Described as a psychological thriller, this one had more of a domestic suspense vibe to it. Five families live in a sleepy suburban Florida cul-de-sac. Everyone has secrets. Each home has access to a gun. The reader is immediately informed that a murder will take place. I liked that the author had me guessing until the end.i had several suspects in mind and my opinions changed as the book progressed. What I did not like were violent depictions of domestic violence, women who did not feel empowered, a teenage daughter who treated her mother like garbage and the many guns (and easy access to them). Thank you to @netgalley for the free e-copy of this e-book which was released last month on 8/10/21. #goodreads #netgalley #culdesac #bookreviewer #booksagrammer #booksandmrdarcy #withhernosestuckinabook❤️📚

I love Joy Fielding and this story reminded me of a better written Such A Quiet Place! Idyllic neighborhood, murder, what more could one want in a domestic suspense?

Cul-de-sac by Joy Fielding is full of so many secrets you really wonder how all of these characters ended up being neighbors! Someone dies, someone is the killer and as we hear the story from multiple points of view we have to guess who! Really enjoyed reading about all the different people and what they were hiding. A great summer read!

You never know what is really happening behind closed doors. Cul-de-sac shatters the expectation of the perfect neighbors in this tidy community. Every single one of these five families has something to hide but which secret life will end in tragedy? I was fascinated by the way Joy Fielding was able to flow from family to family as the truth was revealed. This one flowed so well that I didn't want to stop reading once I got started.

Five families each with secrets, each secret a bit darker than the other. Set in Florida it seeps into the bones of the story and culminates over Fourth of July weekend. Maggie and her family have escaped one threat to this new town, new start. What should be a fresh start only increases Maggie’s paranoia causing her husband to move out. Undeterred she continues her observations,which on one level bare out her suspicions.

Took me a bit to get into this. At first I found myself not really caring what happened to any of the characters but I stuck with it and I’m glad. Proves you don’t have to love the characters to love the story. Ms. Fielding is a master storyteller and this doesn’t disappoint.

I can still remember the first book I ever read by Joy Fielding back in the early 90s. It was See Jane Run. I loved it and instantly became a fan of Ms. Fielding. Her latest domestic thriller, CUL-DE-SAC, delivers a slow burn about the secrets people keep behind closed doors.
How well do you know your neighbors? For the 5 families living in the cul-de-sac on Carlyle Terrace in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the answer is not well at all. From the outside these appear to be the homes of some very normal, perhaps even boring, people. But you know the old saying: looks can be deceiving. The intro to the book lets you know something bad involving a gun is going to happen but not what. We then slowly get introduced to the residents of Carlyle Terrace, and while they may all seem normal on the outside, each home holds a secret. There are a lot of characters in this book and Ms. Fielding does a wonderful job of slowly doling out their secrets to keep the reader engaged. I repeatedly found myself reaching the end of a chapter only to say, ‘okay, just one more chapter’. And if that isn’t the sign of a well paced thriller, I don’t know what is.
Thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eArc of CUL-DE-SAC.

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Joy Fielding is an author I have never read before, and I feel like I have been missing out! This book is well-written with great diverse characters (both those you feel for and despise), all harboring secrets. This book kept me enthralled and interested, and I found myself investing in each character.

A shot rings out in the night, and one of the neighbors in a cul-de-sac is dead. Who is it, and who killed them? And why? Not only is the ending satisfying, but there is a perfect epilogue to the story as well.

Cul-de-Sac will be released on August 10th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

I requested this one from NetGalley quicker than a jackrabbit on a date. The story here is about a cul-de-sac (duh) and a shooting that occurs there one July night after a neighborhood block party. You’ll meet all of the players who live at the end of the street and get to snoop around in all of their closets for random skeletons while trying to figure out the whodunit.

