Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for a review.

One of the worst books I’ve read so far in 2025. What was the point of this? All the characters are terrible.

This book took forever to even get to the murder part of this mystery and was hard to get through. I felt like it was a little all over the place and didn’t flow well
Not my favorite, but I appreciate the arc

I was given this as an audiobook, and honestly, I deserve five stars just for making it through. This book was painfully repetitive, and almost nothing of significance happened until around the 75% mark. By then, I was just finishing out of stubbornness.

I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. It felt like a complete waste of time, and I’m actually frustrated that I didn’t DNF it early on. Save yourself the hours that I wish I had.

Great fun story. A little unbelievable, would everyone fall in love in the way they were paired up at a key party? The fact that this book was partly written with AI did detract from the story.

If you’re into scandalous thrillers with social commentary and a touch of wild excess, Next to Heaven is a wickedly entertaining ride.

Next to Heaven is a razor-sharp, darkly funny thriller that peels back the glossy facade of suburban wealth to expose a world of privilege, betrayal, and murder. Set in the elite town of New Bethlehem, Connecticut, the story follows four affluent couples whose lives spiral into chaos after a spouse-swapping party ends in bloodshed.

Frey’s signature style—breathless prose, brand-name excess, and unfiltered emotion—amplifies the tension as secrets unravel and loyalties fracture. With echoes of Big Little Lies and The Ice Storm, this novel skewers the American dream with biting satire and a twisted sense of fun.

Thank you to AE Titles / S&S Audio | Simon & Schuster Audio and NetGalley for this advanced audiobook!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio and NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my feedback.
I did not expect to like this book after feedback from BOTM members, but I was hooked early on.
The story centers around a group of acquaintances in an affluent town, New Bethlehem, CT. D,evon & her husband Billy decide to throw a swingers party with two other couples. The outcomes are not what anyone expected and create a drama similar to Desperate Housewives or a juicy Jackie Collins novel.
Great characters that you get to know, and an ending that I did not see coming. I used to devour Jackie Collins and similar books as a young adult, reading Next to Heaven had me reminiscing about my younger reading days.
Mr. Frey, please write a sequel!

I wanted to love this but I just did not care about these characters. I was interested in the story but as the plot progressed I found it more and more boring. I think if I had gone into this thinking it was more of a contemporary fiction book I would have enjoyed it more, but the rating would be the same. It was not like a thriller at all to me. I did not even care when they told me who died and by who. It was not the swinging aspect, that was honestly the only interesting part to me.

This is the literary equivalent of a late-night reality TV binge. Trashy, over-the-top, and absolutely addictive. Set in a world of wealth, decadence, and deception, it will throw you headfirst into a swirling mess of privilege, scandal, and murder. The drama relentless, and the characters both fascinating and repulsive . I had this as an ALC and the narrator Gina Gershon had the perfect slow, articulate, punchy voice to deliver this story perfectly. There is a lot of repeat of words which felt pointless but I could understand the reinforcement of it to emphasise emotional points.
Is it high art? No. Is it gripping? Absolutely.
Like reality TV, this book will not provide deep philosophical insights. But it will provide sheer entertainment of watching people’s lives unravel in spectacular fashion. And it does so perfectly.
If you’re after a thought-provoking literary masterpiece, this isn’t it. But if you want something fast, scandalous, and compulsively readable, despite moments of confusion and repetition, Next to Heaven delivers exactly what you’d expect.

Next to Heaven is a wild, messy, voyeuristic ride through the gold-plated rot of New Bethlehem, Connecticut—a town where wealth, status, and betrayal swirl into one long, champagne-soaked scream. James Frey builds a world of desperate housewives, power-hungry men, and designer-clad chaos, all culminating in a swingers’ party gone murderously wrong.

Let’s be clear: this is not a tightly plotted murder mystery. The actual murder doesn’t arrive until the final quarter, and by then you’ve sat through pages of staccato sentences, repetitive lists, and the kind of prose that reads like a fever dream. Frey’s style is polarizing—you’ll either be pulled in or pushed out. I was somewhere in the middle - but leaning toward the latter.

What saved the experience for me—completely—was Gina Gershon’s narration. She oozes the perfect blend of sultry detachment and razor-sharp edge, giving life to even the flattest scenes. Her voice is this book: indulgent, dangerous, a little unhinged. Without her, I’m not sure I would’ve made it to the end.

Is it deep? Occasionally. Is it over the top? Always. Is it entertaining? Often.

