Kind of on-the-fence about this one…

On the one hand it did keep my attention.
On the other hand, as many have mentioned, it is VERY repetitive… repetitive…

So, you live in a very wealthy area of Connecticut… the wives are bored. The husbands are bored. It’s a who’s who of who’s cheating on who! Although some of it is spicy, some of it was downright disgusting too…

And the way some of the characters are written, well, deplorable! And the wives are putting up with this, why? Because of a pre-nup?? Hell NO!!!! I’d be outta there in a heartbeat!

And just when you think it can’t get worse, then there are private investigators… and police…. and lawyers…

Drugs. Sex. More sex. More drugs, Physical and mental abuse. Infidelity. Mind games. Threats. Money and Power… these are all triggers in this book… so just be prepared.

I don’t know. I really wanted to like this one, the premise sounded really good…

But then I also must say that I saw something on IG about an author, by the name of Frey, using AI to write his books. And sure enough… this book was linked to it.

AND, in the interview at the end of the book he tells of how he’s been working on another book for quite some time, about the downfall of Rome, and was told it was good, but could never be published. SO, he started writing this one, and completed it in 50-something days! 😮😮😮

Being as this was not one of my favorites, I’ll limit my review to Goodreads and NetGalley.

So, if it sounds interesting to you, please keep your eyes 👀 open for it!

It is due out on June 17th!!

2 1/2 ⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 3.

Next to Heaven by James Frey and narrated very well by Gina Gershon.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #AETitles, #SandSAudio and #SimonandSchusterAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Insta @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

The premise of this story had me instantly hooked, and the style was unique. Each chapter almost read like a short story as it shifted from character to character. I really enjoyed this style of writing. No one character was really likable, but there were definitely characters I disliked more than others. I didn’t love frequent use of substances, but I recognize this was a part of their world. I will say I loved most of the ending (especially the final reveal), and learned these types of parties are not going to be a part of my world. I would recommend this book to a certain type of reader - it’s not for everyone.

***update - I found out this was also written with AI and I don’t like that.****

This was a roller coaster of a read but in the end I’m glad I stayed for the finale. The first chapter was absolute fire. I fell in love with the writing style of James Frey and Gina Gershon narrating the audiobook nailed it.

This story has a ton of characters and the sexual deviancies between all of them got tedious throughout the middle. HOWEVER, I loved how it all comes together for the murder and wraps up.

This book is a good time of rich people behaving badly with wonderfully written prose. If you stick with it, it’s a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley and AE Titles/S&S Audio for an advanced audiobook copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own

I did add a star to this review because the narrator was amazing. I would listen to her voice any day.
It was full of life and really sounded like a narrator in a TV show.


May have spoilers——-

The description of this book says-

Fair warning, this book contains:
- Betrayal
- Murder
- An ultra-elite swingers party
Spectacularly badly-behaved rich people

Which sounds great. I really enjoy weird books and I even enjoy unlikeable characters, but this was awful honestly.
Nothing really happened most of the time. The murder doesn’t happen until the last quarter of the book. And it was almost like a side thought and quickly wrapped up.

“Spectacularly badly-behaved rich people”? That’s true, but all the couples were essentially the same and all doing the same things to each other. The rich people were super rich and super cool and all super into having sex. And don’t worry, the book will tell you how rich and cool they are a million times. The first 3/4ths of the book was just setting the scene of how rich and cool and into sex they are.
I think the book also gave me the ick when someone called someone else “alpha”? Why?

All in all, I did enjoy how the chapters were written, in that they were quick to read.
The pacing was horrid. I think I liked the idea of the book, but it was just the same thing over and over.

I also know about the authors controversy. I did end up reading about it when I asked for this arc, but either way. If they did use AI to write this book and AI did write portions of this book, “in his writing style”… this should be a great example of why we shouldn’t use AI for books. Or at least proofread it or something? IDK, this is my first book by this author so maybe I just think his writing style is stupid.

#NextToHeaven #NetGalley. 

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC allowing me to read this work!

