What a fantastic read! A Perfect Neighborhood is a compelling trip through secret-laced suburbia.
No one truly knows what happens behind closed doors, even in what appears to be a close knit community. So when a child goes missing, the gossip mill churns and Oak Hill neighbors speculate what could have happened. It doesn't help that five-year-old Billy disappeared partially due to the fact that his teenage babysitter was running late that day; and there were already rumors flying since actress/model Allison left her former rockstar husband in the middle of the night. Police are unable to find any trace of Billy. His distraught mother, blaming herself, begins to wonder whether her neighbors could be capable of abducting and harming her son, especially those she's on poor terms with. The tension ramps up even further when a second child goes missing and the chance of discovering both children unharmed drops with every passing moment.
Alterman has created a gripping page-turner that explores the dark underbelly of sunny suburbia and what can happen among neighbors who thought they knew each other, as a parent's worst nightmare unfolds. The twists were perfectly timed, yet unexpected. I didn't guess the end result, but was gratified to find all the pieces fell into place. I look forward to reading whatever this author writes next!

For a book stuffed with clichés and stereotypes, I really enjoyed this story of one run away wife and two missing children in an idyllic small town. The book really shouldn't work for me but somehow it does. With the multiple points of view and little things that crop up during the story, it quickly moves past the expected and into a deeper story and that is what kept me reading. The writing made the story telling almost feel like a monologue version of "Our Town" with the spotlight moving from character to character as the book unfolds. Combine the different points of view with short chapters and the result is a book you can sit and read in an afternoon or one you can steal moments throughout the week to enjoy.

I love me some neighborhood drama. I may have Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives to thank (blame?) for that.

Oak Hill may be an affluent neighborhood, but that doesn't stop the gossip from traveling around.

Allison Langley, actress and model, and her husband Chris, former rockstar, move in and people are interested. Then one night, Allison just leaves in the middle of the night and gossip commences. Until five year old Billy Barnes goes missing on his walk home from school and police don't find a trace of him. Rachel, his mother, and Cassidy, his babysitter, feel responsible for different reasons.
The search continues without much success.

Another child goes missing while under the care of Cassidy. And this point things really amp up and we learn pretty much everyone in the 'hood has a secret of some kind. Who kidnapped the kids? And where are they?

I enjoyed this domestic drama. I did figure out the "whodunnit" prior to it being revealed, but the path taking us there still kept my interest.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oak Hill has secrets and this book is going to tell us who did it! Enjoyed this book immensely, it was fast paced and the writing was suspenseful and intriguing. A must read for 2022!

Oak Hill is the definition of perfect suburban living.
A very close knit community, wealthy families in there picture perfect mansions and low crime rates.
Allison Langley, actress and model leaves her former rockstar husband in the middle of the night sending the gossips into overdrive.
That is until Billy Barnes goes missing on his way home from school.
His mother Rachel and the babysitter Cassidy both blaming themselves for different reasons.
And then another child goes missing.
I really enjoyed this domestic thriller.
This story is told from multiple POV's but
mostly from Allison Langley's.
From the first chapter I was suspicious of every character and did not mange to guess who the culprit was.
The shorter chapters keep this book moving along at a fast pace and nearly every chapter reveals another secret that made me change my mind on who took the children.
This was a great quick read that I recommend my fellow book people to read.

Oak Hill is an upscale neighborhood that seems perfect ... at least to those looking in, but ... there are plenty of things to gossip about. Why did actress and model, Allison Langley, leave her former rock musician husband, Chris, in the middle of the night. When five year old Billy Barnes goes missing on his way home from school there is a lot more than the Langleys marriage woes to talk about. Why was his babysitter, Cassidy, late that day? Both Cassidy and his mother, Rachel, blame themselves. As the days go by there is no trace of Billy. How could he have disappeared into thin air in the middle of the afternoon. When another child goes missing the police take a closer look at Oak Hill, but will it be too late? While Alterman gives us a host of suspects, it wasn’t difficult to figure out the perpetrator early on. Overall I found this book rather so-so as it didn’t tick several of the boxes that needed to be ticked!

