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A review by nicolem_young
The Wrong Neighbour by Caleb Crowe
3.0
Book/Story: ⭐⭐⭐
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
TRIGGER(S): LOSS OF PARENTS (mentioned), CANCER (mentioned), ALCOHOLISM, MURDER, MISCARRIAGE (mentioned), ANIMAL CRUELTY/DEATH (mentioned), ANIMAL ATTACKS
POV: Singular, First Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Part of a series: No
Safe or Dark: Dark (see trigger warnings above)
My husband and I lived in a condo with noisy neighbors. They played music with loud bass in the middle of the night and would roll around in their chairs on hardwoodfloors. We probably didn’t get a good night's sleep for a year straight. We talked to them about it, and although they were very understanding, nothing changed. We just thought it was the worst thing to have to deal with. However, after reading this book, I realize that when it comes to bad neighbors, we got off easy.
This book plays on a lot of people’s worst fears. Having horrible neighbors. Nothing could be more disappointing than moving into a new house, meeting your neighbors, and finding out they are crap, or worse, violent and aggressive.
Ron and Jackie Evans are the kind of neighbors' nightmares are made of. They are obnoxious, violent, and confrontational. They’re just the absolute worst. The two of them made Nick and Megan strangers in what was once their dream home. A rash decision to take a risk and go for what they wanted ruined their lives. My heart went out to them. The two were in a loving relationship that quickly went off the rails after meeting the Evans'.
Nothing about the young couple’s move was well thought out, and both were rather impulsive. But that didn’t mean they deserved what happened to them. Their exciting new adventure turned into a disaster over the short span of three months. It was a perfect storm that came to an explosive head.
Well, the Evans aren’t fully responsible for the collapse of Nick and Megan’s relationship. We find out rather quickly that the foundation of their love was a fragile one. Things weren’t all roses, like Meg initially believed.
Megan: Even though Megan was one of the victims in this story, I found it hard to like her. She came across as very judgy at times. Megan would often judge Ron and Jackie’s decorative choices for their own home and their physical appearances. She was on a bit of a high horse, and she shouldn’t have been because she herself was a bit shady. She made some questionable decisions that I had a hard time understanding.
Megan finds out she is pregnant (it’s in the synopsis, so that isn’t a spoiler), and she does things that seem plain dumb while carrying a child. In order to see what was going on in Ron and Jackie’s yard, she would pull a chair away from her work bench (she made jewelry for a living) and stand on it so she could look out a window. That doesn’t sound like something a smart pregnant woman would do since it’s a fall risk. But I’ve never been and never want to be pregnant, so what do I know?
Despite only knowing Nick for roughly six months and having a bad feeling about buying a home with him, she still does it. She ignores all her alarm bells because she is madly in love with a man she barely knows. It just irritated me.
Nick: My husband’s name is Nick, so this guy was already an A+ in my eyes before I even started the book. Well, it turns out the name is the only thing this man shares with my husband since he quickly dropped to a C- at best.
Ron: This dude was a certified psychopath. That’s all I have to say about him.
Jackie: Although obnoxious and over-the-top at times, she was sweet in her own way. I think she tried her best and, at times, meant well. Believe it or not, she was somewhat likeable.
This book had me gripped from page one, and I had a hard time putting it down. I would finish one chapter and be dying to find out what happened in the next. It was a roller coaster of a ride, to say the least. It was not hard to get invested in the storyline.
Caleb Crowe paints a lovely picture of the scenery. I felt like I was at a house by the sea in Wales. I could smell the salty air and hear the relaxing sound of waves. His writing flowed nicely, and the style was easy to follow.
I didn’t rate this book higher because of a few things:
There was animal cruelty in this story, and although it was not a lot, it was very detailed and hard to stomach. But I can see why it was important to plot and how things played out.
The pregnancy timeline was all off. It was as if the author didn’t know how pregnancies work. It was just weird and quickly became annoying. Other than the timeline, some things Megan said regarding the pregnancy were just silly and stupid. It had me scratching my head.
The last 20% of the story was a bit too fast-paced. Things picked up too quickly and seemed to rush towards the conclusion of the book. I am still trying to figure out how I felt about the ending of the book. On one hand, I was satisfied with the way things played out, but on the other, it was very far-fetched and hard to believe. It all wrapped up too neatly as well. Things just worked out, and that was that. Although it did get me thinking about what people are capable of once they've been pushed too far and reach their breaking point.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I am open to checking out other work by Caleb Crowe.
TLDR: WORTH PICKING UP. A SOLID THREE STARS.
