This book started off slow but was enjoyable. I felt like it dragged on at times or skipped from week to week too quick. I also felt like I didn’t fully understand the whys of some of the characters’ action. However, it kept my attention and had my reading it quickly and unable to put down at the end.

I really enjoyed reading this fast paced book! Meet Talia and Tabitha, twin sisters from Little Beak, the perfect small community. The sisters run a bakery in town and do practically everything together including living next door to each other. When a new neighbor moves in things start to get a little weird. Who can you trust? Your spouse? Your sister? Your neighbor? This book has lots of twists along the way and the ending will surprise you. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the story was very entertaining and easy to follow. Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to enjoy this read early!

I absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in and didn’t let go till the end. The characters were intriguing and the plot twists were very surprising. Highly recommend this book

This book had me turning the pages right from the start. Twin sisters - Tabitha and talia- who are both married, live next door to each other in a small town. A new neighbour moves in, what is she hiding. She’s very mysterious…. This book had me hooked from the start. The writing style makes it easy to read and I enjoyed the first person point of view. I didn’t see the twist coming, that was very clever. I didn’t really like the characters at the beginning but Talia really grew on me. I liked the greys anatomy reference and I got desperate housewives vibes in places. give this book four stars.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me the ebook version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really quick and easy read. It had a desperate housewives vibe where everyone is over the top suspicious and it's all a bit far fetched if you actually think about the logistics. In saying that, it was entertaining and fun. I wasn't a fan of the ending, as much as it tied everything up nicely. There aren't really twists, you get to the end and the author just went so it's this, this and this because if this. There was no discovery or breadcrumbs for the reader to follow. Mainly because a lot of things fron tbe big reveal were never mentioned, even hinted at until the conclusion. But yeah, it's short and I was keen to see what was actually going on

I give this 2.5 stars out of 5. I like the concept, but I had some trouble feeling fully captivated by the book for a few reasons. I felt the writing was a bit catered to a particular generation, one which came across as cringey, for lack of a better word, to me personally. It felt like the characters were forced and trying too hard to be relatable yet quirky.

I also found the writing style a bit much for a novel, rather than a short story or poem. The author provides beautiful detailed descriptions that really help you visualize what you are reading, but these descriptions were so lengthy and happened so often that I found myself getting distracted from the plot and it felt like the narrative was a bit all over the place without much plot movement actually taking place. Additionally, detailed descriptions of the same things (ex: the picture of Talia and Nate at Niagra Falls) were repeated multiple times without adding anything to the story, which felt like a proofreading oversight. Much of the story seemed to focus on the internal thoughts of the characters, rather than dedicating as much space to what was actually happening.

Similarly, I appreciate how the ending tied up as many loose ends as possible, but I found there were some holes in the plot. It was frustrating that so much detail went into backgrounds and histories in the beginning of the novel, yet the character involved in the twist was never once introduced during those and seemed to come out of nowhere. Additionally the choice of Halloween costumes mirrored important events throughout the novel, yet these parallels were never touched on and it seemed like an accidental coincidence as the novel is currently written. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline, but I found the writing to be frustrating. I do think this book could be enjoyable, it just wasn't quite as enticing to someone of a younger generation. I will definitely give Royer-Derr's other novels a chance.

Talia and Tabitha are Little Beak royalty, and a new person has just moved into the neighborhood. Tabitha takes an instance dislike to Anne while Talia is willing to give her a chance. Things start to get tense with all the relationships in this book.

The premise of the book is what caught my attention. The writing style was lackluster, in my opinion, and repetitive. The story is short if you need a quick read, but it is a slow burner.

Thanks NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC for my honest review.

The Secrets Next Door by Sally Royer-Derr is a gripping and twisty psychological thriller.

Twin sisters Talia and Tabitha are close, live next door to each other, and run their own bakery. It's a slow burn of a story that unravels many good surprises and revelations about what secrets lurk within a family.

The ending was good. There were some slow parts in the book, but mostly, the story held my interest. It was a satisfying read.

I would rate this a 3.5 (rounded to 4) out of 5 stars.

#TheSecretsNextDoor #NetGalley @Stormbooks_co

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.


