Isabel lives with her husband and children in a quaint neighborhood where not much goes on…until a new neighbor named Lynette moves in. With Lynette’s arrival comes all sorts of neighborly issues, though none can be pinned directly on Lynette. Things just get more and more bizarre from there.

Several things in this book drag on too long and there are definitely a few plot holes and I felt like there wasn’t enough focus on the true culprit throughout the book to the point I didn’t find them around enough to be considered.

This was an easy, quick, read with an interesting premise that would be great to pack in your beach bag.

The audio narrator was really lovely, she perfectly delivered this thriller novel.

3.5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you NetGalley, Inkubator books and Dreamscape media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can't believe I have not read this author in the past. I will be looking up additional books by her. The story begins with a prologue from the first person narrative of someone seemingly up to no good. They appear to be trespassing but for what reason that isn't clear at this stage. But their presence is soon noticed as they are warned off before running out into the lane...and smack bang into a car that was driving with its headlights off. The victim doesn't appear to be hurt and yet is found in a pool of blood in the road. Six months on and the residents of The Close are still reeling from the unsolved hit and run of 19 year old Wilson Walker. His family was so distraught they upped and left and their house was put on the market to let. Now a new neighbour has moved into the house and is keen to make friends with the other residents who largely keep themselves to themselves. Linette Smith will not be swayed. She meets Isobel on the first day, after which she invites all the ladies over for a kind of meet and greet, and surprisingly she appears to make friends with the other two women in the Close - Josie Abbott and the elderly Mrs. Quinn. Isobel can hardly believe it particularly as the Quinns have lived in the Close for near on forty years and have never been known to mingle with anyone. Maybe Linette is the breath of fresh air the community needs. . A couple of years later Isobel began a nail and beauty salon business run out of the front rooms of their sprawling house. She had a steady flow of customers which helped bring in a little extra income. Although how well does she know her neighbours and the on goings of the neighborhood. There are many unexpected issues in the that add to the thrill and trying to solve it. This one will have you reading furiously to determine who did it.

Good story line and setting, but I personally just didn’t connect with it. I think it was the narrator as I listened to the audiobook. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Domestic Cul-de-Sac mysteries are my favourite.

Good character development, fun twists. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Thanks so much NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this book!

Imagine living in a small community where a hit and run has occurred and you promise to be a better neighbor since you missed the funeral. The neighbors have moved out, and a new single neighbor moves in.

Isobel, mother of two children is a very relatable character. She does her best, and welcomes a new neighbor Linette to the community. While Isobel is trying to mend relationships with her neighbors she realizes that things have begun to go awry.

Isobel discovers a disturbing secret and her life as she knows it may never be the same. In a instant relationships are being questioned, and neighbors are no longer trustworthy. Miranda Rijks created a suspenseful mystery thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat listening and wondering whodunit.

The audiobook is duo narrated. The narrators, Danielle Cohen and Chris Devon are marvelous narrators. They truly captured my attention while I listened intently to the story being told.
The variety of tones and inflections used to portray multiple characters were spot on.
I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys mystery thrillers, and multiple POVs.

Special thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the advanced ALC.
Book releases on June 29.

I felt this book was just… fine.

It was not really a suspenseful thriller at all and I couldn’t make myself care about any of the characters. It was just altogether boring.
I thought it was picking up slightly around the 20% mark when it was Lynette’s turn to talk. At least at that point we are let in to what is happening a bit…. But don’t get too excited, it goes back to rather boring and a bit too far-fetched of a plot very quickly.

I mean, a rumour about an infected hangnail that caused sepsis? Really? A dead rat on the porch? Really? A pig named Twiglet ruining a garden? Really? Ooo, a protest…. I could go on. Clearly this book was just not my style.

My thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read this audiobook copy of The New Neighbour.

3.75*
A close-knit community coming apart at the seams!

Isobel loves living in the English countryside with her husband and son. Until recently, it had always been a close, friendly community. Until one of the neighbors’ teenage kids was killed on a road just down the street from their homes. The police never finding who was behind the lethal hit and run. Eventually the grief was too much to bear for the surviving family, who packed up and moved away.

