This was an engrossing domestic suspense story about what secrets hide beneath the seemingly perfect veneer of an upperclass neighborhood. The book starts with the disappearance of 5 year old Billy and is told primarily through the POVs of his mother Rachel, his babysitter Cassidy, and his neighbor Allison, with some additional chapters interspersed from various other neighbors.

The chapters are short and alternate between narrators, keeping the pace of the book fast. The author gives you many different potential villains and I had a hard time figuring out who committed the crime- I didn’t figure it out early (which I usually do!) and thought that the suspense and subtle clues were done really well. I didn’t especially like any character in this book, though I did feel that I could empathize with them, for the most part. The end of the book leaves another open question that kept me thinking about it after I finished reading.

Overall, fun read with a good mystery that is hard to figure out. I recommend this book to readers of the domestic suspense genre. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well told unique story that combines a mother’s worst nightmare, a babysitters worst fear and plot twists and turns that take you to the darkest of places. A suspended read that picks up from page one and doesn’t let go till the last page. Full of surprises and jaw dropping moments. This is one book you don’t want to miss.

This was the right book at the right time for me. Liz Alterman describes a “perfect” upper class CT neighborhood. The houses are big and the neighbors are competitive and catty. The actress wife of an aging rock star disappears and shortly thereafter a boy vanishes on his walk home from kindergarten. The neighborhood is thrown into a frenzy looking for the boy. Told from many viewpoints, including the missing wife, the boy’s babysitter and his mother, as well as other neighbors, the author reveals many secrets held by the inhabitants. No family seems to be truly “perfect” here. Though I solved the mystery of the disappearances before it was disclosed, I think Alterman did a nice job of maintaining suspense and eaving clues as well as red herrings. I recommend this and thank NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Wow another great thriller that had me guessing until the end. This story started a bit slow but I love how it is told from different perspectives. The plot moved along after establishing the characters and I was a bit shocked at the ending. As a parent myself my heart broke for the two families and I could feel the raw emotion. I will definitely recommend this story and give it 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy.

The author is clearly a talented writer, and the premise of the book and the feelings it conveyed were really well done, but the characters were painful and stupid at points.

Good page turner about a small suburban Jersey town where two young children go missing while being watched by the same babysitter. A small town where everyone knows everyone and which had seemed so safe. The reader is left guessing right until the end. A few good twists.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This is for sure a page turner that will keep you guessing until the very last page. I seriously thought I knew what was going to happen but boy was I wrong. I loved this book and can't wait to read more by this author.

One of the largest cadre of unlikeable, feckless and vapid characters I’ve encountered in a long time. This book had the potential to be really good……..the anguish, felt by the parents of the missing children, was palpable. This is the only reason I am giving even 2 stars. The decisions, made and acted upon, by so many of the characters, were beyond ludicrous. These people might have lived in a “perfect neighborhood,” but the “perfection” had nothing to do with the people. Even the police are inept. The end, I believe, is meant to be thought provoking, but I found it cryptic. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC ahead of publication.

So good! I have never read anything by Liz Alterman before, but I know I will be picking up more soon!
The book begins with a 5 year old boy, Billy, disappearing. The babysitter didn’t make it to his house in time, so we don’t know if he ever made it home. People start to speculate it’s the parents, but then another child disappears under Cassidys (the babysitters) watch.
This book will have you guessing,l, and keep you on your toes with all the neighborhood gossip.

Publication Date 7/12/22

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book.

The Perfect Neighborhood is a thriller that follows a group of people living in the same neighborhood after a child goes missing. The story is told from multiple points of view which I really enjoyed. Honestly, I love a good suburbia thriller and this one was a pretty enjoyable read once I got into it. I did feel like parts of the story dragged a bit and I did start losing interest. I found the second half of the book to be much more enjoyable than the beginning. Some parts of the story (the kindergartener walking home from school alone, reading and texting full sentences in kindergarten) bothered me a bit. I just felt like it was pretty unrealistic. I also found myself getting a little confused with all of the different points of view. While I generally really enjoy books told from multiple points of view, I did not enjoy every character in this particular novel and found that certain chapters would really pull me out of the story just because I wasn't interested in that character at all.

