The Perfect Neighbour
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- Create Date：2021-10-20 21:21:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Susanna Beard
- ISBN：B09GG41WXX
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Summary
Beth wants to love her new home on a quiet suburban street。 She wishes she could make friends with her beautiful neighbour Oksana。 She longs for a new group of friends。 Welcoming neighbours to visit。 Coffee dates and dinner parties。
But life here feels so closed。 Then Beth runs into Oksana’s garden one day to fetch her runaway dog， and she sees something shocking that makes her wonder who her new neighbours really are。
A girl in the window。
A pale desperate face。
A hastily scribbled sign bearing only two words。
HELP ME。
Who is the girl？ What are the neighbours hiding？
Sometimes， it’s the most perfect neighbours that hide the most terrible secrets。
But life here feels so closed。 Then Beth runs into Oksana’s garden one day to fetch her runaway dog， and she sees something shocking that makes her wonder who her new neighbours really are。
A girl in the window。
A pale desperate face。
A hastily scribbled sign bearing only two words。
HELP ME。
Who is the girl？ What are the neighbours hiding？
Sometimes， it’s the most perfect neighbours that hide the most terrible secrets。
Reviews
helen
，
Intriguing storyThis book is quite dark at times 。 A bit sad ， very intriguing。 With a lovely ending 。 If you enjoy psychology this is the book for you
Mrs Lena
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The novel tells the story of Sofia a modern slave and her attempts to escape from her captors。 The neighbours next door are unaware of the cruelty that is happen right next door。 The author has clearly researched her subject very thoroughly and the story she tells is plausible。 It kept me reading on so that I could discover whether Sofia would survive her ordeal。 My only criticism is that I was waiting for a twist that didn't really happen but the plot was still enjoyable。 The novel tells the story of Sofia a modern slave and her attempts to escape from her captors。 The neighbours next door are unaware of the cruelty that is happen right next door。 The author has clearly researched her subject very thoroughly and the story she tells is plausible。 It kept me reading on so that I could discover whether Sofia would survive her ordeal。 My only criticism is that I was waiting for a twist that didn't really happen but the plot was still enjoyable。 。。。more
Anna
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Newly moved in， Beth is just getting used to living in her new suburban family home in Reading。 While her husband is at work and her kids at school， Beth finds her days monotonous， missing her friends and their company。 Deciding to get better knowledge of the new environment and it's residents， she organises a get together， which leaves her without the friendships she expected。 Feeling lonely she gets a dog and the days start getting a routine。 But the dog is attracted to a garden next door and Newly moved in， Beth is just getting used to living in her new suburban family home in Reading。 While her husband is at work and her kids at school， Beth finds her days monotonous， missing her friends and their company。 Deciding to get better knowledge of the new environment and it's residents， she organises a get together， which leaves her without the friendships she expected。 Feeling lonely she gets a dog and the days start getting a routine。 But the dog is attracted to a garden next door and following him， she one day sees a young girl with a Help me sign in the window。 Who is she？ And what are the neighbours hiding？What is advertised as a psychological thriller felt more like a draft of a story where the psychological aspect isn't yet written。 The book is told in two POV's; we follow Beth in her journey of adjusting to her new life and in the other part we follow Sofia， a victim of human trafficking and domestic slavery。 What bothered me was that while Sofia's story is written in first person， Beth's story is told in the third one。The pace of the story was slow and it felt dragged out。 What happens in the first 70% of the story is just Beth getting to know her new surroundings， working in a bookshop and starting a book club。 The remaining 30% didn't deliver anything promised either。 Writing that can be best described as predictable story telling， with characters that left me with no emotion and care for them， a story where the ending doesn't bring an emotional or any kind of punch。 Maybe the book could benefit from Oksana and Kevin's POV's。What saddens me is that with such heavy themes surrounding Sofia's story， the overall story left me bored and uncompassionate。 Thanks to the author Susanna Berad， publisher Joffe Books and NetGalley for a free copy。 。。。more
Barbara Rohde