Today someone new has moved in. A single woman with little in the way of furniture or reason to be there. No one can really put their finger on what exactly her agenda is. She just seems completely out of place here. Never been a big believer in coincidences, but guess what? Since she moved in, there has been nothing but trouble!

I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narration for the most part. The main narrator had one word that was on high repetition throughout. In a voice filled with disbelieving indignation she delivered a drawn out “Whaaaaatt?!”😱 Over and over (and over). I found myself repeating it out loud after a while as it permanently settled into my brain. Even now when something happens I will just belt out “whaaaaat” with the best British accent I can muster!🤣 And yes, I’ve garnered a few strange looks. Ok, maybe more than a few. But it’s stuck in there now, and I have to play it out!🤷🏻‍♀️

Overall, it was an engaging family/neighborhood drama. This was my first read/audio by this author and looking forward to more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media.🎧

When William Matthews is found dead in the cul-de-sac where he lives it isn’t long before his mother commit suicide and his dad and little brother move out of the cul-de-sac. The Close is a tiny little settlement with a few couples who’s live there a while. So when a single woman Lynette moves in the neighbors don’t know how to take her. One moment she is throwing all night parties The next introducing the neighbors to her pig and then acting bewildered when her pig gets out and damages the lawns of her neighbor. She is getting on the nerves of her neighbors but especially Isabell, there’s just something that rubs her the wrong way with Lynette between the old curmudgeon Mr. Quincy and Isabell Lynette doesn’t have many fans in the neighborhood but that doesn’t mean they wanted her dead… Right? This book was so good and when I say I could’ve never guessed the ending I mean there was no way I could’ve predicted who the killer walls cause I would’ve been wrong. If you were looking for a mystery what you’re wondering who could’ve done this that will keep you guessing this is it. Who killed Lynette and what does it have to do with Wilson? That’s the question I kept asking myself and man the answer floored me. This was a great book and I thought the narrator did an awesome job setting the tone for the story. I was given this book by net galley and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.#NetGalleyShelf, #TheNewNeighbor

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller! It kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who done it. I highly recommend letting this book take you for a gripping psychological ride!

I enjoyed this neighborhood thriller.
It's fast-paced, well-written, with a surprise twist ending.
Isobel Floyd lives in The Close, a quiet affluent English community that becomes wild with drama after a boy dies via a mysterious hit and run.
This was my first book by Miranda Rijks but won’t be my last.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars

The New Neighbour
by Miranda Rijks
Narrated by Danielle Cohen; Chris Devon
Pub Date 30 Jun 2022
Dreamscape Media
Mystery & Thrillers


I am reviewing a copy of The New Neighbor through Dreamscape Media and Netgalley:



Isobel has always loved The Close. A quiet road of large houses tucked away in the beautiful English countryside, that is until recently. It had always seemed like the perfect place to live. But after a young man was killed in a mysterious hit-and-run incident, six months ago, and no one was charged despite the police investigation a bad feeling was left in the community, a feeling thar someone knew more than they were saying.





After new neighbor Linette arrives, Isobel thinks it’s the perfect chance to make a fresh start, to repair relationships, and rebuild her community. But someone else has a very different plan, and bad things start to happen.





After there’s another death Isobel realizes 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 are they connected? What really happened on the night of the fatal accident? And above all, who is Linette, and what does she really want?


I give The New Neighbour five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Another excellent thriller that I was able to listen to. Set on a small street, with only a few houses, a new neighbor moves in. Strange things start happening. The main character begins to question if she knows her neighbors and her family at all. This was a quick listen for me, with great narration, it’s the perfect summer road trip listen!

Thanks to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the advanced listen!

2.5 stars

The story is mainly narrated by Isobel, a stay at home mom, married with Mike who is an architect.
There is a new neighbour moving in and things start to get interesting.

The book, although it is fast paced, has quite a bit of repetitive passages and unnecessary details. No one cares what Isobel used to do before. Plus the theme of unhappy stay at home moms who regret quitting their job has been explored to no end.
Isobel is a bit all over the place, she swings between being utterly naive to taking random, bold decisions.
The ending was a bit of a surprise and that is nice.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this book!

