WOW. MINDBLOWN is the first word that comes to mind. How have I never read any of this author's books before? I stayed up way past my bedtime (yes, I am an adult and yes, I do have a bedtime) just to finish reading Perfectly Nice Neighbors. Started off lowkey and quickly kept building up. It reminded me a bit of BEEF (Netflix) but with tons of microaggressions and racism. Holy hell, this was quite a ride. I felt so many emotions, mainly disbelief, shock, anger, sadness, and disgust. Highly recommend this book to anyone who also enjoyed BEEF or even When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole. Thank you so so so much, Putnam and Netgalley, for my eARC. I'm going to tell everyone I know about this book now.

This book explores a lot of themes most of us are never really exposed to- the "expat" experience, the concept of race in other countries and the colonoial aftermath. The author explored these themes in a poignant way through the harrassment her family faces at the hands of their neighbour Tom. The reader is left stunned at the audacity of Tom to behave this way but the authorities still don't do much to stop him. I think this can be a powerful book to explore racism and colonoalism. I will suggest this book to my sister who is a high school history teacher because it's a good way to explore those themes in fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Kia Abdullah - 5 stars!

Selma and her husband, Bilah, moved into a "better" neighborhood, trying to get their son Zane away from bad influences. They have high hopes when they are invited to a neighborhood barbecue, but when Selma spots her neighbor, Tom, ripping out her Black Lives Matter banner, tensions between the neighbors quickly escalate. Soon, things become dangerous.

If you don't have Kia Abdullah as a must-read author, that needs to change. Her books are always 5 star reads for me and seem to get better all the time. This is a situation all too common - skirmishes between neighbors - but goes in depth into all the layers involved. There are a lot of relevant topics too - tolerance, racism, classism, protecting our families. Plus, society seems to be very sensitive and on the lookout for any perceived slights, so that things can be misinterpreted easily. I loved the twists but hated to see this book come to an end. Another book from this author that you won't be able to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Perfectly Nice Neighbors.

I've read books by this author before I was pleased when my request was approved.

The author has a flair for blending domestic and courtroom drama in just the right way; not too much or too little of either.

I also enjoy her writing style, the tone is comfortable, and the writing flows and moves smoothly.

In Perfectly Nice Neighbors, Salma and Bil, with their son, have just moved into a nice neighborhood, hoping to escape from their current financial and personal struggles.

An early clash with their next door neighbors leads to shocking consequences and the near destruction of both families.

At first, I wasn't sure the POV of the neighbors was necessary, I'm not a fan of multiple POV, but as I was reading, I understood the need for it.

Both families' perspectives demonstrate how we each 'lie' to ourselves, excuse our behaviors and the actions of those we love, and how we can't see past our own prejudices.

At the same time, we never really know what the other person is feeling and thinking.

We can't put ourselves in his or her own shoes because we come with our own set of issues, circumstances, and personal experiences no one else has but us.

What was interesting was that I didn't sympathize with anyone, except Jaime and Zain.

I did relate to Salma, and in some ways with Willa, but neither woman was sympathetic, and I think that's the image the author was aiming for.

There was plenty of suspense and tension, the pacing of the narrative was just right, interspersed with happy and anxious scenes between Jaime and Zain's budding friendship.

I read this pretty quickly, I was interested in what was going to happen even though I guessed the 'twist' at the end but I do read this genre 99% of the time.

This author is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and I look forward to her next book!

I will read anything and everything by this author. The writing sucks you in, and puts you right in the middle of family dynamics, social struggles, and in this case neighborly drama. At first I thought I would lose interest in the story since it seemed to be just that, neighbor drama, but it unfolded into so much more. And just as is the writer's style, the twists will feel like a gut punch, and leave you thinking about this book long after you read it.

Social media, neighborhood rules, racism, lies and hypocrisy collide in Perfectly Nice Neighbors, a domestic drama by the gifted writer Kia Abdullah. Their restaurant has failed because of the pandemic and their son Zain has dropped out of school but still Salma and Bil move into their new home in Blenheim, a definite step up for the couple. Things go wrong from the first week when, at a neighborhood barbecue, Salma interprets remarks as racist. Her next door neighbor Tom makes it easy to do so. A BLM banner begins the slow decline of neighborhood relationships into arguments, physical violence and finally the horrible, inevitable conclusion that no one wanted.

