This book is banana pants nuts and you should read it.

If you read the publisher's blurb you'd probably expect a fairly standard domestic thriller: Hannah McCullough's seemingly perfect life begins to unravel when a body is found near her family's vacation home. Hannah is forced to confront her past involvement with a mysterious cult as she seems the truth about the identity of the victim and the killer.

This is all true. But it gives no hint that there will be several unsettling narrators and a hefty dose of magical realism.

I don't want to say more about the plot because I don't want to spoil the experience for any reader. However, readers should be prepared for the fact that this is not your standard domestic thriller. It is a murder mystery, but in terms of 2024 releases, it has much more in common with Lost Man's Lane than with House of Glass.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on August 16, 2024 and to Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on August 17, 2024.

This book was a journey for me. At first I was not a fan, the shifting perspectives were too often and it was hard to keep track of all the different characters right off the bat. I also wasn't a fan of how a few of the characters were written. I found Josh's perspective to be boring and repetitive in the beginning and Allen was insufferable. However, as the book went on I actually enjoyed it much more than I thought. The cult setting was really interesting, and I enjoyed how all the different character perspectives came together in the end. I was able to call a few of the twists. I think there was a good amount of disbelief that needed to be suspended but otherwise this was a pretty solid thriller. 3.5 stars!!!

Read this book in 2 sittings. Sadly life gets in the way of marathon reading. It’s 2 am and I just finished the book because I couldn’t set it down. The book is unique as it has 5 perspectives and 2 different timelines. At first I was confused but as you read, the pieces start to fit together and all the secrets unravel. Also this unique writing style makes the plot move constantly. The book does involve a cult which I always find interesting to hear the perspectives of people who are a part of them. I enjoyed Hannah’s personality and her truth. A lot of the characters stories are either really sad or really sick. A great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a decent thriller. I liked Maia Chance's writing style and the book definitely held my interest. I was granted instant access to this book as I am a member of the Hive influencer progrram from Harlequin.
I would definitely consider reading more books by Maia Chance in the future!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This thriller will have you constantly on edge! I loved the mix of multiple POVs and Dual timelines. The plot also was cult-ish and twisty which was addicting! I highly recommend picking this one up!

I just finished reading this book, and I can honestly say it captivated me from the very first page. This masterfully crafted thriller takes you on a riveting journey, weaving together the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect in fascinating and unexpected ways. The beauty of this narrative lies in the way it grants the reader a unique perspective—one that the characters themselves would never fully grasp if they were living through it and there are unexpected twists! Each character is richly developed, drawing you in with their distinct personalities and secrets. The author skillfully builds suspense, leaving you eagerly turning pages in search of the truth.

I wanted to like this one but felt it had too many points of view going on and it was hard to follow. It had lots of potential
Thanks for sharing this book with me and letting me review book I like this one a lot it was engaging and had a good plot and setting . It was a fast paced quick read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the lookI like this one a lot it was engaging and had a good plot and setting . It was a fast paced quick read

This book just had too much going on. Too many point of views. Too many plot points. I actually enjoyed the cult element but the magic part was too much.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW! What a great book! This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Had me guessing! That plot twist got me! lol what a great read!

Thank you to MIRA, Netgalley and Maia Chance for the ARC!

The title of this story grabbed my attention right off the bat - LOL! So much so that I didn’t even read the synopsis and went in blind. What I found was a slow burn mystery. Slow burns are not always my favorite, but in this particular book, the writing spoke for itself. I was captivated by the mystery Maia Chance created. Told from multiple points of view, for about the first half of the book, I had no idea who these characters were in relation to each other but I enjoyed their perspectives and trying to figure out how their stories would come together. When they did come together, everything made perfect sense. Interspersed with bits of magical realism, “The Body Next Door” is a unique and enchanting mystery. The plot was solid, held my attention and there were several twists I wasn’t expecting too!

”The Body Next Door” is out now! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

#TheBodyNextDoor #NetGalley
Boring.
Hannah McCullough’s life is far from perfect, but you’d never know it by looking at her. Instead, you’d see a beautiful young mother wholly devoted to her two children and a docile wife utterly besotted with her self-made millionaire husband, Allan. You’d see the designer clothes she wears, the luxury car she drives, the dewy-eyed au pair she employs. You wouldn’t see the dark secret she carries. But when a construction crew unearths the body of a young girl near the McCulloughs’ vacation home on Orcas Island, Hannah has no choice but to confront her past. She wonders how much Allan knows about the victim and the apocalyptic cult she was connected to. Meanwhile, Allan can’t seem to understand why his beautiful young bride, as polished and pristine as the collectible artifacts in his glass case, would threaten their fairy-tale lifestyle by digging too deep, in places she knows she shouldn’t.
As the police investigation into the gruesome discovery deepens, the facade of Hannah’s picture-perfect marriage starts to crumble, and she soon finds herself on a dire hunt for answers. And Hannah’s search takes an unexpected turn after she crosses paths with three strangers with shocking secrets of their own.
It was boring. I don't like these types of thrillers. Sorry. Not my cup of tea.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Mira for giving me Tan advance copy.