Wow I really, really enjoyed this audiobook! It hooked me from the very first page and kept me glued to my seat the entire time!

The New Neighbour centers on a rural English community, with Isobel as the main character. Isobel is a thirty something year old mother of two who is, unfortunately, a very dull character. Upon getting pregnant, Isobel quit her promising career as an architect while her husband (of the same vocation) continued on toward great success. As her children are now school aged, Isobel feels a bit out of sorts as she wishes she still had her career. Meanwhile, a new neighbor moves into a house that previously saw tragedy from its last owners and…a whole lot happens that mostly just doesn’t matter in the long run.

The New Neighbour introduced a ton of plot points in the guise of red herrings, ultimately falling flat as an engaging suspense novel. Isobel, is not particularly interesting or likable…but then, that’s true of just about every character. With no redeeming characters and a flurry of random events, the novel sort of just meanders about in an attempt to create suspense while Isobel provides pages of mundane details about life in the community. It did not work for me for a few reasons, but here are the main ones:

1. Isobel was such a flat, boring character who continuously jumped to conclusions and made confusing choices. If anything, it was tiresome spending time in her perspective. I found myself laughing at her more often than feeling connected to her.
2. As stated already, random things were introduced for essentially no point. A major example was one neighbor proposing to create a cemetery on their land, causing Isobel to feel very uneasy. This goes on and on, but ultimately leads to nothing and does not contribute to the plot at all.
3. Sometimes it feels like suspense authors throw a bunch of mud on the wall to see what sticks, and this felt like a major case of that. So many tropes abounded in this novel that by the end I didn’t really care who did what because they all were one dimensional and kind of awful. The “twist” didn’t feel unexpected because it’s been done many times before, and more expertly.

So, overall a miss for me. I experienced this via audiobook, and Danielle Cohen did a great job narrating. While I wasn’t impressed with the book itself, it was an enjoyable one to listen to while doing chores around the house. Thank you to both NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen early - the audiobook will officially be released on June 30th, 2022.

The Close is a small English neighborhood that appears to be the perfect place to live and raise a family, or so Isobel has believed. Then a man is killed in a hit and run and the safety that they all took for granted appears to have been an illusion. When a Linette moves in, Isobel looks to make her arrival a do over for the rattled community, but another death in the neighborhood puts that idea to bed. Rijks has a surprise twist ending that makes this story worth the read

This one totally jumped the shark at the end.


Review copy provided by publisher.

_________________________________________

As a reader there are certain requirements I must have to really enjoy a book - a plot which I cannot guess the ending, characters I like (and dislike), skillful writing and a feeling like the time I just invested was well spent. The New Neighbour by Miranda Rijks checks all the boxes for me. This is my first Rijks book but will not be my last.

The plot centers around a neighborhood (surprise!), Isobel a stay at home mom in a troubled marriage, a new neighbor, a murder or two and an interesting cast of characters with some typical neighborhood squabbles. This one had me guessing right up until the end, and I appreciate when the author is able to fool me.

At only 8 hours on audio it's a fairly quick listen and would be a perfect beach read. I'm getting spoiled with multiple narrators who complement one another and Danielle Cohen and Chris Devon both have soothing voices with excellent accents. As an American from New Jersey, I am partial to pretty voices.

Thank you to Negalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen in advance of the June 30, 2022 release date.

This classic neighborhood thriller checks all of the boxes.

It's well-written, fast-paced, and character-driven, with a surprise twist ending.

Isobel Floyd lives in The Close, a quiet community in the lush English countryside.

When a young man from The Close is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run accident, Isobel begins to question whether "The Close" is the perfect neighborhood to raise her two children.

When the family of the hit-and-run victim exits The Close and a new neighbor moves in, complete chaos in The Close begins and another life is lost.

This was my second book by author Miranda Rijks and I am a fan.

Even though "The New Neighbour" lacked the tension and suspense of the author's previous book ("I Want You Gone"), it was still an entertaining read.

I listened to the audiobook and both narrators did a superb job.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.