Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I really enjoyed A Million Little Pieces. It was so raw and emotional, but then I found it most of it was embellished. Kind of broke my heart a little bit because I loved it so much. When I saw James Frey had a book on NetGalley I thought maybe he could have a redemption book. Even if I did not know(which now I do) that James Frey admits publicly that he uses AI, I would not have finished the book. So much repetition that i feel like I am reading a book that a drunk person wrote(we all know about the drunk ones that love to repeat themselves.) But now that I know its just AI written I will never even attempt a James Frey novel again.

receiving an advance copy of this novel has in no way steered my thoughts on this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio.

I'm not sure if I would really consider this a thriller. It's more of a story about how some choices have everlasting effects on people and their lives. The "thriller" didn't come into play until much later in the book.

This book was... messy to say the least. Billionaires, plan a swingers party and it just kinda has a domino effect on the community.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Authors Equity for the Advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date : 6.17.2025

Mmmm nope. Giving authors who shamelessly use AI instead of their own brains to write books is SO not the move, Netgalley.

I decided to DNF this one at around 10% through.

The reason for this is that the writing was so repetitive and surface-level, crass and just not my cup of tea. I've heard speculations that the author uses AI frequently as a tool, but I'm hesitant to support it due to its controversy. If I were to continue reading, I think this would have been a 2-star read just because it's not my type of read and type of plotline I would enjoy. You can also really tell that the female character was written by a man, but it felt a bit weirdly written.

DNF at 30%. I honestly couldn't tell you what was going on except that there was a lot talk about sex. It just seemed to go off on tangents and I had no idea where the plot was.

Finding this was made with a heavy use of AI was very disappointing. That, along with more than a few POVs was a no from me. Nothing about it really gripped me either. The narrator was good though.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

I hate to give a bad review for a book; however, I cannot in good faith give this book a good review. It is information overload from the very beginning, which makes it very hard to follow along. Hats off to the narrator, who does a phenomenal job of keeping the listener engaged.

Thank you James Frey and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook ARC of Next to Heaven.

Sigh. I really wanted to like this book. The auto really did keep my attention the first quarter of the book and then suddenly it stopped making sense? The chapters would repeat or skip, switch to Spanish or sentences almost sounded generated? Ive never personally read a James Frey book but I was not a fan of the writing style. It almost seems like there are several authors or part of the story was generated, not something created by one person? I’m not sure how to explain that to someone who isn’t an avid reader. I wasn’t even able to fully listen to the book because I was so confused.

Book of the month quoted this to be like a Gatsby book? Absolutely not. If you want confusion and a none personal writing style then I guess check this out, otherwise I’d personally pass. Disappointed for sure. Are the rest of James Frey books like this?

Definitely don’t know if I’ll be trying another Frey book anytime soon.

I also had someone from “marketing operations” email reminding me about being approved for the arc and that it’s the weekend before publication and I still have chance to get in on the “guilty pleasures” everyone else is talking about? I have NEVER had this happen to me in my history of ARC approvals through NetGalley. Felt really pushy to me like they are always expecting a flop.

First off, a big thank you to the publisher who provided me with this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now, on to the meat and potatoes. I really wish I could have given this book a higher rating, I really do. But in good faith, I cannot.

First: The writing is just not good. Especially not what I would expect of a seasoned author like James Frey. The amount of INFO-DUMPING that happens is WILD. He is consistently “telling” instead of “showing” and 75% of the information is completely useless to the story anyway.

Second: What even was the point of this book? Truly, I don’t know. It just felt like words on a page that were only there to meet the minimum word count, like a kid writing a last-minute essay for their class. And while it tries to be provocative, it’s not, it’s just poorly-done clickbait. Also, how can it be a murder-mystery when the murder doesn’t even happen until 73% into the book? (It can’t and it isn’t.)

Third: The characters are (almost all) unlikable and unrelatable and somehow seem irrelevant, even though they are “driving” the story.

