I really enjoyed meeting all the characters in this story. I loved how we found out more about the main characters as we went through the story and there were different layers to each character.

I absolutely loved Freya Sampson’s previous two novels and Nosy Neighbours did not disappoint.
It’s set in Shelley House, a dilapidated Victorian house and the new home of Kat who is subletting a room from Joseph one of the tenants. Her neighbour is Dorothy who is in her seventies, bad tempered and critical of the behaviour of her fellow tenants at Shelley House. When they hear that the landlord is planning to evict them and demolish their home Kat and Dorothy come together to protest.
This is another gorgeous and heartwarming novel from the author. It starts out as a bit of a cozy crime mystery but soon develops into a more serious novel about grief, loss and belonging. I love how the author acknowledges the importance of friendship and community in her novels and here focuses on the serious aspect of housing evictions. I enjoyed getting to know Kat and Dorothy as the author reveals their histories with empathy and sensitivity.
Another warm and moving novel from the author that I’d recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

A feel good read, that has a touch of a cosy crime.
We meet a wonderful set of characters living in Shelley House, a 130 year old mansion, set in the countryside.
Told from two points of views
Kat, a mysterious pink haired newcomer, who becomes an unexpected hero when she goes to the rescue of live in landlord, Joseph and suspects foul play could have had something to do with it.
Another resident of Shelley House is elderly Dorothy, who watches and keeps notes of all the comings and goings, like remake of Miss Havisham.
Most of the characters have hidden secrets and loved learning their back stories, showing us you never know what people might have gone through to make them the way they are.
It has a bit of every thing - community, kindness and compassion, but also mystery and suspense
I enjoyed my time spent with the residents of Shelley House, very reminiscence of the 80s movie “Batteries Not Included”, where a set of neighbours are trying to save their building.
Thanks @freyasampsonauthor @zaffrebooks & @netgalley for the feel good read

4.5

This book was just what I needed. I loved it. I'm a little bit sad to be leaving Kat, Dorothy and the other tenants of Shelley House behind (not forgetting Reggie). Nosy Neighbours ran so much deeper than I expected it too. With so much humour as well as heartache it reminds you of the overall goodness of people, the importance of human connection and never to judge somebody too quickly. I feel like I'll have space in my heart for Kat and Dorothy for a long time yet.

Dorothy – sorry, that should be Ms Darling – spends her days sitting at a card table in the window of her flat in Shelley House, with her pen and notebook to record all the comings and goings. And that, of course, doesn’t exactly endear her to her neighbours – she keeps a close eye on them too.

There’s Omar and his daughter Ayesha – they should be united in their grief after the loss of his wife, but she hears their arguments and knows they’re really struggling to communicate. And Tomas – well, he’s undoubtedly a bit of a thug, with his aggressive pit bull Princess. But he’s not as bad as the tenant who’s rarely seen – the smell of weed lingering outside his door, the thumping music he plays disturbing everyone’s lives. There’s Gloria too – and her string of unsuitable boyfriends. And then there’s Joseph, and his Jack Russell Reggie – something went badly wrong there there, and although he’s only over the hall, Dorothy has no communication with him at all. And now he’s done something particularly unforgivable – it seems he has an illegal sub-tenant, the pink-haired and rather sassy Kat.

But then a few things happen that start to break down the walls that divide them. Joseph has an accident (well, perhaps…) and ends up in hospital – leaving Kat caring for Reggie, and needing to find someone else to look after him while she goes to work. And that leads to an unlikely alliance with Dorothy, increasingly convinced that Joseph was attacked, and working on her list of likely suspects. But there’s another threat that makes them work even more closely together – the landlord of Shelley House, the last mansion now standing in Poet’s Road, has neglected it for years and is now planning its demolition. At first, it’s something Dorothy believes will never happen – but when work begins, she becomes increasingly determined not to allow her home, with all its many memories, to be taken away from her.

