3.75 rounded up!

Alexis was raised by a single mom, so it was her dream to be able to purchase a home with her husband Sam, in an exclusive D.C. suburb, where they and their two infants could feel “safe”- even if the only home they could afford was a neglected Cape Cod being sold “as is”.

But, tragedy struck shortly after they moved in-when their neighbor, Teddy, is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River, and the Police deem that it WASN’T an accident.

There are no leads.

Up late with a newborn, Alexis also sees other “startling” things, as she looks out of her kitchen’s large picture window…or when she peeps into the windows of her neighbors- Not things she was expecting to see in a neighborhood such as this.

Suddenly she doesn’t feel very safe.

Sam is growing more frustrated with their “money pit” and with her, and she finds herself turning to her new neighbor, Teddy’s widow, Blair. The two are able to offer each other support.

The story unfolds through their alternating perspectives.

Blair didn’t seem too traumatized by her husband’s death-is she reliable?

And, I wondered how Sam and Alexis ever got together and had two kids-he often belittled her, and calling her “old lady” did not seem like a term of endearment.

Again, there weren’t any men with redeeming qualities in this book.

This DEBUT is a slow burn, neighborhood SUSPENSE story. Not a lot happens in the first half, and I didn’t find the reveal of who killed Teddy, particularly shocking either,

AND YET, I enjoyed the story, nonetheless!

I guess it was refreshing to read something plausible that wasn’t over the top!

I look forward to seeing what Melissa Adelman writes next!

EXPECTED publication date: June 20, 2023.

Thank You to Minotaur Books for sending me an invitation to read this! An ARC was provided through NetGalley and it was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for my advance reader copy!

Sam and Alexis decide to sell their narrow and cramped rowhome to move into a dream home located in an affluent DC suburb. Though their new home needs a lot of work, Alexis and Sam seem up for the challenge. The neighborhood is shaken when a prominent resident and father, Teddy, is found dead on a hiking trail nearby. In the wake of this tragedy, Alexis forges a relationship with Teddy's widow, Blair. Not everything is as it seems in this picture perfect neighborhood, however, and the truth may ruin all.

I usually enjoy neighborhood dramas, however this one just didn't work for me. This was a slow burn that never really took off for me. While I felt a connection to the setting, as I live in the DMV myself, I was not able to empathize with any of the characters. They all felt a little bit flat, and it was obvious who you're supposed to be predisposed to like or dislike. I think this one could have gone in an interested direction, but Adelman left a lot on the table.

I skimmed a lot of this, and would also have to repeatedly remind myself of the key plot points as I was reading. The secondary neighborhood characters were all interchangeable and indistinguishable, contributing even more to my feelings of detachment from this book. Even with skimming, it took me almost two weeks to finish this one.

Sam and Alexis needed to get out of their condo.

When a run-down house in a swanky neighborhood on Shadow Road came on the market, they had to have it.

The neighborhood had million-dollar homes and lots of secrets. Even the street's name seemed to be an omen of some of the mischief and goings on.

When one of the neighbors is murdered, all of the neighbors and especially Sam and Alexis find out that even living in a posh neighborhood doesn't keep you safe or free from gossip and unsavory neighbors.

I didn't trust any of the neighbors, especially Blair whose husband was murdered. She seemed to have an ulterior motive for making friends with Alexis.

The other neighbors all had domestic problems with a few of the husbands being unfaithful.

WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAW is a mystery and drama wrapped up into one good read with twists and distrust.

A bit predictable, but a great debut!! 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

"Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door" is a pretty good summary of this book, but like The Couple Next Door, it was slow and lacked twists and turns throughout it that I crave in a thriller. It started out strong with a great setting and a murder, but nothing really happened again until the last 10%, and even then I wasn't blown away by the ending. It felt like a very average domestic thriller book, but for it being a debut novel, I will say I'm still looking forward to seeing what this author's next books are like!

The story line was good, but it seemed to take quite a while to get going and too many characters to keep straight throughout the book. Decent read, but not my favorite.

This was a really good domestic thriller, especially as it was a debut! Alexis and Sam are a young couple looking for a new house. They find one in an upscale neighborhood but it needs so much work it will take many months and loads of money to fix it up. They have one child and Alexis has given birth to their second child. Sam is working many extra hours as he wants to be made a partner. Alexis is free during the day so she is able to meet the neighbors. She becomes especially close to Blair whose husband was murdered. From here the action ramps up. There are hints that Blair had a secret and so does Alexis so I just had to keep,reading. I highly recommend this book!
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This book is described as “desperate housewives meets the couple next door” and that was all I needed to know before starting. It follows a young couple who just purchased a fixer upper in a wealthy neighborhood when one of their neighbors is murdered. The main character Alexis befriends the widow of their murdered neighbor and through out the book she solves the murder. I found the book entertaining and can see why someone would compare it to desperate housewives because of the neighborhood drama. The ending seemed slightly predictable and I would’ve liked more of a twist but it was a quick read and kept my attention.

