From the get-go, this book had me engrossed. In a quaint small town, twin sisters Tabitha and Talia, both married, reside next door to each other. When a mysterious new neighbor arrives, the intrigue deepens. The narrative effortlessly draws you in with its enigmatic atmosphere. The first-person perspective adds to the immersive experience, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages. The unexpected twist took me by surprise, showcasing the author's clever storytelling. Although I initially found the characters unlikable, Talia's development won me over. The subtle nods to "Grey's Anatomy" and echoes of "Desperate Housewives" added to the allure.

Overall, I rate this book four stars.

A big thank you to NetGalley for providing the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent plot line but none of the characters were easy to like (perhaps deliberately on the part of the author given the litany of poor choices they make as the book progresses!).
told from the perspectives of each of the twins and rooted in their childhoods the story follows their interactions with Anne, a new neighbour who raises suspicion from day 1.
lots of twists and a well paced plot will keep you reading!

3.5 stars

“Pangs of independence exist in me, the desire to be my own person, but there’s no follow-through.”

To start off, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read The Secrets Next Door. I am very thankful to be allowed to read the arc for this book.

“He is my rock. I couldn’t imagine life without him in it.”

Where do I even start? I do appreciate Sally Royer-Derr’s way of explaining the setting. I don’t have the clearest vision of the story, but the way the scenes were described, I was able to envision the plot and I’m really happy about that.

“You never know what’s going on in other people’s lives.”

I do have to say, the reason why my rating isn’t higher is because the story was really really slow. Even when things started to really happen, it felt too slow I almost fell asleep reading. I don’t like comparing books, but I like it when you get a lasting revelation after each chapter. I probably shouldn’t expect that out of every drama/thriller/mystery books, but now I feel like I have standards to how I like my books.

“Why do I feel alone in every relationship I have?”

I did NOT see that twist coming. Literally I kept writing “omg omg omg” and “wtf” in my annotations journal. I guessed a few things correctly though so I’m kinda happy I guessed it, but I’m also disappointed I was able to. But seriously though. That entire twist at the end. I just …. I’m still in awe of everything that happened, and I don’t think this will spoil people, but the ending was satisfying. I’ll add spoiler warnings to this review anyway.

“Just enjoyable time spent by yourself with your mind and your creative pursuits. Truly a pleasure to be cherished.”

All in all, this book was a fun read and I can’t wait to see what Sally Royer-Derr has more in store.

“Nothing spreads Christmas cheer like a tea with the sister who is screwing your husband.”


***okok that last quote is a spoiler, but please take note that the quotes I put in are just quotes that stood out to me.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading my review!

Twins Talia and Tabitha live next door to one another, and also run a successful bakery together.
A new neighbour moves in to the other side of Talia, and they soon discover that it is a well known author who has moved to their small village to write a trilogy of books.
The twins soon find their lives in turmoil and confusion and Tabitha thinks that blame lies with their new neighbour, Anne.
This book is full of twists and turns, with extra marital affairs, arguments and attempted murder. I won't spoil the ending for the readers, but it was a complete shcok!
This is defininately one not to miss! 10 out of 10

Thanks to Storm Publishing, NetGalley, and Sally Royer-Derr for the chance to read this book. The Secrets Next Door proves the point that do you ever really know the people next door to you? Talia and Tabitha are twins that live next door to each other and work together but on Talia’s other side she has a new neighbor and Amy may or may not be all that she appears to be.
Between unfaithful spouses, murder, childhood abuse and bullying this book reminds me of the very best of a Lifetime movie of the week. I truly enjoyed it. And the actual villain will surprise you because it comes out of nowhere and I felt bad for Talia.

I really enjoyed this novel. I liked the character development and the interactions between the characters. I had a bit of a feeling about a connection between the twins and the other character, however, I did not know for certain and was surprised by what happened. The ending was good and I was engaged throughout.

This book was actually really good! The storyline wasn't broken, I didn't feel like there were any plot holes, the writing was solid, the flow was great. Sometimes you can tell if an author tries to wrap it up in a hurry, but this story did not feel rushed. It had just the right number of characters & character development. Of course, its always good to see the villain get their comeuppance .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. The Secrets Next Door is the first book that I have read by Sally Royer-Derr, and I enjoyed it. It follows Talia and Tabitha, two twins who live an idyllic life in a small town. Their lives get turned upside down when a new neighbor moves next door. The story was fast paced, but the timeline was a little bit out of order. There were random time jumps that were sometimes confusing. I also was able to guess most of the twists.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC of ‘The Secrets Next Door’ by Sally Royer-Derr.

