This plodding attempt to unwrap the salacious and secretive behaviors of the residents of a small neighborhood in northern Virginia failed to engage me. While the core dramatic event is the murder of one of the husbands of this glittering and wannabe glittering group and the attempt to solve it as the glue that holds the plot together, that is a mere backdrop for what goes on behind closed doors.

While the writing is quite good, the story is not. The characters are flat and the way the intrigue is revealed is not only boring but sordid.

There is probably an audience for this book. Sadly, that audience doesn’t include me.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Not a fan of "What the Neighbors Saw" unfortunately. None of the characters were particularly likeable, there were so many unnecessary details that did not add to the plot, and the story dragged on longer than it should have. This was my first book from this author, and while I did not enjoy it, I would try another book of hers.

I liked this book about “keeping up with the Joneses”, desire, friendship and the black hole that a house can be. Melissa Adelman has written a compelling read that I enjoyed but which seemed to drag a bit in the middle and then felt rushed at the end. I think #whattheneighborssaw could have benefitted from a more development at the end or simply end it before the last two chapters which felt like after thoughts. Thank you to #netgalley and #minotaurbooks for this arc to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Desperate Housewives meets The couple next door is a pretty apt synopsis for this book. If you love domestic thrillers, you will love this.

Our protagonist Alexis has had a difficult upbringing with a single absent parent and never felt like she belonged anywhere. Though she found the love of her life, when she saw the house in the very upscale neighborhood near the Potomac River, just over their budget, Alexis felt that this would be the place and the house that would finally make her feel at home and at peace.
Everything seemed promising until weeks after her little family moved in, a neighbor gets murdered while running on the much coveted train behind his house.
Alexis is thrown off and feels unsafe. In the process, she gets close to the murdered man’s wife Blair and strikes up a friendship.
The story follows Alexis and Blair in their journey to find the truth about the death of Blair’s husband.
Could it be one of the other neighbors who are all so rich that they are above the law as proven by multiple events occurring within the book?
I read this within a day because I just could not put it down until I knew what happened. I did not expect the ending at all.
One star taken down because I did not like Alexis at all. Neither did I like her husband. She kept complaining about her husband but I didn’t think she was much better than him in any way since she seemed to have everything easy, like have a live in nanny, cleaners, etc and still acted like she was having the hardest life which seemed a little out of touch with reality. She didn’t come across as a great mother either, who connected with her kids, which she kept complaining her husband wasn’t.
Apart from that, This has all the makings of a great TV show, looking forward to it!

This book took me by surprise! It has been one of my favourite thrillers I have read this year. I had to finish this in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed this one! Thank you for this ARC.

Alexis and Sam move their family, two young children and one housekeeper, to a desirable neighborhood outside D.C. Unfortunately, the house needs much repair. Blair and Teddy are neighbors who seem to be thriving as a couple. Despite the age difference the two women have much in common as is revealed through the storyline. Alexis, raised by her mother alone, wants no contact with her; Blair’s mother is super-critical of her daughter. Teddy is found dead one morning and the community reacts as each one is under suspicion. Slowly their secrets are revealed. No one is blameless, yet Alexis gradually pieces together the truth. Melissa Adelman’s characters are rather cold; as their twisted fates slowly play out, I feel detached and far from caring.

Genre: Murder/Thriller/Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: June 2023

I just can’t catch a break with murder thrillers lately. I keep going from bad to worse to just plain silly. Well, this one is, for the most part, believable but also campy. A young couple buys a run-down house in a neighborhood they can not afford. From then on, the plot and its twists are soap opera-like. Maybe this was the author’s plan. Perhaps I would have warmer feelings if I read this one on the beach with a cocktail. Then I could laugh along with the plot.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Alexis & Sam move into a quiet suburb of River Forest in what they feel is their dream home just outside of D.C. Alexis is expecting their second child so this home will give them lots of room to grow. Soon as they move in, they are inundated with neighbors dropping by with welcoming gifts.

Alexis warms up to Blair and they spend more and more time together. When Blair's husband is found murdered, the whole quiet neighborhood is on edge. Little encounters set Alexis on alert regarding all her neighbors.

It's not long before the dream home eats into Alexis & Sam's savings, leading them to conflicts. What Alexis first thought of as a beautiful place to raise a family, now has become seeped with second-guessing and wanting to flee.

This was hard to put down once I started reading and several times my heart went out to Alexis and how her expectations of how people saw her. I thought her mother came across as cold until Alexis had flashbacks after having her own child to realize her mother had shown a tender side. I was bothered by the treatment of the nanny, who for efforts of compassion received blunt or harsh retorts back. The reason for the murder was shocking, but the ending was poetic justice.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

I struggled to stay interested in this one. It was partly just rambling and i didn’t really feel for any of the characters. No one was particularly likeable. A lot of mundane details and bickering. It was also contradictory. They don’t have money but they have a live in nanny? Idk this one rubbed me the wrong way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of, What the Neighbors Saw, by Melissa Adelman, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really interesting. As we have all moved to new neighborhoods, you don't really know what you are getting into and what your new neighbors are really like and this is the same with this book. There are a lot of secrets, deceit and drama within the neighborhood. I didn't like all the drama that was happening between the neighbors. It was almost too much for me. I kept reading to find out what happened, but didn't see the ending coming and I was a little surprised.

When a new couple moves in to a swanky new address, they are desperate to fit in. But, there’s more beneath the surface if they’re glittering new neighbors.

It’s a "Be Careful What You Wish Fo"r tale with consequences.

A carefully constructed thriller this book may seem slow to some readers.

3.5 rounded up to 4..

