Rating: 2/5 Stars
Publishing: June 20, 2023
Series: NA
Pages: 304

“What the Neighbors Saw” is a first time read by Melissa Adelman, new author to this reader. The description of this book gave me high expectations for a good read; however, it took me quite some time to get through to the end.

Sam and Alexis buy a fixer-upper in an affluent part of Washington, DC and are happy about the area. Sam is elevating at his law firm and Alexis is pregnant with their second child. They are a very happy couple until one of their neighbors is found dead in what they believed was a picture-perfect neighborhood. Community shaken, tensions rise between the neighbors and secrets that was once thought dead slowly emerge as the police work to find the killer.

I understood the plot of the story, however as a mystery/thriller and I would have liked a bit of pacing throughout the chapters, and it felt a bit too slow to materialize on paper. Also, the suspense of the mystery was a bit lacking, guessing the killer early on and the thrill not happening until close to the end of the story. I would have liked a bit more action, twists, etc. from beginning to end but not close to the end.

There are quite a few triggers in this story…privilege, murder, racism, violence, eating disorder/body shaming, and undertones of rape and suicide that can hit close to home for some readers. Although I tried to piece-meal the story as I read along, I was glad that the author connected everything at the end to remove some of my confusion. I wished I could have connected to this story and the characters, but it was a bit lacking thus my rating.

I don’t know if I’m just tired of thrillers (or whatever this is) but this felt like nothing special. It wasn’t particularly interesting, moved very slowly and every character was inexplicably unpleasant.

What the Neighbors Saw is a slow-burn mystery that rotates perspectives between two neighbors (Alexis and Blair) in a very upscale neighborhood in Washington D.C. I wish I could say that I loved this story, but the plot felt too slow and a little bit disjointed for my enjoyment. For a while I could not understand how anything in the story was connected, and the characters felt like their personalities kept altering as I read, but the author did tie everything up in the end and the variability of the characters made some sense.

All in all, this book wasn't for me, but I hope that it finds its audience!

CONTENT WARNING: racism, racist microaggressions, death, murder, grief, mention of suicide, mention of murder of a child, body shaming, disordered eating, violence, mention of rape

I do love a good story about affluent people with serious issues. And this book promised to deliver some juicy ones. It’s been a while since I watched Desperate Housewives, but it was intriguing to see a world that’s so different from the one I live in, a bit over the top, but escapism at its finest. I remembered that at some point, I stopped watching Desperate Housewives, because it got a little too hectic to follow, but I had high hopes for this debut novel. Plus, the cover is gorgeous and I’m a sucker for a pretty cover.

When Sam and Alexis, who is pregnant with their second child, decide to upgrade to a bigger house, they are both surprised and excited to realize that a fixer-upper in an exclusive area that would normally never be within their price range. And I was able to see the problems coming a mile down the road.

As a fixer-upper, the house obviously needs a lot of work. And being situated right smack in the middle of a neighborhood full of glamorous houses and wealthy and powerful neighbors, they start to get caught up in the cycle of keeping up with their neighbors. But their financial situation means they can’t get work done on their house as much as they’d like, and it creates a bunch of resentment and frustration between Sam and Alexis.

We also get to learn about the neighbors little by little, and what they’re like. For such a perfect-looking neighborhood, it’s hiding some secrets, and the murder of a neighbor shocks the neighborhood within a week of Alexis and Sam moving there. There don’t seem to be any leads, despite the police seeming to work pretty hard on the case.

One of the things that I found really intriguing is the concept of race and how it plays into the story. It isn’t revealed until several chapters in that Alexis is Black, and that there’s only one other non-white neighbor in the cul-de-sac. It adds a subtle level of tension into certain interactions, and one layer of power imbalance into the story. Another power imbalance layer is money, or lack of it, since it’s used as a determinant of status within this little microcosm. And there’s also a power imbalance in the relationship between Alexis and Sam, which builds slowly over the course of the book.

