This started off well but, I didn't really like the characters which put me off the story. I found the premise good and well written but, it soured because of the way the characters behaved. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I highly recommend The Wrong Neighbor by Caleb Crowe if you crave:
- a thrilling and suspenseful tale filled with rich people drama, secrets, and murder, with a dash of luxury and intrigue,
- the challenge of unraveling the dark and mysterious threads of a relationship to solve a murder mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with an ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book makes you observe things from different view points and make you wonder what you would do in a situation like the ones they have found themselves in the midst of. I didn't expect or see that ending coming, which is always a bonus for me in any thriller book. It's definitely a book to pick up for a page turning quick read.

I thought this book was fantastic its definitely a "different " type of thriller it kept me at the edge of my seat and totally engrossed in the story. Definitely a page turner that kept me guessing about what would happen next. I will definitely be reading more from this Author!

3 stars - really engaging, well written and fast paced. This book did keep me guessing. However, a few of the choices around describing characters, the fact that neither of the main characters were even remotely likable and a bit of a disappointing ending meant that I felt that the book did not meet its full potential. I would definitely pick something up by this author again, but a few of the choices were just not for me.

The Wrong Neighbor by Caleb Crowe was my first dive into his writing, and while I enjoy a good thriller, I found this one to be intense in terms of gore for my taste. The story follows Megan and Nick as they move into their dream beach house, only to have their happiness shattered by their obnoxious neighbors, Ron and Jackie, whose disruptive behavior escalates into a nightmare. Despite my discomfort with some of the graphic details, Crowe’s skill in building suspense and delivering unexpected plot twists kept me engaged until the very end. I'd give it a solid four stars for its storyline and the author’s ability to keep me guessing, even if some scenes were a bit too much for my liking. If you're a fan of thrillers that push boundaries, this one is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you Netgalley, Caleb Crowe and Inkubator Books for the eArc of The Wrong Neighbour.

The Wrong Neighbour is a psychological thriller in which neighbouring couples, Nick and Meg and Ron and Jackie embark on neighbour wars. After Nick and Meg buy a house on the Isle Of Anglsey, Wales, Uk. They start to realise that the neighbours, Ron and Jackie aren't nice people at all. Especially Ron. What ensues are neighbour wars, but how far will they push Nick and Meg and why?

I really enjoyed this first read of Caleb's books.. It's an engaging medium paced page turner because you want to know how far this neighbour wars is gonna go. There was a few good, well developed twists and I had a few theories on where the plot was gonna go. The character's were well developed and you are either gonna love or hate them with venom, which is what I like. The ending was very satisfying. ! Looking forward to reading more of his books in the future.

4.5 stars for Storygraph, rounded up to 5 for Netgalley, Amazon and Goodreads.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy

I'm sure this book is suspenseful and for the right person an amazing physiological thriller. I can just not get through the prologue of a dog attack. I have seen comments there is animal abuse or talk of it-- but I will not be reading more; it is not my cup of tea.

The Wrong Neighbour is a twisty, turney psychological thriller where a couple move into their dream home only to have it turned upside down by the neighbours from hell.
Megan and Nick are beyond excited to move into their dream home, and everything is amazing until they meet the couple who live next door. The suspense and teasers of events to come were fantastic in this book, making it such an easy, quick read. My heart really went out to Megan as having had a neighbour from hell a long time ago, I could feel her despair and frustration.
This book makes you observe things from different view points and make you wonder what you would do in a situation like the ones they have found themselves in the midst of. I didn't expect or see that ending coming, which is always a bonus for me in any thriller book. It's definitely a book to pick up for a page turning quick read.

Was the first novel from this author and wow is all i have to say.

Kept me intrigued from page one, the plot was great, read in one sitting. Great Writing. I will read more from this author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

We start off with Megan and Nick who are moving into their dream house, they are both living the good life or so Megan thinks. Though there are a lot of secrets that Megan doesn’t know about her boyfriend and her new neighbors. It starts off with little things and disagreements then it’s raw sewage, hospital trips, and even death. Megan has put everything she has into this house so will lose it all by selling it. Though what else can they do with crazy neighbours like these… I found this to be so good and well written. I did not see some of the things that happened coming and I’m glad I didn’t because those parts were so much better as a surprise.

