Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. “Next to Heaven” is messy, scandalous, but honestly not very original or well-written. Maybe I was expecting a pointed, witty satire of the extremely wealthy, but I think the author just decided to make everything as scandalous and as vapid as possible. Some chapters seemed completely unnecessary, and didn’t really add anything significant to the story. It is still entertaining for what it was, so this is best for quick read that doesn’t require any emotional or intellectual investment.

Next to Heaven by James Frey is a glossy, provocative satire about wealth, privilege, and moral decay in an elite Connecticut town. Following two glamorous best friends whose decadent party spirals into betrayal and murder, the novel blends over-the-top excess with biting social commentary. Frey’s punchy, indulgent prose captures the glittering surface and the rot beneath, making for a scandalous, fast-moving read. It’s outrageous, flashy, and unapologetically dramatic—perfect if you like your fiction dripping with luxury and danger.

This was a miss for me, unfortunately. I felt like the storyline was all over the place, the plot was slow, and the character development was clunky. There were also a few type ohs, name changes, and miss executed events. The writing just felt repetitive and a little juvenile. Overall, this story felt like it went nowhere.

Well, I didn’t really know what to expect, but this book was so odd. It was very disconnected through a lot of it. It was confusing trying to keep the characters and their relationships straight. I have provided my honest review in exchange for the ARC from NetGalley and Authors Equity.

Next to Heaven is a look into the dark underbelly of the 1 percent... but it will keep you reading and guessing until the very end!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

There are no doubt many opinions of this author, and I am conflicted, myself. However, this read was one that is well-written, and thusly, one that I enjoyed. The characters maybe not so much, and the burn was VERY slow, but once I got about a third of a way through, I was more engaged and curious to see where things led. It's certainly a lifestyle I am unaccustomed to, and yet currently there is a great deal of haves and have nots in the world, so this was relatable in that regard.

Unique concept, and an overall decent read.

4.5 stars. Yes...it's THAT James Frey. And yes, I really did enjoy this. It won't be for everyone, but it had me hooked and kept me stuck on every salacious little mess.

The wealthy, entitled 1% and all their messiness combined with all the seedy sides you can imagine...plus a swinger's party. And someone is dead on page 1, but you don't know who. Murder mystery is correct, but the organization of this novel has people up in arms. Have an open mind, I think it worked really well.

It is VERY adult, so if you're squeamish to language, graphic sexual content, or seedy activities...take a pass. Side note: there are some random graphic descriptions that were totally cringeworthy, so prepare yourself. "Yogurt cannon" had me both appalled and laughing hysterically.

The writing does have some issues, but I honestly think they might be intentional. Some have speculated that he used AI to write portions of the novel, but I think it might just be a quirk. There is a lot of "circling back" in chapters that includes near identical repetition of certain phrases. I will admit that I found this mildly annoying, but it also some what works I guess? It didn't feel overly AI to me, but what do I know? I was just having a good time.

The characters are a half and half split. Some of them are very realistic and elicited strong feelings from me on how I felt about them, others felt like they were just filler. And there were a few times that I had a hard time keeping track of who belonged with who. If I sat and thought about it for a minute I could keep it straight, but it wasn't just an easy flow in that regard.

The intrigue was fantastic for me because the tension just builds and builds as the plot goes on. There really isn't any release for the majority of the book. I think this frustrated some readers, but I just found it terribly gripping. I did not want to put this down because I needed to know what was going to happen. Yes...I did somewhat figure out the ending, so I guess don't expect to be hugely blown out of the water, but I enjoyed the trip getting there and really liked watching everything fall apart. Apparently I delight in the suffering of others. That probably doesn't say good things about me...oh well.

So yes, it's a wild, messy, crazy ride. It was also a good time. I'm not mad about it.

This book was one giant let down. I was excited to read it, but it didn’t deliver even a little bit.
The characters are the worst. The giant orgy plot isn’t much better. And there isn’t a murder mystery really. This whole thing was such a disappointment.
I read it was written by AI. I almost had AI write this review, but decided to actually put my thought into my writing. Not impressed.

This story dives into the lives of couples in a Connecticut suburb of NYC, many flaunting wealth while hiding deep boredom. Their decision to attend a swingers party—swapping keys and all—quickly spirals into consequences far beyond simple infidelity. What really stood out was the author’s unique writing style, unlike anything I’ve encountered before. It adds a fresh, intriguing layer to an already gripping and provocative story. Definitely a read that sticks with you.

