Wow. This is the must read in 2020. Everyone SHOULD read this book--from people who are ignorant to the state of systemic racism and prejudice in the criminal justice system, to those who think they know it all. Although not a true store, the feelings that arise from reading are very, very real. This is an important book, one I could imagine being a pivotal and necessary read for a high school English class. At this time in the world, there is no excuse for being unaware or uncaring about race relations and the institutionalized racism that our society is based on. I would highly encourage this book to anyone who would like to learn or needs the reminder. And besides the incredibly important story that is told, the writing is beautiful, the structure and narrative style are unique, and (despite the terrible events) there are many characters to root for and appreciate.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

What a book!

I am really enjoying my reads of 2020. So many good books I've read and this one most definitely counts as one.

This is such an incredible story. I loved everything about it. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but this book was a surprisingly provocative and unique book.

This story unfolds slowly through the voice of the narrator. I love how It covers multiple current and other deep rooted topics some of them being racism, love, the division of people by class, also talks about sex, and privilege. All these themes was covered so well in this beautiful and intense story. It's not easy to talk about tough issues like the above but this one did a seamless and wonderful job.
Therese Anne Fowler has brought to life powerful characters through this story which is significant of the times we live in.

I don't want to say too much except that this is a must read book. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is simply delicious. Narrated by an omniscient Greek chorus of neighbors, the story addresses serious issues of environmental sanctity, rash building of McMansions that skirt local ordinances, incest and/or sexual abuse of a minor, racial tension - just about every current issue one might imagine except national politics gets an airing and an earful in this brilliantly crafted novel.

And at the heart of the story is an ultimately tragic love story between two innocent young people.

I can’t go into detail beyond this without revealing spoilers. I could not put it down. I loved the way the story unfolded, escalated, peaked, and came to its ultimate denouement and conclusion. The character development and portrayal is extraordinary. It’s a story of learning to stand up for what one believes in and having the courage of one’s convictions when action is imperative. Five stars are not nearly enough for this marvelous book.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Fowler.

This is a horrific story that doesn't start until 75% in. Way too much telling, not showing and all leading up to a rushed, horrible ending.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, talk about fast paced! Once the turning point occurred, (a bit later in the novel than necessary) the last quarter of the book flew by. While I enjoyed A Good Neighborhood, I had some issues with it. One, I really disliked the paragraphs in the beginning and ending of some chapters that felt like the author was speaking directly to the reader. It made the story feel a bit like an episode of Dateline, and every time I encountered a passage like this, it ruined the flow of the story. Two, there is A LOT of build up to the actual main event of the story, and then once it happened, the rest of the story was incredibly rushed. I was saddened by the ending, and I felt like it wasn’t in line with this character to have taken the route he did. I won’t ruin the story by saying any more about that. And three, I felt the whole Brad-Juniper episode was completely unnecessary. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and it would lead to some very interesting book club discussions.

4.5 Timely Stars
* * * *1/2
This is a work for the times. It takes everything that is difficult now and puts a magnifying glass to it.
Many will not like what they see but it is the truth-telling that is important.

There were some interesting elements to this story, particularly the neighborhood-as-chorus, but it was deployed in service of clumsy meta commentary and blunt moralizing. The reader spends a lot of the book waiting for a possible sexual assault to occur and I personally do not enjoy that as a device to create tension. I was glad when I finished the book.

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler , published by St. Martins Press is a stand alone, contemporary romance novel. Therese Fowler, an author who writes historical novels, delivered with A Good Neighborhood something, excitingly different.
Juniper and Xavier are new neighbors in an idyllic suburb,and life is good, till it's not anymore.
A Good Neighborhood is an excellent written story, gripping and unputdownable. The story is told in a third pov, and it took me some time to get used to it. The storyline is packed with actual themes like , class, white privilege, power plays, abuse, and conservatism , plus ecological issues. What a packet.
I started reading and to be honest, it took me some time to get into the story. But once into, I was captivated and read the book in one sitting. I simply had to know what happens to the characters.

