The Neighbour - Gemma Rogers

The first book I've read by this author, I've been eager to read one of her books having seen a lot of praise for her titles.

Shelly is a single mum, moving into a new neighbourhood, a close knit street where everyone knows everyone. Throw in an antagonistic neighbour, Shelly's anxiety and troubled childhood and you should have the ingredients for something interesting.

I quite liked the main character of Shelly, there's a character with dementia (no spoilers) who adds some unpredictable moments. I found it a little slow through the middle and the supporting cast didn't really come to life for me.

It's well setup, it kept me interested but didn't quite ignite for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books.

A creepy and tense read that was fast paced, full of tension and crammed full with twists. I really enjoyed it

Shelly needs a new start and moves as far away as she can with her daughter. They both hope they can heal and move on. However, their new neighbor gets in the way . . . The previous tenant disappeared and she's getting notes telling her to leave.

Spooky, full of intrigue, and so mysterious. I would have liked a little less focus on trauma and dementia and more of the mystery at hand. Otherwise, this was excellent. Unexpected twists adding up to a pretty good thriller.

The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers

Read this if you like a quick read that keeps you guessing about who you can or cannot trust in a close-knit neighborhood.

Love thy neighbour or fear thy neighbour?
For myself and Lauren, my 10-year-old daughter No3 Beech Close was to be our refuge after two years of hell nursing my sick mother.
In need of a fresh start and wanting to distance ourselves from the bad memories of my mother’s house we moved to Beech Close, a small cul-de-sac of six houses situated around a picture-perfect green.
It seemed perfect but I had underestimated the secrets that this tight knit community shared.
Within hours of moving in my next-door neighbour Valerie made it abundantly clear we were not welcome.
I soon discovered that Valerie hadn’t welcomed the previous occupant either and she’d since disappeared without a trace.
Had I put myself and my daughter in danger moving to Beech Close?
Which neighbours, if any could I trust?
And how far would they go to keep their secret?

Out on January 5

The Neighbour kept me in suspense and wanting to keep reading and what an amazing ending!! I enjoyed this book so much!

The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers is another page-turner from this go to author. I was hooked from beginning to end.

Shelly and her daughter Lauren have just moved to Beech Close looking for a fresh start after nursing Shelly's mother through Alzheimer's. Their new beginning is quickly marred, however, by an early encounter with neighbour Valerie, who makes it very clear that she does not welcome the new arrivals. When Shelly discovers that the previous occupant of her new home has gone missing, it becomes clear that the residents of the small cul-de-sac are hiding secrets, and Shelly becomes concerned for the safety of herself and her young daughter.

This is a cleverly paced novel that slowly but surely pulls you into a mystery that begs to be solved.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This was an enjoyable, fast-paced read. Shelley hasn't had it easy over the boast few years and is hoping for a quieter, calmer pace of life in her new home, but it isn't to be. This is a dark story of life in a new and secretive neighbourhood. Shelley has so many questions about those around her and about what happened to the previous tenant, which is shrouded in mystery. Overall a fun quick read

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. Shelly and Lauren move to 3 Beech Close to start over. They meet their new neighbors who seem nice at first; other than the old lady who is always threatening Shelly. Shelly discovers that the previous tenant of no 3 is missing, as is her dog. What happened to her? She starts to develop relationships with people on the close, but are they friends? or out to hurt her? I felt the end was a little predictable but overall, it was good!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. This book was good, with some good suspense in it, but I did think it was predictable. That being said, it still held my attention.

Thank you NetGalley Boldwood books and Gemma Rogers for the ARC of The Neighbour.
Gemma has done it again. When she releases a new book, it's time to drop everything else to read her latest. Brilliant characters and good plot and a twist at the end.
Gemma has created another great novel, characters are well developed and introduced in timely manner so its easy to keep track of who's who.

A close knit group of neighbor's, Shelly and her daughter Lauren move in to the only rental unit in Beech Close, she is welcomed with open arms, they even host a welcome party that most of the neighbor's join. Shelly is in much need of a great community as the last few years licing with her mom who had dementia certainly took its toll. Unfortunately Shelly gets off to a bad start with her closest neighbor Valerie, Shelly's dog pooped on Valerie's lawn and freaked out before Shelly could clean it up. Later Shelly comes to realize that Valerie has dementia and her son Remy spends a lot of time helping out. Not long after moving in, Shelly finds some articles in a box that belong to the previous tenant, she has a feeling that something was strange about how she disappeared, and despite trying not to worry about the precious tenant's disappearance, she becomes deeper involved in the search and questioning her other neighbor's. Has she become to involved?
Gemma weaves a good plot, keeps you guessing until the end as to who dunnit. I recommend as a great read. Did not want to put this book down. I've read all of Gemma's books and I'm looking forward to the next

An excellent, well written book which I thoroughly enjoyed, just my sort of book. A great page turner with a good mystery and a great what I call satisfactory ending with all loose ends brought together.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Shelley is desperate for a new start after taking care of her mother as she battled dementia until she died. Renting a house far from where her mother lived, she brings her 10 year old daughter who experienced trauma of her own while living in Shelley’s mother’s cottage. Upon meeting the neighbors, she discovers she may not have moved far enough away from taking care of her mother for comfort.

