3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) Alexis and her husband Sam buy a house they can barely afford in an upscale Washington DC neighborhood. The house needs a lot of work but they love it. Once they start meeting the neighbors, they feel something is different about this neighborhood.


This exclusive neighborhood isn’t all it seems. Secrets start creeping in. Enough that Alexis starts looking at each neighbor in a different light. Even the one friend she has made on the street. While she gathers information and gossip from each of them, she starts putting pieces together. Is anyone happily married? Financially stable? Does anyone not have “habits” that are very questionable? What kind of neighborhood did she just move her family to?

Along with the questionable neighbors, Alexis and Sam are having their own struggles with childcare, work, money to fix the house and many things going wrong with the house. They’re constantly fighting.

The end of the book was part revenge, part collaboration. It was somewhat sweet justice while also being horribly wrong. But it fit in with the neighborhood and now Alexis will too. Oh the sweet drama of all the crimes and secrets!

I recommend this for domestic thriller lovers!

General content summary: F words= 36, racism, intimacy (some details), alcohol (alcoholism), body found in water (grief, homicide, funeral), story of a child found dead in dumpster (previous), naked woman (no details), alleged rape, bulimia (previous) and food disorders (mentioned multiple), infidelity (multiple, few details), heart attack death (few details), rape (previous), death from a large height (few details), blunt force trauma death (some details).

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for the copy!

The book releases June 20, 2023.

Shortly after Alexis and Sam move to an overpriced fixer upper in Cape Cod, the quiet neighborhood is rocked with tragedy. Blair’s husband, Teddy is found dead and it’s been ruled a homicide rocking the charm of the perfect neighborhood.  

What the Neighbors saw had me at “Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door”. Unfortunately, to me, it didn’t live up to that quote as a fan of both of those. It’s told via multiple POV between two very unreliable and unlikeable MCs which normally I enjoy; in this case, both women just irritated me. The slow burn was just a bit too slow throughout the most of the book. The last quarter of the book is when it picked up and piqued my interest. The twist at the end caught me by surprise. Overall, I enjoyed it, it’s just not the book for me.  

Thank you to Minotaur & St. Martins Press for these ARCs in exchange for a review!

This book started out slowly, but turned into a good domestic suspense thriller, I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read this book. I give this book 3.5. I wasn't sure what rating to give this book. I hovered back and forth between 3, 3.5 and sometimes in the story, even up to a 4. That being said, there were some aspects of the plot/story that ultimately fell short in my opinion, which resulted in settling at 3.5. . This story is presented through a dual narrative in alternating chapters. It goes between Alexis, a Mom that has just moved into an affluent, highly sought after neighbourhood and Blair, a wealthy resident of said neighbourhood. Initially, I was intrigued by the idea of a mysterious death and what was bound to be an interesting journey through these rich people's secrets and lives. I was looking forward to an interesting domestic suspense thriller but found that what followed was a long, drawn-out narrative of the lives of the affluent. It focused on their lies and secrets, marriage issues and infidelities and jealousies. I found that the mystery, which I expected to be at the heart of the story ended up taking a backseat. The plot progression was slow, and at times, repetitive. The characters were mostly unlikable and unrelatable. There was some disjointedness in some of the characters' personalities, such as Alex's husband Sam who increasingly gets more and more mean to his wife. It kind of annoyed me when she put up with it or was passive aggressive about it. Lots of "gas lighting" going on in that relationship. That being said, the author did do a good job of really allowing the reader to get to know the characters and their motivations etc. It was well written in that sense, but it wasn't until around the last 20% or so of the novel that my interest was piqued again. This was because we were finally being redirected back to the "who killed this person and why?" part of the story . I didn’t see the end coming which is always a good thing, and something I always appreciate in a mystery. And the reasons behind the killing raised my eyebrows! Overall, while the concept of the novel seemed promising, I was a tad disappointed with its execution. Overall, more drama than real mystery and a bit lacking in the tension building that a good mystery needs. There was an added twist at the end though, which I also didn't see coming. So that was a bit of a bonus.

WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAW - Melissa Adelman

SUSPENSEFUL - 3.5 stars

Plot - 4 stars - When Alexis and her husband Sam buy a neglected Cape Cod house in an exclusive DC suburb, they are ecstatic. But the neighborhood’s picture-perfect image is shattered when their neighbor Teddy is found dead. The community is shaken, and as the police struggle to identify and apprehend the killer, tension in the neighborhood mounts and long-buried secrets start to emerge.

