I don’t mind authors experimenting with tech, but if you’re going to use AI, at least refine the work enough to give it a human heartbeat. Sadly, Next to Heaven feels like it missed that entirely. Also I noticed that I was unable to add a review on Goodreads citing This book has temporary limitations on submitting ratings and reviews. Thank you NetGalley, Authors Equity and James Frey for the ARC, I wish I could give this book a high rating as I have really enjoyed his past books A Million Little Pieces and The Final Testament of the Holy Bible as well found Bright Shiny Morning a good read.

This book was very repetitive, and had a lot of information that I found unnecessary. Did not keep my interest.

Originally grabbed this one just for the author and the cover …full review to come! Thank you NetGalley, James Frey and Authors Equity for the ARC

Next to Heaven was one of those books I wanted to give a chance but it just didn’t quite work for me. The premise sounded emotional and interesting, and I was ready for a poetic, soul-shaking story about love and loss. But once I got into it, I felt lost.

The lack of structure made it hard for me to stay connected and like I mentioned previously lost. I kept waiting to click with the story but it never quite happened.

This might really speak to readers who love experimental, poetic writing and don’t mind wandering through raw emotion without much plot. But for me, I need a little more structure and character grounding.

Repetition happens a lot in this book and I understand that it was to be poetic but it was distracting and felt unstructured. At some part in the book it felt the tone of who was writing was much younger than other parts. It felt very chaotic and unfinished.

This review is is completely my own unbiased opinion, thank you NetGalley and Authors Equity for an ARC of this book.

This book reminded me of an HBO show. A little graphic for my tastes but sure to be something everyone’s talking about! Rich people’s crazy lives is always a page turner!

I liked it until I read that it was partially AI-written? I’m torn. It was an ok book, and I was drawn in until it started seeming repetitive. Could that be because of AI? I want to give it a chance but definitely torn.

I really wanted to love this new book by the sometimes controversial James Frey. It had all of the elements for a steamy beach read (which I’ve been craving)! A swingers party cooked up.by a couple of bored billionaires wives, that leads to a murder mystery? Count me in! I was so appreciative of the ARC!
While the book is a fun and frothy romp, some of the raunchy language fell flat and felt more directed at male readers (in a locker room) than women. Yogurt cannon gave me the ick. I suppose this also could have been a good character indicator at how crass this man is. The characters felt unlikable to me. I wanted to root for somebody but I only felt invested in a few of them and their desire to get out of this world. I would recommend this if you’re looking for a summer fling of a book to bring to the pool or the beach and take your mind off of more serious things going on. It was fun at times, kind of gross at times and could have been shortened in length/description at times. Going into the book knowing what you’re getting into, I think it can be a quick fun read if you’re looking for a bit of smut to spice up your summer ☀️All in all, it was entertaining but I don’t know if I would rank it super high on my must read list. I think a lot of people will read it anyway because it’s garnering buzz over the author and the subject matter. A lot of the characters just don’t have enough redeeming qualities to invest enough in their stories
** trigger warning: there are mentions of quaaludes and SA.

First, a HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Author’s Equity for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book, to be released next week. This book was an absolute blast! Next to Heaven is as close to a soap opera I will probably ever watch these days — outside of the WWE, that is — and it moves with such propulsive energy. It feels salacious, with infidelity occurring almost every few chapters, but it never feels overtly dirty. It’s violent, if not particularly gory, and mysterious, if not necessarily a mystery. Next to Heaven is a pulp novel about the privileged and how wealth can alter world views of what kind of behavior is right and was is wrong. It is also the story of female friendships and how looking out for people you care about can look very different for different people. This is a taut thrill ride of a novel and one that I found myself blazing through. I know James Frey has his detractors, but I really dug his prose style here. It made this story fly by and feel kind of gritty; like despite the money these people are playing with, there is something grime to their behaviors. I know that I much lighter of a critic when it comes to books than I am movies, but if a book can hold my attention for more than a day and keep me excited to return to its pages (especially if I think about it while at the theater watching a movie), then I can’t help but be enamored by that book. Next to Heaven might not change the literary world, but it is a thoroughly entertaining work worth reading.

This book was very predictable. I am not a fan of not using quotation marks. It made the story and dialogue harder to follow. I have heard this book was written using AI and I would say it definitely seemed that it was.

