Australian Crime Fiction is fast becoming one of my favourite genres. The Neighbours ticked this box. It was a page turner that had me reading well into the night. The dual POVs from Liv and Meredith (particularly Meredith’s chapters) had me constantly on edge. The mystery surrounding Meredith was developed really well, and at some points gave me the shivers, particularly the flash backs from when she was a young girl staring into Liv’s house. Richard was the perfectly constructed unlikeable victim. I hated him from the get go.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review and read this book!

Do you really know your neighbours? Interesting question when one of them shows up dead and you may think your daughter did it! You won't guess who did it but it was a good read to get there!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for this ARC!

I’m not gonna lie, I really struggled getting through this book. There were a lot of details & information that felt pointless. I was at around the 50% mark and nothing had really happened yet. However, I’m glad I stuck it out. The ending didn’t really shock me, but I was entertained and I’m glad I kept going.

I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Emma Babbington’s The Neighbours is a tightly woven, psychological thriller that grabs hold from the first chapter and refuses to let go. Dark, twisted, and relentlessly suspenseful, this is the kind of novel that keeps you up far too late—unable to stop turning the pages.

Babbington crafts a masterful blend of tension and intrigue, slowly peeling back layers of secrets, lies, and buried truths. The writing is sharp and atmospheric, and the pacing never falters. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another twist knocks you off balance. The buildup is expertly handled, with a final reveal that delivers both shock and satisfaction.

The Neighbours is a standout in domestic suspense—cleverly plotted, deeply unsettling, and thoroughly addictive. Emma Babbington proves she knows exactly how to keep readers guessing. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers that leave you thinking long after the final page.

📖 Book Review 📖 The biggest scandal to go down in our little neighborhood is who hit a mailbox. But it certainly begs the question, how well do we really know the people living next to us? When a quaint, presumably safe neighborhood in Sydney is rocked by the murder of a prestigious doctor, everyone is on high alert. Emma Babbington writes a compelling tale of everyday life that many of us could imagine and twists it into one propulsive and indulgent psychological thriller that dazzles. The secrets of this not-so-sleepy cul-du-sac unravel at just the right pace, weaving together a multifaceted story of intrigue. Grab some sweet tea and a fan because The Neighbours is a summer read not to miss!

Wow this was so twisty and full of drama I couldn’t put it down. Kind of a thriller/drama book but it won’t leave you bored. First book this author brilliant

A very intense read that shows how much a mother will go to protect her child whilst also being unsure of what she is capable of, intense read overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the eARC!

This was a fast-paced, interesting mystery. I loved the setting - don't read nearly enough books set in Sydney. The characters were interesting, and there were enough twists to keep me entertained, but not so many that it felt unrealistic. Babbington did a great job of building the suspense and making us dislike the victim. She did a great job of leading the reader to a red herring or two. I would recommend this as a great, mysterious beach read!

What an incredible debut. Loved it. What I loved about it was the ending. Very satisfying and also a great book that will keep you guessing. Who doesn't love neighborhood drama?

I read this book quickly as the characters were great,the mystery thickened sharpish and the writing was engaging and kept me reading
A set of circumstances shock a very well to do neighbourhood and it goes from there with twists and turns aplenty and lots of repercussions
Really good writing and plot that made a satisfying read

The Neighbours is a twisty psychological thriller that had me enthralled.
Liv lives in a Sydney suburb, a quiet street with her husband and daughter. Her neighbour is a well known surgeon and has been found dead in the local park, hit at the back of the head so the police are investigating. Liv’s daughter runs early every morning there and asks her if she’s seen anything but apart from a “no” answer and her looking upset Liv has nothing to go on but her intuition as a mother sets in and feels she is involved and will do anythIng to keep her name clear and direct the police in a different direction. An old school friend has moved in down the road and Liv isn’t sure whether to trust her or not as she seems very friendly with her daughter. Who is the murderer?
This was a good read with plenty of different characters. I liked Liv and how she adapted to the pressures of her life with her job, what was happening to her daughter and her parents illnesses to cope with. The book was very pro women and the surgeon was just an awful man in every way. The plot line was a little slow at time but it didn’t last long so was easily read through. A few good twists to keep it interesting was well written.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say other than—I absolutely loved this book?