Writing - 3 stars - The first part of the book seemed a little disjointed. Although there are clear timelines outlined at the beginning of each section, I had to keep going back to remind myself how much time had passed between each chapter since it seemed to be inconsistent. I also had a hard time keeping track of the neighbors and who was married to whom. Adelman, however, was able to build a very suspenseful story that kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen.

Characters - 2,5 stars - We see the story mostly through both Alexis's and Blair's eyes. Alexis is the unsure new mom, feeling self-conscious since they are new in the neighborhood as well as clearly less well off than their neighbors. I had a hard time connecting with Alexis since she seemed up-and-down in her relationship with her husband Sam. They would seem fine together, but then she'd complain that he was mean to her, although I hadn't seen any lead-up to that accusation. I just couldn't get a handle on Alexis or why she was so interested in her neighbors' activities. Blair is the wife of the murder victim who seems very confident, although we see some breaks in that from time to time when she's alone. She was less appealing to me since she seemed so cavalier about her husband's recent death.

Title - 3 stars - There was a lot of negative poking around by all of the neighbors. Quite an unpleasant place to live, although the title made sense, I suppose.

Cover - 4 stars - A dark and suspicious cover, but in a jewel-tone blue that draws the eye. When you look closer, you can see the neighborhood, looking peaceful and innocent.

Overall - 3.5 stars - Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It was focused on Alexis (the new neighbor) and Blair (the wife of the murdered man), but I wasn't quite sure why. As the story continued, I didn't feel particularly close to either of them, possibly because Alexis spent a lot of time complaining about her lot in life (despite the fact that she and her husband have been able to purchase into this exclusive neighborhood). And we don't know a lot about Blair--it is left to Alexis to unravel her situation. Somehow the book didn't quite click together for me. I liked the suspense, and the neighbors and neighborhood were well-built so that I was able to picture the scene. But there was almost too much going on, making things a little too confusing.

What the Neighbors Saw
by Melissa Adelman
4 stars

A domestic suspense thriller, with a dual timeline, fast-paced, keeps you wondering, starts out slow then picks up in the middle and the ending will surprise you. I would not have guessed that ending at all. The neighbors, the drama, my goodness this neighborhood is one no one wants to be a part of. Maybe some people but that's too much drama on one block for me.

Alexis and Sam are starting to grow their family and as such it's time to move into a house that can fit them all. Alexis finds a fixer-upper that would work perfectly for their family. Tragedy strikes the neighborhood when one of the neighbors is found dead. Alexis can't help but wonder if she made the right choice in bringing her family to this neighborhood.

Thank you, Net Galley and St. Martins Press for the eARC for an honest review.

What The Neighbors saw was a good storyline although overdone these days.

Neighbors in an exclusive neighborhood behaving badly.

Told in the two povs of Blair and Alexis, this one starts with murder and ends with a good twist!

Neither main character was likeable to me but the book was a fun easy read. I would def read more by this author.

Thanks 🙏 for my early copy!

Aside from romance, domestic thrillers and suspense novels are my favorite genre and What the Neighbors Saw really delivered. I found myself hooked from the start and finished in just 2 days. I love when I don't see a twist coming! Told through the alternating POVs of 2 women, the story was engaging and entertaining. Looking forward to author Melissa Adelman's next release.

Alexis and her husband, Sam, buy a fixer-upper in an affluent neighborhood that has a lot of drama, secrets, lies and scandals. People who like Desperate Housewives will enjoy this domestic suspense novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and author Melissa Adelman for providing me with an advance read copy of this book.

I'm a sucker for a good neighborhood drama thriller. And this one gave me major Shari Lapena vibes mixed with DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. Despite being a slow burn, I was invested in the story and found myself looking forward to reading more. The last third was juicy and twisty.

My major problem with it was that the main characters were insufferable. I feel like we were supposed to be rooting for Alexis but she really bothered me. Also the amount of times she called herself fat or commented negatively towards her body really made me upset. Reading about the glorification of her eating disorder was major ick.

What the Neighbors Saw is a debut novel by Melissa Adelman, and I enjoyed it very much. It is a low-key thriller, a notch above a cozy mystery, and a great summer read!
It tells the story of Alexis and Sam, her rather unlikeable husband, who move into a more expensive neighborhood they can afford because they buy a fixer-upper house that they will renovate over time. They have a toddler and a newborn, and Alexis recently took a demotion with a new job so Sam could focus on his fast-track partner job and be the breadwinner.
Shortly after moving into their new neighborhood, one of their neighbors is murdered. Alexis develops a friendship with his widow, as well as many of the other neighborhood wives, and begins to see the scratches in the surface of their upscale neighborhood. Should she be concerned that Teddy's murderer may be after her too? It seems like it, at times.
Overall this book was enjoyable. It wasn't very intense, which I think makes it a good beach read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy of this book!

