This was a wild and messy ride, and I was here for it all. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much, but I flew through this book in about 2 days. The ending took me by surprise, because I did not see it coming, but I was satisfied iykyk. There was a lot in this book that I did not see coming, so that was fun. Who knew one event could practically alter so many things? There were likable and not-so-likable characters, but that made the book enjoyable. I think so many people get caught up in the lifestyle that rich people portray without even knowing what those people are really going through behind the scenes. I think this book did a good job of showing that. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Thank you, Net Galley for this ARC!

this was . . . not good. or well written. but it was trash in the same way reality tv is, eg. engaging and hard to look away from.

Next to Heaven was a quick fun read that kept me from reading the NYT or checking my 401k . And Thank Heavens! The residents of New Bethlehem, Connecticut are the spoiled uber- rich, bored and looking for more excitement in their excessive lives. A neighborhood swingers party is planned at one of their mansions and it becomes the catalyst for change that no one expected.

I was completely engrossed in this novel and recommend it to anyone looking for something to take your mind off real life chaos. Stock up on frozen dinners so you won’t have to cook while you’re reading!

This book was an emotional rollercoaster I didn’t know I signed up for and I loved every single second of it.

Something I absolutely adored was how James Frey proves he is the king of details. He paints the characters, the places, and every twist of the story with such care, without giving too much away. It’s like he’s letting you into each character’s mind just enough to make you feel everything: the pain, the love, the betrayal, but still leaving room for surprise.

There are four main couples at the heart of the drama in New Bethlehem:

1️⃣ Devon and Billy - She married for money. But money-love doesn’t hold when the storms hit.
2️⃣ Grace and Alex - Oh, Grace. Stuck with the charming, rich, ambitious (and unfaithful?) Alex. I just wanted to hug her.
3️⃣ Teddy and Belle - The couple who are too comfortable. Their love has turned into a quiet routine, and honestly, it made me think a lot about what it means to keep love alive.
4️⃣ Charlie and Katy - Not married, not tied down, just vibing with freedom and desire.

And it’s not just about these couples, the entire town of New Bethlehem feels alive, messy, and full of secrets.

James Frey, labeled the bad boy of American literature by The New York Times, brings us a story that's bold, gripping, and way different from anything I’ve read before. And the ending? Oh my god… just know that you will not see it coming.

If you’re into emotionally complex characters, tangled relationships, and stories that keep you hooked until the very last page, I highly recommend this one.

Most importantly, a big thank you to NetGalley, James Frey and Author's Equity for providing me with a copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.

James Frey’s Next to Heaven aims high with its sprawling themes of redemption, existential yearning, and the search for divinity in the mundane. Unfortunately, while the book is ambitious in scope, it falls short in execution, leaving readers with more questions than insights — and not always in the good way.

Frey’s prose, typically known for its raw, unfiltered emotion, often feels overwrought here. The stream-of-consciousness style, while potentially powerful, lacks the precision and clarity needed to guide the reader through the novel’s more abstract or metaphysical moments. Instead of evoking transcendence, the narrative frequently veers into confusion, making it difficult to connect emotionally with the characters or their journeys.

The book also struggles with pacing. Lengthy philosophical digressions interrupt character development and plot progression, making it feel more like a disjointed meditation than a cohesive story. While these passages are clearly heartfelt and deeply personal, they often read as indulgent rather than enlightening.

That said, Next to Heaven is not without its merits. Frey’s willingness to tackle grand, existential questions is commendable, and there are moments of real emotional resonance — particularly in the quieter, more grounded scenes. Readers who enjoy experimental structure and unfiltered introspection may find these glimpses rewarding.

Ultimately, while Next to Heaven aspires to touch the divine, it too often gets lost in its own ambition. A tighter narrative focus and more nuanced character work could have helped this novel reach the emotional and philosophical heights it was clearly striving for.

Well the writing felt like reading a journal or memoir. Narrated from the perspectives of different characters. There is a lot going on. Expect murder, betrayal, secrets, and crime. Author has taken us in the lives of wealthy people but it all becomes chaotic with unsettling realities, and so much more. There is a fictional town in New Bethlehem. It seems like a paradise but the secrets, mystery and truth are buried beneath it. It took a while for me to get into this book. I liked the ending. Thanks to the Publisher

Next to Heaven is a sharp, fast-paced dive into the dark, gossipy underbelly of a picture-perfect town, where money talks, secrets simmer, and danger wears designer. Think Big Little Lies meets Desperate Housewives, with a narrative style that feels like someone’s journal crossed with an all-knowing narrator binge-watching the chaos unfold.

At first, the writing style took a little getting used to—it’s terse, punchy, and almost detached—but it ends up suiting the tone of the story surprisingly well. Once I settled into it, I could totally picture everything playing out like a high-gloss TV series. The rotating cast of characters, each with their own secrets and social masks, kept things moving and kept me guessing. I genuinely didn’t know what had happened until the very end—which is exactly what you want in a mystery!

That said, the ending didn’t quite land for me. While the story had me hooked, the final twist felt like a slight betrayal of the setup, and a little too convenient. Still, Next to Heaven is a fun, engaging mystery that I’d recommend to readers looking for something juicy and stylish. If you like your thrillers glossy, fast-moving, and packed with secrets, you’ll have a good time with this one.

