I was immediately drawn to this book because the synopsis gave me "Desperate Housewives," vibes, and it did not disappoint. This story is told from two points of view. The first one is from the character Alexis, a mom with another baby on the way, who purchases what she thinks is her dream home with her husband. Alexis gives up her townhome, for a large house in a great neighborhood, but the house is falling apart. This puts strain on her marriage, which only escalates when one of her neighbors in found murdered.

The other storyline is told from Blair's POV, the wife of the man who was murdered. As the two tales are woven together, we find out this picture perfect neighborhood actually holds a lot of sinister secrets. While I thought the plot was a bit predicable, I enjoyed the ride, and was never bored. Congrats on a great debut!

Thank you to Melissa Adelman, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

You find the perfect house... or at least the perfect neighborhood with a massive fixer-upper. Soon after you move in, a neighbor is murdered. Two other neighbors attack someone, including you. Your husband is basically being a jerk because you won't just be happy. And you're black, in a white neighborhood. Could things get any worse? Yup... the women of the neighborhood are all two-faced, except one who is two-faced to others but real to you. What's she hiding? What the Neighbors Saw is a new release by Melissa Adelman, a book I found on NetGalley. Good thriller; lots of subtle micro-aggressions leading up to a full-on war. Who's cheating on whom is the question here. I enjoyed this one, but it took a long time to turn into something more page-turning. Domestic drama with a twist, and at the same time, an ending completely out of left field, so much so... I am still wondering it this book is a 3 or a 4. I'd read more by the author tho, and it's worth giving the story a chance.

The book is from two viewpoints, Alexis & Blair. You can tell right from the beginning that Alexis will be on her own if/when she sees something strange. I can tell big time that her husband was going to be the type to dismiss what she says. She’s also not the most likeable of leads. Blair’s chapters are a little odder, her life seemingly perfect, the rough edges take longer to present themselves. The whole neighbourhood is a mess, fulls of secrets & sneaky people. Proof that no matter how rich & successful people are, they can still be monsters. I liked this book, it clips along at a decent pace & I truly didn’t know who the killer was right away. It’s a solid domestic thriller.

Not even remotely my cup of tea, but it was basically ok, other than I hated all the characters and not much interested in the general plot. Which means, I suppose, that it was decently well-written and didn't come across as a derivative piece of tripe. While I gave it 4*, it should probably be a bit less, say 4*-.

Anyway, we have Alexis and Sam Crawford who are trying to make it in the Washington, D.C. area. They buy a fixer-upper house in a fancy area, for a mere million or so dollars. The neighbors across the street, Blair and Teddy Bard, seem to be the perfect couple, well turned out and with several perfect children. But, shortly after making the acquaintance of the Bards, Teddy is found murdered on the jogging trail along the river. The only nearby access point to the trail is at the end of the street on which everyone lives. So, was it one of the neighbors who killed Teddy?

Alexis and Blair strike up a friendship and spend a lot of time talking over various issues. It seems that some of the other neighbors in the enclave are a bit strange. There might be some other dangerous incidents going on in the neighborhood, people lurking around in the dark, and so forth.

The book switches back and forth between the viewpoints of Alexis and Blair, which I found to be an interesting construction. The book was reasonably well written and engaging. My only problem with the book is that I didn't find a single character in it who was appealing in general. Virtually everyone was an a-hole of one kind or another.

#WhatTheNeighborsSaw #NetGalley

Thank you to Melissa Adelman, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love thrillers, so I was excited when I received this one. But honestly, this one fell flat. There is no drama, or thrills until the end of the book. There were a lot of unnecessary things added that did not need to be there. I didn't like any of the characters. I felt like I couldn't connect with them.

What the Neighbors Saw is a mixture of a mystery/thriller with contemporary fiction. Alexis and her husband, Sam, move into the oldest, most rundown house in a fancy DC suburb. Shortly after they moved in, their neighbor across the street, Teddy, is murdered on a neighborhood trail. This book takes you on a "who dun it" journey with alternating viewpoints of Alexis and Teddy's widow, Blair, while also including a lot of rich housewife drama. I will say, I was more concerned with the mental health of some of these characters than with who actually killed Teddy. I wish there was more focus on the thriller aspect and less focus on tearing down the various women in the neighborhood.

2.5 rounded up.

This book was a disappointment. It felt like it kept building and building but never delivered. Along the way I had my suspicions, which turned out to be 100% spot on, but nothing about it wowed me. When the “twist” was finally revealed I told myself surely this isn’t it. It was way too obvious and I wanted more to it. And even the second twist was extremely obvious and predictable.

The characters were actually so good and had so much potential, but in the end just fell flat. There were several micro plots throughout the story that felt thrown in for extra drama. All of it was extremely unnecessary considering the reveal.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

3.75 rounded up!

Alexis was raised by a single mom, so it was her dream to be able to purchase a home with her husband Sam, in an exclusive D.C. suburb, where they and their two infants could feel “safe”- even if the only home they could afford was a neglected Cape Cod being sold “as is”.

But, tragedy struck shortly after they moved in-when their neighbor, Teddy, is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River, and the Police deem that it WASN’T an accident.

There are no leads.

Up late with a newborn, Alexis also sees other “startling” things, as she looks out of her kitchen’s large picture window…or when she peeps into the windows of her neighbors- Not things she was expecting to see in a neighborhood such as this.

Suddenly she doesn’t feel very safe.

Sam is growing more frustrated with their “money pit” and with her, and she finds herself turning to her new neighbor, Teddy’s widow, Blair. The two are able to offer each other support.

The story unfolds through their alternating perspectives.

Blair didn’t seem too traumatized by her husband’s death-is she reliable?

