This was a thoroughly enjoyable book about a group of neighbors trying to save the house (which was converted into several apartments) from being torn down and them being evicted. When several of the neighbors end up in the hospital, it's the newest tenant that steps in and together with a local journalist tries to get to the bottom of the issue.
All the characters in the book are very quirky and have secrets of their own, but most seem very likeable and the reader connects with everyone. There are many funny scenes and the chapters are the perfect length, with a few cliffhangers to keep you reading. A very enjoyable feel good book that I didn't want to end.

4/5 stars

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- At 77 years old, Dorothy Darling has spent the majority of her life in Shelley House, making her the longest tenant. She's gotten very comfortable taking care of the property, best done by *ahem* spying on other residents. Kat Bennett is new on to Shelley House: at 25 years old, she's used to couch surfing and short-term stays. Both of these women are generally viewed as unapproachable, though in different ways. When Shelley House suddenly facing demolition by a well-known and generally unliked developer, Kat and Dorothy, along with some of the other residents, team up and work to save their building, against all-odds. With guilty secrets, unexpected ulterior motives and the nosiest of neighbors, this group is sure to stir up some trouble.

What a fun and unexpectedly delightful book! I was expecting this to be "just okay," and I loved it! Tons of drama (my fav) and a joy to read. There was a great mystery interwoven into this story and let me tell you -- I GASPED when all was revealed. Jaw dropped, fully gasped out loud. The characters were dynamic, chaotic and full of life, all so loveable. Though Dorothy, at times, was INFURIATING, she was so easy to love and I had so much empathy for her. The ending was really unexpected in a great way. I was so attached to the characters that I was feeling anxious about how things would turn out, and I was not disappointed. This book had it all -- secrets, drama, gossip, mystery, love -- and I even shed a little tear!

Thank you to @berkleypub for my gifted ARC of Nosy Neighbors by @freyasampsonauthor
This published on April 2 so it’s out now!

Dorothy has lived in Shelley House for decades and comes across as a controlling and grumpy neighbor but her motives are deeper. When free spirited Kat moves in, things in Shelley House get really exciting for Dorothy and she must decide if she wants to keep herself closed off or open herself up to new experiences and people.

I loved “The Last Chance Library” by the author and this story also takes place in Chalcot. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and power of this story and the subtle messages that we all need each other, despite our differences.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dorothy Darling is the notorious neighborhood spy at Shelley House. She even keeps a daily diary of her neighbors. Kat Bennett is 25 years old and is illegally renting a room from tenant, Joseph Chambers. Kat has really never felt at home anywhere. She gets off on the wrong foot with Dorothy, but the two quickly become allies when the developer plans to evict all the tenants and demolish Shelley House.
This was such a great cozy mystery! I enjoyed meeting all of the quirky neighbors and Dorothy had me cracking up with her antics. It was heartwarming to see how the neighbors came together and put their differences aside. I was so immersed in this book and couldn't wait to find out the secrets Dorothy and Kat were keeping.
If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this book is definitely for you!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

I really enjoyed this contemporary cozy mystery that focuses on 25 year old Kat who had a terrible childhood, never stays in one place long, and doesn't let anyone into her life, and 77 year old Dorothy, who has lived in Shelley House over 30 years and has appointed herself caretaker and watchman of the building and her neighbors. Neither woman is liked much, but underneath the crankiness and contempt, is a world of hurt, grief, and pain.

Kat is subletting a room in Shelley House and has no plans to stay in town long, but when her flatmate Joseph is injured and winds up in the hospital, there is no one to watch his dog. It's a mystery whether he tripped and injured his head, or was attacked. Kat and Dorothy think the latter, and coupled with a notice of eviction for the entire building, they are betting their slumlord is the culprit. The unlikely duo band together to fight the landlord and get justice for the tenants.

Although it's understandable how Kat came to be so closed off, it was still hard to connect with her until she started caring for Joseph's dog and reluctantly teams up with Dorothy to discover how Joseph was injured. This forces her to work with Dorothy, communicate with strangers and the other neighbors, and more importantly, reporter Will, who helps dig into the mystery. Slowly she starts to trust others, which allows us to see more of her. Her character arc was a bit up and down throughout the book, but that's how life is, isn't it? Life is messy and rarely goes smoothly.