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Beth and her family move to an exclusive suburb after something that has happened to Beth in the past so that she wants a new start。 Unlike her old neighbours who were all very friendly， this area is full of high fences and people who keep to themselves。 But Beth decides to invite the neighbours over for a meet and greet and it’s here that she meets her immediate next door neighbour Oksana who looks and dresses like a model。Soon after this event Beth’s dog finds a hole in the shrubbery and escap Beth and her family move to an exclusive suburb after something that has happened to Beth in the past so that she wants a new start。 Unlike her old neighbours who were all very friendly， this area is full of high fences and people who keep to themselves。 But Beth decides to invite the neighbours over for a meet and greet and it’s here that she meets her immediate next door neighbour Oksana who looks and dresses like a model。Soon after this event Beth’s dog finds a hole in the shrubbery and escapes into Oksana’s garden。 Beth’s son retrieves the dog but notices a young girl in the window of an upper storey。 Who is she and why didn’t Oksana mention her？The story is told from the point of view of Beth and Sofia alternatively。 An interesting mystery that is neatly wrapped up although the role of the gardener seems improbable。 。。。more
Kay Oliver
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Thank you Netgalley， Joffe Books， and Author Susanna Beard for this ARC。 This insidious domestic thriller delves into our everyday lives and flips it all on its head in a dark and suspenseful way。 What would you do if you'd just moved into a new house， in a new， posh neighborhood， and see someone in one of your neighbor's houses holding up a sign that says 'HELP ME'？ Yikes！ This was quite the page turner and is filled with dark secrets。 Thank you Netgalley， Joffe Books， and Author Susanna Beard for this ARC。 This insidious domestic thriller delves into our everyday lives and flips it all on its head in a dark and suspenseful way。 What would you do if you'd just moved into a new house， in a new， posh neighborhood， and see someone in one of your neighbor's houses holding up a sign that says 'HELP ME'？ Yikes！ This was quite the page turner and is filled with dark secrets。 。。。more
Carol
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Written with compassion and empathy。 We learn of the plight of Sofia， the secret， hidden servant/slave/prisoner， held against her will in a domestic household。 Its very disturbing because the reality is， it could be a true story。 No one knows what goes on behind closed doors。 Well worth the read。
Lisa
，
the Perfect Neighbour by Susanna BeardI would like to thank both Net Galley and Joffe books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review。The book is told from different points of view。 Sofia tells her story and Beth tells hers。The beginning of the story is a bit slow but about halfway it really picks up and compelled me to continue reading until the end， in one sitting。I really enjoyed the wondering of what would happen to Sofia。Learning about who lived with Sofia， and lea the Perfect Neighbour by Susanna BeardI would like to thank both Net Galley and Joffe books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review。The book is told from different points of view。 Sofia tells her story and Beth tells hers。The beginning of the story is a bit slow but about halfway it really picks up and compelled me to continue reading until the end， in one sitting。I really enjoyed the wondering of what would happen to Sofia。Learning about who lived with Sofia， and learning about Beth and her own family， was quite the journey。 An enjoyable page turner。A nice way to spend an afternoon for sure。 。。。more
Rekha Rao
，
Five perfect stars for this perfect domestic thriller！I absolutely loved every bit of this story。 Be it the character portrayal or the suspense or the storytelling， Susanna is a master storyteller。 I cannot wait to catch up on all the books Susanna has written so far。
Christine Abruzzi
，
Pretty intense！This story line was a bit hard to handle at times but the book was very well written and gave me information on the subject that I did not previously know。 It also showed me that sometimes， if you have a very strong feeling that something is not right， maybe we， as a community， should get involved in something that seems to be none of our business。 You need to think intelligently and involve the police but it did make me wonder what would have happened if a neighbor did not get in Pretty intense！This story line was a bit hard to handle at times but the book was very well written and gave me information on the subject that I did not previously know。 It also showed me that sometimes， if you have a very strong feeling that something is not right， maybe we， as a community， should get involved in something that seems to be none of our business。 You need to think intelligently and involve the police but it did make me wonder what would have happened if a neighbor did not get involved。 It would have had a very sad ending， I think。 Subject matter is kidnapping and slavery， so you may not want to read this if you find that very upsetting。 Otherwise I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Amanda Tyler