The story is told from the viewpoints of both Dorothy and Kat – both have complications in their pasts that gradually emerge, and (however unlikely that might seem at first…) as the trust between them grows and their defences are slowly lowered, both develop into very sympathetic and exceptionally likeable characters. There are moments in both their journeys that touched me to the heart – and other moments that had me pumping the air and willing them on, hoping desperately that their increasing bravery would win the day. The writing is just wonderful – the more emotional content so perfectly handled, the relationships entirely believable, every single character so very real and beautifully drawn and developed. There are plenty of moments of perfectly judged humour, but other times when I found myself caring so very much for these wonderful individuals that it moved me to tears.

Filled with hope and love, it’s a book about the power of friendship and community and the strength of the human spirit to overcome life’s challenges – and I have to say that I thought it was quite wonderful. A very special book that so many others would enjoy every bit as much as I did – and very highly recommended.

(Review also copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Loved the quirky title of this one. Lovely characters who are trying to get to the bottom of a secret that lies within the property they are trying to save.

After a couple of really quite dark novels, it was refreshing to read something lighthearted and humorous. And with a small Jack Russell terrier called Reggie as one of the co-conspirators, how could I not love this.

It was also very sad at times and once again I cried. I really felt for Kat, with her shitty childhood and dreadful mother. And I really felt for Dorothy aka Ms Darling (never call her Mrs), though it’s quite late in the book that we discover her history and why she behaves as she does.

There are lots of other likeable (and definitely unlikeable) characters in Nosy Neighbours, including Kat’s elderly ‘landlord’ Joseph, 15-year-old Ayesha and her father Omar, Gloria upstairs with her terrible taste in men, giant Tomasz with his fierce bulldog called Princess, and the anti-social, noisy tenant in Flat 4. There’s also journalist Will, who seems lovely, but no-one trusts an old hack (or young hack in this case).

Dorothy has lived in Shelley House the longest, and treats it as her own. She looks after the post, takes out and sorts other people’s rubbish and makes copious notes in her notebook as she patrols the corridors. When Joseph is attacked, she makes a list of suspects with their possible MOs, means, opportunities and alibis. No-one is safe once Dorothy is on the prowl. And she doesn’t like dogs.

She’s very suspicious of newcomer Kat with her pink hair, tattoos and prickly manner. What is she hiding?

When on the rare occasion the neighbours come together, they are at each other’s throats. Only now the building is about to be demolished and they all face eviction, can they put their considerable differences to one side and save Shelley House? Especially Dorothy and Kat. It’s fun finding out and I really enjoyed this book. I was reminded of the 1987 film Batteries Not Included starring Jessica Tandy, without the help of the aliens. But we have Reggie instead.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC.

Well, I’m pleased to say that I loved this book just as much as Freya Sampson’s other novels! Dorothy Darling is the nosy neighbour of the title and she’s certainly not someone you would want living next door to you. She spends her days curtain twitching and noting every detail of what’s happening in the building and in the street. She likes to make sure her neighbours are adhering to every single rule. As you can imagine, this makes her less than popular as nobody likes to be spied on, even though Dorothy insists she is just making sure that nothing untoward happens to the residents of Shelley House. Incidentally, I used to work with a lovely lady with exactly the same name. She was a deputy head at a primary school I worked in many years ago. So I was definitely reading this with that Dorothy in mind, although they weren’t really alike in temperament.

Shelley House once once a beautiful grand house in a row of mansions in Poet’s Road with each named after a poet. Now it’s the last one standing, its grandeur faded, and it won’t be standing for much longer if the landlord has anything to do with it. There is a real mixture of tenants in the six flats and we get to know them all over the course of the novel. Joseph, living in the flat across from Dorothy, was probably my favourite. He was a real sweetie, such a kind person and I liked his little dog Reggie too. He sub-lets a room to Kat (illegally in Dorothy’s view) who is the other main narrator of the book.

There’s an element of mystery about the book as it is clear that both Dorothy and Kat have pasts which haunt them and have yet to be uncovered. Both these women are very closed off and defensive, preferring to keep themselves to themselves and reluctant to trust anyone. As we get to know more about their pasts, we begin to understand why they are like this and despite both seeming rather prickly on the outside, my heart went out to them both. They both carried a weight of guilt, unwarranted really, which had such an impact on their lives.

