I was expecting a feel good book and felt this really did not deliver. I was not invested in the characters nor the storyline.

A quick and easy read. Two ladies that really have never cared for each unite to save the apartment complex. These two ladies begin to work together to help everyone. A really good light read.

An unlikely duo work together to discover who is behind the break-ins in their apartment building, and attempt to save their apartment building from demolition.

Nosy Neighbors is told using the alternating points of view of Dorothy and Kat. Dorothy is a 77 year old woman who has lived in Shelly House for over 30 years. She is viewed as a nosy, cranky neighbor. She has a routine of walking the grounds and knows what is happening at Shelly House. Kat is 25 years old and new to Shelly House. She is reluctant to get to know her neighbors.

A quirky cast of characters in a charming setting. Nosy Neighbors is both heartbreaking yet hopeful.

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

Kat and Dorothy are such an unlikely yet formidable pair of amateur sleuths, brought together by circumstance and wildly determined to save Shelley House and their beloved apartments. Not your typically-plotted mystery, this story of unlikely friendships, misunderstandings, guilty secrets, forgiveness, and life in a small-town is an amusing breath of fresh air to the mystery genre. After all, nothing brings neighbors together like someone else’s secrets…or a really, really, good new story by Freya Sampson.

I loved this one! I've been meaning to grab a print copy because of how much I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the authors next novel!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SUMMARY: When an elderly neighbor is attacked, a 25-year-old resident and the building’s resident busybody team up to solve the crime and attempt to save the building from demolition.

I really liked this one! It started on the slower side, but once it took off, I was really into it and ultimately gave it a 5⭐ rating.

I picked this book because I thought it would be like Only Murders in the Building, and it kind of is with its multigenerational residents working together to solve a mystery. But the mystery ended up being just part of the story!

The mystery was the device to introduce the characters and the story ended up being more about who they were and how they became that way. It reminded me of some other well-known books about seemingly antisocial characters, specifically A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Olyphant is Completely Fine.

If either of those was your jam, then check out Nosy Neighbors. You will LOVE it!

It’s hard to give this book a genre (LOL). It had a little bit of a lot and was quite a charming book!

The author developed the characters well and the story was sweet.

Cozy apartment building related mystery? Honestly making the building it's own character was so smart.

I like these books that are pairing unlikely allies together. This time it’s a Gen Z and a baby boomer. At first neither understands the other but they grow to recognize and appreciate each other.

This book centers on found family, community and feeling like you belong. Both Dorothy and Kat are complex characters that became more endearing the more I learned about them. Dorothy doesn’t quite hit the charm of Ove, but this opposites align kinda reminded me of it.

There is a bit of a mystery buried in this one in addition to the budding friendship of the women. I enjoyed the journey the women faced and how the more that came out about them, the more my feelings of them shifted. I wasn’t really loving either one in the beginning of the book, but had grown quite fond of them by the end. The author does a great job of building complex characters whose secrets add relatability and charm.

And I need to add there are dogs in the book. I love when characters have pets. And in addition to the two main characters, there are some great supporting ones. I really was charmed by the way they bonded together and had each others back.

Loved this another great story from Sampson. The building was described so well I felt I was living there. A wonderful cast of characters one can really relate with. This has a mystery, romance, suspense, and keep the tissues handy. An excellent book club selection. Looking forward to the next one from this author.

I adore cozy mysteries, so when I was approved for an advance reader’s copy of Nosy Neighbors (a recent release categorized as a cozy mystery on Penguin Random House’s website) I was ecstatic.

The novel starts cozy enough; right from the start, it felt like I stepped into a Frederick Backman novel, with quirky neighbors, a housing complex to save, and a mystery to solve.

However, the novel loses steam, and the focus shifts from the mystery to the secret pasts of two tenants: Kat and Dorothy. From the reveal of Dorothy’s trauma, it took me two months to finish reading this. Add in Kat’s trauma, Dorothy’s plan to avoid eviction, and I was in a world I did not want to be in. The mystery-solving - typically central to a cozy mystery - occurred off-page and as an afterthought.

I firmly believe that I’m not the audience for this book, because this book is not a cozy mystery. If you’re a fan of A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman, then I’d recommend Nosy Neighbors. It is well-written, slow-paced, and character-driven, which I do typically love. Unfortunately, this one was simply not for me.

Content Warnings
death of a child (historical), grief, addiction, lying to/manipulation of a child (historical), suicidal ideation

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

Freya Sampson has become an auto-buy author for me ever since her first book. Nosy Neighbors is one of my top five books of the year so far. The interactions between Dorothy and, well, everyone else in the apartment building are downright hilarious! And the fact that Kat, who is new on the scene, just won't put up with her attitude. Once they find out that Shelley House is scheduled to be torn down, all the neighbors--including Dorothy--come together to try and save it. While there were so many funny moments in the book, there were also so many heartfelt, emotional moments. Dorothy's and Kat's pasts were both tragic and while they go about their lives a little bit differently, they ultimately understand and help each other, I laughed out loud, I cried happy tears, and I just loved this book so much!

