A Good Neighborhood brings home issues that affect us all: entitlement, gentrification, racism, rape, bullying and concern for the environment. Terese Anne Fowler accomplishes this seamlessly by telling a simple, devastating story.

Buck Whitman, a self made HVAC salesman, builds his McMansion in Oak Knoll, a small town with a diverse group of residents. He moves in with his wife Julia, teenage stepdaughter Juniper and daughter Lily. Valerie Alston-Holt, a professor at the local college and widow with Xavier, her biracial, musically gifted high school senior son, is his neighbor. I’m stopping here with the plot to avoid spoilers. I am not going to say you won’t have an idea where this novel is heading. You will. But as you read, you’ll be trying to stop it, to turn it around.

I am sure The Good Neighborhood will certainly be one of the best books of this year. It broke my heart. 5 stars.

Thank you, thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Terese Anne Fowler for this ARC.

I'm going to keep this review short because honestly I think this book has more of an impact if you go in blindly, like I did.

What. A. Book. I'm blown away. This was nothing I was expecting and everything I needed. I haven't read something that felt this important and relevant in a while. First, how refreshing to read a book that wasn't set in New York or California or some other major city. As a North Carolinian, this could have been my city. It made the story more relatable and it felt more real to me.

I honestly wasn't prepared for such an emotional story. This book had me ugly crying. I was angry, I was sad, I was disturbed, and I was dumbfounded. So many emotions were packed into a relatively short novel and I have to give the author major props for portraying the issues of racism, classism, and misogyny in the most perfect way. Not many people could pack so much punch with such a small number of pages.

I liked the narration and it was something I don't think I've come across very often, if at all. The story is narrated by other homeowners in the neighborhood, so a lot of "we" is used and these people are giving their take on events that occurred. It's interesting to hear them take or not-take sides when it comes to some of the issues, especially the white vs. black neighbors.

The only, and I mean ONLY, negative thing I really have to say about this book was that the first half drags. I kept wondering why I had seen such great reviews because I was bored almost to tears at first. But once you get to the second half, all of the boring back story makes so much sense. It's a slow burn to lead up to the tragic events that occur to two families during one summer in a good neighborhood.

If you haven't picked this one up yet, drop whatever you're doing and buy it now. This is an important book that I would recommend to all readers (especially if you like a good cry every now and then).

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler grabbed me from the start. The characters were interesting, authentic, and had depth. The story was told through the voice of neighbors in the middle-class neighborhood of Oak Knoll, North Carolina. Two families with opposite values, beliefs and income levels come to live next door to one another. With little in common, a romance blossoms between their two teenagers. The book explores the impact of race, class, intellect, power and values on people who are forced to live side by side. It's a heartbreaking story that resonates especially in our time where neighbors think so differently from one another and societal values come into question. This book makes you think and would be great to discuss in a book club.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

A moving story that addresses racial inequities in the justice system.

When white teenage Juniper moves into Xavier's "good neighborhood", the two are immediately attracted to each other. Both smart, studious kids with everything going for them until Juniper's step-dad intervenes and turns life upside down for both families.

An excellent read that will have you wrought with emotions throughout.

A modern-day tragedy involving two families living in a desirable North Carolina community. It is a 'good' neighborhood but still people are people and a conflict arises which spirals out of control: young love is thwarted; a promising life is destroyed; justice is perverted, and racism rears its ugly head. The story is told in a unique way--it is narrated by an omniscient 'we' who describes just how this tragedy unfolds. The result is a heartbreaking and unforgettable story that I highly recommend.

I received an arc of this new book by Therese Anne Fowler from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

An excellent selection for book clubs, this is a title that demands discussion. Is it a tough and sometimes uncomfortable read? Absolutely. But a necessary and relevant one too. A must have for library collections.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Therese Anne Fowler for the opportunity to read and review this amazing novel. 5 stars for a book that will be undoubtedly at the top of many best of lists. This is the perfect book club book - I want to talk to someone about it right now! And if books can change the world, even a little, we all need to read this book!

Oak Knoll, NC, has a history of being A Good Neighborhood. Good people, those who will be there for you when you need them. Valerie Alston-Holt has lived in the Neighborhood for a long time; she's a single mother raising her nice, bright, musically-gifted biracial son soon to be heading off to private college with a music scholarship. New neighbors move in next door after raising the small home and all the trees on the property and building a huge new home, complete with a pool in the backyard. The Whitman's seem to have it all - Brad is a hugely successful HVAC business owner; wife, Julia, has come far from her upbringing and young adult life. Juniper is Julia's daughter from her past; Lily is a product of the marriage. But all might not be what it seems. A giant oak tree on Valerie's property is threatened by the loss of the other trees and begins dying. A lawsuit is filed against neighbors.

