When trying to keep up with the Joneses you should always be careful what you wish for. That is exactly what happens with this book. I found this book to be engaging and a very easy read. I loved the characters and descriptions; excellent writing. I will say it's a bit of a slow burn, but worth it!

Middle of the road read. Pretty good for a debut author. All the boxes were clicked to enjoy as a thriller. Just really didn't care for the characters and couldn't get invested in their issues. The writing style is different and it took a few chapters to get n2. Once I did, I was able to quickly read.

#NETGALLEY
#WHATTHENEIGHBORSSAW
#MELISSAADELMAN

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What the Neighbors Saw
Author: Melissa Adelman
Source: NetGalley
Published: June 20, 2023

What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman is a thriller with an interesting couple of twists. The book may start a little slow, but it’s the groundwork for the rest of the story. A young couple, Alexis and Sam, along with two very young children stretch their budget to buy a home in one of the nicest DC suburbs. Both are on successful career tracks but when the babies start arriving, Alexis get the brunt of the work and has to sacrifice for a husband who is physically and emotionally detaching from Alexis. From the outside, the neighbors and the homes in which they reside seem perfect. But after the first murder, you get the picture that all is certainly NOT as it seems. Like most of these stories, we have secrets, adultery, lies, murder, crime, lecherous old men, clueless cops. Alexis and Sam’s home’s is a fixer-upper as is the relationships of about every neighbor in this community. A good read with a better ending. My only comment is too many characters….so keeping notes will probably help you enjoy the book more. Published June 20th.  #WhatTheNeighborsSaw  @MelissaAdelman @NetGalley @MinotaurBooks #thriller #deadhusbands #fiction #mysteryThriller #suspense #oldHouses #crime #adultfiction #relationships
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: June 20, 2023.
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Sam and Alexis are house shopping. They find the perfect “money pit” home in exclusive River Forrest close to Washington D.C. Sam is hoping to become a partner in a Washington law firm during the next promotions. Alexis is pregnant with their second child. She and her neighbor, Blair, are the narrators. Blair and her husband, Teddy have three boys. There is a murder.. I was involved in reading the story for awhile and it just seemed to be a bit incomplete to me, I think it would have helped if we knew more about the neighbors, etc. before the murder happened rather then after. I kept putting the book down and coming back to it. The last part of the book was good, and I found myself flipping through the pages again. I think if the book had been better organized, it would be a great book. My thanks to St. Martins Press Minotaur and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own. 3.5 stars raised to 4 stars

Alexis grew up poor with a single mom and dreams of a better life for herself. Her and her husband Sam purchase a house in the suburbs of northern Virginia. The house is “the worst house, on the best block,” and needs a lot of work. Shortly, after moving Teddy, the neighbor across the street becomes murdered and there are no leads. Alexis befriends his widow and starts learning more about the neighbors and their many secrets. This book kept my attention and I read it in one day. I really liked the fast-paced action and couldn’t put it down.

Phew, what a twisted, dramatic soap opera of a ride I just went on. This is the story of wealthy couples in a wealthy neighborhood behaving badly. Oh, and murder. I really felt immersed in the setting due to all of the descriptive language about the homes and the lawns and the appearances of the people. Lots of people to hate here, folks. But at the same time, you can’t help but feel empathy for some of them. Pick this one up if you enjoy twisty murder mysteries with a heavy dose of upper class suburban drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy.

This novel had my attention from the moment Sam & Alexis drove into their new exclusive neighborhood. I could feel the tension of the money-pit they purchased and the excitement of meeting new neighbors, but there was an unsettling mysterious element to this neighborhood concerning status and secrets. I enjoyed Alexis’ attitude towards motherhood and safeguarding the house but felt that Sam didn’t seem to have the same financial priorities. The mystery surrounding the neighbor’s murder was well done and threw off several red herrings and many trails of suspicion. Some I saw coming but a couple of twists got me and I loved it!

I loved the premise of this, and I wanted to love the book, but it felt unorganized. There were so many subplots and characters that felt like caricatures rather than fully formed people. I don't recommend this.

What the Neighbors Saw is classified as a domestic thriller, which begins with Alexis and Sam buying the worst house in the best neighborhood. Cross the movie "Money Pit" with "Desperate Housewives" and you get a good idea of what the 'domestic' aspect of the novel is about. When the neighbor, Teddy, is murdered while Blair, his wife, and their three teenage children are out of town visiting grandma, things around the neighborhood begin to lose their picture perfect patina.

I thought the gossipy neighborhood stories were fun, and they kept me wondering what had actually happened to Teddy. The resolution, which had a fairly good twist, was not entirely a surprise, and there were a lot of issues that weren't completely resolved among the various people in the neighborhood. I also found it very difficult to like most of the characters, probably an intentional choice by the author, but it was a little difficult to feel empathy for some of the shallow, downright mean individuals or care what happened to them.

This is a good debut by Ms Adelman, and I will definitely be looking for future books she would write. It is great if you like domestic thrillers with very little thrill/mystery that are mostly neighborhood drama.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur for the digital ARC of What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman. The opinions in this review are my own.