Finally: Not that I’m holding this against the author, but I thought it important to note that my copy of the ALC was completely messed up… I mean, about 20 chapters in the audiobook while listening sequentially just were not there. They looked like they were there, but nothing played and it would skip to the next “good” chapter. Until I got to the end of the audiobook and realized, all of those “missing chapters” — were randomly at the very end of the audiobook. Like ?!?!

I was truly expecting more from an author who co-wrote some of my favorite YA books.

Next to Heaven is a wild and fun ride—beautiful settings multiple strange characters, and totally Frey. The writing is super raw and it really makes you feel things, even if you’re not exactly sure what’s happening all the time.

There were parts that felt a bit scattered or hard to follow between all the different characters but I still found myself really drawn in. It’s one of those books that you just can't put down. If you’re into unique style, great narration, and a fun twisty plot, this one’s worth checking out.

There was so much character development, I was wondering when we would get to the story. I did enjoy reading this book; the details were great. There were some difficult parts to get through, like sexual and drug abuse. I found myself hoping some of the characters have the HEA at the end. There were a lot of dimensions to the story, but it was easily consumed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy to share my honest thoughts.

A story of murder, affairs, and money among the rich of affluent New Bethlehem, Connecticut. When four unhappy couples attend a key party, affairs form and troubles ensue.

I am aware of the controversy surrounding this author and the use of AI. While I’m not against AI to help edit a book after being completed by the author, I am against AI writing complete passages/paragraphs/chapters. Some parts that were weirdly repetitive in words or phrases seemed very AI-ish, or reminiscent of a very novice author. I read another review that pointed this out as positive, so I guess it’s up to the reader’s own preferences on writing style.

The plot sounded fascinating. I love rich people drama, and a mystery?! Sounded exciting! It was not. The mystery doesn’t start until way past the halfway mark, and even then, not exciting. While the story lagged in the middle, the ending really did pick up and kept me engaged until the last page.

Most characters were fleshed out decently well. A lot of them were described in the very beginning to the point of overwhelm. I’m not sure why the histories were told, they didn’t affect the story once. Also, it was hard to keep track of the characters and who they were actually with versus who they all interchanged with.

Usually I fly through books like this but it took me over a week to finish it because I never wanted to reach for it over other books.

Three stars for the premise/execution, one for the character building, and a half for the ending/reveal. Minus one for repetition (didn’t work for me), minus one for the plot, minus one for interest. 1.5 total rounded up to 2.

I got the opportunity to listen to this book 🎧 and Gina Gershon was the perfect narrator! She brought out the spot on tone for the elite in their element and behaving badly! I think if it werent for her voice, I would have had a harder time with the book.

New Bethlehem, Connecticut- one night, multiple betrayals and a facade that will come crumbling down around the couples.

I went into this book blind and wow was it wild! It was more provocative than I was expecting and I got more than the murder I was expecting. The book is heavy on detail but was a slow burn to the action.

Thank you to author, James Frey, Publisher AE Titles / S&S Audio | Simon & Schuster Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

***Unable to review on GoodReads as they have restricted reviews on this title***

I had such high hopes for Next to Heaven from James Frey, but unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I usually love stories about badly behaved wealthy people and the premise of the book held so much promise, but it was a struggle to even finish it. This is my first Frey book, and I think that I really don’t care for his writing style. It feels lazy, rigidly declarative, and almost robotic. We spent forever describing details of New Bethlahem that had no remote relevance to the story and it barely left time to rush the plot in at the end.

I received the ARC of the audiobook, and I do think that the narrator did the most with what she was given. She did a good job about giving the characters accents and vocal mannerisms to help differentiate. I don’t mind sex written by a man, but sex written by this man made me feel physically ill. There was nothing salacious or attractive about how Frey described the relationships and encounters, and I will never recover from him trying to use yogurt cannon in a serious sentence.

Thank you to Netgalley and A&E Titles / S&S for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date: 6/17/25

I ended up DNF’ing this one at around 25%. The writing style had potential, but the nonstop emotional drama felt exhausting pretty quickly. There were way too many characters introduced early on, and it was hard to keep track of who was who. On top of that, the story seemed to throw out a lot of big ideas without really taking the time to develop any of them. I found myself more confused than curious, and ultimately just couldn’t stay engaged. This might work better for readers who enjoy chaotic, emotionally charged stories, but it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested to receive Next to Heaven, the description and the cover caught my attention, but I hadn't bothered to research the author until later, when it had already been approved.