A book about the secrets of a close-knit community. The gossips in town are busy talking about actress and model Allison Langley when she leaves her rock star husband in the middle of the night. The gossip stops when five-year-old Billy Barnes goes missing on his walk home from kindergarten. His mother blames herself as she was working and the babysitter blames herself as she was late to arrive on the afternoon that he went missing,
Gossip is spread, accusations are thrown and the Police investigation isn’t going anywhere when………another child goes missing!

This book is narrated by three different neighbours in the community, all with a different take on events and with their own secrets.

I really enjoyed this book! It gripped me from page 1 and I read it in one sitting! It’s obvious towards the end what has happened to the children but it doesn’t detract from the story and if anything keeps you reading to find out how it all unraveled!

LOVED this thriller. It was amazing how the author keeps your interest sustained from the word go.
It has all the elements for a great read - small town, shady neighbours, gossip and secrets. It is a great commentary on urban people and their lives and the extents people go to protect their families.
There was never a boring or dull moment and the end took me by surprise!
If you love psychological thrillers and are looking for an interesting read, pick this up!

Secrets and lies make up the fabric of Oak Hill in The Perfect Neighbourhood.
Not everything is as it appears-especially when you’re reading a domestic suspense novel. With two children missing the neighbourhood couldn’t be farther from perfect.

Liz Alterman is a new to me author. I like her style and plan to read more by her the near future. I suggest going in blind to read this novel.

This was supposed to be one of those towns and neighborhoods where nothing bad happens. Yes, you have those nosy neighbors that love to gossip, but other than that it's relatively safe. Personally, I would never let a 5 year old walk to and from school alone, and Rachel soon realizes her mistake when Billy comes up missing. Liz Alterman wrote a great mystery thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end. When another child goes missing that Cassidy is babysitting, things don't look good for her at all, but when you find out who took the kids it's jaw dropping. My most favorite part of this book is the last paragraph, because it leaves you shocked and wondering if what you think may happen will really happen. Definitely pick this book up.

A new to me author, this was a GREAT dark domestic suspense novel that is perfect for fans of Joshilyn Jackson, Mary Hannah Mackinnon or Shari Lapena. Full of some great twists and an ending that leaves you wanting more. I can't wait to read other books by this author. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy!

Thank you #NetGalley #ThePerfectNeighborhood for the opportunity to read an ARC of of The Perfect Neighborhood for my honest review.

What is a perfect neighborhood? A place to raise a family where you don't need to worry about locking your doors as there's never any crime. Your kids are safe playing in their yards and driveways unattended by adults.

That was the suburban community of Oak Hill, until the day it wasn't. The day a young boy goes missing.

Everyone is a suspect, even the boys babysitter. Not long after this boy goes missing another child goes missing! This child also has the same babysitter. Coincidence?

Lots of secrets, twists, turns right up until the shocking ending.

A must read if you are a fan of domestic suspense.

I remember doing a cover reveal for this book quite awhile ago and I couldn’t wait to read it. The cover alone completely drew me in and I had a feeling this would be a good one. And it was!

A little boy goes missing on his way home from school and everyone in the neighbourhood is on the lookout for who could’ve taken him. It’s the type of community where everyone has a perfect life and a happy smile. But as we soon learn, nobody’s perfect…

I will say that most of the book had more of a domestic drama vibe as opposed to a thriller vibe. We get a closer look at the people of the neighbourhood and the problems that they’re facing. But even though it wasn’t heavy on the thriller piece, I still really enjoyed it! The writing was incredible and the characters were all so interesting.

The ending was amazing and really brought that thriller component back in!! It took me a long time to predict what was going to happen, and nothing could’ve prepared me for that last page. It was absolute perfection and I ended the book with chills running down my spine.

Please be aware that there is a lot of talk about miscarriages and infertility. If these topics are triggering for you, just know that they’re very prominent in this book.

I received this book for free as part of an Instagram book tour. My review is posted on Goodreads and Bookstagram.