And, I wondered how Sam and Alexis ever got together and had two kids-he often belittled her, and calling her “old lady” did not seem like a term of endearment.

Again, there weren’t any men with redeeming qualities in this book.

This DEBUT is a slow burn, neighborhood SUSPENSE story. Not a lot happens in the first half, and I didn’t find the reveal of who killed Teddy, particularly shocking either,

AND YET, I enjoyed the story, nonetheless!

I guess it was refreshing to read something plausible that wasn’t over the top!

I look forward to seeing what Melissa Adelman writes next!

EXPECTED publication date: June 20, 2023.

Thank You to Minotaur Books for sending me an invitation to read this! An ARC was provided through NetGalley and it was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for my advance reader copy!

Sam and Alexis decide to sell their narrow and cramped rowhome to move into a dream home located in an affluent DC suburb. Though their new home needs a lot of work, Alexis and Sam seem up for the challenge. The neighborhood is shaken when a prominent resident and father, Teddy, is found dead on a hiking trail nearby. In the wake of this tragedy, Alexis forges a relationship with Teddy's widow, Blair. Not everything is as it seems in this picture perfect neighborhood, however, and the truth may ruin all.

I usually enjoy neighborhood dramas, however this one just didn't work for me. This was a slow burn that never really took off for me. While I felt a connection to the setting, as I live in the DMV myself, I was not able to empathize with any of the characters. They all felt a little bit flat, and it was obvious who you're supposed to be predisposed to like or dislike. I think this one could have gone in an interested direction, but Adelman left a lot on the table.

I skimmed a lot of this, and would also have to repeatedly remind myself of the key plot points as I was reading. The secondary neighborhood characters were all interchangeable and indistinguishable, contributing even more to my feelings of detachment from this book. Even with skimming, it took me almost two weeks to finish this one.

Sam and Alexis needed to get out of their condo.

When a run-down house in a swanky neighborhood on Shadow Road came on the market, they had to have it.

The neighborhood had million-dollar homes and lots of secrets. Even the street's name seemed to be an omen of some of the mischief and goings on.

When one of the neighbors is murdered, all of the neighbors and especially Sam and Alexis find out that even living in a posh neighborhood doesn't keep you safe or free from gossip and unsavory neighbors.

I didn't trust any of the neighbors, especially Blair whose husband was murdered. She seemed to have an ulterior motive for making friends with Alexis.

The other neighbors all had domestic problems with a few of the husbands being unfaithful.

WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAW is a mystery and drama wrapped up into one good read with twists and distrust.

A bit predictable, but a great debut!! 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

"Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door" is a pretty good summary of this book, but like The Couple Next Door, it was slow and lacked twists and turns throughout it that I crave in a thriller. It started out strong with a great setting and a murder, but nothing really happened again until the last 10%, and even then I wasn't blown away by the ending. It felt like a very average domestic thriller book, but for it being a debut novel, I will say I'm still looking forward to seeing what this author's next books are like!

The story line was good, but it seemed to take quite a while to get going and too many characters to keep straight throughout the book. Decent read, but not my favorite.

This was a really good domestic thriller, especially as it was a debut! Alexis and Sam are a young couple looking for a new house. They find one in an upscale neighborhood but it needs so much work it will take many months and loads of money to fix it up. They have one child and Alexis has given birth to their second child. Sam is working many extra hours as he wants to be made a partner. Alexis is free during the day so she is able to meet the neighbors. She becomes especially close to Blair whose husband was murdered. From here the action ramps up. There are hints that Blair had a secret and so does Alexis so I just had to keep,reading. I highly recommend this book!
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This book is described as “desperate housewives meets the couple next door” and that was all I needed to know before starting. It follows a young couple who just purchased a fixer upper in a wealthy neighborhood when one of their neighbors is murdered. The main character Alexis befriends the widow of their murdered neighbor and through out the book she solves the murder. I found the book entertaining and can see why someone would compare it to desperate housewives because of the neighborhood drama. The ending seemed slightly predictable and I would’ve liked more of a twist but it was a quick read and kept my attention.

I'm always down for a good neighborhood drama and this book delivered. We focus on a high end part of DC where neighbors have more secrets than anyone knows. It was a little confusing at times and a few to many theories were thrown at us. I did really enjoy the last 1/3 of the book.

4 Stars. Although domestic thrillers aren't my favorite genre, What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman changed my mind. I didn't enjoy The Couple Next Door, so knew this would be suspenseful. I was not disappointed. Putting their blood, sweat, and tear into their fixer-upper, which is coincidentally their first home, couple Sam and Alexis just want to make this home quaint while waiting on the birth of their baby. Send in the-murder-next-door and the story catapults from there. You think you know your neighbors, but do you really? Find out their secrets, lies and more secrets with this fun book. Thank you Melissa Adelman, NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

I’m relatively new to thrillers so I always go in a bit skeptical but this held my attention all the way through. I enjoyed it and thought it progressed pretty well! I’ll be recommending to friends

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a pretty good mystery! I enjoyed the story line and thought it was well developed. Normally, I have trouble picking out twists and turns and didn't see all the ones in this. It was good! I enjoyed it! This was well crafted and easy to get lost in. I thought it was well done!

I really loved the setting and premise of this book but ultimately at 47% I decided it was too much of a slow burn for me. I found the characters incredibly difficult to like and could not convince myself to root for anything other than Sam and Alexis getting a swift divorce.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't able to make connection of Teddy's death and anything from Alexis' perspective and felt the story was progressing so slowly, and I did not understand what was even the main plot till 2/3 of the book. The last 1/3 of the book picked up the pace, and became a bit more enjoyable. Good effort, but didn't quite hit the home run.