This book is riveting. At first, I didn't know what I was reading and it took me a few beats to fall in with the pace and rhythm of this story, but months after finishing it, I still think about the sinkhole. This strange, quirky novel is so much more than it promises to be at first glance, and I'm so glad for the experience of having read it. Langan, who is mostly known for writing horror, is stretching her wings and soaring with this one. I hope she explores more of this type of genre-defying, expectation-blowing literary fiction in the future.

A neighbourhood of eclectic characters, quite well rounded by the author, highlight many of the societal ills of humans today and still occurring in the year 2027, the time this story unfolds. The book was written well enough to keep me reading, especially as the true light in each of the characters begins to unfold. It began to lose me after the sinkhole event when suggestions of the supernatural come in. I would call this book a moderately good read especially of you like studies of human nature, personalities and the intrigue they provide.

I loved this book, because it was dishy and had serious "Desperate Housewives" vibes. It was compulsively readable. I loved the delightful, creepy Shirley Jackson mood of this book. It made for a great, fast-paced read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this book.

I personally would hate to live on Maple street with the "perfect people" no one in life is perfect which is what transpires after a sink hole is opened up and Shelley falls in,
You see what happens when people are put into stressful situations and how issues can become out of control.
This book is situated in the near future 2027 but could easily be happening today.

It is though provoking and intense, almost like a preview of where we will end up if life doesn't change

Good Neighbors is intense. In a good way. Langan has created a feeling of paranoia and suspense that permeates the entire book as we find out what really happened to the families on Maple Street. The book also delivers a commentary on so many things including mental health, trauma, mob mentality, family, prejudice and so much more. There are a lot of trigger warnings but the content, while powerfully portrayed, is not gratuitous.

I loved the format of the book. Chapters not only alternate from different POVs of the adults and children of Maple Street, but we also see the story from a reflective perspective with journalists POVs from the future scattered throughout the book. This format adds richness and also drives home the point that too often, news is presented through a biased lens.

There is a lot to unpack here, making this a great pick for a book club or buddy read.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Atria and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Pub: February 2021

This book drew me in from the get go. I had to keep reading to see what actually happened to turn an entire street against one family. Wonderfully written and so very chilling. The characters were amazingly done and the plot so unique. I loved the crazy mob-mentality of this story especially the overall craziness of Rhea.

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. I will recommend this to other readers.

Good Neighbours was quite an interesting read! Not quite like anything I've read before. It takes place in a typical suburban neighbourhood with plenty of neighbours and plenty of gossip.

It was truly a dark and twisted story that showed the dark side of human nature. An unimaginable occurrence happens when a large sinkhole appears at the park. It seems to take on a life of its own and devours anything that gets to close to it.

Relationships are put to the test and are examined under a microscope. Bonds are formed as lies are told and no one knows what to believe.

Definitely an interesting read! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Disappointing - I was hoping it would be more like Little fires everywhere but it was a weird thriller/mystery with elements of Stranger things and a very dysfunctional suburban neighborhood. The story just didn’t capture my interest - it was very disjointed and hard to connect with. This one wasn’t for me.

On a hot 4th of July the neighbors from Maple Street gather at their neighbourhood park for a celebration. All have been invited to share in the festivities except Arlo and Gertie
Wilde and their two children Julie and Larry. Arlo now a salesman was once a rock star with a few well known hits. Gertie now a real estate agent was once a beauty pageant queen. Julie is a preteen with an attitude but is very protective of her younger brother. Larry is quite intelligent but his social skills have not developed. He is known as “Robot Boy” by the other kids.
The family has been snubbed by Rhea Schroeder a community college professor and the self appointed Queen Bee of Maple Street. Fiercely guarding her own dark past Rhea initially welcomes Gertie and her family to the tight knit community. One alcohol fuelled evening, Rhea feels she has revealed too much of her past to Gertie. Rhea immediately goes into defense mode and begins to ostracize Gertie and family.
During the 4th of July celebrations a huge sinkhole opens up in the park.
Though dangerous the progress to fix the sinkhole is slow. One day after a strange sequence of events Rhea’s daughter Shelley falls into the sink hole. A huge search for Shelley begins. Though the fall is initially thought to be an accident Rhea starts a huge campaign against the Wilde’s blaming them for Shelley’s fall. Since the Wilde’s don’t fit into the typical suburban neighbor mould most of the other neighbors quickly join forces with Rhea.
GOOD NEIGHBORS is an engaging story. Throughout the novel newspaper articles from the future were included that featured different points of view of the events that took place on Maple Street. GOOD NEIGHBORS shows the darker side of human nature and the steps people will take to protect themselves when they perceive a threat to their way of life. Dark and suspenseful GOOD NEIGHBORS is a compelling read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an advanced ebook edition.

Disturbing - mostly because I can definitely see all of this happening in reality.

This was a slow start for me, but it had this really amazing kind of crescendo to it that really made the building tension feel so real.

I will say there were too many characters to keep track of. I get the point of it, but sometimes I was confused.

4.5 stars

A traumatic and disturbing look at how neighbours can turn on each other at the drop of a hat. It reminded me of a suburbia Lord of The Flies.