I was intrigued by the central mystery of who killed Teddy, but I was also pulled into learning more about the secrets that the main and side characters were hiding. However, so many of these surprises were anything but. I was able to predict so many of the reveals far in advance, which was disappointing. And the storyline veered pretty far into over the top territory that it felt far too unrealistic to believe. Ultimately, it was a quick read that wasn’t bad, but wasn’t a great story that’s going to stick with me.

3 ⭐️ — Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Melissa Adelman's debut, "What the Neighbors Saw"!

I gave it a 3 star, but this is on the very low end for me. I did go into this book expecting it to be a suburban thriller, and was disappointed that the pace/excitement of a thriller wasn't really there until the last 10% of the book. By 60%, it felt that nothing really had happened. There were tiny exciting moments conveniently spattered through that kept me going, but the "height" of the story was ultimately uneventful.

It felt like a stretch for Alexis to have discovered Blair's secret, and I wish we saw more of the actual crime and that there were more sinister things leading up to it. Everything was wrapped up in the last 10% of the book, and it just felt like we needed the story to end, so there was an ending. It was also disappointing that there felt like some allusions to a secret from Alexis's past that was never revealed. We know she lied about her mom and isn't proud of her parents's relationship, but it felt like there was supposed to be something more that was just missing. At some point, Alexis mentions someone that dies, a young neighbor/schoolmate (I can't remember), and it felt like there was supposed to be more to that than we got.

Maybe my expectations were too high, but this was just boring for me.

This is a fun, fast read thriller. The events take place over the course of a year. Alexis is a very relatable character. She is married to a complete jerk of a husband. He has very little support towards her, is cold and critical, leaving her with low self-esteem.
The couple moves into the worst house in an expensive, exclusive neighborhood. They know it will take a long time to fix up, but it will be well worth the investment for their young family.
Except, soon after they move in, the husband of the neighborhood golden couple, is murdered.
With all the stress if a new born, new house and belittling husband, Alexis focuses her attention on the neighborhood and unraveling the mysteries of the people living there.
A entertaining story with an interesting reveal.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the opportunity to enjoy this e-ARC.

Characters were annoying and inconsistent. Lots of nosy neighbors to try and keep track of. Too much detailing in some parts and not enough in others made this book a struggle to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This felt a little campy and more like a soap opera. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, who were all pretty unlikable.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇɪɢʜʙᴏʀs sᴀᴡ
ᴍᴇʟɪssᴀ ᴀᴅᴇʟᴍᴀɴ
ᴍɪɴᴏᴛᴀᴜʀ ʙᴏᴏᴋs
ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: ᴊᴜɴᴇ 𝟸𝟶 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹
✩✩✩✩

Happy Friday Eve! 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑆𝑎𝑤 by @melissaadelmanauthor was a fun, drama filled, thriller that kept me hooked the entire time!

Main character Alexis and her husband Sam have just bought a new house( that needs a ton of work) in a prominent neighborhood. They have no idea what they are getting themselves into- between the extensive amount of fixing up AND what their neighbors drama consists of!

This was definitely a popcorn thriller which was super entertaining and lots of ups and downs. I love a neighborhood thriller that has lots of secrets, crazy characters and a plot packed full of drama. This book was especially fun for me (and scary) because we just bought a new house ourselves and I kept thinking about the neighbors in our new neighborhood😬!

✨special thanks to @minotaur_books @netgalley for the early copy! If your looking for a fun thriller set yourself a reminder for this one, coming this June!✨

QOTD: are you friendly with your neighbors?

I basically Hate Read the whole thing and if it hadn't been on my kindle I would have thrown it across the room, multiple times. This book was not for me but I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read books with completely heinous characters who have ridiculously inconsistent motivations and who speak to and about each other in the most phony sounding ways.

Obsessed. Every single page was great! You will not guess the twists or turns and will be kept guessing till the big \reveal!

What the Neighbors Saw
by Melissa Adelman
Pub Date: 20 Jun 2023
St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Rating 4.25/5

An intricate thriller, What The Neighbors Saw rivals the top bestsellers. It is baffling and mysterious. With plenty of red herrings, this book held my attention and kept me turning the pages quickly.

