I loved this domestic thriller about twins Talia and Tabitha, whose lives were upended when a new neighbor, Anne, moves next door to them in Little Beak. The twins are very close to each other and even became neighbors after marrying the men of their dreams. But how well do you really know a person, even your family?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was right up my alley. It's fast-paced and got me hooked from the beginning. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes mystery/thriller books.

I didn't get to finish this book. It is my fault for not downloading it. I am so sorry! What I listened to was interesting and I am bummed I didn't get to finish the story.

I listened to it and it kept me going. The author did a great job of weaving a complex plot, but I was not able to a 'accept' the ending-I won't go farther into that because that will involve spoilers.

Actual Rating 1.5

Talia and Tabitha are twins who live next to each other and run a bakery together. When a new neighbor moves in next door, they find themselves at odds about how they feel about her. As the two sisters try to uncover their new neighbor’s secrets in different ways, they don’t realize that they’re on the verge of exposing their own secrets.

There was a lot that didn’t really work for me with this one. The MCs were just silly. Their internal dialogue would be conflicting from one page to the next, they did dumb things with no real reasoning behind it, and their motivations just didn't make sense. They weren't likeable characters, but they weren't written to be unlikeable, which made for a frustrating experience. They were also just stupid. They would hyperfocus on random things and act drastically/unrealistically, then completely ignore the most obvious things and make up absurd excuses for it.

The other issue was that the MCs are twins. That means that they have a lot in common, but the way they were written wasn't enough to really differentiate them meaningfully from each other. I spent half the book trying to remember which twin was which. The characters were all quite shallow, with no personality or depth/development.

This work had some of the right elements to make for a solid read, but there just wasn’t enough intricacy or depth to make the parts compelling. For example, the author tried to use sleeplessness and infertility for the plot and character development, but those elements were just stuck in there and only came up sporadically. Elements never really came together well either, making the work feel disjointed. Not to mention that the wrap-up after the resolution involved one of the characters involved basically saying, “Why did I do what I did? I don’t know, it was someone else’s fault I did these horrendous things.” The end.

This was a very unsatisfactory read that I don’t recommend. My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Didn’t see that coming! We all knew there was something suspicious about the new neighbor, and I could tell that it was someone from their past. I couldn’t understand why they hadn’t figured out who it was. This was an excellent story and kep me engaged throughout.

"The Secrets Next Door" is a gripping novel that takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as it explores the themes of love, betrayal, and healing.

The heart of the story lies in the two main characters, Talia and Tabitha, who are twins but couldn't be more different. Talia is outgoing, confident, and carefree, while Tabitha is introverted, anxious, and cautious. Despite their opposing personalities, they share a close bond that begins to unravel when a new neighbour enters the picture.

As the story unfolds, the reader is taken on a journey of discovery as the twins' deepest secrets are revealed. Each twin has kept secrets from the other, and this leads to a growing rift between them. The story explores how the twins' relationship is affected by their differing perspectives on life, possessions, and self-worth.

The pacing of the novel is excellent, and the characters are well-developed, making it easy for readers to follow the plot. The ending is satisfying and brings closure to the story while leaving room for the reader's imagination to wander. I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced and free copy of this enthralling novel.

3.75⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

I enjoyed the dual POV of the two twin sisters and seeing how their relationship dynamic was. I didn’t suspect Anne (and how she was connected to the story) which is a good plot twist. I found the affair aspect predictable but fit with the storyline and the plot progressed at a good pace throughout. I did find some aspects to be a bit slower but overall I enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

Oh this was a super big letdown. It was VERY slow and dry. I struggled wanting to continue and probably should have dnfed it. It's not a thriller but a domestic/family drama. But it felt way too long and like nothing is happening except a weird twin sister relationships. It felt like it could have been 200 pages. This was super boring and anticlimactic. The audio format was good at least. The only reason I kept going.

