This book was very good. It was very reflective because we all have annoying neighbors or a neighbors that my same funny acting or do crazy things that we might not like so I kind of enjoyed it. It was an OK.

Amazing! I love the twists, and how the characters intertwine. Truly excellent author, whose characters come to life so well! Highly recommend this addictive read.

After a well known doctor, who is a plastic surgeon and a TV celebrity, is found dead in a park near an expensive residential area, rumours fly about what lies behind his murder. Because this victim was not a likeable man.

Predatory behaviour with his female colleagues, sued for the untimely death of one of his patients, unkind treatment of his long suffering wife, lusting after the teenage daughter of one of his neighbours - it is safe to say there are plenty of people happy to see him gone. Though they are less pleased at the idea of a possible murderer on the loose in their neighbourhood...

Featuring a cleverly crafted mystery with strong, well drawn characters, this is an absorbing read. Well worth your time.

unfortunately having to dnf this one!

the premise sounded interesting but unfortunately it hasn’t hooked me

writing style and storyline not keeping me engaged

thankyou to netgalley for the eArc and the opportunity

When a neighbour is murdered on his morning run, Liv is worried her daughter, who also goes for morning runs is involved, and she will do anything to keep her safe.

Liv is relentless in finding out the truth, and finding someone to blame for Richard’s death, besides her daughter who says she didn’t do it. How far will a mother go to keep her child safe, and what did really happen to Richard?

Domestic thriller. Liv and family, with ageing memory troubled sick parents, with a past with a new newish our, with working at the hospital with Richard as well. A mess of every day secrets. It was enjoyable, enough, but some lingering questions and inconsistencies left me feeling not fully satisfied. Overall good, not great.

My synopsis: Set in Sydney, Liv and Andy have a 19 year old daughter Gracie. One of their new neighbours on the street is Meredith, who works at the same hospital as Liv too.
Meredith was known as the weird girl in school. She was consistently bullied, and wildly envious of Liv. Meredith would babysit Liv (even though there was only 18 months between them in age). She would regularly write letters to Liv in hopes of becoming her friend, and would even picture herself in Liv’s place at the dining table surrounded by loving parents.
A body is found in a body of water at a park. It is identified as Richard, a famous plastic surgeon and tv show ‘Morning!’ resident medical expert, who also lives on the same street as Liv’s family and Meredith.
The timeline swaps between 1989 as Liv and Meredith as teens, 2024 a year before the murder and the lead up to it, and 2025 the murder investigation.

“There’s a murderer on the loose in our neighbourhood.”

My review: I thought this was a solid crime book and great storytelling. It had lots of layers of subplots of the famous parents, dementia, abuse and SA within the main plot which kept it interesting. I liked the addition of letters from Meredith, it made you feel sorry and empathise with her. I really rooted for Liv and Meredith.
Swapping between the timeline never became confusing which is great, and there weren’t too many characters where it becomes overwhelming. The dad Andy and the mention of Desi felt a bit pointless in the plot to me. I found Gracie a slightly frustrating character, maybe if she was a younger teenager her attitude could make more sense? I also felt the two main plot twists were predictable, including the reveal of the killer.
I think if you enjoy a thriller and crime you’ll love this book!

Wow, The Neighbours was an excellent debut in my opinion. I loved the characters and their backstories. Thank you NetGalley and HQ for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was right up my street!! I absolutely loved everything about it.... except.... it was a bit slow at times! But noines perfect so well forgive the book for that and focus on all the amazing parts I loved the overall plot although the 50 sub plots intermingled did get a bit confusing at times. It is well plotted out though so they all come together well and slot in together without it all feeling too messy. The characters are brought to life well and everything is well plotted out with twists and turns in the most perfect places. I love series like big little lies and this book very much had those vibes

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the ARC!

I think this book really had a strong start, but as we get into the middle chunk of the book, it feels like it is dragging. I really liked the characters and the exploration of their relationships and suspicions throughout the book. I think the dual timeline could have been handled better and been more. exciting, personally. It would drag or get too convoluted throughout the book, especially with some of the plot lines that did not really feel like they were needed to help push the story along. Gracie and Meredith were interesting characters, and I like how we only got glimpses of Gracie through other POVs, even though there was such a focus on her.

The twists were good and it did manage to hold me into the story for the most part, but I think it could have been better-paced, so 3 stars overall!

Thank you Netgally and HQ for this arc.
I feel like this book is just okay. I feel like there are way too many subplot weaved within and honestly the timeline is throwing me off. It does pick up in anticipation about 70% into the book. The big reveal happened, I did predict it and honestly it was a bit anticlimatic, I do feel like it was dragged out. So perhaps a 2.5⭐️

Thank you so much to HQ and NetGalley for this ARC!