What an ending! I can usually kind of work out some possible endings with books but not this one. I couldn’t put it down. From the very first page I was obsessed with this book! If you liked the housemaid then give this a read. If you didn’t I’d still give it a read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Brief synopsis: Talia and Tabitha are twins that live lovely suburban lives (as neighbours) in a town called Little Beak. They have their ups and downs, as sisters do but ultimately they are inseparable until a mysterious new neighbour moves in and things start to shift. Something is off about this new addition to their neighbourhood they can't quite figure it out.

What worked well: The descriptions throughout the book were well done and allowed me to visualise the scenes well. I also enjoyed the ending. Without giving too much away the twist at the end was great and they got what they deserved.

What didn't: I just didn't feel overly engaged in the story until about halfway through. It wasn't as gripping as I hoped but it was still enjoyable.

Wow, what an absolutely, thrillingly gorgeous book this is! Loved it so very much! Very highly recommend this one to everyone! Brilliant from start to finish!

Fast paced, atmospheric, tense and creepy, so of course I loved it. I read it in one sitting and the twists kept me guessing which I loved. I would definitely recommend others reading this book

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is incredible. A real thriller filled to the brim with betrayals, murders, revenge and an unexpected plot twist.

Five stars. Would highly recommend.

I'm a bit on the fence with this one. There were moments that I really enjoyed, that were atmospheric and creepy and made me think that the story was really picking up. But the picture I was building in my mind wasn't the one that ultimately came to pass. Not that it was bad, it wasn't, but I do think the potential was there to play up to that.

But what wicked people! My soul. They got what they deserved, but unbelievable that anyone can be quite so cold, especially towards... Well, here you can take your pick, I won't spoil it. But be careful who you trust.

Three and a half stars, rounded up to 4 for the fingers of frost.

I couldn’t read this book fast enough. It was twist after twist. Just when you thought you had it figured out, nope another twist. Sally Royer-Derr was a new author to me. I’ll be looking for more of her stories. A five star story!

OMG! I loved this book! To be fair, I have always been a mystery/thriller type of girl (Nancy Drew was my first books read and ironically, Nancy Drew is mentioned in this book) so I’m always down for a good mystery and thriller read.

There’s several players in this book and they all somehow intertwine together. First we have twins Tabitha and Talia. Then we have Tabitha’s husband, Grant and they have a young son. Talia is married to Zach who is also a childhood friend of the twins. We also have a new neighbor, Anne.

The beginning starts with an incident occurring that doesn’t make sense right away. But, you know it’s important somehow. The first few chapters after are kind of slow but after that - it’s fast paced and intriguing. Every time I thought I knew who to suspect, I began to second guess myself. Every time I thought I knew what happened, I later found out I was wrong.

This book was simply amazing and I’m thankful for Netgalley providing me a copy to read for an honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley, Storm Publishing, and Sally Royer-Derr for the opportunity to read The Secrets Next Door.
This fast paced and well written book kept me guessing right up till nearly the end when everything was revealed. I’ve always found the idea of twins fascinating and often wondered what it might be like to be one. After this tale, I’m not sure that I’d like it! Writing from the perspective of each twin was a nice touch, I thought.
This is my first book from Sally Royer-Derr but I’d love to read more.

I actually loved this book. It’s different from the other thrillers I typically read but it was a nice break. I became obsessed with the story and finding out what is going on! The ending shocked me and I’m not sure I’ll be able to recover!

Such a good read! I love a dual POV although this one only had it slightly. I truly didn't see where this was going and the ending was crazy.

I couldn’t put this book down! Tabitha and Talia are twins who live next to each other. One day a new neighbor moves in. Tabitha and Zach don’t trust the new neighbor Anne. Can Tabitha trust Anne? It was interesting how this story played on. I honestly wasn’t expecting it to go the way it did. There was a good amount of twists and turns, I couldn’t put this down. It reminded me of a lifetime movie! This is the first book I’ve read by Sally. I’m looking forward to reading more books by her! Thank you Sally, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!