The Secrets Next Door really threw me for a couple loops. What started out as twin sisters and their respective husbands living next door to each other in a small NY town and becoming suspicious of their new neighbor's motives for moving in, evolved into something much darker. There were cheating/pregnancy scandals, attempted murder, breaking and entering, murder, and some serious misdirection. What is their new neighbor's actual motive for moving in next door? She claimed to be a mystery/thriller author in town for research purposes, but is that all? Why does she act like she knows them all already? If you enjoy twisty thrillers, this should be a definite pickup.

Twin sisters, Talia and Tabitha, are so close that they live next door to each other and run their own business. The balance is upset by the arrival of a new neighbour, Anne, a mystery writer.
A thriller where in the first part we get to know the kind of relationship the twins have and then move on to the tension and paranoia that Anne creates, upsetting the sisters' routine and their secluded world. The novel has a leisurely pace and is entertaining in creating the conditions for a second part where it increases the pacing and gives us some twists that keep the reader's attention.
Interesting for lovers of slow-burning domestic thrillers.

The tension in the book gradually built up. I didn't struggle to stay interested in the early chapters as some things were slowly revealed. However, when the craziness hit, it hit in a big way during the last few chapters.

Although I often had to suspend my disbelief, the story was good. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but that didn't hamper my enjoyment too much.

I feel like the twists near the end came out of nowhere, but it's possible that I just missed some hints.

This was a quick read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a slow-burn thriller.

A quick a fun read! One of those books that you can’t think too hard about or the story like doesn’t make sense. Only took me a day to read and I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.

That was quite a read ! I loved the 1st person POV throughout. And the twists left me so shocked !! I really loved how it ended for everyone though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow I absolutely loved this book, it kept me hooked with the twists and I really wanted to find out the truth as quick as I could.

A fantastic thriller with twists and turns galore. The characters are well developed which ramps up the tension. Th prose can occasionally feel a little overwrought but it didn't impact on my enjoyment of the novel. the plot unfolds at an engaging pace and you feel the oppression of a small town. The ending was done very well.

This story had so many twists and turns. Tabitha and Zach both have very obsessive personalities. No wonder they got along so well. I definitely felt bad for Talia she loved her sister and husband both so much. Though deep down she realized the type of deep connection they had. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good story involving secrets.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

Twins, Talia and Tabitha live next door to each other. They could not be more different from each other. One is compliant and the other is a bully.

Firstly, the writing is quite weird in this book. I have read thousands of books across all genres in my life time, and never come across anything so strange.
Example:
A tall, handsome man with stylish, neatly clipped dark hair emerges from the French doors on the patio. Zach. My husband.

The second example:
A Hand clamps over my mouth, suppressing my scream. It's my hand.

I am not sure what to make of it. Perhaps it is an attempt to be comical?

However, the story is fine, it did not grip me and seemed to fall short on mind bending twists. That is entirely my own opinion. I know that some readers will love this book.

Meanwhile I am still reeling at the man and the hand which happens to be the narrator's.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

The Secrets Next Door is a psychological thriller, a bit on the short side. We follow the lives and marriages on twins, Talia and Tabitha. Also in the story is Anne, a new neighbor who just moved in.

This is a difficult book for me to review. I liked the premise of the book and the curveballs that came frequently through the story kept it interesting. The ending was very good However, I didn't like the prose. The writing, to me, was stunted. I don't like books that eliminate contractions and instead use sentences such as "She is in the way. Let us ask her to move" A small thing, yes, but it makes the book seem formal.

Overall this is a good psychological thriller and I do recommend it. Lots of twists and surprises. Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it.

This was a slow burner thriller which took me a few chapters to get into but once I did it was a fantastic read. It had mystery all the way through which kept me gripped to the very end. Highly recommended this was a great thriller. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

This was a slow burn but gripping thriller told from the viewpoints of twins and neighbours Talia and Tabitha starting the day a new resident moves next food to Talia. Tabitha doesn’t trust the new neighbour but Talia tries to get to know her. The main elements of this story were the dynamics between the twins and in part their husbands, Tabitha was very controlling with Talia and her reaction to Talia trying to befriend the neighbour was interesting. There’s some great backstory here which turns the whole thing on its head but overall it’s a fascinating family drama.