My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.60 with 4,889 ratings (as of 5/12/2021)

Arlo Wilde, a gruff has-been rock star who’s got nothing to show for his fame but track marks, is always two steps behind the other dads. His wife, beautiful ex-pageant queen, Gertie, feels socially ostracized and adrift. Spunky preteen Julie curses like a sailor, and her kid brother Larry is called “Robot Boy” by the kids on the block.

Their next-door neighbor and Maple Street’s Queen Bee, Rhea Schroeder—a lonely community college professor repressing her own dark past—welcome Gertie and family into the fold. Then, during one spritzer-fueled summer evening, the new best friends share too much, too soon.

As tensions mount, a sinkhole opens in a nearby park, and Rhea’s daughter Shelly falls inside. The search for Shelly brings a shocking accusation against the Wildes that spins out of control. Suddenly, it is one mom’s word against the other’s in a court of public opinion that can end only in blood …Synopsis from Goodreads

200 Word Review

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan is a difficult book to review in 200 words. There is so much I want to mention but need to limit myself. My review can be summed up in three words “read this book.”

Maple Street is a perfect place to raise a family. The neighbors interact with each other as an extended family. They gather for barbeques, help each other, and look out for each other’s children.

The new family is different. Arlo, a has-been rock star. Gertie, a beautiful ex-pageant queen. Julie, an intelligent preteen who curses like a sailor. Larry, an autistic boy who, along with his family, does not fit with the Maple Street image. The queen bee, Rhea, takes the family under her wing, and everyone welcomes them into the fold.

After a booze-fueled night, Rhea overshares to Gertie, which starts the Maple Street implosion.

Good Neighbors is a twisted story that takes its time to grow like the heat in summer. I recently read an ok writer cannot mess up a great plot while a great author will take a great plot and make it even better. Langan’s writing and the great plot make for an excellent, well-written book.

This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Scribd.com, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 5/12/21. When available, the review will be published, using Overdrive, will be rated in 9 libraries.

Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Print Length: 304 pages
ISBN: 9781982144364
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: February 2, 2021

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