Good Neighbors

 ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon):  Celeste Ng’s enthralling dissection of suburbia meets Shirley Jackson’s creeping dread in this propulsive literary noir, when a sudden tragedy exposes the depths of deception and damage in a Long Island suburb - pitting neighbor against neighbor and putting one family in terrible danger. 

Welcome to Maple Street, a picture-perfect slice of suburban Long Island, its residents bound by their children, their work, and their illusion of safety in a rapidly changing world. 

But menace skulks beneath the surface of this exclusive enclave, making its residents prone to outrage. When the Wilde family moves in, they trigger their neighbors’ worst fears. Dad Arlo’s a gruff has-been rock star with track marks. Mom Gertie’s got a thick Brooklyn accent, with high heels and tube tops to match. Their weird kids cuss like sailors. They don’t fit with the way Maple Street sees itself.

Though Maple Street’s Queen Bee, Rhea Schroeder - a lonely college professor repressing a dark past - welcomed Gertie and her family at first, relations went south during one spritzer-fueled summer evening, when the new best friends shared too much, too soon. By the time the story opens, the Wildes are outcasts.

As tensions mount, a sinkhole opens in a nearby park, and Rhea’s daughter Shelly falls inside. The search for Shelly brings a shocking accusation against the Wildes. Suddenly, it is one mom’s word against the other’s in a court of public opinion that can end only in blood.

A riveting and ruthless portrayal of American suburbia, Good Neighbors excavates the perils and betrayals of motherhood and friendships and the dangerous clash between social hierarchy, childhood trauma, and fear.

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  I thought Good Neighbors is a mix between Desperate Housewives and Little Fires Everywhere.  Everything looks great one the outside, but there is a lot of stuff happening inside and with each other. The characters are complex, the plot has a lot of different stories going on with it (it works and they are easy to follow), and a whole lot craziness.  

The neighborhood party that the Wilde's were not invited sets off a series of chain events.  Everyone has a different view of what really happened soley based on what is told through the "grapevine".  You will have to read this book to find out who are the real Good Neighbors.  

I saw yesterday that Barnes & Noble picked Good Neighbors as one of their books to read this month! 

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  I would like to read more books by Sarah Langan.

Amazon