Rating: 4.5 stars

It all started when the girl with the pink hair showed up at Shelley House. In this case, "it all" encompasses both good and bad things, but also a lot of changes for all the residents of Shelley House.

Sampson really knows how to worm her way into my heart. Once again, she assembled a wonderful group of mismatched characters who came together to form a perfectly imperfect "family". The inhabitants had mostly kept to themselves until things begin going awry following their notice to vacate the premises. They bonded over their desire to save their home, and along the way, true friendships were born.

I struggle with calling this a mystery, though there were some small unknowns that needed to be uncovered. There were a lot of secrets being kept inside Shelley House, and Dorothy and Kat were both affected in major ways by the weight of their secrets.

Both their stories truly broke my heart. They carried their pain and guilt for so many years, and it kept them from really living their lives. As a sucker for unlikely friendships, I adored seeing a friendship born between a pensioner and a twenty-something. They pushed each other while providing support and the strength to move forward. These themes of friendship, love, and forgiveness were woven throughout this story and really tugged at my heartstrings.

But I don't want to leave out the other residents. This was quite a fantastic group of quirky characters, and they really endeared themselves to me. The journey from strangers to more was a wonderful one which brought me lots of joy.

Overall, this was a warm and touching tale and I adored rooting for the denizens of Shelley House while they fought to save their home and each other.

A pink-haired girl, and her unlikely elderly neighbor become the super sleuths to solve the attack on everyones favorite tenant. Sampson once again has penned an emotionally, poignant tale of a building, a community and the tenants who reside in its walls. Shelley House is more than just apartments, its a home. There's history, from its garden, rooftop and family space, these mismatched people must come together to overcome the past to save themselves.

Nosy Neighbors is heartwarming, much like The Lost Ticket. Sampson has masterfully interwoven the tenants into each other lives, culminating in an epic conclusion. Humanity lives within these pages.

Thank you, Berkley

"Nosy Neighbors" was heartwarming readabout the power of our neighbors and community in our lives. The residents of Shelley House, a long-standing apartment building in disrepair are given notice by the building's owner that they are to be evicted so the building can be torn down to make way for new luxury apartments. When one of the building's older residents, Joseph, who has been publicly protesting the building's demolition, is hospitalized after being possibly attacked in his apartment. 2 of the buildings other residents, an unlikely pair, begin to investigate who could have attacked Joseph. Dorothy is an elderly woman, and the building's most long-standing resident, is known for constantly being in all of her neighbors' business in what she believes is her attempts to keep the building safe, while closely guarding her dark secret.. Kat is Joseph's young tenant who is renting a room from him as she deals from the traumas of her own past. together, Dorothy and Kat team up, along with a local newspaper reporter to investigate the building's owner, and his past history of shady business dealings. as they try to save Shelley House from demolition, and bring Joseph's attacker to light.

The story is told from alternate points-of-view between Dorothy and Kat, and as they try to navigate each other, while attempting to work together, we get to see the relationship grow and blossom, as they come together to save both Joseph and Shelley House. In addition, we also get the opportunity to see the other residents of Shelley House, each with their own set of problems, come together as a community, and family, in the end. This wonderful story also deals with the topic of how our past traumas can haunt us and influence us in the present. "Nosy Neighbors" is the first of Freya Sampson's books that I have read, but I am now looking forward to reading her previous works.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Berkley's Besties program for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. "Nosy Neighbors" is scheduled to be released on 4/2/24.

This is not my first book by this author and definitely not my last! I love her writing style with her unique settings and quirky characters. All the residents of Shelly House were as different as can be with their own stories, secrets, and sorrows. This group is faced with eviction notices as their home, an old Victorian that has seen better days, is slated for demolition. This mismatched group bands together to solve a crime and help each other through their individual problems. It’s a fun escapism from a lot of heavy books that I have been reading. Love this author and all her crazy characters! #NosyNeighbors #FreyaSampson #NetGalley

Shelley House has seen better days but when the crumbling Victorian gets marked for demolition, the neighbors band together to save their building. Kat has pink hair and tattoos and there's something about her that makes septuagenerian Dorothy, the building's longest resident, extremely wary. But when Kat finds one of the residents injured after being attacked, this unlikely duo band together to save their building from demolition. The other residents of Shelley House are great characters and I especially enjoyed Reggie the dog. This is a solid cozy mystery with an ending that will make you smile.

Many thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC.

What an amazing novel! I love Freya Sampson's writing. It is so innocent and immersive. Her books are always lighthearted and based on friendship, love and compassion. I really enjoyed The Lost Ticket last year so was excited to see and I was thrilled when Berkley approved my netgalley request for the e-arc and I couldn’t wait to get started.