Perfectly Nice Neighbors will leave you breathless, wondering what happened and why. Kia Abdullah shows the subtlety of casual, generational racism, racism that affects both Salma and Tom’s behavior. The final scene will leave you surprised and disappointed. This thought provoking novel is perfect for book clubs everywhere. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Kia Abdullah for this ARC.

Kia Abdullah is one of my favorite authors, and this one doesn't disappoint. I was instantly hooked by this tale. It was disturbing and quite a stressful read given the topics...but highly unputdownable. I do have to say that the ending didn't shock me as much as Abdullah's previous novels, but it was still a great twist that I don't think many will see coming. I really hope she keeps gaining fans in the U.S. so we can continue to receive her fantastic books here. I highly recommend!

Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abdullah’s previous 3 novels have all ended up in my year-end favourites list, so i obvious hold her future books to very high expectations and this one did not disappoint!
Her twisty, surprising legal thrillers always deal with topics and characters that you don’t see much of in modern fiction, and always have a really well done ‘what would you do in this situation’ type of moral dilemma…she writes not only an interesting story, but in a thought provoking way.
This most recent addition to her catalogue focuses on feuding neighbours and how things just keep escalating between the two sides, in which neither party is perfectly innocent…

My first Kia Abdullah book, but not my last! PERFECTLY NICE NEIGHBORS escalated rapidly, but in a way that made perfect sense. A thought-provoking but still thrilling story.

This was a great book that deals with many issues going on today. The ending was the best part. I would recommend this book to others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group- Putnam for my ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC - I had been hoping to read this! Without giving too much away, I can honestly say I truly loved most things about this read. I love a good neighborhood drama with characters that are fully fleshed out with personalities and their own lives, and this book did that super well. The ending however, felt a bit rushed and very sped up compared to the rest of the book and how it ended completely felt a bit off. Kind of like a rollercoaster abruptly ending right after the drop. I still truly loved it and will read more from this author!

This is me standing and giving a loud long round of applause. 4.5 stars, that I'm rounding up because of Kia Abdullah's amazing writing skills. The .5 reduction is based simply off the fact that about the ONLY thing I have an issue with in storytelling is when animals are treated poorly or hurt. It wasn't anything bad that should make a "normal" reader shy away. As an example of my weirdness about this, show me a busload of people killed in a crash and of course, I'm sad and horrified. Add an animal on that bus and I am inconsolable even if it's done fictitiously. Yeah, it's a personal quirk, but I own it!!! Anyway, back to the story and the writing. This woman has quite the gift. You will find yourself easily pulled in. I was so very tense throughout and could physically feel said tension between the neighbors. What an impossible situation to be in. And can we talk about that final plot twist? Even with reading so many thrillers over the past couple years, I did NOT see that twist coming. If you are looking for something that can still surprise you in the sea of thrillers that are flooding the market these days, this is one of those!!!

Bil and Salma make a hard decision and move to a seemingly nice neighbourhood to get their 18 year old son away from potential trouble of being in the wrong crowd in their currently neighbourhood.

They meet the new neighbours at a BBQ right after moving in and while they seemed ok, Salma did not know if they were "her people". It becomes apparent they are not when she see her neighbor Tom pull her Black Lives Matter banner from her front porch.

After confronting him, things quickly escalate. The families quickly become enemies and the antics become more drastic and downright dangerous.

Both families have sons who despite all of the tension have become friends, but ultimately pay the cost for the discord in the parents.

This is my second book by this author and I’m now convinced she is going to be a new favorite of mine.

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah is an excellent and gripping suspense novel.


This author does it again with her brilliant writing, complex storytelling with a compulsive and gripping narrative.
The pacing was perfect and kept me enthralled and intrigued till the very end.
This book hooked me from the very beginning and never let me go.
Abdullah’s writing style is very engaging and near unputdownable.
It was gripping, suspenseful, twisty, intriguing, and kept me engaged the entire book.
Her characters are complex and well fleshed out.
Another fantastic story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I have this trend lately of reading about life in the suburbs and the toxic culture that comes from neighborhoods with very privileged mentality. This is the story of what happens when one horrible event spirals into chaos. When the Khatun family moves to a new neighborhood, they hang their BLM flag proudly in support from the window. When their neighbor violates this freedom, what begins as a viral reaction to the situation, ends with a courtroom battle and shattering abuse towards one another. Definitely a great read!