Alexis and Sam purchase a house in an upscale neighborhood. They hope their growing family will have a beautiful safe place to grow up. Within weeks of moving in, a neighbor is killed. Unease and worry spread throughout the neighborhood. Does the killer live nearby?

Thank you NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for sharing this stunning book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

When Alexis and her husband Sam buy an expensive nut rundown house in a great neighborhood, Alexis thinks this is a new beginning for their growing family. But shortly after moving in, a neighbor is murdered. And suddenly everyone in the neighborhood seems suspicious and guilty of something. I found this book to be quite interesting and addictive. My only complaint was that it wasn’t as much a thriller as it was a domestic drama. It could also be edited a bit more. Overall, I’m curious to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I’ve been debating between whether this is just a 3 star book or 3.5 stars. The book is extremely readable. I devoured the first half in just a couple of hours but the last half kind of dragged on. I think once I figured the plot out there really wasn’t much left to keep me engaged, no shocking twist, just me waiting for Alexis to figure it out.

If you like thrillers this is a safe bet. Nothing to go crazy over but a satisfying read overall.

This was a terrific read that I could not put down. Great characters and an author whoose next book I cannot wait for. Truly outstanding on every level. Ending was a surprise which is refreshing.

Lots of characters to keep track of in what is the third “something’s weird in this neighborhood” book I’ve read recently. Pampered people with self-inflicted problems and clandestine relationships. Questionably nosy, self-indulgent neighbors involved in each other’s affairs. Just not my cup of tea, I’m afraid.

When Alexis and her husband Sam buy an older home in a great neighborhood, Alexis is very excited. Though the house needs a lot of work, her husband is on the verge of making partner at his law firm so she figures it will all work out. The glamourous neighborhood represents a fresh start to Alexis, who had a troubled childhood. But within days of moving in, a neighbor across the street is murdered. Alexis reaches out to his widow, Blair, and they become fast friends. But something is nagging at Alexis; the more time she spends with Blair, the more sense she gets that something isnt right.

Well, the neighbors clearly saw a lot!! This was entertaining, twisty domestic thriller. Almost nobody was who they seemed to be and when the real reason came out, I was definitely thrown for a loop! I enjoyed the neighborhood aspect of this, how everyone had their own motives and desires and what made them tick. I was also pretty satisifed with the ending (no spoilers, but a hint: everyone got what I thought they deserved! lol) I was surprised that this was a debut and I look forward to reading more from this author!

“What the Neighbors Saw” releases June 20th! Thank you to Melissa Adelman, Minotaur and Netgalley for the ARC!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

•What the Neighbors Saw 🏡•

📚Genre: domestic thriller
🤔Rating: 🍺🍺🍺🍺(4/5)
#️⃣ of pages: 304
👯‍♀️ read if you like: Desperate Housewives, The Couple Next Door, On a Quiet Street
⚠️TW: eating disorders, gaslighting
Publishing Date: June 13, 2023

👍🏼:
•love me some domestic thrillers! My favorite subgenre
•super easy and quick to read
•loved the style of writing and dual POVs from opposing characters

👎🏼:
•a tad predictable in parts but still very enthralling with an out of the ordinary surprise twist
•wanted more details about the drama & less about remodeling the house

Overall…
The description of Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door was on point for this domestic thriller! I felt like the first half was a little monotonous & wanted more from the actual suspense side of things. The big surprise/twist was definitely an out of the box twist, which made this book unique in comparison to lots of other typical domestic thrillers. I did end with some unanswered questions, but all in all, great read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

What the Neighbor's Saw tells the story of Alexis and Sam, who are young parents, looking to move on up in the world. They find their opportunity when a fixer-upper is listed in a prominent neighborhood, and jump on the chance to buy this home for their growing family. However, in working to fix up their new home, Alexis and Sam feel the strain of stretched finances, adding a second child to their family, and building relationships in their new neighborhood where Alexis doesn't quite feel she fits in as people continue to mistake her for the nanny.