5 ☆ A Good Neighborhood is an incredible story with intense and tough issues about racism, class and values, and star-crossed love where tragedy strikes after two teens Xavier & Juniper, he’s biracial she’s white, become romantically involved.
It begins when a small incident escalates between their families that ends up changing everyone’s lives forever. All Xavier’s mother wanted was to protect a historic oak tree in her yard, but unfortunately.. manipulation and deception were in the game plan for Juniper’s dad after the teens are caught together in an uncompromising position. From there, what enfolds left me feeling angry and sad, both for Xavier and his mother. Heartbreaking, but an amazing book!! ❥

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC copy given for an honest review!

Okay, okay, so obviously the point is to make the reader upset. However, upon deeper reflection I realized I not only had issues with the story, but also with the writing as well. I feel like the execution as a whole was completely unfocused. The call to action didn’t even feel apparent to the story’s plotline. The author attempted to cover issues on class differences, racial tensions, rape, southern culture, sexual harassment, unfair legal systems, gun laws, pedophilia, environmentalism, community involvement, and suicide.

The ‘neighborhood’ didn’t even play a huge part in the plot. Xavier’s attackers were unnamed rednecks that weren’t apparently locals. The DA and judge weren’t neighbors per say. Therefore, the entire originating premise even seems irrelevant to the plot. The witty narrator angle being the collective neighborhood’s voice felt irrelevant. The anti-racist work Xavier’s dad pursued, irrelevant. The characters fell into cookie cutter stereotypes and I’m just left with the feeling with, what did I just read. Also, with the intensely dark themes I think this book warrants trigger warnings. Had I known pedophilia and suicide were integral parts of the plot, I wouldn’t have requested an arc this book.

I also thought the foreshadowing regarding the death scene of Tom as well as the scene between Juniper and Brad regarding 'secret' was over hyped. Once the reveals happened I felt less affected as a result of the foreshadowing and a little disappointed in the intensity I was expecting. Thanks to the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I wish I could've provided a better one, but these are my raw thoughts.

Wow, what a book! It is told from a 3rd party perspective which glides you along with hints of things to come. We have a modern day telling of what a Good Neighborhood is and how events change those things upon which we depend. Also there are hidden jealousies, prejudice not quite hidden and how politics and race converge in the South Fascinating read with not a dull moment - highly recommend!

I saw that a lot of people really enjoyed this one, but I couldn't get into it, unfortunately. It just seemed very bland to me.

I picked up A Good Neighborhood blind, without reading anything about it, on the recommendation of several friends. “Just grab it and start reading.”

First, I felt some additional confusion because I wanted to be true to their advice, and I completely see why they’d suggest that (you’re welcome to try it as well!). My personal confusion came from the omniscient displaced narrator voice, and the subsequent shifts in narration voices throughout the novel.

Fowler writes well, and is crafty with her organization- quick chapters and perspectives cause the pages to move quickly. I felt the displaced 3rd person omniscient narrator detracted from my connection with the characters though.

Are there ever really “good” neighborhoods? Or is it all a skewed personal perspective on what we believe to be true and right in the world?

I applaud Fowler for tackling the topic of racial injustices & misconceptions, as well as abuse. I connected with Zay and Juniper’s emotions as those around them exude judgements.

I was really disgusted and frustrated with Brad as a character- maybe that’s the sign of a well-written character foil! Almost to the point I DNF the novel, but I thought I should probably continue, for the sake of all my friends’ recommendations.

I did come to the end and feel a LOT of sadness, frustration, and so many mixed emotions, thoughts of what I would have done had I known what the mysterious 3rd person omniscient narrators knew….but alas, this isn’t always how novels turn out. Life’s not fair and rarely is it played fairly. If you enjoy surprise-ish endings, give this a try. I also recommend it for the juxtaposition of lives and expectations.

An up and coming neighborhood in North Carolina is set aflame by feuding neighbors over the fate of a hundred-year-old oak tree and the relationship between two racially different teenagers.

