The story unfolds when Esme and her husband, Benedict are celebrating in their yard. Benedict decides to go get wine. Esme was feeling freaky and shows him some boob while he's backing out the driveway. Then Esme hears a horrifying crunch.....

I did not know what to expect when I selected this book because I never heard of this author. There were sex, lies, nosy neighbors and mystery throughout the novel. I feel like the author left me with more questions than answers. I had so many questions about Esme's past and the relationships she had with everyone in the book. I feel like she was an untrustworthy narrator. The whole martyr act was not fooling me. I could not stand Benedict. I felt like he was self-absorbed and did not hold up his end of the marriage with Esme. This book will have you second-guessing everything at the end. Raven Lane reminds me slightly of Colleen Hoover's book, Verity because there is a book within this book too. I definitely recommend this for any book club.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

For the most part, this is a decent domestic noir novel. There are no sympathetic characters really, I didn't like any of them and I am not a fan of books where there's no one to really root for. Supposedly, we are supposed to root for the main character, Esme, but she was just as bad as everyone else.

I did like how things wrapped up, it is definitely surprising, but it does take a very long time to get to the point with lots of going back and forth between the past at different times and the present.

There's a bit of a "book within a book" where Esme is reading Torn's novel, but it wasn't always clear to me when we were going into the book and the transitions were a bit jarring. Overall, if you like domestic neighborhood thrillers such as [[book:Never Have I Ever|36679186] or Not That I Could Tell this one will probably be enjoyable for you.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for an ARC for an honest review.

THE RAVEN LANE focuses on Esme, a former actress, and her husband, Benedict, a former model. Esme has dark secrets that she's tried to ignore for 2 decades, and Benedict has darker tendencies, also ignored by Esme. We see the residents of Raven Lane, a neighborhood known for its wild parties on a monthly occurrence.

A pretty good thriller and drama but slow burn read. I was curious no doubt due to the lots of secrets and lies. And I did enjoyed the twist at the end.
There were parts where I lost interest because of how slow it was. And I didn't feel lots of connection.
But still an interesting read.

Esme knew she should be happier. Her husband was benedict. Esme wished suddenly that the glow on their back deck from the slow touch of sunset could last forever, that time would stop now, in this moment. Esme knew it was difficult for Benedict to have an audience of only her, especially one night like this when he was celebrating his own success. One of his modelling clients-Ranoir had been asked to walk in a major designers show at Paris Fashion Week. Benedict would want to share the news with as many people as possible. She knew that soon he would start making plans for an impromptu visit on Raven Lane. The best and worst part about their close- knit neighborhood where there was always someone around to confide in. It often seemed as if nothing could stay private. Eighteen years ago, Benedicts own modeling career had stalled and sputtered out completely. Esme had been a actress. Benedict and Esme had a daughter Zoe, who was awat attending a science conference for one week and already her calendar was filling up. Zoe was a serious student and wanted to pursue a physics degree . Esme had met Benedict nineteen years in a crowded nightclub. Benedict was often more like a child than their daughter Zoe did. Esme owned a Restaurant about two blocks away in Frase City’s business commercial areas. They decided to call some people about Benedicts news and Benedict was leaving to get some supplies. Although he already had drank some wine and than his neighbor from two doors down- Torn Grace- a famous author- had ridden a bicycle behind Benedict as he was pulling out and benedict Hit hi. Torn was possible dead and Esme still performed CPR on him. When Benedict and Esme had first moved into the neighborhood it had been a deep comfort to Esme to learn her neighbors worked hard to be a pact of each others lives . It was only later she realized that intimacy couldn’t exist without intrusion. By becoming part of the neighborhood she had unwittingly agreed to both. Sophie was Esme’s best friend. Esme wanted to forget the person she had been as an actress. The house had been her safe haven after the disastrous ending to her acting career. Dex -Neief -her restaurant -had been her lifeline out of sadness. Benedict called esme . he was being released by the police but they needed a lawyer. Torn had passed away. Benedict had agreed to a blood and breathalyzer test. Benedict had champagne and pills- MDMA- with his client before he came home and had some wine with Esme.
This was a good read but a little odd as far as i am concerned. There were so many twists and turns in this book.I was angry when I saw Benedict was so self righteous about Torn and Esme but he had no right because of what he had done and it was worse. I didn’t particularly care for benedict , he was a weak sniveling, egotistical man- where everything was basically supposed to be about him. But being made angry shows good writing that it makes you actually feel something in regards to the book and characters. Poor Esme, so many times messed over by men and their actions, one way or another. This book was dramatic and suspenseful. With some intrigue shot in. I didn’t like how tore changed and used Esme and he is the one who pursued her. I recommend you stick with this book and finish it , it's worth it as far as i am concerned. I loved the characters and the twists and turns and I recommend it. I will be looking for more books from this author.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Raven Lane is a small cul de sac. Esme and her husband Benedict live there with their daughter. One dark night, Benedict is reversing out of his driveway when he knocks over and kills one of their neighbours. With many witnesses to the accident, Benedict is arrested. Everyone of the neighbours turn against Esme.

