THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS BY SARAH PEKKANEN

The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen is an awesome women's fiction novel and I devoured it from beginning to end. I highly recommend it if you enjoy Liane Moriarty books. 

Rating: ★★★★★
​Release Date: July 5, 2016
Genre: Women's Fiction 
Series: None. Complete standalone. 
Pages: 353 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased. 

How well do you ever really know the family next door?

Bucolic Newport Cove, where spontaneous block parties occur on balmy nights and all of the streets are named for flowers, is proud of its distinction of being named one the top twenty safest neighborhoods in the US. It’s also one of the most secret-filled.

Kellie Scott has just returned to work after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom. She’s adjusting to high heels, scrambling to cook dinner for her family after a day at the office—and soaking in the dangerous attention of a very handsome, very married male colleague. Kellie’s neighbor Susan Barrett begins every day with fresh resolutions: she won’t eat any carbs, she’ll go to bed at a reasonable hour, and she’ll stop stalking her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Gigi Kennedy seems to have it all together—except her teenage daughter has turned into a hostile stranger and her husband is running for Congress, which means her old skeletons are in danger of being brought into the light.

​Then a new family moves to this quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac. Tessa Campbell seems friendly enough to the other mothers, if a bit reserved. Then the neighbors notice that no one is ever invited to Tessa’s house. And soon, it becomes clear that Tessa is hiding the biggest secret of all.

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READ MY BOOK REVIEW

Release Date: July 5, 2016
Actual Rating: 5 stars

Women's Fiction | Domestic Drama

The Perfect Neighbors was the perfect read for me at this time. I needed something lighter, something that kept me invested in the characters lives, and something that didn’t take a toll on my emotions. I think many people will agree that reading has been difficult this past month because of everything happening in the world. I’ve heard from so many readers that are feeling the effects like I am. One thing I’ve been recommending is reading something outside your normal genre because it DOES take your mind off everything. Knowing that, I did the same and that’s where this book comes in. In all honesty, this has been sitting on my shelves for over a year now. I haven’t really been in the mood for it because I’ve been focusing all my time on romance books. However, this book REALLY helped me in overcoming the slump I’ve been in. As I mentioned it’s a lighthearted read, but it DOES have a little bit of mystery involved. It almost reminded me of Liane Moriarty’s books (The Husbands Secret & Big Little Lies). If you enjoyed those ones, I think you will LOVE this one. This one has cheeky humor, interesting characters that are each going through something that’s upsetting their lives, and a mysterious sidepiece that intersects with the plotline.

Now, what genre does this book fit into? I wouldn’t classify it as a mystery because the whole story doesn’t revolve around the secret. Would I classify it as domestic drama? I suppose it COULD fit into this category because there is indeed drama in these women’s lives and much of it surrounds family. What about women’s fiction? I think this is the PERFECT way to categorize it. Not only because it tells the story of 4 different women within the neighborhood, but because each woman is dealing and/or struggling with their own lives in way or another.

I’m not going to sit here and reiterate the entire plot for my review because there is so much going on in these women’s lives that it would take me forever to do so. Also, I don’t want to spoil the book because reading it without any preconceived notions makes the story even BETTER as things are revealed. I will say though that I really enjoyed it. I’ve read Pekkanen’s thrillers and loved those, and after reading her women’s fiction novels I can tell that I’m going to be a fan of whatever she writes. Therefore, I DO recommend this novel. I think if you have loved her recent thrillers, you’ll enjoy the softer side of her writing with her women’s fictions. Also, if you enjoy Liane Moriarty’s books you will certainly want to check this one out.

★★★★★

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