This was a fast paced read and despite knowing little to nothing about the CIA/FBI, it was fairly easy to follow. Beth as a narrator felt very sophomoric. The way she went on accusing each and every person throughout the book felt very much like a Pretty Little Liars novel, and they were in high school. I’d expect a CIA analyst to be a little more keen. I also have to imagine a lot of the protocol that was broken was highly unrealistic. That all to say, I did enjoy this, but I don’t know if I’d stick around for Cleveland’s next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The New Neighbor is a mysterious story about a CIA agent, Beth, whose life is not going as planned. Her youngest child has just left home for college, her husband wants a divorce and the home they lived in and thoroughly enjoyed is being sold. She should have been a great character to read about, as I enjoy stories with strong women. She was not, she faltered quite a bit, made stupid decisions, and in general was a mess. I have enjoyed other books by Kaaren Cleveland and have to say this is not as good as others. I did finish and also solve the major problem before the end of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC.

Karen Cleveland just became one of my new favorite authors with this suspenseful, thrilling, & unputdownable read. I was on the edge of my seat while Beth took us for a ride to find out who The Neighbor really is and just when I thought I had it figured out, turns out I was wrong every single time. I wasn't expecting The New Neighbor to be who they were either.

Beth works for Counterintelligence trying to find The Neighbor. She's worked for years to take this person down. Her life is a full blown mess with her youngest going off the college, one getting married, one living out of the country, her and her husband Mike are selling their home where their children grew up, all while her own marriage is in shambles. If that isn't enough, her work life just imploded, but now she's more determined than ever to find out who this Neighbor is and take them down even if it means risking her life & her career. She begins to distrust everyone and questions everything around her. Is she as crazy as everyone makes her out to be, can she trust her friends of 17 years, can she trust her co-workers, or is she hallucinating? It's well worth your time to read to find out.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book lives up to its genre, mystery/thriller, from the time you pick it up....because even the title is not what you think it is! Beth Bradford's life is in upheaval with more than just an "empty nest" syndrome as she and her husband, Mike, drop their youngest off at college. She returns to work in the CIA's counterintelligence division to find that she is no longer involved in the espionage case that has consumed her for a long time and then find's out that her husband is leaving her. But she can't let the case go and against direct orders, continues her search for "the neighbor". As she delves into a case where the reader can't tell for sure if she is suffering from paranoia or if it is reality, she begins suspecting and watching those who she considered friends/family for years as they lived in the same neighborhood. The twists and accusations come at you at warp speed sometimes, which is sometimes difficult to follow. However, what we find out is that there are many components and characters that are entwined in the web of "the neighbor'. Best of all...whenBeth seems to have all the answers she needs.........the twists continue on through the ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #TheNewNeighbor #NetGalley.

The New Neighbor was my first time reading a Karen Cleveland novel. There are lots of twists and turns and the story will keep you guessing as to who the new neighbor is, I liked it, but didn’t love it. This reads like a beach thriller; I’d definitely read another one by this author.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.

Attempted reading this multiple times but it was a little too slow a start for me. I had to force myself to pay attention because I would just keep losing interest… decided to DNF around 20%. Will probably not pick up from this author again.

This was a good book with twists and turns that made you want to read quickly in order to get to the bottom of it.
After Beth’s life is upended in just about every sense - her last child leaves for college, her husband asks for a divorce on the eve of moving out of their perfect family home, Beth is demoted from her life’s work at the CIA…in the midst she becomes closer than she ever has been to catching “The Neighbor”. In the process, Beth questions the closest relationships in her life, and brings truth to the theory that you never truly know your neighbors.

The New Neighbor is a fairly typical spy novel. Beth is a middle-aged CIA analyst, whose youngest kid has just left for college, and whose marriage and career are falling apart. She becomes obsessed with the woman who bought her house, and becomes convinced that she is the spy Beth has been tracking at work. Of course, her colleagues think she's lost her mind. I won't give anything away, the book was fun and entertaining, but loses steam at the end with all the twists and turns. The most action packed scene is pretty anti-climactic.

An Intricate Tale of Intrigue and Suspense

SUMMARY
Beth Bradford is having a bad week. She is struggling with an empty nest and a broken marriage and is moving out of the palatial Langley Oaks house she has long called home. To top it all off, the CIA had stealthily removed her from the one case she had worked on for over fifteen years. Beth had been tracking an elusive Iranian Agent known as The Neighbor and now has been assigned to a menial teaching position.