Next To Heaven was a wild read! James Frey’s satirical thriller explores a chaotic spouse-swapping party among the elite, blending dark humor with social commentary.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy!

#NextToHeaven #NetGalley

I as almost 70% through this before I learned of the controversies that surrounded the author. However, I was lucky enough to be given this as an Advanced Reader Copy, so I knew it was best for me to see it out and write my review as objectively as I could when the time came. As I primarily listened to this on audio book, I have to say nothing but positive things about the narrator, Gina Gershon, they had the perfect tone and I felt myself fully immersed by her voice and therefore immersed in the storyline. One note I do have about the story as a whole is the way the writer uses repetition, a lot, and I mean A LOT of sentences were not just full of detail but repetition of phrases and entire sentences. I know this was used to emphasis Freys Point, but to be honest it just got annoying.

The party that was mentioned in the synopsis was small part of the actual story, and didn’t have as nearly as much scandal as described, and the murder that was made to look as if it was the centre storyline, only played a minor part and didn’t even happen until almost 70% in, In that aspect, the official synopsis of the book doesn’t match the storyline described. Most of the book was all about the couples in New Bethlehem and the different peoples lives and how they came together, with the part being a small part, and a further 40% was life after the party before the murder even happened. I guess it was supposed to build suspense but to be honest it could easily have been condensed into a fraction of what it was. So much background and unnecessary extra information that really did feel totally irrelevant to the story, however, part of the controversy was that this book was written using AI, and I am unsure if this was because of this and perhaps why I felt so detached from the book? It just didn’t have that natural feel like a lot of books do, at first I thought it was because of the style of writing of the author and the types of characters within it, but now I am considering if this is because of the AI aspect? I am afraid that going forward I will be avoiding any further books by this author for the AI generated content alone.

I didn’t really care about any of the characters, aside from Katie, and to be honest before we found out who was murdered (I repeat, at almost 70%) I was starting to get that I didn’t even care who it was, or who done it, or what would happen to them – aside from Katie of course. And this storyline was the only part of the book that stood out to me – because it emphasised the narrative of those with money really can use it to do what they want with limited consequences, and they knew it.

However, I am grateful to be considered for Advanced Reader Copies, and I will strive to finish the book given to the best of my ability and provide a fair and unbiased opinion.

Next To Heaven by James Frey | Release Date 17th June 2025

1 🌟Edit to my original review - I just saw where this book was partially wrote using AI. That probably explains the parts that dragged on and was confusing. I still think Gena Gershon did amazing with the narration.

This was an enjoyable story but there were a few parts that felt a little drawn out and not really necessary. I feel like those sections would probably do better if this was made into a movie or show. In a book it made the story drag on and was easy to get a little confused about who was who and how everyone fit together. This story was a murder mystery but the murder didn’t happen until the book was almost over. I understand building up the murder and presenting a bunch of people so you don’t know who is going to be the victim but the build up could have been shorter. While I did enjoy the story it wasn’t super memorable. I will say Gina Gershon’s narration is a 10/10.

Tropes:
🖤Thriller
🖤Murder Mystery

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A L C • R E V I E W ✨
Next to Heaven by James Frey
Narrated by: Gina Gershon
Publication Date: June 16, 2025

🎧 A L C • R E V I E W 🎧
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First, Gina has an amazing voice and did an amazing job narrating the book. The way it was read made me want to keep listening. I will definitely be on the lookout for more audiobooks narrated by Gina Gershon. 🤗


The writing style was not my favorite it felt very repetitious, and it was very hard for me to figure out who was who.

I’ve never read anything by James Frey, but I will definitely be trying more of his books. ✨

Overall, this book was very entertaining if you are looking for a good psychological thriller then this is for you! ✨

This book was not at all what I was expecting. The plot as described in the blurb is buried beneath chapters and chapters of information that is barely relevant (or not at all relevant) to the plot. The vast majority of the book is made up of background information, ranging from the history of the multiple characters to information and statistics about the town. The primary plot of the party didn't really get brough up until about 25% through, and even then it was painfully brief before jumping back into irrelevant background. The primary plot chapters honestly felt like interludes in compared to the breadth of the rest of the background. The overwriting and unnecessary details was a major detractor for me.

