The Family Next Door

February 1, 2018
Pleasant Court is a familiar neighborhood, full of families, watch meetings, chats at the mailbox. It's also full of secrets, and Pleasant Court's newest resident may reveal them all. Ange appears to have the perfect family, so who is the woman who knows her husband so well? Fran and her husband came back together after a rough period when she announced her pregnancy, so why won't she let him near the baby? Essie's closest friends and family know that she once left her newborn behind at a nearby park, but how can they be sure she won't fall apart again now that she has a second child? Enter Isabelle, the woman who doesn't quite fit into the neighborhood, who quickly becomes uncomfortably close to Essie, and who has a secret of her own. Hepworth (The Mother's Promise, 2017) deftly keeps the reader turning pages and looking for clues, all the while building multilayered characters and carefully doling out bits of their motivations. A must for Hepworth's growing fan base, and a good suggestion for readers of fellow Aussies Liane Moriarty and Jane Harper.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 1, 2018

Couples Fran and Nigel, Essie and Ben, and Ange and Lucas seem to have it all together. Happy marriages, thriving children, and as neighbors, they are the best of friends. But each family harbors its own secrets, which come to light when new neighbor Isabelle, who's single, shows up on the quiet cul-de-sac, bringing with her an air of mystery and intrigue. Isabelle takes a particular liking to Essie and the two quickly become best friends. Meanwhile, Fran is literally running herself into the ground, taking multiple runs daily. Ange is faced with a decision that no wife or mother wants to believe as her marriage to Lucas is put to the test. Hepworth (The Mother's Promise) pens a work full of searing secrets and riveting realizations. Readers will be sucked in from the first page, as this fast-paced and alternating point-of-view chapters make it hard to put down. With jaw-dropping discoveries, and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. VERDICT Perfect for lovers of Desperate Housewives and Big Little Lies, with a dash of Single White Female, this novel will stick with readers for a long time. [See Prepub Alert, 10/9/17.]--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2017

An Australian author who made her mark here with The Secrets of Midwives, Hepworth introduces us to small-town Essie, forever anxious because she once nearly abandoned her sleeping baby. She becomes friendly with the new next door neighbor, a single woman who's regarded suspiciously by the townsfolk. Soon, Essie recognizes that Isabelle has moved there with a purpose. Look for a national tour.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018

Couples Fran and Nigel, Essie and Ben, and Ange and Lucas seem to have it all together. Happy marriages, thriving children, and as neighbors, they are the best of friends. But each family harbors its own secrets, which come to light when new neighbor Isabelle, who's single, shows up on the quiet cul-de-sac, bringing with her an air of mystery and intrigue. Isabelle takes a particular liking to Essie and the two quickly become best friends. Meanwhile, Fran is literally running herself into the ground, taking multiple runs daily. Ange is faced with a decision that no wife or mother wants to believe as her marriage to Lucas is put to the test. Hepworth (The Mother's Promise) pens a work full of searing secrets and riveting realizations. Readers will be sucked in from the first page, as this fast-paced and alternating point-of-view chapters make it hard to put down. With jaw-dropping discoveries, and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. VERDICT Perfect for lovers of Desperate Housewives and Big Little Lies, with a dash of Single White Female, this novel will stick with readers for a long time. [See Prepub Alert, 10/9/17.]--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.