Miranda Rijks has done it again! I have been reading a lot from her lately and she always manages to provide a unique, fast paced thriller with some unexpected twists and turns. This New Neighbor has a full cast of characters that live on a private neighborhood called The Close. The author did a good job of differentiating each of the neighbors and making it easy to keep them straight. I liked that she threw in a bit of foreshadowing but not enough to give anything away. I was completely shocked by the ending few twists. Miranda Rijks does as excellent job of throwing you off the scent with red herrings and unreliable narrators. I really liked the main character in this as she was a bit naive but not TOO naive in that she was able to figure out what was truly going on with her neighbors. I loved watching her uncover the truth and figure out who could actually be trusted. This was an excellent thriller and I look forward to more from Miranda Rijks! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Miranda Rijks for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

What more can I say than "wow!"?!?! This book was sooo good!! This was my first Miranda Rijks books and it surely won't be my last. I immediately had to go add more of her books to my Amazon wishlist. The New Neighbour kept me on my toes and (incorrectly) guessing who did it. I've found a lot of thrillers nowadays tend to put in too many unbelievable storylines, but this story felt more believable and not far-fetched. I will admit there were a few things that I could predict early on, but it felt more like the reader was supposed to be able to guess these things by the writing. However, when it came to figuring out "who did it?", it wasn't until very late in the book that I actually figured it out. And it wasn't until shortly before the main character did! Well done, Miranda! <3

The primary protagonist of this book made me want to poke my ears out so I could never hear her again. She is a primary protagonist of the precious sort who has everything for her purrrrrrfact life with her purrrrfact husband and her purrrfact children... She was so wonderful and so brilliant and accomplished, saying "I know I'm lucky, lucky beyond my wildest dreams..." She lives in such a magical spot! Her house is so beautiful. (Of course.) But she still thinks of the locals who she sees across the road, not so comfortable as they and says, "Just because they live in mobile homes doesn't mean they have less of a moral compass..."

I thought she was the most despicable character possible BUT THEN...tada! A new character! Even more despicable. I really want to know what they are going to do to each other, because I've got a few ideas. Okay, many, many ideas!

Oh, yes. Backstory, evil, secrets. Love to see them working together.

Not sure any of them have a moral compass.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the audiobook of The New Neighbour by Miranda Rijks in exchange for an honest review.

A woman has moved into the house down the road; the one that housed the family whose son was killed in a hit and run accident. As she begins to ask questions, the neighbors in the community begin to feel suspicious and a series of unfortunate events begins to unfold. When someone else ends up dead, this book sends the readers on a twisted journey to uncover what truly happened the night of that hit and run accident.

As far as thrillers go, this was alright. The twists and turns at the end were definitely unpredictable! I didn't see the ending coming and could not have guessed the true identity of the perpetrator. The plot is a bit slow in the beginning, as is relatively common with domestic thrillers of this type. But, overall, I would say this is a solid middle-of-the-road good time.

Fun crazy wild adventure great summer read super enjoyable For everyoneFun crazy wild adventure great summer read super enjoyable For everyone

I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

For me this was just an okay thriller. It was fast paced and had some suspense to it. The narrator for the audiobook was also good. I just wasn't fully hooked into the plot or the characters. I overall feel that this book was just average for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It was a fun and quick read though.

An enjoyable book from beginning to end.
The neighbors on the close have lived cheek to jowl for years, but they don’t know each other very well nor do they get along. Even a tragic event doesn’t bring them together.
What drew me into this book were the secrets each family on the close had. The neighbors all maintain a hostile equilibrium until a new neighbor, a kind of cringy woman named Linette, disrupts the balance.
There are plenty of surprises in this story which kept me listening. I also liked the narrator. I don’t often listen to books on tape, but this one was a winner.

I unfortunately could not get into this book at all. I made it about halfway through, twice, and still couldn’t really wrap my head around the wildness of the plot. I wouldn’t personally recommended this book, as it really wasn’t for me.

