel to it. I liked that the house was in the middle of nowhere and that there is only one other neighbor for miles around. This also had a small town feel to it when the characters enter into the town, with everyone knowing every. This book does take quite an abrupt turn about halfway through that I did not see coming, but I think that it was a good choice by Beevis to shake things up a bit.

This book has a creepy house, ghostly figure and secrets between the couple running through the whole plot and I liked that Beevis took a multi-approach to her story which did not rely on just one thing to set this story apart from other.

I liked Ellie and Ash as main characters, you get more from Ash in the second half of the book, but I feel like I never really got to know them as individuals or as a couple, but you still do end up caring for them. Benjamin is the real interesting character in the book with living next to a house that has such a dark history to it, plus the problems within his own family.

I did the audio version of this book and the narrator, Shakira Shute, was fantastic with her different voices for the character. She was really able to set the tone and mood of the book.

This was a good book that had me entertained till the end but at the same time, I felt that some of the suspense was taken away from the book with the reader knowing what was happening and waiting for other characters to catch up what you already know. I know I will pick up another book by Beevis.

Enjoy!!!

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The People Nextdoor, by Keri Beevis is a fantastic thriller and I am so glad that I was able to listen to it. Ellie & Ash move to their new home in the countryside in England. They are so excited to start their new life, in their new home. As they settle in, Ellie befriends her neighbor Benjamin, who is shy & awkward. He speaks of a sister that Ellie doesn’t seem to be able to meet. She is always coming and going at different times, that Ellie starts to think this is strange. The more time they settle in, Ellie finds out the history of the house and secrets her husband might be keeping. The happy home becomes a nightmare. Who are these neighbors of theirs? What happened to the prior owners? What secrets is her husband keeping and how can her best friend be one of the mysteries in her life? Shakira Shute does an excellent job narrating this one. Her ability to capture the reader is great. The story doesn’t disappoint. I kept reading to see how it would end and there were so many twists and turns, I couldn’t guess ahead. I want to thank Netgalley, Dream Scape Media and Keri Beevis for my audio copy to listen to and review. It was my pleasure, to listen and review. This was a 4 star thriller for me, I hope you enjoy it too.

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Creepy. creepy, creepy describe this Gothic thriller! I couldn’t stop listening as the spine chilling story unfolded. This is without a doubt one of the most frightening, eerie, atmospheric thrillers I have enjoyed in a very long time. I would especially recommend the audiobook. The narration literally gave me goosebumps. The epilogue made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It’s highly entertaining and spooky beyond words. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audiobook. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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A spooky story of a new house, new neighbors, and new adventures. It was a creepy read and had twists that I did not see coming, it felt very atmospheric. I truly enjoyed reading this book and will be looking into others by this author to consume. Thanks NetGalley for the audio eARC

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Wow, if you like thrillers that have an absolute psycho as a villain you will definitely want to get your hands on this one!
Ellie and Ash move into an old beautiful home in rural Norfolk, England. They think they have found their dream house. Ellie is curious about the people next door and befriends sweet shy Benjamin. She’s also quite curious about his elusive sister, Virginia.
Soon enough though she learns that her perfect home has a very dark past. She also finds that Ash has been keeping secrets from her. What she really thought was the absolutely perfect life in the beautiful countryside starts to unravel. She begins to question if she can trust her best friend, the new neighbors may not be what she first thought, and she has a new puppy who is obsessed with the cellar. All of that on top of what happened to the previous occupants of her home.
When Ash has to go away on business the strangest things begin to happen. Ellie’s paranoia hits a high and she starts to wonder if everything is simply coincidence or if she really might be in danger.
This books is very good. It pulls you in quickly and keeps you turning those pages just waiting to find out how things are going to play out. Even if you figure out one of the big plot points, it’s still written well enough that it doesn’t ruin a thing.
I also highly recommend the audio book for this one if you get the chance and like that form of reading. It has a fantastic narrator that really brings the story to life.
I definitely recommend this if you are a thriller fan.

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this was a very enjoyable book. Lots of suspense and surprises along the way. Many clever ideas used in the story. Highly recommended

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Ellie & Ash move to a house in the country. After moving in, Ellie begins a friendship with her neighbor Benjamin until things get weird.

I know we’ve all gotten used to big revelations and twists, which I like just as much as the next person, but there is something so captivating about books that unfold right before your eyes. There might be a twist at some point, but the main stories slowly reveals itself. Those the the books I think of as page-turners & this is one of those books. Early on you know something is weird but you don’t know what it is. Maybe just 1 more chapter. You’re not wrong you DO start finding out what is weird, but now there’s more to it. Ok, 1 more chapter, but for real this time. And it just keeps happening until you’ve read the whole book & you didn’t even realize you barely stopped.

BECAUSE it is one of those books, there’s not a lot I can say aside from the fact that this book was even better than I had hoped it would be. The characters were all well-rounded, full developed characters. I absolutely felt like I understood the motivations of everyone involved, which made this such an exciting ride.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Keri Beevis for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.
This was a good read. The twist! Loved the narration and writing too.

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This was a highly suspenseful book that kept me glued to the story. The narrator did an excellent job reading the story. I will definitely be recommending this one.

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Ellie and Ash are loving their new rural home, and the new neighbor seems nice. He brings plantings from the Old Victorian home and seems to befriend Ellie. Maybe he is a little too interested in Ellie. One thing Ellie knows is that his sister Victoria does not seem friendly. When Ash goes out of town, Ellie becomes even more suspicious that things are not ok with their new neighbors. She also starts noticing things amiss and suspects the sister of being in her home. As tensions heighten, we see the twists and turns that make this story so good. I received an ARC of this audiobook and really enjoyed the story, and the narrator was great. I highly recommend, all opinions are my own.

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Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! Although I saw the twist coming (Alfred Hitchcock fan here), it didn't cause me to like the story any less. The writing was fantastic.

Ellie and Ash move to the countryside to an old house with the eccentric but nice neighbor Benjamin and his sister Virginia, who is quite elusive. Ellie befriends Benjamin and soon after strange things begin happening.

This was suspenseful, action packed and character driven. The perfect formula for a great novel. I would recommend, however, to skip the audio version all together. The narrator's voices were terrible. Especially the voice of Benjamin.

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This was a really good book and the twist at the end I sure didn’t see coming. Those are my favorite type of books. Keep them coming. Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley

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Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Someone goes missing. It’s never who you think it is. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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This psychological domestic thriller gives off some very atmospheric, creepy vibes and I was so here for it. This was my first novel from Keri Beevis and I really enjoyed her style of writing. She makes you really question all of the characters and there is nothing I love more than an unreliable narrator. I enjoyed the actual narrator as well and thought she did a great job voicing the multiple POVS. She really managed to make sure the creepiness came through in her voice. I listened to this mainly on my commute and it really captured my attention the whole way through. I had no idea how this was going to end up but was pleased with the ending.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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