For many years I have been a fan of most of Fern Michaels books (some I loved and others not so Much) so I thought I would give her latest tome a try when it was offered by Net Galley. Unfortunately FEAR THY NEIGHBOR falls into the “not so much” category for me.

While the premise of the foster child overcoming a rocky beginning and fulfilling her dream of owning a home of her own is intriguing there are so many other facets of the story that had me questioning the protagonists’ capabilities in the areas of logic and common sense. Some of the decisions our heroine made were downright stupid. The place she chose to settle in the state of Florida has to have the highest per capita percentage of weirdos, general crazies and folks with secrets than any other place on the planet. Everything about the place screams STAY AWAY!

Granted, the beach house she purchases is a bargain (which should in itself be a dead giveaway that something isn’t right) and she would likely turn a healthy profit if and when she sold it……that is if she survives long enough to sell it. Well, you get the picture.

One of Fern Michaels greatest strengths has always been her ability to weave a great story that holds the readers interest building upon action upon action and consequence upon consequence - and while I do have a high tolerance for foreboding and cynicism this particular offering proved to be a real test of my endurance.

This hit my interest due to living In areas the writer talks about. The adventure was great and the suspense of who was actually involved kept me from putting this down. I would recommend this to anyone.

Fear Thy Neighbor is the latest novel by Fern Michaels. After spending years in foster homes Allison takes off right before her 18th birthday and becomes a drifter. Moving from town to town she finally ends up on the Gulf coast in Palmetto Island thinking she’s found a place to settle down. New friends, secrets, potential romance and an apparent cult all keep the story moving. Not a bad read, quick pace. Thank you NetGally!

Fern Michaels is always a great choice, and this book is great.
Alison has had a tough life, being raised in foster care, never having a place to call her own. She finally decides to settle down and buys a house on Palmetto Island. Her hopes of happily ever after are a little off. The island and it's community have some deep secrets, and lots of less than savory people. When Alison gets caught up in everything, lots of secrets come out. Some twists and turns, overall a captivating read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Fern Michaels and Kensington Books for the copy of Fear Thy Neighbor. This is my personal review.
I have been a fan of Fern Michaels for many years and was so excited to see this book.
I started it and had high hopes it would be one of her best books yet but this one just did not keep me involved in the story.
Alison did things that made no sense to me. The town she picked to settle in gave me nothing that would make me even stop there to visit.
Things in the story just did not connect to make a good mystery for me.
I will continue to read Fern Michaels books in the future because she has a great writing style but missed with this one for me.

I have always liked a book by Fern Michaels and this one is no exception. Alison is the main character, very likeable, raised in the foster care system. She hasn't had an easy time of it, but has survived and become stronger. She has saved her money and decides to settle down for the first time on Palmetto Island. Unfortunately, the island is filled with unsavory people and Alison gets involved with all of them. Twists and turns as secrets are uncovered. All and all a likeable story.

Well…I really wanted to like this book, but it was just too unbelievable and didn’t have enough characters that I liked. The ending felt rushed and didn’t really seem plausible. Just not for me.

Alison Marshall has always been a drifting. After escaping foster care, she's always relied on herself and never got close to anybody.

But when she stops at the small Florida town of Palmetto Island on her way to Key West. She is drawn in by the small community, despite the sinister locals she comes across.

But are people who they say they are or is there something more sinister happening in this small town?

This book is the most intriguing one I've read by Fern Michaels.

While Alison can be a little difficult to relate with. Overall there is a good tension throughout the book and a few twists and a reasonably paced plot that keeps the reader wanting to find out what happens next.

Alison was raised in the foster system, she ran away from her last home right after she graduated from high school after an ugly encounter. She has been a nomad ever since but now she wants to settle in one place. The small island town she settles in has a history, and the locals are keeping a lot of secrets. There is suspense along with a mystery. There was a twist at the end that I never saw coming. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 @kensingtonbooks & @netgalley 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 29 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 2022

{ TᕼᖇIᒪᒪEᖇ }

📖 Ali has drifted through foster care her entire life & now as an adult she is finally ready to settle down & is looking for the perfect house in Florida on the beach. Her happy home doesn’t last long though as she soon uncovers a dark side to this supposedly peaceful haven. The locals have a secret, & once Ali discovers what it is, she faces a stark choice to stay & join them—or to escape…

⭐️⭐️

📝 This was my very first Fern Michaels novel & I was super excited to read it. I will say it was definitely entertaining & did it’s job as a page-turning thriller. I think the authors writing style makes it a fast & easy read. However, I felt like the storyline itself was way too capricious & as intriguing as the murder mystery portion of the plot was- I felt the inconsistency took away from the depth of the overall story.