The book is narrated by "we", those who also live in the Neighborhood, The narrator provides us with background into the characters, a glimpse into their thoughts, and hints of events to come. I loved this point of view.

This is an extremely powerful read. The topics of race, class, judgment, love are spot on and will make you squirm, think and want things to change. Plus it was just so beautifully written. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Wow, wow, wow! I would give more stars if I could! This book was absolutely astonishing! It was written with such precision, you couldn’t help but get emotionally involved! It was much more than I thought it would be, when I requested. It pulled at my heart and soul and absolutely flooded me with so many emotions. The way the author wrote it, made it completely intriguing and impossible to put down. It’s not at all what I thought, but glad, because it was so much more! A must read, it really has some twisted webs spun by the characters and as a reader you get entangled and spun with every thread!
Will make sure I buzz it up on all the different platforms!

The language of this novel is beautiful and I devoured the first two-thirds of this novel. I did have to force myself through the ending, but I cannot say that the novel did not warn us through the narration that bad things were coming for these characters. It's a frustrating conclusion, but then it should be, because this world is frustrating.
I read several trigger warnings on this book but not the one I needed- a trigger warning for black pain. Now I am not trying to condemn the writer, I think she handled this novel as sensitively as she could, given the direction it takes. I hope this book gets picked up for some book clubs, because I would love to hear how those discussions go.

“This story isn’t a police procedural. It is not a legal thriller. Is it a cautionary tale? We think it is — but we wish it weren’t.” This book was exceptionally well written. The use of a third person narrator (the neighborhood) to interrupt and give us further insight was utterly brilliant! I was totally immersed in this story from start to finish and completely devastated long before reaching the ending. Heartbreaking and timely, this character driven novel will not be one soon forgotten! “It’s in the telling of a tragedy that we sow the seeds — we hope — of prevention of future sorrows.”

Valerie Alston-Holt, a widow who has lived in the Oak Knoll neighborhood in North Carolina nearly twenty years, is a professor of ecology at the local college, a proud mother of biracial Xavier who received a scholarship to study classical guitar in San Francisco. She hosts the monthly book club and regularly gives advice on gardens and landscaping—she’s always been a good neighbor, supportive and community-focused.

Valerie’s sangfroid, however, was strained as the Whitmans built their house on an adjoining lot. To construct Brad Whitman’s ideal showpiece, the builders razed all the trees on the property. What’s more, the digging for the pool likely disrupted the root system of Valerie’s beloved oak tree.

As Valerie and Brad jockeyed over the tree, Xavier and Brad’s stepdaughter, Juniper, couldn’t deny the growing attraction between them. The layers of conflict divide family and neighbor and propel the characters toward a lifechanging confrontation.

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler compels the reader to address questions of race, class, gender, and justice on emotional and intellectual levels, and as the narrator says, are words in a story that they hope is a call to action. I value stories that interrogate these constructs and call for equity. The book had a slow start for me, but then I couldn’t believe what was happening and was unable to put it down until it was resolved. At times, though, it seemed that I had heard this story before.

The novel is narrated by the neighborhood as a collective. In some cases, this has been done to brilliant effect, such as in The Virgin Suicides. Here, though, it didn’t work for me because too many times it was heavy handed while other times, it verged into an inconsistent omniscient point of view.

In any case, this is a book that will stir your emotions and make you think about privilege and the limits of possibility.

Therese Anne Fowler is a powerful wordsmith who creates a thoroughly compelling read in A Good Neighborhood. Under her spell from the first paragraph on, I can't give this book sufficient praise! It gets a well-deserved 5-stars from me.

The Oak Knoll neighborhood in North Carolina is a good place to live. People are friendly, helpful, and any racism, biases or other character flaws are securely hidden behind the doors of the lovely homes. Truly genteel people don't air their real feelings in public!

Valerie Alston-Holt, a widowed black professor, is raising her biracial eighteen year old son Xavier there. Xavier is a talented guitarist and will be leaving soon for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he has earned a scholarship. Brad Whitman, a local HVAC business celebrity, has built a huge house behind Valerie's home. His wife Julie and daughters Juniper, 16, and Lily,7, are eager to settle in an make friends. When the two teens become attracted to each other, and a 100+ year old tree that Valerie loves is damaged by the disruption of its ecosystem due to Brad's construction, the tenuous relationships between the two families are stressed and strained to their breaking point.

The use of the all-knowing 'we' narrator, who seems to speak for the other people in the neighborhood is brilliant!! It gives readers background details about each of these complex, flawed characters and alludes to the tragedy that awaits readers.

