AUDIOBOOK
A fast paced, multi-POV of neighbors in a wealthy enclave (just the word "enclave" signifies wealth, doesn't it?)
Alyson Tinsdale is new to the neighborhood and is trying her very best to fit in and make friends. Her own childhood was erratic and she wants to provide the stable dream home for her son Adam. This is particularly hard as her husband is spending most of his time in their basement instead of assisting her with the running the household.

While Alyson is the main character, there are others including Bonnie a wealthy woman aspiring for state politics. There is trouble on the horizon both at home and in town as Bonnie is currently serving a term as a councilmember.

A murder of a child occurs and both woman do whatever it takes to keep their children safe. What would you do?

The plot was straightforward and enjoyable. The ending wrapped up all the outstanding issues and provided closure. Lots of red herrings though some not believable. My only complaint was that Alyson articulated her stress and second thoughts about EVERY SINGLE THING. It was just too just to much for me. I prefer a stronger female heroine. Still, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any lover of domestic thrillers. #NetGalley #TheSecretNextDoor

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to review this audio.

This is the story of 2 families, one mom involved in politics, one mom with a son with troubled behavior trying to fit in the community. Both different, but then tied together when one boy is found dead and many secrets revealed.

Great audio and narrator. Story draws you in. Recommend!

Think about looking for the perfect home in the highest-rated school district. However, on the outside, while everything looks perfect and collected the other side of the grass is not always greener.
Alyson is trying to give her son a life she didn't have: a stable home, a loving home, and a great school in a safe neighborhood. Alyson is trying to fit in in this neighborhood, while she has made one friend in the neighborhood she really wants to be in with the crowd.
When Alyson was invited to the neighborhood book club, while trying to fit in with the club she wakes up the next morning with a hangover hugging her toilet. Later that morning while walking her son to school they notice an abundance of medical vehicles over by the lake, and later found out that the "IT" woman of the neighborhoods Bonnie's youngest son was murdered. Someone in the neighborhood is responsible for the boy's death, who did it?
Everyone in the neighborhood was holding their kids tighter and Bonnie was slowly slipping down the hill. Now that everyone is on the edge how many secrets will come out by the neighborhood and who will still be standing at the end? In an upper-middle-class neighborhood where everyone has their secrets, slowly all the secrets and gossips will come out.
This is a well-written mystery and I loved the dynamics of the group of neighbors and how nothing is as it seems! I listened to the audiobook and it was a great listen, the audiobook narrator was easy to understand and everything was great! If you love a good mystery then this should be your next read! Check out this book on November 9, 2021! Thank you Source Fire Books, RB Media, and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this one!

There seem to be a plethora of psychological thrillers revolving around neighborhoods these days to the point where they seem to blend together. With that said, this was a fast, entertaining read with the requisite neighborhood despicable characters and an abundance of sordid secrets. The narrator was very good and the whole book had a nice flow to it and was easy to follow.

This was absolutely brilliant I really didn't know what to expect but was completely engrossed in the story. It was relatable although taken to the extreme.

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

The Secret Next Door is a neighborhood domestic drama story. Alyson Tinsdale, her husband, Justin, and her son are the newest people to move into the exclusive Enclave neighborhood. Bonnie Sloan lives in the Enclave along with her husband, two sons and youngest daughter. As the seasons change, Alyson tries to become friends with her neighbors, but it soon becomes apparent that almost everyone has their own personal occurring behind closed doors.

Alyson and Justin's marriage isn't picture perfect. Justin spends much of his time closeting himself in the basement away from his family, but won't fess up to what he is actually doing down there. Bonnie's husband is driving his company into the ground and has anger issues. Carl Wayland is trying to put a stop to an Extreme Golf facility that would ruin his backyard views, but he may be harboring a secret of his own, etc... When Bonnie's middle child Elijah is found dead near the lake, the neighbor's all grow suspicious of one another and the police have no real leads.

This book was a quick and easy read, but I would not classify it as a "thriller." The book was light on tension and the mystery just kind of languished in the background for most of the book with the primary focus being on what's going behind the closed doors. That being said, if you like reading books about neighbors and their mundane secrets then this one may be up your alley. Special thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Big Bad Lies

💛 Ooooh, this is all about very rich people being very bad and in my view that’s very, very good. So I hope you’re wearing your Gucci wellies cos we’re going squelching around in some elite muck. There is everything you would expect, from snarky comments and schoolyard politics to shady deals and actual politics.

💙 We hit the ground gossiping, beginning with new, insecure resident, Alyson, upsetting the sitting queen bee, Bonnie on social media. And from there we maintain a steady speed of salacious rumours, backstabbing and then (screech to a halt) the death of a child.

💚 I enjoyed this for the intrigue and, if I can be candid, because I enjoy being super judgy about fictional characters. It’s a victimless crime. And the characters in this are so brilliantly crafted, their motivations so real, that I was really invested in their stories.

🧡 This isn’t perfect. There are bits that feel disjointed, some requirements to suspend disbelief and the mystery is maintained mostly by skirting the subject like a Christmas tree. BUT, I had fun. I whizzed through this and I had feelings. Oh, the feelings. Overall, an enthusiastic thumbs up.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 Tow-tally charmed by Libby McKnight’s performance. Lovely voice, neutral but expressive and I never noticed the switch between men/female voices, which I mean as a compliment. Never good to be overly aware that someone is “doing” a voice.

🎧 The running time is in the respectable neighbourhood of some ten and a half hours and this was an easy listen. If something (the kids, the cat, the apocalypse) distracted me it was easy to get back in.
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SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO…

💚 Gave it away in the title, didn’t I… But just in case it was too subtle (and I'm renowned for my subtlety), this had major Big Little Lies vibes. And, as a fan of Liane Moriarty, I thoroughly approve.

💙 Quick insight into the murkiness of my internal monologue: IS this a thriller? I never consider Moriarty’s books as such. I’m straddling the fence here and it’s getting uncomfortable.
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Big thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read the book. Unfortunately, nothing about the plot grabbed me or surprised me. The narrator was great

Denver in an wonderful enviroment. People are nice but not all, it just seem like that. Many has secret and unfortunately also a child is found dead. It touched my heart how the mother has coped with her child with ADHD. Anyway is a pleasant read that is much more that a drama. Reccomend

I really enjoyed The Secret Next Door! I know - me loving a domestic mystery? I’m sure you’re all shocked. 😂

Alyson, our primary narrator, felt incredibly relatable. Living in a nice neighborhood filled with well-off neighbors, you could tell she just want a to fit in so badly and give her son a nice life but that isn’t ever easy, especially as we started diving into her relationship troubles with her husband, Justin.

Bonnie, our secondary narrator, was one of those well-off neighbors (who is a little too snooty at times) but her life had been turned completely upside down in more ways than one. Watching her try and get her life back in control while everyone gossiped about her life hurt my soul quite a bit. And when we found out what really happened to her family - wowza. That reveal shook me.

I honestly just loved watching the story unfold through our narrators eyes, but also through the conversations they had with the neighbors. They were such a wild bunch and it all felt very real. You KNOW there’s a neighborhood just like this somewhere, neighborhood Facebook group and all. 😅

I really want to thank NetGalley for sending me this ARC - it was such a treat! The Secret Next Door drops November 8 so preorder it or jot it down on your TBR because you NEED to read this one.

Did I like it? Yes.

Was it a psychological thriller? I don't know.

It felt more like a real housewives of the enclave with a death thrown in. And it delivered in being just that.

I do think the ending could've been much less rush and much more juicy. That would've tipped it higher to me.