“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒕. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒕. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆.”

Described as “Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door,” combined with a gorgeous cover, I couldn’t wait to dive into this debut from Melissa Adelman.

Adelman’s writing is intriguing; she develops the atmosphere of the neighbourhood really well. The opening chapter reminded me of House Hunters, with the real estate agent describing 51 Shadow Road. I immediately could picture the house and the neighborhood. Rich neighbours always make for juicy storylines, and I could definitely see the parallels to Desperate Housewives: the scandals, the neighbours gathering around in the middle of the night after an event, and the parties where everyone gathers. The question “do we ever really know our neighbours” definitely applies here! I found Blair to be an intriguing character; between her point of view and Alexis’, I was more interested in Blair’s. I’m not sure if it was because we spent so much time with Alexis and there was a shadow of mystery surrounding Blair, or the fact that I found Alexis and her husband, Sam, to be extremely unlikeable. They are both obsessed with wealth, they seemed to hate each other and I found it really hard to know why they were even together. The story is definitely a slow burn and I found myself skim reading parts. It felt like there just needed to be more: more tension, more scandal, and an ending that wasn’t hinted at so many times throughout the book.

What the Neighbors Saw is a story of secrets, scandals, greed, and gossip. Its slow burn and unlikeable characters may not be for some, but Adelman’s writing shows promise and I’d read something else from her in the future. Thanks to Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Alexis and her husband Sam buy a fixer upper they can barely afford in an over priced neighbourhood. A few weeks after moving into their new neighbourhood, their neighbour Teddy is found dead. Alexis develops an unhealthy obsession over Teddy’s widowed wife Blair.

I enjoyed the storyline but was not a fan of Sam or Alexis. Both came off as whiny and self absorbed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The description for this book starts off “Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door” and that drew me in immediately. This story follows Alexis and her husband Sam after they buy a fixer upper in an exclusive neighborhood. After one of their neighbors is found dead on the nearby riverbank, the neighbors are on edge and suspicions run high. As Alexis grows her friendship with Teddy’s widow, friendships are tested and the neighbors grow divided. I liked that we followed multiple POVs throughout the story, and felt like that really kept you guessing as you read. The twist I didn’t see coming and wasn’t predictable. I wish it was a little faster paced, but because the story unfolds over a period of time, the pacing made sense. If you like drama, unlikeable characters, and a good twist definitely pick this one up

4/5⭐️
Release date: June 20, 2023

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press. Minotaur Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.All opinions expressed are my own.

This story is all about neighborhood drama. I liked how the drama unfolded to show what was really going on behind closed doors with each couple. However, there were a lot of things discussed that just made the story seem small-minded. The fact that some of the neighbors assumed that Alexis was the nanny at first, and constantly asking where she was from, being the prime example. I know there are people who still think like this, but I had hoped Alexis would speak out about it. Instead, the reader just read her internal thoughts about what she wished she COULD say.
I do look forward to seeing what Melissa Adelman writes in the future. I enjoyed her writing style. The short chapters kept me turning pages.

The description to this book is very spot on. The book is entertaining, slow build up but very character driven. The ending was satisfying. I also enjoyed the dual pov.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read an advance copy of What the neighbors saw by Melissa Adelman. I had high hopes for this book, and other people really enjoyed it, but I found it started off too slow. With the fact that the characters are unlikable, which is a big deal to me, this book was not for me. However, I am sure some people will enjoy it.

A peek into the lives of the wealthy and horrible. There is so much wrong with these people it’s hard to know where to start. Everyone is terrible: mean-spirited, snobbish, judgmental and oblivious and uncaring regarding the wants or needs of anyone not within their approved circle. “Everyone” includes newcomers Alexis and Sam who barely scrape their way into the neglected Cape Cod house in the exclusive DC suburb. They are both lawyers – and successful by our standards, anyway – but they don’t quite fit in. They are thrilled to buy the house, but their motives and their relationship don’t seem too solid. Alexis is expecting their second child and as the story moves on and the baby is born she becomes more and more overwhelmed. Even with a long maternity leave, a live-in nanny and house cleaners. Sam is the opposite of sympathetic. He is on the partner track and does not empathize or sympathize with the fact that Alexis stepped back to a less competitive firm after their first child was born and is full of jabbing little comments to her. As they settle into the house she begins to experience a bit of buyer’s remorse about just how much work needs to be done to it, while his focus is on status and appearances and social climbing and how deficient in everything she is.