This emotional and tragic tale is one I won't soon forget. Do yourself a favor and put this book at the top of your TBR pile!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my third book from the very talented Therese Anne Fowler and I loved it.
Thought provoking, entertaining, a looming doom, a great pace, all around well written.

The narrator is actually the neighborhood ( or a set of neighbors, not sure ) witnessing the events, speculating on some part of the story, stopping the story, interacting with the reader..…. Very well done.

This story is not about a ‘good’ neighborhood but rather it is a tale of old good vs evil, of black vs white, of the old boy club driving our politics, of the power of money and influence, of bigotry, of appearances, of class and new money, of first love, of values , of gentrification……. of life!.

White privileged folks forget that other member of the same community have it harder. This book is also about racism, racial profiling, gun control and criminal justice. A half black person is still considered a black person! The color of one’s skin still matters in our society.

This book will certainly be very successful. I can easily see it as a movie.

I received an Advanced Copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank You St.Martins Press and Therese Anne Fowler for the book.

Author Therese Anne Fowler has written a book that is both compelling and provocative. A Good Neighborhood is super timely and I know this will be one that is talked about at length this coming year.

The novel delves into issues of young love, race, gender, family, identity, socioeconomic issues, community, and sexual consent. While the writing is complex it also kept me on the edge of my seating while reading it.

While this book was heavy with thought-provoking and important topics, it is completely readable and engaging. I found the narration told through the collective voice of the main character's neighbors was unique and nuanced. This way of storytelling lets the characters come through in a layered and multifaceted manner.

While some of the storylines were fairly predictable, it was so only because so much of what this fiction novel focuses around is all too relatable in today's real-world and polarizing political climate.

There were parts of this book that stood out to me more than others but all in all this book is not to be missed. The many complexities to the characters and storyline made this especially gripping and it would make an amazing book club discussion.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A relevant and thought provoking novel. Two families of different backgrounds live next to one another. A conflict spirals our of control and the portrait of injustice is heartbreaking.. the ending is powerful and will stay with you.

In a seemingly close-knit neighborhood in North Carolina, a widowed ecology professor, Valerie, is raising her biracial son, Xavier, in the house she bought years ago with her husband—before his sudden death devastated their family and left Xavier without his father. When new money Brad Whitman moves in next door, demolishing the existing home and yard to make way for his mansion, Valerie is less than thrilled. These two neighbors couldn't be more different and it's a struggle to continue living their lives while being good neighbors. The relationship between the two families becomes complicated…and explosive as tensions run high. review: I have conflicted feelings about this book and I'm still working on how I liked this one. Overall I think the book was well written, although the narration (the third person narration of "we" to signify the neighbors) was a bit confusing and unnecessary at times. This book is not fast paced, but a slow build literary fiction book surrounding the two families. It aims to tackle issues of racial relations but it took quite a while to get to that point and then it felt rushed. The last 20% of the book was good and I liked the ending, however much of the book left me wondering when something was going to happen. I didn't like the relationship Brad, the step-father, had with his stepdaughter Lily. It made me extremely uncomfortable and I'm not sure what value it added overall. If you like literary fiction like Ask Again, Yes, maybe give this one a shot. rating: 3 out of 5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this novel and thought about it long after I finished the last chapter. Well written with in-depth characters- the author touches upon a major problem we have in the world - social justice and black vs, white. Except for the father- the other characters are not always what they seem and have more depth and feelings than what they display to the world. It also plays on the old premise of how 1 decision or action can not only affect your own life but those around you.

Therese Anne Fowler has once again written a story that has captured my heart. Exploring social questions of life in the modern world. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for #aGoodNeighborhood

A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today—what does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?—as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.

This book was so hard to read and yet so important. It is a CLEAR illustration of how things are in society for African Americans, especially young African American males. It is gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and 100% possible. I sometimes had to book the book in another room to separate myself, but it is a good everyone should read.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

My first thoughts when starting this book was that it was going to be like Big Little Lies or Little Fires Everywhere. One day Valerie, a widowed single black woman and her son Xavier, observe the family next door has moved into the house that they’ve watched being built over the past several months. They are family made up of Brad, the entitled rich white HVAC company owner, his wife Julia, his stepdaughter Juniper and daughter Lily. All appears to be well until several things happen: Valerie sues Brad and the construction company for building without consideration of the large oak tree along the property line, and Juniper and Xavier begin secretly dating. Brad’s inappropriate feelings toward his stepdaughter are revealed and then the storyline spirals from there. While the events keep the reader interested, the collective ‘we’ narration thorough out the story is distracting and the overall outcome of the story is frustrating. I give this book 3/5 stars.