The Neighbors by Renita D'Silva

The Neighbors is a fast-paced domestic psychological thriller that revolves around Sapna, a young woman who relocates to a new neighborhood with her husband, Amir. The narrative unfolds primarily through Sapna's perspective, interspersed with chapters from other neighbors. Set in the present with occasional flashbacks providing backstory, the book builds drama and suspense gradually, starting off slowly but gaining momentum as the plot progresses.

As the story intensifies, it transforms, capturing the reader's attention. The portrayal of nosy neighbors contributes to the ambiance of a close-knit community where everyone is under scrutiny. Overall, while the book didn't completely win me over, I found it satisfactory, brimming with action, yet lacking a certain element. The final quarter of the book was the highlight for me, along with the rich diversity of characters and cultures.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

This book was very different from what I expected. from reading the blurb. I really loved the diversity of different ethnicities and backgrounds of the characters. It was very different from thrillers that I usually read and had a lot of twists I was not expecting!

This is a slow burn but it's such a fresh take on the usual domestic noir. I loved that it had diversity and came from a different angle. I loved that!! It did still feel like not much wad happening though which wad a shame because I loved the characters, the multiple povs and everything else

The neighbors
From the moment Sapna and Amir move into their new flat in a small cul de sac, Sapna feels she is being watched. And she’s not wrong. Edith watched them arrive and settle into their new home and noticed they are one of their kind, darker skin, Indian descent. Ediths apartment shared a wall with Sapna and Amir’s and she frequently heads their drama and arguing late at night. Edith grows jealous of the woman as her companion, Gemma, starts to visit and get to know her more.

Gemma is another character we get the point of view of. New mom to baby Theo, her nights are restless. Her night owl lifestyle also tunes her in to the neighborhood drama unfolding regularly.

I loved the insight into Indian culture and the prejudice that they experience. It’s not a perspective I regularly see in books. It took me a while to read, wasn’t gripping or edge of seat type of book, but I did enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley for advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review. Release date August 15.

OMG, never has a book been so easy to become addicted to! Literally everything I had planned for the afternoon was put on hold because I couldn't tear myself away! The Neighbours is my first introduction to a book by D'Silva and what a cracking book I chose for it!

The plot is brilliant, full of mystery and intrigue. The suspense doesn't let up and the twists are guaranteed leave your jaw dropping oon the floor in shock. The ending, I hear you ask? That's for me to know and you to find out for yourself...enjoy!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Neighbours and it definitely won over an afternoon of housework!

This was an ok read but didn’t fully hit the mark for me. It centers primarily on Sapna, a young woman who moves to a new neighborhood with her husband Amir. Gemma and Edith are her neighbors on either side and both have a lot of opinions about their new neighbors. The story is primarily told from Sapna’s POV but with occasional chapters from the other neighbors’ POV.

The book tried to get the reader to relate to Samoa’s plight, but her reminiscing was a little repetitive for me and took me away from the story. I also thought the alternating timelines were a little confusing. That being said, I did enjoy the myriad creepy aspects of the story when Sapna is worried about being watched by someone. I really liked Edith and thought that the dynamic between the 2 was charming. The ending tied things up maybe a little too neatly, but it worked for me.

Overall, while I didn’t necessarily love this one, I did think it was OK, and I appreciated how it all worked out. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #JoffeBooks for the book #TheNeighbours by #RenitaDSilva. Sapna and Amir moved from India to England to start a new life in their marriage. They really don’t know much about each other. It is not the dream house she wanted and the neighbours are very suspicious. Then one day a person from her past shows up. What are they doing here?

I tried to get into this one but I just couldn't. It was so slow and did not hold my attention, I just felt like nothing was really happening so I had to DNF.

I love Renita D'Silva's writing so I was really excited to read her first thriller and the premise drew me right in.

The story is told from the POV of Sapna as well as Gemma and Edith, two of their neighbours. Sapna has left her home and family in India after marrying Amir, and their new house should be the start of their future together, but Sapna is terrified and on edge. Amir struggles to understand her fear, leading to misunderstandings between them, which Edith and Gemma make assumptions about, leading to a plethora of twists and revealed secrets. When Sapna's fears become reality, everyones lives are put at risk.

