Cover Image: The Suspect Next Door

The Suspect Next Door

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Member Reviews

A fun romcom-ey romance! An author with writers block follows a private investigator for “research purposes” and ends up getting herself into heaps of trouble everywhere she goes. This one took me a little bit longer than usual to get through and it wasn’t what I expected for a romantic suspense but I enjoyed the banter, shenanigans and fun (even in life threatening scenarios) that ensued.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book

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This was a great, on the edge of your seat read. I didn't want to put it down. Make sure you plan to read straight through when you start this one!

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Petra is dealing with writers block and decides to follow a neighbor and lands herself in more then she ever expected. So I enjoyed the book there was plenty of mystery and suspense. I wouldn't say there was much of romance to make this a romantic suspense though. Also I kinda really disliked Petra she was kinda annoying and pretty reckless getting herself into pretty dangerous situations with her meddling ways. But then again if she wasn't there wouldn't be much of a story. There was so much going on with plenty of twists and turns and I really enjoyed that. Overall pretty good book.

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Petra, a successful mystery writer, faces writer's block and decides to shadow her neighbor, a private investigator, for ideas, despite the dangers and her tendency to act foolishly. She disregards his warnings and idolizes Nancy Drew, causing tension between them. The novel's suspenseful plot centers on the search for a missing girl, although Petra's interference occasionally disrupts the narrative flow. The romantic subplot between Petra and Ryan is subtle, leaving readers guessing about his true feelings. Despite this, the book delivers a satisfying conclusion, prioritizing mystery and suspense over character development.

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This book was highly frustrating for me to read. Petra is the author of a bestselling mystery novel and is having trouble getting started on a new book. She decides to follow her private investigator neighbor around to get ideas. She ignores that she's putting herself and him in danger, interfering with his work, and making herself look like a fool. Petra is one of those people who takes classes in anything that interests her and then thinks she's an expert at whatever it is. She also uses the fictional girl detective Nancy Drew as her role model, constantly asking herself, "WWND (What Would Nancy Do)." Despite Ryan asking her not to interfere, she just plowed on anyway.

I didn't get much of a romantic feel in the book. Petra was attracted to Ryan, but there was no indication that he felt the same way until the end. It was hard to tell if his determination to keep her out of danger was general protectiveness, frustration at her interference, or growing feelings.

The suspense had a good premise: finding a missing girl suspected of being taken by sex traffickers. There was enough action and uncertainty to keep me interested in the mystery, though my frustration with Petra frequently pulled me out of the story. A couple of twists at the end complicated things, but the final confrontation was well done.

I did not like that the book was written entirely in the first person from Petra's point of view. Nothing showed Ryan's thoughts, feelings, or actions except when he was with Petra. I felt like I was missing half the story. I may try another book by this author, but it will depend significantly on how it is written.

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I don’t like giving bad reviews. I acknowledge the work authors put into their writing. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I didn’t care for the language or the characters. I wasn’t able to connect with the main character and her unrealistic logic in a lot of circumstances. While there was some action and a little suspense the majority of the book was following the main character, Petra, as she tries to solve the private investigator’s case. I felt the romance was lacking. The mystery did take a few twists. That being said others may find this book humorous and interesting.

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This was a fantastic romance suspense by a new to me author. I liked the plot and the characters were a lot of fun. Very much recommend this book. Gripping and atmospheric.

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If it's a Harlequin novel, sign me up! Because they never disappoint and this one was no exception to the rule. It also introduced me to the author, Rachel Astor, who has proven to be incredible with this book! I will say this one focused a little more on the suspense than the romance, but I mean that in a positive way. I love a suspense heavy book with romance on the side. And the romance that was on the side was pretty great!

Petra is a bestselling author of mystery books and is stuck on her next one. She just needed some inspiration to get her creative juices flowing again. And who better to help her with that then her new next door neighbor, Ryan. Because not only is he tall, dark, and handsome but he's also a private investigator who is working on a case of his own. So she teams up with him and while the two of them get deeper into the mystery along with the danger, they also discover that they have some pretty great chemistry. I won't give anything away but I will say I definitely recommend this book!

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The Suspect Next Door is a well written romantic suspense. The action packed plot pulled me in immediately. I recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

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This is a Romantic Suspense. This book is heavy on the mystery/suspense, and WOW...I really loved the plot and suspense in this book. I am normally all about the characters, but this book pulled me right into the plot/mystery/suspense. I did love the characters in this book. I really loved the ending in this book. This book does not have a ton of action, but I felt there was the perfect amount of action in this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

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