This is definitely not a “thriller” as advertised however it was still a very entertaining audiobook. Much more domestic drama than anything else. It was a nice change of pace for me. Thank you to the publishing house and netgalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook

I read a lot of England-based psychological fiction and, based on the title and cover, expected this to be a thriller. It is not. It is a family drama, with some interesting twists. I read the audiobook version and enjoyed the narrator. The story's pace was good and I was interested in the plotline. I read it read this quickly.

My main criticism is that I think the character development was weak. I could not visualize any of the characters in the book, and did not really care about them or what happened to them. I believe we were supposed to root for one of the characters (I won't name him or her so as to avoid spoilers), and that character was clearly the "good" one. But, this character still didn't seem like a real person to me,.

I will read more by this author for sure.

The Women Next Door by Natasha Boydell

Sophie is a happily married mum of two who considers herself lucky—until her beautiful and highly successful new neighbour Angie moves in along with her charming husband and four talented children. The two women couldn’t be more different, but after a storm brings them together, an unlikely friendship develops. As their children grow closer, so does their bond.

But the alliance between the families is a wake-up call for both women. Angie’s success makes Sophie consider whether she really is as satisfied as she makes out. And Sophie’s uncomplicated marriage forces Angie to look at her own and accept that it’s not as perfect as it seems. Both women vow to change.

But their decisions may not lead where they expect! Can their friendship withstand the choices they make? Is the grass always really greener on the other side?

This was a good listen! I'm between a 3 and 4 for the rating. I couldn't stop listening to the book as I wanted to know what was going to happen. This book is more of a domestic drama rather than a mystery/thriller.

Thank you Natasha Boydell, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio to listen to this book in return for my honest review!

Friendship. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Compassion.

This book had so many layers. I loved the storyline and the unexpected twist midway through. The author quickly captured my attention and I flew through this book. I was on edge up to the end of the book. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I loved this book. The characters were so realistic and relatable. Sophie and Angie are great as friends. I thought I had everything figured out......but nope! I loved the ending so much.

Neighbors……..how involved should/could you get? Meet Sophie and Angie: they have compatible kids, nice husbands, live in a nice neighborhood. Angie is a high powered attorney who seamlessly juggles lots of balls in the air at once and Sophie has lost her career due to a decision to stay at home. Their families became so entwined they even put a gate between their yards for easy access into each others homes and lives.  
   Although the best of friends, their personalities were very different and their egos and backstories result in a rift in their relationship and their marriages resulting in a divorce and a relocation. With time and effort, Sophie’s unfulfilling life becomes enriched and challenging and Angie's demons chase her for many years.
   After years apart, they were reunited under a random circumstance that lifted the scar on the old wound that originally sent this friendship spiraling out of control and now has deposited the two families back in each other’s "back yard”.
   The characters were all well depicted but one character that irritated me was St. Sophie (as I decided to call her). Her understanding and niceness through all the trials she faced really became hard to swallow. It was hard to believe anyone would tolerate the indiscretions as calmly as she did. There was a lot of head shaking my part as a reader.
   This was a “grass is always greener” story with a twist.

I really enjoy Natasha Boydell's storytelling and I look forward to more in the future.

In this story Angie moves her family, to be closer to her ailing mother, but in reality to try and salvage her marriage. From the outside, her life is perfect but in reality she is fraying from everything she is trying to hold together, marriage, four children and a career as an attorney.

Sophie is the mother of two children, close in age to Angie's younger two. Sophie's life is steady. She gave up her career in journalism to raise her family, but she feels like she hasn't done much with her life.

They two families really begin to develope a close friendship, after a storm damages the fence between their backyards. The younger children excitedly push to be able to play together and in the end the parents agree and put a gate on the fence between their home for the children's easy access. Angie and Sophie soon become very close friends.

Then the entire thing is destroyed by a moment of bad decision making and no impulse control. The friendship and both families suffer. This story is the telling of just ordinary lives of everyday people, mistakes, betrayals and ultimately forgiveness.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to enjoy this great Audio-ARC.