This was an excellent book. Loved the characters and all the twists and turns in this story. I thought I had this one all figured out...but I was wrong. I give this book 5 Big gold Stars.
Very good book

I feel like this was a little slow at times, but once it got started, it was great! I did not see the twists and turns coming. A great listen!

Chefs kiss! I'm getting more and more into audio books and this one was entertaining! i love when audio book keep me engaged i listed to this from start to finish! the whole time i was at work i did figure out most of the twist which i don't love but still a solid listen!

This is the first book I listen from this author and although the book was fast paced, I didn’t feel connected to the main characters and their motivations. It was a good domestic drama/mystery with a few twists, even thought I had figured the main twist earlier in the book. I’d recommend it to readers of domestic thriller, not psychological thriller.

It was OK. A little naive, I would say, and the main character was silly, but its OK for one listen. Its intertaining and there is a twist. Its mainly "domestic" / neighborhood mystery.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for thie eARC.

A clever and twisty psychological domestic thriller, perfect for fans of Frieda McFadden and Kiersten Modglin.

The author keeps the action moving, , the tension taunt, and the reader engaged, as secrets and hidden agendas are revealed. as secrets are revealed

This was an interesting book about a set of twins living so entertwined in even adulthood. Then someone mysterious moves to town- and they do as much as they can ti figure out why.

*2.5 stars *

I really wanted to enjoy The Secrets Next Door, but the story fell flat for me.

I disliked the main characters Talia and Tabitha. They both seem to live perfect lives and are completely oblivious to the red flags in their marriage. When a mystery author moves in next door, they are automatically suspicious about their new neighbor with Tabitha taking an immediate dislike to her. Some of their suspicions made no sense to me like having another person over to the authors house without a car being in the driveway or the author being out of town means she was related to the events going on around them. Many of the events that occurred were predictable, however, I did enjoy the ending of this book.

Although I was not the biggest fan of this book, I would like to read another book from this author. I think she gives great details in her books, and I might enjoy a different synopsis with maybe more relatable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select/Storm Publishing for the opportunity to review The Secrets Next Door.

There is a lot to enjoy in this story - I like the complexity of the sisters' relationship. Like most siblings, they love each other, even though they often find each other infuriating. I got caught up in the novel as it unfolded and found myself in the same boat as the twins, trying to understand what was going on with the next door neighbor.
However, after a pretty slow paced novel, the end felt a little rushed, slapdash, and far-fetched, a lot of details were glossed over. I would have loved to see this one from a third point of view - Ann, the neighbor's perspective. She had a much more interesting story to tell, and I was left feeling a little unfulfilled because what I knew of her story wasn't enough.

The Secrets Next Door by Sally Royer-Derr
(Narrated by Patricia Rodriguez)

The twist and turn of this thriller are surprising!

I enjoyed this domestic thriller about the twins, their husbands, some secrets and their neighbor! The local gossips and secrets always “entertaining”.

The narrator was performing well, just I found it was difficult to follow the twins names as they sound alike.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pub date: March 4, 2024

Tabitha and Taliha are twin sisters. They live next door to each other and own a cupcake business. While Tabitha is over the top, Taliha is more relaxed and subtle.
The girls have a new neighbor, Ann. She is renting out the house next door to Taliha's for a year. She is a writer. Ann and Taliha seem to hit it off. Shopping together and hanging out. Tabitha, on the other hand, doesn't like Ann. She thinks Ann has underlying motives for renting the house next door. Taliha can't understand what her sister's problem is. Even Taliha's husband Zack has begun to act erratic and strange about her hanging with Ann.
Her sister and husband are hiding something. Taliha just doesn't know what it is. Is Ann hiding something, too? Taliha is determined to find out what it is that her neighbor, husband, and sister are up too

The conundrum of families and their respective issues through life are thrown out by a story of deception and lies. Twin sisters with an unbreakable bond, discover that their lives are far from secure as one plots the downfall of the other!