An engaging domestic thriller with enough twists that I couldn't figure them all out!
Alexis and her husband Sam care about appearances. A lot. They buy a fixer-upper in an exclusive DC suburb that is stretching their budget with all the repairs and renovations it needs, Sam wants to put in a pool before dealing with more urgent safety-related updates. Alexis has body issues and is basically starving herself to lose weight after having a baby, even though other women in the neighborhood think she looks great. Amidst all this, one of their neighbors if found dead, murdered on the riverside trail that runs through their neighborhood, Alexis starts to realize that being rich can't protect you from everything. This is a well-plotted, slow burn of a book, and I found it easy to read despite not feeling particularly sympathetic toward the main characters.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman is a psychological thriller about the secret lives of the people you live closest to – your neighbors.
Bullet Point Review:
I loved the beginning and the ending. Both held my attention and hooked me into this wild and crazy tale. I did figure out who did it and why, but I never would have guessed the story behind the motivation – not in a million years. That part was absolutely jaw-dropping.
However, it drags between the beginning and ending, which was my biggest problem. It needed much more focus and related-type thrills to move that section faster.
I found the character development lacking and the characters unlovable, which is not necessarily bad in a thriller. Still, despite all that, I did admire Alexis' strength of character. She knows what she needs in life, and she makes it happen. She's not in your face but nor is she a push-over.
The plot progression, as I mentioned above, was challenging. I found it to be prolonged and tedious, as I wondered how I could not possibly be making very much progression in the amount of time when I would usually have finished it.
The narration is told dually by Blair and Alexis, new neighbors and friends, in first-person narration. I did enjoy wondering if the narration is unreliable or not throughout because it held little hints that could mean the reader is not getting the whole story.
The pacing is inconsistently slow to medium, making me feel like a car spinning its wheels without gaining traction for long periods.
The story is set in an affluent neighborhood outside of Washington, DC.
This is a debut novel, and though I did have some issues with it, I would be open to reading more by this author to discover how her writing progresses.
Read if you're in the mood for:
A mysterious, dark, and tense thriller
A story full of secrets, lies, and what happens when they come out
A diverse cast of unlovable characters telling a story in first-person narration

Alexis and her husband Sam are thrilled to buy a fixer-upper in an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C. But things start to go south almost immediately after they move in:

The house they loved is turning into a money pit with endless repairs.
Alexis’s relationship with Sam turned from goodish to rocky.
The husband of her next-door neighbor (Teddy) is killed while running on a popular path that borders the Potomac River.
Alexis, a stay-at-home mother of two children, slowly makes friends with the other women in the neighborhood. But, the one she grows closest to is Blair, who happens to be the widow of the man killed. But the longer it takes for Teddy’s killer to be identified, the more tense the neighborhood gets, and long-held secrets come to light. What secrets are being unearthed in this neighborhood? And how are those secrets directly linked to Teddy’s death?

When I read the blurb for What the Neighbors Saw, I thought I was getting into a psychological thriller. But what I thought and what I read were two different things. In a way, it was a psychological thriller but not how I thought it would be. This book was an almost soap opera-type look into an affluent neighborhood. It reminded me a little bit of a Jackie Collins book. I did enjoy reading What the Neighbors Saw but wished there was less drama and more thriller.

What the Neighbors Saw is a medium to fast-paced book. It took me over a day to read it. The pacing of What the Neighbors Saw did suit the book. I wish the author had slowed the book’s pacing during key points (mainly the ending).

What the Neighbors Saw takes place entirely in an affluent neighborhood in Washington, D.C. There are some flashbacks to Alexis’s life growing up in Baltimore, but the entirety of the book is set in this one neighborhood.

I liked Alexis, and the more she revealed about her past, the more I felt terrible for her. But, she was an unreliable narrator. She was exhausted from caring for a newborn and toddler (even with a nanny), and I felt that exhaustion colored her views of people and events in the neighborhood.
This sentiment extends to her waste of space husband, Sam. He gaslit and verbally abused her for 90% of the book. Their scenes together alternately made me sad and ticked me off.

I liked Alexis, and the more she revealed about her past, the more I felt terrible for her. But, she was an unreliable narrator. She was exhausted from caring for a newborn and toddler (even with a nanny), and I felt that exhaustion colored her views of people and events in the neighborhood.
This sentiment extends to her waste of space husband, Sam. He gaslit and verbally abused her for 90% of the book. Their scenes together alternately made me sad and ticked me off.

I wanted to like Blair but couldn’t quite cross that line. There was something about her that rubbed me the wrong way. Her grief over her husband dying was too predictable. Her friendship with Alexis was too convenient. And there is the question of her secret. I figured it out quickly but was still surprised (and disgusted) when it was revealed.

The thriller angle was lacking in What the Neighbors Saw. It didn’t reach thriller level in my eyes. It did come close to that towards the end of the book but has yet to get it. I was sad about that because I could see the potential.

