Neighborhood drama with a side of murder?! Sign me up. I was invested in the different points of view between wives Alexis and Blair. However after awhile the story just stalled. It was going nowhere. Yes, Alexis and her husband fought a lot over the money pit of a house they bought, and something strange was happening between Blair and her husband until he turned up dead.

This story really didn't catch my attention again until about 80% in when it was twist after twist. One was so mind blowing that you could never see it coming while the other twist I should have seen coming. Overall this was a good beginning, boring middle and weirdly good ending.

I loved this twist filled and suspenseful read! The well developed characters jumped off the page. Sometimes the most affluent neighborhoods hide the darkest secrets. A real page turner!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this e-arc for my honest review

This book just did not do it for me, I powered through and it did get better at the end. It just was too much of slow burn for 50% of it. All of the characters were unlikable and the twists did not happen till late in the game. If you like rich suburban drama give this a try. The end will not disappoint.
This was a 3 star for me.

Loved this until the big twist, then I was just slugging to get done.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love a good neighborhood murder mystery! This book was great! I highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley and Melissa Adelman for giving me a chance to read this before its release!

WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAW is a domestic murder mystery/thriller that follows the wife of the guy found dead and the woman that just moved in across the street. Alexis (the neighbor) and Blair (the widow) start a friendship and the murder mystery starts to unfold. The neighborhood is very high class and everyone that lives there is very rich. Of course, a lot of drama unfolds in this rich neighborhood.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I did not enjoy the twists; the last twist was so obvious and the other ones were just weird. I did not like a single character in this book. Everyone was so annoying and whiny. Alexis and her husband are always complaining about money but they have a live-in-nanny and a new BMW and a couple million dollar house like it doesn't make sense! Also, I don't like when motherhood is shown as this horrible hard thing in books (yes I am a mom so don't come at me). Yes motherhood is very difficult but I just don't like when books show it in a bad light. All of these people are super rich and well-off, yet they are so whiny and annoying about everything.

I think there is an audience for this book, it was just not for me unfortunately. If you like petty drama and rich problems, you'll probably like this book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for an arc of this book!

Nothing is as it seems- you always kind of know that going into a thriller, and especially one that takes place in an affluent, seemingly perfect neighborhood. It's always hard to write reviews for thrillers because you don't want to give even the slightest thing away - so let me say that this was a slow burn with characters that may make you mad or roll your eyes. Some of the thoughts/comments the characters made were so snooty and judgmental that I was worried about the tone of the book, but it all works and it all leads to some great reveals. I overall enjoyed this one; more of a character-drive story that had me racing through the second half.

Well….sigh….this one was a disappointment for me. I didn’t understand the point of it. Nothing really happened until 90% in. I mean, there was a murder early in, but nothing really came of it until the very end. I suppose it was supposed to be neighborhood drama, but it was boring to me. I debated between 2.5 to 3 stars, the last 10% saved it and brought it to 3 stars.

I did like the writing style, and I loved that it was told through two POV’s, those are my favorite types of books.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

College sweethearts Alexis and her husband Sam are living in a small apartment in Washington, DC and desperately want to get a house. With a second baby on the way, they are out of space and increasingly in each other's way. When Alexis finds a neglected old home in an exclusive neighborhood, it seems to have been ordained.

The house is on a cul-de-sac with only five or six houses, backing up to a wooded area which leads to the Potomac River. But the people in those houses, despite being rich beyond measure, are not all as happy as they appear, and some dark secrets are hiding there. And anyone in the woods can see right into those brightly lighted picture windows............

When one of the neighbors, a well-known politician, is found dead in the rocks below a popular jogging trail, no is is safe from the police investigation. But as the investigation lingers on, and the repairs to their house mount and seem unsurmountable, Alexis wonders if this is really where she wants to raise her family.

When the whole truth finally comes out, Alexis has to make a decision for her children's sake. And it is irreversible.

I liked reading from the perspective of a minority woman with a brown Honduran mother who buys a Cape Cod house with her white American husband in an exclusive section of the D.C. suburbs.

Alexis and Sam are welcomed by their neighbor across the street, Blair, but when Blair's husband Teddy is found bludgeoned to death on a hiking trail near the river, the entire community is on edge. Blair and Alexis become fast friends, relying on each other.

The mystery continues with newcomer Alexis even acting like an amateur sleuth to discover the truths behing the seemingly perfect households on their street. I enjoyed her conclusion that people'are the same and their problems could be even worse, regardless of the class status of the individuals.

The character and personality of Alexis carries the plot of this murder mystery which has enough surprises and twists to keep any reader fully occupied.

This book is not for me. I didn't like the greedy, materialistic, self-absorbed characters. Alexis is more interested in converting their house into her dream house. Blair has a secret that she needs to hide. These are the two POV's for the book. I have a hard time reading stories where I don't like anyone in the story and I ended up skimming the rest of the books. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

Sam and Alexis, a mixed-race couple, take on the challenge of renovating the worst house in an upscale Washington, DC neighborhood. Financial strains begin to strain their marriage as Sam strives for a promotion while Alexis cares for their second child. Meanwhile, a shocking murder rocks the seemingly harmonious community along a nearby nature trail. Through the perspectives of Blair and Alexis, an unlikely friendship forms, shedding light on the dark underbelly of this neighborhood filled with secrets and untrustworthy characters. Brace yourself for a captivating mystery that unveils the truth behind closed doors.

