This book was a page turner and with the narrator’s voice being unreliable, kept me constantly guessing. And the twist at the end was perfect!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

CIA analyst Beth Bradford has it all, or so it seems. A loving husband, three wonderful children, a beautiful home, great neighbors, a challenging career. Then everything falls apart at the seams. Beth and her husband, Mike, now empty-nesters with their youngest off to college, should be starting the next chapter of their lives together. They decide to downsize, selling their house on an idyllic cul de sac where a majority of their neighbors are also government employees who don’t talk about their jobs. Instead of beginning a new chapter together, Mike tells Beth he is leaving her. Sadly, Beth is more upset at the loss of her former life than an impending divorce. She is insanely jealous of Madeline, the woman who has moved into Beth and Mike's old house. Madeline is living Beth’s old life, full of children, friends and love. Beth just can’t leave her old life behind, and she drives by, parks and watches Madeline enjoying the life that was hers. And there is something about Madeline that is unsettling to Beth.

Beth then finds out she has been removed from the case she has worked for 17 years, trying to unmask the Iranian intelligence officer behind recruiting Americans. Code-named The Neighbor, Beth has no intention of letting go of what she considers her case. Beth is convinced that Madeline is The New Neighbor, the spy recruiter she has been looking for all these years. Is it envy and bitterness motivating Beth, or is there some substance to Beth’s assumptions? I can only tell you Beth uncovers a web of secrets and deceit, but who will believe anything Beth says? By this time, all her friends, family and coworkers believe Beth’s paranoia is fueled by Beth’s fantasies, not reality.

While the plot is excellent with quite a few twists, I found myself becoming bored with Beth after a while. She really is a bit crazy, but I guess she needed to be for the plot to work. One part that didn’t work for me is that later in the book some things are revealed which Beth never bothered to check. For someone so thorough, it just didn’t ring true. All in all, it was still an enjoyable book and will keep you guessing to the very end.

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Oh my goodness. What an incredibly suspenseful story. There were so many twists and turns that you just can't stop reading until the end. Beth is such a sympathetic character that you can really relate to with all of the sudden life changing events happening. As the story progresses, you really begin to question the reality of her actions but never really knowing what might happen next. I look forward to reading more books from this author

4.5 creepy stars

I have become a fan of Karen Cleveland, so I jumped at the chance to read her newest book. This one kept me turning the pages and suspecting everyone, just like I like it!

Beth is a CIA analyst living in a neighborhood near Langley with lots of other CIA employees, all raising their families and working for their country. Now things are at a crossroads as Beth and her husband drop off their youngest child at college. They’ve decided it’s time to sell their house and look for something smaller. There are changes for her marriage and job too and soon Beth wonders what happened to her perfect life.

This one kept me guessing and was a quick read. It made me think more about how much I share with my neighbors! Just like her last book, this one ended with a cliffhanger ending so I’m wondering if I’ll get to read more about Beth, the CIA, and her family.

This one made for an excellent buddy read with Mary Beth.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the copy of this one to read and review. Scheduled to publish on 7.26.22

This book follows a woman that works for the CIA that amidst some major life changes becomes obsessed with a particular case and with the woman the recently purchased her home.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! Usually, CIA/FBI books are NOT my go-to genre, but I think the fact that Karen Cleveland worked for the CIA herself made the details more realistic and enjoyable. Her unique background/perspective really sets her writing at the top of this genre! I felt like the first chunk of the book was a little slow for me, but it quickly picked up the pace and I flew threw it! One trope that I do not enjoy that this book played into a little bit was the "is she right about everything or is she just crazy" trope. I cannot stand that plot line in books, and I got really nervous for what the book was going to hold when I saw this trope appearing, but luckily this was only present for a short chunk of the book. Overall, an enjoyable, quick read!

I received a copy of The New Neighbor through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House (Ballantine Books) and to Karen Cleveland for the opportunity.

What a great book except for that last 2 percent. Honestly, I was prepared to gush about this book because I was intrigued all the way through. I thought it was fast-paced, well-written, and exciting. It took me by surprise too because the whole CIA thing usually isn't my cup of tea. Then everything was left unresolved at the end. No one had resolution. I don't mind a loose end or two or a hint at something unresolved or not totally done (many thrillers are guilty of that). But this ended up putting the whole plot back to square one. Giving it three stars. What a disappointment.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. In reading the excerpt, I thought the book would have the perfect recipe for a fast paced mystery. However, the storyline seemed to drag, and I found some of the characters to be unlikeable. I also struggled with it jumping around i.e. one paragraph would be about present day happenings, and next paragraph would be about something that happened in the past. It was up to the reader to figure out if it was talking in the past or present. I also felt some of the events that happened were not realistic so I had to let that part go and just enjoy the ride. Overall it was just an ok book for me, but would still like to read other books by this author.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a good spy thriller. It was well written and a fast read. It was not obvious from the beginning who the neighbor was. I didn’t really starting class at that person till later in the book but that didn’t destroy the story for me. I see this as a good beach read or when you need relaxing fiction that doesn’t require too much thought. I’d have no hesitation recommending this or buying it for friends.