Yes, everyone welcomes them to the neighborhood but I wouldn’t go overboard and say all the welcomes were warm. Blair seemed sincere enough but it’s not until her husband Teddy is found murdered on a nearby trail that Alexis begins to develop a friendship with her and to finally start to feel a little bit comfortable and close to someone.

The narration switches between Blair and Alexis and relates their encounters with, and thoughts about, all the other characters. The story is rather slow-moving, even during a murder investigation; it seems everyone has secrets, ulterior motives and are generally unpleasant to one another. It’s a dark book in that every single character is suspect, but keep reading and you will discover a couple of very interesting twists and revelations and a truly unexpected ending.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Publishing, Minotaur Books, for providing an advance copy of What the Neighbors Saw via NetGalley. I voluntarily leave this review and all opinions are my own.

What the Neighbors Saw is Melissa Adelman’s debut, and I will eagerly be awaiting her next book! This had everything I love in a domestic thriller, with a rich neighborhood, neighbors who were unreliable and always seemed like they could be a suspect or have an ulterior motive, and a twist ending that I wasn’t expecting.

Alexis and her husband Sam purchase a rundown house in Alexis’ dream neighborhood, even though they can’t really afford it. While settling in to to their new house, their neighbor Teddy is found dead on a running trail nearby. With Alexis trying to befriend her neighbors, she uses this opportunity to be there as a source of comfort for Teddy’s wife Blair. As Alexis and Blair’s friendship progresses and Alexis starts to spend more time at Blair’s house, she starts to question things about who her neighbor really is.

I always love a dual perspective story, and this one alternates chapters between both Alexis and Blair. Alexis’ husband Sam was horrible to her and the entire time I was reading I kept questioning why she would stay with someone who would treat her like he did. There were so many little tricks I fell for throughout reading thinking the killer was going to be someone it wasn’t and I was truly surprised with how things played out. Kind of makes me want to go back and reread the book to see everything I missed!

Alexis and Sam move into a fixer-upper in a affluent neighborhood. What follows is a jumble of weird neighbour encounters, money problems, and horrible relationships. Other than Alexis, no one is remotely likable. There are way too many neighbours to keep track of. And the denouement, which comes after a really, really slow buildup, is absolutely silly.

2.5⭐ rounded up to 3.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I offer my review freely.

I read this book in two days, I didn’t want to put it down! A few twists and turns, told from different perspectives. If you like thrillers, this is a good title for you.

3 stars

Alexis and Blair star in this domestic thriller (which involves more mystery than thrills) as neighbors in a fairly swanky suburb. Blair feels like she belongs in this place and has the social clout to prove it, but her whole life is thrown off balance when (early on) her husband is found dead under potentially mysterious circumstances. Alexis is new in town and suffering from an intense case of conspicuous consumption, along with her husband, who is awful. From the jump, readers may wish - especially for her sake - that he had been the one to meet an untimely end instead.

This is a slow burn filled with details about interior design, which at times become distracting. Many of us watch Nancy Meyers's movies more for the kitchen aesthetics than any of the characterization or plot, and if that is your jam, this book is a scaled back version of the same concept. Alexis is obsessed with having the least appealing home on the block, and despite what this may do to their family's financial security, both she and her husband are willing to take some wild steps to make updates. And when they aren't making those updates, they are thinking and talking about them all the time. This created a sense of imbalance in my reading experience, especially in the first half of the novel.

These women are each coming into their friendship with their own baggage, and readers will be able to see the likely trajectory fairly early. That noted, there is a reveal about one of them that just weirded me out so much. When I think of this book, I'm certain this weird twist will be the main detail I recall. I'd have loved more suspense and a smarter, less gimmicky turn of events.

Despite my obvious misgivings, I did enjoy listening to this. The narrators of the audiobook keep it moving and engaging, even when the underlying material slows a bit. I'll be back for more from this author but with hopes for some different choices.