What the Neighbors Saw is a thrilling rollercoaster ride of a plot, where everything is turned upside down. The characters are rich and layered, with tension that keeps you turning the pages. The suspense is remarkable, making it nearly impossible to put the book down until the very end.

*3-3.5 stars

Sam and Alexis, a mixed-race couple, buy the worst house in an upscale neighborhood of Washington, DC. It’s a ‘steal’ because it needs so much fixing up but of course it rapidly becomes a money pit. Have their dreams outstripped their reach? Sam is hoping to make partner in his law firm but Alexis is taking time off from her position to have their second child. The financial problems rapidly put a strain on their marriage. She seems to be able to do nothing but complain and he seems to be spending too much time at work.

One of the things they liked about the neighborhood when they first saw the house is its proximity to a nature trail along the Potomac, great for exercise. But then one morning, Teddy Bard, the husband of a local couple, is found dead in the rocks along the path and it is believed to be a murder. In this neighborhood?? His wife Blair and their children were visiting her mother at the time of the crime. All the neighbors are questioned about what they saw but the police cannot come up with a suspect—Teddy was so well liked.

This is a character-driven mystery told from two points of view—that of Blair and Alexis. They form an unlikely friendship, having come from such different worlds. There is so much old money in the neighborhood but that doesn’t mean these people are respectable, faithful or honest. In fact, no one seems all that likable.

I received an arc of this mystery from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

What the Neighbors Saw is the debut novel from Melissa Adelman.

"Alexis and Sam buy a Cape Cod fixer-upper in an exclusive neighborhood outside DC. Sam is about to make partner at his law firm. Alexis is pregnant with their 2nd child. Their glamorous neighbors welcome them with open arms. Everything seems to be going great - until one of their neighbors is murdered. Suddenly, it doesn't feel safe. Alexis is seeing shadows and hearing noises and some of her yard tools are missing. And she's not sure what to make of her new friendship with her neighbor, Blair. The neighborhood seems just a little...off."

I thought that this was going to be another "neighbors behavin badly" book. It is that a little but Adelman keeps you invested with little nibbles about the characters - what's happened before and clues about coming twists. And this book is as twisty as they come. I thought I knew what was going to happen but didn't guess it. And the ending is wild. And that one twist is nuts. How would you react?

Alexis has her issues and secrets but you still pull for her. Blair has issues and a murdered husband and secrets. Adelman tells the story through their POVs. And leaves a little grey in the ending.

Great debut from Adelman. Put this in the beach bag.

I DNF at 33%. This one was so slow and I didn’t connect with the characters. I loved the premise and thought I would really enjoy it. With the right narrator(s), I might be open to trying it again as an audiobook.

DNF at 43%

This book was so uneventful, I literally didn’t care about one single character. Sam and Alexis have a horrible relationship & the way that they talk to each other is so uncalled for. Also the whole first half of the book, all they do is complain about how they’re running out of money, yet choose to by a $1.5 million dollar home that needs a complete reno, they have a live in nanny, a cleaning service, get their groceries delivered, buy a new BMW, have a lawn service and want to redo the whole back patio and get a pool. How are you going to complain about running out of money but then pay for all that?????? I’m sorry, I was just so annoyed reading this.

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I love nothing more than a good neighborhood thriller and I have read SO many that I'm always surprised at all the new ways authors can spin it! There were definitely new and fresh ideas in this one by debut author, Melissa Adelman.

I really liked the premise and that the story was told in two unique voices. When a murder happens out of nowhere, I was surprised and eager to figure out what was going on. I admittedly got a little lost around the 50% mark, but everything made sense for me by the end.

The ending was not one I saw coming and I liked how the twists came one after the other!

I'm excited to see what Melissa does next!

This book will be available on June 20th.

The desperate housewives of River Forest, inside the D.C. Beltway, are all living with various disfunctions in their marriages in this debut novel, What the Neighbors Saw, by Melissa Adelman, due out in late June.

Alexis and her husband Sam experience marital difficulties that are only increased by their “As Is” purchase in the neighborhood in 2014. Their neighbors Blair and Teddy have a secret that may explode their marriage. Jennifer is out of step with her much older husband Jeff. Laura seems to be unaware that Shawn is spying on the neighbors with his drones. Emily suspects her husband Dylan is cheating on her with a neighbor.

When one of the husbands is found dead on the banks of the Potomac River, the neighbors’ sense of safety is upended. One has been left a widow, and the police are finding all the leads running to dead ends.

Alexis and Blair bond while the other women distance themselves, seemingly dividing the neighborhood loyalties. When Alexis learns the truth about her neighbor’s death, she finds herself fighting for survival.

Melissa Adelman has managed to create a twisted thriller in her first book. She was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and travels the world for her job as an international development economist. With a Ph.D. and B.A. in economics from Harvard University, she has authored several policy papers and research volumes. Adelman lives with her family just outside of D.C.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 14, 2023.

I would like to thank Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I love a mystery set in the rich suburbs so this book sounded right up my alley! It was a fast and twisty read with plenty of drama. I did struggle a bit with the pacing (it felt slow through most of the story) and the characters were hard to care about. The end did come as a surprise and it was a big reveal so I am glad I read until the end. Ultimately this was a good, light thriller with an engaging setting (at least for me). Thanks to Melissa Adelman, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.