I'm always down for a good neighborhood drama and this book delivered. We focus on a high end part of DC where neighbors have more secrets than anyone knows. It was a little confusing at times and a few to many theories were thrown at us. I did really enjoy the last 1/3 of the book.

4 Stars. Although domestic thrillers aren't my favorite genre, What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman changed my mind. I didn't enjoy The Couple Next Door, so knew this would be suspenseful. I was not disappointed. Putting their blood, sweat, and tear into their fixer-upper, which is coincidentally their first home, couple Sam and Alexis just want to make this home quaint while waiting on the birth of their baby. Send in the-murder-next-door and the story catapults from there. You think you know your neighbors, but do you really? Find out their secrets, lies and more secrets with this fun book. Thank you Melissa Adelman, NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

I’m relatively new to thrillers so I always go in a bit skeptical but this held my attention all the way through. I enjoyed it and thought it progressed pretty well! I’ll be recommending to friends

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a pretty good mystery! I enjoyed the story line and thought it was well developed. Normally, I have trouble picking out twists and turns and didn't see all the ones in this. It was good! I enjoyed it! This was well crafted and easy to get lost in. I thought it was well done!

I really loved the setting and premise of this book but ultimately at 47% I decided it was too much of a slow burn for me. I found the characters incredibly difficult to like and could not convince myself to root for anything other than Sam and Alexis getting a swift divorce.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't able to make connection of Teddy's death and anything from Alexis' perspective and felt the story was progressing so slowly, and I did not understand what was even the main plot till 2/3 of the book. The last 1/3 of the book picked up the pace, and became a bit more enjoyable. Good effort, but didn't quite hit the home run.

I really enjoyed this book. Suspenseful and gripping. I was unable to foresee the twist at the end. Held my attention very well. Excellent read! I highly recommend this book!

This was twisty, everyone was a suspect, someone is dead, who killed them, chaos ensues. I enjoyed this! I think this is perfect for a summer day by the beach/pool and great for the armchair detective.

Your typical twisty-turny, someone is dead and everyone is a suspect, book. It really kept me guessing but everything wrapped up too quickly for my liking. I wanted more context, more fall out, to learn more of the WHY but just didn't get it. That said, I would recommend for people who enjoyed the Couple Next Door, Girl on the Train, etc. Predictable, but enjoyable.

On a street populated with mansions, Alexis and Sam barely managed to buy the worst house on the best block. Moving from a city apartment and finally joining the ranks of those who have "made it", Alexis feels that her lonely and impoverished upbringing is now behind her. But what is up with these new neighbors? Each family on the block seems to have secrets to hide and their attempts at being friendly seem more like an FBI investigation into their backgrounds than a true offer of friendship. When Blair's husband is murdered, the safe neighborhood Alexis expected is called into question. With a toddler and a newborn, Alexis is on maternity leave and gets caught up in the neighborhood intrigue. She befriends widowed Blair but as their friendship grows, Alexis has some doubts about her new friend and begins to investigate on her own. With her husband Sam working long hours and resenting the cost of the home that Alexis insisted they buy, will their marriage survive Alexis's meddling in the affairs of her neighbors?
Carefully crafting unique supporting characters and letting the reader in on exactly what is "up" with the neighbors allows author Adelman to build the suspense as each family on the block comes under suspicion. Alexis is trying to function with "baby brain" and readers are not really sure if she is seeing things that aren't really there or if indeed, what she sees tells the tale of a murder and cover up.

I liked the pacing of the chapters and how the chapters swapped between the perspectives of the two main characters. Overall, I didn’t see the twist coming at the end- but it disappointed me, in a way, since I had grown to really like Alexis and felt like the friendship she’d developed had really helped her self-confidence. I didn’t like that it had all been fake, for the most part. It was an intriguing read and I’m thankful to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This was such a fun read for me. The characters were a little cliche but interesting none the less. The story was a little drawn out but overall a suspenseful read.

When an opportunity comes up like moving into a ritzy neighborhood, even though YOUR house is the fixer-upper, you take it! You take it even if there will be unexpected misfortunes along the way. Alexis and Sam move into their new home and can’t believe how fortunate they are to be living how the upperclass people live. They slowly get to know the neighbors but don’t really get to know them very well. They are watching the domestic shenanigans go on between everyone and Alexis is just happy to have her home, husband, and two babies. She is interested in the neighbors, Blair and Teddy, after Blair introduces herself when they were first moving in. However, not long after, Teddy is dead.

The death is investigated for a long time by the police and the neighborhood games keep going on with everyone. Alexis is intelligent and nosey and wants to get down to the bottom of Teddy’s death. We move through the story seamlessly and get to know the characters but they aren’t very interesting. They are all somewhat unlikable with no redeeming qualities. Toward the end, we get some more excitement that is unexpected! Overall, the plot is good and I enjoyed it but it could have been shorter with the same outcome. This book is well written and is perfect for readers who like domestic thrillers. I will definitely be on the lookout for Melissa Adelman’s next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book.