Audiobook Review⁣⁣
Title: The Woman Next Door⁣⁣
Author: Natasha Boydell⁣⁣
Narrator: ⁣ Mhairi Morrison⁣
Review: The Woman Next Door is a book that questions whether or not the grass is greener on the other side. It explores the relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, and friends. The author does a nice job at making the characters relatable. I loved how the secret wasn’t the end of the story and how we the readers were able to see how the families coped with the aftermath of it.

Although I would not characterize The Woman Next Door as a psychological thriller, it is a very good book. It is more of a family drama with a little "coming of age" in it as well. It is about two neighbor families who grow, learn, play and forgive through a decade. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Will definitely be looking for the next book by Ms. Boydell!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Natasha Boydell for an ARC audio copy of this book for my review.

Natasha Boydell has done it again! She has captivated my attention and admiration with her second book.
The story was relatable and yet, the twists were so surprising.
This book is a must read for those who love thrillers set in the UK.

I think seeing this book billed as a mystery/thriller is what through me off here. It's neither. I'd consider it a domestic literary fiction, if anything. It was a decent enough story. I enjoyed the character development in both Angie and Sophie but the plot itself left a lot to be desired. I was waiting to be hooked, waiting for the rise and fall, but it just never really hit a peak in my opinion.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this arc.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio copy of The Woman Next Door. This was a book about so much. Friendship, family, betrayal and forgiveness. I loved it so much!

I received this book for free from #Dreamscape Media from #NetGalley.
New neighbors next door. Angie and her husband and 2 kids. Sophie and her husband and 4 kids. These women each want what the other seems to have. An unlikely friendship develops.
It is a fast paced book, good story. There were times when I had to go back and read some pages because the story would move so fast because it was so easy to miss what just happened

This book was just okay. I felt like all of the characters fell flat and couldn't get attached to anyone. I really wanted to root of the main character but found myself not caring what happened to her. The audiobook narrator sounded robotic during some parts of the book.
(arc from Netgalley)

The narrator for this book did a great job, her voice was pleasant.

The story was complex and compelling, there were a few awkward parts that could have been written differently to seem more authentic but overall this was enjoyable.

Hmm, this was listed as mystery/thriller... it's actually relationship drama. The only mystery was a short-lived question of who was caught having an affair. The story follows two families living next to each other and points out how we can't assume what's happening with another's relationship, regardless of how it looks from the outside. I don't love when a major illness is thrown in seemingly to garner sympathy for a character. Maybe that wasn't the intent, but it felt that way to me. Overall, the story is fine, but not very memorable for me.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This seemed like it was going to be very predictable, and then . . . . major plot twist. This was good.


Review copy provided by publisher.

This was not a mystery or a thriller. It was a domestic mess. The problem may have been the audiobook. I never knew which woman was whom until a kid was mentioned or a husband. I was confused 90% of the time. And to add to that too much backstory.

#TheWomanNextDoor #NetGalley
Sophie is a happily married mum of two who considers herself lucky—until her beautiful and highly successful new neighbour Angie moves in along with her charming husband and four talented children. The two women couldn’t be more different, but after a storm brings them together, an unlikely friendship develops. As their children grow closer, so does their bond. But the alliance between the families is a wake-up call for both women. Angie’s success makes Sophie consider whether she really is as satisfied as she makes out. And Sophie’s uncomplicated marriage forces Angie to look at her own and accept that it’s not as perfect as it seems. Both women vow to change. But their decisions may not lead where they expect, in this absorbing novel about risks and relationships that explores whether the grass is always greener on the other side of the garden fence.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for giving me an advanced copy.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence as two neighbors are about to discover. Sophie is perfectly content with her life, caring for her two young children. Angie has both a career and a family and is also, more or less content. But when Angie moves in next to Sophie and their children becomes friends, each begins to envy the each other; Angie envies Sophie for her seemingly blissful marriage and Sophie envies Angie for her success. As both women vow to change, they unwittingly set into motion events that will change everything.