There are definitely frustrating bits: too many characters with too few distinctions, a pacing issue that makes the climax feel delayed, and enough repetition to make you question if maybe it's just you. But if you're in the mood for a voyeuristic, morally bankrupt joyride through suburban hell, Next to Heaven delivers.

The snippet originally had me thinking there would be multiple parties and unhinged debauchery. Instead it was more of one party as a catalyst for the whole plot line woven into their “normal” lives falling into catastrophe as a murder is thrown in the mix. I went back and forth between audio and ebook, and the repetition of phrases sequentially makes much more sense and a better flow narrated rather than written. In written format it’s clunky, but in the audio it’s the perfect emphasis. The narrator really did a superb job with the book as a whole.

I had guesses for the whodunit and the journey there was enjoyable. The characters were confusing initially, especially since they are all so layered and there are multiple POVs. The dynamics between all of the couples were explored well and realistic.

Great for lovers of unreliable narrators, vigilante justice, and a smidge of spice. Overall a quick and easy read, perfectly paired with a quiet summer night and a glass of wine.

Next to Heaven is a gripping, twist-filled ride that kept me guessing until the very last page. James Frey masterfully builds a cast of complex characters—each with secrets, each with a motive. Devon’s relationship with Billy McCallister is an agreement of sorts, one built on ambition, desire, and mutual gain. But as the stakes rise, you can’t help but wonder: will Devon get her happy ending, complete with billions to support her lifestyle? Just when you think you’ve figured it out, another layer unravels. If you enjoy sharp suspense and morally gray characters, this one delivers.

CLEVER, ROMANCE WITH MURDER - Audio Version
I've never read anything like this story. It was wild !! It starts out tame enough in the beginning . But then...
It starts out with Devon and Billie's part of the story. She dated a lot of important people, movies star, son of a billionaire, a tech founder to mention a few. But she needed to marry not for love but money. Her parents were ruthless in their demand that she do so to keep THEM In the style that they were accustomed to ! Billie turned out to be an abusive, violent but sexually and financially, EXTREMELY RICH man who just kept gathering more and more wealth and more and more enemies !
Belle and her man have their backstory next which is pretty interesting. Devon and Belle are best friends and each one of them HATE Billie with a passion.
Then more people are added and there stories which at first was kind of confusing to me but as I continued it flowed. With each person's story filled in so fully and well written I was twisting in turning when it came to "Who is gonna get murdered?" I was guessing right and left and I enjoyed that mystery. And when it finally happened, what things really ramped up and the ride got wild.
I kept thinking how does this author know so much about the exotic drugs, weapons and come up with 2 phones; one named Peace and the other one named, War. So clever !
There are several shocking turn of events that I never saw coming. I loved that and was thoroughly thrilled with the ending !! I smiled for quite a while after reading this book !
I had to do an UPDATE ON THE AMAZON REVIEW ABOUT THE AUDIO VERSION OF THIS BOOK:
And on the audio book, I suddenly realized how much the author used the F word ! But the narrator did a get job. And there was a surprise long interview with the author and the narrator. It was a surprisingly great interview although it became clear real quick how much the F words were actually a part of James Frey's speak patterns. Still, a great book though !

I liked the dramatics of this. It's definitely a rich suburban white lotus meme the real housewives kind of vibe. I did not like the repetitiveness a I thought it to be kind of weird and random in a way that you have a friend that just repeats themselves constantly, but also made me feel like I was maybe chatting/gossiping with a friend. I know there was a lot of drama on this book about it being written with AI and obviously all of the previous drama with this author and his older books, but I still wanted to give it a whirl, and I liked the premise of it. If you don't like rich bitch storyline type drama then this def isn't for you. But if you loveeeee the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo, (which the author said he was inspired by) it 100% is your book! Perfect dramatic summer read!

I requested this book via Netgalley without doing my due diligence and research on the author and his stance on AI. After I was approved for this ARC I soon was made aware that this author not only condones AI but uses it as a tool in his writing. And I feel it is unclear as to whether or not this author used AI in the creation of this book. As such, I’ve made a personal decision not to leave feedback or engage in reviewing books where AI has any role in the writing process.
I believe that true creativity comes from authentic voices and lived experiences that can only come 100% from human authors. In cases where that line becomes unclear, I find it difficult to read and review the work accurately.
This is my own preference as a reader, and I encourage others to make their own decisions about AI assisted writing.

In Next to Heaven, James Frey delivers an introspective, poetic, and often soul-stirring meditation on life, death, and the fragile beauty of being human. Presented in audiobook format, the narrative unfolds like a spiritual monologue—raw, relentless, and brimming with existential weight.