My heart went out to Sapna and I was rooting for her and Amir, hoping the young newlyweds would make it. As everyone's pasts were revealed, I found myself liking Edith more and more and her bond with Sapna was so sweet. Gemma was really unlkeable, selfish and shallow, she didn't deserve to have what she did.

I really enjoyed this book, although I do prefer Renita D'Silva's historical fiction work.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Renita D'SIlva and Joffe for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this eCopy to review

The Neighbours is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of human relationships and the dark secrets that can lurk behind closed doors.

The story follows Sapna, who moves to a quiet cul-de-sac in England with her husband, hoping for a fresh start away from their cramped flat in Hounslow. However, the new house doesn’t feel like home, and her husband’s long working hours leave her feeling isolated. As Sapna tries to adjust to her new life, she becomes increasingly suspicious of her neighbours, who seem kind but are hiding something sinister. The tension escalates when she notices a face pressed against her window, someone from Sapna's past in India who she tried to escape by moving to England. What follows from this is a series of horrific events.

I really emphasised with Sapna and her struggle with her new home, feelings of isolation, and her relationship with her husband Amir which seems to be failing. The neighbours, with their seemingly perfect lives, add layers of intrigue and suspense to the story. What lengths will characters go to protect their secrets?

Full of suspense and a sense of unease with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Plus there is a happy ending which I always enjoy

Had a hard time getting into this book, it started out well but felt it as though the story couldn't move forward. Idea was OK but it was extremely slow to start. Didn't enjoy this book.
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book

I was really excited by this book and I really enjoyed the twists and turns in it, they kept me immersed in the book.

Well holy moly! I live in a cul-de-sac and I will never look at my neighbours the same after reading this. Just goes to show you don't know what goes on behind closed doors. I enjoyed reading from various characters pov. It does get a little repetitive with some characters backgrounds but it didn't take away the tension I felt.

The story revolves around Sapna, Gemma and Edith who all live in a cul de sac. I found there was too much repetitiveness around Sapna looking back to her time in India and the cooking of cakes from Edith. The story did drag on a little and I found myself skipping a few pages here and there.

A psychological thriller, The Neighbours (2024) by Renita D’Silva opens with ambulance and police sirens blaring in a quiet suburban neigbourhood. Narrated by three of the main characters, a young married couple moves into the cul-de-sac. The daily lives of the people living in the street unfold as the reason for emergency service responders becomes all too clear. This domestic noir thriller, with the usual suburban lifestyle masking a myriad of secrets and behaviours, is sadly lacking in tension and its rose-coloured ending, making for a three-star read rating. With thanks to Joffe Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

So this was a pretty easy read. I want to thank Netgalley for allowing me to review this book and give an honest opinion. I felt that the book although it was easy reading it was very disappointing with the round and round memories, looking back on her childhood and missing her family. One or two references would have been fine, but I lost count of every time we had to reminisce the same thing or close to the same thing. It was actually pretty painful. Also I felt the main character was weak and childish. I did like Edith. I am sorry to say that I would not recommend this book to anyone. It was not what I expected at all.

Be patient with this tale of a cul de sac. Sapna, Gemma and Edith tell the story, each of them offering a different perspective even though Spana is the one to watch. She's the new neighbor and she's got a back story that doesn't come out for a while. What is she afraid of? You, like me,. might be a tad disappointed when it's revealed but the journey is good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Wait for the twists.

This story is like.....when you are making cookies and you have all of the ingredients, you perfectly place the raw dough on the cookie sheet, you put then in the oven set at the perfect temp and the cookies come out raw in the middle and burnt on the bottom. All the elements are there and correct, but something happened that prevented it from being....good.

I don't know. I just found this boring and not a great story? The time jumping, the multiple POV....I just could not care.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book

3.5 stars! My thanks to Net Galley and Joffee for allowing me to review this arc.

This book is told from 3 POVs of Sapta, who moved from India to England with her husband to escape a past event, Edith, a kindly old widow and Gemma, a wife and mother who all live on the same cul-de-sac. Although I liked it, I found it a bit all over the place with the time jumps. Then when Sapta had her fears of what was happened to her, and I read why, I thought, the slow build up was just for that? The twist at the end made up for it but I hope future books from this author have a better flow.