Interesting book, definitely kept me guessing "who done it". Was surprised to see who actually did take care of "Alex the Great". Characters to like and characters to dislike immensely, this book had it all! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

This was hard to get into for me- slow pacing, vulgar without being interesting, boring characters. I’m bummed because the synopsis hooked me.

There was just too much repitition and nonsensical writing. I found it slow and the murder mystery was lacking.

Before you decide to read this I’m going to “spoil” something and let you know this is a murder mystery where the murder doesn’t take place until three quarters of the book is finished. You’re told fairly early that someone is going to be dead, but then you meet a whole slew of the one percenters in New Bethlehem, CT and also experience a little "dancing with molly" at a soirée of the swinging variety.

Then you find out pretty much anyone could be dead and nearly everyone has a motive and you just have to read and find out.

So steer clear if you don’t like this approach to storytelling. Or grab your sunscreen and towel and head to the pool if you’re like me and this sounds like a perfect way to spend a day.

I happened to notice the incredibly low rating when logging this in as a Currently Reading selection and thought, boy did this dude REALLY get canceled before cancel culture was cool! I’ll admit at the time he duped Oprah my line of thinking was more like good for him on punking the Queen of All Things and making himself a boat load of money. Turns out there aren’t many oldsters who still remember that debacle and the latest issue with Frey is that he admitted a few years ago he was experimenting with AI to either write or at least clean up some of his writing. The only thing I can say about that is the people clutching their pearls over this admission better not be the ones buying the 42 new Freida books each year because there is zero chance those are actually written by a human.

I’m giving this every Star and sorry I’m not sorry. It’s obvious Frey is willing to continually double-down on being the “bad boy of literature” and I don’t hate it.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Next to Heaven by James Frey didn’t quite land for me. The setup had promise—rich people behaving badly, murder, secrets—but it never fully delivered. Thanks to Authors Equity for the ARC.

New Bethlehem, Connecticut, a town with more than enough wealth and privilege, is turned upside down.. Devon and Belle., two rich, bored wives throw a party featuring spouse swapping. The party and it's fallout, betrayals and murder blow New Bethlehem apart. The suspense, unpredictable characters, and their crazy behaviors, along with the author's unique and very readable writing style. kept me turning pages. Whatever controversies about the author, I liked this book and James Frey, and totally give it my recommendation to anyone who likes a fast-paced suspenseful and explosive read.

60% read, and I'm bored. I don't like any of the characters and don't really care what happens next. It reminded me a bit too much of the Apple TV show Friends & Neighbors -- too many self-important rich people -- without the appeal of Olivia Munn and John Hamm. I give up..

Note -- I've read several of Frey's books, including the Pitticus Lore books, and enjoyed them all. This one, not so much.

This was very hard to get into for me. It just felt like I read and read and nothing was happening. I had higher hopes because the description reads so interesting and it felt like something that I would love.

This book was not for me, the writing was strange and off putting to me there was a lot of repetitions and short sentences that it really got on my nerves. The story itself was interesting but felt like it was trying to be vulgar for the sake of being vulgar and was not an easy read for a short satisfactory ending. By the time we got to the murder I disliked the characters so much I really had a hard time caring. This was my first book from this author and it could be the style is just not for me, but I will say it is unique and weird. **After reading this book and writing this review I saw comments about possible AI being used in the writing of this book not sure how true but author did admit to using AI to write in his style but my review was before I knew anything about it** I do want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

As problematic as James Frey has been, and his questionable (to me) views on artificial intelligence, I did find myself enjoying this book more than expected. It had a very soap opera, Desperate Housewives feel to it, and I am here for it. There were a bunch of characters and it took me a while to keep straight who was married and who was fooling around, but once I settled in to each character's voice, was quite engaged with all of them. I loved all the female friendships, particularly between Devon and Ana.

Lots of reviewers did not like that the murder didn't actually take place until almost 3/4 of the way through the book, but I didn't mind it, as I thought it allowed numerous scenarios as to who was actually killed.

Much like the book's author, the plot was over the top and unbelievable at times, which made it all the more fun, in my opinion.

Absolute perfection.

A story about the upper echelons of the 0.1%, living in suburban Connecticut, and all of them are unhappy and cheating and breaking all kinds of laws (and also above the laws) and DTF each other. Also there’s a murder, but honestly it’s secondary to the narrative about these very wealthy people and their very wealthy lives.

The narrator on audio was FREAKING PHENOMENAL. She is exactly what I imagine every one of the women to sound like. And the prose with so much repetition? Exactly how I imagine them conversing with each other.

I’m in love with their lives, their secrets, their lifestyles, and this book.