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lkhillery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Miscarriage and Child death
Moderate: Mental illness and Kidnapping
rochelleisreading's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Graphic: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Infertility, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Sexual content, and Cursing
slucchesi06's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Child death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical content, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Infertility, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization
carlytenille's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
fullybookedwithdanielle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Kidnapping and Miscarriage
rochlay24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Miscarriage
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Author: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: March 6, 2018
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Fast-paced β’ Dramatic β’ Shocking
π S Y N O P S I S
Pleasant Court is the a family-oriented, idyllic suburban neighborhood in Australia. Essie, Fran, and Ange are neighborhood friends, each harboring their own secrets behind closed doors. Ange has the compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Fran won't let her husband near her new baby. And three-years earlier, Essie returned home from the park without her baby having left her there.
When Isabelle, a single and childless woman, moves to the neighborhood, her arrival certainly sparks curiosity among these women. As their obsession with Isabelle's presence grows, cracks begin to form in everyone's façade and their lives begin to unravel, making them wonder how well they really know their neighbours.
π T H O U G H T S
The Family Next Door starts out with a very intriguing introduction, engaging my attention through the first half. I desperately wanted to know what would happen next, and needing to know how everything would tie together. Unfortunately, the second half didn't go where I had anticipated and I don't exactly know how I feel about where it went, leaving me with very mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I didn't know what was coming next. But on the other hand, I wish the storylines would have intersected more than they did. It felt more like three separate stories of different families dealing with their own struggles in an Australian neighborhood, making it hard to keep track of the characters and storylines. The ending was satisfying, which helped redeem some of the second half.
Another thing I just couldn't figure out was the use of parentheses throughout the text. I still don't know why the author utilized this writing technique.
Overall, this is just an okay domestic thriller from Sally Hepworth. It piqued my interest enough to keep picking up her books though.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ fans of the domestic thriller
β’ readers who enjoy Liane Moriarty
β’ Desperate Housewives devotees
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"The less perfect things were, she was finding, the more likely they were to be real."
Graphic: Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Child death, Infidelity, and Death
Minor: Alcohol
melzy__'s review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol and Pregnancy
hazelmae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Miscarriage, Grief, Mental illness, Death, Kidnapping, Infidelity, and Child death