It was strange to discover that the author admitted to having used artificial intelligence in the writing process. Even though AI is present in our daily lives, is it right to have it present in everything? Especially when it comes to works like this?
James stated that in Next to Heaven he didn't use AI, but at certain moments (where the writing changed style a little) I found myself wondering if that was really true.
Despite having my opinions on the controversies, I didn't let that affect my review and I'll be completely honest.

Before I started reading, I thought, based on the synopsis, that the story would have a "miniseries feel", which ended up being confirmed and throughout the reading I kept wondering if it wouldn't have been better used for TV than as a book. The whole scenario contributed to this, the countless character introductions, the “shocking” scenes and the choice of how the story would unfold. To be more specific, the delay in the story unfolding.

The beginning was very interesting and I liked the humorous tone that was chosen, the first few seconds made me laugh a lot, it had a lot of potential, but I thought it got lost at certain points. In short, it wasn’t a read that I enjoyed 100%… I ended up being more entertained reading the articles about the author than with the book and that already says something, but I don’t regret the experience and I might even watch it if they ever adapt it.

I read it while listening to the audiobook and Gina Gershon deserves congratulations!
I wonder if the book got an extra star just for the wonderful narration work. I hope to hear her again in other works.

Finally, it was a pleasure to receive the advance copy of the audiobook and the ebook. I would like to thank Netgalley, Simon & Schuster (responsible for the audiobook), Authors Equity, and Sarah Christensen Fu (from AE marketing operations).

Note: I was unable to submit my review on Goodreads because the following message appeared: "This book has temporary limitations on submitting ratings and reviews. This may be because we’ve detected unusual behavior that doesn’t follow our review guidelines."

Currently the reviews are down on Goodreads. However, here is what I will be saying and can provide the link once it's back up and running.

A picture perfect community. A swinger's party gone wrong. A murder mystery. All of this caught my eye.

However, there was a lot of detail where there didn't need to be that kept me wanting more and wishing the story would progress. We knew it was going to be a murder mystery, yet it didn't happen until well into the book. Also, the drugging, rape, and use of the words "yogurt cannon" were also all turn offs. What is it with male writers and weird descriptors? It was also a little too predictable.

I listened to this audiobook and the narrator was excellent, but there just wasn't anything she could do about the story.

Thank you to NetGally for the audiobook ARC!

I will not be finishing a book where the author proudly cops to using AI. It’s disrespectful to the craft and other authors who use their talents and actually write a book.

I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion of this book.

This book was WILD!

This book was so messy with the seggs parties and the partner swapping, OMG! This was just a lot to unpack!
There are depictions of abuse in this book, so be prepared; however, the ending makes it all worthwhile. My flabbers were ghasted!!

What do rich people do to pass the time when they have nothing better to do??

Read this book and find out!

Gina Gershon did an outstanding job of bringing this story to life. She paused in the right places and added just the right amount of inflection to convey the emotion in the scenes she read. This book was a good time for me. This is my first, but it will not be my last read from James Frey.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, AE Titles / S&S Audio | Simon & Schuster Audio, and James Frey for the advance listeners copy of this twisty book.

I didn’t realize this was the same author who wrote A Million Little Pieces, which I read many years ago. It’s interesting to read another book from him now. I found the book intriguing, especially in how it offers a glimpse into how the other side lives. However, I struggled to connect with many of the characters—most of them are wealthy, bored, and looking for ways to entertain themselves, which made it hard to stay engaged.

The narration was excellent and definitely helped carry the story, even during the slower or more difficult parts.

The story became particularly hard to finish once it touched on themes of sexual assault and abuse. While there is some payoff toward the end, it didn’t feel entirely satisfying. Overall, it’s an okay read, but I would strongly recommend checking for trigger warnings before diving in.