Madeline Sterling is moving into Beth’s old house. Madeline has everything Beth once had; a handsome husband, three beautiful children, and a quiet cul-de-sac with a close-knit group of neighbors. Believing that Madeline is The Neighbor she has been searching for, Beth begins drinking, stalking Madeline, and making late-night visits back to the cul-de-sac. Is Beth just jealous? Is she losing a grip on reality? Or is something else going on?


REVIEW
THE NEW NEIGHBOR is an intricate tale of intrigue and suspense. Author Karen Cleveland's writing is engaging, imaginative, and full of twists and turns.

Beth Bradford’s character was somewhat disappointing. I am a huge fan of strong women characters who, in the face of adversity, put on their big girl pants and save the day. Beth forgot to put on her big girl pants. She drinks too much and manages to make one bad decision after another. For being a trained CIA agent, Beth must have failed her basic surveillance classes, because she made a mess of repeatedly getting caught trying to spy on her neighbors.

I have thoroughly enjoyed two of Cleveland’s previous books and look forward to more in the future. Author Karen Cleveland is a former CIA Counterterrorism Analyst and a New York Times best-selling author of Need to Know (2018), Keep You Close (2019), and You Can Run (2021). She lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Penguin Random House
Published July 26, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

This is the fourth book by Karen Cleveland that I've read and though I'm not usually a fan of spy stories, I enjoy Cleveland's writing and how she weaves personal stories in with the espionage. She does a good job with the characters to make them believable and the mysteries are complex enough to make it fun trying to guess who the 'bad guys' are!

A domestic thriller with a side of espionage. Who is telling the truth? Who is the New Neighbor? Nothing is as it seems.
This was my first Karen Cleveland read and I couldn’t put this one down!
Her twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end.
The final action scene, so to speak, was a little lackluster and for that I can’t give 5 stars. However, I did thoroughly enjoy this book and will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this eARC.

Fun, fast-paced thriller about domestic spies recruited by foreign agents. Every character is paranoid. Many seem to be involved. Good twists. Epilogue is awesome.

"Idyllic neighborhood, perfect family, meaningful career. CIA analyst Beth Bradford has it all—

Until she doesn’t.

Now, facing an empty nest and a broken marriage, Beth is moving from the cul-de-sac she’s long called home, and the CIA is removing her from the case that’s long been hers: tracking an elusive Iranian intelligence agent known as The Neighbor.

Madeline Sterling moves into Beth’s old house. She has what Beth once had: an adoring husband, three beautiful young children, and the close-knit group of neighbors on the cul-de-sac. Now she has it all. And Beth—who can’t stop watching the woman stepping in to her old life—thinks the new neighbor has something else too: ties to Iranian intelligence.

Is Beth just jealous? Paranoid? Or is something more at play?

After all, most of the families on the cul-de-sac have some tie to the CIA. They’re all keeping secrets. And they all know more about their neighbors than they should. It would be the perfect place to insert a spy—unless one was there all along."

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

The New Neighbor is a cleverly written suspense novel by Karen Cleveland, a new author to me. I chose the book based on the NetGalley description and general theme, and I very much enjoyed reading it. Focused on a bunch of FBI and CIA operatives, the protagonist is in search of a spy gone rogue... and it just so happens she and her husband have sold their house, leaving a new neighbor to move into the cul de sac with all their former friends. Which one of these people knows something about the rogue spy? The novel held my attention, but it has a slow first half. The suspense is in the neurotic obsession of the main character who is entirely too focused on being removed from her top case. There are reasons tho, and she may not figure them all out. Right down to the last ten pages, we're unsure who the bad person is, and when it's finally revealed, a definite surprise... I kinda guessed but wasn't emphatic about it, so it still felt shocking. Good writing, and I'll read her next book too.

This book was a bit hard to get into in my personal opinion. It was very technical in terms of the CIA and super family oriented to the point where I just wanted to know when the twists were going to happen instead of hearing about her life beforehand. As someone who doesn’t really care for agency type stuff, it felt only catered to the people that do. The writing itself was very detailed and well written so I appreciated that. I just wish I was more interested in it to enjoy it.