Also, I found the characters really unappealing. Granted, the locals were meant to be a bit standoffish all things considered, but there were times when I simply didn’t believe their motives or actions because it seemed so illogical.

I think I would definitely try another book from this author, but this one specifically just wasn’t my cup of tea 🤷🏽‍♀️

In Fear Thy Neighbor we encounter Alison Marshall who has grown up in foster care. Her life was never easy. Now as adult she's looking for a place to call home and feel safe. Maybe she should have kept looking.
She ends up on a small island town where things don't seem quite right.
She's going to try and put some roots down and hope to just blend in and live a quiet life...

Alison will encounter something that is dark and deceptive, will she find anyone to help her?
Who can you trust when you feel you can't trust anyone?
This is a twisty story that will hold you until the very end while you try to figure out what is going on.

Fern Michaels does not disappoint with this one.

Fear Thy Neighbor
by Fern Michaels
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Kensington Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. The opinions expressed are completely my own.
The book was ok. Not much in mystery or make you just read Fear Thy Neighbor. It was a bit farfetched. She never put down roots after foster care, yet she did in a small Florida town where everyone seemed out to get her. I shook my head quite a bit.

Alison Marshall has been in fosters homes most of her life. Since high school she has been on her own working and saving to built a nest egg so she can have a home of her own. When she gets to Palmetto Island she thinks she has finally found it. She finds an old beach house that is right on the water and is within the budget that she has for herself. She can’t believe it but soon learns that the beach house has a secret and all the locals seem to be keeping secrets. When mysteries things begin to happen, Alison wonders if she should leave but she is also carrying secrets from her past! Great read!


Thanks to Fern Michaels and Kensington books

Honestly, exactly what I'd expect from a. Fern Michaels novel. A well written story with some twists and turns and characters that have secrets :)

Fear your neighbor, but which one? Foster care horrors and much more provide reason to admire the resilience of the protagonist. Many surprises at the end. It was a page turner. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Allison, Ali is a survivor. She survived years of abusive foster
homes. She’s a drifter or at least she was till she pulls into Palmetto Island and spots a cute little, but rundown, yellow cottage on the beach available for sale at an unbelievable price. Is it too good to be true? There are talks of cults, pedophiles, strange people and the human bone she found while digging in her property. Is this enough to make her leave what tough it out as she’s used to? For the first time in her life she’s making friends, seems to have a decent man interested in her and loves her cottage despite the rumors.
Is this the deal of a lifetime? Or something that will end her life?

This one gets an okay from me.

While I liked our story overall, there were times when I simply didn’t believe it. Even after finishing the book, I question the motivations of some of the characters. Some of what happens is completely illogical and I didn’t really love the characters.

I was intrigued by our murder mystery, but was disappointed in the why and who of it all.

I’ll read the author again, but this one was just a little too slapdash for my tastes.

*ARC via Publisher

Alison grew up in foster care and has spent her adult life moving from place to place as the mood strikes. She's a hard worker and spends frugally. She has also invested her money wisely. On her way to the Florida keys, she makes a stop at Palmetto Island.. She only meant to spend the night and be on her way. Instead, she finds a heck of a deal on a little cottage on the beach and decides to buy it. Strange things happen from the time she first arrives. She continuously second-guesses herself about buying the house. What is everybody hiding? Why do all these strange things keep happening? Did she make a mistake?

I enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention from the very first page. I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. As a long-time Fern Micheals fan, I was not disappointed in this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Alison did not have an easy life growing up in different foster homes. She moves around every couple of years until she decides to buy a cottage in a small town in Florida. Alison is wondering if she made the right choice after bones of a young girl were discovered on her property. This book was well written.

]Alison Marshall (Ali) has drifted through a hard scrabble life starting in foster care for almost 30 years. She is now ready to settle down and is looking for the perfect house in Florida, preferably on a beach. She thinks she may have found it on tiny little Palmetto Island but not long after finding a home, she discovers a dark secret about the home and potentially the inhabitants of the island. As she continues to experiences bad interactions with locals and the drama peaks she needs to decide if she will face down the secrets or flee to safety.

This novel had a lot of twists and turns. You really can't go wrong with Fern Michaels and of course I loved the inclusion of beloved pets in the story. If you like twisty stories especially those that feature a heroine that can take care of herself then I recommend #FearThyNeighbor #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks