I love a good thriller and was excited to receive the arc for this book! However I was quickly disappointed.

The first 50% of this book was honestly torture for me to get through. I didn’t like the characters who were mostly all awful humans. I also thought the dialogue was terrible and seemed fake. I really wanted to stop reading and give up but since I had an arc, I felt I should complete the book in order to leave a truly honest review.

Around Part 2, the book became more interesting to me. I was definitely curious where it was going and how it would end. However the twist was really unbelievable to me and overall I would not recommend this book.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a mix for me - it started strong, lagged in the middle, and then I liked the last parts of it and was surprised by the ending.

When Salma and her family new to a new housing development, she quickly becomes at odds with her neighbor Tom and his wife Willa. At the same time their conflicts begin, their teenage sons become fast friends and start working together developing an app. Everything escalates quickly and took turns that I did not see coming.

The writing in this felt a little uneven to me -- some of it was really engaging and then some of the dialogue was very forced and did not seem realistic at all.

The adults in this are pretty unpleasant and their actions made me cringe -- but I did really enjoy the teenagers and their interactions and sweet friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah. Thanks to @putnambooks and @netgalley for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Salma and Bilal start off on the wrong foot with their new neighbor after he tears down their anti-racism banner. When Salma confronts him, the disagreement escalates.

This was such a great story that surprised me several times. I loved how it changes from a thrilling suspense, to a court room drama, to a mystery. You’ll think you have some things figured out, but you likely don’t- get ready for some major twists. The plot reminded me a lot of the House of Sand and Fog, which is one my favorite books.

“When someone bullies you, you strike back with more force than expected.”

Perfectly Nice Neighbors comes out 9/12.

A Bangladeshi family moves in a new home on Blenheim. They are invited to a barbecue and are welcomed into the neighborhood. The new family lives next door to a “white” couple named Tom and Willa.

The first thing the family does is to allow their son to put a BLACK LIVES MATTER poster in the front yard. Right off, I find that offensive. It’s like an “in your face” invitation to start an incident and to announce to your neighbors how you feel politically. In this day of Woke policies being pushed down the throats of people, this book simply ignites more tensions between the races. I refuse to read such garbage. Therefore, I am not finishing this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Note: This woman had a chip on her shoulder from the first time she appeared in the book. I was so disappointed with this political BS.

I spent a majority of the time reading this book with my shoulders all tensed up. I could easily see this exact situation playing out in almost any neighborhood anywhere, including my own. One thing leads to another, no one willing to let something go without a response, and it just gets worse. I really liked the character development and how each one was given multiple layers. You couldn't just assume anyone was good or bad. I also appreciated the relationship between the two sons. It felt like a somewhat platonic Romeo and Juliet, though I am not sure that was the author's intent. Needless to say, this story will stay with me and I'll be reminded of it whenever I pass one of my neighbor's equality or BLM signs.

A tense thriller about conflict, racial tension, neighborhood lines, and how far we will go when our boundaries are pushed. Salma and her husband Bil move into a new neighborhood with their son Zain, seeking a safer community. A tense divide quickly builds between her family and the neighbors, quickly driven by underlying prejudice and rage. Will this escalate until someone gets hurt? How far will they go in this war?

This book was tense, compelling, and dealt with important topics well. There’s a lot of good topics and points to consider throughout regarding how we build our neighborhoods, who we think belongs, micro-aggressions, and our own beliefs. This was told in such a great way that built the tension and discomfort between the families and increased the suspense throughout the story. Very well told and written.

I’d like to thank Net Galley for this book. I wish I could have delivered a better rating, because the overall messages were extremely important, but I had so many problems with this book especially at the end. I do want to start off on what this book did well though. Kia Abdullah did an amazing job portraying implicit racial bias, general racism, and prejudice throughout the story, and how Salma and her family are impacted by it in their new mostly-white neighborhood they have just moved to. Then there are types of people in the world who think they get to decide when someone should get over something, how they should react to it and how they should feel. And Willa and Tom are 100% those people, and they are also entirely insane- this was depicted well in the plot. But rather than put a more intense focus on those things, the book started to try to be a “thriller” of a sort. The ending was nothing short of entirely disappointing and made zero sense to me. Though Willa’s last conversation with Salma was entirely characteristic, it felt like Willa should have actually learned something and she didn’t (maybe naive on my part though). Then the very last sentences, what Salma does, is even more confounding and I’m curious what other readers thought about that. There were often times where major plot occurrences came out of nowhere, and I had to reread them several times because they were entirely rushed into without much description. There were a lot of lags, for example anytime Salma spoke to her students or when the lawyers did closing statements at the trial, reiterating things we already know entirely for several pages. I do think this book is worth reading, but I just cannot rate it higher for the reasons I’ve just described.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Revenge and neighborhood drama! In Abdullah’s newest thriller a Bangladeshi family moves into a predominantly white neighborhood and racial tensions escalate after a neighbor removes their anti racist sign from their garden. This story is definitely timely and thought provoking. Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on September 12, 2023

I just watched the show Beef on Netflix so this was very close in theme. I really felt the desperation of Salma as key events happened. I kept thinking how is this going to get happily resolved. I did not like the term bint. Being American I had to look it up. Should have just used bitch which is more universally accepted. The person who did it was a surprise. Not what I was expecting.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel ended unexpectedly--did not see that ending coming.