This one was such a cozy mystery! Tied in with lots of humor and friendship. Dorthy and Kat are quite the duo! They team up to solve a mystery in their London apartment. Characters were 3 dimensions, great side characters, steady pacing, well rounded book.

What a delightful, heartbreaking read with lovable, dramatic characters that will make you laugh and make you cry. Reminder that we can't pick our neighbors!!!! Unlikely friendship stories have my heart. This felt like a warm hug!!!!!

2.5 stars
I was hoping to like this more than I did. It moved pretty slow and I found Dorothy Darling annoying, she got on my nerves. I found myself skimming through her dialogue and “diary” or log that she kept of every little thing she saw going on in the building. Kat was more enjoyable for me, but the relationship between these two woman seemed unlikely.

Reggie, the dog was my favorite character. Sorry but 2.5 is all I can honestly give this effort. My sincere thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the e-ARC and give my personal opinion.

I loved the characters, especially Dorothy and her crankiness and set ways. At times it was a little slow for me but fits in nicely with the cosy mysteries and amateaur investigative stories.

This book was delightful! Take a building filled with very unique tenants and mix in an eviction and see what happens. Hidden secrets, guilt, and a sense of righteousness bind the residents of Shelly House together. Families are destroyed by drugs, death, and manipulation. Nosy Neighbors brings an unexpected group together in a united front. Kat with her pink hair and tattoos joining forces with Ms. Dorothy Darling, the tea drinking elderly resident becomes a wonderful relationship. This is my first novel by the author. It won’t be my last. I received a copy from Netgalley.

The residents of a beautiful old house are about to be evicted by their greedy landlord. A multigenerational cast of quirky characters who only manage to be come friends when it's almost too late. Full of juicy secrets and twists and turns.

This was a fun cozy mystery.

I felt like this book really illustrated how an apartment building/community is a microcosm. All different types of people, living together in a compressed space. Some are outgoing, others are more private (secretive?). Dorothy is the self-proclaimed neighborhood watch president, so she gives us insight into all the neighbors and their quirks. She's not particularly happy when Kat moves in, she's young, therefore Dorothy expects that Kat will be flighty and irresponsible, but she's not. When a murder occurs and the landlord threatens everyone with eviction, the building in thrown into chaos, and Dorothy and Kat find themselves on the same side after all.

There were times when this book just didn't resonate with me, but overall, it is a good read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I expected this to be more more on the mystery/thriller side than it ended up being, which made it okay, but not my favorite..
This story will likely appeal to readers who love cozy mysteries.

Synopsis in a sentence (or two):
Dorothy Darling has lived in Shelley House for over thirty-four years. Dorothy’s nemesis, Joseph Chambers, has lived there longer than Dorothy. The many inhabitants of Shelley House must come together to save their beloved building from destruction and perhaps save each other from the town’s insidious inhabitants.

Characters:
One of my favorites from 2023 was Freya Sampson’s The Lost Ticket. So, I was overjoyed to receive a digital review copy of her latest book, The Nosy Neighbor, from Berkley Publishing. From the moment I opened this one, I could tell that Freya’s characters held the same magic I’d adored in her previous writing. Freya Sampson writes characters you want to hug and wish to know in real life. For that reason, she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Pacing/Storyline:
Nosy Neighbors is a mystery, drama, and romance all rolled into one, with plenty of humor thrown in. Nosy Neighbors highlights the backstories of most of the residents of Shelley House, notably Dorothy and Kay. The pair’s stories are equally tragic, and the unlikely pair radiate their pain to everyone they meet while harboring their stories deep inside.

Freya Sampson has a gift for highlighting goodness. Nosy Neighbors underscores the importance of small kindnesses and their impact on others. The momentum of Nosy Neighbors didn’t come from the mystery for me but instead from the importance of character connection. I loved watching how the neighbors’ friendships evolved and changed as they dealt with their grief and found solace in others.

Where Freya Sampson’s writing is magical is that she can write character-centered novels without the plot ever feeling mundane or slow. I found the character development engaging, and I raced through Nosy Neighbors extremely sad to see it end.

Read this if you love:
📚Fredrik Backman, Gabrielle Zevin, T.J. Klune, & Emily Henry
📚found family tropes
📚unlikely characters uniting
📚feel good stories with curmudgeon characters

Rating: 5.0

Disclosure:
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the Digital Review Copy of Nosy Neighbors. All opinions are my own.

