The Family Next Door
By: Sally Hepworth
ISBN: 9781250120892
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 3/6/2018
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 4.5 Stars A novel about desperate mothers, secrets among neighbors, and things women keep hidden in a suburban drama from the author of The Mother's Promise. Small, perfect towns often hold the deepest secrets. Such is the case for Essie and her family. Essie is a new mother, but few of her friends know that in a moment of maternal despair: she once walked away from her newborn, asleep in her carriage in a park. Disaster was avoided and Essie got better. But she still fears what lurks inside her, even as her daughter gets older and she has a second baby. When a new woman moves next door to Essie, she is an immediate object of curiosity in this neighborhood. Why single, when everyone else is married, with kids? Why renting, when everyone else owns? What mysterious job does she have? And why is she so fascinated with Essie? As the two women grow closer and Essie’s friends disapprove, it starts to become clear that Isabelle’s choice of neighborhood was no accident. And that her presence might bring even more secrets to light.
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My Review
Sally Hepworth, queen of domestic suspense, returns following The Mother's Promise with her latest domestic suspense, THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR. Filled with neighborhood and family drama, scandal, twists, and dark secrets —what happens behind closed doors?
In the small suburb of Pleasant Court in Melbourne, you will find lovely families, children, and a safe neighborhood where the neighbors and children connect. It all looks so picturesque from the outside, but soon the cracks begin to develop.
Isabelle Heatherington (new neighbor) is unlike the other typical households. She is single with no children. The other three Pleasant Court mothers are more than curious about why this single woman rents his large house for herself. What does she do for a living, and why is she in the suburbs? What is her story?
What secrets is she hiding?
Ange, Fran, and Essie have their secrets. Told from multiple perspectives, the author slowly unravels all their scandalous betrayals, lies, fears, and juicy dark secrets. What are they hiding?
Their obsession with the new neighbor compounds, and they may get more than they bargained for the closer they get to the truth.
Barbara is the perfect mother (grandmother) next door—(Essie, daughter) —a perfect neighborhood for her.
Compelling! As always, Sally combines well-developed, highly relatable characters with everyday issues and struggles from motherhood, families, money, depression, and infidelity and adds a sinister spin combined with wit, mystery, drama, suspense, and many complex twists.
For those who enjoyed Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives, you will find a lot to like here.
I have read all of Sally's books (a huge fan) and just noticed I failed to review this one even though I read it back in 2017, out in 2018. I had a lot going on during this time, so not surprised I missed it.
You cannot go wrong with a Sally Hepworth book! Highly entertaining.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased the audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik for a highly entertaining and engaging performance for all voices, as always!
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: March 6, 2018
Praise
America's next favorite Australian author...
“With jaw-dropping discoveries, and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. Perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies.”
―Library Journal, starred review
“A work full of searing secrets and riveting revelations…Readers will be sucked in from the first page…This novel is not to be missed…It will stick with readers for a long time.”
―Library Journal (starred review)
“Big Little Lies fans, this one’s for you.”
—Harper’s Bazaar
“A book Liane Moriarty fans will love.”
—Marie Claire
"Hepworth deftly keeps the reader turning pages and looking for clues, all the while building multilayered characters and carefully doling out bits of their motivations."
—Booklist
About the Author
Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016) and The Mother's Promise (2017). Sally's books have been labelled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing”.
The Secrets of Midwives was also the highest-selling debut Australian fiction of the year in 2015.
Sally's novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into over ten languages. Sally is currently working on her next novel. Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children. Read More