This book was crazy good! I have no idea what I would do in this situation, and I felt so bad/sad for Megan (and I guess Nick too - LOL).
Let’s start at the beginning, book its told from Megan’s POV - You look at a wonderful home with your boyfriend, it’s set on a beach front, with a cute little garden, the perfect oasis, and the price is a steal! You jump on the purchase, and are SO excited to get this “new life” started. Everything is fine for a day or two, but then … well, the trouble starts. The neighbors are loud and obnoxious. They are doing some remodeling from sun up to sun down, and that’s annoying. The husband is somewhat inappropriate in action and language, they’ve got loud and aggressive dogs. What can you do? Then they start overtaking your property to build on to their home … that doesn’t seem right … you’d better get a better look at the paperwork for the house and lot lines (that your boyfriend looked over for you). You talk to the neighbors, the husband is aggressive and overpowering. Again what can you do? He seems to have the whole town in his pocket. Your boyfriend decides to take matters into his own hands, well, that is not a good idea. Things happen, you find out things from the past that were kept from you, nothing is as it seems. MY MIND AND HEART WERE RACING!
So I think Megan did some pretty dumb things (not standing up for herself), I’m going to put it down to her age, and lack of experience. Her boyfriend is an ass, and needs to fess up to these secrets. The neighbor husband is a creep and aggressive liar. The neighbor wife is blind and submissive to it all. AGHHHHHHHH this was so good, and bad, and, well you’re just going to have to read it!

British author Caleb Crowe returns following his smashing debut, THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING, with his latest horror thriller, THE WRONG NEIGHBOUR.

Stepping into a realm much darker and more sinister than his previous novel, Caleb Crowe delves into the underbelly of humanity. A couple, Megan and Nick, embark on a journey to their dream home, only to discover their next-door neighbors are pure evil and despicable. Their dream home quickly transforms into a nightmarish prison, a place they cannot seem to escape, driving them to the brink of madness.

Welcome to the neighborhood! How far will you go when pushed to your limits out of desperation?

About...

A couple, Megan and Nick, are driving from Manchester to Whales to their new dream cliffside home on the coast in a little cove, Bae Breiuddwyd (Dreamer's Cove). They were sold the home by Peter and Gavin they met at a party thrown by Meg's friend Pippa from school.

Meg was unsure about this house as they could not afford it, and it was further out, but Nick pushed it. Little did they know what they were getting into.

Meg is a jewelry maker and works from home. She recently came into money with her parent's death and then a divorce. She and Nick were living together. Nick says she has to trust him. Life was too short to be cautious he said. Except Nick is hiding things from her she later discovers.

When they meet their neighbors, everything changes, and their lives will never be the same again.

Ron and Jackie Evans are the kind of neighbors you hope to never meet. They are crass, unrefined, rude, insensitive, loud, obnoxious, violent, and confrontational. They only live there because they won the lottery and do not fit in.

The loud noises, weird visitors, notes, constant construction, and vicious dogs barking all hours of the night were out of control. Then there is building things on their land and a runover from a septic tank. Plus, Ron is downright scary and mean, plus the vicious dogs and strange actions.

But they cannot afford to move since they have money invested in the house nor can they afford an attorney. Nick is going into town all the time, leaving Meg alone to deal with this.

Jackie seems okay, but look who she is married to. But is she evil, too? Soon, the stress of the neighbors causes stress in the relationship, and then she finds out she is pregnant, which would not be worse timing. She is obsessed with discovering more about these neighbors and stopping the madness.

They try to resolve the issues; however, nothing is done, just worsens. Nick is acting strange, and he has secrets from Meg, and she is finding herself driven to insanity, ready to murder Ron and Jackie.

How well do Nick and Meg know one another? What secrets life behind the neighbors? How will this nightmare end? Who will die, and who will be left unscathed? What are people capable of when pushed to the limit out of desperation?

My thoughts...

