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lexphilabaum's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hownovelofher's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
keberwick's review against another edition
3.0
"They gave you an ivy leaf, but didn't tell you all their little secrets, I guess."
All Teresa wants is a fresh start for her and her family. While her husband will (hopefully) never know the strings she had to pull to get him the job as principal of Woodard High School, she knows she'll have to work hard to find her place in the social hierarchy of Ivy Woods. Fortunately, Kendra seems willing to add her to the "Ivy Five"--the group of women who live on Ivy Woods, even though there are currently only four of them--provided she proves to be helpful in planning the Halloween block party.
Teresa is more than happy to help, especially if it means people won't look too closely at her past. But things rarely go according to plan, and someone knows the Ivy Five have secrets. Secrets that they would kill to keep buried. Teresa will have to decide just how badly she wants to fit in, and if she's willing to pay the cost.
The Mother Next Door had a lot of promise. Rich, cutthroat moms who serve insults with a smile, threatening messages, and the autumnal ~vibe~. I mean, literally everything I look for in a thriller! I was super excited for it, and was with it all the way up until the end. I feel like it just fell... flat for me. I had no issue connecting with Teresa, and I thought Kendra was the perfect embodiment of "queen-bee-turned-suburban-mother". I loved seeing the group dynamic, even though the other ladies in the Ivy Five weren't focused on as much. If you're a fan of [a:Shari Lapena|1278320|Shari Lapena|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464612471p2/1278320.jpg], I think you'll enjoy The Mother Next Door immensely!
All Teresa wants is a fresh start for her and her family. While her husband will (hopefully) never know the strings she had to pull to get him the job as principal of Woodard High School, she knows she'll have to work hard to find her place in the social hierarchy of Ivy Woods. Fortunately, Kendra seems willing to add her to the "Ivy Five"--the group of women who live on Ivy Woods, even though there are currently only four of them--provided she proves to be helpful in planning the Halloween block party.
Teresa is more than happy to help, especially if it means people won't look too closely at her past. But things rarely go according to plan, and someone knows the Ivy Five have secrets. Secrets that they would kill to keep buried. Teresa will have to decide just how badly she wants to fit in, and if she's willing to pay the cost.
The Mother Next Door had a lot of promise. Rich, cutthroat moms who serve insults with a smile, threatening messages, and the autumnal ~vibe~. I mean, literally everything I look for in a thriller! I was super excited for it, and was with it all the way up until the end. I feel like it just fell... flat for me. I had no issue connecting with Teresa, and I thought Kendra was the perfect embodiment of "queen-bee-turned-suburban-mother". I loved seeing the group dynamic, even though the other ladies in the Ivy Five weren't focused on as much. If you're a fan of [a:Shari Lapena|1278320|Shari Lapena|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464612471p2/1278320.jpg], I think you'll enjoy The Mother Next Door immensely!
the_history_shelf's review against another edition
4.0
Read my full review at the Washington Independent Review of Books: https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/the-mother-next-door-a-novel
kish576's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
hayleybeale's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars rounded down
A decent enough mystery/thriller set in the tony suburb of Ivy Wood among a group of upper middle class women.
Theresa has always longed to belong with the popular girls and now she’s finally getting the chance. Married to the newly appointed principal for Ivy Wood High, she, her teen daughter Lily, and her husband have moved into the prestigious Ivy Wood Drive. Run by Queen Bee Kendra, and the rest of the Ivy Five (though, mystery alert! there’s only four of them), their big event is the Halloween party and Theresa has been invited to join them.
As well as Theresa’s and Kendra’s narration, there’s a mysterious third voice promising to bring death to this year's Halloween party. It seems to be connected to an urban legend about Ghost Girl, a young woman said to be dressed in a bridal gown who throws herself off a railway bridge, which is maybe than just a legend (which anyone could find out with 2 minutes on Google but apparently nobody does that sort of thing in Ivy Wood).
As the title suggests, this is all about the mothers; they are the main draw here, followed by the teens, and then the men run a very distant, wholly one-dimensional third. However, other than Theresa and Kendra, the Ivy Five don’t really come alive. It’s all a bit overwrought and yes, they all have secrets, yes someone is threatening to expose those secrets, and yes there’s plenty of schadenfreude-fueled folks who could be that threat. In the end though, it’s nothing very exceptional and no-one really gets their comeuppance or suffers.
Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
A decent enough mystery/thriller set in the tony suburb of Ivy Wood among a group of upper middle class women.
Theresa has always longed to belong with the popular girls and now she’s finally getting the chance. Married to the newly appointed principal for Ivy Wood High, she, her teen daughter Lily, and her husband have moved into the prestigious Ivy Wood Drive. Run by Queen Bee Kendra, and the rest of the Ivy Five (though, mystery alert! there’s only four of them), their big event is the Halloween party and Theresa has been invited to join them.
As well as Theresa’s and Kendra’s narration, there’s a mysterious third voice promising to bring death to this year's Halloween party. It seems to be connected to an urban legend about Ghost Girl, a young woman said to be dressed in a bridal gown who throws herself off a railway bridge, which is maybe than just a legend (which anyone could find out with 2 minutes on Google but apparently nobody does that sort of thing in Ivy Wood).
As the title suggests, this is all about the mothers; they are the main draw here, followed by the teens, and then the men run a very distant, wholly one-dimensional third. However, other than Theresa and Kendra, the Ivy Five don’t really come alive. It’s all a bit overwrought and yes, they all have secrets, yes someone is threatening to expose those secrets, and yes there’s plenty of schadenfreude-fueled folks who could be that threat. In the end though, it’s nothing very exceptional and no-one really gets their comeuppance or suffers.
Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
jillmlong's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe I am reading to many suburban psychological suspense books lately but I could not get into this one. The moms were quite boring and nothing much seems to happen. There was not drama pulling me in. It all felt very bland.
emskidua's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, this far into my reading career I’ve decided that endings really make or break the book. I enjoyed this book a lot. Was always looking forward to picking it up. But I think it was the last couple chapters that really snagged me and left me with a little extra mystery to think about long after I’ve actually finished the book. Anyways, cheers. Very very good read.