This thriller didn’t work for me, but it could be because I’ve become so picky about my thrillers. For a thriller it wasn’t very “thrilling.” Half the time I felt like was spent in the house unpacking. I wanted more action. I felt like it was just a mystery in a weird cult like neighborhood. And if I have to read “I giggled” one more time by Nikki I thought I was going to throw my kindle across the room. I was left feeling underwhelmed and with too many unanswered questions.

I've already reviewed this on Amazon and Goodreads because I couldn't download it on my Netgalley app, so I used my Kindle Unlimited subscription and read it that way! I loved this story and this author! I rated it five stars because it grabbed my attention in the very beginning and held it constantly throughout the book with the added explosive twists and shocking surprises near the end (spoiler alert only here: her husband was married to Mary, who was her birth mother AND he was the leader of the cult)! I was literally up an hour or two after my bedtime finishing this because I couldn't put it down! I've already recommended this book on three separate sites on Facebook!

Atmospheric. Nikki and Noah move to the suburbs. But at the suburbs all they are cracked up to be?

Nikki thinks they are leaving them out, fining them for ridiculous things, and after them. But for what reason?

Nikki was somewhat one note and highly reactive, Noah was bland, and the entire novel takes a wild shift into action for the ending. Not what I expected, but overall fine.

I genuinely enjoyed this book so much! I love a good mystery/thriller, especially when it’s faced paced and keeps me guessing. I loved Jack’s writing style, it kept me engaged and wanting more! So good, I can’t wait to read more from Jack Dane!

This was just okay for me. I was expecting much more from the execution. It's fast paced but at the same time nothing really happens until 60% of the story. Then things just started to get way to far fetched and unbelievable for me. You need to completely suspend disbelief and I usually don't enjoy that. I can deal with it a bit but not fully.

Thanks netgalley and Jack Dane for this short but great read.
Nicky, Noah and Pete the dog are moving from their small apartment in New York to the suburbs, they have found the perfect house that they can afford and cannot believe their luck that they are actually moving.
Emma, Nicky’s long time best friend is upset they are moving but can understand their need to buy something bigger, shevwill miss Nicky.

The house is perfect, the lawns are perfect b bad the women are also perfect they are all smiles and look very similar.
Everything was ok until Nicky made two big mistakes, she bought a takeaway salad to a party and she broke a china doll.
Then everything changed and the house was not so perfect then.
Really enjoyed this story and never guessed the ending.

You must read this book and enjoy it,

This was really good but REALLY short. I would call this a novella, I finished it in just a few hours.

This is my second book by Jack Dane. He writes a quick reading thriller that keeps you hooked and wanting to find out what happened. There was definitely a couple twists at the end that I did not expect. That is always exciting because sometimes you feel like you have the book figured out. Overall, I would recommend to read this book!

This book is a very fast paced read full of various twists and turns. Some were predictable, others were not. This is a perfect book to read in one sitting with a satisfying ending!

As I grew up in the suburbs (not in America though), I found this book to be an escape to a very unrealistic side of suburbia. I think the most believable part was the block parties and get togethers as we had one American family in our suburb and they had a street braai (barbecue) for every holiday when I was younger. I did say it was an escape though and to that end I really enjoyed it. I would say that there were two big twists that I wasn't expecting which was great, but it was more of a fast read with some suspense thrown in there. Plus Petey thrown in there as well to make me feel anxious about his safety.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nikki and Noah move into a neighborhood full of nice looking and nice acting neighbors. However, deep dark secrets are buried within this street and the questions begs to ask...who can be trusted? Are Nikki and Noah in danger? Just remember...not everyone is who they portray themselves to be...
While this was my first read by Jack Dane, I loved every page of this book. It gave me chills and thrills to say the least. The characters were great and I honestly enjoyed learning about each one. The ending was better than the beginning and the author did a great job wrapping it all up, so no questions were left unanswered. I highly recommend this read and cannot wait to read other Jack Dane books!!

Thank you NetGalley, Back Alley Press, and Jack Dane for the eArc.

This story was a brilliant and fast paced read that I devoured in a few sittings.
It focuses on young newly-weds Nikki and Noah who move into what seems like "perfect surburbia" with a somewhat "pleasantville" vibe about it and overly friendly neighbours.
The story pulled me in from the first chapter and ramped up the pace providing a nice eerie setting, an unsettled feeling and left me wondering: "How well do you really know your neighbours??".
A huge thankyou to Netgalley and Back Alley Press for an early ARC of this fantastic book.