Despite the amount of information we were drowned in regarding the characters, none of them felt alive or well written. By the time we get to the murder (approximately 70% through), it was impossible to care.

I can't recommend this work at all. My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The synopsis for Next to Heaven intrigued me. I thought it would be a super dramatic reality show in book format. There were a ton of one dimensional characters who were all extremely unlikable with forced drama and a lackluster plot.

I know the controversy surrounding James Frey and went in to this book just looking for an easy fiction read. I found the book to be rather boring. It didn’t work for me and I couldn’t wait to be finished with it.

Gina Gershon did an excellent job with the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley & AE Titles/Simon & Schuster Audio for letting me read this ARC.

I have read multiple Frey novels. Both under his name, and others. I loved his books, but I was disappointed when the drama surrounding them occurred. However, I wanted to give this new book a chance. I can't help but to think it missed its mark. Sigh. Thank you, though, net galley for the ARC!

This book just wasn’t for me. I really liked how they talked about smoking to relax and all the correct terms being used. I was confused some of the time because there are so many characters and I would get them mixed up. That’s probably a me issue.
I really liked how it ended and was shocked.

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.

DNF at 40% I thought this was a great premise but it was so poorly executed. I was hoping to reach the party and the actual mischief that was to come but didn’t make it.

Tried very hard to like this book. As a matter of fact, the best thing about this audiobook was the narrator. Took more than. 70% for there to be a murder. Every time I thought something suspenseful was going to happen...it didn't.
Very disappointed.

I’m going to DNF this book. I’m about 3 hours in but I still feel like nothing has happened. I love Gina Gershon but the book took 25% just to stop introducing all the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Actors Equity for this ARC. Not for me - nothing happens until 75% into the book. Way too much set up and not enough focus on the after. Also bothers me that the author admits to using AI.

Next to Heaven

The first chapter had me grinning, laughing, kicking my feet. LOVED the sass of Devon and their origin story. A book of the rich and privileged who just want to keep getting richer and more privileged.

Devon and Belle decide to throw a massive party to step into their next level of wealth. And it all goes downhill from there. Betrayal, chaos and of course murder !

After chapter 1, which I loved, I went to the reviews and was honestly shocked to find them so negative. Some reviews I read seem unfair for rating low because they don’t care about the rich, it doesn’t mean this wasn’t a fun story. Or maybe the low reviews are because he uses AI as a tool to write his books, my thought is at least he’s honest about it. If you take it for what it is and like messy, rich privilege tropes, you’ll have fun with this one- I did !

I will say I needed a note pad to keep track of all the changes and couples, was harder to track with audio. I honestly could’ve done without the murder mystery because the messiness of the rich was entertaining enough!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 6/17/25.

2 ⭐️ The book is placed in a world of four wealthy families living in CT. On the outside they look picture perfect but of course there’s more going on behind the scenes. The beginning of the books takes you thru every person’s backstory and how they met their partner. Eventually, someone is murdered and so begins the who did it finger pointing.

There’s a LOT going on in this book. Nine POVs was a little much to deal with. At times it made it hard to follow along. Hard to remember who was tied to who. Honestly, if I was physically reading the book, it would most likely have been a DNF. With listening to it on audio, the narrator was great and it kept me pushing to finish it thru. Will I think about this book a week from now? Definitely not, but if this is your type of read, you’ll enjoy it.

I really didn't like this book. It's rich people behaving very badly and while sometimes I don't mind that, I really didn't enjoy the writing style so I couldn't get behind the premise either. I think Frey was attempting to be poetic (or something) but his redundant style just got on my nerves after awhile. There were so many characters who were basically all the same that it was hard to keep everyone straight and remember who was married to whom and who was cheating with whom. The audio book includes a little bonus interview at the end with Frey where he talks about who he would invite to his ideal swingers party and honestly it was so cringey I had to stop listening.