Even though I enjoyed Caleb Crowe's debut, unfortunately, THE WRONG NEIGHBOUR was not my cup of tea. There was no literary fiction here. I disliked all the characters, too much violence, gore, horror, and dislike any books with people training animals to kill and be violent. There was no good. All evil. This book was so different from the first; it was hard to believe it was by the same author. There is nothing wrong with the writing, it was the subject material and content.

In addition, no pregnant woman would be capable of such acts. Yes, there was a twist, but it was all too violent, turning into horror (which I do not care for the genre), and too unbelievable and should come with major trigger warnings. Also, there was no dark humor, but again, it was bleak, dark and unenjoyable. Nothing the characters did was thought out, and they were very impulsive, making crazy, delusional decisions. I did not sympathize with any of the characters.

I look forward to reading the author's next book, where I hope we get more of the type from the debut.

Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pub date: June 23, 2024

The Wrong Neighbour by Caleb Crowe
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A page turner from beginning to end
Lots of twists and turns


Gavin and Peter need to sell their home quickly. Peter's mom is sick, or so they say, and they are willing to go down on the price as well. What's the real reason they are in a hurry to go and willing to sell the house at such a sweet deal
The ocean front home with marble and beautiful rooms is love at first sight for Meagan and Nick. They make an offer and move into the home right away
Then they meet Ron and Jackie, the next-door neighbors. Now that's a pair. Loud music blasting. Dogs barking. And the constant noise from whatever they are building is non-stop. What is wrong with this pair?
Things go from bad to worse. This couple won't let up. They are building features onto Meagan and Nick's portion of their property, but when Meagan and Nick try to intercede, the property managers are saying that the land belongs to Ron and Jackie
What is one to do when all their finances are tied up in a home where they no longer want to live in
Ron is impossible! And he is sketchy, too! Something is not right with him! He's Dangerous for sure! But how can Meagan and Nick get away from these neighbors, and this home that is costing them a fortune due to things Ron has hands in.
Can they stay? And consistently put up with the on goings or do they take a major lost and just get away from Ron as fast as they can

Excellent novel! The characters were well thought out, the storyline kept me intrigued and I couldn't put the book down! Loved it all!

Megan and Nick have moved into their seaside dream house. Their future looks bright and full of promise. Gradually their dream turns into their worst nightmare. Saying they have neighbors from hell is putting it mildly. Things quickly go from bad to worse as their world rapidly begins to unravel. This story is a testament to how far one will go when pushed to the brink of insanity. Who is the victim and who is the villain in the twisted tale of betrayal, regret, and vengeance? The protagonist frustrated me while pulling me in as the plot unfolded. There were surprising twists throughout with a jaw-dropping conclusion I never saw coming. This is the first book I have read by this author but definitely will not be the last. Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my copy.

Who among us hasn't worried about getting the neighbors from hell? It seems Megan and Nick have tunnel vision when they view the house they deem their dream home. The fact that they get it at such a great deal should have been a clue, but the sound and smell of the sea only tightened the blinders.

From the start of moving in everything starts to go wrong. What should have been an exciting new beginning quickly becomes their worst nightmare thanks to the neighbors from hell who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This was a phenomenal book from a new to me author. It delves into the issues of bad neighbors, trust in our loved ones and the reliability of the ones meant to have our backs.

Although this book does contain the trigger of animal cruelty, (which I skimmed over) I couldn't stop reading until I got to the explosive ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator books for the digital ARC of this book

Book/Story: ⭐⭐⭐
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

TRIGGER(S): LOSS OF PARENTS (mentioned), CANCER (mentioned), ALCOHOLISM, MURDER, MISCARRIAGE (mentioned), ANIMAL CRUELTY/DEATH (mentioned), ANIMAL ATTACKS

POV: Singular, First Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Part of a series: No
Safe or Dark: Dark (see trigger warnings above)

My husband and I lived in a condo with noisy neighbors. They played music with loud bass in the middle of the night and would roll around in their chairs on hardwood. We probably didn’t get a good night's sleep for a year straight. We talked to them about it, and although they were very understanding, nothing changed. We just thought it was the worst thing to have to deal with. However, after reading this book, I realize that when it comes to bad neighbors, we got off easy. 