I loved Nikki and Noah! Such hopeful, first time home owners. Little did they know they were right smack in the middle of oddities from their neighbors! I loved the writing style and it kept me interested. I’ve never read this author before, but I will now!

Wow this was fantastic. I received this as an ARC and absolutely ate this one up. What a fantastic, gripping and well written read. I loved how twisty this one was and kept me guessing the whole time. Well worth the read.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for this Arc! Holy was this book good! It was a short read (wish it would have been longer) but it was so so good!! Reading this i loved Nikki, loved the husband but found him kind if a weenie hut junior for some of the stuff but then i came to realize why he was like that and then really hated him! I was totally shocked about marry and Noah!! The way I could not put this book down was insane! It was that good! Will definitely be reading more from this author!

I love Jack Dane’s books. They are fast-paced and have well-well thought out plots with interesting twists. This one was great!! And the twist?!?!? Whoo!! Can’t wait to devour more of his books!!

Okay… maybe I’m the odd one out here? This book just didn’t work for me the way I expected it to — especially coming from this author, whose work I usually breeze through and genuinely enjoy. While the synopsis promised a psychological thriller with suburban secrets and eerie neighbors, what I actually got was more or less… strange culty vibes.

Let’s start with the setup: Nikki and Noah move into a charming, seemingly perfect neighborhood just outside NYC. It’s all smiles, potlucks, and white picket fences — with just enough weirdness to suggest something sinister lurking beneath. Sounds promising, right? Unfortunately, the execution didn’t deliver.

The pacing felt off. Yes, it was fast-paced on paper with short chapters, but the story itself dragged. It honestly felt like 60% of the book was just about Petey the dog or still unpacking boxes. I get it, they just moved in — but did we really need to be reminded every other paragraph? It felt repetitive and didn’t move the plot forward.

As for the characters… Nikki grated on my nerves for most of the book. Her decisions, reactions, and overall vibe just didn’t click with me. Noah was fine — didn’t annoy me, but didn’t exactly stand out either. The neighbors were quirky and unsettling, but not in a compelling or creepy way. Just kind of... there.

Plot-wise, there were glimpses of something interesting. Just when it started to look like we were getting somewhere, the momentum would drop off again. It felt like a lot of buildup with no real payoff. The “thriller” aspect? Barely there. Psychological tension? Missing. If anything, it was more of a mild mystery with a sprinkle of suburban weirdness that never fully committed.

That said, the second half was better than the first. Once we hit that 50% mark, things picked up a bit, and I found myself more engaged (though still not loving the writing style or dialogue). I just wish the story had gone deeper and actually resolved the many unanswered questions left dangling at the end.

If you're looking for a chilling psychological thriller, this probably isn’t it. But if you're into light, cult-adjacent neighborhood mysteries with surface level suspense, it might still be your thing. For me, it felt unfinished, underwhelming, and sadly kind of boring.

- 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯💐ᡣ𐭩

WOW 😲 This is my first book back Jack Dane and I was not disappointed. Nikki and Noah move to a suburb and have the home of their dreams..or so they thought! I couldn't have predicted any of the twists and turns this book gave me. I loved all the details and the need to not put this book down. I will definitely be checking out his other books.
Thank you netgalley and publishers and Jack for letting me have an arc for an honest review.

Loved!! The whole vibe was amazing! A change of pace compared to all the other thriller books!

Cult vibes always get me!

Nikki and Noah are newly married and eager to leave New York City for the suburbs. The noise and constant rhythm of the city is but a drive away, where the birds sing every morning. Life is good;maybe even perfect. Sleep comes easily in a quiet environment.
But soon, the perfection seems to have cracks. Who are the neighbors in this serene neighborhood.? The comforts of a dog and a lawn are so different from the noise of the city where concrete abounds. Oh, to fit in , enjoy barbecues and parties and meet some new friends.
I read the novel in just a couple of hours, and must admit, it scared me. The author paced the book so the suspense built up slowly, and the fear increased slowly too. By the time I finished it, I had to turn on a nice, bright lamp.

Thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of the ARC. All opinions are strictly my own.