The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland is a twisty thriller about a neighbors in a cll de sac with ties to the CIA. I loved it, and could perfectly imagine this idyllic suburban street. Perfect families living in perfect houses with lush lawns and shiny new cars—not a hint of the secrets lying beneath the surface. I started it in the afternoon and raced through the pages because I couldn't go to sleep without knowing how it ended! Highly recommend!

Oh my poor grey cells! They hurt like hell! I don’t know how many twists a regular thriller reader can handle. But this book’s twists like harsh slaps against your face and I think I am not gonna feel my cheeks for a long time after reading them.

If they want to make sequel for “ Dazed and Confused” movie, they can take my photo and turn it into movie poster. Because I’m truly dazed and confused! When I was reading the last third, I truly wanted to close the book and scream: “ I’m the freaking neighbor! The show is over! Everyone can go home now!”

After so much twists, conspiracy theories later, I am truly numb and I honestly couldn’t find any relatable character in this book including ultra obsessive heroine whose main mission is finding THE NEIGHBOR and saving the country! Nope, even her quick assumptions about the identity of the neighbor at the first third of the book was far fetched. I doubted if she was a real CIA agent or if she was stay at home suburban wife who read too much detective novels and watched too much spy movies.

And the ending: when I read the last pages, I screamed “ Really !?” You may guess I’m not happy with the conclusion of the book.

Quick summary: CIA analyst Beth Bradford sends her youngest child to the college, finding a seller to their family house but without having time to suffer from empty nest syndrome, she finds out her husband wants a divorce and she’s taken off the case she’s working for nearly the decades.

Her focus was Quds Force, their external operations wing. And in particular, a high-ranking Quds Force commander named Reza Karimi. Karimi's mission is gaining undetected access to JWICS. Beth caught his most of the recruits but she missed only one of them: THE NEIGHBOR! The Neighbor is an access agent, a notoriously difficult who takes over the role of recruiting. Individuals who agree
to work for a foreign intelligence service, sell out their own country works with the neighbor. And they're nearly impossible to find, because they are locals. They can be anyone!

Beth lost everything she cared for and she has a lead! She knows the identity of the neighbor ( let’s say possible identity) but she needs to make her superiors believe in her when they only advise her let go off the case!

Pros: the book is riveting page turner keeps you guessing the identity the culprit. It’s fast pacing, it never bores you! You are just intrigued and you want to know how the author will wrap things up. Because at the second half of the book, things get so messier and extremely escalated!

Cons: I found the entire execution a little exaggerated and far fetched. Conclusion didn’t work with me!

Overall: it’s a wild ride, quick, smart but also confusing read! I’m giving my three stars! I still enjoyed action packed, mind bending parts! I wished I could enjoy it more!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I read this in one day at the spa! It really kept me hooked and turning the pages.

Unfortunately, I found the ending pretty obvious at about 60% of the way through the book. Given the main character's confidence in her abilities, I would've expected her to have solved the case sooner - but maybe that right there is the reason she got taken off her own case.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland is the story of Beth, a CIA analyst who recently drops her child off at college. Beth and her husband decide to move to a smaller home when her husband announces he is leaving her. To add more salt to her wounds, Beth is demoted at her job. Things have been better for Beth, to say the least…

Soon Beth finds herself hanging onto an old case at work that leaves her with lots of questions and suspicion. As she begins to investigate this former case,she finds herself back in her former neighbor where everyone is in some way connected to the CIA. This book was a bit out of my typical thriller comfort zone that I’m usually drawn to. I still enjoyed this book and felt it had a lot of suspense, secrets, twists and turns. The plot was interesting and the story was very well written. It’s a fast paced book which I also appreciate! There is a big twist at the end, which was obviously my favorite part of the book. I felt the character of Beth was very well developed, and I found myself wanting things to work out for her in the end. I’ll leave it at that- no spoilers :)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. I would highly recommend that everyone picks up a copy of this book once it’s released. I’ll look for more of this author’s work in the future, and check out her backlist also.