A great psychological thriller/suspense.
The characters are well defined and the ending will surprise you!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

In the Oak Hill neighborhood, gossip always abounds.

Allison and Christopher Langley have split up. Allison is an actress with lots of experience doing commercials and Christopher is a washed-up rock star. Allison left him in the middle of the night and she is staying with a friend.

Rachel Barnes is mother to 5-year-old, Billy. He’s a curious little kindergartner. Rachel has just returned to her job as a real estate agent. Rachel has allowed Billy to walk by himself several blocks to his home after school. That is where his babysitter, Cassidy, meets him and takes care of him until Rachel gets home. But, today his sitter is late meeting Billy and he has disappeared. Frantic, the family, neighbors, and police begin a search for him. What happened to this child?

As the neighbors gossip about who could have taken Billy, Rachel is beside herself with worry about Billy. Who has her son? But then another child goes missing while under the care of Cassidy, the neighborhood erupts along with the press. Is this the same person that took Billy? Could Cassidy have done something to these children? Where are they?

This story switches back and forth from different neighbors in this community. There are secrets and discord in lots of the marriages. I found the police investigations to be lax and shameful. Poor, silly Cassidy. I rather liked Cassidy’s friend, Lexi and Allison’s friend, Vivienne. They were real friends. This story had me guessing right up to the end. I’m betting lots of people will enjoy it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This one held my interest but I didn’t love it. I did enjoy certain aspects of it however but I felt like there were too many extraneous details.

The Perfect Neighborhood is a story about a neighborhood that is anything but perfect. The novel begins actress and model, Allison, leaving her husband in the middle of the night. The neighborhood is gossiping among themselves, until a kindergarten boy, Billy Barnes, going missing while walking home from school.

This story was written through many points of views. We read from the POV of Billy's mom, Allison, and Billy's babysitter. The characters are all way more intertwined than we may believe in the beginning of the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fast paced, and kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before it was published in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman is a mystery that starts out with a 5 year old missing boy. The neighborhood is full of affluent neighbors and is the chic place to live. Gossip abounds and theories galore. Unfortunately for me, the book bogged down in the middle and frankly, I got bored and couldn’t wait to get to the end.

The book is well written, but it just didn’t set off any WOW moments for me. I am definitely willing to read more books by this author.

Thank you to #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

We have the perfect couple, the Langley’s, living in the perfect small-town neighborhood. Allison is a successful actress and Christopher is a musician rock star. But is everything perfect like the neighbors think? Apparently not, because someone spots Allison leaving her house in the dead of the night, and disappears forever. And thus the gossip begins.
But then something out of the ordinary happens in the small town. A kindergarten boy goes missing on his way home from school with no trace of where he might be. Everyone initially blames the young babysitter who was late to receive the kid but the local police find no evidence for days and the case comes to a deadlock.
And then a second kid goes missing while the same babysitter is minding her siblings in another house. Is the babysitter responsible or is there some other dark secret brooding in the quiet neighborhood?
A fine domestic mystery underlining deep-seated problems in families. Let me be honest and tell you that the mystery was not so much a mystery to me because I did guess the mischief-maker quite early in the story. And yet it is a very interesting, fast-paced one-time read for me.
I even liked the way the book was formatted with dated narratives from Allison Langley, the kid’s mothers Rachel and Sarah, and Cassidy the babysitter. Simple and yet not so simple.
I recommend this to domestic mystery lovers. Curl up to this one with a coffee mug, and a blankie on a rainy night and you’ll thank me for it.

📖My Thoughts📖

After having just read another book about a sketchy neighborhood, I’m beginning to feel even more thankful with the neighborhood I live in myself. This is a pretty good thriller, but fair warning, there are some triggers in this book including child abduction, drugging and pregnancy loss. I think the hardest part about reading this book is that I have two small children of my own, and reading what the mothers of the missing children were going through really tugged at my heartstrings. Nonetheless, it was overall a pretty good book that was decently paced and easy to read. I did actually figure out the ending around half way through the book, but that didn’t take away from how it all played out. It still kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for it to unfold in the book. Thank you Netgalley, Liz Alterman and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️