When Arlo, Gertie, and their two children Julia and Larry move into a house on Maple Street, neighbours are unhappy and judge the lower class family to not be “Maple Street worthy.” All but Rhea, who on the outside, looks like the perfect mother and wife, but secretly inside, feels disconnected and different from everyone else. She befriends Gertie, sensing her as an ally to her hidden feelings and believes her to be the only person in her life that truly understands and accepts her...until the night she has a little too much to drink and confesses some of her dark thoughts. Gertie opts to blow off Rhea’s ramblings. Chalks them up to Rhea being drunk, and never speaks of them again. This sets in motion a chain of events that leads to tragic outcomes, shocking revelations and unfathomable retaliations by seemingly normal people in an upper middle class neighbourhood.

Wowzers! This was an intense read. It had me gripped and peering at the prose from between my fingers. It was one of those stories whose characters’ decisions went from bad to worse. The reader sees the train wreck about to happen but is powerless to stop it. I cringed and cried as the story progressed. It was quite emotional in spots. It is told using 3rd person perspective but from different characters’ points of view. It also includes interviews and newspaper articles that allude to a gruesome outcome.

A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars


I picked this up because it was suggested as a read-alike to Big Little Lies and I can absolutely see why the two would be considered read-alikes. Early on in the book, you are told of a tragedy that happens to one family on Maple St and bit by bit, more information about the circumstances that lead to the tragedy are revealed. It isn't until late in the story that you are able to figure out which family suffers the tragedy and it is this slow telling that is the compelling part of the story.

Big Little Lies is one of my favourites and I appreciate that this book is aspiring to be similar. It doesn't quite get there, but I can applaud the attempt. The storyline related to the sink hole was hard to comprehend due in part to the strange descriptions surrounding it. It had a supernatural quality to it that didn't jive with the rest of the story. I think a little more time in editing would have tightened up this novel.

Well, that was an interesting ride. Good Neighbors focusses on a street full of families who spend their time looking out of their windows at the movement and actions of their neighbors and how word of mouth is not always the best way to live your life. Oh, and a massive sinkhole thrown in for good measure.

The first quarter of this book was a bit of a tough slough for me. Plenty of characters mixed in with some time jumping which is a personal turn off for me, but it must be said that as the book moved along, Langan handled it brilliantly. The jump cuts come in the form of magazine and book excerpts that catch up with those in the street looking back at the issues that shaped their lives.

The remainder of the book was a fast & furious quick read for me. A mixture of mental instability, a pregnant mothers love, fighting rumours about a former famous musicians actions, a missing child, a massive sinkhole, local bumbling police, a dead dog…safe to say a kitchen sink full of misfortune. Langan does a wonderful job of tightening her writing and keeping all those storylines tight and interesting. We slowly see the early teens of the street taking over the actions that their adult parents should have, but to this day have not, shown.

This is a novel full of love, shame, support & lack thereof. It’s a unique read yet it speaks to storylines that make a fantastic novel. The start of the book lessens my desire to tell you this is a must-read, but do add it to the middle of your top 10 of works to check out if you’re a heavy reader.

Good Neighbors was exactly what I was looking for in a crazy, wild and unexpected novel! There was a darker turn, which I won’t spoil for others but I really couldn’t put this book down! I felt so many emotions and am so glad I got to read this book!

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this books via netgalley!

Well this book will give you that creepy uncomfortable feeling for a while after you read it...how quickly can things get out of control when words are spoken from own person to another..without thinking of the consequences. A nice easy chilling read!

I did not love this book. I found out it very slow paced and I struggled to get through it. Stories about a group in a neighborhood just doesn't capture my interest.

I have to admit, I'm having a hard time writing a review for this book. I think if I were living in a neighborhood like this one, I would be moving. That's what made this book so interesting. These families are led by the ulimate bully. Who managed to get the whole neighbourhood to believe the lies that she fabricated against a new family that had moved into their neighbourhood.
For a whole neighbourhood to turn against one family, the way this bunch did was very disturbing. This behavoiur trickled down to their children--who also made up stories about this one family. Then tragedy struck. You will have to read on to find out what happened next. I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for allowing
me the chance to read this book. 3.5 out of 5.

Again I find myself with another unpopular opinion that I am now trying to control.

It hits the mark for an exciting unique entertainingly absurd and over-the-top well written POPULAR fiction page turner but misses the mark on any profound themes it might of tried manipulating readers into thinking might exist in this story. This is not the fault of the author. Sarah Langan did a good job of writing a thriller I just didn't like the idea of any profound themes taken from it and that affected how I felt about this one.

It was not for this over thinker and again one that fell victim to my overthinking it.

I would like to start out by saying thank you to @Netgalley and @simonandschuster for this eARC in exchange for an honest review
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During a record breaking hot summer on a picture perfect Long Island street, tensions begin to rise as a large sink hole forms in the middle of the neighborhood park and a child falls in. The child’s family needs someone to point the blame on, and who better than the misfit family that just moved in next door?
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I liked the idea behind Good Neighbors but the story fell a little flat for me. It seemed too slow paced and just didn’t grab my attention as well as it should have.

One of the things that did hold my attention though was the use of news articles and interviews throughout the book. They helped to keep the reader guessing as they hinted to what was yet to come in the story.

I found my opinion on the characters reversing as I got farther into the story. The ones I disliked at the beginning because the ones I was rotting for and the ones I liked at first were the ones I was hoping wouldn’t make it to the end.
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Overall it wasn’t a bad read, I just wish it had been sped up a bit.

Wasn't expecting to get sucked in (kind of like the spontaneous sinkhole of the story) to this uncanny neighborhood saga but I did. Happy to feature it in February’s edition of Novel Encounters, my monthly column rounding up the top new fiction titles for Zoomer magazine’s Books section.
To read the feature, click on the link.