Aside from some of the issues I had with the details, overall the book wasn't bad. It would probably be a pretty good summer read when it is published in July. The Perfect Neighborhood is a pretty enjoyable, quick read if you are looking for some drama and mystery.

I had just about given up on the suburban mystery/thriller after reading too many that were repetitive and predictable when I was granted early access to “The Perfect Neighborhood” by Liz Alterman. I decided to give the genre one more try and I’m glad I did! Although the plot at first glance sounds familiar, (an affluent, picture perfect neighborhood is rocked to its core when a child goes missing), Alterman has a distinct voice that makes this novel stand out from the rest. She doesn’t belabor the description of the setting but rather lets the reader know exactly where they are with just a few details, such as the offhand comment about how, in this town, parents fill water bottles with alcohol to make it through trick or treating with their kids and then drive them to Honors Orchestra class and their reading tutor the following day. Instead of hitting the reader over the head with the town’s persona, she instead uses multiple points of view to dig deeper into the troubles and psyche of each highlighted character. I also appreciated the nuanced way Alterman demonstrated emotional abuse; not an easy task. Her utilization of similes elevates the narrative while providing humor. There are a few characters I wish I had a chance to hear from (Lexi and Phil) to offer additional perspectives, but I think Alterman wanted to keep the POVs streamlined. All in all, a fast paced, well written novel that kept me reading and guessing until the end. Well worth the read and a perfect summer novel to devour!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance copy.

Domestic thriller set in the wealthy suburb of Oak Hill, New Jersey, this book combined a missing person story with the problems and secrets of neighbors who gossip and struggle with their marriages and their children. It took me awhile to get into the story as it started as a monologue about the neighborhood and the type of people in it. Then it moved into a number of different narrators and it was difficult to tell them apart. There is Allison a movie star/model who has left her husband and moved in with her friend Viv, Rachel who has married an angry widower with a teenage son , Lindsey, another mother in the mix, Sara, a mother of three children, Cassidy, a teenager who is a babysitter. Each of these characters have relatives who are also mentioned and the author is to be credited with creating backstories for every one of these people including husbands, sisters, kids, parents.

The thriller part begins when a little boy Billy (son of Rachel) goes missing when Cassidy is supposed to be watching him.. I thought the mystery portions of the book were excellent, especially when a second child goes missing. At times, I was almost holding my breath wanting to find out what was going on. Unfortunately, the mystery kept disappearing for yet another backstory or story of Allison and Viv hanging out, Cassidy and her problems and descriptions of various neighbors like a crossing guard and young military veteran with PTSD. I thought the ending was good and fit with the general themes of the story. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher Crooked Land Books and Netgalley.

This is my first Liz Alterman book. It looks like she had one out earlier in the year and I missed it somehow. This book was very good and the story was built up nicely. It does start out a little slow so stick with it if you feel that it is not progressing rapidly enough for a thriller. It picks up nicely. Her characters are all well thought out and we get to know them well.

The town of Oak Hill has beautiful homes and successful people. Everyone has their problems though. An out of work artist, out of work model, step son and step mom dynamic etc. When 5 year old Billy goes missing, everyone is a suspect. Everyone has some sort of reason why they could either possibly be involved or could have done it, including the babysitter Cassidy (not a spoiler but everyone is a suspect).

I liked this one and recommend it to all mystery/thriller lovers! The ending wraps things up nicely and was unexpected.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. I love reading and giving honest reviews.

I enjoyed this book; The Perfect Neighborhood is, of course, not so perfect. When little Billy disappears while walking home from kindergarten, we suddenly find a plethora of potential suspects. Alterman creates a certain amount of tension which grows throughout the novel, and even though it is fairly easy to figure out who the culprit is rather early on, it's still hard to put the put down. Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. Maybe to many characters, took me a while to sort them out. Surprising ending. Kept me reading till I got to it. First time I have read a Lisa Altman book but I will be looking for more. Thank you for my copy.