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This was such a quick read - it really starts off with a bang and hooked me immediately！ I won't summarize because I don't want to spoil any of the plot but if you're like me and enjoy a rich housewife / suburban mystery， this book is for you。 Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review。 This was such a quick read - it really starts off with a bang and hooked me immediately！ I won't summarize because I don't want to spoil any of the plot but if you're like me and enjoy a rich housewife / suburban mystery， this book is for you。 Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Diana
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The overall story was great， it just feels like it could have been a short story。 It seemed like there was a lot of “filler” and the point could have been made much faster。
sarah
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Domestic slaveryInsightful book covering domestic slavery in the UK。 Well worth a read。 Look forward to reading more of your books
Kate
，
If you like a problem and a solution and all loose ends tied up type of story this if for you！ Don’t get me wrong - I like that too。 I was just expecting more conflict。 I love that the author didn’t add gratuitous violence for the sake of horror but it was also kind of a slow story。 However， it should be noted that around the 50% mark the speed picked up and it was actually pretty fast paced and makes your heart race。 Then the ending was just so neat but didn’t go into the whys or and details of If you like a problem and a solution and all loose ends tied up type of story this if for you！ Don’t get me wrong - I like that too。 I was just expecting more conflict。 I love that the author didn’t add gratuitous violence for the sake of horror but it was also kind of a slow story。 However， it should be noted that around the 50% mark the speed picked up and it was actually pretty fast paced and makes your heart race。 Then the ending was just so neat but didn’t go into the whys or and details of the villain。 My favorite part was the dog and， surprisingly， the father and son were actually really good male characters for the type of story it was。 Overall， I enjoyed the story but I wasn’t overly excited about it。 I’m also used to much more gory and murdery stories so if you’re not a fan of those then this is a great thriller for you！Thanks to NetGalley for my copy to read I’m exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Gary
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I found this novel a page turner and an addictive read even though I probably guessed most of what was going to happen。 Probably because it is a fairly quick read I found the fairly simple plot engaging and was keen to learn what was going to happen。Beth moves into a new house and is keen to make friends with the neighbours but soon discovers that they may be difficult。 The next door neighbour Oksana is far from hospitable and ignores Beth’s advances to make small talk。 Oksana is a bit of a myst I found this novel a page turner and an addictive read even though I probably guessed most of what was going to happen。 Probably because it is a fairly quick read I found the fairly simple plot engaging and was keen to learn what was going to happen。Beth moves into a new house and is keen to make friends with the neighbours but soon discovers that they may be difficult。 The next door neighbour Oksana is far from hospitable and ignores Beth’s advances to make small talk。 Oksana is a bit of a mystery figure to the locals and Beth’s attention is raised when she spots a young teenager in her neighbours window。 The girl is holding a sign saying ‘Help me’。I found this novel an entertaining read， not a classic but a page turner all the same。I would like to thank both Net Galley and Joffe books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ariel Himboi
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The Perfect Neighbor is mostly the cut and dry， foreign girl kidnapped and trafficked into becoming an abused maid for years until something deadlier occurs。 We drift from Sofia's POV as she grapples with her situation and how she can escape， to a rich privileged white family with a nosy white mother who gets a dog who happens to be the reason Sofia is found at all。 The plot from the summary doesn't really kick in until the 50% mark， which is dissatisfying。 I felt the author could have explored The Perfect Neighbor is mostly the cut and dry， foreign girl kidnapped and trafficked into becoming an abused maid for years until something deadlier occurs。 We drift from Sofia's POV as she grapples with her situation and how she can escape， to a rich privileged white family with a nosy white mother who gets a dog who happens to be the reason Sofia is found at all。 The plot from the summary doesn't really kick in until the 50% mark， which is dissatisfying。 