The Family Next Door: A gripping read that is 'part family drama, part suburban thriller'

by Sally Hepworth

Barrie Kreinik (Narrator)

A gripping novel full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse and Kerry Fisher.

The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It's the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn't fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon captures the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange's compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won't let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread - and they're about to find out that when you look at something too closely, you'll see things you never wanted to see.

(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

• ISBN10: 1473674212
• ISBN13: 9781473674219
• Publish Date: 15 March 2018 (first published 6 March 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 8 hours and 54 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[zooloo1983]

I was not sure what I was expecting to read with The Family Next Door, reading the blurb we have a feel of Wisteria Lane and the ladies from Desperate Housewives but set in Melbourne and I couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, we have 3 ladies cemented in Pleasant Drive but disjointed from each other. Yes, they are friends but they aren’t close. Then a newcomer, she’s not married and she has no children, so why is she there?

I love stories where you follow people and their lives because who doesn’t love a bit of people watching. The chapters are all from a different point of view, Essie who is the main voice, left her firstborn in a park one day because she couldn’t cope, but is there something more to it? Fran, carrying a shocking secret that could destroy everything she holds dear. Ange, perfect wife with a seemingly perfect husband, but is everything…perfect? Isabelle, the newbie, on a mission to find a missing child, will she find it here? And finally some sections by an unknown where we are taken back into time as we have to live some heartbreaking scenes.

So much is going on, and this would be an amazing TV adaptation for sure! I was never bored, I wanted to know the mysterious voice, I wanted to know what was happening with these 4 ladies, Will there be a satisfying ending? The answer is yes! We learn everything we can about these ladies and we learn that life is not a fairytale. (Well we knew that)

I found I related to women quite a bit especially with Essie and her postnatal depression, I didn’t leave mini-me anywhere but I struggled badly. But with these women, I felt like they could be friends of mine on the street. I like to think that by the end of the books these women are now proper friends.

There was a twist that I did not see coming, and I think I was gasping a lot because I was asked what the hell was wrong! Lol, I couldn’t believe the words in front of me, such a clever little slight of hand. The chapters are snappy to encourage you to read on. I found I was addicted to these women, soaking in the information and their lives I was fascinated with how they were coping. I was worried about them, I was happy for them and I was sad for them. I flew through this book as I didn’t. Want to put it down and I am glad. It is my first foray with Ms Hepworth and I am looking forward to my next one. She is on my radar and I have another one of her books on my kindle.

[chymerra]

When I read the synopsis for The Family Next Door, I thought that this would be a quick read. Something that would be a light read. Yeah right. This book is anything but light.

The Family Next Door has two major storylines and four sub-storylines. One of the major storylines was the mystery lady who is telling her daughter how thankful she was to have her. The other major storyline was about Isabelle and the reasons she moved to Pleasant Court.

The sub-storylines center around Ange, Fran, and Essie. Each has a secret that no one knows about. Ange needs to control every aspect of her life. Fran will not let her husband come near their newborn daughter. Essie’s storyline is a bit more complex. It focuses on her leaving her then-newborn daughter to a park and leaving her.

I loved how the author took each woman’s story and interwove it with Isabelle’s storyline. Each woman added depth to Isabelle’s storyline and they all interconnected. The mystery woman adds a bit of mystery that makes you want to know more about her and her situation.

I am not going to get into each woman here. But I will say that I did enjoy each woman’s story. I also felt bad for each woman portrayed. Each woman had issues to overcome and each did it in their own way.

I did predict what happened towards the end of the book. But I was not ready for the lengths that the person would go through. I actually felt bad for her. The trauma she endured was crippling. Doesn’t excuse what she did but still.

The Family Next Door is a gripping drama that breaks your heart. The characters are fleshed out. The plot is great. This was a book that made me think at the end of it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and mild violence

I would like to thank Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing to read and review The Family Next Door.

All opinions stated in this review of The Family Next Door are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**