Nosy Neighbors is a found family mystery with some comedy thrown in! In this Only Murders in the Building style story, a rag-tag group of tenants are dealing with eviction notices and strange occurrences in their dilapidated building. Kat, new (illegal) sub-letter, is running from her past and trying hard not to get drawn into the happenings. Ms. Darling, who has diligently watched and reported on the comings and goings in the building for 30 years, is also hiding a secret in her past. The two collide when Kat's flatmate is rushed to the hospital after being attacked in their home.

This book is great for fans of Thursday Murder Club or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. If you love old curmudgeons who really have a heart of gold, then Ms. Darling will win you over!

This was such a fun book, I loved the back and forth between Kat and Dororthy and how both had this big mystery looming over them of something happening in their past. There were a lot of funny moments throughout the book but also moments that tug at your heart and make you cry. When I found out what happened to Kat and the truth behind things that was really hard to read. I did find that there were some slow moments throughout the book that dragged along and didn't add to the story but all in all I loved how this one building brought all these different characters together.

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson was a cute entertaining book. This is a sweet story about community and intergenerational friendship! Nice character development throughout the book. Anything with a grumpy old lady and her dog makes a book and this one definitely had it! I always love a good mystery with a plot twist.

This was one of the most wholesome, emotional reads I've read so far this year; it being so emotional totally took me by surprise. I cannot believe how many times this one had me tearing up. I loved following our two polar opposite characters as they navigated saving their beloved apartment building. They were both so prickly and lovable, I could have read about them for dozens more tales of their lives.

Another win for Freya Sampson! Having enjoyed "The Lost Ticket", I was excited to pick up "Nosy Neighbors", a cozy mystery that lets its mystery take a supporting role so that its collection of misfit characters take center stage instead. I'll be honest, it took a little bit of reading before this book pulled me in, but I fell for the rich character development in the end.

The plot centers around a historical and beloved home, Shelley House, where several tenants find themselves under threat of eviction as the house is scheduled for demolition. Reigning over the house is its longest tenant, Dorothy, a rather grumpy older lady who keeps herself isolated from everyone else while nonetheless making everyone else's comings and goings her business (as well as fodder for her meticulous notes on their behaviors). Dorothy is far from pleased when a fellow tenant, Jacob, illegaly subleases part of his flat to Kat, a spunky 20-something with pink hair. When Jacob is unexpectedly sent to the hospital, Kat and Dorothy form a grudging and then friendly alliance to get to the bottom of what happened to Jacob and to ultimately save their home from demise.

There is both tenderness and humor in Dorothy and Kat, as well as the other quirky characters who share their home. "Nosy Neighbors" delivers strong themes of guilt, forgiveness, and redemption. While the plot does have some moments of predictability, it always led me in exactly the directions I preferred. This novel is a good choice for those looking for a heartwarming, feel-good read — light enough to be a beach read with a twist of intrigue, but with engaging emotional depth to make the conclusion truly satisfying. Love the title and cover art, too!

This book ended up being a surprise in that I went in thinking it was just going to be a cozy mystery and instead, I left it close to tears from how much heart was in this story.

Nosy Neighbors follows the tenants of the historic Shelley House, a building of six flats that has been around since the 1800s and has certainly seen better days. We primarily get to know two of the building's inhabitants: Dorothy, a 77-year-old woman who has lived alone for over 30 years and Kat, the 25-year-old that has temporarily moved in. When faced with mounting pressure to vacate the home by an aggressive housing developer and after one of the other tenants is suspiciously attacked after his public protests, this unlikely pair teams up together to save their home.

We start off thinking we know exactly who these characters are: Dorothy is a nosy busybody who has nothing better to do than to spy on her neighbors and Kat is an aimless millennial with no attachments because of her aloof nature. However, once we peel back the their shells, we learn vivid backstories as to why it is so important to save Shelley House. My heart broke for both of them when we learned what has happened in their lives to shape their existences. If I wasn't listening while I was at work, I honestly think I might have started crying.

I listened to the audiobook, and I highly recommend it, I think narrator Sarah Lambie did a phenomenal job of differentiating between these two leads as well as the entire cast of side characters we meet throughout the novel. I'm thankful that I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book as I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise and I'm so glad that I did.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for this advanced copy through the #BerkleyBesties program. All thoughts are my own.

This was cute, but something about it just felt off. Maybe it was the time jumps? It was a cute story and I enjoyed the characters.

A fun romp with a super cute premise and lovely characters. It reminded me in some ways of Finlay Donovan but it all the best ways.