I felt the author could have explored this topic more， delved into something more serious and uncovered more about what we don't know about human trafficking and black market。 Instead， this was rather cliché and I found myself skimming towards the end to get to the big reveal and rescue。 I found myself wondering， could the author not think of a more important family of characters than the modern， white， privileged sort？ Isn't the narrative always centered around the white woman who has nothing better to do because her family is lucky enough to be doing well off and she has no responsibilities besides poking into the other rich neighbor's house？ I understand the situation， of course only someone so close to the crime could have been involved and seen it， but。。。 this novel left me feeling confused about it's importance or entertainment， and least of all， the lack of education on the matter。It wasn't a quick read， it felt slow and tiring。 The sort of novel bored housewives gather around a coffee table to discuss， saying， "I would have done this， I wouldn't have done this， oh how sad。。。"。 Honestly， it was a bore。 。。。more
Amanda Varley
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How can you ever really know what is going on behind closed doors？Beth and her family have recently moved to a new house。 Formerly from a terraced house in London with a close group of friends and neighbours， she finds herself lonely and directionless as she settles into her new surroundings， which seem less welcoming and friendly as she might have hoped。 The surrounding housings are large， imposing and with owners that are not hugely sociable or welcoming， especially that of her immediate neigh How can you ever really know what is going on behind closed doors？Beth and her family have recently moved to a new house。 Formerly from a terraced house in London with a close group of friends and neighbours， she finds herself lonely and directionless as she settles into her new surroundings， which seem less welcoming and friendly as she might have hoped。 The surrounding housings are large， imposing and with owners that are not hugely sociable or welcoming， especially that of her immediate neighbour， Oksana， a glamorous and rich Russian housewife who is as cold as she is glamorous and keeps her house tightly locked and away from any prying eyes。 After rehousing a michevious dog who escapes， Beth chases him into next door's garden where a lonely face at the window suggests that Oksana and her husband are more than they seem。。。The cover and title of the work immediately caught my eye as I love this type of genre and I was soon settled into the introductory paragraphs meeting Beth and her family。 Although very likeable， the main character Beth is quite needy and a bit of a people-pleaser， perhaps linked to the reasons they moved。 She places huge importance on meeting others around her and the first half of the book follows these attempts of varying success， including inviting the neighbours round for drinks， working in a book shop and starting a book club。 I'm not sure if these are just vehicles as a way to give opportunities for Beth to meet and try to forget a friendship with Oksana or if they are to contrast the extraordinary difference of Beth's and Oksana's lives， but some of these parts felt like fillers just to extend the story rather than adding to the overall narrative。 The second half of the book is much more exciting and， without giving away spoilers， follows a very clearly well-informed and researched process。 I can't really say much more without giving away the whole premise of the book。 Overall a good book and an interesting angle that I haven't explored in other books。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Sophie Sheppard
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What a privilege it was to get an early copy of this book in order to give an open and honest review。 A huge thank you to NetGalley， the author and the publisher。 This was the first book I’ve read by Susanna Beard and I will definitely be looking out for more of her books。 Any way on with the review。 Beth and her family are looking to start a new life in a new home after her husband gets a new job meaning this will be less of a commute to work for him。 Not only that Beth has had a falling out wi What a privilege it was to get an early copy of this book in order to give an open and honest review。 A huge thank you to NetGalley， the author and the publisher。 This was the first book I’ve read by Susanna Beard and I will definitely be looking out for more of her books。 Any way on with the review。 Beth and her family are looking to start a new life in a new home after her husband gets a new job meaning this will be less of a commute to work for him。 Not only that Beth has had a falling out with her previous friends and no longer felt welcome in her old town so decided a new life was in sore for her and her family。 Beth is determined to get off to a good start with her new neighbours and make lots of friends。 