My Thoughts
October of 2013 the Crawford family Alexis, Sam and Caleb looking to relocate found the listing for an older Cape Cod Revival built in the 1920’s located on Shadow Road in the mid-Atlantic community of River Forest.

After having purchased the home move-in day in January of 2014 found five months pregnant Alexis, along with her son Caleb and nanny Elena following their moving van to the home on Shadow Road.

Amidst the miserable weather things progress slowly.

Sam Crawford is a young Lawyer fighting for promotion to partner while Alexis has changed venues accepting a lesser position which gives the ability of spending more time at home with her family.

All things equal these should be some of the best times since Alexis and Sam chose to move, as time passes however the pair discover their new abode has become a major bone of contention and stress between the two.

Add in the glaring fact that they are a mixed race couple and live in an exclusive snooty neighborhood means even more strife.

A bright spot for Alexis happens after a tragedy next door. Her neighbor Blair Bard’s husband Teddy is murdered and the kind gesture of Alexis offering a moments comfort to her a while afterwards turns into an intense friendship between the women.

This neighborhood tragedy sets in motion a year of events that eventually come full circle in 2015.

As all the dirty little secrets see the light of day I never saw such a bunch of drama in such a short period of time.

Okay that being said it didn’t end the way I expected it to.

I am not going to complain though it was a good surprise for me.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Deception and duplicity abound in this impressive domestic suspense debut set in an affluent Washington, D.C. suburb. We learn very quickly that every neighborhood, regardless of wealth or station, has its share of dirty little secrets. This book explores that theme masterfully.

Fast-paced with a Desperate Housewives-esque cast of characters and a nice twist at the end – what’s not to love?

My thanks to @minotaur_books and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

What the Neighbor Saw was a fun, twisty debut novel by Melissa Adelman. The book was a quick read and kept me intrigued through the whole thing. The book defintelty felt like it had Desperate Housewives and The Couple Next Door vibes, as a fan of both this made the novel even more my type. I am looking forward to more books by Melissa Adelman in the future

Alexis and her husband, Sam, buy what they hope will be their dream home in a wealthy suburb of DC. Sam is about to make partner at his law firm, and Alexis is pregnant with their second child, but the home needs massive renovations. Just after settling in, their new neighbor Teddy is found dead on the banks of the Potomac River on the local running trail. Tensions and secrets start to come out in the once picture-perfect neighborhood, and chaos ensues.

I usually love domestic thrillers, but I found this one pretty slow. Most infuriatingly was all the arguing between Alexis and Sam. I could not stand Sam as a character. I also found the other characters to be unlikeable and unmemorable, so much so that I couldn't keep them straight in my mind. I liked Blair and had no illusions that she was as genuine as the author wanted us to believe; I knew there was more to her character. The majority of the action takes place with only around 15% of the book left, which felt rushed rather than exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the digital ARC.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. Alexis, a young successful black woman, is moving into an upscale neighborhood. Her husband, Sam is initially against the move, but she wins him over and they purchase the house. Sam is largely uninvolved in the daily run of the household as he is consumed with attempting to make partner in the legal firm in which he works. Alexis, recently pregnant, is home all day, with the nanny, in their new money pit. Nothing seems to be going right with their new house. While nothing is going right inside the house, Alexis is making some friends outside of the house. The neighborhood is rife with other women with whom to socialize. The neighborhood is shocked when one of its residents, Teddy falls to death on the local trail. Alexis has become quite close to Teddy’s wife, Blair and tries to support her during her grief over the death of her husband. This is not the only shocking event to occur in the neighborhood. This book is chock full of drama, twists, and turns. I enjoyed the character development and really enjoyed how I got to be familiar with Alexis, Blair, and some of the other neighbors. The beginning of the book was a little slow, but it definitely picked up and was then difficult to put down. I didn’t see the end coming and it was quite enjoyable. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Greatly enjoyed this novel. Fun plot, interesting and intriguing characters, and writing that kept me reading.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61885041

I was asked to review “What the Neighbors Saw” by Melissa Adelman which was marked as a domestic thriller that takes place in a D.C. suburb. Since I live in a D.C. suburb, I was intrigued. Sam, Alexis, their son Caleb and a baby to be move into 51 Shadow, an upscale neighborhood, though the house they choose is a fixer-upper. As you might expect, while the neighborhood appears utopic, there are demons lurking. Alexis befriends Blair who also appears to have a perfect life, until her husband suddenly dies.

This novel reminds me a lot of “The Couple Next Door.” Melissa Adelman is an excellent writer who keeps the reader interested but I wanted to care more about the characters. While parts of the story were predictable, I wanted to keep reading. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the writer’s work.