Dorothy was my favorite character. She reminded me of every prickly busybody "Karen" that self-appoints herself the person in charge. I loved her character growth as she is forced to work with pink-haired, tatooed Kat, and accept responsibility to watch Joseph's dog. I cracked up every time Dorothy gave the dog a treat, patted his head, or let him kiss her face. She thought she was being so slick and secretive, but dogs have a way of worming their way into your heart, and Dorothy was no exception. As the story progresses, we come to understand why she monitors the building so closely and keeps her daily journal of everyone's activity, and it was hard to read the extent of her guilt and grief. Luckily, even Dorothy learns that it's never too late to live your best life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

Nosy Neighbors is the charming story of an apartment building in London that is being torn down for a shiny new project and the residents are up in arms. Another winner for me. I loved this delightful book. The characters were all quirky and lovable. I loved their shenanigans, I loved the dry wit, I loved the camaraderie among them despite all of their differences. It was just a heartwarming, huggable book that had me giggling and smiling.

I have never, to my knowledge, read anything by this author, but as I read the sample, the writing voice won me over immediately. As I made the avid reader mistake of starting the book late on a Friday night, reading all 380+ pages in one long session, until the wee hours of Saturday morning, I can say that this will not be the only one of Ms Sampson’s books I’ll read.

The novel is narrated in third person, past tense, from the points of view of two very different women, who dislike and distrust each other from the moment they meet–until circumstances force them to face, and come to terms with, their own pasts as they work together towards a common goal, discovering how much more they have in common along the way.

However, it would be a disservice to the novel to say that it’s just a mystery, or just about these two women, or about an old house slated for demolition, or a few weeks one summer; this is a story about love and guilt, bitterness and forgiveness, endings and the beginnings that can grow from them.

Beware: death of a child; addiction; parental neglect; mental health issues; grief; suicide; have tissues at the ready.

From the first page, the reader is immersed in the world the characters inhabit: an old and poorly maintained Victorian house in a small, quaint and quiet English town, a couple of hours from London by train. (I learned later that this setting is shared with the author’s debut novel, The Last Library)

Language nerdery aside: am I salty about the changed spelling of “neighbours” in the title for the U.S. edition; this is a very British book about British people in an intrinsically British setting, and there are a number of plot points that hinge on UK legalities around housing, after all.

At first, the author develops her characters through their actions; Dorothy is very lonely, set in her ways, and unhappy–but she doesn’t spend any time thinking about these things. The kind of bitter old spinster who wears pearls to clean her flat and sit by the window to watch her neighbors coming and going about their lives outside Shelley House; seemingly devoting her life entirely to annoying the other tenants and the local officials alike, by constantly noting and calling attention to any and all infractions of both social norms and public order, Dorothy exists in a world firmly constrained by rigid routine and determined self isolation.

Into this orderly world crashes Kat; over half a century younger, but just as bitter as Dorothy, far angrier, and just as unwilling to consider why or modify her behavior. Always ready to move on at a moment’s notice, Kat knows that it’s best to make no connections and nurture no ties. The room she’s subletting–illegaly, Dorothy is quick to point out–is simply a place to sleep for a while, and the other tenants at Shelley’s House will remain indifferent strangers to her, until the time comes to move on once more.

At least, that was the plan, but both Joseph Chambers, her temporary landlord, and Reggie, his dog, go out of their way to make her feel welcome and appreciated, so when Joseph is attacked at his home, Kat stays. At first, just to take care of Reggie until Joseph is well enough to come home, but soon Kat finds herself drawn into Dorothy’s determined investigation of the incident: who hurt Joseph, and is the attack connected to the imminent eviction of all of Shelley’s House residents?

This is the ostensible mystery in the blurb, of course, but not by far the most important aspect of the novel–though I hasten to say that, despite a last minute revelation to finish tying all the loose ends, I consider this a fair play mystery, as all the clues but one are presented one by one over the course of the narrative.

The main storyline is, of course, the connection that grows between these two women over the course of their investigations, and how it changes them. Little by little, through false starts and setbacks, Dorothy and Kat learn to work together, then to trust and finally care for each other.