She throws a house warming party and invites all of her neighbours， she finds she gets along well with all of them however the couple that live next door to her Oxana and Keith seem strange and Beth gets a gut feeling somethings not quite right about them。 Apparently it’s not only Beth who is intrigued by her new neighbours， beths dog has a habit of escaping and it seems his favourite place to escape to is next doors garden。 One day when Beth goes to retrieve her dog from the garden she sees a young girl Sofia in the window with a sign in her hand saying “help me” in that instance Beth knows she must help this poor girl and find out what is going on with her neighbours。 With the police telling Beth they need more evidence it’s up to Beth and Beth alone to go it alone to prove she is right about her neighbours and help to uncover the truth of what has happened to poor Sofia。 。。。more
Elyse Alba
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I really wanted to like this book。 However the first 70% can be found。I'm the description。 It finally got interesting over halfway in but ultimately was a let down。 So much potential but just didn't do it for me。 I really wanted to like this book。 However the first 70% can be found。I'm the description。 It finally got interesting over halfway in but ultimately was a let down。 So much potential but just didn't do it for me。 。。。more
Elina Āboliņa
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1。5 *stars*I was expecting something more from this one that's for sure！My thoughts:Beth's story is written in the third person while Sofia's is in first。 It felt like two separate stories and it was so annoying。Beth is desperate for attention and human socialization。 I know where this is heading but it makes her too desperate。 The random book club was so unnecessary， It felt like it was just there for no reason at all。 She is socially too dependent but she isn't really trying。I was seeking more 1。5 *stars*I was expecting something more from this one that's for sure！My thoughts:Beth's story is written in the third person while Sofia's is in first。 It felt like two separate stories and it was so annoying。Beth is desperate for attention and human socialization。 I know where this is heading but it makes her too desperate。 The random book club was so unnecessary， It felt like it was just there for no reason at all。 She is socially too dependent but she isn't really trying。I was seeking more drama or more thriller parts from this story。 The grand escape should have been more dramatic。Thank you for the experience！#THEPERFECTNEIGHBOUR #NetGalley 。。。more
Aly
，
I would like to thank NetGallery and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book。 The Perfect Neighbour is about a girl Sofia， who is kept captive by a husband and wife。 Beth， the woman next door， is new to the area and wants to get to know her neighbours。 It’s not until her puppy escapes through a hole in the fence that she notices a girl standing in the window with a ‘HELP ME’ sign。 HOOKED from the first chapter！ WOW！I found myself trying to read faster and faster， e I would like to thank NetGallery and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book。 The Perfect Neighbour is about a girl Sofia， who is kept captive by a husband and wife。 Beth， the woman next door， is new to the area and wants to get to know her neighbours。 It’s not until her puppy escapes through a hole in the fence that she notices a girl standing in the window with a ‘HELP ME’ sign。 HOOKED from the first chapter！ WOW！I found myself trying to read faster and faster， excited to see what was going to happen to Sofia。 This book takes you on a journey between the two main characters Beth and Sofia。 I found myself holding my breath during the intense read and found at points my heart rate picked up， nervous and anxious for Sofia。 Unfortunately as I got further into the book the pace started to slow down。 I thought having the Salvation Army involved in this story tied it back to reality。 The amount of research that has gone into this book is amazing and thought provoking。 Do you ever really know your neighbours？ Towards the end， the pace started to pick up again and had me again on the edge of my seat。 However， I struggled to understand the ending of this book， due to this I am giving it 3 stars out of 5。 。。。more
Dorothy Stone
，
Slow at times but worth the read。I gave it 5 Stars because I couldn't put it down until I finished it。 It was well written with believable characters and story line。 One of those books that keeps you guessing until the end。 Slow at times but worth the read。I gave it 5 Stars because I couldn't put it down until I finished it。 It was well written with believable characters and story line。 One of those books that keeps you guessing until the end。 。。。more
Linda Strong
，