Frey’s signature style—fragmented, urgent, and emotionally saturated—is especially impactful in audio form. The narration immerses the listener in the rhythm of thought and emotion, giving voice to a character suspended between pain and grace. What results is less a conventional story and more an experience: part confession, part vision, wholly vulnerable.

Straddling the line between stream-of-consciousness and lyrical prose, Next to Heaven wrestles with grief, memory, love, and redemption in a voice that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. Whether one listens in quiet reflection or emotional turbulence, the audiobook invites a kind of communion—a call to feel, remember, and reflect.

Perfect for: Listeners drawn to philosophical, literary journeys and fans of works like A Million Little Pieces or Mitch Albom’s reflective narratives.
Rating: ★★★★★

#NexttoHeaven by @jamesfrey_ read by @ginagershon
Is fantastic! It’s funny, it’s sexy, it’s got murder, greed, drugs, and a swinger’s party that meets some goals, and creates unexpected events as well. Set in an affluent CT suburb, we see the inside of several couples’ very wealthy yet not too healthy marriages and get ALL the dirt. I did not see the ending coming and HA HA HA, thst bastard DID have it coming to him. I absolutely loved that ending in every way!!!! The audio was done brilliantly by Ms Gershon. I also really enjoyed hearing the author and narrator doing a Q&A with each other at the end of the audiobook.
Btw, here’s my 5 people:
Jim Morrison (hello sexy poet/singer)
Norma Jean (or Marilyn w/out makeup and kitten voice)
John Steinbeck (love his writing & his tortured soul)
Amy Winehouse (bc I have a feeling she sings when drunk & I want to hear that)
Gandhi (bc props, and duh Kama sutra)

This book will be out in June! Bythe author’s own description, he wanted to write a juicy book of the Joan Collin’s’ type. I’d (falsely?) say I’m too young to know about such things but this book was a lot of drama and fun! And he enjoyed creating this so much that he’ll be doing another fun book featuring a community of divorcees. Go James, make it really smutty please. lol 😂
Totally enjoyed every minute of this audiobook and story. Highly recommend for a good time. 🙃

3.5 ⭐️

I’m going to say first and foremost I am familiar with this author.. I was all about Oprah’s book club back in the day, had his controversial book.. and enjoyed it but was disappointed after the drama came out. Now there’s more drama with this book because of the AI stuff… but alllll the aside…

This was not a bad book!
Now I was given the audio to review so I will say the audio was fine and Gina Gershon did a great job!! But I will tell you this would not be my preferred way to consume this because of the number of characters and the back and forth, I feel like some listeners may get confused ( I literally took. It’s to keep everyone straight in my head haha). I did end up borrowing this from the library and immersive read to finish it and it was better to consume this way!

I love rich people drama. Always have. Knots Landing, Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives.. all that type of stuff.

So this is a murder mystery on the surface and a character study under the surface. The ending was satisfying!! Good for her! Haha haha haha

No one in this book was really truly likeable to me, but any book of this sort, that isn’t the point.. the point is to be a fly on the way in a life of drama and privilege that you will never be privy to!

Okay the cons…. It was hard to read this and see some choppiness that was to me not lyrical as he was trying to say in the bonus audio info.. and that coupled with the AI interview drama it rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall solid book. Honestly if I didn’t know anything about the drama surrounding Mr. Frey.. it probably would have been a 4 ⭐️ and not a 3.5… but I am very skeptical of the usage of AI in this book, so I have to be honest.

The book is very repetitive. I felt like I was going to a murder mystery dinner but its a murder mystery sex party instead. It took way too long to get to the main plot of the book. It felt very disjointed. There is so much build up but not nearly enough delivery.
There is a lot of details which would be great if they were not repeated over and over, just in slightly different ways.
This was just a different style writing than I am used to and because of that I don't believe this book was for me.
I do appreciate the publisher, Author's Equity, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook for my honest review.

This book is basically rich people behaving badly, conniving, plotting, gossiping. Not very much happens, the writing is a bit repetitive, and there are too many indistinct characters to keep track of. I was happy with the ending, though it did seem to wrap up quite quickly compared to the build up of the first 2/3+ of the book. The audiobook was well read. I think this would be a fine beach read, it's fluffy and salacious and easy to read.

This was disgusting! I could tell that the influence of this book was written by a man. This could be my fault for not doing more research but I wanted to give this book a shot because it is so controversial. NOT FOR ME! If I could give it 0 stars I would.