Book Review: Next to Heaven by James Frey
Rating: 3.5 stars
Received as an ARC—thank you!

Next to Heaven is a gloriously messy dive into the lives of deeply flawed people orbiting a true monster of a man—Billy. James Frey delivers a character-driven, reality-TV-adjacent drama that feels almost too real at times, with a level of chaos that makes it hard to look away.

First off, Gina Gershon’s narration is a standout. She nails the tone of the book perfectly, capturing both the grit and the glamour of the characters and setting. Her voice adds a slick layer of authenticity that really elevates the experience.

The novel’s biggest strength is also part of its challenge. Frey offers an incredible amount of background detail and interconnected threads between characters, which is impressive and intriguing. However, the way it’s presented leans heavily into exposition—it often tells rather than shows, which can bog down the momentum. At times, the lengthy, almost nonfiction-like descriptions of the neighborhood felt excessive and disrupted the pacing.

That said, there’s something undeniably compelling about how everything unfolds. The web of relationships, the secrets, the betrayals—it all builds to a fun, satisfying conclusion where most of the couples end up in better places. The true killer, while not surprising, is still a gratifying choice.

Billy stands out as a chillingly realistic antagonist. He’s the kind of man who exerts control and leaves wreckage in his wake, and his presence looms over every storyline. He’s terrifying in a way that doesn’t feel fictional, and that’s what makes him so effective.

While the narrative style wasn’t quite my cup of tea, I can appreciate what Frey set out to do. If reality TV gave you a literary high, it might feel a lot like Next to Heaven. It’s not perfect, but it is entertaining, smart in its own chaotic way, and ultimately a solid read.

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.

I was curious to try James Frey’s newest novel, Next to Heaven, given the controversy surrounding his earlier books. Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me.

The use of shock-value language felt more crude than raw, and the lengthy backstories failed to draw me in. Instead of building connection or tension, the digressions slowed the momentum for me. While the story promises scandal and secrets, I found myself disconnected from both the characters and the chaos unfolding around them.

That said, I can see Next to Heaven appealing to readers looking for a fast, beachy thriller packed with drama and bad behavior. It’s simply not my style — but it will likely find fans among those who enjoy scandal-filled, escapist reads.

Maybe its's the current political climate, butt this novel about the uber wealthy was a real turn off,it actually made me feel a little ill and I could not finish it.

Frey has created a world of privilege that everyone will do anything to get to. I want something else to happen in this glitzy neighborhood so I can go back! The story and dialogue would lend well to a movie or series. Gershon as the narrator was perfect. The sexy drawl of her voice lent to the nefarious characters and the mystery at hand.

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!

A terrific narration of the audiobook is performed by actress Gina Gershon.

I tried to get into this one, but I felt the ick from about 30 mins in and it never went away.

This is rich people behaving badly, which is what I wanted, but I didn't care for any of the characters, nor the shenanigans they got up to. I need at least one of those to enjoy the story. I know that the kind of humor and the ridiculousness will be appealing to some and I truly hope this book finds that audience.

Devon Kensington McCallister is the wife of Billy McCallister, a hedge fund manager. Texas oil heiress, Belle Hedges Moore is the wife of Teddy Moore. Their search for a thrill will destroy their world. Grace is the wife of Alex; he is cute and tempting and a cheater. Charlie and Katy enjoy their single life.
New Bethlehem, Connecticut appears to be the ideal place to live. Best friends, Devon and Belle live in New Bethlehem. They have it all, money, status, beauty and friendship. They have everything they want except they are bored. They long for excitement. What could be more exciting than a “key “party (a swinger party)? They carefully worked on a list of guests, planned the special invitations, and planned the pairings. The party starts off well but quickly descends into chaos leading to murder. The residents of New Bethlehem demonstrate that money isn’t everything; it does not buy happiness.
Author James Frey allows readers to peek through the windows of the elite, the wealthy, the famous, the pretenders. He demonstrates the lack of authenticity of those who depend on their wealth for happiness; they buy thinking one more item will fulfill the needs of their hollow life. They do not see how the worship of wealth is destroying their lives. The characters in this tale are not particularly likable but their flaws are what makes them relevant. There were times when I found the author’s writing style rather odd and confusing.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Next to Heaven is a chaotic, messy fiasco — which is exactly what makes it so addictive. Think Real house wives meets Wolf of Wall Street focused in on the most insane aspects. Serving up wealth, delusion, and moral collapse without an ounce of subtlety. The plot is wild, the characters are objectively awful, and yet the sharp writing keeps you turning pages anyway. It’s not good, I hated them all and it found it constantly cringy but it’s undeniably entertaining and I HAD to know how it all unraveled.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars Rated R for language, sexual content, and some seriously dark subject matter

I have has never heard of this author until after I read this so I didn't know his background went in blind. I learnt his back story after reading, I can see why the book worked so well and I felt so real now.

This book for me was a mix of wit, mystery and dark undertone it flows and reads easy but never once felt lazy or brain fluffy it was insightful observant and smart it never once was a chore to read. I read it over a day I couldn't put tot down.