What would you do if a neighbour turns up murdered and you think your daughter has something to do with it? This is what happens when Richard Wellington is found in the park near his home.

The Neighbours is one of those stories that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. From the mother daughter dynamic to the neighbourhood everything was well written. If you enjoy character-driven thrillers with lots of twists and turns, this one’s a must-read.

Thank you Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book for my honest book review.

Plenty to enjoy in this twisty psychological thriller, set in a Sydney suburb, where Liv's neighbour, Richard, is found dead in the local park where Liv's teenage daughter Gracie goes running every morning. Gracie is acting weird and Liv - fearing that she may have been involved - sets out to find out more and direct the police's attention away from Gracie. An old acquaintance, Meredith, recently arrived in the neighbourhood, also seems to be overly involved both with Liv and with Gracie. What's her story?

I really got into this thriller, intrigued to find out what had happened. The narrative is full of tantalising hints that put the reader on the track, but without creating a full picture until the end, so it keeps you guessing.

The writing is good, with well drawn characters, convincing dialogue and good pacing. Meredith especially keeps you guessing: is she a benevolent or malevolent person and what are her intentions? The victim, Richard, is an arrogant shit who probably got what was coming to him, but what actually happened?

There were aspects of the plot that were a little far-fetched, and some red herrings thrown in a little bit clumsily, but overall this is an intriguing story and a good read.

Who can Liv trust? And is anyone telling her the complete truth? Liv's neighbor, a well-known surgeon, has been killed in the park where her daughter runs every morning. Dr. Wellington certainly had plenty of secrets of his own! Is Liv's daughter, Gracie, hiding the truth about what really happened in the park on that fateful morning? Meanwhile, a face from Liv's past has moved back to town. Has Meredith simply returned home to Sydney, or does she have ulterior motives for moving just down the street from Liv? Even Liv's elderly parents seem to be hiding some secrets about Liv's own family.

The Neighbours is a fun read that kept me turning the pages to find out what secrets were being kept from Liv. As several story lines converge, the twists keep coming. Emma Babbington does a wonderful job creating interesting characters in a quick storyline. That along with her twisty plot kept me interested and reading. A great debut novel that has me looking forward to what Babbington will bring us next!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a terrific domestic thriller set in an affluent Australian neighborhood, with seemingly perfect residents. A suspicious demise of a local surgeon send the entire community into a tailspin, and a mother’s love is tested to the limit. A remarkable thriller!

OMG! What have I just read! This book is amazing!!! I loved the storyline, I loved the characters, the good ones & the bad ones. There's so many twists and turns, this book will have you staying up reading well into the night. I read this in one sitting. Definitely 5 stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story is OK. But I found that there were just some parts which didn't make sense and didn't seem logical.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for granting me an ARC of The Neighbours.

Not sure how I feel about this one. It had enough going for it that I was happy to keep reading, but it didn’t grab me and pull me in.

I enjoyed the storyline and liked how you got flashes of what happened that morning, from different characters, without knowing the full story until near the end. Also the double twist and reveal was a big hit!

I wasn’t keen really on any of the main characters, and the teenage daughter, Gracie, was a real brat. Disappearing overnight and not telling anyone where she was when there’s a potential murderer on the loose in the neighbourhood! I would not be happy if my child did that, whatever the reason!

Overall though, a decent 4 star read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK. The Neighbours is the kind of thriller that grabs you by the throat and does not let go. Twisty, tense, and totally addictive, this murder mystery had my jaw on the floor more than once. The pacing? Perfect. The characters? Complex and layered. The stakes? SKY. HIGH.

I was especially hooked by the mother-daughter dynamic—Liv’s desperation to protect Gracie felt so raw and real, and every time a new secret unraveled, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. If you love domestic thrillers that are sharp, suspenseful, and leave you screaming “just one more chapter” at 2AM, this is your next obsession.

This one did not hook me like I thought it would. Nothing really came together, things felt a little jumbled up and it just never fully grabbed me.