On the other hand, the mystery angle of the book was chef’s kiss. The author kept the mystery of who killed Teddy and why under wraps until the end of the book. It also went hand in hand with two twists that surprised me—these twists I did not see coming.

As I said above, the end of the book was full of twists. I was in disbelief over what was revealed, and I needed to retake everything. But the ending didn’t mesh with the rest of the book. I felt the author rushed it.

I recommend What the Neighbors Saw to anyone over 21. There is language, violence, and mild graphic sex scenes.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Melissa Adelman for allowing me to read and review What the Neighbors Saw. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, here is the thing about this book. I didn't hate the writing and I wasn't necessarily bored with it, but this is a story that had too many unresolved mini-stories and a main story that no one seemed to be interested in (neither the other characters or me, the reader).

The big twist about Blair and Teddy could have been interesting, but the way Alexis "solved it" was just not working for me...at all. The mini-neighborhood dramas did entertain me, but after finishing the book, I have to say they seemed all really out of place. They didn't really work as red-herrings and it seems odd that even in a rich and powerful neighborhood, everyone is just able to move on from big events such as oh choking out a fellow neighbor?! What?!

The complicated relationship with Alexis' dead mother was probably my favorite part of the book and I think that's because it was the only relatable storyline to me. I also now want to go redecorate my house, so there is that.

2.5 for me.

What the Neighbors Saw is a dark and twisty thriller about Alexis and Sam, a couple expecting their second child, who move into a seemingly perfect DC suburb. Shortly after they move in, a murder occurs in their neighborhood. As Alexis begins to investigate, she realizes that most of her neighbors are hiding dark secrets.

This thriller was a fun read that I couldn’t put down. It is told from two perspectives, and I enjoyed reading both. I was in suspense the entire time and there was a twist that I didn’t see coming. This book does have quite a few triggers, some of which are also spoilers, so you may want to look into that before reading.

I greatly enjoyed this book and think it was a fantastic debut, and plan on reading future books by Melissa Adelman. I lived in Virginia for ten years and loved the posh Northern Virginia setting. My personal rating is 4 out of 5 stars. There were some issues with Alexis that I would have liked to see explored further, particularly her quite obvious disordered eating and body dysmorphia.

A sincere thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the digital arc of What the Neighbors Saw.

I honestly feel like at this point, I should know better than to pick up a thriller that links itself to things like Desperate Housewives or the Real Housewives. The mystery of this book was diluted, repeatedly, by the inane. By the time we go to the resolution of the mystery, I found that I hardly cared at all. I found most of the character unbearable to read about, and their traumas and problems felt flat. I love trash television, and I love domestic thrillers, but this was so slow paced that I almost DNF'd 80% in, ready to accept that I actually didn't care "whodunit."

What the Neighbors Saw is a suspenseful story set in Washington DC. It is written with different POVs which I find adds to the building of the storyline. It is a quick, enjoyable read.

Somehow I managed to read two books about rich peoples lives back to back. It's not my favorite trope but What the Neighbors Saw has a leg up because it has an actual murder mystery plot whereas the other book had no plot at all. The book starts out a little bit slow and has a very Desperate Housewives vibe. Unlikeable characters are fine but Alexis' husband Sam really drags the book down for me. He is the worst and I just had rage within me every time he spoke to his wife. I don't think anything was very surprising as far as thrillers go but it was a solid debut and I would read another book by the author.

Melissa Adleman offers readers a domestic mystery/thriller in her debut novel. Set in the suburbs of DC, this is a fun read.

Alexis and Sam seem to have it all. They have the requisite two children (one born and one on the way), Sam is professionally successful and they have just bought what they hope will be their home for many years. What could possibly go wrong? Well, readers of the genre know that…everything could.

Alexis and Sam are embraced by some neighbors but will this be a good thing? How will Alexis’s past come into play? Who will be murdered and why? Readers are free to guess.

This is an exciting read and one that will be enjoyed by those who like domestic thrillers. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for this title. All opinions are my own.

I'm so sad to say but this book did not do it for me. I found myself extremely disappointed in this book. I really couldn't get into it. I read up to the murder happening and found myself struggling to pick it up. I tried so hard. I ended up skimming through a lot of the story. I don't know if I would 100% classify this as a thriller. There was death but then nothing thrilling really happened after that. I feel at the end of the it was just casually thrown in what happened. There was no build up. It really lacked shock value. Plus, right away I had my guess who the killer was and was correct. I felt like it was pretty obvious.

I probably should have DNF'd this one but really was hoping I was wrong with my assumptions and pushed on. So bummed about this one.

This is domestic suspense that I found to be very heavy on the domestic and light on the suspense. The prose itself is solid, but it felt overwritten for the genre. It was heavy on description and backstory, which slowed down the forward action, and the lack of dialogue and character interaction made it seem a bit like an early draft.
Sadly, I made it about one-third of the way through then decided to stop reading. I would try to read something else by Adelman, as she is a strong writer, but I'd hope for a different pacing that is more inline with the domestic suspense genre.