I was excited to receive an advance copy of The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland. It is the first book I read by this author and will seek out her other books.

The New Neighbor drew me in from the very star.t. The writing style enables the reader to feel like he/she is watching the scenes unfold without being bogged down with extensive details. The characters are likable and become more and more interesting as the story unfolds.

The plot was outstanding. It was fast paced, suspenseful and had me guessing throughout the entire book. I could not put the book down (rarely happens) and was very satisfied with the ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book. It was outstanding and I highly recommend it.

I liked the character building in this it seemed natural and just easy to read. The story has a lot of back and forths which can be good but sometimes it can get a little overwhelming. I liked the suspense and the edge of your seat feel this gives. I do recommend this book.

With a thrilling plot and a compelling cast of characters, The New Neighbor earns an easy five stars from me.

What is it that I love so much about it? Um, everything, I think, but let's get a little more specific.

The writing is wonderful, not fanciful. The language isn't showy and over the top. It is written in the exact way a thriller should be written: straightforward but with emotion, compelling but with pauses in the action to help us understand our characters. It gives me somewhat the same feel as Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's joint writing style, though that may just be because I adore all of their writing so fully.

Beyond strictly the writing, I enjoyed the way the characters were crafted. Suspicion fell on almost everyone without the author being too blunt and obvious about who should or shouldn't be branded a villain until nearer the end. I also cared deeply for the main character, and found myself rooting for her throughout her every move. I really connected with her in a way that isn't always easy for me to do.

Though there are elements of The New Neighbor that are very much CIA- and FBI-based, I wasn't confused at all. Cleveland made it all easy to understand, without feeling as though she was talking down to me (a mere mortal who doesn't understand governmental agency procedures).

I also have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the pro-America theme to this story. There was much talk, and thought, regarding the importance of people in these high-level government positions being unwavering in their faith to their country, and how disastrous things can get when there are traitors among them. The main character also swore allegiance to her country, first and foremost, her friendships coming second to her most important task: keeping America and Americans safe. I absolutely love this, because it's something I rarely see in books lately, so it adds a whole new depth to the story that most today simply do not possess. Yay for innovative ideas!

Bravo, Karen Cleveland. You've written a lovely novel. Please don't ever stop writing.

I wanted to like this more than I did. I've read and enjoyed Karen Cleveland before so was excited when NetGalley gave me the opportunity to review this one. I expected it to be similar to other neighbor books I've read, about the families on the street. But "the neighbor" turned out to be an Iranian agent that Beth is trying to track down in her position with the CIA.

Even though I was confused throughout the first part of the story, lo and behold, the neighbors on the street did play a part in the plot. And Beth changed from a likable person to an unlikable one as she spied on the neighborhood, especially a woman who had moved into Beth's previous home. Anything else feels like a spoiler. I'm curious to learn what others thought about this one.

PS I admit that one reason it may not have held much interest to me was that I was reading it on a Kindle that I loaned to MY neighbor, so when I came back to the last half of the story, it was hard to get into.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review The New Neighbor.
Beth is a CIA analyst and seems to have it all. But her life is about to undergo numerous changes. She is facing an empty nest, they are selling the house they have brought their children up in, her marriage is falling apart and she is being removed from a case she has spent years on. She's been tracking an Iranian intelligence agency know as the The Neighbor. Then Beth watches as the woman who bought her house moves into her old perfect life. Could she be the spy? Almost all the neighbors in the cul de sac have ties to the CIA so it would be the perfect place to insert a spy.

Beth is not the most likable character and her actions are a bit unbelievable. But once you get passes that, this is a great spy/thriller. I read this in one day! There are plenty of twists and turns and just when you agree Beth has it figured out, something else pops up. Good read!!! a solid 3.5 stars

Really good suspense. No explicit sex or foul language to detract from the good story line.

Beth works for govt agency and has been trying to identify major counter spy for many years. She has family changes, work changes, and gets new lead on the location of spy at same time. Suddenly coworkers and neighbors no longer trust or believe her. Is she psycho and imagining or really finding the spy. Unexpected surprise ending.