3.5 stars

This was a good domestic suspense with a hint of legal drama. It's thought-provoking, bringing up a lot about racial tensions, microaggressions, and the assumptions people make about each other. It wasn't my favorite by this author, but a quick and exciting read! 
*
Salma and her family move into a nice suburban neighborhood, hoping for a safe environment for their son and maybe some friendships with their neighbors. But shortly after they move in, she witnesses her neighbor pull down their Black Lives Matter banner. She puts it in their window, only to find their window painted over the next day. This leads to a spiraling between the neighbors that gets out of control quickly, with dramatic consequences. 
*
Having read and loved other books by this author, I was really excited about this! She does such a great job of crafting thrillers around racial issues, and not shying away from uncomfortable topics. This was tough to read at times, especially as you see all characters making some stupid decision at one point or another 
*
This book was overall very interesting, but the pacing felt off to me. I felt like I would get really into the story, and then each particular section would go on just a *bit* too long to keep me fully engaged the entire time. I still very much enjoyed it, and think everyone can get something out of its lessons. 
*
And, as with her other books, the twist at the end definitely caught me off guard!

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah is an intriguing story; I was unable to put it downas I was driven to see what happened next. Salma, Bilal Kharun and their eighteen year old son Zain are happy when they move into Blenheim housing development, while it is not the house of their dreams, they anticipate a safe and friendly environment. Very shortly after their move they are invited to a neighborhood party, hosted by their neighbors, Tom and Willa Hutton. The Huttons have a 16 year old son Jamie. The party is fine, although Salma detects some strange vibrations from Willa and Tom. Hold onto your seats from there, as what could be perceived as a neighbor's act of bad judgement escalates and changes the lives of both families forever.
Perfectly Nice Neighbors illustrates how cultural norms and perceptions can be very destructive. It is a book about families, aspirations, social injustice and the forces that drive people to do or say things with no regard for others. It is an engaging, provocative, and timely
novel, a very worthy and satisfying read. 4 Stars.
I received an ARC courtesy of Net Galley, that in no way influenced my review.

What a well written and astute commentary on the tragic impact of looking for our differences rather than our commonalities when working, living, and dealing with others day-to-day. Abdullah shows how very quickly true and perceived cultural differences, real and imagined slights, our personal histories and resultant biases, preconceived notions, filters, the us vs. them mentality, and societal expectations can lead to the destruction of families and lives.

When the Khatun family moved to Blenheim, they were looking for a safer place to live and better opportunities for their son, Zain. It wasn't long though until they began wondering if they'd made a huge mistake. Their next-door neighbor, Tom Hutton, had lots of advice about "neighborhood norms" to pass along to the family, which created a running loop of surprise and anger on both sides. It didn't take long for that two-sided frustration to boil into anger, pain, and resentment, and started both families on the road to ruin.

This quick paced, engaging, and suspenseful story gives readers plenty to think about (and opportunities to question their own attitudes) as they head to a (for me) totally unexpected ending. A book of our times which deserves to be read!

My thanks to GP Putnam's Sons for allowing me to read a DRC of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given. The paperback version of this book is scheduled for release on 9/12/23,

What an intense book!! It begins as new neighbors moving into a suburban neighborhood in Blenheim. The Khatun family, Salma, Bil and their son Zain moved two miles out of the crime infested city to enjoy a quiet, safe environment. When they are invited next door to a neighborhood BBQ, they meet the Hutton family, Tom, Willa and their son Jamie, who is deaf. It was awkward and everyone unravels quickly.
The escalation originates with an anti-racial banner being knocked down in Salma's yard by Tom. When she places it inside her house, she wakes up to her window painted. Their restaurant is trashed, squatters move in and their dog is taken. Racial and social tension becomes out of control and enlarged on social media. When bitterness and rage spiral downward, someone ends up comatose and a court trial ensues. The story has many awkward moments that are cringe worthy. It touches on not only race, society standards, but disabilities. Perceptions cost a friendship.
The hardest part of the story is that feelings are hurt and they never feel a sense of belonging. The book A Good Neighborhood by Theresa Anne Fowler came to mind while reading this one. "What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?"
Thank you NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's Sons | Penguin Random House for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was excited to read Perfectly Nice Neighbors after reading and enjoying two other titles by Kia Abdullah. I had high hopes for this one but was left a little disappointed.

The neighbors in question are Tom and Willa Hutton with their teenage son Jamie; on the other side of the fence are Bilal and Salma Khatun with their teenage son Zain. The families get off to a rocky start at a neighborhood barbecue and then Tom removes a BLM banner that Zain has placed in their yard. Tensions escalate from there, but the plot seemed a bit circular to me - with each neighbor in turn stomping over to the other's house and arguing, accusing and demanding answers. Eventually someone gets severely hurt and a courtroom drama ensues, which I thought that was the best part of the book. There is a twist near the end that I found hard to swallow based on that character's previous actions - and the last page made me groan.

I was most disappointed with the character development. Most of them were not very likable, but considering what they all went through in the story, I thought they should have shown some growth. Instead, they seemed no wiser by the end.

I do appreciate how Kia Abdullah is not afraid to delve into thorny issues like racism using nuanced characters. This book does provide lots of issues to discuss in a book club. I look forward to her next book because I loved her previous work.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow this book brought out all the emotions. It made me angry and sad multiple times. Did not see that ending coming.

Salma and her family move into a new neighborhood that they think will be a nice fresh start. Soon, however, there are racial tensions between her and her white neighbors. Things just continue to escalate.

This was one where it was a long buildup. For me, I didn’t think the writing was suspenseful enough to keep me engaged. I also didn’t love the multiple POVs here. it didn’t really make sense until the end.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The book delivers a fast paced thriller. The book is a well written and thought provoking book. It would be a nightmare to have next door neighbors that wage war against one another. I felt that the tit for tat with the two families was frustrating, and the book did drag at times because of this. However, I was compelled to see how the story ended.

The ending delivered some twists and turns I didn't see coming. It was riveting and complex book. I would check this one out.

Most of the characters in the book were pretty hard to like. I liked a few of the side characters. The twist took me by surprise. The book was ok.