I was originally drawn to The Body Next Door by Maia Chance because of the title and cover. As a lover of thriller novels, I go into each book with such high expectations. I have been disappointed many times, but The Body Next Door exceeded my expectations!! This is one of the few books that has done so. There are many reasons why I absolutely loved The Body Next Door.
First, as a reader, I loved that I got to see the different perspectives of each character through their own individual chapters. Speaking of characters, I was pleasantly surprised with the fantastical element of speaking inanimate objects. I’ve never read a thriller book that placed this into the plot.
Next, I highly enjoyed discovering how each character was intertwined with one another, especially because it was something I couldn’t easily guess. Additionally, the twists and turns in the plot had me hooked!!
Lastly, every thriller needs to have a good ending, and The Body Next Door did just that!! Again, it was something I couldn’t guess, and I actually liked that it was a happy ending, so to speak. I definitely recommend reading this book if you’re a fan of thrillers, crime, a bit of mystery, talking objects, and cults!

I enjoyed this read, but the multiple points of view could be overwhelming at times as they didn't seem to connect to one another and were a bit confusing to follow at first.

It was entertaining and enjoyable nonetheless.

Mystery/ Thriller With Cults And Magical Realism? Yes Please. First off, if you're turned off by any discussion of cults... this book likely isn't your thing. If you're turned off by any element of magical realism... this book probably isn't your thing. If you can't handle books dealing with domestic violence and/ or sexual assault/ rape... this book probably isn't your thing. If you can't handle books with multiple POVs... this book probably isn't your thing. If you're turned off by books with dual timelines... this book probably isn't your thing. If you're turned off by books with any LGBT characters at all... this book probably isn't your thing.

With all of *that* out of the way, I thought this book was done particularly well and told a not-overly-typical (because it dealt so intrinsically with cults/ life after cults) tale in new and interesting ways (re: magical realism elements). All of the various elements work well to create a story with an admittedly slow start that absolutely heats up later in the text, particularly during a somewhat detailed account of the night everything came crashing down in the earlier timeline. The overall mystery ties both timelines together well, and while the front of the book can seem a bit disjointed at times with its POV switches, it *does* all come together quite beautifully and dramatically down the stretch.

Ultimately a fun read that is different enough to stick out in a very crowded field of similar ish (re: mystery/ thriller) books, this is definitely one to check out - even if it is a touch longer than some will be comfortable with (just over 400 pages).

Very much recommended.

I received an ARC of this book. I have to admit it wasn’t what I expected, but in a good way! It took a minute to get used to the dual POV, but once I had a grip on everything! I loved Hannah and was internally pulling for her! I was desperate to keep reading and figure out more. This book keeps you guessing! I loved it!

Twisty thriller mystery with multiple POV, a little hard to keep up with 5 in the beginning but very engaging once I understood who each character was. This bounces between past and present in all POVs, has cult and a splash of magical elements but not so much that it's a fantasy. The story really picked up in the second half and I finished this in just over a day, I enjoyed this read and was surprised at the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

Hannah McCollough appears to have a perfect life as a devoted mother and wife to a wealthy husband. However, when a young girl's body is found near their vacation home, Hannah is forced to confront dark secrets from her past. As the police investigation unfolds, Hannah's seemingly perfect marriage begins to unravel, leading her on a search for answers that brings her into contact with strangers hiding shocking secrets of their own.

This was my first time reading a book by Maia, and I am eager to dive into more of her work. What a thrilling ride! As you may know from my reviews, I prefer to approach each book with little prior knowledge, allowing myself to be surprised and delighted as the story unfolds.

While this book started off slowly, it quickly captured my interest. I found myself completely engrossed and unable to put it down. The author skillfully answered all of the questions that arose throughout the story, providing a satisfying unexpected conclusion.

I particularly enjoyed the eerie setting and the subtle supernatural elements woven throughout the narrative. The characters were convincingly portrayed with the mindset of a cult, which resonated with my previous readings on the subject.

I highly recommend this book as a quick and engaging read for those looking for something a bit out of the ordinary.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for my digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I would like to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing - MIRA for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an open and honest review.

Full disclosure – I’m a fan of Maia Chance’s books. Love both her “Discreet Retrieval Agency” and her “An Agnes and Effie Mystery” series. But they are of the cosy crime genre. And I knew “The Body Next Door” wasn’t going to be a cosy... but trusted Maia’s writing skills to still make it good.

And she did not disappoint! Wow! What a totally different style of writing from her. And so skillfully done. I usually don’t like using cliché terms like Spine Chilling, or Nail Biting... but I just have to here as there are no other words. It truly was just such a book.

“The Body Next Door” is a mystery thriller that honestly has you guessing from the start. Within the first few pages I honestly was getting the tingling spine. It just captured my attention - The thick, but not overdone, suspense, the interweaving of multi-character’s perspectives, the guessing at who really is the “good guy” and the “bad guy” throughout, the blend of well described scenery and believable characters. This book was an amazing modern day suspenseful thriller.

So, if you’re a fan of terrific authors such as Elizabeth Haynes, you’re absolutely going to love this book. If I can compare reading to watching television... I didn’t just read this book – I binged it! Could not put it down.

Highly recommend.

Until next time, Janis.

The Body Next Door has definitely made it to my top reads of this year. It's twisty, the setting was the perfect mix of atmospheric and creepy, culty (one of my first cult reads and now I need to read more).

I love multiple POVS and dual timelines but five POV's were kind of difficult to keep up with in the beginning but I did love how everything came crashing together in the end. Very twisty and well-done. I loved the intricate plot, complex characters, and the eeriness that gave the story a well-engaged plot.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

A thriller that keeps you hanging on until the very end! Secrets, Lies, Cult vibes, so many thrills! I was hooked from the beginning and I will definitely be reading more by this author.