The New Neighbour was a great read by Miranda Rijks. Isobel always loved The Close until recently. The Close is a quiet road of large houses tucked away in the beautiful English countryside. It was always the perfect place to live. Until one night, six months ago, when a young man was killed in a hit and run incident. No one was ever charged even though the police investigated. New neighbour Linette arrives, and Isobel thinks it is the perfect time to make a fresh start to repair relationships and rebuild her community. But someone has a different plan when bad things start to happen. There's another death and Isobel realizes that her home, marriage, and family are in terrible danger. She is certain that it is connected to the hit and run. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

3.5 stars/5

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy for review!

The Close was a picture-perfect countryside to live in until a mysterious hit-and-run of a young man six months ago. Since then, questions have been unfurling at break neck speed without any real answers. Isobel is just starting to make sense of it all when new neighbor, Linette, shows up and breaks the ice across The Close, making all the neighbors relate in ways they haven't before. Isobel thinks this is a good thing... that is, until bad things start to inexplicably happen and another death occurs. Now Isobel is left with even more questions and only herself to find the answers.

This was a fast-paced thriller, especially on audio, and very palatable to listen to. There were a few moments throughout when I was genuinely shocked at the twists in the story and there is almost no way I could have ever guessed the ending. However, I never felt totally connected to the characters for reasons I wasn't sure, and I kept reading more to find the answers rather than get resolution for the characters, which is often my goal. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I'm definitely interested in taking a look at Miranda Rijks' other work.

The Close, a small and picturesque countryside community is a dream place to live in. With five houses in line, each neighbor gets their space and privacy. But six months prior, an awful accident brings a string of unfortunate incidents to each and every resident of The Close.

Great novel, the pacing is fast and it includes many shocking plot twists. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. A wonderful set of neighbors and their tricky secrets. I mean, let's be honest, we all have something to hide, but this circle of neighbors are way out of our league. And the ending of the novel was absolutely satisfying. Phenomenal read. Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books publisher for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

This book was intriguing. I enjoyed it. Fair warning, this story has a slow buildup. The story is narrated from the first-person perspective by the main character, Isobel. She and her husband live in a community called The Close, which is ironic because the neighbors are anything but close. Even though this story was slow, it was engaging enough that I wanted to know how it would end. The ending was not what I was expecting! Miranda Rijks is a new author to me; I’m curious to read her past and future work. Both audiobook narrators were new to me; they were great, especially the female narrator; I could feel the palpable emotions she put in her voice. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest voluntary review.

The New Neighbor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audiobook
Date Published: 6/30/22
Author: Miranda Rijks
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrators: Danielle Cohen and Chris Devon
Goodreads Rating: 4.08

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Isobel has always loved her small neighborhood. Six months ago, a young man was killed in a mysterious hit-and-run incident but no one was charged. So when new neighbour Linette arrives, strange things happen, then bad things start to happen. When there’s another death, Isobel realises her home, her marriage, and her family are all in terrible danger. She is certain that what’s happening is connected to the hit-and-run. But how? What really happened on the night of the fatal accident? And above all, who is Linette and what does she really want?

My Thoughts: I enjoyed the narration on this audiobook and I will forever say “what” in British in my head. Narration can make or break an audiobook and felt the narration was good on this one. Another reviewer had mention the overuse of the term “neighbor, neighbors, and neighborhood” in recent book titles, I agree with as well. Just this year, I have read at least 3 titles with some variation of “neighbor” in it. They were all good in their own right, just noticed a little trend going on. The story starts out with a prologue in an unknown mysterious perspective that appears to be up to no good, which is fully developed throughout the story. Then the book is primarily narrated in the perspective of Isobel. The characters are well developed, numerous, but their role is clear, they have depth, are mysterious, creative, and not all are likable, which makes for good fiction. The author’s writing style is complex, flows easy, suspenseful, provides a good amount of tension, and kept me engaged from cover to cover. The plot was full of twists and the whodunnit unfolds and keeps you guessing, was fast paced, and a page turner. This book and audiobook is already out and I do recommend you pick up.

