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Tuesday, August 15, 2017

The Good Neighbor

The Good Neighbor

The Good Neighbor is a thriller about a woman who begins to doubt everything around her when tragedy strikes. The tragedy happens early on so right from the outset we see that not everything is right in her marriage. I thought this was a pretty good read, and at around two hundred pages it's a quick one too.

After something happens to change her life Sarah starts to notice things. Her marriage seems great and she loves her husband, but she begins to have doubts- is he having an affair? And there's something odd about the neighbors next door, perhaps she didn't know them as well as she thought. It's difficult to say much without spoiling the story, but I will say I mostly liked the characters, although there were times when I thought Sarah needed to buck up a bit. She's a writer and works from home, so she has a lot of time to think about things, which is probably good since the more she looks the more she finds! Some of it though may be just coincidence. Right?

I think the cover of this one captures the setting very well, as part of the story takes place in a secluded location. I did think some of the clues or red herrings were a little obvious but it wasn't a dealbreaker. Sarah tries to do the right thing and make a difference in other lives and that gives the story a multilayered approach. It was mostly realistic although the ending I thought went off the rails a bit. The biggest question is- how well do you truly know someone? Your husband or your wife, your family, friends- do we ever truly know everything, the deepest, darkest secrets? Of course we don't, and this explores what happens when some of that comes out. 

20 comments:

  1. Wonderful honest review for this. Not sure it would be for me or not with some of the obvious things and then the ending being off the rails but I would consider it if I crossed paths with it. ;)

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    1. I should mention too that this is just a smidgen under 200 pages, and it's 1.99 at Amazon at the moment. Just a FYI. :) A shorter book, and paced accordingly.

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  2. Hm. I wonder if I will relate to the main character. I like that you didn't give too much away in your review, Greg. It does sound intriguing.

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    1. I sorta related, I felt bad for her but again at times I was like maybe toughen up a bit, but that may have just been me. And it's hard to review this one because it starts RIGHT off and so it's easy to spoil. I would say it's a solid 3 star but not outstanding.

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  3. I can take a short one now and then, at least they are fast

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  4. Great review, Greg! I've had my eye on this one and I like short reads, if you say that the pacing fits well then I'm all in.

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  5. I've got this one on my tbr list. I didn't realize it was so short. Maybe I'll squeeze it in sooner rather than later.

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  6. I do like the concept of how we never really can be sure we know someone, that's a fascinating topic especially in a thriller. I also love that it's short, because who doesn't love a short book? But ugh, the obviousness is kind of annoying, and why I often have a hard time with thrillers. I do love the ambiance of the cover though! Great review!

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    1. Exactly. It's kinda freaky if you think about it- even parents or other relatives and what do we REALLY know about them, their past, etc? And yeah this one's short, which kinda glad because while it was fine I didn't love it, and glad it wasn't like 400 pgs!!

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  7. That's something I've thought about a lot, how we never really know anyone. No matter how well you think you know someone, you don't actually know their thoughts. So that's cool that this book used that topic. And it sounds like there was a lot of great mystery in this one.

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    1. Yeah me too. It's kinda weird when you think about it. Like even family members- sometimes they surprise me and I realize even people close to us, we don't REALLY know what they're thinking sometimes lol.

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  8. I'm not usually into mysteries and have no idea WHY because every time I read one I like them! Curiously most of the one I have read are about spouses questioning their marriages :)

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    1. I've had a few like that too. Must be popular! And I've been reading a TON of mystery/ thrillers lately, not sure why. I guess I like the tension. :)

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  9. I have been on the fence about this one. It does sound like something I would like. The description reminds me a little of Fractured by Catherine McKenzie.

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    1. Hmm, I don't know that one. I would say this is a solid 3 star. Not one of my favorites, but not bad if you like the premise.

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  10. What is it about thrillers and their preoccupation with "something wrong in X's marriage"? Is it the disturbing idea of being emotionally and legally tied to a stranger? I don't know, but it's an interesting trend.

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  11. This sounds creepy! The whole you don't know someone as well as you think you do concept is so terrifying and I can never resist it. I do like that this one is on the shorter side. Definitely needs to be added to my TBR!

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  12. Sounds good for the most part and the fact that it's short is definitely a bonus.

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