Eileen has just moved house with her dog Dora, she is a private person and does not socialise with her neighbours but finds herself secretly watching Lucy, Neil and their daughter Anabel, who seem to have the perfect house where everything is immaculate and flawless. But looks can be deceiving and all is not how it seems.

I loved the unexpected friendship of Lucy and Eileen and how they help each other, even though their lifestyles and personalities are poles apart.

The book held me captive until the end. I liked the characters and at times found it heartbreaking but beautifully written.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise of this book was a good one. The storyline was very interesting. That being said, I thought there needed to be more character development. While the storyline wanted to draw me in, it felt a little underdeveloped and I did not feel attached to any of the characters the way I would have liked to feel. Also, I thought the ending was very abrupt and could have had a better arch. Not a bad read but not my favorite.

My first book by this author but it won't be my last. I really enjoyed it.

I flew through it in a couple of days, these two women were ridiculously strong and so very admirable.

The only thing I wish there had been is more of an ending for Lucy to see how things panned out for her but overall I thought it was a good ending.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was so good and so sweet. It has dark moments, really dark moments, but it ultimately about female friendships and survival.
It is downright wholesome at the end. Read this for sure!

Percepception and the judgment of others, domestic violence, and mental health. These aren´t easy topics to write about.
This book is a quick read, engaging, and enjoyable. Also, it leaves the reader without a heavy head. The last thing is important because despite of heavy stuff, it´s supposed to be entertainment. There are too many books out there that make the reader feel like run over by a train, afterwards. This is not the case here. Thank goodness.

"Sometimes it takes someone else to help us see our problems clearly". This thought may sound naive, manipulative, and cliche. Yet, in the context of this story, it´s actually beautiful.

The story of two neighbors, each living with a terrible secret. Each woman comes to help the other accept and deal with their truth and do what is needed to make their lives more fulfilling. Interesting, believable characters with an intriguing storyline. Highly recommend.

This was my first book by Caroline Finnerty but it definitely won't be my last! I enjoyed the writing style . Such an easy read. I thought it was a thriller but it’s more of a drama but I was okay with that. The characters of Lucy and Eileen are both great! I had a hard time putting it down. Thank You to Boldwood books and NetGalley for my ARC of this.

Eileen and Lucy are next door neighbours living on a quiet street in upmarket Dublin. But that's where any similarity between them ends - or so it would seem.

Eileen lives in complete isolation, her only companion her little dog Dora, who arrived unexpectedly on her doorstep one day, and stayed on to ease her loneliness. Eileen's story is revealed gradually, but I found it no less impactful for the slow pace of its revelation.

Lucy is young and beautiful, and lives next door with her husband Neil and her delightful little daughter, Anabel. Although Lucy and Neil view Eileen with derision - having nicknamed her Mad Mary - Anabel is far less shallow, and takes a shine to both Eileen and her dog.

And that's just as well. Because one terrible night, when Lucy's perfect life is smashed to pieces, it is Eileen who finds herself in the unlikely role of rescuer, thanks to Anabel.

The two women may have more in common than they initially thought, but is either of them really in a position to help the other?

I really liked this book. It is not so much suspenseful, as it is interesting and rather touching. A good fit for those who enjoy a story that is more character-driven - though the plot here also works well in terms of the flow of Finnerty's storytelling.

Eileen Murphy has moved to a new place in house 26 on St Brigid’s Road where she’s been living with her dog Dora for nine months. Occasionally social workers from an outreach team pay her a visit.

Her neighbors next door, Lucy Walsh and her husband live in house 28 with their five-year-old daughter Anabel. Lucy is proud to be a homeowner, seeing as her parents never owned a home of their own, preferring to rent.
Lucy is a freelance make-up artist and Neil works as a personal trainer and owns his own gym.

Although their house was in disrepair when they first bought it, the couple managed to renovate the place. Lately, Lucy had started to broach the subject of having another baby now that Anabel is five. but Neil is opposed to the idea saying that the house is too small and moreover, Lucy might lose her clients if she took maternity leave.

Lucy finally decides to discuss it with her husband. But the evening didn’t go as planned and soon enough, Lucy somehow ends up with a bruise on her face when she fell on the kitchen countertop. Was she pushed or did Neil punch her? Of course, it happened so fast she couldn’t register what happened to her since she’s been drinking earlier.

Lucy’s bruise doesn’t go unnoticed by her neighbor the following day while Lucy was taking her daughter to school.

