The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen Review! @sarahpekkanen

Book Details Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Washington Square Press (July 5, 2016) Language: English ISBN-10: 150110649X ISBN-13: 978-1501106491

Bucolic Newport Cove, where spontaneous block parties occur on balmy nights and all of the streets are named for flowers, is proud of its distinction of being named one the top twenty safest neighborhoods in the US.

It’s also one of the most secret-filled.

Kellie Scott has just returned to work after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom. She’s adjusting to high heels, scrambling to cook dinner for her family after a day at the office—and soaking in the dangerous attention of a very handsome, very married male colleague. Kellie’s neighbor Susan Barrett begins every day with fresh resolutions: she won’t eat any carbs. She’ll go to bed at a reasonable hour. And she’ll stop stalking her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Gigi Kennedy seems to have it all together—except her teenage daughter has turned into a hostile stranger and her husband is running for Congress, which means her old skeletons are in danger of being brought into the light.

Then a new family moves to this quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac. Tessa Campbell seems friendly enough to the other mothers if a bit reserved. Then the neighbors notice that no one is ever invited to Tessa’s house. And soon, it becomes clear Tessa is hiding the biggest secret of all.

"Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin will strongly appreciate this rising star in women's fiction." - Library Journal.
Internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen's newest book is THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS. She is also the author of THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS. Sarah's linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled "All is Bright," and "Love, Accidentally."

Sarah is the mother of three young boys, which explains why she writes part of her novels at Chuck E. Cheese. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true. At least some dreams - Brad Pitt has yet to show up on her doorstep wearing nothing but a toolbelt and asking if she needs anything fixed. So maybe it's only G-rated dreams that come true.

Her website is www.sarahpekkanen.com and please friend her on Facebook and Twitter @sarahpekkanen!

(Note from Sarah: Here on Goodreads, my policy is to only review books I really like. If I don't enjoy the book, I won't write about it - it's just my personal policy.)

http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/
https://twitter.com/sarahpekkanen

My Thoughts

How well do you know your neighbors, really know them? It is highly unlikely that you know all there is to know about them. Everyone carries secrets and baggage along with them. Infidelities, drugs, secret drinking, even a criminal. You just never know. Human nature being what it is, people will only share so much with each other. That is the premise in The Perfect Neighbors.

Kelli Scott, Susan Barrett, Gigi Kennedy and new arrival Tess all live in the perfect cul-de-sac. This community even has the Newport Cove Listserv, where community members can email to each other their complaints or news. I thought that these little snippets at the beginning of the chapters added a bit of humor to the story.

Kelli has gone back to work after being a stay at home mom. Working in a real estate office alongside a handsome coworker challenges who she is and her relationship with her husband.

Susan is dealing with her ex-husband, Randall, and his new soon to be wife, Daphne. Susan and Daphne had been good friends with Susan but at first, Susan did not know that Daphne was the one having an affair with her husband and Daphne did not know that Susan was Randall's wife. Susan has taken to lurking outside Randall's home To add fuel to the flame, Daphne turns up pregnant.

Gigi's husband is running for Congress, they have a daughter who has started hanging around with a bad crowd, becoming more moody and angry with her mother. Dealing with a political campaign has its own set of headaches.

Then there is the new neighbor, Tessa. Her secret can bring about the ruin of everything that Tessa holds dear. A secret so horrible that Tessa is very withdrawn from her neighbors. So does socialize a bit but holds herself back from the others, not wanting to get too close.

The Perfect Neighbors is a very good book, each chapter is told by each of the four women letting the reader get inside the lives of each one of them. We see behind the facade that each of the women have so carefully put up. I thought it was a great page turner. I read it in a few sittings. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes.