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.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. This book held my attention well enough and it wasn’t boring, though not what I expected based on the synopsis. The ending was perfect, though. Thank you for the opportunity to review an ARC.

If I had not committed to a review for this ARC, it would have definitely been a DNF for me. Very repetitive and dull. Not sure what was going on half the time no matter how many times it was repeated. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Another five star read by James Frey.Enjoyed from first page to last his writing his characters kept me turning the pages.Perfect vacation read.# NetGalley # next to heaven.

Next to Heaven is admittedly the author's speedily-written ode to Jackie Collins, as the fun interview at the end between Frey and narrator Gina Gershon reveals. It shows in this "Real Housewives Swing" vibe, as first we get backstory on several rich Connecticut couples and the roots of both their outrageous wealth and unrelatable dissatisfaction. When some women in the group plan a swinger party to re-pair the couples, the dynamics change drastically and everyone gets thrown onto a trajectory towards just desserts -- for good or ill. Frey and Gershon are clearly taking great pleasure in their karmic roles, as well as some wacky bouts of alliteration and repetition. It's a fun ride for those looking to get super salacious and voyeuristic.

This book currently ranks at the top of my list of the least enjoyable reads in 2025. I found the writing to be quite lacking. It was filled with repetition, not only in the storyline but also with words and phrases that appeared in close proximity. Additionally, there was an excessive amount of irrelevant information that added nothing to the plot. The characters were shallow, and many were quite unlikable. I do typically find value in deplorable characters but in this instance, I just could not find a silver lining. Overall, this was simply not a success for me.

I will not be posting my review publicly so review links will not be attached.

It was an addicting and hard to put down. I kept wanting to know what happens next. The plot was chaotic but in a good way.

Next to Heaven is like watching the one percent set themselves on fire with their own money and asking for more gasoline. James Frey serves up a delicious cocktail of sex, scandal, and satire with just the right splash of murder. It’s messy, it’s decadent, it’s absolutely unhinged—and I loved every second of it. Think The White Lotus meets Eyes Wide Shut with a murder mystery twist. Rich people behaving badly? Yes please. More, please. I devoured this in one greedy gulp.

File under: Guilty pleasure, but make it couture.

Thank you James Frey, Simon and Schuster Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

#nexttoheaven #netgalleyarc #netgalleyreview #netgalley #arcreview #arc #arcreader #review #somanybookssolittletime

I ended up doing the audiobook because I was curious how Gina Gershon would be as a novel narrator, and she was absolutely outstanding. Her performance drew me in and kept me engaged from start to finish. In terms of the novel itself, it was fine. The story was not anything extraordinary, and the characters felt unoriginal. I enjoyed rich people getting what's coming to them and certain characters coming out on top but overall it was fine. And then the author...sigh. I'm all for second chances but he didn't do himself any favors unfortunately. That's all I got.

Stylish and scandalous, this satirical thriller delivers drama in spades, but leans more on shock than substance. Entertaining in bursts, though not quite as deep as it wants to be.

I can't recommend it enough! I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down, I finished it in a couple of days!

Next To Heaven is a delectable, addictive, modern thriller taking place is one of the wealthiest U.S. town: New Bethleem, Connecticut. We are following several disgustingly wealthy characters; all married (or in relationships), all are cheating or lusting over someone. Devon and Belle, both are married, cheated on, and wealthy beyond belief. They are planning a swinger party with a little twist. The aftermath of this meticulously planned party is MESSY! And yet so fun!! I loved every second of this book; most characters were so unlikeable, yet I couldn't get enough of them. My favorite part of this book though is the writing; the writing is very fairy-like, very once-upon-a-time-like, and it brought an extra layer of mystery and tragedy to it. Very well thought!
I had the best time!

A swingers party in a wealthy Connecticut town and an eventual murder form the basis of this voyeuristic book. I like over-the-top books about the wealthy New York suburbs. Still, although the bones of the book/story were compelling, I was turned off fairly immediately by how he wrote his female characters, especially regarding sex. This is the first time I have read a book by Frey and came to it with an open mind. I'm sure this will make a better TV series than a book.

Wow! James Frey knocked it out of the ballpark with this one. I have been a long time fan of Frey so I had high expectations and those expectations were certainly met with Next to Heaven.

If you know, you know. Privilege, over indulgence and greed. Thrilling, funny and at times very sweet. Then you turn a page and you want to take a knife to a certain character's throat and end him. Frey drew me right in with setting up each and every character as well as the towns mentioned. I loved the set up and while it may seem like a lot, it was needed. Knowing the backstories made the rest of the book that much more enjoyable. You are in for a fun ride with some twists and turns and a big "I didn't see that coming" moment. Frey also ties everything up, not leaving the reader hanging.

I read the book along with the audio version. The incredibly talented Gina Gershon is the narrator and she brought the characters to life with a whole lot of pep in her step. She flawlessly executes each and every character, in only a way she can. Also, Gershon and Frey seem to work very well together and they have a fun chat at the end of the audiobook. This read kept me engaged and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Next to Heaven was well executed and could very well be a television series in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of both the digital and audio version of Next to Heaven. I have left an honest review.

Do you know those celebrity gossip magazines you find in doctor's offices? I'm of an age (45) where I don't know a lot of the celebrities in those magazines, but I don't mind flipping through while I wait... but I also couldn't care when I have to put it down when I get called in to my appointment. That's how I felt about the characters in this book. I got 25% in and was still trying to sort out who everyone was... and I realized I didn't care. Not only that, but (keeping that celebrity gossip theme going) they were doing and saying all these dumb things that annoyed me. Sorry, but this was a DNF for me. LIfe's too short.
Thank you to netgalley for giving me an advanced copy so I could give this book a try!

This was a juicy one. When two wives of an affluent community decide to host a spouse swap party, they didn't know what consequences were around the corner. I found the switching POV's immaculate. Sprinkled in was the importance of gossip small towns revel in. Frey does it again. A page turner with an outcome that elicited a gasp. Recommend for folx who love a good "rich people with problems" story. Could see it as a limited series.