Being new to the neighborhood， Beth is anxious to meet her new neighbors。 Throwing a welcoming party， she meets several people she hopes who will become her friends。 One of these is Oksana who lives directly next door。Beth runs into Oksana’s garden one day to fetch her runaway dog， and she sees something shocking that makes her wonder who her new neighbors really are。A young girl in the upstairs window holding a hand-written sign 。。 HELP ME。How well do you know your neighbors？ For the most part， Being new to the neighborhood， Beth is anxious to meet her new neighbors。 Throwing a welcoming party， she meets several people she hopes who will become her friends。 One of these is Oksana who lives directly next door。Beth runs into Oksana’s garden one day to fetch her runaway dog， and she sees something shocking that makes her wonder who her new neighbors really are。A young girl in the upstairs window holding a hand-written sign 。。 HELP ME。How well do you know your neighbors？ For the most part， we only see what they want us to see。 Sometimes， it’s the most perfect neighbors that hide the most terrible secrets。Suspenseful from start to finish， there are twists and turns that rival a carnival ride。 The plot is thought-provoking and the author has handled the issues buried in the story line with aplomb。 Characters are solidly drawn。 This one is a real page-turner。Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Book n All Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller。 Read and reviewed voluntarily， opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own。 。。。more
Jalia Shelley
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Sad and heartbreaking tale of a young woman sold into domestic servitude。 When Sofia was planning a trip to work in the UK， she was excited to see the world and get away from her small Bulgarian town。 She never expected the horrific turn of events that would land her stuck in a strangers home enduring terrible conditions。 Well written and fast paced。 Thank you NetGalley for this excellent book。
Ann Roberts
，
The perfect neighbour This book touches on the world of trafficking and exploitation。 I wanted to get that out there for those it might affect。 Beth， her husband and their children have moved to a new neighborhood in a new city。 They left behind friends and the home they loved。 Beth likes to think it was for convenience， but part of her is running from a bad mistake on her part。 t is hard to make new friends in this area， where everyone seems so closed off。 She does make friends with one neighbo The perfect neighbour This book touches on the world of trafficking and exploitation。 I wanted to get that out there for those it might affect。 Beth， her husband and their children have moved to a new neighborhood in a new city。 They left behind friends and the home they loved。 Beth likes to think it was for convenience， but part of her is running from a bad mistake on her part。 t is hard to make new friends in this area， where everyone seems so closed off。 She does make friends with one neighbour， Karen seems to be outgoing and welcoming。 When it comes to her close neighbour next door，Oksana is very cold and unwelcoming。 Unlike Beth and Karen， Oksana has no children。 So， why does Beth see a young teenage female in the upstairs window holding a sign saying，"Help Me！" Beth soon finds herself on a journey to find the identity of the young girl。 Is she in danger？ Is she a relative or worker playing a cruel prank？ Will Beth put her own self in danger？ Will she find herself in the middle of a mistake similar to the one she made before？ "The perfect neighbour" by Suzanne Beard is a fast paced read。 I found myself turning pages dying to know the outcome。 My thanks to netgalley and the author for a copy of the book！ Puts this on your going to read list for sure！ 。。。more
Julie
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If you liked Big Little Lies and The Girl on The Train， you are going to love Susanna Beard’s latest thriller， The Perfect Neighbour。Beth has just moved to a new house in a quiet suburban street and she cannot help but feel restless and adrift in a new neighbourhood where she doesn’t know anyone and where everybody seems so perfect。 Beth would love nothing more than to make some new friends and invite them in for coffee or host lavish dinner parties。 Her neighbour Oksana is somebody Beth would l If you liked Big Little Lies and The Girl on The Train， you are going to love Susanna Beard’s latest thriller， The Perfect Neighbour。Beth has just moved to a new house in a quiet suburban street and she cannot help but feel restless and adrift in a new neighbourhood where she doesn’t know anyone and where everybody seems so perfect。 Beth would love nothing more than to make some new friends and invite them in for coffee or host lavish dinner parties。 Her neighbour Oksana is somebody Beth would love to befriend， but she feels like an outsider and she cannot help but worry that she will never make friends or be accepted by the people she is going to be living so close with。