Hearing her elderly neighbor, who yelled at her the first day she moved in, also is battling dementia and then finding the etched message of “LEAVE NOW” in her house, Shelley feels the need to keep looking over her shoulder to stay safe. Throw in the mysterious disappearance of the previous tenant in the rental house, Shelley found herself on a mission to find the truth.

This is a short thriller that seemed more about caring for those with dementia and how it long term affects the caregivers, as well as the person with it. There isn’t a high level of suspense, but there are enough twists to keep you guessing. I will say that I didn’t find myself annoyed by a female lead doing stupid obsessive things to get to the bottom of the mystery like I’ve read in some other suspense books. Wishful thinking would be more scenes with Shelley’s best friend, Josh, as he seems a delightful, underdeveloped character. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book is set for publication on January 4, 2023.

#netgalley #arc #gemmarogers #theneighbour #boldwoodbooks

The Neighbour
by Gemma Rogers
This was a pretty good book. A wild, insane neighborhood. Shelly for the get-go had weird vibes about the 6 other neighbors. She could not figure out why her older neighbor who had dementia was so brutal and rude and scary to her. The ending was a good ending which I had not guessed.

This was a decent book. Shelly and her daughter are recovering from spending the last couple of years taking care of her mother with dementia. They have found a new home in a new neighborhood. The neighbors are friendly but weird. Shortly after moving in. Shelly finds a box of the last tenent's belongings. She starts questioning who she was and what happened to her. Then things really get weird with her new neighbors.

The interactions between Shelly and her daughter are a bit cheesy. and over the top. The interactions with the neighbors often feel forced, which I believe is what was meant. This would be a good book for anyone looking for a quick, easy thriller read.

Was a great read. I love the genre the storyline was fantastic
Keep me hooked couldn't put it down
5*****

I absolutely loved reading this book it had me hooked from the first chapter the main character is extremely likable as is her daughter and I loved how the tension slowly built up in the book with all the creepy things that were happening or that shelly (main character) kept finding out! Gemma Rogers has a way with her writing that makes her books really flow and makes you want to keep reading and reading!!! This book was fantastic with thrills from beginning to a unexpected ending I loved it and can not recommend it enough!!!!

Much thanks to #netgalley #boldwoodbooks #gemmarogers for allowing me to read and review this ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

now this is so good another favourite author of mine. Shelley wants a fresh start for her and her daughter Shelley looked after her mum who had Dementia and now she has passed away Shelley sells the house her and her daughter Lauren and there dog Teddymove to a rented house in Beech close. her neighbour on her first day takes a dislike to Shelley. and the neighbours are all a little bit strange. then Shelley finds out that the person who rented the house before her has gone missing. did her neighbour have something to do with it and she sees the writing in the airing cuboard this book is very addictive and very creepy so recommend

I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun light thriller. The main character is likable, the story keeps your interest with the weirdness that goes on, and a little touch of spiciness! However, the plot feels a little weak. Everything was just explained at the end rather than play out farther.
The writing was good, a quick, interesting easy read. I would definitely read more of Gemma's titles.
Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for the RAC.

3.75⭐️ Which I have rounded up

This mystery thriller/ domestic noir is my first read by this author.

Having cared for her mom in the later stages of dementia Shelly and her daughter Lauren are now starting what she hopes is a new life in Beech close. It’s a small community of 6 houses, and on the day she moved in she managed to upset her next door neighbour.

I like Shelly, and her friend Josh. She didn’t have a great relationship with her mom before her illness, she had a really tough time looking after her. Her world is her 10 yr old daughter Lauren. Her back story gives her character good depth, and I empathised with her. There’s good diversity with the characters, single mom, a gay friend, a demented demon, and posh housewives.

From the outset the author starts building a creepy vibe surrounding house no 3.
Shelly becomes an amateur sleuth trying to find out what happened to the previous tenant of her house who disappeared suddenly.

It’s an easy read, it started with a good creepy vibe, but somehow it didn’t manage to maintain it. The pace slowed at the half way point and I found the plot a bit weak. I didn’t think Shelly doing a ‘miss Marple’ discovered sufficiently enticing clues to really keep the interest levels up. As it headed towards the finale the level of menace and tension increased again. It ended stronger.
So this one is a sandwich book for me, guess it depends if you like the sandwich filling 😊

I thought this book was really good, and I enjoyed reading it. The characters were believable, and the pace was fine, the story was good too. Well worth a read.