I loved the short chapters each told from a different characters POV in the third person. There was vast cast of characters each with a unique voice and story they interlinked perfectly to tell what was complex plot that was told with real style. There was a sense of pending tension though out, the characters developing as the plot does...the writing was truly a class act.

I got big white lotus, little big lies, Kevin Kwan and Emma Rosenblum vibes from this which I loved.

Really really enjoyed this one, great from start to finish I'd say it make perfect pool side reading.

Crying out to be made into Netflix series

A strong 4.5 Stars

As an audiobook it works really, the reader had good tone and kept the pace well

3.5 rounded up for the guilty pleasure appeal.

Premise - They're rich. They're bored. And now one of them is dead... New Bethlehem, CT is more than just an Amtrak stop in this story. The story acquaints us intimately with a number of elite married couples (all privileged, none happy) as they get a bit too acquainted with each other. Deviance is deadly, etc. etc.

Pros: This has all the voyeuristic fun of peeking into the messy lives of the 0.01%.
✨ The story sucks you in
✨ The character lives and inner lives are rich
✨ The absolute MESS of the romantic entanglements is *chef's kiss*
✨ This book is great for marriages, you finish reading it and immediately run off to kiss your husband and thank him for being the best, read: not a super-dick.

Cons: It kinda feels like a first draft:
🚿 long chunks of just pure exposition
🚿 chunks where the placeholders are still there, not fleshed out - ex: describing Billy's ruthlessness it says Billy looked for information that would hurt his former employees and used it to hurt them - but why not specifics?? I know I can make something up (and I did) but the story is in the details! A bad guy did something bad is an outline, Billy published photos of his former quant streaking down Madison Ave after the company holiday party is a story.
🚿 some men can write women well, but if Frey is among them then this wasn't it. The women read like men with boobs, especially when it comes to their sexuality. It's about as real as porn.
🚿 Is Frey trying to put us all off of food?? If I could unread "coconut cream explosion" as an all-too-sensory description of Teddy's ejaculate, I would. Same goes for "yogurt cannon." If you're considering a GLP-1 don't bother, you can get all the food aversion of Ozempic for just the price of one book.😅

Described as The White Lotus x Big Little Lies, it's definitely leaning very heavily on the Big Little Lies side of the equation - like 95% Big Little Lies, maybe 5% White Lotus? Or possibly 0% White Lotus, if we're going by vibes.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Gina Gershon. She's a great fit for this sort of story! Dishy, but more in a gossipping WASP than celeb rag tone.

Thanks, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio, for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

When the privileged get bored things get interesting!
Story follows the disarray that comes when one disconnected couple has a party to spice things up. When has that ever kicked up glitter and not dirt?
Salaciously entertaining without all the unnecessary details.

Devon and Belle rule their small Connecticut town, but they want more than their money and social standing can provide so they decide to throw a huge party. It's that night where everything goes awry, proving that money can't always fix everything.

I loved Gina Gershon as a narrator. Her soothing tones are perfect as she describes the action and embodies different characters in the story.

As a note, there is quite a bit of sex in the story so if that's a dealbreaker for you, you may want to reconsider listening to the book (I always feel like it's easier to skip scenes if you have to in written books). It does take a while to get to the meat of the action, there's a lot of world building here to explain the location of New Bethlehem, Connecticut and to introduce the players.

The beginning of the story feels a little slow, but it does eventually amp up. However, I did feel like much of the plot ran a little too slow at many points and it may be hard for readers to take in such unlikeable characters. This just was not the book for me, but others may enjoy it so I am rating this 2.5 stars (rounded to three for NeGalley.)

I received this advance audio copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was definitely not the book for me. It was back and forth and confusing. Very had to really discern if there was an actual plot and point to it.

This was a very enjoyable, entertaining read. And although I found the majority of the characters to be appalling, I did enjoy them and all of their drama. In addition, while I felt that the author did a great job of world building and character profiling, some of the descriptions went on for far too long and had me fast forwarding ahead at times.. I also felt that the book dragged on way too long before getting to any action.

All in all, I did enjoy the book, as well as the narrator, and will read titles from this author again.

The narrator did a great job at capturing the extremely offputting personalities here, so that’s a plus. The cover drew me in immediately. It’s incredible. However, the book ended up not being for me. The writing felt very stilted and choppy which made it hard for me to get into the story. Then we had the absolutely atrocious cast of fools lol. They did make for good entertainment but I was shaking my head in disbelief the entire time.

Set in an elite Connecticut town, Next to Heaven follows two wealthy women who throw a decadent party that spirals into betrayal, chaos, and murder.

I really wanted to like this, but as others have said, it leans too far into the fringe to resonate with a broader audience. It has a niche vibe, and I’m clearly not part of that niche. Frey’s attempt at a stream-of-consciousness, art-house style came off more manic and repetitive than profound. It started strong but quickly unraveled into cringey weirdness. If that’s your thing, you might love it—but it just didn’t land for me.

I received the audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.