Life feels so lonely for Beth in her new neighbourhood， but when one day she finds herself having to go into Oskana’s garden to retrieve her dog， she is shocked by what see sees: a girl at the window， her face pale and desperate and a hastily scribbled note with two words which send shivers running up and down Beth’s spine: Help Me。Who is this girl？ What is her connection to Oksana？ And just what are her neighbours hiding？ Beth feels compelled to do something to help this girl， but is she prepared for the shocking secrets she is about to uncover about her perfect neighbour？Susanna Beard is so good at lifting the lid on what really goes on behind closed doors and this mistress of domestic suspense chills and terrifies her readers yet again with The Perfect Neighbour， a creepy， eerie and shocking thriller that is deftly constructed， impeccably plotted and packed with so many twists and turns and shocking surprises that it will have you thinking twice about lending your neighbour that cup of sugar the next time they come knocking。A thriller that is impossible to put down， Susanna Beard has done it again with her latest novel， The Perfect Neighbour。 。。。more
Carol
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Just when I thought I'd had enough of books about a "perfect" anything and almost as many about a "neighbour/neighbor" - good， bad， perfect， upstairs， downstairs， etc。 - up popped this one as a Read Now on Netgalley。 Who was I to say no， especially when neighbour was spelled the way we Canadians spell it！ I'm not going to summarize the book because I think you're best going in blind and it would be too easy to give away a snippet of information that the whole book hinges on。 Suffice it to say th Just when I thought I'd had enough of books about a "perfect" anything and almost as many about a "neighbour/neighbor" - good， bad， perfect， upstairs， downstairs， etc。 - up popped this one as a Read Now on Netgalley。 Who was I to say no， especially when neighbour was spelled the way we Canadians spell it！ I'm not going to summarize the book because I think you're best going in blind and it would be too easy to give away a snippet of information that the whole book hinges on。 Suffice it to say that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to。 Strangely enough， I think this is the third time recently that I've said that。 I found the book easy to read with a nice flow and some interesting characters。 The storyline was different from anything I've read before and there were many moments of tension。 I would guess that the author did a lot of research for this book and it was nice to see her nod to the Salvation Army。 This is the first Susanna Beard book that I've read but I'll definitely be looking at some of her previous novels。Many thanks to Joffe Books via Netgalley for a chance to read an advance copy of this book。 All opinions expressed are my own。 Although Goodreads lists the publication date as September 20， I believe it's actually September 30， 2021 which means I'm only one day late！ 。。。more
Sarah MacIntyre
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This was a superb read。 A normal family moving into a suburban street in a new town and finding all is not as seems with the glamorous， wealthy neighbours。 The subject matter is dark and one that we know exists but it was heartbreaking to read。 Though this is fiction it has been so well researched and makes for a gripping， tense story。 I will be looking to read more of this authors books。
Ruth Matheson
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Overall 3。5*The story is told by the two main characters Beth - housewife， mother and wants to be friends with everyone and Sophia - the victim of domestic slavery who live next door to one another。 The book starts off at a good pace however it dips in the middle for a while before heading off again。 Some parts are good and others less so for me。 I did struggle with the role which the gardener played and his inactions， irrespective of the reason behind them （ I don't want to give any spoilers！）。 Overall 3。5*The story is told by the two main characters Beth - housewife， mother and wants to be friends with everyone and Sophia - the victim of domestic slavery who live next door to one another。 The book starts off at a good pace however it dips in the middle for a while before heading off again。 Some parts are good and others less so for me。 I did struggle with the role which the gardener played and his inactions， irrespective of the reason behind them （ I don't want to give any spoilers！）。 It is still a good story to while away the hours on a wet day。Thanks to Joffe books for the ARC to review。 。。。more
Louise Wilson