This ook showed so much promise, but it seemed to lack something. The story starts off strongly, building the scene leading up to the accident. We get a glimpse into the secret lives Esme and Benedict's neighbours live. We don't really know what goes on inside our neighbours houses, we just take them at face value. None of the characters are likeable. There were parts I couldn't read quick enough, others were hard to follow. It also felt a little far fetched. Everyone in the cul de sac was harbouring some kind of secret. The conclusion was a it of a let down. This isn't a bad read it's just not a great read either.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author Amber Cowie for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I felt it was refreshing in its concept and held my attention right up till the end. Not my usual genre but would definitely read this author again.

Amber Cowie did not waste anytime and the catalyst for the rest of the plot happened right off the bat! The build up through the rest of the story was figuring out if it the death truly was an accident or something more sinister. I was hooked in trying to figure out the relationships between the neighbors on Raven Lane and if any of them had a part to play in what happened. I couldn't read the last few chapters fast enough; Cowie created some fascinating characters who had more depth than you first thought and more secrets to hide (or protect) then I could have imagined. When I turned the last page, I sat there thinking "what just happened"?! I went back and re-read the last chapter and WOW... This is a must read!

This was an interesting book to get through. I really didn’t like any of the characters as they all seemed self centered and deceitful. The plot displayed several possible people that shared a motive in setting up Benjamin and the bike accident but it seemed a little far fetched. Too much lying and cheating and bizarre neighborhood relationships.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the book. This review is in my own words.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This goes a little back and forth. It’s written from Esme’s POV and we get to read what is happening in present time and in the past to learn about their background and how they got to know their neighbors on Raven Lane. It was slow moving, but just interesting enough to keep my attention. It’s short so I finished it in 2 1/2 hours. I wouldn’t say that this is a mystery thriller, more general fiction. It is like a tamer more boring version of Desperate Housewives. Slow moving and not much happening. Some action at the end but not enough to make up fir the rest of the book.

Drugs, family dysfunction, and sexcapades of the semi wealthy and formerly famous play a big role in this domestic drama. I had high hopes for this one and while it started out well enough the pace was rather slow and the story dragged out longer than necessary. I would have enjoyed it more if any of the main characters had been likable. Perhaps others may enjoy it more than I did, I didn't really feel invested in the outcome.

Chapter 5, I can see where this is going...and I have to DNF, because I already don't like any of the characters. In fact I kind of hate the dead guy already. And if you can't feel bad for the dead guy, what's the point?

POSSIBLE? SPOILERS? The teen next door is sleeping with the model manager; the gay guy who dies (he hasn't yet, but obviously) has slept with/is obsessed with/stalked (take your pick) the wife (maybe the husband meant to run him down?); the actress is rich after taking a pay out of shush money for her #metoo moment that left her pregnant with her now 17 year old daughter (that's where all their business money came from and why she was incredibly depressed after the birth, also why the child is nothing like her parents). The only thing I can't figure out is why the dead guy wasn't wearing his bike helmet (since they've already harped on it about 9 times in 5 chapters that he ALWAYS wears his helmet). But that's not enough to keep me reading.

Okay, so I have no PROOF that any of this is really in the book. The book seems heavy on the domestic and light on the suspense. But again, there's not enough real suspense to keep me reading. Just more sordid Desperate Housewives antics.

I'll give it two stars, I've read worse.

I absolutely love a juicy domestic drama and Cowie delivers with Raven Lane. This is full of the type of characters I love to hate and so many of them are hiding dark and dangerous secrets, I know I wouldn’t want any of them as my neighbors! But they were really entertaining to read about and all were rather complex and interesting, but not altogether likable. If you like a quiet style of suspense this is the book for you, it’s character driven and scandalous and even a little sexy at times, but this combo worked incredibly well for me and I raced through this one.