This was a pretty good neighborhood drama. I don’t know that I would call it a thriller though tbh. It was missing the creepy vibes. I was suspicious of the person who ended up being the murderer from the beginning but there were a few twists I didn’t see coming. I think the biggest negative for this book was that there were too many subplots that I think some information just got lost. I just feel like I was missing something when the book ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press along with Victoria Cardoso for inviting me to read this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A murder is committed in a well-to-do neighborhood. The newest neighbor, Alexis, has enough on her plate- a new baby, an active toddler, arguing with her husband BUT she cannot resist trying to figure it all out. Deciding to make friends with the grieving widow, Blair, Alexis soon realizes that all households have their secrets- even hers.

This debut novel was just okay for me. I wasn't always interested in the going on in the neighborhood and occasionally I forgot that we were supposed to be focusing on " Who murdered Teddy?" I guess we would say that makes it a "slow-burn suspense" On the other hand, the last few chapters definitely paid off, and that would entice me to try another title by this author.




Publication Date 20/06/23
Goodreads review 25/06/23

2.75 stars Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

The ending has two interesting twists but overall the characters were not interesting enough for me to get attached to or care about. And it was quite obvious that the lead male character was having an affair so no shocker when that was revealed . The premise and description of the book made me want to read it but overall it was a letdown due to the lack of interest in the characters.

Also reviewed on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5644465124

Ah, the labyrinth of neighbor relationships, coupled with a murder and all of the motivations and suspicions that surround it, and you have yourself a mystery! The writing was detailed and well done, the characters varied and the plot just twisted enough that it leaves you wondering what the heck happened, and who did it?? A great summer read.

When I saw that this was described as Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door, I knew I had to read it. I really liked that this was told in dual POV's between Alexis, a married mom to two young children who moved recently to the neighborhood, and Blair, an established resident of the neighborhood. The story starts off as a slow burn. We know that Blair's husband is found murdered, but a lot of the first half of the book is spent setting the scene of the neighborhood dynamics. The second half I flew through, though. There were some twists, most of which I saw coming and a few that I didn't. And, I just need to say, that I absolutely HATED Alexis's husband, Sam. He got under my skin from the very beginning. Definitely a solid debut novel, and I will read more from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.

I was engaged in the book in beginning and then lost interest. I did finish it later. There were a few side stories within the book that I found to be distracting. I would still recommend the book to a friend since it wasn’t the fault of the author that I lost interest (death in family). This book would be one to read within a short span of time to be able to keep up with.

Great twists and turns. I honestly didn’t see them coming. So many shady characters, and lots of neighborhood drama

This book is described as Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door and that's pretty spot on. There is lots of drama in this neighbourhood (and between these pages) with twists a plenty. This is a case of keeping up with the Joneses and be careful what you wish for. Alexis and her husband have bought a fixer-upper in an affluent D.C. neighbourhood and they desperately want to fit in but have a hard time doing so.

The story is very engaging and I loved the dual perspectives of Alexis and Blair. The best thing about this book is everything is wonderfully secret until the very end plus the plot line wasn't too out there. The author's characterization was wonderful as I could clearly picture each character (and there are many) in my head. It was a bit of a slow burn at the start and nothing really exciting happens until about halfway through. But if you're patient this one is a decent domestic suspense with a murder mystery thrown in!

I have been to Alexandria, Virginia many times and am familiar with the area where this story takes place. so it was pretty neat to be taken back there again through this story. Melissa Adelman writes a pretty satisfying debut and I look forward to what she comes up with next.

Pub date: 6/20/23
Genre: domestic suspense
Quick summary: Alexis and Sam bought a rundown house in a fancy neighborhood to fit their growing family - but a nearby murder shocks them out of their suburban comfort.

I love a story about rich people behaving badly - and the good news is that the ending of this one really surprised me! The less good news - it took a little too much time to get there. I was expecting more of a fast-paced thriller, but this one was a slow burn. I felt like there were too many plot points, which weighed down the narrative a bit.

But I did still really want to find out what happened, and I ended up hybrid reading the text and audio in one day. I'd try another book by Adelman since this is her debut novel.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for providing an e-ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.