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Release date: March 13, 2018

Publisher: MIRA

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Blurb:

In 1992, a car accident kills a young man and forever changes the lives of three people… Now, twenty years later, they’ll all come to regret the choices they made that day, as the secrets and lies they’ve told to protect each other become the very things that tear their lives apart.

After a night of fun, Abby was responsible for the car crash that killed her beloved brother. It is a sin she can never forgive herself for, so she pushes away the man she loves most, knowing that he would eventually hate her for what she’s done, the same way she hates herself.

Twenty years later, Abby’s husband, Nate, is also living with a deep sense of guilt. He was the driver who first came upon the scene of Abby’s accident, the man who pulled her to safety before the car erupted in flames, the man who could not save her brother in time. It’s this guilt, this regret that binds them together. They understand each other. Or so Nate believes.

In a strange twist of fate, Liam (her old lover—possibly her true soulmate) moves in with his own family next door, releasing a flood of memories that Abby has been trying to keep buried all these years. Abby and Liam, in a complicit agreement, pretend never to have met, yet cannot resist the pull of the past—nor the repercussions of the dark secrets they’ve both been carrying…

Review:

The Neighbors is the kind of book that sneaks up on you, it lulls you into a sense of complacency with its lighter style of suspense and intrigue and then BAM the last few pages deliver an onslaught of twists that make you go, oohhh I see what you did there! I absolutely loved that approach and found it to be a really nice change of pace from a typical super fast paced thriller with twists and turns throughout, there was an air of refinement in this one that worked so well for me.

This is told both in the present day as well as in flashbacks from 1992, the year Abby’s brother was tragically killed in a car accident and she was the driver. Besides Abby you also hear from her husband Nate and her daughter Sarah. Liam is Abby’s ex boyfriend and you see his wife Nancy’s point of view as well. As you can see there is a lot going on here but ensemble style narratives are one of my favorites, especially if they’re done well and McKinnon did a fantastic job, each character had a unique voice and each proved to have a pivotal POV by the end. They were also very well drawn and extremely well written which is always an added bonus when you have such a juicy plot.

This centers on two families who are keeping secrets from each other and you just know that all of those lies and betrayals will come out eventually, but Man was the wait well worth it. I kept thinking about how I would feel if one of my ex boyfriends, or worse one of my husbands ex girlfriends moved in next door to us and I can’t say the thought appeals to me whatsoever haha! It’s a recipe for disaster and oh how I love a delicious fictional disaster and this one delivered! Recommended for fans of lighter suspense that’s highly entertaining, think Jessica Strawser or Liane Moriarty, no blood or guts just good old fashioned secrets and lies.

The Neighbors in three words: Sneaky, Subtle and Riveting.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.