I was not expecting the ending! A pacey read that keeps you engaged with well thought through characters. very enjoyable.

How do you feel about your neighbors? Do you take them a housewarming gift and invite them over for coffee one day? The families in The Close get a new neighbor, and no one wants to be the one to tell her that she is moving into a house where someone died. Not that the neighbors are really close, anyway. But this one seems to stir up all kinds of trouble and wants to pit everyone against each other. Why? Kind of reminds me of my neighborhood, we all live in a rural area and the houses are not close. Neither are the neighbors, although we all know each other. This book was fast paced and kept me reading, and I could see things occuring the way they did.

This one took a turn for the interesting, which I always appreciate. Some annoying repetition and I hated how Isobel was with her husband through much of it but a quick read. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

I love finding new authors to read and thanks to a friend of mine setting up the cover reveal for The New Neighbour by Miranda Rijks, I was able to find another one to love! I knew I had to read this book right away and I'm glad I did since it was very pacy and suspenseful throughout. It made for one super quick read, and it was very easy to find myself saying one more chapter during it. I always love a good neighborhood drama, and the addition of the new neighbor really creates quite a stir. Most of the story is told from Isobel's viewpoint and I really enjoyed it that way. It was a great way to build suspense, and I found myself suspecting every single neighbor of devious deeds. I especially liked the way the first chapter drew me in, and I found myself going back to reread it after I had finished seeing it with new eyes.

I also really liked the fact that The New Neighbour was something different from the typical thriller I am used to reading. Rijks manages to fit in more than a couple of surprises and made it a great blend of twisty neighborhood drama, domestic drama, and suspense all rolled into one. I also enjoyed Isobel as a character and appreciated that she wasn't a pushover since I don't like that type of protagonist at all. As the neighbor's secrets slowly unravel and tensions run high, I found myself regretting the times I had to put it down. Really, the only issue I had with the book was the repetitiveness I found which maybe because of the ARC and not in the finished copy. There were quite a few phrases and facts repeated which always bugs me, but I had zero other complaints. I would love to get my hands on a finished copy to double-check the repetition so be sure to take that with a grain of salt. Definitely looking forward to checking out more from Rijks and I recommend reading The New Neighbour if you want something quick and twisty.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is all about family drama in the neighborhood. That type of suspense is a “can’t put down” type of a book. Loved this one!

All is not well at The Close. It consists of a neighbourhood of a few families who know each other, but not too well.

Linette Smith is the new neighbour who has rented the home formerly owned by the Walkers. They moved out after their son was killed in a hit-and-run accident, and the killer was never found.

The novel is narrated from the POV of Isobel, who had a great career as an architect, but had to give it up when she became a parent, while her husband, Mike, is doing well in his own career.

It's even more stressful when they discover that their son, Harry, is slightly autistic. Add to that the fact that Mike seems severely overworked and has no time for the family anymore. She runs a small nail salon out of the front of her house and always knows what's going on in the neighbourhood.

Josie is her neighbour, who was once close to her, but now seems to be struggling financially on their family farm and has withdrawn from her.

Mrs. Quinn is suffering from dementia, so she barely leaves her home, closely monitored by her husband.

Thimas Adler s a bachelor who has some shady (they believe) online business that allows him to afford a good lifestyle. But he tends to be a bit of a creep and very nosy, since he flies his drone onto the properties of his neighbours to check on what they are up to.

They all barely speak to each other, but when the new neighbour, Lynette, comes to live there, she manages to get them all to socialise and interact with each other. But is it possible that she has a hidden agenda?

Then something happens that sends another shockwave through the neighbourhood (after the death of the Walkers' son). Who has a motive to commit these crimes, and can anyone really be trusted, even if it's their own spouse?

One by one, secrets are uncovered and the domino effect finally reveals the link between past and present crimes.

The murderer was unexpected, and not in an Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! sort of way, but rather in an Oh? sort of way. The motive was just....nahhhhh.

Yet another mystery that left me with a dissatisfied feeling. I wanted it to take my breath away, but it fell short.

Isobel was an extremely annoying busybody, and it wasn't much of a surprise that many of her neighbours didn't want to interact with her much. There weren't too many other characters to keep track of, since it was a small and cosy neighbourhood, but none of the characters really stood out. More could have been done with the character of Linette, but unfortunately, the author didn't go there.

I gave this one 3.5 stars because, even though I wasn't happy with the reveal at the end, it was still a quick and engaging read. Maybe it's something within us that it always curious to know what's going on with neighbours, even if they're not ours!

The Close, where Isobel and Mike have built their dream home, is anything but close. Months ago, Wilson Walker was killed in a hit and run accident. His grief-stricken parents moved away and his mother later committed suicide. Linette, a single woman moves into the house and immediately begins to disturb her neighbors. She implies she’s had an affair with her Thomas, her next door neighbor. Loud party noise bothers the Quinns, an elderly couple. Her new pet, a pig, destroys both Isobel’s garden and that of Jack and Josie. The residents of The Close have never been overly friendly but now they are united in their concerns about Linette. Why is she so determined to undermine their peaceful lives? Everyone on The Close has been keeping secrets. When there is another murder, all secrets are slowly revealed during the police investigation.

The Close is tightly plotted with well described characters. The female characters dominate, especially Isobel and Linette. The thriller slowly builds to a totally shocking conclusion. 5 stars.

Thank you to Inkubator Books and Miranda Rijks for this ARC.

