I absolutely adored this feel good story of a community coming together to save their home from being torn down - it is reflective of how people from different backgrounds come together to unite over a common goal, and it was beautifully done. There's quite a lot of characters, but it never feels overwhelming or confusing, and they are all quite well-rounded/easy to empathise with. I love the little side stories, the deep moments, the beauty of community. Love!!!

Freya Sampson is an author whose talent lies in creating characters that are realistic and three-dimensional. In particular, her portrayal of the residents of Shelley House has left a lasting impression on me. These characters have all been shaped by the hardships of life in their unique ways, making the storyline much more than just a simple tale of a community banding together to save their homes.

What stands out about Sampson's writing is her use of multiple points of view, which allows the reader to see the story from different perspectives. This, coupled with the complexity of all the characters, made it easy for me to become deeply absorbed in the book. However, I did notice that the pace became somewhat sporadic halfway through the story.

Overall, I found this book engaging and thought-provoking. Sampson's ability to create complex and relatable characters is truly impressive, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

This is the first book I have read by this author and won't be the last - I thoroughly enjoyed it. It tackles Issues that are difficult and relatable to.most.people at some point in their life and does.it well.

Would highly recommend

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this heartwarming story about the residents of Shelley House. The characters are all very unique and relatable in many ways. I enjoyed getting to know them all, and finding out what secrets they hold and why this made them the way they are. A lot of moments brought a tear to my eye and I loved the ending. I really enjoyed Freya Sampson’s writing and cannot wait to read more.

On the surface this is the story of a group of residents come together to prevent their eviction and the redevelopment of the beautiful old Shelly House that they call home. Of course the beauty of this book is the character back stories which unfold alongside the main theme. The diversity of people makes for an interesting mix with issues including drug use, an affair, death of a child, displacement, death of a parent, teenage problems along with the more positives; redemption, forgiveness and love.
Freya Sampson writes characters beautifully and the audio narration complimented them beautifully.

An easy to read standalone cosy mystery which involves various residents of Shelley House but in particular Kat & Dorothy.

Ms Dorothy Darling, a sprightly septuagenarian, has lived in Flat Two for decades. Filling her days sitting at her net-clad window with tea & biscuits annotating her diary with the goings on inside & outside her home. She has also taken it upon herself to do a regular safety/snag check for the whole property, firing off missives to the landlord virtually on a daily basis. Kat is a mysterious, & illegal, twenty-something subtenant of Flat One. Dorothy takes an immediate dislike to this newcomer & it appears that the feeling is mutual but Kat keeps herself to herself & reveals little of her background. That is until the letters come; hand delivered & to each tenant which leads to a resident getting hurt & Dorothy reluctantly joining forces with Kat.

Alternating between Kat & Dorothy’s stories, the pace begins to pick up with the added bonus of Reggie having a starring role. All the characters develop in a gradual, unforced way & learning their backstories was enlightening. Plenty of humour but also realism & the way the book ended was heartwarming. A recommended read.

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.