The Close seemed like an idyllic place to live—a small community, a quiet street in the English countryside. But a mysterious murder of a 19-year-old resident of The Close on the street changes everything. Still unsolved, the neighbours grapple with fear of each other, and guilt over not being there for the Walker family who lost their son, Wilson.

When a new woman, Linette, moves into the Walker's old home, Isobel thinks it might be the perfect way to re-establish closeness with her neighbours, essentially a do-over for the way that she feel she failed the Walkers.

But fairly quickly, strange things start to happen. Linette seems to want to engage with her neighbours, inviting them to parties and get-togethers, but she also causes some issues—having loud parties and purchasing a fully grown pig that destroys her neighbours' gardens.

Isobel starts to become suspicious of her new neighbour, and all of her neighbours, really. As she pushes forward with the truth, Isobel can't help but be suspicious about everyone who lives on The Close, including her own husband.

This was a fast-moving book that I found to be an easy one to listen to on my drives to work. I ended up guessing the twist when I was not too far into the book, but it was still enjoyable. I like how the author developed several red herrings throughout the text.

Some of the events detailed in the plot seemed a bit over-the-top and far-fetched, but I still enjoyed the book. The narrators did a good job and I look forward to listening to more titles from this author. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This is an average audio book. It entertained me while driving.
The plot revolves around a new neughbor moving into "The Close" which is ironic because the neighbors are not close.
The narrator does a good job slowly revealing everyone's secrets.

Who doesn’t love a great “whodunit.” This story has a perfect amount of suspense and drama. Secrets unraveling and kept me guessing the whole time. Although I liked Isobel, this story is filled with unlikable neighbors. The ending was definitely a surprise! Can’t wait to read more by this author!

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media!

Wow! What a ride!

The Close is a small community with large house in the English countryside. On the outside, everything looks perfect in The Close but on the inside there are secrets that can turn deadly.

Six months ago, a young man named Wilson was killed in a mysterious hit and run accident. It’s left a mark on this community especially since it was never solved.

Linette moves into the neighborhood and this makes Isobel hopeful that a new neighbor will help repair some of the strained relationships in their community. Unfortunately, other people have a different plan. There is another death and Isobel has made it her mission to solve this murder and the hit and run.

This book had so many twists and turns, that I gave up on trying to figure it out. I was a little disappointed because a big secret was revealed to the reader earlier in the book than I thought it should but as I went on, I immediately changed my mind. What I thought was a big deal was nothing at all compared to what comes after.

Really enjoyed!

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was wanting to finish listening to this but it was taken away from me before that could happen. If it could be sent back to me I would love that. I looked for it at the library but I have no access to it there as well..

First time reading a book by Miranda Rijks and it will not be the last. The prologue totally enticed me and I could not wait to listen to more. The audiobook was enjoyable. There are two different narrators. The writing was great and I enjoyed the build of the mystery.


The New Neighbour is Linette and things aren't the same after she moved in. Actually, they haven't been the same since the previous owner's son was killed in a hit and run that was never solved. Who's hiding the secret? Could a murderer be living next door? This book was suspenseful and a fun mystery with lots of turmoil and calamity. Lots of speculation to the very end.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to and give a honest review for this book.

The New Neighbours by reliable thriller writer Miranda Rijks is about neighbors with more secrets than the CIA. Things come to a head when a neighbor's teen son is killed by a hit and run driver in front of Isobel's house. The parents move and in comes new neighbour Linette who seems to be over friendly and yet, has a knack to be the catalyst of chaos among the neighbours.

Narrators Danielle Cohen and Chris Devon are the perfect balance of proper etiquette and losing their minds as secrets, lies, and dead bodies come to light, but when the hit and run driver, and their passenger, are revealed it is not just the new neighbor who may have to move to a new neighborhood.

I received free copies of these audiobooks from Dreamscape Media via #netgalley for fair and honest reviews. All opinions are my own.