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

Alexis and her husband Sam are delighted to be able to buy a house in an exclusive DC suburb. The house might be very run down and need a lot of work, but Sam is hoping to become a partner soon in the law firm where he works and Alexis will go back to her more relaxed legal job after her maternity leave for their second child, so they plan to fix it up gradually. A few months after they move in, their feeling of safety in their new neighbourhood is shattered when their neighbour Teddy Bard is murdered on the trail behind their houses, leading through the woods to the Potomac River. No one saw anything that morning (despite the title!) and the police have no forensic leads to go on.

There are plenty of secrets in this neighbourhood and none of the neighbours turn out to be very pleasant. Alexis is insecure and unconfident after a difficult upbringing by her single mother. She forms a close friendship with Teddy’s widow Blair, admiring both her style and her beautiful home. Blair also becomes a refuge for Alexis as Sam becomes difficult and argumentative, always criticising Alexis and refusing to help around the house or with the children.

Narrated in alternating, short, snappy chapters by Alexis and Blair, this is a character driven suspense which unfortunately spends a long time getting to the suspense. The characters were also a little too stereotypic to be really interesting, particularly the main characters, wealthy housewife Blair, insecure Alexis with her feelings of inferiority and the unlikeable Sam who expected his wife to be his cleaner, housekeeper, child minder, as well as super trim and fit, well dressed and have a career to match his own. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining read as long as you enjoy a slow burner and are not expecting a fast paced suspense. The last 10% of the novel was very enjoyable with an excellent twist, but unfortunately not enough to reward the effort required to get there.

Loved the premise of this book and was super thrilled to receive an early copy! While the story was interesting, I felt like the characters were not likable at all so it was hard to get into. The first 1/2 was a bit slow but the ending made up for that with a great twist.

The description for this book really made me want to read it. It sounds like a new couple moves to a nice new neighborhood, make friends, then someone ends up dead and we have to figure out why and who. Typical domestic thriller.

The narrators are Alexis and Blair. Alexis and her husband Sam buy a house in a rich neighborhood that needs a lot of fixing up. Blair is married to Teddy and a pillar of the street. There are various other neighbors that ran together. Early in, Teddy is murdered but there is surprisingly little development of this major plot point. Most of the chapters are about Alexis fretting about not fitting in, how crappy her husband is, and how she hates her new house (that she insisted they buy??) and Blair eating/drinking/doing interior design. Very slow and not much happens until the end when the motive and killer are revealed. Came out of nowhere and far fetched.

2.5 stars

Thanks in advance to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat from page one to the end. The plot twist was chef kiss. I wanted more, I needed more. This was one of my favorite reads in quite some time.

This book was right up my alley, so that made it all the more frustrating when it just didn't connect for me. The biggest issue was that not one character was likeable. The main character, Alexis, complained incessantly about not being able to afford all the repairs on her million dollar home. She was so wore out on her paid, extended maternity leave that she was overly dependent on her live-in nanny, who of course was "like family." The book was basically every trope and stereotype of rich people as a base, and then went on to add on the most lavish, unbelievable subplots that all threads of reality were lost.

It's hard to describe the plot of this book without spoilers, but the basic premise is Alexis buys a new house, a neighbor is killed and Alexis befriends his widow. In the midst of the investigation, all kinds of secrets come to light and some relationships may not survive the fallout.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped to, I did enjoy parts of it and will be interested to see what this author does next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Young couple, Alexis and Sam, have found the house of their dreams, the most dilapidated mansion on the block. They seem to be in love. They introduce themselves to the all-american white family, Blair and Teddy (and kids), living next door to where they are buying. We can hear Blair's thoughts re the brown-skinned Alexis moving in next door, yet after Teddy is found murdered, an unlikely friendship develops between the two. What's that all about? You will have to read the book to find out.

The neighbors all have their secrets. There are rich people excesses to ogle, some peeping, and plenty of extra-curricular activities.

Sam soon turns out to be a serial sh*t, who cares first about about himself and about keeping up with the Joneses, rather than taking on the more basic repairs to the fixer-upper. He should have focused on the windows before starting on that swimming pool! To be honest, Alexis is not very appealing either, and the neighbors are all horrid, too.

So who killed Teddy? You'll never guess. Well, maybe you will, but I didn't. There are a couple of good twists at the end - one seemed a bit contrived, and the characters could have been more developed, but the plot was good and kept me reading.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this debut novel by a promising new author. I enjoyed.

What the Neighbors Saw - Melissa Adelman
Alexis and Sam both fall in love with a neglected house, in an exclusive neighborhood, excited for the life they think it could bring. Sam is working towards being partner at his law firm, and Alexis has stepped down to a lower paying job to have the balance she needs while raising kids. As they moved into the house, they never could have expected the home they loved to be such a money pit, causing a strain on their marriage.

Alexis steps out of her comfort zone to try to make friends with the neighbors, especially Blair. When Blair’s husband Teddy is found murdered, their friendship is taken to the next level as Blair takes Alexis under her wing, and shows her the ins and outs within the neighborhood.

With an unsolved murder in the neighborhood, and the money pit of a house, tensions are high between Alexis and Sam and she finds him growing distance. Can Alexis save her marriage all while living under the pressures of Blair, the neighborhood, and motherly expectations.

I feel bad that I didn’t just love this book. It had a lot of great aspects, and I was left guessing who could have murdered Teddy until the very end. In the beginning, I wasn’t a fan of Alexis. I found her letting herself be treated like garbage by Sam, and her desperation to be friends with Blair to be cringy. But as I learned more of her story and her background, I found myself to be a bit more sympathetic. I feel the book followed some stereotypes and played into the whole “desperate housewives” persona and just wished for a bit more depth. In the end, I decided to give ⭐⭐⭐/5!
Thank you Netgalley and St.Mattins Press for the ARC!