Although the group of people living in Shelley House don’t really seem to have much in common at the beginning, when they are all threatened with eviction, they come together in what seems like a hopeless quest to save their home. I loved seeing how this campaign grew and caught the attention of the local community. It also helped the neighbours to see each other in a new light and begin to understand more about each other. Dorothy in particular was determined to save her beloved home and gave some surprisingly rallying speeches: “Shelley House has provided a home to hundreds. Not just a home but a sanctuary… For one hundred and thirty-three years she has protected her residents. And now… it is our turn to protect her!”.

Freya Sampson really does write the loveliest stories! Nosy Neighbours is another full of warmth, emotion and love. With its cast of characters you will come to care deeply for, some serious themes sensitively explored, a testament to the power of community and a few unexpected love stories along the way, this book has much to recommend it and I most certainly do.

Nosy Neighbours was a well written book.

Kat is looking for a flat share, when she answers an ad in the paper, she arrives at Shelley House. She presses the wrong number on the intercom and comes in contact with Dorothy the oldest resident and the longest tenant , she was not that nice to the pink haired girl on the doorstep. Luckily Joseph noticed Kat leaving and explains it’s a room in his flat that’s for rent, she’s welcomes by a lovely older man and his fun dog. Kat knows the town and has secrets, but are the rest of the flat tenants are doing the same.

The characters are great, Dorothy is funny to read about, she’s so nosy. I liked reading about them all and how different they all are, but come together when it needs.

A lovely fun read about community spirit and friendship.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This is the first book I have read by this author and won't be the last - I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sensitively written, it's not afraid to tackle difficult issues and do them well. An excellent 5 star read.

My first Freya Sampson book, but I suspect not my last.

This enjoyable read concerns the no fault eviction of a group of residents who are as disparate as they come! As the story unfolds they come to realise that they may have more in common than they first thought.

In addition to the topical storyline, the characters are well-drawn, complete with an adorable dog, and the backstories cover a wide array of topics.

This is a great read if you want something heart-warming.

This is the third book of Freya Sampson’s that I’ve read and they seem to get better and better with each one. I loved this book right the way through. They always cover a topical theme and this time it’s no fault eviction. But there is so much more to it than just saving the homes of the people who live in Shelley House, as we learn of the stories behind each of the tenants who live there.

I like this authors books because they each have within their pages a diverse set of characters who often end up coming together to fight a shared cause and in doing so, we learn so much about community, of shouldering a burden together and helping each other out.

There’s lots of humour, sadness as the characters shoulder more than their fair share of guilt over past events, as well as a mystery to solve, many twists and turns, and revelations I just didn’t see coming. It’s a wonderful heart-warming story bringing both elements of fun as well as some incredibly poignant scenes too. I loved it!

**to be posted to my blog around publication date*

‘‘Tut’I said as I read the ‘hug of a book’ blurb, followed by ‘we will see about that’
And then spent 2 days being reading hugged
It sums it up perfectly

After spending a few minutes trying to see if it was ‘Nosy’ or ‘Nosey’ and then finding out it is one of those peculiarities that is acceptable in both forms I started to read, and felt joy, seriously, this book is joyful

An apartment block, full of real characters and the matriarch of the building Ms Dorothy Darling, feared by all as she walks the corridors noting every misdeed….

A new lodger arrives and Dorothy and the other tenants lives are all turned upside down….and then an eviction notice is delivered, the building is to be knocked down and rebuilt into luxury flats

It just gets better and better and although it is warm and happy and funny and endearing it also covers some dark subjects and emotions but superbly done so even when its darker its still light

And what could be better? When revealed Dorothy and me share a birthday 😀

Delightful, inspiring, melodic and mostly happy fun reading

🥰

I wanted to like this more than I did. Not quite sure what was missing from this but it didn't quite hit the mark I expected it to. That said it was still an enjoyable read.

