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jourdanicus's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual violence, and Medical content
imstephtacular's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Chronic illness
pamshenanigans's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
These thoughts will also be shared on my Youtube channel! Subscribe to my channel: Pam's Shenanigans!
"Welcome to Maple Street, a picture-perfect slice of suburban Long Island, its residents bound by its children, their work, and their illusion of safety in a rapidly changing world.
But menace skulks beneath the surface of this exclusive enclave, making its residents prone to outrage. When the Wilde family moves in, they trigger their neighbor's worst fears."
Good Neighbors is in my 2021 most anticipated releases and I'm glad I was not disappointed at all. I think what I love the most about this book is that there was a good balance of mystery and family drama that was able to reel me in and keep me interested.
The story revolves around this suburban town of middle-class families that are "too good" for their new neighbors, the Wilde family. Just because the Wilde family doesn't fit their cookie-cutter standard of what a Maple Street family looks like, almost everyone condemned and ostracized the family and threw baseless and horrendous accusations hidden under a mask of pretense and ugliness.
Things turn even more ugly when the Queen Bee's daughter accidentally fell down the town's sinkhole. There was an extremely frustrating clash between protecting your family, your sanity, and your public image in the middle of the court of public opinion where everyone keeps a watchful and judgmental eye on you.
The power of destruction that filtered and inaccurate gossip has is such a pertinent and recurring theme in this book. And you'll have to get ready to be ENRAGED and FRUSTRATED and ANNOYED by almost every character in this book. Some had redeeming character developments, but some you'll just hate more and more.
I think the only thing that was missing for me is how the resolution on the child abuse part wasn't given enough justice. I just wished it was more IN YOUR FACE that that character WRONGFULLY accused an innocent family.
But I think the beauty of the last few chapters is that no matter how IN YOUR FACE the facts were, there will always be people defending the offender, which was prevalent in the newspaper snippets and book excerpts that were included in the story.
Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse, ableism, homophobia, wrongful accusation of rape/molestation, physical assault, mentions of rape, mentions of pedophilia, death
"Welcome to Maple Street, a picture-perfect slice of suburban Long Island, its residents bound by its children, their work, and their illusion of safety in a rapidly changing world.
But menace skulks beneath the surface of this exclusive enclave, making its residents prone to outrage. When the Wilde family moves in, they trigger their neighbor's worst fears."
Good Neighbors is in my 2021 most anticipated releases and I'm glad I was not disappointed at all. I think what I love the most about this book is that there was a good balance of mystery and family drama that was able to reel me in and keep me interested.
The story revolves around this suburban town of middle-class families that are "too good" for their new neighbors, the Wilde family. Just because the Wilde family doesn't fit their cookie-cutter standard of what a Maple Street family looks like, almost everyone condemned and ostracized the family and threw baseless and horrendous accusations hidden under a mask of pretense and ugliness.
Things turn even more ugly when the Queen Bee's daughter accidentally fell down the town's sinkhole. There was an extremely frustrating clash between protecting your family, your sanity, and your public image in the middle of the court of public opinion where everyone keeps a watchful and judgmental eye on you.
The power of destruction that filtered and inaccurate gossip has is such a pertinent and recurring theme in this book. And you'll have to get ready to be ENRAGED and FRUSTRATED and ANNOYED by almost every character in this book. Some had redeeming character developments, but some you'll just hate more and more.
I think the only thing that was missing for me is how the resolution on the child abuse part wasn't given enough justice. I just wished it was more IN YOUR FACE that that character WRONGFULLY accused an innocent family.
But I think the beauty of the last few chapters is that no matter how IN YOUR FACE the facts were, there will always be people defending the offender, which was prevalent in the newspaper snippets and book excerpts that were included in the story.
Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse, ableism, homophobia, wrongful accusation of rape/molestation, physical assault, mentions of rape, mentions of pedophilia, death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Ableism and Physical abuse
annareads9898's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse
strickortreat's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m a little stunned after finishing this book. What a wild combo of “I can barely stand to read this” and “I can’t possibly put it down.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Blood, and Excrement
emily_madcharo's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
ktdakotareads's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
If you are bothered by child death or violence to children, I would not recommend this book.thrillofthepage's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Maple Street is a quiet and picturesque block and one that many covet, but after a sinkhole ruins the neighborhood park a chain of events are set in motion that reveal that this perfect block has a lot of darkness behind closed doors.
I was really excited about this book when I received it. Especially after seeing it compared to Little Fires Everywhere, which I loved. Good Neighbors is the very definition of slow burn and it took a third of the book to arrive at the accident described on the back cover. Typically, I am a huge fan of slow burn novels, but this one just didn't flow well. The first third felt like a lot of fluff meant to buildup to the accident, but it was too long and could have been done in a few chapters. I almost DNF at this point, but decided to stick with the story to see if it would payoff.
Unfortunately, the payoff never came and the book got really dark. As a thriller lover I can handle dark plots and storylines, but for some reason Good Neighbors felt like it went too far. I did not like any of the characters, even the kids, and none were ever redeemed. This made it hard to connect to the story and feel any sort of emotion on behalf of the characters. We witness the very worst of human nature and the envelope was pushed too far.
I think I know what the author was going for, but it just didn’t work for me. This could very well be a case of “not the right reader” and others might enjoy the in depth character development and study of the neighborhood hierarchy.
