2.5/5

Ooffff I just really didn’t like this one so I’m gonna keep it brief. This was a quick read and I was very curious to see where it was going but unfortunately I really didn’t like where it was going. Leading up to the freaking odd and silly ending everything was a slow burn with very unlikable characters and not in the fun love to hate them type of way. It was just a mess for me and about the only thing I liked was that at least it was a quick read.

✨Book Arc Review✨
📚 What the Neighbors Saw - Melissa Adelman
⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
🩵Pub date: Jun 20th, 2023

First I want to thank @netgalley and @stmartinspress for sending me this arc in return for an honest review.

This book was all over the place, and honestly, not in a good way. I felt like the author was trying to do too much to catch you off guard. It's sad cause I really feel like the idea of the book was good and if written differently, could have been great! Even though the author tried so hard to bring in a plot twist, I knew exactly what was going to happen after about 15% of the way through. I continued just hoping that I was wrong.

Although this book was not my cup of tea, I really enjoyed the characters. But sadly, I would not recommend this book.

I was excited to receive a widget of What the Neighbors Saw because I love a good domestic suspense/rich women behaving badly story. Unfortunately this one did not work for me. There was no drama, humor, or suspense in this story. The story felt all over the place and bogged down in details and side stories that didn’t matter. All of characters were horrible and I was not invested in the murder mystery at all.

WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAW is Melissa Adelman’s debut novel. I was hooked from the first page. I always enjoy a good neighborhood mystery that has deception, lies, betrayal and …Murder!

Alexis and Sam find their dream home in the neighborhood of River Forest, an elite suburb of DC. The house needs some work, but they ultimately decide it's the one they want to raise their children in. After living there for several weeks, their neighbor, Teddy, is found dead in the Potomac river and the police believe it is a homicide. Alexis becomes friends with Teddy's wife, Blair. Alexis also learns that all her neighbors are not who they seem and starts to become suspicious of all of them.

I felt like this was a slow burn in the beginning of the story (well, besides the murder) Once Alexis stumbles onto a secret that was worth killing for, the pace picked up for me. There are so many twists and turns, it kept me guessing and franticly turning pages. Melissa Adelman is an author I will be keeping an eye out for. Release date for What The Neighbors Saw is 6/20/23

Highly enjoyed this domestic suspense set in an affluent Northern Virginia neighborhood. When one of the neighbors is found murdered on a local trail, the neighborhood starts unraveling little by little. I loved the NOVA setting, the secrets and intrigue, rich people behaving badly. I was completely surprised by the ending.

I love a good thriller and wanted to enjoy reading this one as the hot summer weather hits in Ohio. However; the plot seemed to move very slowly and was filled with small details instead of large "aha" shock moments. I will give Melissa Adelman another try with another read however; this novel wasn't for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Love domestic thrillers and this one did not disappoint. Set in a bizarre neighborhood in a fixer upper house. I kept wondering what was going to happen next and what the ending will be.
This one kept me guessing.

What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman is a highly recommended domestic psychological suspense novel set in a wealthy DC suburb.

Alexis and Sam buy a fixer-upper in an exclusive DC suburb. It's a stretch for their budget, but Sam is sure to make partner at his law firm soon. Besides, they need the space for their family since Alexis is pregnant with their second child. It becomes clear that they may have taken on more than they can handle, especially after their second child is born. Having a space for their live-in nanny does help Alexis even though Sam is often away and becoming increasingly distant.

Alexis soon starts to meet the neighbors. After neighbor Blair's husband Teddy is found murdered on the steep banks of the Potomac River off a neighborhood walking trail, a friendship begins to form between Alexis and Blair. Blair actually helps Alexis meet other women in the neighborhood. Soon it becomes clear that the upscale neighborhood may not be as safe as Alexis first thought.

What the Neighbors Saw is a compelling novel that will hold your attention, like really good gossip. And the discussion of all the neighbors and their secrets is a very real thing in this novel domestic suspense. Many of the characters are simply caricatures of types of people, but there is a lot of juicy gossip that will be shared about them. Additionally, since Alexis just had a baby, even with a nanny she is exhausted all the time.

The novel alternates between chapters narrated by the first-person points-of-view of Alexis and Blair, so readers have real insight into their characters and thoughts. It becomes clear that social status and wealth has little impact on actual character. Alexis was embarrassed by her background, but she clearly had nothing to be ashamed of, especially as the novel progresses. What the Neighbors Saw is an entertaining domestic suspense novel, even if you guess where the plot is going.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Minotaur Books via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Alexis is thrilled when she and her husband can buy the worst house in the best neighborhood in DC – they plan to fix it up so it’s appropriate for Sam to entertain colleagues and clients as he’s on the cusp of making partner at his law firm. (Alexis, on the other hand, scaled back on her own path to partner at a consulting firm in order to have / raise kids.) But right after they move in, a neighbor is murdered on the neighborhood trails. Out of morbid curiosity, Alexis befriends his widow, Blair, and she soon gets drawn into all the domestic drama of the neighborhood; the book is told from both Alexis and Blair’s perspectives. I found Alexis kind of annoying at times, but the plot was fast-paced and definitely suspenseful, and it kept me guessing until the end. Definitely a page-turning read!

Thanks to Minotaur Books for this ARC!

