This is a different type of missing child thriller. A new family moves into a Californian subdivision and they are almost a stereotypical 1950’s family who keep to themselves and home school their teenage daughter. When the girl goes missing in the middle of the night, the neighbors try to create a sense of community and help the devasted family. One particular neighbor, Taylor, learns more than she expected , and has the choice of telling the police searching for the child or keeping silent out of compassion for the devastated mother. I doubt whether some of the characters actions are realistic but they move the story along to a really good last third of the book where you really don’t know how it will end.

The summary of "The Good Neighbor" interested me, but I found myself having a hard time getting into it. Normally, the obvious twist doesn't bother me, but I found myself rolling my eyes frequently while reading this one.
No laundry went unfolded to finish one more chapter during this book.

2/5 *I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Good Neighbor.

I’m honestly not sure how to review this book... I’ve been thinking about it since I finished reading a few hours ago. This is about teenager Brittany who goes missing from her bed one night and what follows is the search for her by her parents, Moira and Alan, and some helpful (and not so helpful) neighbors. The parents however have secrets and the neighbors have secrets and even Brittany has secrets, a home-schooled child who is barely allowed out of the house alone and can only go on a computer with parental supervision at the age of 14.

I can’t decide if this is a book worth reading or too unrealistic/unbelievable? The (what seems like) the reason for Brittany’s disappearance and a connection to another child from Moira and Alan’s past was just a little odd/too awkward for me. While there were some good twists, I was just waiting for that big climax and there was nothing. I also felt like a few of the characters (specifically Moira and the way she spoke to police) were so incredibly unlikeable and I just wanted to get through the chapters from her point of view as quickly as possible. Although after reading the whole book I guess I can see why she acted the way she did but as much as I tried to sympathize I just really couldn’t stand her.

the book started slow and was confusing with what seemed like too many characters, i almost gave up on it but then it got better, good storyline if not a little unbelievable

This was a real tough one for me to rate in all honesty.

It took me more than a week of picking up, putting down and picking up again to get in to it in the slightest but inwas determined fo carry on purely because of thentave reviews it has.

In my opinion it was ok.. just ok.

I didn't connect with any of the characters and it just wasnt at all believable in any sense.

The ending was rushed, after such a long (quite boring) build up I expected more.

Hmmmm sadly I just didnt feel this one! I should have followed my first instinct and given up at 23%.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Found this book amazing! Would love to read more of her books.
5**** from me
Would definitely recommend this to others

Intense Mesmerizing Psychological Thriller with shocking secrets !!! A delicious twisty page turner that I couldn't put down ! Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this book ! #Netgalley #InkubatorBooks #TheGoodNeighbor

This book is told from a variety of perspectives, almost all of whom are from the same neighborhood where a fourteen year old girl goes missing. From the beginning her mother is adamant that she wouldn't have left of her own volition and therefore she must have been kidnapped by a man who wished to do horrible things to her.

This seemed like an odd assumption until the reader finds out that her mother keeps her very sheltered, she is homeschooled and her access to the internet and the outside world in general is monitored obsessively by both her parents.

One of the perspectives we hear from the most is Taylor, neighbor to the Cushing family and somewhat of a busybody who quickly develops an obsession with helping to find Brittany. Taylor has a husband who thinks she is too invested and becoming too distant from him, Taylor thinks he doesn't care enough.

Then there's Luke, a somewhat mysterious character who we know to be old enough to be out of high school but not old enough to drink alcohol. He's known around the neighborhood as a bit of a no hoper and a bit "off" but mostly harmless.

Crystal is a wildcard. she's the only character aside from the detectives investigating who doesn't live in the same neighborhood as the Cushings, she finds the facebook page set up to spread awareness of Brittany's disappearance and contacts Taylor.

This is a very well written, incredibly well paced mystery with elements of pure confusion that are written so well and intentionally. Crystal is an unreliable narrator and as the story progresses other perspectives look less and less reliable until you have no idea who is really telling the truth.

In essence, most of the characters are unlikeable in a way, and definitely hiding things, but that made me love the book even more. Every character had flaws and redeeming qualities and they felt like real people. Taylor looked, on the surface, like a concerned neighbor, but was she really? or was there something darker at play?

This is the first book I've read by Cathryn Grant and I've already bought 3 others on kindle to continue reading her great fiction.

I would recommend this to readers of mysteries and thrillers, as well as those looking for a softer introduction into the world of crime fiction, that isn't too confronting.

The Good Neighbor has readers asking questions as the read though the book making them wonder what would they do? What should they do? Is it the right things to do?
The author pulls at readers as they are taking on a spellbinding mystery with more secrets and questions that seem to get answered until the end of the book
The author is a gifted writing bring her world to life and having reader needing more from her.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Cathryn Grant The Good Neighbor.