The story is told through alternating viewpoints, primarily from Alexis and Blair's perspectives. Blair is a neighbor that has seemingly befriended Alexis and is the most welcoming to her of anybody in the neighborhood. However, early in their burgeoning friendship, Blair's husband is murdered. Police struggle to find the murderer, and a few other small yet troublesome events occur with neighbors traipsing through the nearby woods at night that cause Alexis to be worried about the safety of their new neighborhood.

Although this neighborhood is overall inhabited by wealthy families, they do not have the privacy and lack of drama that Alexis expected, and she begins to wish that they stayed back in their old neighborhood. Who murdered Blair's husband? Will Alexis and her family be safe?

Thank you to the Melissa Adelman and Minotaur Publishing for the advanced copy. Publishing on June 20th - definitely one to scoop up!

[arc review]
Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
What the Neighbors Saw releases June 20, 2023

This title did not work for me, and I think it was a combination of little things adding up here and there that did it, which I will break down into point form below.

Told in dual pov, we have Alexis and Blair, two residents and neighbors in a cul-de-sac of a DC suburb.
We’re introduced to Alexis and her husband Sam at the start of the story, when they scout out this fixer upper home — a stepping stone in expanding their family, with a newborn on the way.
Shortly after they move into the neighborhood, Blair’s husband Teddy is murdered while her and her three kids are away for the weekend at her mothers.

With the combination of the writing structure, off-putting racial tones throughout and other plot devices, I was ready to dnf this by 30%.

The opening scenes were almost too detail oriented and focused on each of the houses interior and exterior finishes, with many monthly time jumps early on that didn’t allow us, the reader, to really settle in.
There were a lot of inconsistencies with timestamps — some followed with a.m./p.m., and others not.
You’ll notice that there are a lot of headers to indicate a new time of day, but most of them are redundant:
- breaking up scenes from 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the same day, when you can just simply have a sentence saying “later that night”
- a header indicating [Sunday / June 8 / 7:30 am] with the first line being “It’s Sunday again.”

I didn’t find this story, a murder mystery, to be suspenseful in the slightest. The murder didn’t even seem to be a big focal point either, and the level of distraughtness from the characters could have been equivalent to that of a pet goldfish dying.

There was no build up and we didn’t even get any background into the characters or on-page interactions before the apparent murder, apart from that one scene where Alexis watched Teddy eat out his naked wife like a fucking creep from outside of their house, late at night.

Alexis is a Black or biracial woman (honestly the descriptions were inconsistent for this too), and the only other nonwhite homeowner in this story, with many of “the help” as they like to call it, being of a minority group.
Some of the racial commentary added felt very targeted, and the main plot would have came across the same had they not been included.
> “She’s also very pretty, in a way that used to be called exotic” — just say she’s pretty and leave it at that.
> “She’s got that tropical look to her.”
> “She won’t let us in the front door and is making us take the long way around. What in the hell is she hiding in there? Maybe she just gets off on treating us like the help.” — said from a White woman, walking in with a Black woman, as if she can lump herself in as minority when she has so much privilege and wealth; I mean come on, the police don’t even have her as a suspect and she’s the fucking spouse!
> “Laura’s always been a humorless woman, with a stout, unenviable figure that belies her Brazilian origins. Lucky for her she’s got the same luminous golden skin as Alexis […] her ghost of an accent is only noticeable if you’re listening for it, but she’s always eager to talk about her home country, unlike other aspects of her biography.”
> “He kept joking that we might have Native American ancestry and it would help the kids get into college.”
> “This is a different world. A richer, whiter, safer one.” YET, ALSO “I think Teddy went out for his run and crossed paths with someone evil. Maybe a drug deal in progress, or a gang ritual.” How can your wealthy suburban neighborhood where the fixer upper house sold for over $1.5 million be so white and safe, yet also attract gangs? Your husbands body turned up practically in your backyard, not in a city alleyway…
> “I’m sure there’s someone within a couple blocks who has a gardener with a record.”
> “I thought being a jerk was only a viable strategy for certain types of people—not people like Laura and me.” (aka the only nonwhite homeowners)


cw: eating disorder, incest, cheating, mention of rape