Just what I needed! A cozy mystery with characters that grow on you. I did not expect some of the heavier themes (I don’t usually read cozy mystery books) but I found it worked and made it a heartfelt story that was more than just a cozy mystery.

I have a copy of THE LOST TICKET by the same author and I will be bumping it up on my TBR! 🩷

If you are a fan of Sampson or of cozy mystery then you should pick this one up! OUT 4/2/24‼️

Thank you Berkley for the free finished copy. All thoughts are my own 😊

DNF @36%

The plot was too slow and boring and I didn't care about anything happening. The only character I cared about was the dog.

What I think Freya Sampson did very well in this book was deeply dive into how trauma and isolation can alter and warp a person’s interactions with their inner and outer worlds and how this response has commonalities regardless of age or background. In this case the broken souls are Kat, an aloof tattooed pink-haired 20 something, who keeps everyone at a distance and is constantly on the move, and Dorothy, a nosy septuagenarian who keeps an eye on everyone and everything in her building, yet allows no one to get close to her. Both women have near impenetrable exteriors and both are irritable and judgmental. Of course they immediately and immensely dislike each other when they find themselves both living in Shelley House, a century+ old formerly beautiful building, which has fallen on neglect and very hard times and is slated to be torn down for another new, soulless development. Kat has temporarily rented a room from the too good to be true elderly Joseph, who is carrying on a one-man campaign to prevent the demolition of his home and his fellow tenants’ evictions. But shortly before the resolution to prevent this comes before the city permits department, Joseph is severely injured by an unknown assailant, which causes Kat and Dorothy to become grudging allies in trying to investigate Joseph’s attack and perhaps even save their decaying beauty of a building. In the process they uncover old secrets, old griefs, new acquaintances, and a possible campaign of systemic intimidation instigated by their seemingly indifferent landlord. The characters are believable, especially in the actions that express their vulnerabilities which can be cruel and at times, heartbreaking. But everything gets resolved, almost a bit too tidily. The epilogue wrapped up everything so tightly that it felt like the story had no room to breathe. There was nothing to question or think over and for some this may be fine. Still, I was left wanting something.

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson is a fun little book. I adored all the lovable characters who resided at Shelley House! There were so many good side plotlines as we got to know more than just Dorothy but all the residents of this old (but delightful) apartment building. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship grow between Dorothy and Kat, two women who could not have less in common, as they worked together to try to solve the mystery of what is happening at Shelley House and how they can save it from destruction. There was good emotion and engagement throughout this book--you could laugh and cry on the same page!

But what made me rate this book a little lower came down to three things. 1) Too many side plots. I felt there were too many tangents at a time, and it could be hard to keep track of everything. 2) I didn't exactly buy the story of how Kat and Dorothy became enemies. It's in the description but didn't seem like a solid inclusion in the book. 3) The book dragged on a bit too long. It was slow to start and then the ending just seemed to go on longer than necessary.

Regardless of my personal gripes with portions of this book, this was an enjoyable read!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This quiet mystery, told in two voices, was as much about coming to terms with the past as it was a mystery to be solved.

Dorothy Darling is seventy-seven and has lived in Shelly House for more than thirty-four years. She prides herself, and irritates her neighbors, by her constant watching and noting of infractions to all the various rules of the place. She is also something of a recluse preferring own company.

Kat Bennett is a twenty-five-year-old complete with pink hair and tattoos - and secrets. She has come to Shelley House renting a room in Joseph Chamber's apartment. She just wants a look around the town where she has some happy memories of time spent with her grandfather until things all blew up and her mother took her away. She has been feeling guilty about those events ever since.

When Shelley House, which has been neglected for years, becomes the site of a new development, Dorothy, Joseph and Kat are all determined to stop the new development planned by a shady builder who is most known for the dirty tricks he uses to get others to sell him their property.

Told alternately by Kat and Dorothy, the story gradually unfolds, and we learn more about each main character's past.

If you are looking for fast-paced excitement and danger, look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for characters who are coming to terms with their past and a slow-growing friendship, you have come to the right place.

This was something different for me, and wow! What a fun twist on a cozy mystery! For fans of Only Murders in the Building, here’s a tender and funny story featuring and elderly woman named Dorothy teaming up with twenty-something, pink-haired Kat to solve a crime in their community! Can’t wait to recommend this to patrons when it releases.

I’ll be honest, the cover and description of a cozy mystery led me to expect something completely different from what the actual story was.

Despite a very wonderful pet and the character development - I found the story slow moving and with the sadness and grief that I personally felt overwhelmed and detracted from the positive parts of the story, I wasn’t the right reader for this one.



Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC