Suburban Thriller

The Neighbors We Want by Tim Lane is a psychological thriller that delves into the hidden lives and secrets of suburban residents. The story centers around Adam Cooper, a stay-at-home dad, and his wife Sarah. Adam develops an obsession with their neighbour, Ali, which takes a dark turn when he witnesses her ex-boyfriend entering her house and subsequently learns that Ali may have disappeared.

The Neighbors We Want is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of suburban life and the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface. Tim Lane's evocative writing and intricate plot make it a compelling read for fans of the genre. While it may not be for everyone, those who enjoy domestic thrillers with a psychological twist will find much to appreciate in this novel.

When the blurb says Gillian Flynn: count me in! But unfortunately was this thriller not thrilling at all. The pacing was too slow and the twists were predictable.

This book was an ok read! It was a little difficult to get into & was a struggle to get through at times. Not one of my favorite books

Adam is struggling with being a stay at home dad and then he's wife goes missing. The mystery had me second guessing myself but the plot is was really good.

Very choppy flow paced confusing thriller to me. I did not like this one. I really struggled with this writing style. Had an interesting premise but not my cup of tea.

There was not one character in this book that was relatable, nor one I liked. Each one was selfish in their own way and their problems were not realistic. Lots of affairs, lots of whining, lots of complaining and these things seemed to be the center of the plot. I am thankful for the ARC, but was not a fan of the book itself.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

Great psychological page turner - very thrilling - highly recommended!

Unfortunately I found this book a little confusing with the style of writing. I managed to get through it all though, and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat with suspense. The characters were good and the story itself was enjoyable. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I would recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book was so suspenseful and full of mystery, I was flying through it to find out what happens at the end. Although I hated every single character, that was necessary for the story to work.

Wow. Kudos to the author for putting up this interesting book.

I quite enjoyed this. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

The choppy writing style in several of the POV chapters might have been intended to indicate how disordered the narrators thinking is, but I found more annoying than helpful. None of the characters are likable or relatable, the scenarios are definitely male gaze oriented, and there isn't even a mystery involved (unless the mystery is how far you are willing to read before giving up). I will definitely not be reading more by this author in the future.

This was quite the unexpected neighborhood thriller full of lust, betrayal and revenge. I do recommend going into this one blind so I will keep the details brief as to not spoil anthing.

Synopsis:
Adam and Sarah are struggling as new parents. Adam has taken on the role of caregiver or SAD, after being abruptly fired from his job. He is not feeling great about changing the diapers and the monotonous rhythm of his days. His spirits are lifted when he fixates on his young neighbor Ali. Sara notices this obsession and she starts to withdraw even more from the marriage and from her maternal instincts.

One night while Adam is up with the baby he notices Ali’s ex-boyfrined, Crispin lurking around her room but no Ali. When he learns that Ali didn’t show up to work the next day he starts to worry something sinister has happened.

Sara is having her own troubles at work with hr principal that is a little too invested in her life. She is also Crispin’s mother and treats Sara as her own personal spy into her son’s life.


My thoughts:

We use signposts when teaching students to annotate. One of them is an again and again or a phrase that is repeated throughout the novel. “Did I do something, what did I do” (Lane)? This is repeated by Adam and it actually started to drive me crazy but to me it symbolizes his inablitty to distinguish reality from his mind. Sara and Adam have a pretty twisted relationship but the people they pull into their world are just as messed up as they are. This is one of those books with no redeeming characters but pulls you in none the less. Some readers will be able to connect with the overwhelming feelings of being a new parent and also the rift parenthood can create between a husband and wife. I appreciated the perspective of a dad staying at home and how insignificant it made him feel.

The Neighbors We Want follows Adam and Sarah, having a secret affair with a younger couple in their neighborhood. Adam used to have a job that every man would want, but after being fired he takes on stay-at-home duties for his daughter. He becomes very resentful towards their daughter and the life that he is now living.

This story is told through the point of view of multiple unlikable and selfish characters. To be honest, I couldn’t stand Adam or Sarah, and it really clouded my ability to enjoy this novel. I also would classify this less as a thriller, and more of a domestic mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was definitely quite an American read - I'm not even sure this is available at the moment on Amazon UK?

Anyway, it was an intriguing storyline which is what drew me in to the ARC originally, but I felt it would be more fast-paced like when I read The Couple Next Door.

Overall an okay read.

Adam is struggling with being a stay at home dad and then he's wife goes missing. The mystery had me second guessing myself and the characters are not likeable but the plot is brilliantly represented.

I wasn't able to read this book because I was busy but I will rate this 5 stars to compensate. The blurb looked very promising, though. I will read this when I get the chance and I will edit my review.

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

This was a different reading experience. The pace is absolutely frantic, but the plot moves at a snail's pace. My best guess is that the author was trying to capture the disjointed thought process of a sleep deprived stay at home dad and after a couple of chapters I was starting to follow it...but at the beginning I was completely lost. Adam is obsessed with the young woman who lives next door. His already strained marriage has become worse since his wife caught him looking from their window across to hers and he can't ignore the fact that he hasn't seen his young neighbor in days or that he saw her ex-boyfriend doing something extremely creepy and his truck has been sitting there the entire time. The plot leaps between characters and won't let you forget for an instant that it's set in Portland. It all ties together by the end, but at that point I didn't care what happened to anyone.

The plot was interesting but i could not engage with any of the characters. Maybe that is what the author intended?
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

DNF at 32%. Unreadable. Really flat and boring and the story was not progressing at all. The characters were terrible and unlikable. The writing is not very good. Wayyy too many run-on sentences!