I didn't feel the suspense as much as I would've liked. I didn't guess who was guilty, and the big reveal felt anticlimactic. There were a lot of side characters, but they didn't add anything to the plot or mystery for me.

Overall, What the Neighbors Saw is a good book but not as suspenseful as I like.

What happens when there is a murder in the the suburbs of your new home and you’re changing yourself to try to fit in better?

The main character gets to know her new neighbours and what they are really like.

This isn’t much of a thriller and not very fast paced. But over all, I enjoy a good drama filled book.

What the Neighbors Saw takes place in a neighborhood that may remind you of Desperate Housewives or Real Housewives of Anywhere. Alexis and Sam are ambitious with competitive careers. Sam is close to making partner and putting in impossible hours at a pretigious law firm. Alexis works for a smaller boutique firm as a consultant and is pregnant with their second child. They know where they live will influence decisions like making partner and buy a house just enough beyond their means to cause strife and tension as it turns out to have more urgent repair problems than expected.

They are both drawn to their neighbors down the street, Blair and Teddy. Teddy is a state legislator. Blair is an interior decorator with impeccable taste, not just in decor. They seem the perfect couple.

But then Teddy is murdered. The police do not identify any clear suspect. Of course, the neighbors are all both intrigued and frightened trying to think who it could be. Could it be their gardener, the nanny, could it be one of them. Alexis has a few encounters that make her suspicious and definitely show a scandalous side of the neighborhood.



What the Neighbors Saw is a fast read, a two-bite morsel. That’s a good thing because the characters are not that appealing. Blair is judgmental and hard-edged, a bit condescending and a lot snob, though she covers it well. Alexis is insecure about her Latina heritage and her lack of a father. She always puts her self down which gets annoying. We go back and forth between Blair and Alexis’s point-of-view and neither of them are particularly appealing people to spend time with.

However, I appreciate the mystery and its unexpected resolution. It’s unusual and I don’t mind how it all pans out. I can understand how Blair and Alexis got to where they are and would not be surprised if this is not the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

I received an e-galley of What the Neighbors Saw from the publisher through NetGalley.

What the Neighbors Saw at St. Martins Press | Macmillan
Melissa Adelman is on Instagram

I started and stopped this book several times and even tried the audio version. It just wasn’t for me. I ended up DNFing around 23%.

I could not connect with the characters and was not enjoying the story. I will recommend this to those I know would love this type of story. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Fabulous book, extremely well-written, with several twists I couldn't predict. The setting was flawless, and the prose top-notch. Kudos to the author; I'll be sure to read her next book!

4 stars. Wow, this book was really good. Loved the DC setting and the intricate relationships between the neighbors.

This was a great mystery. I was still able to figure out who killed Teddy quite a while before the official reveal, but the clues were subtle enough where it wasn't a dead give away in the beginning. The writing style was fluid and the change of character point of view made sense and was not jarring. This was an excellent read since I have found very few mystery/thriller novels that have managed to hold my attention this year. This book was superb and I look forward to seeing what the author writes in the future.

There is lots of drama in this neighborhood and between the pages with twists a plenty. This is a case of keeping up with the Joneses. The story is presented through a dual narrative in alternating chapters. The characters were mostly unlikable, but that did make the story somewhat interesting. If you’re looking for something different, you won’t find it here.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I actually loved how it was a slow burn thriller. I liked the dual POV between neighbors Alexis and Blair. And I liked the flow of the story.

My main issues would be red herrings that didn’t go anywhere and served no purpose to the plot. There was a lot of messy drama in this neighborhood, which did make for an intriguing story, but fell flat in the delivery.

I would recommend this if you like domestic thrillers and are okay with it being slow burn.

3.5 stars

I received a free copy of What the Neighbors Saw from Netgalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.
A domestic thriller centered around a murder mystery in a small corner neighborhood. Who killed him? Why?
I read this thriller right after The New Mother and a few of the details blended together at the time. Both protagonists are new mothers, recently moved into a neighborhood. And everyone has a secret. In What the Neighbors Saw, Alexis finds herself friends with the widow Blair while the fabric of “perfection” in the neighborhood crumbles around them. I enjoyed this thriller, though it wasn’t as engaging as I had hoped. However, I recommend thriller lovers give it a try, as the twist was absolutely shocking.