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Beth wants to love her new home on a quiet suburban street。 She wishes she could make friends with her beautiful neighbour Oksana。 She longs for a new group of friends。 Welcoming neighbours to visit。 Coffee dates and dinner parties。 But life here feels so closed。 Then Beth runs into Oksana's garden one day to fetch her runaway dog， and she sees something shocking that makes her wonder who her neighbours really are。 No one really knows what goes on in their neighbours house。 The story starts off Beth wants to love her new home on a quiet suburban street。 She wishes she could make friends with her beautiful neighbour Oksana。 She longs for a new group of friends。 Welcoming neighbours to visit。 Coffee dates and dinner parties。 But life here feels so closed。 Then Beth runs into Oksana's garden one day to fetch her runaway dog， and she sees something shocking that makes her wonder who her neighbours really are。 No one really knows what goes on in their neighbours house。 The story starts off quite strong， then it dragged for a bit in the middle， and the ending kind of let the book down。 The story is told from Beth and Sophia's perspectives。 Beth just wants to make friends with her new neighbours， but they're not all that she thought they were。 This is a story of trafficking and modern day slavery。 It's heart-breaking to learn what happens to the girls。 This is quite a good read。 I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #SusannaBeard for my ARC of #ThePerfectNeighbour in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lou
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The Perfect Neighbour is a compulsive and deeply insidious psychological thriller with a domestic edge that gets into your psyche， refuses to come out and illustrates that no matter how pristine the facade， behind the mask truly horrific events can be taking place。 Beth and Adam are a married couple with two young children， Tom and Abigail， and have recently moved to the town of Kingston near Reading for a fresh start away from gossipers， busybodies and altogether annoying members of their old c The Perfect Neighbour is a compulsive and deeply insidious psychological thriller with a domestic edge that gets into your psyche， refuses to come out and illustrates that no matter how pristine the facade， behind the mask truly horrific events can be taking place。 Beth and Adam are a married couple with two young children， Tom and Abigail， and have recently moved to the town of Kingston near Reading for a fresh start away from gossipers， busybodies and altogether annoying members of their old community; the family are soon joined by their recently acquired pet pooch Ruff。 They move into an affluent， prim and proper area of the suburbs， but while trying to settle in， Beth realises she misses her friends， family and the familiarity of their old home and neighbourhood and decides to make an effort to make friends with some of the neighbours to lighten the load， so at least she has some female company to vent to about life。 She starts by introducing herself to those who live right next door， but they come off as immediately guarded and very much as though they have secrets they wish to keep hidden because they strangely maintain a religiously controlled level of privacy at all times， something that makes Beth suspicious of them。 This in turn drives her to want to snoop around for any clues as to why they are behaving this way， but she is aware that if she's caught it could damage their friendship before it's even gotten off the ground and cause a lack of trust between themselves and those they live in closest proximity to。But one day， thanks to Ruff’s daring escape escapades she ventures onto the neighbours land and is startled to find a sinister and unsettling secret。 Meanwhile， we are also introduced to Bulgarian immigrant Sofia who had been trafficked across Europe by a gang of human traffickers until she reached her destination here in the upmarket part of town。 It is here she was put to work， treated like a slave and indoctrinated into years of domestic servitude for a family that doesn't even appreciate her help。 It's coming up to 2 years in that dire situation， and she has come to the conclusion that she must get out now no matter what it takes because time is running out。 Will she manage to free herself from confines no one should be in or is she destined to fulfil the role of a slave forever？ This is a compelling， engrossing and compulsively readable thriller that may sound like every other domestic drama on the market， but I was surprised that it brought up heavy real-world issues that you could say have been ripped from the headlines， however， despite the prevalence of human trafficking for both sexual or work-related purposes it is never an issue that really gets a lot of attention， or at least as much as it should in the media。 Beard has certainly done her research， and the despair and emotional wreck Sofia has become since being trafficked from a less developed Balkan country feels authentic and moves you。 It's fast-paced， full of twists， turns， toxicity and dark secrets， and it is a lot more gritty than Beard’s previous crime fiction。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Perfect Neighbour
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Perfect Neighbour&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Perfect Neighbour&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0