The book could have been fine if it was not packaged and sold to be something else. When you build all this expectations, it is important to deliver it. This book is categorized under the mystery and thrillers and it is described as gripping, an absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller. Instead it is a family drama with a bit of crime action on the side and many underdeveloped characters. There is no suspense and the amateur mystery at the most. So absolutely unputdownable? What an exaggeration. I actually skipped pages just to get to something happening because the book is extremely slow and does not reveal anything that a reader does not already know or can guess.

It takes 40% of the book to get to the point where the girl holds the sign HELP ME in the window that is mentioned in the book description (!). The fact that we read from the girl's perspective every chapter we also know from the start what exactly is happening to her. So there is no real mystery, no suspense, and nothing to be revealed here. Instead we read about Beth's unpacking, her neighbor party and the book club, long discussions of who invite and whether they will come, and the interactions with her family members that are not very interesting and add nothing to the suspense of the so called thriller. The only mystery is the faith of Keith's first wife but after being introduced to a number of vague characters, why would a reader care about another superficially developed one and so close to the end?

Even though the girl in the window is written from the first point of view, she is not developed in the way that I felt her pain or desperation. There was a lot of description but it didn't tug my heart. I felt sympathy and sadness about her situation because of the descriptions but not much more. To me the real protagonist is actually Beth who is written in the third point of view who is slightly more developed and playing an amateur detective.

The description of the book is also misleading. It says that Beth wants to become friends with her neighbor Oksana, Oksana is such a vague and undeveloped character that both women exchange barely a few words at the most, so there was no hint of a budding relationship throughout the book. A perfect neighbor? I am not sure. Nothing about Oksana seemed "perfect" unless you refer to her looks - she was such a standout in the community and most neighbors were either intimidated by her or didn't know what to think of her or didn't even know she existed. The interactions were very brief so if anything, the title should have been "A perfectly looking neighbor" instead. The author could have painted her as a friendly and very likeably neighbor who was completely opposite behind the closed doors. That could actually have created the suspense.

Overall the villains were left completely undeveloped but they were probably the most intriguing pair. What a missed opportunity! Who cares about the human slavery if we cannot understand beyond its definition. What is driving such wealthy people to have an unpaid cleaner/ housekeeper/slave? What is driving such cruelty if there is no sexual element involved? Also, how come Keith, a British national, was fluent in Russian? Not the easiest language to learn. What was his story / background?

There are a lot of human trafficking survivors whose stories could have made this book more powerful but it doesn't seem that the author made a lot of research. I recently came across the English translation of "The Confession from a Harem : the true story of a Belgrade girl", the story that touched the bottom of my heart and that warns young girls off from the dangers of foreign jobs. I find it irresponsible for the author to touch such a serious topic so off handedly.

Lastly, a minor comment that the plot would have been more unique and interesting if the villain was Bulgarian and the girl was Russian. The stereotype of a Russian villain is such a cliché and is getting boringly old.

Thanks Netgalley for a free copy in exchange of the honest review.

I loved how this book started off with a bang and the fact the format was from two different points of view. First we have Sophia, a maid of sorts to the creepy Oksana and her husband. I felt so bad for Sophia as she is basically enslaved by these people.

Then we have Beth. She is new to the neighbourhood and just wants to get to know her neighbours and make some new friends...then she sees a girl in the window next door, she is holding a sign that reads "help me". And there begins Beth's journey to discovering what her neighbours are hiding.

Oh my gosh! This book sucked me in right away and never let me go. It was So intense at times I was literally holding my breath in anticipation. Sophia had such strength to go through all that she did and yet she still held onto hope of getting out of her situation. She didn't come off a feeling sorry for herself and I also loved that Beth wouldn't give up either. She trusted her instincts.

At 207 pages this is a mighty short book but I liked that because it certainly helped with the tension and was to the point without adding any fluff...just great storytelling. This author has four other books in her repertoire and I look forward to reading those in the future.

Well this was interesting, what a unique plot - haven't read anything like this before. It was an easy read, completed in one session as wanted to know how it ended. I have a few questions which weren't answered in the end - but not a big deal.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Good book! Wow what a crazy story! And I'm sure it probably does happen in real life all the time! It was a very chilling story! Thank goodness someone stepped in! This book had suspense,intrigue, and some very cruel people! I definitely recommend reading this book! It was a heart wrenching story and a very good one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Beth and her family have moved from London to a nice neighborhood in the suburbs where, but is finding it difficult to make friends. She has no job and decides to get a dog for company. One day her dog escapes into her secretive neighbors' garden and there's a young girl in the window with a sign asking for help. She goes to the police, but they can't do anything without solid proof.
The story is told from both Beth's and Sofia's p.o.v and we know that Sofia is being held captive, working about fifteen hours per day, without pay, access to other people, food or the outside. She's a prisoner.
I liked both characters and felt terribly sorry for Sofia. The story is very tense, the efforts Sofia makes to free herself had me on the edge of my seat. The end was uplifting though and I was very impressed with the involvement of the Salvation Army and their efforts to help people who are trafficked and treated worse than animals.
I've now read 4 of Susanna Beard's books and enjoyed every one of them. Definitely recommended!

This was FANTASTIC. The author did a remarkable job at getting me, the reader to eat up every single chapter , wanting more and more with each turn of the page. This was a chilling story about what goes on behind closed doors that we may never know about because outward appearances are not always what they seem. I was very eager to finish because I NEEDED to know how things resolved. There were great twists and turns and it was challenging to figure out! Just the way I like it! Bravo!!

I received an advance copy of, The Perfect Neighbor, by Susanna Beard. Wow, this book. Poor Sofia, kidnapped and trapped, her neighbor Beth tries to help, but nobody listens. This is a great book.

The Perfect Neighbour by Susanna Heard
Beth and her husband Adam move away from their home in London and into a large home in the suburbs. Adam is at work and their two teenage children busy with school and making new friends.
Meanwhile at the large house situated behind the fence at the bottom of the garden is a girl called Sofia who spends her days cleaning and her nights locked up in a tiny room.
A great novel full of suspense and intrigue , with characters that you can identify with.

Starts off well,building up the tension,then hits a point that pushes it up higher.
That's where it peaked for me,as the ending seemed a bit simple.
Enjoyable.

This book is an amazing thriller. I wasn’t sure what to expect but was not disappointed. It was fast paced through the entire text. The ending also was amazing.

I started reading The Perfect Neighbour and could not put it down until the very end. What an amazing psychological thriller.

The Perfect Neighbour is about Beth wanting to love her new home and wishing she could make friends with her neighbor Oksana. However, things are not as they seem and when she stumbles into her yard she is shocked to notices a girl in the window and these words - Help Me

A great storyline that is captivating and well-crafted characters make this one of my favorite thrillers. Can’t wait to read more from this author.