Wowza, what a book! Are you bad about gossiping, read this as a warning to stop! I loved this thrilling read, it had me completely hooked, was absolutely unputdownable, and riveting! Original, thrilling, chilling, and shocking! I found it to be realistic, but also a great warning against gossiping! The character development made the book even better, because I connected to each and needed to know how their story would play out! One heck of a thrill ride. I highly, highly recommend this unputdownable, riveting book, but clear schedules as I promise it’s unputdownable!
Will buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

This book was strange... and oddly compelling. Centered around a suburban neighborhood during a hot spell in summer, this was an interesting mix of characters. It was so over the top and encompassed enhanced caricatures of the people found in cul-de-sacs. Add a sink hole, mysteries, and many side plots and you’ve got one interesting, unique read. The only way I can sum this one up is... strange. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Suburban gossip gone way, way wrong.

The writing in Good Neighbors was very well done. Having said that, the only thing that kept me reading this story was the beautifully done foreshadowing. Sarah Langan interspersed these amazing articles and interviews throughout the story, which constantly alluded to the historic "Maple Street Murders." I had to know how it ended; who died...and how. Without those juicy little glimpses into the future, I'm not sure I would have rated this book nearly as well.

Never, in the thirty-seven years I've been reading, have I come across such lying, deluded, disgusting, and totally self-absorbed characters. They were nothing but a bunch of gossiping, brainless sheep, and they nearly ruined the book for me. I don't mind unlikeable characters, but this was overload. Add to that a horrifying dog death in the first few pages, and I was ready to step away.

The sinkhole thread, to me, was unnecessary, added nothing, and bogged down the story. The conclusion was depressing.

Regardless, I do think this is going to be a very popular 2021 book, and I can see from the reviews it has so far, that I'm in the minority on this one. So, if the synopsis appeals to you, definitely give it a chance. For me, I would definitely be willing to read more from this author, but this particular story wasn't a favorite.

3.5 stars
Available April 7, 2021

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for my review copy.

This is a story about neighborhood drama, and what can happen when a lower-class family joins the street. A sinkhole erupts in the middle of the neighborhood, and the death of a child (and a dog) rips the area apart. I read mostly thrillers, but this one didn’t really grab me. I don’t have a lot of experience with sinkholes, and felt like a lot of the book focused on that. A dog died at the very beginning, and as a dog lover, maybe that just changed my mindset about the book from the get-go. I did finish the book, but didn’t really identify with any of the characters. Overall, it was just okay for me.

This was an interesting read. I did a lot of speculating and guessing. It has a wonderful storyline and riveting characters.

Arlo (an ex rocker) and his pregnant wife Gertie (a retired beauty queen) along with their children Julia and Larry, buy their first house on Maple Street on Long Island, they are finally putting there past lives behind them. They are excited to own there very first home and be a part of such a good neighborhood, filled with good neighbors, but they weren’t. As the very hot summer of 2027 progresses a sink hole appears in the nearby park oozing not only tar and poisonous gases into the atmosphere, but also into the hearts of the Maple Street neighborhood. When a neighborhood girl disappears into the sink hole, horrible accusations are directed at Arlo. With their odd family and Brooklyn accents, everyone soon jumps on the bandwagon, willing to believe the worst. It takes a risky act of bravery that finally brings the secrets of this neighborhood out into the open. With a sense of foreboding throughout, this was an extremely dark and gloomy tale from start to finish. While this book was very well written, the content of this story was just too depressing for me!

The Monsters Are Out On Maple Street, people (Twilght Zone reference)! And the ecological breakdown isn't helping. I found this one to be quite the page-turner and really, it's because as I was reading there was a whole lot of "Oh, no." and "What?!" as read along. All good things and I'm glad to have got to read this one. I don't want to give spoilers but this was a good read and I recommend it. I'd read another by Langan.

Many thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the Advance Reader's Copy.