I loved Freya Sampson’s previous two books and was very excited to be approved for an ARC of this latest novel.
Shelley House is faced with demolition and the only way that it can be saved is if all the current tenants work together to campaign. However, none of the residents appear to have anytime for each other and it seems extremely unlikely that any of them will be prepared to work together even to save their homes.
As always, Freya Sampson creates a vivid group of characters. The main ones are Dorothy, the archetypal nosy elderly lady who makes notes of each time someone breaks a rule, and Kat, a young woman with pink hair who has never settled anywhere before. Neither Kat or Dorothy want to have anything to do with the other tenants but when Joseph Is attacked and left seriously injured, they have no choice but to begin to communicate with each other.
I loved all of the characters in the book and the way that gradually, they do start to come together and work to save Shelley House, I really enjoyed the back stories for both Dorothy and Kat and the way that they both found it so hard to let go of the past felt very believable. I was also pleased by the ending and glad that it wasn’t as predictable as I thought that it might be
This was another lovely, heart-warming read and I’m very grateful to the publishers and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC.

"Don't look so surprised, Dorothy. You've given your life to Shelley House and the people who live here. It's about time we gave something back to you"

Fun fact: my tear ducts were activated right after reading that. Yes, she did it again. Once again, Freya got me with her book. The moment I read the synopsis, I knew I would end up loving it and to receive an ARC of it made my week!! Freya has been my auto-buy author since reading The Lost Ticket back in 2022.

Nosy Neighbours carries a similar theme just like her previous books: "saving" something, while forming friendships and finding love along the way. This time? they're saving Shelley House, a historic building housing six tenants with six different life and personalities facing demolitions. They're tearing down Shelley House to build new apartments. Told from alternating point of views: Kat, a 25 years old girl living as a subtenant in flat 1, and Dorothy, a seventy seven years old woman living in flat 2. Off to a rocky start, neither knew that they have something in common: secrets and guilt that have been eating them alive for a long time. These two, as we learn, will have to put their mistrust towards one another aside when a tenant was hurt to find out if it's a foul play or not.

I loved The Girl on the 88 Bus and The Last Library by this author and jumped at the chance of a spot on the blog tour for this, her latest book.

Freya Sampson is skilled at producing books that are cosy and heart warming, yet at the same time tackling serious social challenges. In this story we meet busybody Dorothy Darling and the other tenants of Shelley House, all living their own lives until they’re served with a notice of eviction. For some of the tenants Shelly House has been their home for decades, others a place they last shared with loved ones and for others it’s their first safe place.

Can the group pull together to fight the eviction or will previous failings out fester on?

I slipped through this book, I loved all the characters including grumpy Dorothy and spiky Kat and would highly recommend.

Thanks to @thebookdealer @sampdonf @zaffre @netgalley for the opportunity to read this early copy.

Nosy Neighbours is a heart-warming and engaging read about unconventional friendships and community. In particular, neighbours, Kat and Dorothy, who, despite being at odds with each, form an unlikely alliance when their building, Shelley House faces demolition. A real feel good read 🥰

Would 100% recommend as an easy read for my older students and 6th formers. I loved this slow read that had a huge twist! As someone that can normally uncover a twist and turn; I did not expect this one at all. A great read.

This was my first book by this author and I have to say I was really impressed. From the very start I was drawn into the world of Shelley House. This mysterious lady sitting taking notes of everything she sees out her window, it very much gave me Miss Havisham vibes. But then as I read more and learnt little bits about her I could see her pain, I could see why she acted the way she did, she was almost in a kind of limbo, she couldn’t move forwards as she was constantly trying to atone for something in her past.

The book is told from Dorothy -the elderly lady, and Kat the mysterious pink haired newcomer. I really enjoyed how their stories intertwined and unfolded and how the other residents stories got told along with them as connections were made. A good message about things might not always be what they seem.

A really interesting story, so many twists and turns, and I loved the ending, I think I was just as moved as Dorothy was when everyone joined together to protect her.