The narrative centers around Devon and Belle, two glamorous women who, despite their wealth and status, seek excitement beyond their routine lives. They orchestrate an exclusive swingers' party, inviting a mix of New Bethlehem's elite, including a disgraced ex-NFL quarterback, a hockey coach with a penchant for married women, and a ruthless Wall Street "closer." The evening spirals into chaos, culminating in a murder that threatens to unravel the town's carefully maintained facade.

Five stars all the way! What a fun book about rich people behaving badly. The book comes from many characters’ point of view and is set in a small very upscale town in Connecticut. It’s definitely raunchy and has themes of sex, drugs, murder and infidelity. In other words a great beach read!

Next To Heaven is a diabolical and fun read. It is Real Housewives meets true crime. I found myself sneaking away to read pages of this because I couldn't tear my eyes away. I think this book is a perfect read for a getaway trip. I found the plot and characters to be very juicy.

Thank you to James Frey, Authors Equity, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I absolutely love this writer!

What a twisted group of people who are not happy with anything until they are and then they are not.
Fortune---Betrayal...Crime.... Murder. Does money ruin lives? It is a twisted story till the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Another fantastic read by James Frey!

He always knows how to pull you in within the first few sentences of the book and doesn’t let you go!

It was a story I didn’t expect and it totally worked! Some characters were really messed up and some your heart ached for. You hated and you laughed too!

You always see the exterior lives of rich people and that is what they want to show you. But what goes on behind the scenes when they get bored or their marriages aren't what the facade shows is what always makes things a little more interesting.

The ending you think you see coming , but do you really?

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

I’ve read three books by James Frey, so I was eager to read this advanced review copy. I couldn’t decide whether I loved it or loathed it, but in the end, I’ve settled on loving it—I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I think this is a sign of an excellent book! I disliked many of the characters, but I believe that was the point, as many of their conversations were superficial and materialistic. The book captures this shallowness brilliantly, making it a gripping read. I certainly wasn’t expecting a swingers' party!

Frey’s writing is what drew me in—it’s precise, punchy, and richly detailed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

I can't post a review because I did not finish this book. It was just too icky for my liking. I'm sure some are okay with the gritty-ness of this kind of thriller but not me. I was drawn in to each characters lives however and thought the author did a really good job at fleshing them out and really giving them life.

A pure way to indulge in a novel. I was intrigued and into this story from the beginning. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. It's a five star book!

Debauchery among the elite? One percenter secrets coming to a murderous head? Sounds like a fun time. The blurb gives you just enough to be interested, and the first sentence is definitely eye-catching. The first chapter was great, but then one or two chapters later it's just this boring history of this heaven adjacent town for 17,000 of the most beautiful, richest, most Christian people in the country. I'm usually pretty open to lengthy description, especially world building, but this chapter is likely as effective as melatonin for an insomniac. Following that are only more lengthy character stories. Which, again, isn't something I'm opposed to, but I cannot get over some of the word choices for character descriptions being repeated three to twenty times in a matter of pages (probably more later, if this weren't a DNF). We've got Ms.Fancypants, Beefcake, snortiest snort, wacky tobaccy, hanky-panky horizontal refreshment, and those are just the most irritating ones found over 18% of the story. The author is also a bit repetitive, saying, "...and her mother, Jen, was a nurse," only to repeat this sentiment a few sentences later, "he had just started dating Grace's mother, Jen, his future wife." Maybe it's the ARC but there are many grammatical errors (or maybe Frey just hates commas) where things are just these unsatisfactory lists of things. From what I've gathered, everybody in this story either came from nothing or came from a family close to nothing because of, *checks notes* laziness, and while all the couples once had vigorous, lively sex lives they now have crumbling relationships. Every couple has the same makeup and, years later, is in the same general place of being unhappy. I couldn't even make it to an interesting point of the story before deciding this was going to be a DNF. All tell, no show. Everybody's some slight variant of the person before. And the writing isn't for me. I should have trusted my instincts when, despite the description, genuinely questioned the cover. You win some, you lose some. And this just isn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for this e-ARC.

I love how Frey starts his story. Generally, it's rare for a quote to truly set the scene for me, but this one was just perfection:

"Behind every great fortune, lies a great crime."
— Honoré de Balzac

In Frey's fictional town of New Bethlehem, Connecticut, there’s incredible wealth, massive homes, and country club drama. He immerses us in this world, then peels back the layers to reveal its dark, twisted underside—highlighting a series of deeply flawed characters and the aftermath of an infamous key party gone wrong.

There’s no shortage of wild drama, power plays, and cat-and-mouse tension, but what makes Next to Heaven so compelling is its dark humor and absolute chaos. Frey leans into the absurdity of privilege and deception, crafting a story that’s equal parts entertaining, biting, and ruthless. If you love stories about the rich behaving badly—with a sharp, satirical edge—this one delivers.

#NextToHeaven #JamesFrey #AuthorsEquity

Set in the fictional town of New Bethlehem Ct. The seemingly idyllic paradise where the 1% of the upper 1% live.Frey reveals the underlying lives of his principal characters revealing corruption, meanness, deceit, immorality, jealousy and self-destructive behavior.The central event is an elite “ swinger’s party”conceived and hosted by two women of the highest social standing, best friends Devon Kensington McCallister and Belle Hedges Moore, both in unfulfilled unhappy marriages. The resulting gruesome murder of one of the “ swingers” town golden boy Alex Hunter, results in an investigation and arrest and life sentence of Billy McCallister, who is in reality innocent of the crime. Well written, a GREAT GATSBY for the present age, would have liked a more in depth presentation in the second half, but quite enjoyable.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!