I received an ARC of this upcoming novel through NetGalley. I was so excited to read this as I am a big fan of this author’s prior novels. The author’s prior experience as a CIA analyst in counter-terrorism really shines through in this novel. The protagonist is a CIA analyst who has been hunting an Iranian. She moves out of her home, is informed by her husband that he is divorcing her, and is demoted to a new position in the CIA, all in short order. But she can’t stop searching for “The Neighbor” and comes to suspect the woman who has moved into her old house. An action-packed, paranoia-filled good time. Highly recommended.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have to admit that the book started a bit slow. I wasn't sure I would even finish but I had a feeling it would get better and it certainly did!

I loved the story building and the suspense. It kept me guessing the entire book.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Karen Cleveland does a good job of presenting a protagonist of rather dubious mental health and producing a story out of her that kept my interest. Sure, I often thought she was just batty, the protagonist, not Karen, but there was a hook there that kept me reading. Now I don't trust my neighbors, and I even wonder why the author says her surname is Cleveland. Is that a clue?
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC of The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland! This was my first read by this author and now I need to add her entire backlist to my TBR.

I’m a huge fan of suspenseful books that are set in an idyllic neighborhood where everyone seemingly has the perfect family and life. This book puts an interesting spin on things by following main character Beth, a CIA analyst, in this espionage thriller that doesn’t disappoint as she tracks down “The Neighbor”. I wasn’t expecting to love a spy thriller so much and found myself unable to put this one down. Everyone has secrets - Who can Beth trust? Surely her neighbors that she’s known for nearly 20 years, right?

This book is a nail-biter and also gets you thinking about how these things likely do happen in the real world - Something that we don’t think of typically unless it has an effect on us directly. Thank you for the entertaining read Karen!

Lies and spy’s. This book is full of them. If you like sleeper spy’s, the CIA and deep weave of deception then you will love this book. Beth is very smart, but she loses her, husband, her house and her position in the CIA all in the same day. I enjoyed following her as she worked her way through solving who The Neighbor was. This book is cleverly written and the ending was quite a surprise. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

She’s been working in the CIA for years trying to identify the “Neighbor” who is purportedly recruiting agents. She thinks she’s close to solving the mystery when she is unexpectedly transferred to another division - and all access to her files is denied. Undaunted, she forges ahead and finds the Neighbor - or does she? Clever ending!

This was an interesting story. Especially with all that is going on in the world right now. It's scary to think that something like this probably has been attempted at many points in our history.

Beth is going through some big life changes. Her final child going off to college and find out that the marriage she hoped to repair was actually over. To top it all off she's moving away from the friends that have become more like family over the years.

Slowly Beth starts to realize that everything isn't as it seems with the person who purchased her house. It seems she's been hiding who she really is and what her intentions are. Beth is the only one who seems to notice and she makes it her mission to find out what's really going on around "her" cul-de-sac.

A thought provoking and mind engaging story that will have you trying to figure out the truth right up until the end.

The New Neighbor is a book by Karen Cleveland. Fast paced thriller, and a page turner ! This books has you guessing the whole time. I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc !

Beth lives in a cul de sac, close to her neighbors and works for the cia who are also part of the CIA actually the whole neighborhood is filled with CIA employees.
Beth and her husband mike have raised three kids here and made a life. However when the youngest goes off to college her world seems to fall apart.

Her role in the CIA is to find who the neighbor is, for over 15 years she been trying to figure out who the identity of this person is. After a mini vacation, taking her son to college. she comes back and find herself off the case the ones she has been on for years and no one will tell her why. At the same time she has put her house up for sale in the cul de sac, to downsize since no kids are left at home.

Then her husband leaves her and Beth is alone, she starts obsessing over the wine who moved in to her house and with the clues she seen and knows how the neighbor works she can’t let it go ? So who is this neighbor and how well do you know your?

I got sucked in at the beginning but parts of the story were missing key info that had me re reading becaus I wasn’t sure what was going on. Also it kinda seemed a bit far fetch if a story but over all enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for my honest review.