Moving into a house they never thought they would get.

Moving into a house with all the previous owner's things left inside.

Moving into a house and finding things that should not be there and hearing things.

Syd and Jack were excited to move into the house they actually got for a bargain, but things they didn't bargain for happened.

The neighbors were a bit odd as well.

THE NEW NEIGHBORS was difficult to connect with for me because of the writing style of the author. It was confusing when the chapters went from one character to one situation with hardly any connection for me.

There are many characters and many stories going on but it always comes back to that house and Syd and Jack bought. Even Syd’s mother sees something in the house that made her upset when she stopped for the first time.

There also were some things that I wasn't comfortable with like drug use and mental abuse, but I continued to read because I had to find out what the story was with the house.

THE NEW NEIGHBORS had many broken, hurt characters that all stemmed back to their childhood and to one person. Could it be more than one person causing all the grief?

This book is definitely a psychological fest. It plays on your mind just like the author has others play on the minds of the characters and storyline.

Everything doesn’t seem to be what it appears to be.

If you enjoy characters that are secretly twisted and a storyline that keeps you wondering, watching, and waiting, THE NEW NEIGHBORS is for you.

It is difficult to rate this book because it held my interest, but it also was frustrating. 3.5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I haven't heard much about this book outside of Netgalley, but I really enjoyed it and I thought it was the perfect blend of contemporary and thrilling aspects.

Jack and Sydney both know they were incredibly lucky to snag a house in their price range in London. It's such a bargain they overlook the taxidermied birds and improbability of the previous owner's abrupt departure. Harder to ignore are the inexplicable smells and their new neighbor, a little girl covered in bruises. Something is rotten in their perfect home, something the couple dances around in alternating chapters as they edge closer to the cataclysm that forced them start writing everything down. An eerie thriller, driven far more by the damaged Syd than her affable boyfriend. Time jumps and dueling narrators very effectively ratchet up the tension.

Update: This book is now being published in the United States and it has a new name. My original review (August 2017) of the book is below and you will see that I start it by stating that the book title is misleading. The new title does make more sense.



The New Neighbors

by Simon Lelic

Berkley Publishing Group

Pub Date 10 Apr 2018



Original Review:



Idgie Says:

The book title is misleading. I thought this would be a spooky story about a young couple moving into an old house, but soon realized it revolved around events that occurred in their lives after they moved into the house. The house itself was walls and rooms, nothing more.


That being said, this was a very interesting book - psychological warfare throughout the story. So many twists and turns. I can't say too much about it as that would reduce the shock value.


One very interesting fact about this novel is that the first part of the book is told in "letters". Jack and Syd are both writing letters - you are not sure to whom and you're not sure why. The chapters hop back and forth between their letters, slowly building the story line. You have to pay close attention because the timeline also hops around.

I definitely recommend this book! Review will go live on release date. http://dewonthekudzu.com

Honestly I didn't really care for the way this book started off, written in the form of a journal, switching back and forth between Jack's point of view and then Syd's. A few times I wasn't even sure which point of view I was reading. I was considering giving up on it. I'm glad I stayed with it,
Jack and Syd were two broken people before they found each other. Now happily in love and moved into their new home it seems like maybe life will turn out ok after all. Except for that foul smell of death in the attic and the strange box hidden towards the back. Then there's the sound of footsteps where nobody should be walking, and the neighbor who threatens you for daring to be nice to his abused daughter. Something from the past has followed the couple to their new home and it's not the welcome wagon. This was a dark and twisty psychological thriller and the ending took me by surprise.

This is a good suspense book but I struggled with the narrator and the back and forth storyline. I think it will be a great read for many. Clever and intriguing plot.

Pretty disappointing - characters weren’t really all that appealing and, thus, neither were their circumstances. Plot was contrived. It might be ok for those who like this genre, but definitely not a stand out.

Sydney Bailey has a troubled past, including drug use, that makes it difficult for her to connect with or trust others. But she does connect with Jack, a social worker who lacks social skills. They become a couple and find what may be the perfect house for them. But is it too perfect? After all, it is beyond their price range, yet their offer is accepted by the buyer, who has reportedly left all of his belongings behind and moved away to be with the new love of his life. As soon as Syd and Jack move in, strange things begin to happen. Jack makes disturbing discoveries in the attic and Syd becomes entangled with a troubled neighbor girl, Elsie, who has no friends and an overly controlling father. Events quickly spiral out of control as details about Elsie's past are revealed and Jack finds himself in jeopardy. Or is he? The story is told from two narratives drafted by Syd and Jack which are conflicting and, frankly, confusing at times, requiring patience on the reader's part. That patience does pay off, however, as the puzzling events are gradually explained. Some readers will find the ending quite frustrating, while others will praise author Simon Lelic's inventive and thought-provoking conclusion. Deeply flawed characters who prove to be wholly unreliable narrators, bait-and-switch plot twists, and Lelic's unique style make The New Neighbors a compelling read.
(Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Copy of the book.)

Wow, what a ride!!! This is one of those books that you can't say too much about without giving it away. Suffice it to say the author cites both Gone Girl and The Shining (among others) as inspirations for this book, and it evokes both of them well. I read this book in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. Don't read this at night if you're home alone - I'm scared to go to bed now! The first few chapters were slow for me while I got oriented to the story and the alternating POV style, but once it got going - whew! Read this book!

Jack and Sydney seem to luck into buying a beautiful old house in London. It's a fixer-upper, but they are eager to begin. Soon after moving in, Sydney meets a neighbor girl who is dealing with an abusive parent. Memories of Sydney's own childhood abuse comes rushing back to her, and she is determined to help Elsie escape the same fate. The story is told by Jack and Sydney in turn. Intriguing, gritty, and surprising. Fans of Gone Girl and Into the Water will enjoy it.