#TheNewNeighbor #NetGalley

This is a must read! And honestly, I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning! But wow! I didn’t see that ending coming. Very well written and kept me wanting more. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher of The New Neighbor for an ARC of this book!

After spending over a decade working in the DC area I rarely read books about espionage. However, the nerd in me was captured when I realized this book was about an Iranian intelligence officer- not the cliche Russian spy. Everything is falling apart in CIA analyst’s life- she’s newly an empty nester, her husband is leaving and to top it off she’s taken off the case she has devoted her career to. Definitely a twisty novel that constantly kept you guessing!

Well, this was fun.

It’s a bit messy and complicated at times, but it definitely kept me reading!

Fair warning that you may not like most of the characters – however they’re entertaining characters nonetheless.

There were times my logic sensors were blaring. I mean…there were so many things I didn’t believe when it came to law enforcement in the book. But I also didn’t care because I was trying feverishly to figure out who exactly was doing what.

A fun book that definitely kept me guessing!

*ARC via Publisher

I had really high expectations for this book, and for the most part, it met them! It wasn’t anything like I thought it would be, but it turned out to be a really good read!

This was my first Karen Cleveland book, and I was hooked from the beginning. The New Neighbor has so many twists and turns. I enjoyed everything about it.

The New Neighbor grabbed my attention immediately, I was already sucked in. I was nervous when the author started talking about Iranian Quds Force, Intelligence Officer and CIA that I would be lost and not understand anything. Not the case at all; Cleveland has an outstanding way of getting you to understand,
I was trying to figure out who the neighbor was and was so blown away to fine out the truth.
Loved the book

The New Neighbor grabbed my attention immediately, page two and I was already sucked in.  I was nervous when the author started talking about  Iranian Quds Force, Intelligence Officer and CIA that I would be lost and not understand anything.  Not the case at all; Cleveland has an outstanding way of getting you to understand, which also makes for a good fast paced read.  

I was intrigued with Beth, our main character, I was honestly on the edge of my seat waiting to see what this woman was going to do next.  I know there are going to be a handful of readers that don't like that Beth was made out to be the "crazy woman neighbor" but again when I read FICTION that is exactly how I see it.  

4 stars from me for being a little predictable at times and the ending didn't give me that OMFG feeling but was still an easy, hard to put down read, and I'm always here for those.  This was my first Karen Cleveland novel and I have to say I enjoyed it.

This book was incredible. Your kept moving from one to another. The storyline was so different from my ordinary books. I am having trouble describing it without giving things away. Basically, it is never what you think it is until the end..

This is my 1st read by this author, and I cannot wait to read more of her books.
I loved all the twists and turns in this book. I was able to catch some clues and figure out some of the twists.
I love that the author used her previous work for this book. I would absolutely love a sequel to this story and see where it goes.
100% will Reccomed this book to everyone.

I found this book to be fast paced and intriguing. I kept turning the page to find out who the "neighbor" was. The twists and turns as the "answers" were revealed at the end kept me reading. I was not overly impressed with the heroine, Beth, as a renegade agent. The concept seemed a bit far-fetched for an analyst to be running around on her own spying on people and having secret meets. I didn't find her particularly believable. I loved the plot though.

I really wanted to love this book. It had betrayal, mystery, twist and turns…all the ingredients for a great book. However, I just liked it not loved it. It was confusing to me at some points and the storyline seemed to drag on a bit. I would definitely try another book by this author, but this book was just not my cup of tea. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group provided a copy of The New Neighbor in exchange for a review.

The New Neighbor is a spy novel, packed with so many twists and turns, multiple suspects, and was so unpredictable. It may be my new favorite spy novel, although I've not read many. I thoroughly enjoyed this read despite it being outside my normal genre.

So many times I thought I figured out who the Neighbor was, only to find out I was wrong. I questioned everything Beth thought. It was a roller coaster, and the ending was amazing and painful.

See my review on Goodreads!