America’s next favorite Australian author! “With jaw-dropping discoveries and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. Perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies.” –Library Journal, starred review Small, perfect towns often hold the deepest secrets. From the outside, Essie’s life looks idyllic: a loving husband, a beautiful house in a good neighborhood, and a nearby mother who dotes on … beautiful house in a good neighborhood, and a nearby mother who dotes on her grandchildren. But few of Essie’s friends know her secret shame: that in a moment of maternal despair, she once walked away from her newborn, asleep in her carriage in a park. Disaster was avoided and Essie got better, but she still fears what lurks inside her, even as her daughter gets older and she has a second baby.
When a new woman named Isabelle moves in next door to Essie, she is an immediate object of curiosity in the neighborhood. Why single, when everyone else is married with children? Why renting, when everyone else owns? What mysterious job does she have? And why is she so fascinated with Essie? As the two women grow closer and Essie’s friends voice their disapproval, it starts to become clear that Isabelle’s choice of neighborhood was no accident. And that her presence threatens to bring shocking secrets to light.
The Family Next Door is Sally Hepworth at her very best: at once a deeply moving portrait of family drama and a compelling suburban mystery that will keep you hooked until the very last page.
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Loved this book! It was surprising what was at the root of the story, but it fit together so well.
Would probably give a 3.5 if possible as it wasn’t an amazingly good book but deserves more than a 3. I don’t normally like books that switch back and forth with different characters but the author does a good job handling it. I was barking up the wrong tree for the first half but that just kept it interesting. Offers an insight we all need that you cannot judge until you’ve walked in another’s moccasins.
I loved this book. It gripped me from the first page. Very Liane Moriarty-ish. I read it in two days. It was the first book I’d read in a long time that I truly enjoyed.
4.5 stars for this enthralling domestic thriller!
The Family Next Door, in my estimation, is the Australian version of Desperate Housewives. Four female neighbors try their best to maintain the facade of perfect suburban lives while behind closed doors each woman is dealing with her own personal drama that threatens to break up her family.
Sally Hepworth (who I wasn’t familiar with prior to this) has written a captivating novel about what happens when the stress of marriage, motherhood and being the perfect neighbor wreaks havoc.
Enjoyed the honesty in the first part of this book and continued to enjoy as Hepworth pulled out an unexpected story. Realistic. Captivating. Honest in presenting characters and situations, the different story lines and characters all come together in the end. This novel reminded me of the television limited serial, Big Little Lies. It’s gripping. You will want to find time in your day to keep reading.
The perfect neighborhood filled with loving families and even a doting grandmother next door to help out her daughter. Essie’s neighborhood friends know about her shame when she walked away from her child, yet all is forgiven. As the perfect days roll by Isabelle moves into the neighborhood, without a husband, and without children. Why, did Isabelle choose to rent in this neighborhood of close families? Slowly the perfect family life starts to unravel in different ways for each of them as each surprising shock comes to light after another. The Family Next Door is a well-paced psychological shocker that will have you on edge and wondering if there is someone new in your neighborhood that just might reveal your secret.
Great characters, suspenseful,heartbreaking,tragic, and beautiful storyline.
When a new neighbor (Isabelle) moves in, women (Essie, Ange, and Fran) discover that Pleasant Court might not be as pleasant as it seems. Who is harboring secrets, and why?
Ever since she was a child, Essie wanted to be a mother. But, now that she is, she wonders why everything is so difficult for her. Could she be suffering from postpartum depression? Perhaps. Now, fast forward a few years, add another baby, and she seems to be doing much better; or, is she?
And what about her Pleasant Court neighbors, Ange, Fran, and Isabelle? Are they all as perfect as they seem, or is each woman concealing a secret of her own? Find out in this amusing and intriguing book perfect for a day at the beach! I would recommend this one for fans of Big Little Lies.
Characters:
* Essie, husband Ben, daughters Mia and Polly, grandma Barbara
* Ange, husband Lucas, sons Will and Ollie
* Fran, husband Nigel, daughters Rosie and Ava
* Isabelle, new single neighbor, boyfriend Jules
3.5 stars
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and the Great Thought’s Ninja Review Team for a free ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.
Wow! The Family Next Door kept me up til late at night reading. I loved how the layers of each character was revealed as I read. This book dealt with a lot of different issues. Infidelity. Postpartum depression. And lots of secrets. I would love to see this book on the big screen!