I loved this book from front to back! It was truly a heart-pumping thrill ride that I’d love to get back on. This book, The New Neighbour, is perfect for any reader who is looking for a mind bending thriller.

Miranda Rijks does it again. I have enjoyed a few of her previous books and was thrilled to read this one. Good characters and well developed story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I do enjoy a cringy, awkward new neighbor who’s up to no good! This was a fast paced thriller that really did have a surprise ending. Thank you Netgalley, Inkubator Books and Miranda Rijks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Isobel and Mike and their children Harper and Harry live on a private close with 4 other houses. The neighbours have always lived amicably alongside each other. Tragedy strikes and a young boy is killed on the close so someone must've heard something! A new neighbour Linette moves in and not long after residents are being reported to the council for disturbances, vicious rumours are being spread yet everyone is denying it. Then another murder happens and some of the neighbours are in the frame. But who and why? This book had me drawn in from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. I think this was Miranda's best book yet!

I simply could not put this book down! It is the definition of a page-turner. I loved every bit of this suspenseful and thrilling murder mystery. It's the perfect read for a cold, winter night!

Welcome to The Close, a quiet lane with lovely homes in the countryside. An ideal location for a young family to grow and thrive---or is it?
Miranda Rijks has crafted another compelling thriller! Told from first person POV, Isobel is a mother of two young children and is married to a busy successful architect. She has given up her career as an architect so the family can live and thrive in this bucolic setting. While Isobel loves living in The Close, she finds the neighbors are not particularly “close” or friendly, and there is an unsettled feel to Isobel’s situation.
From the dramatic prologue, to the appearance of intriguing new neighbor Linette, to the stunning conclusion, the story has a consistently menacing tone. As more is revealed about Isobel’s neighbors, the story ratchets up in intensity, and it is expertly paced to keep the reader engaged and immersed in the mysterious goings-on in The Close.
Isobel is a sympathetic character and felt relatable—her conflicted feelings about being a “housewife” and putting her career on hold are shared by a number of women. While the rest of the cast were well-fleshed out and believable, everyone is flawed and they all have their own agendas playing out beneath their superficial friendliness. The tension among these neighbors is palpable.
Ms Rijks has written another masterful thriller, a taut mystery with nonstop suspense and enough twists to keep me guessing to the end! I enthusiastically recommend this novel to readers who enjoy clever character-driven suspense novels set in a modern British countryside. I will look forward to Ms. Rijks future writings!

Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased review.

Isobel has a beauty and nail salon in the home she and Mike share. He is an architect and they have two children, Harry, 6, and Harper, 4. Isobel also used to be an architect but the children now demand her attention.

Some of the neighbors have never been close, but Isobel and her next door neighbor, Josie, have been good friends until recently. Now, Josie avoids her and no longer invites Isobel’s children to her children’s parties. Puzzled by this, Isobel sees how her children are hurt at being left out.

The house across from Isobel has been empty for 5 months after Wilson, a 19-year-old young man living there with his family, was struck by a car and killed. The driver has never been found. The family moved soon after. Now, someone is moving in. Linette is renting the house and says she is newly divorced. She is eager to meet the neighbors and throws a drinks party where everyone hads

Linette appears to be nice at times but also does some irresponsible things like getting a pet pig that ends up tearing up some neighbors’ yards.

When another person is murdered, the neighborhood is on edge. At the same time, Isobel learns some secrets about her own marriage that nearly push her over the edge.

This is a really good thriller with a surprise ending that I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed it immensely. Very good plot and interesting interaction among the neighbors.

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

A new woman moves in on a street with a lot going on. A boy was killed less than a year ago and the neighbors have a lot of secrets.

For me the book started out a little slow but quickly picked up. There are a lot of characters in the neighbors on the street but it was easy to keep them straight. This story shows that a quiet little street is never quiet. I’ll admit I did not guess the ending and it was a complete surprise! I loved that I didn’t know what was coming.

It was very original.and it is almost disturbing with the amount of plot twists. but still it’s an amazing book.

I could picture this book being a tv mini series where at then end of each episode there’s a cliff hanger. Unfortunately the character3 all bored me so the thriller ended up not thrilling me.

Isobel lives in The Close, a quiet and safe neighborhood. That is, until there is a tragic hit and run that occurs right in front of everyone’s homes. Fast-forward 5 months, the family of the deceased has moved out, and there is a new woman in town, Linette. In light of recent events, some of the neighbors are trying to become close. But strange things begin to happen, and tensions rise between the inhabitants of The Close. When there is another death in the community, Isobel’s life is upended, and she realizes her life may be in danger. It seems that everyone has secrets at The Close, and Linette is the one to pull the first string that undoes their web of lies.

This book is told primarily in the first person by Isobel, with a few chapters dedicated to telling Linette’s side, so we find out her motive. I like that I couldn’t immediately guess how it would unfold. I can see this being on tv.

The pace was inconsistent. There were times the story flowed and moved nicely, and times when it slowed down and failed to keep my attention. Nobody in The Close finds out why Linette was there. Based on the summary, we’re intended to find out why the new neighbor showed up, and the reader does. Unfortunately, though, the neighbors do not find out, and they would have really benefitted from finding out and being fully exposed for who they really are.

If you like quiet, slow burns, then this book is for you.

Rating: 3/5

TW: adultery, murder, suicide, mental illness

The main character was too cringey for me. Between that and the huge gaps in her thought process/inability to reason/total obliviousness, I don't really recommend this except to anyone looking for a thriller that will not keep them up at night.

What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!