And as they do, they manage to create a small community of people out of most of the other residents at Shelley’s House: Joseph, the kind tenant who’s determined to save their home; Omar, recently widowed, grieving and struggling to raise teenaged Ayeesha, who’s also grieving; Gloria, the serially-monogamous single woman whose relationships always end badly, and Thomasz, the rough and gruff biker-slash-mountain man lookalike with the ferocious (and often malodorous dog) that often terrorizes poor Reggie.

All these characters and more are seen through the lens of Dorothy’s or Kat’s personal experiences, but the author manages to infuse most of them with lives, backstories, motivations and personalities of their own, all of which makes their coming together for a common goal all the most enjoyable. There is, of course, a touch of *batteries not included in this setup, what with six out of seven tenants fighting to keep their home safe from the nefarious landlord, who wants to tear it down in order to build cheap and crowded flats.

Here I must note the change in narrative voice between the chapters, depending on whose point of view we are in, as it makes each of their personalities so tangible and real.

Regular readers know I am not much of a women’s fiction reader (for many a reason, starting with the word “women’s” in there); novels like this one make it worth venturing forth into the genre.

This is a book about relationships and personal growth, and as such, it has the same beats as a genre romance, including a third act bleak moment and separation, a triumphant resolution, and a satisfying epilogue. (There are also romantic relationships growing between several pairings, all with their own version of the traditional “happy ever after”, but these aren’t the raison d’être of the book.)

The heart of the story is its examination of love and grief and guilt and regret, and how they can shape a life, as much as kindness and a moment of generosity can alter its course. (Heed thee the warnings above.) There is terrible heartbreak behind Dorothy’s often bizarre behavior, and painfully learned lessons behind Kat’s determined detachment, and I’ll confess that I sobbed–ugly cried, in fact–over several passages.

Which of course made the resolution and reconciliations to follow all the sweeter.

Nosy Neighbors gets 9.25 out o 10

Short synopsis: Old Shelley House is crumbling to pieces, but it’s home when young Kat moves in to a room in elderly Joseph’s apartment. The Nosy neighbor Dorothy keeps tabs on everything and everyone, and when Joseph us attacked at home Dorothy is determined to find the culprit.

My thoughts: This book was just what it sounded like, neighbors putting their noses in everyone’s business. But it was also so much more. The development of friendships, forgiveness, and acceptance to name a few. Also, there’s a romantic sub-plot that is tender and sweet.

I always love a book with grumpy elderly, and Dorothy Darling was just that! I loved watching her heart soften as she warmed up to others (especially Kat) And learned to forgive herself for her past mistakes.

This more of a character driven plot line, and somewhat slow paced, with great characters I couldn’t help but love.

Read if you love:
- Unlikely friendships
- Old homes
- Great dog side kicks
- Mystery elements
- Multiple POV

Nosy Neighbors is the first book I've read by Freya Sampson, though The Last Chance Library is on my to-read list.

I love character-driven novels and this book is all about the characters. Sure there is a bit of a mystery but I felt that was secondary to the characters learning about themselves.

The story is told from the points of view of Kat Bennett and Dorothy Darling. At first glance, these characters seem as different as can be. Kat is 25 years old, with pink hair and piercings, and has never really called any place home. On the other hand, Dorothy Darling is 77 years old, a very much by-the-book kind of woman, and can't imagine ever leaving her home at Shelley House. There are other residents in the building that we see through the interactions with these two main characters. But they aren't just taking up space, they have their own growth.

But when the tenants of Shelley House are given notice that the building is being torn down, they come together to try to stop it. When one tenant is attacked, unlikely friendships are forged and Kat and Dorothy find out they aren't so different.

I loved the characters. I was curious about Kat as it is hinted at early on that she might have a checkered past. I felt bad for Dorothy as she doesn't seem to have much in her life - she watches from her window the going ons near Shelley House and records her observations in a notebook. It is easy to see that she is the Nosy Neighbor to whom the title refers. The other tenants appear less often but are still interesting and feel like real people and I'm happy Sampson allowed them to grow as well. I particularly liked Joseph.