This was so boring to read! I couldn't get past the first few chapters.

Utterly riveting, cunningly written and bursting full of character. Fast paced and action packed. This was not the book to read while I got new neighbors.

The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic is a creepy good read that will keep you up all night convinced that you can hear footsteps in your house. This book features a couple who luck out on a great house for a good price. Little do they know that the house comes with an unexpected price tag. Be prepared for a great read with plenty of twists and turns. Read and enjoy!

Jack and Syd think they've hit the jackpot when they buy their first home together. From the first few days they move in, weird things start happening...

This story is told from alternating perspectives in the form of journal entries from each couple. It was a unique writing style I didn't quite like at the beginning, but it seemed to grow non me and worked out for the best by the end of the book.

The characters are unique and intriguing and kept me engaged. There are plenty of plot twists to keep me wanting to read more. While this wasn't the most compelling and riveting psychological thriller I have read, I did enjoy it and it did keep me guessing.

The ending was a bit rushed, and I had a hard time following as all the questions i had throughout reading unraveled so quickly. The weird happenings throughout the story were explained, but it was a bit too neatly wrapped up.

This book is due to be released here in the U.S. in April 2018. If you are looking for a quick read, you can pre-order now! I give this book a 3.5 star rating!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group to allow me the eARC to read and give my honest review.

Happy Reading!

I read the description of this book and was immediately into it. However, halfway into reading the book I had to read the description again because I found that, like movie spoilers, the written description was really only the few little exciting snippets there actually were in the whole book. This book goes by another title, “The House”, however I feel like both titles don’t really do the plot justice. There is a lot going on in this book that finally comes together at the end but I really felt like the book just kind of dragged on. Syd is kind of an odd misfit girl and Jack is pretty normal. I think the author tried to get the reader to sympathize with Syd and her fought background by introducing the little neighbor girl Elsie, but the two storylines felt flat, in my opinion. I didn’t really feel anything for either of the main characters. The ending, although I didn’t guess it, was not incredibly imaginative and was pretty unrealistic. This is one of those books you buy in paperback format and stick in your bag to bring to the beach because you don’t really need to pay too much attention to it while reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon Lelic, and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite the psychological thriller! Definitely a clever story that has many unexpected outcomes. This was my first time reading work by Simon Lelic and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced reading copy.

The New Neighbors is a dark and twisted psychological thriller.

Something is off right from the start. Somehow Jack and Syd are able to buy a house they really can't afford in a highly competitive London housing market. How did they get so lucky? Not long after they move in, they notice a bad smell that leads Jack to a gruesome discovery in the attic. Then he hears sounds at night like someone moving around the house. Is he imagining it? And when someone is murdered outside their back door, events turn from creepy to dangerous.

The New Neighbors leans towards the Gothic. Jack and Syd's new home is full of clutter left by the previous hoarding owner; it is in serious need of updating. And, of course, there are all the bizarre events in the home. Is this a ghost story or a horror story? Either way, the who, what, and why behind these bizarre events is a bit of a mystery, and one can expect a few red herrings thrown into the mix.

Jack and Syd need to figure why these things are happening before it's too late. Too late for what, you may wonder. You're not alone; the reader is left wondering for quite a while too. It is a technique for building suspense and tension that will keep the pages turning.

So, they begin journaling as a pursuit for truth. Jack and Syd take turns writing about their past, their relationship, the house, and responding to each other's entries. The alternating first-person narrative delivered in an unconventional style gives insight into both characters: their good and bad qualities, their internal struggles, their mistakes, their lies, shame, fear, and regrets. It works well to rationalize their personas; these are full-fledged characters.

There is a problem with the journal, though. As events continue to unfold, and the journal gives new insight into the other, a rift forms in their relationship. They reconsider what they feel and believe about the other, and in turn, develop a new understanding about the other feels and believes about them. More tension.

In a related story, Jack, who is a social worker, helps a family from Baghdad. Lelic provides a very positive and refreshing portrayal of this family

I’d never heard of Simon Lelic before i got this book, although I now know he has written some other thrillers. But his latest book The New Neighbors got a positive blurb on the cover from Tana French, and I figured if it’s good enough for Tana, it’s good enough for me.

The story revolves around a young couple named Jack and Syd who have recently been able to (at long last) buy a house in London. It came with all furnishings, including some weird stuff, but they felt terribly lucky to have been picked by the seller to be the buyers of his house, especially as they didn’t have enough money to afford such a big place.

Before long, they start to clear out some of the detritus left by the former owner, when Jack makes an unsettling discovery in the attic. Around the same time, Syd befriends a young girl from the neighborhood – a girl who is apparently being abused by her father – a fact that hits very close to home for Syd. Neither Jack nor Syd shares either of these factoids (the attic find and the abuse) with the other.

The story is told in alternating points of view, as Jack and Syd each write about what happened. There are twists and turns, and suspense as the book moves toward the big reveal – which I (as usual) did not see coming. This has “MOVIE” written all over it – not necessarily a bad thing. For fans of Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, or The Couple Next Door. Escapist entertainment. Well done, and even though I doubt I will remember it in another month, four stars (and thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for this honest review).

And I will probably pick up one or more of Mr. Lelic’s earlier books – pure entertainment!

This book took a while to get going. It took me until about half-way through to really figure out what was going on. Then I found it to be a much easier and quicker read.

Told in journal form from the two halves of one couple, this is a book that may have you rethinking moving house. Syd loves the London house they have just won, despite underbidding other buyers. Jack thinks the place is off, strange and creepy. The previous occupant left a lot of stuff in the attic, among the contents is a child's toy box. Jack and Syd hear strange sounds emanating from the attic as a police car watches them from the street. What's going on? This twisted tale had me twisted up in knots, it's a subtly threatening tale