What a vivid imagination! Sarah Langan has tiptoed into our painfully ugly not-too-future and put us in the middle of this tight-knit, err, tightly wound neighborhood. As the earth’s environment is slowly giving up the ghost, a new family moves into Maple Street, consisting of Arlo Wilde, a has-been rock star hollow shell of a man who actually deeply loves his family, his ex-beauty queen exploited sexual survivor wife, and their two children, autistic son Larry and spitfire daughter Julie. Absolutely nothing about this family is normal except their love and devotion for one other.
Meanwhile, they’re surrounded by families who put up the façade of close-knit, loving, healthy American families while behind the scenes these are the true hollow shells of humanity.
Sinkholes are a common problem in Long Island so it’s no shock when an ugly one opens up in the middle of the neighborhood park. The black tarry mess that exudes out of the hole slowly creeps across the streets and sidewalks, into the dry and brittle yards, almost a precursor to the ill will that’s seeping into the hearts and minds of the neighbors as they try to accept the non-conforming new Wilde family.
As the temperatures rise, so do the emotions of the neighbors, beginning with a fight between two kids- Jody Wilde and her new best friend Shelly. From here it’s a quick and painful roller coaster ride to the point of no return.
Ms. Langan’s writing style is different and refreshing, a bold step out of the norm that grabbed my interest and refused to let go. Her characters are terribly unstable but all too believable to ignore. The plot, well, it’s hard to describe. There’s nothing to learn here but it would be a shame if you didn’t pick up some major life lessons anyway. Envy, greed, jealousy, and yet compassion and forgiveness are all practiced on Maple Street.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The release date is February 2, 2021.

OH. MY. GOODNESS!! This may be my new favorite book of the year... Sarah Langan has done a magnificent job capturing the ethos of the modern world. Her Maple Street is a microcosm of all that is wrong with our culture - as well as a highlight of the shining bits of right that gleam out like a beacon in the dark. There are so many fabulous things about this story: the characters, the plot, and the pacing are all spot-on, as is the feel of the narrative. The story flows beautifully, with tension building on every page. It's a morality tale that feels like a campfire story - you can't wait to hear what's next, even though you know it's likely to be another in the long parade of horribles that trigger one another like dominos... Langan has done a masterful job here and I cannot wait to try more of her work!

Oh, how I love Good Neighbors. This book to me is so timely in an age when people curate picture perfect lives on social media and all the while you just know the most perfect looking on the outside are covering up a big old mess in real life. Sarah Langan's amazing novel blows the cover off that ideal veneer.

The story takes place on Maple Street - a suburban utopia where neighbors keep their yards pristine, host Garden & Gun-worthy backyard BBQs, the kids play soccer and get into Ivy League colleges.

Everything focuses on next door neighbors who couldn't be more different - seemingly. On one side, the Guthrie family - patriarch Arlo is a washed up, former heroin-addicted rock star who moves his family to Maple Street for a fresh start. His former beauty pageant queen life is hiding a turbulent and poverty ridden past and working hard to give her kids the life she didn't have. They're trying. They're not perfect. But they own it. Their lawn isn't always pristine, sometimes it's strewn with toys or a Slip N Slide, sometimes they eat fast food (the horror) for dinner.

Next door is the Schroeder family, led by type A matriarch Rhea. She's the leader of the Maple Street wives clique - and she's set her sights on ostracizing Gertie Guthrie because she doesn't quite fit the mold. From the outside, the Schroeder family looks like an American dream. The kids get good grades, excel in athletics -- and in everything they do. Inside, things are dark and Rhea has an ugly secret.

The tension between the families and the block accelerates when a giant sinkhole opens up in the middle of the street, swallowing up earth, pets -- and one of the children. Relationships unravel, accusations are made and this is where the story turns into a bit of a mystery.

The book is told from most Rhea and Gertie's point of view, but it also includes the perspective of the kids. Sarah's ability to get inside the mindset of the children and how they view the behavior of the adults is really fascinating. And really, the kids prove to be the moral compass and heroes of Maple Street.

I can't wait to recommend this to EVERYONE when it comes out! I feel like Reese Witherspoon is going to scoop up the rights and make this into an HBO miniseries, too. Thank you #netgalley for the ARC. I loved this!

This book, which largely takes place on a single street on Long Island, NY, over the course of a summer, is somehow dense with plot and also rich with character insight. It all starts with a sinkhole -- and then a tragedy that sets a ripple effect across the entire street, sending with it rumors, insecurity, and hate.

There are so many families and so many different characters that, at times, it was a little tough to keep them distinct. But the book largely focuses on two families: the Shroeders (Rhea, Fitz, and their kids at home: FJ, Shelly, and Ella - essentially the picture-perfect family) and the Wildes (Arlo, Gertie, Julia and Larry - transplants from Brooklyn who are well-intentioned but rough around the edges). Initially, Rhea takes Gertie and the Wildes under her wing, and the rest of the block follows her influence. But around the time of the accident, something shifts, and the friendship that once existed becomes far from it. Instead, we watch each of the families unravel -- but while we do, we learn so much about each individual: Rhea's relationship with her father, Gertie's troubled childhood, Arlo's brush with fame, and all the children who are innocent, perceptive, and carry their own baggage.