Per my comment with my pal debra below, I’d call this a poor man’s Liane Moriarty. It contains the mystery and the neighbors behaving badly aspect of Big Little Lies, but it wasn’t quite as polished. It turns out Joy Fielding has written a poopton of books . . . but I had only read one of them prior to this. I’ll definitely be picking up more of her stuff in the future – especially if it has a house on it *wink wink*

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

What a fun quick read that was chock full of great characters and "cul-de'sac" life!
This was a great combination of neighborhood drama and mystery. There is a shooting after the local neighborhood block party, and we spend the tale finding out what is going on behind closed doors in each of 5 houses in this little nook of the neighborhood before finding out who done it.
I loved this one and devoured it - thankful for the ARC!

In this charming cul-de-sac neighborhood filled with families, young couples and the elderly, a gunshot rings out in the night, ending the life of one of these neighbors. We go back in the past and are presented with the families living in this cul-de-sac. Told through their POV's we find out each of them are dealing with family issues behind closed doors. Some have practiced their lies well and some continue to hide their secrets. But on that night someone has finally had enough and does something about it.

This is a slow build up of getting to know each of the neighbors, as each one is a suspect in the shooting. I didn't find it too difficult to keep track of what was going on with which character when there are so many involved. I like how the epilogue gave an update and conclusion with each family so there are no loose ends. Overall a good read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Very interesting novel of various families living in a cul-de -sac The story grips the reader from the very first chapter and never lets go. This is a very intriguing and riveting novel

Amazing insight into family relationships and written in an easy flowing style of writing that captivates the readers attention.

Marvelous read!

What an interesting great psychological drama of a read.
I really enjoyed reading about the drama ridden lives of the families that live throughout the five houses within the Cul-de-sac.
The Author did a great job in introducing you to the neighborhood without over explaining.
I think I enjoyed this book even more because I too live within a Cul-de-sac and I also loved the Rod Stewart "Maggie May" song reference.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine and the Author Joy Fielding for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Always a fan of Joy Fielding. Loved this book. A quiet neighborhood, lots of different neighbors, all with secrets. A murder, a who done it. Kept me hooked until the end!

Cul-de-sac is an excellent, twisty domestic drama perfect for fans of Desperate Housewives. Set in a quiet, upscale neighborhood, five families seemingly go about their lives when someone in the cul-de-sac is shot. The secrets each neighbor is harboring are slowly revealed and it becomes clear everyone had a motive to kill. The story is a slow-burning one with solid writing to keep readers hooked. Highly recommended!

3.5/5 Stars

This books starts at the ending and then gives you the backstory. A Cul-de-Sac with 5 families, all with different secrets and issues. Told in the voices of the owners this is a very fast, enjoyable, good vacation/beach read. The chapters are on the shorter side which made it harder for me to put down once fully vested.

Plot was good, but just soo many issues and some tough, unlikeable characters. Ending was as expected, with no great surprises. The writing style was enjoyable, pulling me in immediately. I look forward to reading this author again.

Thanks to Ms. Fielding, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone .

Joy Fielding has been one of my go to authors for many years.
This book was a wonderful read from start to finish.
Great character development as well as a good storyline that indeed kept my interest.
I would and will highly recommend this novel to family and friends.
Thank you, Joy. You’ve done it again!!!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I did not finish. I didn't like any of the characters and did not like the constant "f" word. Everyone that lives in this five house cul-de-sac have more problems than you can keep up with.

4 out of 5 stars. I found this novel captivating and well crafted. I will be checking out more novels from this author in the future.

Cul-de-sac is a domestic drama about families living in a seemingly picturesque street in Florida. There's Maggie, recently separated and living with her two children, Nick and Dani (respected doctors) and their two boys, elderly Julia and her grandson, Olivia and Sean, and newlyweds Heidi and Aiden (and his meddling mother). They all have secrets and, with multiple POVs, readers get to know each of them. All are multi-dimensional characters. Some I liked and others were downright awful.
We know at the very beginning that someone dies and almost everyone in the cul-de-sac owns a gun (or several), so it really could have been anyone. I wasn't really surprised by the ending, but thought it was fitting.
Really, I thought this was a good, fast-paced book that I enjoyed.