A review by tessa_talks_books
What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman

dark mysterious tense 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

3.5

• I loved the beginning and the ending. Both held my attention and hooked me into this wild and crazy tale. I did figure out who did it and why, but I never would have guessed the story behind the motivation – not in a million years. That part was absolutely jaw-dropping.
• However, it drags between the beginning and ending, which was my biggest problem. It needed much more focus and related-type thrills to move that section faster.
• I found the character development lacking and the characters unlovable, which is not necessarily bad in a thriller. Still, despite all that, I did admire Alexis' strength of character. She knows what she needs in life, and she makes it happen. She's not in your face but nor is she a push-over.
• The plot progression, as I mentioned above, was challenging. I found it to be prolonged and tedious, as I wondered how I could not possibly be making very much progression in the amount of time when I would usually have finished it.
• The narration is told dually by Blair and Alexis, new neighbors and friends, in first-person narration. I did enjoy wondering if the narration is unreliable or not throughout because it held little hints that could mean the reader is not getting the whole story. 
• The pacing is inconsistently slow to medium, making me feel like a car spinning its wheels without gaining traction for long periods.
• The story is set in an affluent neighborhood outside of Washington, DC.
• This is a debut novel, and though I did have some issues with it, I would be open to reading more by this author to discover how her writing progresses.