Another aspect that I enjoyed was the book within a book, the man that died is an author and every once in a while there’s an excerpt from his book. The book he was writing was a little weird but intriguing, and between that, the present day timeline and Esme’s slow unraveling of her own past, I was hooked. This was edgier than Rapid Falls and very different, but I adore Cowie’s writing style and that didn’t change. I also applaud authors who push their own boundaries and try something new from book to book and the shift was great for me, I’m now a firm fan of the author

I found this book to be more like a soap opera and less like a mystery/thriller - a lot of cheating, lies, and drama in an upscale neighborhood. I didn't really care for the characters and found that while the story started off strong, as it progressed it became less so. I will say the ending was TOTALLY unexpected...

What I found most interesting was the concept of this hand-picked community of Raven Lane where the residents were chosen by a realtor (who also lives on Raven Lane) who specifically looked for specific attributes in her neighbors (artists, actors, etc.).

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

Adults behaving badly is a great way to describe Amber Cowie's new novel Raven Lane. This book was full of secrets and lies, and all the things that make for lots of drama!

I can't honestly say I liked any of the characters all that much in Raven Lane, but I did both empathize and get angry at them. Esme is such a complex character and I really liked all the depth that Cowie gave her. This book ended up being more emotional than I had expected and Esme both fascinated and disgusted me at times, along with a few other characters. This book is caulk full of secrets and you never know quite where things are going as life on Raven Lane becomes more and more complex. SO MANY SECRETS! WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

I also loved that there was a book within a book! The neighbor that dies is an author and Cowie included paragraphs from his book into Raven Lane. I always enjoy when an author does that, and it gave this one a little something extra. The only thing I am a little confused by is the fact this is marketed as a mystery/thriller since I found it to be more of a drama, and there isn't really all that much mystery to it besides the secrets people are hiding.

Song/s the book brought to mind: Untouched by The Veronicas

Final Thought: I really liked the structure of Raven Lane which is set in present with Esme basically having what I would call mini flashbacks to the past before the death of their neighbor. In this way, the past is untangled and the whole truth comes out, along with lots of skeletons in more than just Esme's closet. Cowie has quickly become one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend this if you are into a slower paced, neighborhood drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advanced review copies. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I love books that involve neighbors and secrets, although I don't want this to be my reality.  This is not a thriller.  It would fall more under the category of domestic suspense.  So if you're going into it hoping for something thrilling to happen, you'll be disappointed.  While there is a death in the story it's looked at more as an accident.  Or was it?  Oh and the twists are pretty good too!

At first I sympathized with Esme.  Once an up and coming actress turned restaurant owner.  The reasoning behind this change is heartbreaking.  However, she didn't let her past stand in the way of starting a family with her former model husband Benedict, buying a house on THE  tight knit cul-de-sac, and opening her own restaurant.  It's a very tight knit community on Raven Lane.  Innocent bbq's followed by some not so innocent house parties.

Everything is going great until the night a terrible accident happens and Benedict is arrested for murder.   After that the secrets start tumbling out.

I like how the author begins to give glimpses into why Esme no longer acts and why Benedict is no longer a model.  This is what kept me going.  I wanted to know what happened in the main characters past that was so bad.  The story eventually goes there and more.

There were some really good twists, and others were a little predictable.

In the end, I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters, which usually bothers me, but this time it didn't. The writing was good enough to keep me reading, and keep me guessing.  I would read more of the authors work.

I’m really sorry but I just couldn’t continue with this book I had loathed the characters and didn’t enjoy it at all

Secrets and lies on the cut de sac. And what a cul de sac it is! Esme and Benedict seem to have it all and then Benedict hits and kills a neighbor. His trial brings all the bad stuff out. As others have noted, this needed another proofreading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Regrettably this is a rare pass from me largely because I found everyone just repugnant.

Raven Lane started quite strongly and I was hooked, but as the story progressed, it somehow lost me. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, nor did I like them or their life style choices. While I did finish the story, I was a bit underwhelmed.

What caught my eye about this book, was the cover. Then I read the blurb. Murder and suspense? Yes please! Raven Lane is a somewhat small community. Everyone knows everyone, or do they? Secrets and lies. Then a murder. Not everything is as it seems.

The characters are twisted. I wasn’t sure I liked any of them and that made me happy. Yeah I’m weird. The story itself had some twists and a dark vibe to it. I loved all the secrets and was pleased with the ending. The beginning was a little slow but as the story progressed, I became engrossed with it. I give it 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was interesting and the characters were believable. The surprise twist at the end caught me completely off guard.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.