Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this gripping thriller, The Perfect Neighborhood. Told from alternating perspectives, the people in an idyllic New Jersey suburb are faced with the devastating news that not one but two of their children have gone missing. As the police scramble for new leads, we learn that everyone has secrets to hide... so who can we trust? This will have you on the edge of your seat as you shift your suspicions from the seemingly innocent babysitter to the detached and guilt ridden parents to the neighbor who has recently come home from battle with PTSD. Five stars for this suspenseful story that will keep you guessing until the very end!

A thriller told in alternating voice about Billy, a young boy who goes missing walking g home from school one day. Secrets and mysteries come to life as the story enfold. A page turner that kept me entertained for hours.

A child disappears while walking home. His babysitter is blamed because she was late.

Suspenseful! Switches POV often. About 3/4 of the way in, I suspected the person responsible but couldn’t figure out HOW, until the end. Good clues, however I’d like more explanations.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books.

I could not put this book down. I happily ended up late to work, stayed up late and woke up early, just to get more. It’s thrilling in all the right ways. Oak Hills is the perfect suburban neighborhood. Alterman explodes the perfection of the town, using a tragedy to be able to dive into the imperfection we all can’t see. The disappearance of the children is terrifyingly easy to see happen to oneself and is a parent’s nightmare. I easily give this one 4.5 stars (I give 5s to life altering books) and am very grateful to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I highly recommend this one!

This was a really great thriller set in suburbia. You think life looks perfect but everyone is dealing with something that you do not know about.

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.

The Perfect Neighborhood
A Novel
by Liz Alterman
When actress and model Allison Langley leaves her former rockstar husband, Christopher, in the middle of the night, it’s all her Oak Hill neighbors can talk about. The gossip comes to an abrupt halt when five-year-old Billy Barnes goes missing on his walk home from kindergarten.

Billy’s mother, Rachel, blames herself for being at work and letting her only child walk alone. Cassidy, Billy’s teenage babysitter, was also late to arrive on the afternoon he disappeared and blames herself for his disappearance.

As the clock ticks down, police are unable to find any trace of Billy, forcing Rachel to ponder the enemies she’s made in their well-off suburb. Could it be one of her neighbors who stole her son? Would they abduct Billy to hurt her? How easy would it be to take a child while the parents or nannies are distracted?

When another child goes missing, the town is put under a microscope as the police try to get to the bottom of the disappearances. Will they be able to find the two children, or will it be too late? What secrets lie at the heart of this tragedy, and how far will one go to keep those dangerous secrets buried?


I enjoyed this book very much. I kept reading until my alarm rang to get up. I could not find too many people I would want to know. So catty and gossip running amuck. I FINALLY figured out the who, and even that was shocking.

This was a great “who done it”! Rich, dimensional characters drive the tale of an idyllic neighborhood, filled with families and kiddos and heartbreak. Former rockstar Chris and his beautiful actress wife Alison settle in and hope to start a family, but miscarriage after miscarriage tarnish their shiny life. Alison, at her wits end and heartbroken, leaves Chris and the suburbs behind, escapes to New York to start a new life. Then a child goes missing in her old neighborhood. So many twists, turns and red herrings! An engaging well crafted plot makes this a quick read and delivers an ending you won’t see coming!

A dark neighborhood mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. Alterman weaves four strands together deftly, keeping you guessing until the very end.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Crooked Lane Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This whodunnit kept me guessing.

How well do you think you know your neighbors? Well let me tell you, after reading this one you will be side-eyeing every single one 👀

The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman is a suspenseful thriller that centers around the kidnapping of a 5-year-old on his way home from school in an affluent suburban small town. The story is told in the alternating perspectives of several women which at times felt confusing, but once I connected everything it was smooth sailing. I felt the ending was a bit predictable, but I still very much enjoyed how the author spun twists and turns trying to throw me off the scent. I honestly didn’t have a firm idea of who it was until about 70%, so that’s pretty good (for me at least!)

As a mom to a kindergartner, I’m going to give this one a 3.5 because I could not get passed the fact that I’m supposed to believe a 5-year old walked home alone from school and could read and write text messages. THAT SAID, Im rounding up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it definitely delivered the binge-factor which I so love.

I enjoyed this book. I can usually figure out “who done it” rather quickly, but this one has me guessing until the end. Love those kinds of books. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that likes a good mystery.

The Perfect Neighborhood was recommended by a fellow reader. It started 9ff good and hooked me immediately. After about 50% through it started to drag. I skimmed the next 40% just to see what happened. Unnecessary information filled many pages. I did read the last bit because I did want to know who the guilty party was.

Liz Alterman’s Perfect Neighborhood is a haunting tale of modern suburbia. Gone are the carpools and family bbqs only to be replaced with secret affairs and backstabbing friends. This book will remind you it’s a cold world out there so cuddle up with the ones you love.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this arc. This was an enjoyable read. There were so many characters I didn't get them all straight until about 40% in and the women all sounded the same. The story was good and I should have seen the end coming but I didn't!
The 'epilogue" was odd, especially the final part, which made no sense to me.

Overall, the book is written well, it's a good read if you like a suspense thriller with many points of view. The ending was pretty predictable but it left many unanswered questions especially involving the perfect couple. The main thing that got me over and over again is who gives a five-year-old a cell phone and what kid that age can text and read full sentence that threw me off completely. This book shows you no couple is perfect. I didn't care for the wife that left in this. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone. The ending did seem a little rushed to be finished. I did like how one of the narrators came around and overcame the trap and hold someone can have on you. Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall the book was good. I enjoy the plot and the majority of the book. The ending was a disappointment due to many gaps and I felt it left too many unanswered questions. Felt as though it was rushed to finish…many details omitted. Also throughout the book, there were many things that should have been research more thoroughly like a 5-6 kindergarten child cannot read/write and text. Many thing like that may you think and take away from the story. First time author, lack of proper editing? I don’t know but definitely could have been written better making the story more believable in many ways. I could say more but don’t want to add spoilers.

Thank you for allowing me to read this advance copy. This is a really good one! Very well written with.great character development. Highly recommend for psychological thriller fans. I've left positive feedback on Goodreads. Thanks again to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books.

A five year old boy goes missing and his babysitter was late to be there for him leading to a good story. This book is told by the women involved and is very well put together. I got carried along with the storyline and felt the characters were realistic and believable. this is every mothers nightmare and you were easily able to feel Rachel's pain and then again with what happens towards the end of the book. I do have to say that I did guess the culprit due to a process of elimination but still found the book very enjoyable.

A thriller told in alternating voice about Billy, a I oung boy who goes missing walking g home from school one day. Secrets and mysteries come to life as the story enfold. A pageturner that kept me entertained for hours.