A Good Neighborhood charges towards its tragic, heartbreaking ending with the speed of a runaway train, and it reads just as fast. As timely as the subject of race is and has been through the ages in our country. This novel is the not-to-be-missed book of the new year.

Disclaimer: I received from the publisher a free e-book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was phenomenal! I would love to see it made into a movie. It follows the story of two families from very different walks of life and how their lives intertwine. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting an unpredictable story of love, sacrifice, sorrow and full of social complexities rampant in the world today. Thank you so much for the chance to read and review an ARC of this beautiful story.

This book took a deep dive into the issues of race and family, and how people come together (or don’t) when they are faced with others they may not understand. Are we really more alike than we are different? Or does society tell us things that aren’t true? The two young people at the center of this novel are left to decide for themselves. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a behind the scenes family drama. Very interesting topic and well written.

There was so much going on with this book that it’s difficult to know where to start with my review. The book is set in Oak Knoll, a quiet, upscale neighborhood in North Carolina. A white family moves in a plot adjacent to a black/mixed family and trouble ensues after an old oak tree is damaged and the daughter and son from the two families surreptitiously start dating.

I loved and flew through the first 90% of this. The omniscient narrator really worked for me and was brilliantly executed. This book moved quickly and had so many worthy and thought-provoking themes that were touched upon. However, I did not at all care for the ending. Without giving anything away, I wish that the author had gone in an entirely different direction with the end. I just did not feel satisfied. Overall though, an excellent, noteworthy read. I can see a lot of book clubs choosing this.

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Therese Anne Fowler for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oak Knoll is a tight-knit, well-established middle class neighborhood in North Carolina where the residents see themselves as progressive, diverse, and accepting. They've got a bookclub and always watch out for each other, bringing meals or help to sick neighbors, and chief among these efforts is beloved neighbor Valerie Aston-Holt, a widowed black ecology professor raising her biracial teenaged son Xavier. And chief among neighborhood landmarks is Valerie's beloved huge, historic oak tree. The story kicks off when change - and tragedy, as is hinted at from the get-go - comes to the neighborhood as wealthier people start to "discover" the area, knocking down less expensive houses and building their desired mini-mansions. Brad Whitman, minor celebrity local business owner, does just this next door to Valerie's house, damaging the special oak tree in the process of putting in his pool - which sparks a conflict between these new neighbors that then has ramifications for their teenaged children, Xavier and Brad's step-daughter Juniper, who sneak around to keep their blossoming romance from their at-odds parents. This book reminded me a bit of Little Fires Everywhere in the way you know upfront about a tragedy and you then work your way through the story to get there, and also in that it involves new people moving to town and shaking up the relationships in a neighborhood/family. I got some hints of The Mothers, the way the story is told by a chorus, examining the a young love story and its related secrets after the fact and thinking about the ramifications - in this case, the chorus is the collective neighborhood voice (which really gives you that feel of this particular neighborhood location being an essential character in the story). And finally, I also got echoes of An American Marriage in tone and in using an individual's story to look at racism and the justice system, provoking feelings of empathy and outrage. I really liked the format. Maybe a bit pointedly preachy at times, but overall a timely message well told, and I appreciated the nuance in the characters - reminding you that your first assumption about a person could be way off-base if you knew their past. My rating probably would have been closer to 4 stars, at least 3.5, if the inevitability of the tragedy and also the worry of thinking how the unfolding tragedy could potentially involve some really icky inappropriate relationship action with the step-father hadn't stressed me out enough that I felt I needed to rush through.

I can't get this story out of my mind, it has my emotions going all different directions. This is the story of what happens when a man that is used to getting everything he wants encounters resistance and how far he is willing to go to get what he wants. Reminiscent of Jodi Piccolt this will stay with you and leave you asking how this could have happened in a good neighborhood

Such an emotional and compelling story. Mostly about everyday happenstance yet written such that we are in the edge of our seats as we need to read to see what happens next. This story also makes you see the grey in issues. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.