Who in this story can you trust? Taylor seems to be kind and willing to help. But is she really? And Moira...... I got a really bad feeling about her from the start. When everything comes to light it’s far worse than I thought or could have imagined. I’m not even sure if Brittany is as innocent as one would believe.
Great story. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t stop reading.

Interesting read, but the characters behaved in ways so inconsistent with the situation presented that I found it hard to believe in them. It was also challenging to understand their motivations.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy. This book is full of suspense and mystery. The secrets are non-stop. Brittany has disappeared without a trace and her mother Moira stops at nothing to find her. This book is told in each characters perspective. Lots of twists and turns! Will keep you hooked until the very end.

I will rate The Good Neighbor by Cathryn Grant a 2/5 stars. This book just did not do it for me. There wasn't anything remotely thrilling about it. It was awfully slow paced. It read terribly, in my honest opinion and was boring. The characters were dry and not in the least bit realistic. I would not recommend this book to anyone else, but if this is your type of read, go for it.

A psychological thriller about the past of a family that follows them wherever they go. Brittany a fourteen year old has vanished from her home. All the neighbors in her cul de sac rally around to find the missing girl. Taylor one of the neighbors makes it her mission to organize and get the neighborhood involved in the search. She hates the situation but loves how the neighborhood has come together.
Taylor opens a Facebook page in the Hope's that there will be some sightings of Brittany and that they will be shared by others. It seems to be going well until a woman claims that she is actually Brittany's real mom. That Brittany was kidnapped when she was four. As Taylor tries to navigate through what is real and what isn't, she discovers that things aren't always how they appear and people are not who they say they are.
A plot of twists and turns that makes you keep reading till the very end.

The Good Neighbor is what I consider a beach read type of story. It is interesting enough to keep you reading but doesn’t require much thought to follow along and you definitely need to suspend belief that anyone in the story is going to behave in an even remotely realistic manner.
Brittany Cushing age 14 has gone missing from her bed in the middle of the night. Her parents Moira and Alan are new to the CA neighborhood and have not gotten to know any of their new neighbors.
Taylor who seems like a typical neighborhood snoop who is always peeking out the windows and inserting herself into everyone’s business with the excuse of wanting to develop a sense of “ community” immediately becomes overly involved in the search for Brittany. She sets up a Facebook page and becomes obsessed with checking every nut who reports a sighting and responding to every comment. She invites herself into the Cushing s’ home and begins snooping.
The story is told from Moira, Taylor and Britney’s points of view and but by bit we learn there is something other than just an overprotective mother wrong in the Cushings household.
The ending was a bit forced and like most of the book required a suspension of belief. It is a quick pleasant read when you need a break between heavier books.
Thanks to #netgalley and #inkubatorbooks for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

2.75 rounded up

I chose to read The Good Neighbor because it was listed as my favorite kind of book-thriller! And it was absolutely thrilling.

The story follows a group of neighbors after a 13-year old girl who lives in their neighborhood is abducted from her room one night. I liked the plot lines- family secrets coming to life are so exciting! The characters were pretty well developed. And the twists were good, even if I did know they were coming.

This book was a fast read but the writing was clunky. The dialogue felt unnatural. I couldn't imagine people talking the way Moira, Taylor, etc. talked. I pretty much hated all the characters and found it difficult to empathize with them.

Pros: Fast paced story, shocking secrets revealed in a mysterious way, realistic characters who make you laugh

Cons: I couldn't get into it.

Nothing particularly is wrong with The Good Neighbor. In fact, for the most part, I enjoyed it. But I think I'm in another reading slump and not much appeals to me. This could just be a one-off, as I thought things were looking up. As always, I say let you decide for yourself and pick up a copy.

Wasn't an edge of seat read or a page turner for me, just an okay read which did take me a while to get into.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

New neighbors move into a tight community in California. Although the daughter, Brittany, is 14 years old, she is still being treated as if she were 7. Her old bed and other non-teen things still adorn her bedroom, she is home-schooled, not allowed to have friends outside of the home-school group, and only can go online with a parent present. Brittany ends up missing - she is all her mother has in her life. Taylor, a neighbor, sets up a FaceBook page to help find Brittany. The police are facing roadblocks with the investigation - particularly when they mention to the mother, that the case looks like a runaway.

Meanwhile, the FaceBook page Taylor is hosting for Brittany has people coming out of the woodwork and not to forget - a few threats...

A NOT TO MISS read!


Many Thanks to Inkubator books and NetGalley for a superb read!