DNF @ 35%. I usually really enjoy domestic thrillers, but this one was just a little too slow paced for me. I prefer fast-paced thrillers where there are lots of twists and turns, and I felt like nothing was happening.

I absolutely loved this book! I read most of it in one sitting because it was unputdownable. I loved the domestic drama, the mystery and suspense. I loved all of the catty housewives and their drama. The ending was a total shocker! This is a great thriller. Highly recommend.

Thank to NetGalley and Minotaur for my ARC.

Alexis and Sam are thrilled to snag a dilapidated Cape Cod in a wealthy neighborhood full of mansions, if only for the status and space alone. However, when one of their affluent neighbors ends up murdered, they begin to question if the move was worth it. Up late with a newborn, Alexis sees things from their picturesque window that makes her wonder if anyone in their neighborhood can be trusted.

WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAW by Melissa Adelman is FULL 👏OF 👏DRAMA.

This book is a domestic suspense full of plenty of tea spillage and I could fully relate to Alexis’ want (need) to spy on her neighbors from the comfort of her own home a la REAR WINDOW.

There were characters to root for and characters to hate and a mysterious murder investigation to keep the tension going!

There were a few points/characteristics brought up throughout that didn’t seem to evolve into anything, hence this being a four-star review, but overall an enjoyable and quick read!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: June 20

Sam and Alexis are expecting their second baby and they’re looking to move to a bigger home. When they discover a fixer upper in a very desirable neighborhood, they can’t help but make an offer right away. The home and its neighbors end up being more than the couple bargains for.

What the Neighbors Saw is a domestic drama told in dual viewpoints of Alexis and her neighbor Blaire. I went into reading this thinking it was more a of a suspense novel, but that wasn’t the case. The pacing was fairly slow and the characters were not very likable. I did enjoy the unexpected ending of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was just okay. The main character was pretty whiny and annoying and I struggled to stay interested. The ending was predictable and obvious.

If you like domestic thrillers, this is the book for you. A young couple moves into a high-end neighborhood that is only affordable because they buy a fixer-upper and then the neighbor across the street is murdered. Beyond the mystery, there are also the issues of being house poor, being a young mother and career and relationship issues. I saw this described as Desperate Housewives meets the Couple Next Door which is definitely fits the bill. This will please fans of domestic drama as well as thrillers. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I received this e-book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

Somewhere I read compared this book to Desperate Housewives, the TV Show. That is was originally hooked me as I enjoyed that show when it was on! And let me tell you, that's definitely what it reminded me of! Although the book tied up the ending with a nice bow, I still wanted to know more about this neighborhood! Melissa Adelman did a great job of character development sprinkled throughout the story, as well as an ending that I wasn't even guessing was going to happen!

Alexis & Sam are young, successful lawyers wishing to find the right house in the perfect neighborhood to raise their family (with their live-in nanny). They have one young child and are currently expecting their 2nd. They end up buying a fixer upper in the high-end River Forest neighborhood. A few months after their move, one of their neighbors ends up getting murdered on the trail by the river, near their neighborhood. A string of strange events happen while Alexis is on maternity leave and she is determined to figure out what's going on- or is it just her lack of sleep making her see things? You never know when your neighbors are watching or what they are going to see.

I would definitely recommend this one if you're wanting a domestic thriller that reminds you of Desperate Housewives, pick this one up!!

8.5/10 - Finished this book in less than 48 hrs. It immediately grabbed my attention and made we want to keep reading.

“Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door” is the perfect way to describe it. Psychological thriller with a lot of middle age drama.

I would definitely recommend. Thank you to Netgally and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

What The Neighbors Saw is a very solid debut! I found the writing to be well done and propulsive. We get chapters from Alexis, who has just moved into the neighborhood with her husband and two small children, and Blair, a current resident who lives with her husband and teenagers.

Alexis feels like she doesn’t belong in the wealthy neighborhood, but ends up making friends with Blair after tragedy strikes her family. I loved that this was told in the dual perspectives and thought it was successful in showing the differences in thought and lifestyle of these two women.

This might not be the most unique twist, but you are lead in different directions throughout the book that help deflect your suspicions.

Overall, I’m glad to have read this but I don’t think it stands out overmuch from others in the genre.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

This thriller was very middle of the road for me. I had a little bit of a difficult time following the different POV's. There are only 2 but I felt like the chapters jumped around a lot. I kept coming up with guesses about what the ending could possibly be and had all of these crazy twist ideas in my mind. I was really disappointed with what the ending actually was, and I just felt like it was just fine. This is a good book for people who really enjoy domestic thrillers. I think this would be a good one to pick up when you go on vacation. It wasn't really for me, but I can see how other people would enjoy it.

Alexis and her husband Sam (there's that name again!) buy a house in an exclusive DC suburb, a house that they can't really afford and that requires a lot of work and expense. Not long after they move in, their neighbor Teddy is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River and Alexis gradually becomes close with his widow Blair even though she never feels quite like she fits in. There's an odd assortment of neighbours in this exclusive neighbourhood and I found them quite fascinating. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Alexis and Blair and is well done. There are some interesting characters and I really felt for Alexis having to put up with Sam's meanness. He made my blood boil. This was quite impressive for a debut novel and I'll be on the lookout for future works from this author. 3.5 Stars rounded up.

I was invited to read this book by Minotaur Books so my thanks to them, to Victoria, Marketing Intern, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of the book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publishing Date: June 20, 2023