This one really grabbed my attention. I love a neighbor thriller and this satisfied that! Will definitely be recommending to my friends that enjoy this genre.

AH! OMG, I am so thankful to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, Melissa Adelman, and NetGalley for granting me audiobook access and an advanced digital copy of What the Neighbors Saw, which is a messy take on a neighborhood that has nothing better to do with their time than to spy on their neighbors and be bitchy. There I said it. I did like this book, though, and I didn't see the twist coming at the end.

Alexis and her husband Sam are new to this hoity-toity DC suburb, buying the most-rundown house on the street, needing to pour thousands of dollars into it while already working overtime to afford it. Right after moving in, the husband of one of their neighbors is found brutally murdered. Still, his wife, Blaire, doesn't appear too distraught about it but continues to go about contributing to their rumor mill and being a newly widowed housewife.

Alexis seeks to comfort Blaire and ultimately gets a key into the gossip of the neighborhood, learning the ropes of who to steer clear of and who to get in with, but is she entering a sticky web of lies that means to hold her captive, or is Blaire on her team?

It turns out nobody is who they appear to be on the outside. What the Neighbors Saw hits shelves on June 20, 2023, and I can't wait.

This book was pretty anticlimactic for a thriller.

I was very bored 20% into the book and can’t even tell you what’s happening of who the characters are other than some family just moved.

I thought What the Neighbors Saw was an interesting novel with well developed characters. The lonely young mother was the main protagonist and she was sympathetic. I thought the ending was out of character from what we had seen in the book, but it was still enjoyable.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While domestic suspense remains a very hit-or-miss subgenre for me, I do still enjoy giving these a try once in a while. What the Neighbors Saw strikes that balance between the two spheres of domestic and suspense well, with a slow, but steady start to set the scene, but a pivotal turn later in the story that makes you question everything.
The characters are rather messy and unlikable, but that’s not only typical of the genre, but also suits the comp with Desperate Housewives. I enjoyed delving into the complex inner lives of the married couple, Alexis and Sam, who recently moved to a wealthy neighborhood, and their ties to the recently widowed Blair, whose husband, Teddy, was murdered. It was fascinating to watch these characters circle each other, keeping secrets and backstabbing, and trying to figure out what each of them is hiding, and how it relates to the ultimate question of who Teddy’s killer is.
I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a messy domestic drama/suspense starring rich people.

4.5 Stars

Have you ever read a book that, when finished, you literally need a few days to process the story? Enter "What the Neighbors Saw."

Together since college, Alexis and Sam are living the dream. Married, successful, and parents to two young children. In need of a larger home, they stumble upon a beautiful but run down home in a highly exclusive neighborhood. Alexis and Sam jump on the opportunity to purchase the home and begin sinking every dollar into the renovations. So much change in a short time begins to put strain on their relationship.

Murder. Lies. Betrayal. There is SO much to unpack in this book. This is very much Stepford meets Desperate Housewives and the final chapter...well you will just need to read this for yourself!

Many thanks to St. Martins Press/ Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC.

TW: sexual abuse, cheating, physical abuse, incest

This one isn't going to be a super memorable read for me unfortunately. Fans of domestic suspense books in the vein of Shari Lapena may really enjoy this but it felt pretty formulaic to me. The audio narration was good by Hillary Huber and Sarah Hollis as we get to know the lives of different wives in this exclusive neighborhood of mainly wealthy families after one husband turns up brutally murdered. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review! I was looking for more of a jaw-dropping twist or shocking ending.

Neighborhood drama with a side of murder?! Sign me up. I was invested in the different points of view between wives Alexis and Blair. However after awhile the story just stalled. It was going nowhere. Yes, Alexis and her husband fought a lot over the money pit of a house they bought, and something strange was happening between Blair and her husband until he turned up dead.

This story really didn't catch my attention again until about 80% in when it was twist after twist. One was so mind blowing that you could never see it coming while the other twist I should have seen coming. Overall this was a good beginning, boring middle and weirdly good ending.

I loved this twist filled and suspenseful read! The well developed characters jumped off the page. Sometimes the most affluent neighborhoods hide the darkest secrets. A real page turner!