Lots of drama is buried in the pages of What the Neighbors Saw. The beginning was a little slow to get started but picked up once you got into the book. I love when the author has an amazing “ah ha” reveal moment at the end which Melisssa Adelman did well. One of my favorite feelings when reading a book! However, that was offset by the irritating and unlikable characters. Just bad behavior that makes you glad you didn’t live in this particular neighborhood. The dual viewpoint was good, but the carryout of the storyline did not appeal to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

This book was absolutely crazy from the very beginning. It was very Desperate Housewives/rich people problems and I loves that. Even though the characters weren't very likeable, I was very interested in what happened to them and in all the secrets and lies woven through the community. I thought the ending was superb.

What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman is a slow burn domestic suspense/family drama set in a DC bedroom community. The drama does not disappoint! The conflict between the "friends" and how it impacts the outcome of the investigation into the death of one of the neighbors is a pretty wild ride. I know Desperate Housewives is mentioned in the blurb but there's a big sprinkle of adult Mean Girls too. The characters are well developed and this a very bingeable vacation or beach read with a nice cover. I hope to read more from this debut author.

I tried but could not finish this one. I’m sorry just not for me, unlikeable characters and some plot developments that simply didn’t make sense. Thanks for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Alexis and Sam finally hit the big time after working so hard to get into a tony suburb of Washington, DC, in What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman. They bought a crumbling mansion that eventually could become a palace with a little elbow grease and money. They're also having their second child to make their family complete. But will they fit in with the upwardly mobile and somewhat snooty neighbors? Time will tell until a shocking murder of an esteemed pillar of the community takes place.

I had high hopes for this book because I love how it is written. At first, I liked the characterizations of the neighbors and Alexis. I could relate to her struggles with handling the household, her children, and trying to maintain her marriage and thoughts of going back to her career. As the story moves along, though, some characters like her husband morphed from bland to a complete jerk in record time. No real reason seemed apparent. I couldn't even understand why Alexis who seemed like she just needed a break would marry this man.

The rest of the book until the climax and reveal of the murder focuses on the unraveling of her neighbors' lives and how they all appear frightened about the murder. No one can figure out who did it, and the trail where the brutal murder occurred now seems less like a nice place to stroll or jog in and more like a scary back road where devilish deeds take place. Even the cops who seem to be talking to everyone cannot uncover anything even though eventually Alexis discovers the answers herself.

And that is one of my issues with the book. Some of the reveals are weird and kind of out of left field. They were different, but I didn't think they made enough sense. And one reveal could have been a great lead-in to the murder but didn't pan out how I thought it would in a more believable way. When I learned the details of the murder, I found them to be haphazardly wrought out. I didn't suspect anything before that time, and that seemed like it would be a great, thrilling shock, but it really just didn't jive for me.

I would try a future book by the author because of the writing style, but the plot felt too perplexing and farfetched at times for me. Read it and see what you think about What the Neighbors Saw.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Multiple POV, Desperate Housewives vibes, past and present timelines

This was very interesting. It reminds me of Desperate Housewives. It was a bit too slow at times. The characters were very unlikable, though it's probably on purpose. I recommend it!

In 'What the Neighbors Saw,' readers are plunged into a suspenseful and gripping narrative. Set in an upscale DC suburb, the story revolves around Alexis and Sam who move into the neighborhood of their dreams. However, the idyllic neighborhood takes a dark turn when their neighbor, Teddy, is found dead, triggering a web of secrets and suspicion.

The author weaves a tale of murder and intrigue against the backdrop of a seemingly perfect community. As Alexis forms an unlikely friendship with Teddy's widow, Blair, the plot thickens, revealing layers of deception and hidden truths.

"What the Neighbors Saw" is a riveting page-turner that will leave you questioning the darkness that can lurk behind the doors of the most beautiful houses.

2.5 stars. Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an e-arc for an honest review.

I'm so sorry to say this wasn't my cup of tea. I just did not like any of the main characters, and while I'm sure you aren't meant to like them, this just took me out of the story at times. One part of the ending made me say eww....and not in the good thriller book eww but in the why on earth kind of eww.

When Alexis and Sam move into a prestigious neighborhood in DC they realize that their dream house is in need of alot of repairs. Pregnant with their second child, Alexis is on maternity leave so is home to see what needs to be done, while Sam is busy at work trying to get on as a partner at his firm. Throughout the summer, they begin to meet and get familiar with their new neighbors, but are they as they seem, or do they have hidden secrets.

This is a great read with many twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.