I really enjoyed this book once I got past the history of the town. I just felt like that was a little too lengthy. When it got to the actual story, it kept me entertained and guessing what would happen next. It was fun to read about the wealthy and their games. I would recommend this book with a warning about the slow start, but well worth the read!!

What a ride! This crazy, naughty book had the best opening line I've read in a long time. It hooked me and I wanted to find out more about Devon. A crazy, out of this world rich world. Devon and Belle plan a party, with ulterior motives. The party starts and begins an unraveling, in unexpected ways. Delishiousness in a book with a brilliant ending I did not see coming.

Next to Heaven by James Frey is a fun read. I read this book because I live and work in Darien (the town next to New Canaan or “New Bethlehem”) and because the author is coming to Darien Library (where I work) next month. The book is fun and provocative, full of salacious details that could/did happen here. It felt like I was looking through peoples windows the whole time I was reading. It was very gossipy and such a fun summer read.

I tried to get into this book. It had an interesting premise and some character arcs had promise. It was just to hard to follow. The chapters kept changing to discuss different characters and I didn't understand what was happening. It started going off the rails early on and I just couldn't get into it. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my ARC.

This book is repetitive in its structure and the characters lack depth and are singularly motivated. While the titillating device of having a key party and many affairs holds much of the novel together it doesn’t make up for flatness of the novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Authors Equity for an advanced copy for an honest review.

I read a million little pieces back when it was an Oprah’s book club pick. I enjoyed it but then this author fell off of my radar.
I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy from NetGalley .
This just wasn’t it for me. A complete letdown.
Sadly I won’t be picking anything else up from this author.

What a somewhat glorious mess of a book. I felt like I sat down on the couch and read an episode or two of The Real Housewives of New Bethlehem. What happens when you have more than enough money, beauty, status, and life starts to get boring. What better way to shake things up with a fun little party. But only those that are willing to get a little dangerous and push boundaries will be allowed entry.
The characters were beyond even remotely liking. Four couples, all with secrets, some more deceitful than others. All irritating as hell.
Was this masterpiece storytelling at its finest. No. Was it fun and trashy and a bit of brain candy? Yes. Was I here for it? Yes, I was. I did find trying to keep track of who was who and what their storyline was a bit challenging at times, and things did get repetitive ad eye rolling at times. But dang it the drama kept me entertained and glued to the page to find out what happened next.

I received an arc from the publisher and netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Real Rating: 2.5* of five

"New Bethlehem"'s bible-coded name explains the heteronormativity. The sulphrous waftings of Sodom are replaced by the brimstone bouquet of Gomorrah as straight people lie like rugs, cheat on their spouses, and steal in white-collar ways. Updike would be proud. No tinge of Cheever's erotic questioning, nor any humor like Peter deVries.

Comparisons to Fitzgerald are <I>l&egrave;se-majest&eacute;</I>. While sharp enough, Frey lacks pole position over the century-old tale of Gatsby. Tale as old as time, lacking beauty while having too many beasts.

This was an interesting read. I have seen a few different comments about this book being written by AI or with assistance of AI. The only reason I mentioned this was because other books by James Frey had more human connection and I felt like this one was lacking that. Overall, I just don't think I'm really into books about rich families in rich neighborhoods anymore.

Ok, I get it, I get it, this was written by AI or correction, with the help of AI. So, with keeping in mind that it has been written with AI, I tried to power through the book. But I could not.
Part of the reason why I enjoyed A Million Little Pieces (not including the whole scandal with it) was because of its rawness, its realness, it's almost human connection. That is what Next to Heaven was missing for me. It was missing connection; it was missing heart; it was missing a voice. I couldn't get into it. It was to. to...to.. cold. Cold is the only way I could explain it. It was missing that human detail that comes from when the book is written from the heart.
When I started reading it, I had no clue it was AI influenced. I just remember thinking to myself that there was something off about the book. Like I said, it read "cold" if that makes sense. When I found out about the AI assistance it all clicked and I was like "Yeah, ok, that makes sense" and went back to reading the book. But that new knowledge made it even harder to appreciate the book.

James Frey, you do have a gifted imagination and usually a gifted way with words. Don't rely on AI to write the very best book you can. The best books come from the heart...not AI.

Wow, this was soooo good!! I honestly thought that all the main characters seemed very real, and their struggles and motivations felt very relatable and almost tangible. The pacing felt a little off to me at times, but otherwise this book was incredible. I would personally give it about 4.5 stars.