Pretty good story. The Good Neighborby A.J. Banner (Goodreads Author) 3.32   Rating Details   38,247 Ratings   2,855 ReviewsFrom a phenomenal new voice in suspense fiction comes a book that will forever change the way you look at the people closest to youShadow Cove, Washington, is the kind of town everyone dreams about„quaint streets, lush forests, good neighbors. That?s what Sarah thinks as she settles into life with her new husband, Dr. Johnny McDonald. But all too soon she discovers an undercurrent of deception. And one October evening when Johnny is away, sudden tragedy destroys Sarah?s happiness.Dazed and stricken with grief, she and Johnny begin to rebuild their shattered lives. As she picks up the pieces of her broken home, Sarah discovers a shocking secret that forces her to doubt everything she thought was true„about her neighbors, her friends, and even her marriage. With each stunning revelation, Sarah must ask herself, Can we ever really know the ones we love?

not the book i expected. I enjoyed it though cant wait to see what comes next from the author ( )

The Good Neighbor starts off with a gripping scene of two people heading down rushing waters, one of them possibly drowning while the other struggles to save her.

Flashback to some time before this and the author delivers a convoluted backstory about a fire that destroyed the lives of several neighbors who felt a little too conveniently connected.

Sarah, the main character, is immediately likable as she rushes to the aid of a child, Mia, trapped in the burning building next door. The girl’s parents perish in the blaze, Sarah’s home is destroyed, and secrets are revealed about a series of extramarital affairs (or at least innuendo about affairs) that divert the reader’s attention from the arsonist’s identity.

I won’t say I saw the ending coming, though I knew something was up. The distraction is effective in that I didn’t guess the arson plot, but I could tell the villain wasn’t who I was being led to believe. Is that a deal breaker? No. The story was well written and captivating, for about half. The last half of the book felt rushed. The chapters became shorter, the details less thought out, and the ending lacked the tension that made the first part of this novel gripping, making The Good Neighbor hard to rate.

The book caught my attention, and for the most part, held it. Sarah was a great character. Dr. Johnny, who the author spends so much time casting doubt on, didn’t come out of this disaster as clean as I think he was supposed to. I felt Sarah deserved better, making the ending just okay for me. The author wrote some thrilling scenes, even if there were too few of them. She handled a large, diverse cast in a way that gave everyone an individual identity. I didn’t feel lost at any point. So why don’t I love this book? I don’t know, but I can see why the overall rating tends toward three. A good story, fairly well executed, but lacking in something I can’t put my finger on. A solid three and a half stars.
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Sarah and her husband Johnny have a perfect life together. They live on an idyllic street with nice neighbors and now they are trying to have a child. But everything changes one night when Johnny is away. The house beside theirs burns down and Sarah is injured and their house is also damaged. Sarah and Johnny have to move away to a new house and slowly try to move on, but Sarah feels that something is wrong. Johnny is acting strangely after the fire. Soon she doesn't know what to believe, is their marriage at risk, or is she being paranoid?

This is a fast-paced book with short chapters. Which meant when I started to read it last night was it hard to stop because I really wanted to know the truth about the fire, about Sarah's marriage. If she was being paranoid or not. So I read half the book even though I was only going to read a little.

It's not a perfect book. I feel the ending was a bit too open for my taste. But still a good ending, I wasn't disappointed over it. I just felt that, unless there will be a sequel was it left way too open.

But in the end, did I find The Good Neighbor to be a good mystery book. I enjoyed reading it and I especially liked that it was a fast-paced that was something I needed after having read some heavier books lately.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )

The Good Neighbor by A J Banner held me in suspense as Sarah tries to sort her feelings for her husband, an orphaned four-year-old, a feisty eighteen-year-old, and the burning of two houses.
Sarah writes children’s books and her husband is a prominent dermatologist. One night, the house next door catches fire and Sarah saves the four-year-old Mia. In the meantime, Sarah’s own house catches fight. Sarah encounters a cheating husband and many roadblocks to her ideal life. Who is the arsonist? And what women has Doctor McDonald, Sarah’s husband, secretly met? The novel shows that not everyone fits the outward appearance that is shown in public. The style reminds me a little of Mary Higgins Clarke in later years when her writing had lost some of the edge. ( )