This book was enthralling.
The first third was uncomfortable with the recognition of race differences and the racism that is not quite perceived by one side. But, it was thought provoking in a how can I do better way.
The second third I was on edge and eager to get to the verdict!
The final third was the reveal and was shocking in some ways and predictable in others. I do wish the ending was a bit different in a couple ways - I always like a happy ending, but also I hated that Salma continues the cycle.
A good, thought provoking book that was intense and held my interest.

I absolutely loved it. What a tour the force thriller about family, neighbors, and all current matters. I never knew where the book would take me. The best part is the last 1/3 of the book - which includes the courtroom drama and a twist I did not see coming. Each character was so complex (so human).

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group (Putnam) Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My head is still spinning from this intense, dark and timely thriller! With themes of racism, neighborly relationships, hypocrisy, social media influencing and violence, this story delves into the psychology of what happens to people when they are the targets of racial hatred as well as what motivates others to be the perpetrators of this violence. And do people understand what side of this line they really sit on?

When the Bangladeshi family of Salma, Bil and son Zain Khutan move to the upscale.neighborhood of Blenheim, racial tension immediately begins with acts of violence and lies from their white neighbors, Tom and Willa Hutton. The removal of a Black Lives Matter sign triggers events that will bring out the worst in humanity and leave each family with devastating consequences.

This book is a timely illustration of events that we see worldwide as a result of hatred and prejudice. Each time I thought I had the mystery solved, the author spectacularly threw in twists and then quickly did it again. This was my first thriller by Kia Abdullah but it will most definitely not be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam Son’s for providing me with this exciting ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: September 12, 20

I requested this ARC after devouring the author's previous book, Next of Kin. Unfortunately this one didn't quite work for me. I had trouble connecting with the characters and the plot felt a little off to me. It seemed like characters were under reacting to certain events and overreacting to others. With two many perspectives, I also struggled to get in a rhythm while reading this book.

Another Riveting, Emotionally-Charged,Thought-Provoking Thriller…But Not As Good As Her 3 Previous Books!

Having read and loved Kia Abdullah’s 3 most recent books — Take It Back, Truth Be Told and Next Of Kin — I was anxious to read her new book, Perfectly Nice Neighbors. I did so, however, with some concern that it wouldn’t live up to my high expectations for it. My concern was unnecessary but I didn’t care for Perfectly Nice Neighbors quite as much as her other books. Part of this is due to all of her plots being somewhat formulaic, in that they follow a similar writing style. That is, they involve a very topical crime, followed by a gripping, edge-of-the-seat legal trial, concluding with an ending filled with surprising twists and turns that make readers rethink everything they thought they knew. As a result, as a loyal Abdullah reader, I’ve become preconditioned to expect that dramatic plot twists will come about after the conclusion of the trial, which tends to detract a bit from its shock value.

I won’t say much about the plot of Next Of Kin other that what is provided from its advertisement, which asks the question: When your dream home comes with nightmare neighbors, how far will you go to keep your family safe?

I found Abdullah’s latest — and I think you will too — to be a very riveting, powerful, thought-provoking, compelling and “unputdowbale” book, especially once the courtroom trial commences. Beyond that, it is filled with very credible, well-developed, albeit, flawed characters that you might not like but will remind you of people you’ve likely come across more than once in your own life. Further, without being preachy, Abdullah delivers a highly insightful, well-balanced narrative that examines some highly charged emotional and topical issues, such as racism, that will definitely upset some readers and challenge all readers to carefully think about them.

Perfectly Nice Neighbors is definitely worthy your consideration but, as mentioned earlier, my enjoyment of this book, while high, was a notch below her other books. This is due in part to my finding the trial to be less gripping and the plot seeming to be contrived at times and the twists at the end to be less exciting and credible. Further, I found that, unlike in her previous books, Abdullah left several “threads untied”, making me wonder if she has a sequel in mind.

4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5.

#Perfectly Nice Neighbors #Net Galley