TW: child abuse, child depth, allegations of rape, drug use/abuse, addiction, mental illness
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
I was really excited about this book when I received it. Especially after seeing it compared to Little Fires Everywhere, which I loved. Good Neighbors is the very definition of slow burn and it took a third of the book to arrive at the accident described on the back cover. Typically, I am a huge fan of slow burn novels, but this one just didn't flow well. The first third felt like a lot of fluff meant to buildup to the accident, but it was too long and could have been done in a few chapters. I almost DNF at this point, but decided to stick with the story to see if it would payoff.
Unfortunately, the payoff never came and the book got really dark. As a thriller lover I can handle dark plots and storylines, but for some reason Good Neighbors felt like it went too far. I did not like any of the characters, even the kids, and none were ever redeemed. This made it hard to connect to the story and feel any sort of emotion on behalf of the characters. We witness the very worst of human nature and the envelope was pushed too far.
I think I know what the author was going for, but it just didn’t work for me. This could very well be a case of “not the right reader” and others might enjoy the in depth character development and study of the neighborhood hierarchy.
TW: child abuse, child depth, allegations of rape, drug use/abuse, addiction, mental illness
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Excrement
tracyreads's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Full review up on Sci Fi and Scary:
I have TOO MANY books to read. It’s a wonderful problem to have. It also means I’m usually quite picky when requesting or accepting new books to review. There has to be a hook, and Good Neighbors boasts TWO huge things to make me want this book immediately. One, it’s by SARAH LANGAN. Her book The Keeper is a favorite of mine and I’ve read several short stories from her, so I knew the writing and storytelling would be just my style. Two, check out that cover blurb from Liv Constantine! “A modern day Crucible…beneath the surface of a suburban utopia, madness lurks.” Combined with the synopsis, it put me in mind of Arthur Miller, Bentley Little, and Shirley Jackson all in one.
Langan weaves her tale of suburbia gone wrong by mixing media in the forms of present day storytelling, flash forwards to news articles, and interviews with others after the fact. This could get messy, but never once was I pulled out of the story or felt jerked around needlessly. If anything, it helps to ramp up the tension and provide the author with yet another way to explore domestic depravity.
Perhaps what I enjoyed the most (besides the horror) about this book are the characters and the dissection of a small slice of American suburbia. Like Jackson, Little, and Miller, Good Neighbors scratches at the shiny surface to reveal and comment on real-life horror.
I have TOO MANY books to read. It’s a wonderful problem to have. It also means I’m usually quite picky when requesting or accepting new books to review. There has to be a hook, and Good Neighbors boasts TWO huge things to make me want this book immediately. One, it’s by SARAH LANGAN. Her book The Keeper is a favorite of mine and I’ve read several short stories from her, so I knew the writing and storytelling would be just my style. Two, check out that cover blurb from Liv Constantine! “A modern day Crucible…beneath the surface of a suburban utopia, madness lurks.” Combined with the synopsis, it put me in mind of Arthur Miller, Bentley Little, and Shirley Jackson all in one.
Langan weaves her tale of suburbia gone wrong by mixing media in the forms of present day storytelling, flash forwards to news articles, and interviews with others after the fact. This could get messy, but never once was I pulled out of the story or felt jerked around needlessly. If anything, it helps to ramp up the tension and provide the author with yet another way to explore domestic depravity.
Perhaps what I enjoyed the most (besides the horror) about this book are the characters and the dissection of a small slice of American suburbia. Like Jackson, Little, and Miller, Good Neighbors scratches at the shiny surface to reveal and comment on real-life horror.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
readwithaimee's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
This book is DARK. Full stop. It has a very strange and surreal vibe the entire time, like everything is smudged and dirty and unsettling. At the very least, Langan does a great job of putting you right into this suburban neighborhood (smack in the middle of summer, and there's a heat wave...it's just SO uncomfortable).
Good Neighbors is set in the near future in a seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood. I won't give too much away, but there's a sinkhole (complete with weird smells!) and a child dies and it turns into a modern-day (or future...) version of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. There's an uncanny valley element to this book - there's nothing supernatural in the story but it doesn't feel entirely realistic. All of the characters are exaggerated and irrational (however, maybe that's not so far-fetched after all...) and the commentary about the "mob mentality" is jarring and scary.
One character, in particular, is absolutely psychotic and terrifying (and not even in a fun way). The entire book reminded me of The Regulators by Stephen King (although minus the gratuitious horror and violence).
This would be a great choice for a book club because there's so much to discuss (although it's a tough book to rate!)
Content warnings: child abuse, brief mention of rape, brief mention of drug use, brief mention of suicide, murder-suicide
Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!
Good Neighbors is set in the near future in a seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood. I won't give too much away, but there's a sinkhole (complete with weird smells!) and a child dies and it turns into a modern-day (or future...) version of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. There's an uncanny valley element to this book - there's nothing supernatural in the story but it doesn't feel entirely realistic. All of the characters are exaggerated and irrational (however, maybe that's not so far-fetched after all...) and the commentary about the "mob mentality" is jarring and scary.
One character, in particular, is absolutely psychotic and terrifying (and not even in a fun way). The entire book reminded me of The Regulators by Stephen King (although minus the gratuitious horror and violence).
This would be a great choice for a book club because there's so much to discuss (although it's a tough book to rate!)
Content warnings: child abuse, brief mention of rape, brief mention of drug use, brief mention of suicide, murder-suicide
Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Rape