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A review by colleenlovestoread
The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen
5.0
Find my full review at http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com
I became a lifelong fan of Sarah Pekkanen after reading her first novel, The Opposite of Me, and have since gotten every book she's written when it comes out. Any fan will tell you that Sarah has an astounding ability to really make you feel for her characters, and to present stories filled with both humor and heartache in a style all her own. I haven't read a story by her yet that I didn't love, including her newest The Perfect Neighbors.
The overriding feeling I kept going back to as I read The Perfect Neighbors was the fact that these women and their neighbors felt more real than a lot of my own neighbors do! I could completely picture myself grabbing a drink with Kellie, Susan, Gigi, and Tessa as we talked about what was going on in our lives (or most of it) and laughed at the curmudgeonly old neighbor to one side and the gossipy busybody to the other. It got to the point that I found myself wanting to reach in and shake them when I saw them going down a dangerous path or hug them when they hurt. I absolutely loved these women and was able to find something of myself, even if just a little, in each one and the struggles they individually tried to work through.
I'm still not sure how Sarah Pekkanen does it, but she took me once again on an emotional rollercoaster that had me laughing one minute and sniffling the next. Not only do these women make you laugh at times (especially Kelly and Gigi), but most chapters begin with these quick Listserv email strands from various neighbors that I found so funny...and so like something I would be reading if we had that service in my neighborhood! But interspersed with the comical parts of this story are some pretty heavy subject matters, all dealt with in very real and tender ways. Across the story we see these women grapple with insecurities, infidelities, and a wide range of concerns for their children, from the normal issues that come as children grow to possible abuse. Any parent will get a little hitch in their heart as these women and their husbands try to do everything they can for their families, sometimes with unexpected consequences, both good and very, very bad.
It's probably time for me to stop fangirling over this novel and its wonderful author, but I know I won't be able to forget about these women for a while (maybe we can see them show back up in a short story? Huh? Please?!). If you haven't already, pick up Sarah Pekkanen's novels. I cherish each one I've read.
I became a lifelong fan of Sarah Pekkanen after reading her first novel, The Opposite of Me, and have since gotten every book she's written when it comes out. Any fan will tell you that Sarah has an astounding ability to really make you feel for her characters, and to present stories filled with both humor and heartache in a style all her own. I haven't read a story by her yet that I didn't love, including her newest The Perfect Neighbors.
The overriding feeling I kept going back to as I read The Perfect Neighbors was the fact that these women and their neighbors felt more real than a lot of my own neighbors do! I could completely picture myself grabbing a drink with Kellie, Susan, Gigi, and Tessa as we talked about what was going on in our lives (or most of it) and laughed at the curmudgeonly old neighbor to one side and the gossipy busybody to the other. It got to the point that I found myself wanting to reach in and shake them when I saw them going down a dangerous path or hug them when they hurt. I absolutely loved these women and was able to find something of myself, even if just a little, in each one and the struggles they individually tried to work through.
I'm still not sure how Sarah Pekkanen does it, but she took me once again on an emotional rollercoaster that had me laughing one minute and sniffling the next. Not only do these women make you laugh at times (especially Kelly and Gigi), but most chapters begin with these quick Listserv email strands from various neighbors that I found so funny...and so like something I would be reading if we had that service in my neighborhood! But interspersed with the comical parts of this story are some pretty heavy subject matters, all dealt with in very real and tender ways. Across the story we see these women grapple with insecurities, infidelities, and a wide range of concerns for their children, from the normal issues that come as children grow to possible abuse. Any parent will get a little hitch in their heart as these women and their husbands try to do everything they can for their families, sometimes with unexpected consequences, both good and very, very bad.
It's probably time for me to stop fangirling over this novel and its wonderful author, but I know I won't be able to forget about these women for a while (maybe we can see them show back up in a short story? Huh? Please?!). If you haven't already, pick up Sarah Pekkanen's novels. I cherish each one I've read.