This was an interesting quick read. There are a lot of characters, it wasn’t shocking but still enjoyable. Really good for those just wanting to try out the genre

This felt like a "Desperate Housewives" story: mystery and mayhem for the upper echelon. However these characters didn't really grab me and make me care enough about them to be sucked in. There were good twists, and good pacing, but nothing jaw dropping. I felt like the kidnapping that opened the novel was such a small portion of the book and I would have liked if more information was included about that. A good book, but not one I would need to reread or scream about from the mountain tops.
Thank you to NetGalley, T.R. Ragan, and Brilliance Publishing for my advance copy of this audiobook.

Pretty darn good story!. Lots of twist and turns just the way I like a good thriller book to be!! Everyone in this book was hid8ng a serect they didn't want getting out!

The characters were so very pretentious. I didn't care for any of them. I didn't care for the story. This was a no-go for me.

First off the narrator did a fantastic job with this and all the characters involved!

This is my first book by this author and I'm undecided if it's someone I'd read again.

The prologue and first few chapters were intriguing and enticing but the more I listened the more this seemed to drag on.

It felt like there were far too many characters so you don't really feel overly fussed about what happens to nay of them. Also the character who ends up murdered doesn't have enough time to show their personality to the listener/reader so we end up not caring too much about their demise.

I did enjoy some of the twists and turns in this and found myself wondering where it would go. The last few twists were interesting but didn't blow my mind.

Overall this was a decent thriller to pass the time but won't be one I remember.

I really enjoyed this book and all its twists and turns. I love the trope where there's a neighborhood of people that pretend to be normal but they all have crazy secrets. This book was entertaining and the narration was great.

I really enjoyed this story. Keep in mind there are so many characters you have to really pay attention to keep up with the story. But other than that, it is a very unique, fast-paced, exciting story.

This is my first by this author. It won’t be the last though.

If you're looking for a mystery thriller that'll make you eye your gossiping neighbors, Best House on the Block is the book for you.

This twisty murder mystery kicks off with a man stumbling upon an unattended toddler and deciding that the best course of action is to snatch the child up and call it a rescue. 👀 Fast-forward, and Shannon Gibbons and her family are settling into their picture-perfect home, a charming neighborhood that practically begs for skeletons to be hidden in its walk-in closets.

The neighborhood is known for its mixture of architecture, which is reflected in details, which I love. (I wanted to be an architect growing up and build homes for families, so I enjoyed reading this touch of scenery.) With that said, the neighborhood has an annual award for the best house called 'Best House on the Block.'

Shannon is roped into collaborating with a neighbor named Rosella Marlow on a project that will peel back the polished veneer of their idyllic community. During this time, I felt the novel was pretty slow. As someone with ADHD, my squirrel brain kept sidetracking. However, it is information you need to know as you get to know the whole neighborhood, and it's juicy gossip! You will need to be able to juggle a lot of characters mentally.

Now, this is where I am disappointed in myself. I've read a few of T.R. Ragan's novels, and as time passes, you sadly forget amazing authors, and I did it again! Because T.R. Ragan nailed it with the scandals, secrets, and murder. You think the killer is wearing a nametag—and the next, a new twist knocks your theory flat. Trust me, keeping track of these residents is like playing a high-stakes game of Clue.

If you live in an HOA community, Best House on the Block will make you pay closer attention to your neighbors, wondering what they are up to behind trimmed hedges, colorful flower borders, and a lawn at the perfect height.

The narrator did an amazing job bringing the story to life. Her voice matched the characters and the mood of each scene very well. The production of the audiobook was really well put together. There was nothing that stood out or any mistakes to take me out of the story. The story itself fell a little flat and I wanted some more build up and maybe a bigger twist. All together a good book that I enjoyed.

Welp, the description and the opening chapter had such promise but that’s where it ended . I wanted to like this book so much but it just wasn’t coming together.
I’ve never read this author so I don’t know if the writing style is her signature or what but the plot was all over the place. Or didn’t flow easily and despite it being a relatively short book its pace wasn’t fast at all.


I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from through Brilliance Publishing through NetGalley to listen to which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I’ve never had to rewind an audiobook so much as I kept thinking I must have missed something since the plot was so thin. But nope, o didn’t miss a thing, it just wasn’t there. The ending also seemed unfinished.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

EH.....it was a soso book with way too many characters. None of the characters had their own voices so it was hard to tell who was who../THe story itself was okay. the twist wasn't that big..

DNF at 40% sorry!!

The book opened with an attention grabber (the kidnapping) and I was very excited to read about that.

When it switched to the older journalist/her paranoia/the birder I wasn’t interested but pressed on hoping to connect back to the kidnapping.

I found it too slow and boring. I also couldn’t connect with any character or cared to know the truth. I tried it just isn’t for me.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
3.5 ☆
Aspiring investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons and her family have moved into a beautiful house in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento, where Shannon finds a fast connection with a new neighbor. Rosella is bitter, resentful, and consumed by excruciating grief over losing her husband and son. Now she is watching closely, ready to expose their secrets—secrets dark enough to destroy lives—and is obsessed with wiping the smiles off her contented neighbors' faces.

I enjoyed this story and finished it in one day. The pacing was a little off for me. The beginning was good; the middle was a little boring and dragged a little, and toward the end is when all the action, twists, and turns came out. I would recommend it if you want a murder mystery.

The audiobook was good; the narrator did a good job. It was easy to listen to and understand. I listened at 2.5x speed.

Thank you, Netgellay, and Brilliance Publishing for the audiobook in exchnage for my honest review.