There is a bit of a mystery - Kat's past and Joseph's accident. Kat and Dorothy's investigation is entertaining but it was really the interactions with the characters that I thoroughly enjoyed.

If you are looking for a good read with entertaining characters, then you should get this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/04/nosy-neighbors-by-freya-sampson-review.html

I completely adored this sweet, funny and poignant story. It was a bit cozy mystery with just a touch of romance to make me happy.
The residents of historic but rundown Shelley House try to save their building all while attempting to solve who is causing havoc for the tenants and even beat up one neighbor and left him for dead.
-5 Stars-

What fun this was!
Nosy Neighbors is such a cozy, feel-good read full of charming characters, humor and a bit of suspense.

It alternates between the POVs of Dorothy and Kat and I enjoyed the slow reveal of their backstories as the story progressed. They are both so different and while they didn’t have the best start, their friendship that develops by the end of the book is heartwarming.

I adored all of the characters but Dorothy was definitely my favorite!
It’s primarily through Dorothy’s POV that you learn about the other residents of Shelley House and let me tell you, she definitely deserves the title of nosiest neighbor. I loved her little notebook though and how suspicious she was of literally everyone 😂

The story incorporates themes of guilt, grief, forgiveness and friendship as well as found family. I loved the sense of community that develops as these residents who, for the most part, have always kept to themselves start working together to save their beloved home.

If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, you should definitely pick this up!

Lovely found family book-strong characters, fun plot.with just enough of a mystery to keep things moving. I really appreciated the fact that the struggles two of the characters face show the backward/forward trajectory that a lot of growth entails-people in real life don't just have an epiphany and never make the same mistake twice, and it doesn't mean they don't learn and eventually figure it out!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

This book is so cozy and quirky and quintessentially British. I love a found family book, especially when it has to do with a community uniting over a common goal. Here it's because of a string of upcoming evictions, followed by a resident of Shelley House being attacked. Kat and Dorothy are such characters, especially when they team up to sleuth. I also really enjoyed learning about their backstories as the story progressed, as most residents have a past with relevance to the story. Ultimately it was a great listen with just enough drama to keep me interested, while still feeling heartwarming.

I thought this book had a very fun premise - two people who could not be more different teaming up to stop their eviction from their old apartment building that's set to be torn down - but I feel like at the end of the day I found both Kat and Dorothy utterly insufferable and found it really hard to root for them. It's a slower paced book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing on its own, but I found it to be a little boring, which was rough. The mystery itself had a lot of fun moments as they uncovered things, and I liked the side characters a lot, but it was too much of Kat and Dorothy being stubborn and annoying for me to fully enjoy this book.

I absolutely loved this book! The story line, the characters, all couldn’t have been more satisfying. Kat is an angry young woman, looking for a temporary home, as she often moved from place to place, finding a room share with a resident of Shelley House. Dorothy is an older woman, a nosy neighbor who keeps a diary of all goings on in the building she lived in for over thirty years. When all kinds of malicious acts keep occurring, the residents of Shelley House are facing eviction as well as harassment. The beauty of the story is the developing relationships and community spirit amongst a group of mismatched tenants. Highly recommended for a heartwarming, well written story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a heartwarming account of the group of people living in the historic Shelley House when they are notified the building is slated for demolition. The focus is the interpersonal relationships among the residents, and the author dug deep into these relationships and made me care about them - especially Dorothy and Kat. The story is told from two points of views, Dorothy's who is in her seventies and has lived in Shelley House for ages, and Kat's who is new to Shelley House. Dorothy is a cantankerous, grumpy woman who seems to hate or dislike everyone. She is the self-appointed monitor of everything related to Shelley House, but is ignoring the fact that she needs to move. Kat has trust issues and is afraid to create relationships with anyone. I loved reading about the residents and their problems and interactions with each other. It kept me interested. The plot moved well and the book overall was well written. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys books with a feel good story

Oh gosh, nothing makes me happier than picking up a cozy mystery like this one. Full of British wit and a group of entertaining characters… Nosy Neighbour was the easy read I needed.

Quirky, cozy and fun.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author for my gifted physical copy and eARC to read and review!