This is one of those thrillers that just keeps on throwing you off the scent! In a small suburban town where most of the neighbors are friends, a 5-year-old goes missing on his walk home from school. Who is suspect? All these families tend to know and like each other; who would want to harm Billie? Told from differing perspectives, the novel addresses many issues: shaky marriages, teen hormones, jealousy, and popularity. This book will keep you reading but will also cause you to hug your young ones close as we never know what lurks around the corner--chilling but good!

The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

" who's more dangerous: The stranger who picks you up on a highway or the people in your neighborhood "

Thank you so much @lizalterman , @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for this absolutely phenomenal Ebook ARC copy !

You guys... YOU GUYS! ... another 5 star for the month of November.

This book was absolutely perfect... and Im tempted to rate it 6/5 stars. Because Im absolutely floored . I never thought Id have to change my rating scale, but this one may have reserved that spot for the BEST book I've ever read.

A cautionary tale that comes with pure heart ache and anguish for both parents who can relate; and those aren't yet parents who would do anything for the chance . This book made me hug my kids a little tighter. However, I clung to my tablet for the day as I just could NOT put it down, I felt I needed to relish on the days ahead with my children. This was an absolute emotionally gripping experience that I could not pin point the outcome for. Until around 93% it all clicked and I had it !

This emotionally charged drama filled thriller had a meek perfect neighborhood turning out to be everyones worst nightmare. I was in it for the long haul. Hands down ... pick this book up. Pre order it . Do whatever you need. If you read 1 book in 2022 . It NEEDS to be this one .

This story is told through five POV’s:. A lot of the story is told through the women remembering the past. This is a story about learning to appreciate what you have and being in the moment. It is also about the dark, ugly side of what appears to be perfect. A story that shows you that you don't really know your neighbors, only what they want you to know.

The author does an amazing job at making you feel the desperation, sadness, despair, guilt and fear of these women. Parts are very heavy and sad. The characters are complex and well written.

I absolutely loved this book. This book slowly unwinds its tale, carefully revealing secrets and uncovering lies. I was hooked! It is a very quick read and hard to put down.

This story is brilliant. It is haunting and heartbreaking. The author gives us all these wonderful suspects, and some great twists. There were so many puzzle pieces put in play that all came together in the end. And I love how this story ends!!! That is my kind of ending.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, or thrillers. I will definitely read more by this author.

Thank you Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

#NetGalley #ThePerfectNeighborhood

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I am beginning to lose track of the number of “perfect neighborhoods” popping up in stories recently. In the book, The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman, we have a “perfect” and beautiful utopian ideal of the suburbs where beautiful people have beautiful kids, and everyone owns a Labradoodle. It’s so safe that kids walk to school and movie stars move into town to get away from the hustle and bustle of NYC. The cult-like behavior of the residents of this perfect town tends to revolve around gossiping about their neighbors while making Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner. It’s a favorite pastime to verbally dissect each other. When the movie star leaves her rock star hubs, the gossip wags start going into overtime. Then a little kindergarten boy goes missing on his short walk from the school. Then everyone starts suspecting everyone else about their evil thoughts or deeds, and the town loses their sh*t when a second child goes missing. Lies, lies, and more lies are the foundation for this neighborhood. It’s a good thriller and a good premise. The book could have used some editing; for instance, 5-year-old kids can’t text on their phones because they typically can’t read or write yet in Kindergarten. But why quibble? I think this will be a big hit in July of 2022. #thriller #missingkids #suburbia #neighborhood #theperfectneighborhood #lizalterman @crookedlanebooks @netgalley
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Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book which was delightful.

#reading #books #bookstagram #book #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #mmdbookclub #idratherbereading #readinglife #fallreading #modernmrsdarcy #november 🦃

This was my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Such a great story and fast read. Highly recommend!!!