CIA agent Beth Bradford seems to have the perfect life. Three beautiful children, loving husband, a beautiful home at the end of the cul-de-sac with many close neighborhood friends. Beth's life could not be any better until it isn't.

Don't we hate change. After her last child leaves for college, the nest is empty. Beth and her husband decide to move. After the last of their belonging are moved out her husband wants a divorce.

Beth's job with the CIA is tracking an Iranian intelligence agent know as The Neighbor. After 15 years on the same case with little results she is demoted to a teaching position. But Beth loved her job and can't let go of her case so she continues to investigate on her own. This soon puts her job in jeopardy and her life.

Karen Cleveland has written a great spy thriller. This book will keep you guessing and is a quick read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

This is one of those books that you need to keep reading because you just have to find out the answers to all the questions you end up having. Beth works for the CIA. She’s taken off the case that she’s worked for fifteen years, but can’t let it go so she keeps working on it. Families play a very important part too. Where do your loyalties lie, with family or country? When those loyalties are tested, what will be your decision? For those looking for wow endings this book will meet that need too.

The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland takes us inside the mind of Beth Bradford, a CIA analyst who has spent 15 years searching for THE NEIGHBOR, an Iranian spy. When she takes her youngest son off to college, her life falls apart. Her husband tells her he's not moving with her to their new home and when she goes back to CIA headquarters, she finds out she has lost her position there and is being sent off to teach.

Beth had raised her 3 children in a beautiful suburban home on a cul-de-sac where she knew all her neighbors, most of whom also had some connection to Langley. She becomes obsessed with the woman who buys her home and seems to have the life that Beth had when she was younger. She decides that Madeline, the buyer, is THE NEIGHBOR and sets out to prove it.

Beth comes across as unhinged to everyone around her, and with good reason. She does solve the mystery in the end, but who could possible believe her at this point. The writing was excellent and I was interested enough that I read the book in 2 days, but I had a hard time with Beth's obsession and less than professional approach. I kept asking myself why she would do some of the things she did. And then, it was all tied up with a bow at the end that left me unsatisfied.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Beth and husband, Mike, have the perfect marriage in the perfect cul de sac in an idyllic neighborhood in beautiful Langley, VA, home of the CIA. The last of their wonderful children left for college and they sold their perfect home for a smaller rental as they begin to downsize. Things suddenly take a downturn when Beth is unexpectedly transferred from her long-term, hands on, position in the CIA to a routine, low classification teaching position in their academy. The transfer causes her to loose her system credentials and she is no longer able to research her long-term target, The Neighbor, an Iranian spy working in the U.S. Most of Beth's neighbors work for the CIA, too. Suspense and surprises ensue as she works every angle to find The Neighbor. Is s/he one of the neighbors or co-workers? On top of all this, Mike wants a divorce and moves into his own place. What else can happen? A whole lot! I was sure I predicted the ending, but I was wrong...so wrong. Karen Cleveland's background as a CIA counterterrorism analyst is evident. Yet, she manages to write a very readable story that is not overwhelming with government acronyms and spy terms no lone else understands. She keeps us engaged without dragging us into deep espionage muck. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Publication date is July 23, 2022. You will enjoy it even if espionage novels aren't your thing.

As Beth & Mike’s youngest leaves for college and they are set to downsize, the sale of their perfect cul de sac home is imminent. Located near Langley, Beth and many if her now former neighbors work for the CIA. As Beth heads into work she finds yet another change - she is being kicked off her long time case following The Neighbor, a contact for an Iranian terrorist cell. Beth is suspicious of the timing and nature of all her life changes and can’t let go. Is she paranoid? Suffering a mid-life crisis? Or is she about to crack the case she was purposely removed from? The novel follows Beth as she chases each suspenseful thread down the rabbit hole.

I enjoyed the pacing of the novel as Beth puzzles together memories with events that are happening in the present. The author does a great job of giving just enough to keep you guessing and turning the pages. The complexity of each puzzle piece is also a great addition to the story as you try to balance out paranoia with truth. A well written mystery that I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick engaging thrill. 4 stars.

Review based on an Uncorrected Digital Proof provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley. Thank you!

This one was okay for me. A bit hard to get into, too technical at times, twisty but tooo twisty, and I didn’t love the ending. It just wasn’t the book for me but I could see how others would enjoy it!