Eileen on the other hand seems to have secrets of her own. Then one fateful night, following an incident at Lucy’s house, Eileen is pulled into their world and she realises that Lucy Walshs life isn’t as perfect as she thought.

Overall a good read. Would recommend

Thank you to Caroline Finnerty, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books for the arc of this book

The Family Next Door is Caroline Finnerty’s 2nd book I’ve read. This one starts out we meet Elaine who lives as a recluse with her dog in Ireland. She keeps to herself yet she finds herself intrigued with her neighbor who has a little girl and an abusive husband. They form a friendship and realize they have more in common than they realize. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my early release.

Two women living next door each other form an unlikely friendship in the face of adversity.
Another enjoyable book by Caroline Finity.

This was my first book by Caroline Finnerty but it definitely won't be my last! I enjoyed the writing style and was easily immersed in the story. I did think it was going to be a thriller and this was more a domestic drama. The characters of Lucy and Eileen were sharply drawn and I felt a connection to both of them. Thank You to Boldwood books and NetGalley for my ARC of this.

Caroline Finnerty is a familiar author to me from her women’s fiction books. I was really eager to experience her writing in another genre, and I am glad to be able to. The Family Next Door is everything I had hoped and more: it has well fleshed out characters, quick pacing and a storyline that is realistic and kept me guessing.

Two houses on the same street in Dublin, Ireland. Lucy, Neil and their 5 year old daughter Annabelle live next door to Eileen Murphy, an elderly lady with a dog called Dora.

The neighborhood is a good one. Lucy, Neil and Lucy love their home and it’s the first Lucy has been able to actually own. I liked her backstory with an honest account of this and other aspects of her life.

She wants a sister for Lucy, but does Neil feel the same? Their views as a couple are realistic. Neil likes a neat home. Is everything as OK between them as it seems at first?

I was hooked from page one. Caroline Finnerty does family relationships so well and represents how children act very well too.

A thoroughly enjoyable novel.

5 stars but it deserves more.

"The Family Next Door" is a book about two neighbours (one family and one single woman) and how they're lives intertwine after a life altering event showing that you never truely know your neighbours, but sometimes it's good that you do!
The book is written brilliantly by portraying so many different emotions, heartbreaking chapters and a fabulous ending that it sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. Caroline is a brilliant writer and I have yet to read a book of hers that I don't love

Two women. One who seemingly has the perfect life. One who appears to have little and is rather a recluse.

A series of events unfold and the two women are drawn into each other's lives and through this lifeline their circumstances are reversed.

A good mystery and nice piece about the power of women helping other women.

Great book, full of twist and turns and shows you that the grass really isn't always greener on the other side and who you think might have the picture perfect life really do not.

I love this kind of novel, where nothing is as it seems!! Do we ever really know what goes on in other people’s homes?! A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish!

I DIDNT KNOW how much I was going to love this book ! It truly shows you ,that you dont know what goes on behind closed doors and people arent truly that happy as they appear.

A book that just goes to show you don't know what goes on in other peoples lives, and sometimes people who you may think have everything are actually having a really hard time behind their facade.

Eileen and Lucy live next door to each other, Eileen with a lovely little dog she has rescued called Dora, and Lucy with her husband and young daughter. On the surface Lucy looks like she has everything, a handsome husband, a happy child, a great house and job. On the other hand Eileen looks like she has nothing, a run down house and a bit of a curtain twitcher, watching the next door neighbours, just keeping to herself and not getting involved with anyone.

But then Lucy's life starts to unravel with domestic issues, and Eileen is on hand to help, and slowly the ladies start to become friends and help each other. Eileen has had a hard life and blames herself for events in the past so feels she doesn't deserve to be happy.

I did find Lucy's attitude very frustrating at times, but luckily she saw the light, with a bit of help from Eileen, and made the necessary changes to her life. Equally Lucy really helped Eileen sort out her past and they both ended up a lot happier.

A really easy reading, yet compelling book.

Eileen lives with her adored dog, Dora, in Dublin. She maintains a strict routine that includes watching her neighbors coming and going. One of those neighbors, Lucy, appears to have a perfect life. However, Eileen’s and Lucy’s paths will cross and force them to reconsider the assumptions they made about each other.

Based on the cover and description of this book, I mistakenly believed it was a suspense/thriller. The plot kept me engaged as I wanted to know more about Eileen’s backstory. I appreciate the author’s compassionate approach to mental health struggles, abuse, and partner violence.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Book’s for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.