I would like to thank Inkubator Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
TRIGGER(S): LOSS OF PARENTS (mentioned), CANCER (mentioned), ALCOHOLISM, MURDER, MISCARRIAGE (mentioned), ANIMAL CRUELTY/DEATH (mentioned), ANIMAL ATTACKS
POV: Singular, First Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Part of a series: No
Safe or Dark: Dark (see trigger warnings above)
My husband and I lived in a condo with noisy neighbors. They played music with loud bass in the middle of the night and would roll around in their chairs on hardwoodfloors. We probably didn’t get a good night's sleep for a year straight. We talked to them about it, and although they were very understanding, nothing changed. We just thought it was the worst thing to have to deal with. However, after reading this book, I realize that when it comes to bad neighbors, we got off easy.
This book plays on a lot of people’s worst fears. Having horrible neighbors. Nothing could be more disappointing than moving into a new house, meeting your neighbors, and finding out they are crap, or worse, violent and aggressive.
Ron and Jackie Evans are the kind of neighbors' nightmares are made of. They are obnoxious, violent, and confrontational. They’re just the absolute worst. The two of them made Nick and Megan strangers in what was once their dream home. A rash decision to take a risk and go for what they wanted ruined their lives. My heart went out to them. The two were in a loving relationship that quickly went off the rails after meeting the Evans'.
Nothing about the young couple’s move was well thought out, and both were rather impulsive. But that didn’t mean they deserved what happened to them. Their exciting new adventure turned into a disaster over the short span of three months. It was a perfect storm that came to an explosive head.
Well, the Evans aren’t fully responsible for the collapse of Nick and Megan’s relationship. We find out rather quickly that the foundation of their love was a fragile one. Things weren’t all roses, like Meg initially believed.
Megan: Even though Megan was one of the victims in this story, I found it hard to like her. She came across as very judgy at times. Megan would often judge Ron and Jackie’s decorative choices for their own home and their physical appearances. She was on a bit of a high horse, and she shouldn’t have been because she herself was a bit shady. She made some questionable decisions that I had a hard time understanding.
Megan finds out she is pregnant (it’s in the synopsis, so that isn’t a spoiler), and she does things that seem plain dumb while carrying a child. In order to see what was going on in Ron and Jackie’s yard, she would pull a chair away from her work bench (she made jewelry for a living) and stand on it so she could look out a window. That doesn’t sound like something a smart pregnant woman would do since it’s a fall risk. But I’ve never been and never want to be pregnant, so what do I know?
Spoiler
Megan goes to the doctor for her first sonogram and has a panic attack. It was caused by the pressure of everything going on with her neighbors and relationship. She is aware that this could impact her mental health, cause her blood pressure to skyrocket, and harm the baby. But when the doctor asks her what’s wrong, she lies about having asthma instead of simply telling the truth. As a result, she is prescribed an unnecessary medication that she doesn’t need.Despite only knowing Nick for roughly six months and having a bad feeling about buying a home with him, she still does it. She ignores all her alarm bells because she is madly in love with a man she barely knows. It just irritated me.
Nick: My husband’s name is Nick, so this guy was already an A+ in my eyes before I even started the book. Well, it turns out the name is the only thing this man shares with my husband since he quickly dropped to a C- at best.
Spoiler
He was a pathological liar. He was a manipulator. He was dog poop warmed over.Ron: This dude was a certified psychopath. That’s all I have to say about him.
Jackie: Although obnoxious and over-the-top at times, she was sweet in her own way. I think she tried her best and, at times, meant well. Believe it or not, she was somewhat likeable.
This book had me gripped from page one, and I had a hard time putting it down. I would finish one chapter and be dying to find out what happened in the next. It was a roller coaster of a ride, to say the least. It was not hard to get invested in the storyline.
Caleb Crowe paints a lovely picture of the scenery. I felt like I was at a house by the sea in Wales. I could smell the salty air and hear the relaxing sound of waves. His writing flowed nicely, and the style was easy to follow.
I didn’t rate this book higher because of a few things:
There was animal cruelty in this story, and although it was not a lot, it was very detailed and hard to stomach. But I can see why it was important to plot and how things played out.
The pregnancy timeline was all off. It was as if the author didn’t know how pregnancies work. It was just weird and quickly became annoying. Other than the timeline, some things Megan said regarding the pregnancy were just silly and stupid. It had me scratching my head.
The last 20% of the story was a bit too fast-paced. Things picked up too quickly and seemed to rush towards the conclusion of the book. I am still trying to figure out how I felt about the ending of the book. On one hand, I was satisfied with the way things played out, but on the other, it was very far-fetched and hard to believe. It all wrapped up too neatly as well. Things just worked out, and that was that. Although it did get me thinking about what people are capable of once they've been pushed too far and reach their breaking point.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I am open to checking out other work by Caleb Crowe.
TLDR: WORTH PICKING UP. A SOLID THREE STARS.
I would like to thank Inkubator Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.