Who doesn’t love a story about a neighborhood curmudgeon befriended by an outcast with trust issues, both running from secrets of the past, surrounded by a cast of quirky, unreliable characters that have to come together to solve a mystery, fight for their home and for each other?! It’s got “feel good” written all over it and that’s exactly what this is!

With themes of found family, forgiveness, reconciliation and second chances … this cozy mystery pulled at my heartstrings and made me giggle a bit too! I had the best time with this one!

This is a cute cozy mystery with a quirky set of characters who all live in the same apartment building, Shelley House. The oldest, and longest term resident, is Dorothy. She thinks it’s her job to make sure that the residents behave themselves and respect the rules of the building. She keeps a log of who entered the building and what time.

What was once an elegant building is now shoddy and rundown, but Dorothy’s standards are the same. Lately she’s upset because a girl named Kat is illegally subletting a room from her neighbor Joseph, who she considers her nemesis.

Everything changes when Joseph is attacked in his own apartment. Kat finds him in time but must take care of his dog, and she needs Dorothy’s help. They band together with the other residents to figure out who attacked Joseph. At the same time, the residents all find out that the building owner is evicting everyone and tearing down the building.

I enjoyed watching both Dorothy and Kat get back to living, and I enjoyed getting to know all the residents of Shelley House. 4 stars.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressede in this review are completely my own.

Dorothy Darling has a busy day ahead. Despite being retired and 77, she keeps a close eye on the happenings at Shelley House, as she has for years. She organizes the post and takes stock of the building as well as its tenants, and she marks it all down in her diary. When she finds things that are amiss and needing to be fixed, she alerts the landlord. She does this every day, much to the chagrin of the other tenants.

Kat Bennett needs a place to stay. She never stays in places too long, and she’s not sure why she came to Chalcot anyway. She found a room she could rent in Shelley House, and while the building has clearly seen better days, the rent is cheap and the room is clean and inviting. She’s renting the room from Joseph who has a small dog named Reggie and who likes to cook. There are worse things than working at a restaurant all day washing dishes to come home to a home-cooked meal. Kat doesn’t plan on staying long anyway, so it’s not that big a deal. And when all the tenants get eviction notices, Kat just thinks it’s her time to move on.

But one day when Kat comes home from work, she finds Joseph on the floor of the flat. Reggie is barking like crazy, and when Kat gets closer to him, she sees a pool of blood around Joseph’s head. She calls for an ambulance, and they take Joseph to the hospital. But that leaves Reggie needing someone to take care of him. She’s already lined up another place to live and is getting ready to move out, but who will take care of the dog?

Kat asks Dorothy, but the older woman refuses. She doesn’t want anything to do with Reggie. But it turns out that she does want some information that Kat could get for her, so she decides to make a deal with the young woman with pink hair. If Kat talks to Joseph’s ex-wife for Dorothy, then Dorothy will help take care of Reggie while Kat is at work.

While Joseph is in a coma in the hospital, there is a break-in at his apartment, and then another at Dorothy’s that leaves her wounded. Kat and some of the other tenants try to figure out if someone is breaking in on purpose, and if it has anything to do with the evictions. The landlord is known for harassing tenants in other business deals, but would it possible to connect him with these break-ins, with the injuries that put two tenants in the hospital? And if they could connect the landlord with these events, would it be enough to save Shelley House from demolition?

As the tenants come together to care for Joseph, who they all liked, and Dorothy, who they all tolerated, some of them decide to fight for the future of Shelley House. But will it be enough, or will the homes they love come to ruin, and the greedy landlord who refused to care for the place simply become richer at their expense?

Nosy Neighbors is a light crime novel with lots of secrets, questions, and heart. From the description I was anticipating a frothy thriller with charming moments and some sweet humor. But that is not what this book is. It’s really a look at the secrets we hold on to and how they look different with time and compassion.

Dorothy and Kat are both stuck in mistakes of their pasts, holding themselves responsible for things that were not what they seemed, and it’s only by finally letting down their guard and letting others know the truth about them that they could find the forgiveness that they both have desperately needed. Author Freya Sampson has crafted this world of Shelley House and brought together these characters who need to find each other in order to find their way home. It’s lovely and moving and sweet, and we would be better off with friends like these in our lives.

Egalleys for Nosy Neighbors were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.