I don't want to share anything about the plot, but I will say that toward the end it seemed to get a bit unrealistic with all the horrible things befalling a single family. Nonetheless, I was compelledto continue reading and felt the book steadily picked up traction from the very first page. My favorite part was getting a look at the inner monologue of so many characters and seeing there's so much more than what people perceive them to be. The most powerful message from the book to me was the idea that so few are leaders and so many people are followers -- it was both infuriating and depressing to see how quickly the other neighbors fell in line without thinking for themselves and how willing people were to be bystanders when they saw bad things happening. A true commentary on all people!

I think this would be a little more lighthearted, but overall enjoyed it! Chapters were relatively quickly and it was a nice read. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

Wow, if the people of Maple Street are considered "good" neighbors, my half-hearted attempts at camaraderie must make me a saint. We're entering the seedy underbelly of suburbia here, folks. Don't let the shiny cars and perfect teeth fool you; it's all just a veneer to hide some very dark secrets.

Good Neighbors is the story of two families; the Schroeders, and recent arrivals to Maple Street, the appropriately-named Wildes. Matriarch Rhea Schroeder is a highly-educated woman, incredibly respected in her neighborhood. Ex-pageant queen Gertie Wilde is the complete opposite; a little rough around the edges, not overtly smart, but kind and sweet. Then there is Arlo Wilde, a has-been rockstar with a difficult, and very public history. The Schroeder and Wilde families form an unlikely bond. However, as Maple Street literally begins to crack, so too does the relationship between the families. And after a devastating incident, Maple Street turns into a passive-aggressive (and sometimes downright aggressive) battlefield.

As a huge Twilight Zone fan, I appreciated that all the action took place on Maple Street, and the myriad parallels one can draw between Good Neighbors, and Rod Serling's classic sci-fi offering, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. But make no mistake, Good Neighbors is far more horrifying than any work of fantasy. These are real people, "good" people, committing unthinkable atrocities, based on nothing other than fear.

There are so many twists in this book; I found it absolutely compelling. The resident of Maple Street are so unhinged, it is almost impossible to predict what is going to happen next. It is such a fantastic and enjoying commentary on how people can just get "swept along", and convince themselves to believe in a piece of damaging gossip. I also loved the relationship between the children of Maple Street. As is often the case, sons and daughters have a lot more sense than their parents. These genuine friendships reminded me of Stephen King's IT, and Stand By Me.

I also loved how the narrative was interspersed with news articles, retrospective interviews from the future, and sections of books written about the Maple Street Massacre. The action does not let up for one second.

I don't read a lot of books like Good Neighbors. I guess it might be labeled a "domestic thriller". However, Sarah Langan's work is absolutely up to the high standards of Gillian Flynn and Liane Moriarty. Compelling, devastating, and clever, Good Neighbors will have you questioning just how much you know about the people who live next door.

Subtle thriller. Much like this year's hit novel Leave the World Behind, Good Neighbors' atmosphere pulses through the same eerie vein. Langan's success in Neighbors is not of the typical variety for a couple of reasons:

• Futuristic Setting: Good Neighbors is a global warming Trojan horse. The construction of such a believable future isn't stuffed with Musk's techno-toys but instead with sinkholes, heatwaves and constant air pollution -- A warning so understated you forget this takes place in the future altogether.
• Schroeder's mental deterioration: Rhea's swift, total and tragic demise is one of the best depictions of a psychotic collapse I've ever read. Most thrillers save all the ammunition for the final turn. Langan instead reveals Rhea's past, moods, mental dialogue in moderation, letting readers be transfixed her twist of character in the last half of the book.

A dark twisty tale of suburbia and the fact that you never really know who your neighbors are. On a hot July day when a sinkhole opens on Maple Street, the neighborhood is thrown into chaos when one of the neighborhood children disappears down it. Accusations are made, and the impending drama that follows is intense to say the least. An interesting read, and I definitely wanted to see how it would all turn out, but I can't say that all's well that ends well. At least not in this book. Highly recommend but beware - it is disturbing.

I was provided an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Good Neighbors takes place in the not so distant future. It centers on Maple Street, a crescent shaped street in Garden City Long Island. There we meet many families living the suburban dream. At the crux of the story are two of the families - the Wildes and the Schroeders. The Wildes have not lived on Maple St long. They moved there from Brooklyn to give their children a better life. Arlo Wilde is a former heroin junkie rock star and his wife, Gertie, was a model. They struggle to fit in, but Gertie feels she has made a friend in Rhea Schroeder. So imagine their surprise when on the fourth of July there is a neighborhood party and they are not invited. Thinking this must be an oversight they head to the party anyway. From there things completely start to unravel on Maple Street because a sinkhole opens up in the middle of the neighborhood park. When one of the Rhea's children, Shelly, falls into the hole the neighborhood starts taking signs and casting blame.