This book plays on a lot of people’s worst fears. Having horrible neighbors. Nothing could be more disappointing than moving into a new house, meeting your neighbors, and finding out they are crap, or worse, violent and aggressive. 

Ron and Jackie Evans are the kind of neighbors' nightmares are made of. They are obnoxious, violent, and confrontational. They’re just the absolute worst. The two of them made Nick and Megan strangers in what was once their dream home. A rash decision to take a risk and go for what they wanted ruined their lives. My heart went out to them. The two were in a loving relationship and quickly went off the rails after meeting the Evans'. 

Nothing about the young couple’s move was well thought out, and both were rather impulsive. But that didn’t mean they deserved what happened to them. Their exciting new adventure turned into a disaster over the short span of three months. It was a perfect storm that came to an explosive head. 

Well, the Evans aren’t fully responsible for the collapse of Nick and Megan’s relationship. We find out rather quickly that the foundation of their love was a fragile one. Things weren’t all roses, like Meg initially believed. 

Megan: Even though Megan was one of the victims in this story, I found it hard to like her. She came across as very judgy at times. Megan would often judge Ron and Jackie’s decorative choices for their own home and their physical appearances. She was on a bit of a high horse, and she shouldn’t have been because she herself was a bit shady. She made some questionable decisions that I had a hard time understanding. 

Megan finds out she is pregnant (it’s in the synopsis, so that isn’t a spoiler), and she does things that seem plain dumb while carrying a child. In order to see what was going on in Ron and Jackie’s yard, she would pull a chair away from her work bench (she made jewelry for a living) and stand on it so she could look out a window. That doesn’t sound like something a smart pregnant woman would do since it’s a fall risk. But I’ve never been and never want to be pregnant, so what do I know? 

Despite only knowing Nick for roughly six months and having a bad feeling about buying a home with him, she still does it. She ignores all her alarm bells because she is madly in love with a man she barely knows. It just irritated me. 

Nick: My husband’s name is Nick, so this guy was already an A+ in my eyes before I even started the book. Well, it turns out the name is the only thing this man shares with my husband since he quickly dropped to a C minus at best.

Ron: This dude was a certified psychopath. That’s all I have to say about him. 

Jackie: Although obnoxious and over-the-top at times, she was sweet in her own way. I think she tried her best and, at times, meant well. Believe it or not, she was somewhat likeable. 

This book had me gripped from page one, and I had a hard time putting it down. I would finish one chapter and be dying to find out what happened in the next. It was a roller coaster of a ride, to say the least. It was not hard to get invested in the storyline. 

Caleb Crowe paints a lovely picture of the scenery. I felt like I was at a house by the sea in Wales. I could smell the salty air and hear the relaxing sound of waves. His writing flowed nicely, and the style was easy to follow. 

I didn’t rate this book higher because of a few things: 

There was animal cruelty in this story, and although it was not a lot, it was very detailed and hard to stomach. But I can see why it was important to plot and how things played out. 

The pregnancy timeline was all off. It was as if the author didn’t know how pregnancies work. It was just weird and quickly became annoying. Other than the timeline, some things Megan said regarding the pregnancy were just silly and stupid. It had me scratching my head. 

The last 20% of the story was a bit too fast-paced. Things picked up too quickly and seemed to rush towards the conclusion of the book. I am still trying to figure out how I felt about the ending of the book. On one hand, I was satisfied with the way things played out, but on the other, it was very far-fetched and hard to believe. It all wrapped up too neatly as well. Things just worked out, and that was that. Although it did get me thinking about what people are capable of once they've been pushed too far and reach their breaking point.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I am open to checking out other work by Caleb Crowe. 

TLDR: WORTH PICKING UP. A SOLID THREE STARS.

I would like to thank Inkubator Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

This was a really thrilling and dark read overall, the paranoia and mistrust of neighbours that has us questioning ourselves and who to trust is so scary as we start to find out more secrets about those around us!