Three and a half stars.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I was so excited when I received an email from Minotaur Books offering an eARC of this book! It seemed like the perfect fit for me, and I was not disappointed! This is definitely the type of twisty thriller you can read in one sitting, and I will for sure be reading books from Melissa Adelman in the future! 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thanks very much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Minotaur Books, and the author for this eARC!

What a fun ride, What the Neighbors Saw took me on! There were so many unique characters, twists and turns. I wish Melissa Adelman had gone a little deeper with the many characters in the neighborhood. The take away definitely was no matter who you are and where you come from you have issues….and money doesn’t fix or hide your issues, unless you’re Mack! This was a wonderful debut novel!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to read, What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman in exchange for my honest review.

Wow... an updated "who done it" with so many twists and turns. Set in a very upscale neighborhood with so many characters to peak your interest. Very clever with characters you will love to hate!

I always enjoy stories of rich people and their tawdry secrets.

I didn’t love either narrator. Both seemed a little out of touch but for different reasons. I felt bad for Alexis though and am glad for how the story ended.

The ending did come a little fast. Like it was a lot about the goings on in the neighborhood without much dealing with the whodunit and then the pieces fall very quickly. But it was entertaining and a quick read with a satisfying wrap-up.

Okay, This was wild, I really enjoyed it! I read in just over 24 hours and couldn't get enough! I was all on in Rich people behaving badly, the story kept me guessing until the end. I loved this book! Would definately read Melissa Adelman again ! 4 STARS from me! BRAVO!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Alexis and her husband Sam, found a house in an exclusive suburb that they were eager to move into. Though the house was in rough shape, at least it was in a great neighbor as they were growing their family from 3 to 4. Once settled in to the new home, things were not as great as they seemed from the outside. Of course, Alexis as well as Sam had their own secrets that they even kept from each other, but the neighbors as we learn also have their own secrets. Alexis is self conscious about their finances and appearances, but when a death in the neighborhood occurs, she begins to connect with the some of the neighbors. Alexis and Sam begin to drift apart over heated discussions about updating their home and prioritizing what should be done first. Each begins to connect with other people to avoid the real problems. And so many problems and secrets entangle this neighborhood...

Loved the characters and the eccentricities. The atmosphere was amazingly done. This moved at a great easy pace and held my interest well it had suspense and uncertainty. Jaw dropping moments throughout. A rollercoaster of a read that culminates in some seriously shocking twists. I adored the plot. This is a 5 star for me

Amazing debut novel. I hope this Author keeps writing. A compelling mystery for sure. A fixer-upper in a great neighborhood for a young family. Oh and don’t forget the lies, secrets and murder thrown in. Can’t wait to see what this Author has in store with her next book. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door? That's my kind of book! And What the Neighbors Saw delivered! I love neighbors gone bad and this one had me glued to the pages from start to finish!

This book gave me desperate housewives vibes but without the comedy. It is a true slow burn. I enjoy epic fantasies but other than that, I like fast reads. But if you are into slow burns then this is a good one for you. Thank you to the publishers for letting me read this on NetGalley.

What The Neighbors Saw wasn't so much about what they saw as what they did. Sam and Alexis move into the cheapest house in an elite neighborhood outside of DC. The house is basically a money pit and Alexis is always complaining about not having money, while she's home on her six months PAID maternity leave (who gets that?), her live in nanny, the new furniture she's buying, etc. I found her and most of the characters unlikeable. One of the neighbors is found murdered but that doesn't stop them from partying, drinking the afternoon away or sleeping around. The murder is solved by the end of the book, but the murderers aren't punished by the law and life goes on in the neighborhood like nothing happened. Truly makes you realize that those with the money make the rules and get away with everything. I felt the book bogged down in places, spent a lot of time fat shaming and couldn't decide what its main focus should be. The murder? The friendships? The drinking? The strange people? Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Whew! Deception, lies, betrayal.. and murder. It’s all that.. and more.. in a D.C. upper-crust neighborhood of gossipy, rich and entitled cast of characters. It’s very fast paced, and when a husband is found murdered it kept me guessing, to the very end, on whodunnit. And the dirty little secrets revealed inside this domestic thriller may have you blushing (it did me!) Who would of ever guessed I’d enjoy this deliciously wicked and addicting story as much as I did!!! Melissa Edelman is an author I’ll be keeping an eye out for. A stellar debut. 4.5 stars — 6/13/23

Much thanks to Victoria Cardoso at St. Martin’s Publishing for kindly sending me an advanced digital copy via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Not too bad! When Alexis and Sam fall in love with the worst house in the best neighborhood, they decide to make it work for their growing family. Thing quickly become more than they bargained for with the house falling down around them and a murder in the neighborhood. Alexis befriends Blair, whose husband Teddy was found dead on the trail behind their house. Alexis soon realizes she’s in over her head as she finds out that all of the neighbors have secrets.
I enjoyed this read, it was a little slow at times, but I plugged through to a decent ending.