This is how you debut! 👏🏼 I found this book to be intriguing and mysterious. I read it in a single sitting and loved the twists and turns. It did have its slow points but I felt when it picked up we were off to the races. I can't wait to see what Emma Babbington gives us next.

This book hooked me in right from the start and I finished it in a couple of hours. The pacing was good the twists were good and the suspense was good. I really enjoyed it

this book is a gripping psychological thriller that revolves around Liv Elliot, a mother who is certain her daughter, Gracie, didn't murder their neighbor, Dr. Richard Wellington. But when his body is found in a park, the investigation reveals disturbing secrets, and Liv is forced to protect her daughter at all costs. As the pressure builds, Liv's actions may risk everything, raising the question: How far would a mother go to shield her child from a truth that could destroy them both?

When the body of renowned plastic surgeon and TV personality Richard Wellington is found, with foul play suspected, it sends his neighborhood into a tailspin. Liv is only concerned with making sure her daughter Gracie, who was at the park the morning of Richard's death, is not implicated and will do anything to make sure she is safe, but is she putting them all at risk?

At first I thought the book was going be a rather cut-and-paste thriller, but there were quite a few twists and turns that kept things interesting. The characters are well defined and believable and the location in Australia depicted in the summer delivers loads of heat to the tale. A solid whodunnit. 3.5 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Neighbours: 3 Stars 👟🪨👯‍♀️

Starting with a disclaimer: I’m a tougher critic when it comes to thrillers since I’ve read so many over the years! If I had to sum this one up in a word, I’d say it was solid—not amazing, but solid.

What I liked: There’s a strong focus on the characters and the central question of who committed the murder (not a spoiler!). That focus helped build characters I was invested in—and suspicious of—without being able to quickly guess the killer. I also really liked the setting—a neighborhood in Sydney, AU. It added depth to the plot without overwhelming it. I wasn’t trying to remember a million locations, which I appreciate in a thriller. I also really enjoyed it when we got to how the murder happened. I loved the detail here and how it was more than just one single moment. It gave the story some legs and I appreciated the depth here.

What didn’t work as well for me: The story dragged a bit before getting to the hook. There’s early suspicion around Meredith and Gracie, but we don’t get anything concrete on that front until over halfway through. I get that the pacing was likely designed to make the final twist hit harder—but that left the middle feeling like filler. I ended up skimming some paragraphs and still didn’t feel like I missed much. And while the ending tied things up, I was hoping for a bigger jaw-drop moment. I felt like I was missing something based on the synopsis of this book. Hard to explain without spoilers, but if you read it and feel the same—let me know!

All that said, I did enjoy this. Yes, it had flaws for me, but I had a good time reading it and would still recommend giving a go!

Oooooohieeeee what a rollercoaster + what a debut from Emma Babbington! The Neighbours grabbed me from the moment I read the blurb and it did not disappoint. I clocked some potential twists and others I didn’t see until they were right in front of me. Brilliant! The pacing was a little off in places but overall it worked!

Thank you so much to HQ + NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Neighbours before it’s released on 19th June 2025! I can’t wait to listen to this on audiobook when it’s released. I also can’t wait to see what Emma Babbington does next, an auto read author for me from here on out!

Twisty, tense, and brimming with moral gray areas, The Neighbours delivers a compulsively readable domestic thriller that asks the ultimate question: how well do you really know your child?

Emma Babbington crafts a gripping mystery around the murder of a high-profile doctor found dead in a harborside park—and the ripple effects that spread through a seemingly peaceful cul-de-sac. At the heart of it is Liv Elliot, a mother caught between loyalty and fear as suspicion begins to circle her teenage daughter, Gracie. The strength of this novel lies in that claustrophobic blend of parental instinct and growing doubt—Liv’s internal tug-of-war is rendered with a sharp emotional edge.

The pacing is brisk, the chapters short and propulsive, and the suburban setting is weaponized perfectly: nosy neighbors, media frenzy, and secrets buried beneath polite smiles. The unraveling of Dr. Wellington’s polished image adds a juicy layer of suspense, revealing just how many people might have had a reason to want him dead.

While a few plot turns stretch believability and secondary characters could have used more depth, the central mystery is tightly executed. Fans of Big Little Lies, The Push, or Defending Jacob will devour this.

This book was okay, but the overlapping plot lines never really came together the way the author clearly wanted them to.

I enjoyed this book however it felt incredibly slow. By the 60% mark I found myself skim reading a fair bit to get to something that would move the plot along.

I did enjoy the ending and would recommend this as an easy read, but would have liked it to be a bit more fast paced

Absolute dynamite.

When a wealthy surgeon is killed Liv has to think the worst, and in this case the worst case scenario is: Her daughter Gracie killed him.

I haven’t read a book with such well developed characters in a long time and this book manages to match that with a fast, clever plot.

For beach reads or for late night reads, I would just say read it!