Told through the Wilde and Schroeder family the reader sees what has happened during this record setting heat summer. Interspersed are news articles from 25 years later because this street's events become national news. This story was one of mob mentality and how easily people are persuaded to believe the worst about someone they do not know. And of course how none of really know the people we live next door to even if we think we do.

This was a fast, engaging read. I liked the news articles in between chapters giving us a glimpse into what the other neighbors were thinking. It was an interesting plot with good character development. A great pick for anyone who enjoyed Big Little Lies or Little Fires Everywhere.

Maple Street is a picture perfect street in Garden City Long Island. But when a sink hole opens during the 4th of July party, and swallows one of the children a few days later, all hell breaks loose. Rhea, the streets Queen Bee, is convinced that Shelly was running from their neighbor Arlo, and tells the entire town he was raping her. Meanwhile, Shelly died carrying a secret her mother certainly doesn’t want anyone to find out. Over the next weeks everyone turns on the family that just doesn’t seem to fit in, but are they hiding their own truths with their accusations?

You all know I love adults behaving badly. Well let me tell you, I hated almost every single adult in this book with a passion. I even hated some of the kids at times, but at the end of the day they were just repeating what the adults said. This one had me flipping as fast as I could to find out what was going to happen on Maple Street. So many lies, so much deception, so much gossip and drama, and so much accusation. This was high school (minus the murder/sink holes) for adults and I for one was a huge fan.

Former beauty pageant and current mom, Gertie, notices something has shifted in her friendship with neighborhood friend Rhea, a professor, when Gertie is intentionally not invited to the neighborhood picnic. Gertie shows up anyways and disaster strikes the suburban street when a sinkhole opens up and swallows a neighbor’s dog. Things go from bad to worse. As the rivalry between Gertie and Rhea amp up so do the war of words and fisticuffs between the rat pack, the group of neighborhood kids that run wild in the streets. Things take a turn for the worse when Rhea’s daughter, Shelly, falls into the sinkhole. Let the blame game begin.

There’s a lot going on in the book in terms of plot and theme: climate change, suspense, mystery, drama, secrets, and also a lot happening with the form of the novel that moves from traditional narrative to excerpts of fictitious magazine and newspaper articles, interviews, websites, books and more. But I happily rolled with it and found the book a quick and entertaining read. It’s a book that begs the questions, how much should a neighborhood be responsible for looking out for one another? And what happens when you turn a blind eye to the people sharing your same street? This is definitely not your fluffy suburban novel; it has a lot more grit and gravitas than you might expect.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Review Copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Oof, I loved this so much! A witty and chilling look at the secrets your neighbors hide and how far they are willing to go to keep up appearances. This one will stick with me. Reminded me of an even darker Big Little Lies.

thanks to atria books for the advance review copy!

one of my favorite types of books is suburban drama, and when a book is compared to something like <i>little fires everywhere</i> i immediately snatch it up. unfortunately, <i>good neighbors</i> didn’t quite live up to that comparison—but i did enjoy reading it.

this was my first experience with sarah langan’s writing, and one thing i quite enjoyed was her handling of “quirky” characters without letting them get out of hand. these folks are unique and set apart from one another, but not ridiculously so.

for the first half or so of the book i was really enthralled, but i found myself losing steam. i kept getting frustrated with the adult characters—i get it, this is a commentary on societal pressures and suburban life, et cetera—for being so fucking stupid. it got to the point i was actively rolling my eyes, and kinda waiting for the story to end.

overall, this is a sharply written novel with lots to say on climate, and social norms, and grief. i just wasn’t totally in love.

This book was absolutely enthralling.
I spent most of the book trying to figure out what the next twist was, but was never correct. I felt as though the writing was very similar to JoJo Moyes , Lisa Jewell, or Liane Moriarty in both its complexity and its depth. The story follows the issues surrounding a giant sinkhole that appears in the middle of a suburban park and how it affects the families who live in the surrounding area.
It was a wonderful look at the psyche of people in modern America, although it takes place in the not-so-distant future. Inevitably, tragedy occurs, but Langan does a masterful job of making the villains in the book appear as human as possible and makes us realize that there is a monster inside of many of us. Whether or not we allow that monster to win, is a different story. Stunning.

This e-book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.