Neighborly

A Novel

By: Ellie Monago

Narrated by: Amy McFadden, Cristina Panfilio

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A not-to-be-missed novel of suspense about the secrets hidden in a young couple’s new neighborhood.

Kat and Doug felt like Aurora Village was the perfect community. Minutes from the city, affluent without pretension, low crime with a friendly vibe - it’s everything Kat never had, and that she’s determined to provide for her infant daughter. Snagging a nice bungalow in this exclusive enclave was worth all the sacrifice. But everything changes overnight when Kat finds a scrawled note outside their front door.

That wasn’t very neighborly of you.

As increasingly sinister and frighteningly personal notes arrive, each one stabs deeper into the heart of Kat’s insecurities, paranoia, and most troubling, her past. When the neighbors who seemed so perfect reveal their open secret, the menace moves beyond mean notes. Someone’s raising the stakes.

As suspicious as she is of every smiling face and as terrified as she’s become of being found out, Kat is still unprepared for the sharp turn that lies just ahead of her on Bayberry Lane.

©2018 Ellie Monago (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

A glimpse into suburbia

Great beginning and middle, but disappointing end to an otherwise entertaining story. The narrator was great but why did her voice for Doug sound like a dork!

Great read

I really loved this book! I didn't want to stop. It kept me in suspense. I will be reading this one again.

very good book!

lots of twists, very interesting cast. good read! enjoyed the storyline. would definitely recommend, worth the read

Lots of Neighbors and lots of secrets.

This was a mostly enjoyable story that had me adsorbed and listening avidly until the end...unfortunately the ending fizzled and was somewhat anticlimactic.
At the beginning of the story I felt that Kat was a pretty whiney person, and the author felt the need to tell us over and over how unsure, insecure and introverted she is. The story and descriptions didn't do a very good job of making me empathize with Kat.
Kat is the main narrator for most of the story until an abrupt switch in narrators nearly 2/3 of the way through.
I was intrigued in the mystery of the neighborhood. I was interested enough in the various descriptions of neighbors and the crytic clues given about the various couples in the AV to keep me listening to the story. Kats sad childhood history is hinted at but never fully delved into. And she refuse to tell her husband the whole truth about her horrific childhood.
But although the story line got more and more riveting, the plot began to meander is several different directions that sped up....and then...went nowhere. We are introduced to fascinating and lurid details about the secret lives of the AV. And then several story lines just get mentioned and then go nowhere. Never to be mentioned again.
There were also a few details about Kat and Doug that didn't make sense, Does anyone?, even someone with unlimited funds overbid $450,000 on a crackerbox of a house, just to get in a neighborhood? Much less a couple who are on a limited income. It didn't dazzle me with their intelligence.
Kat also has some rather bizarre internal rambling observations about her child and motherhood.
Doug was kind of a jerk, and never did redeem himself entirely. His wishy washy attitude was lame and feeble.
So athough the story was compelling, the characters, not so much. Except maybe for poor poor baby Sadie.
Ultimately the writing and mystery was good, and I was engaged until nearly the end of the story, but the ending fizzled out badly, leaving me thinking....thats it?
Forgiving and forgetting by MC and not nearly enough closure with several loose neighbor hood threads left dangling. The ending was innocuous.
Narration was ok.

nail biter

I loved it.. it started slow but you have to give it a shot. I couldn't stop listening

Mom Lit?

Well it’s hard to give a decent review without spoiling the plot so I will be brief.Only two comments.

1. Avoid books where characters compare themselves to animals. Mama bears have teeth and claws and hundreds of pounds of muscle. You don’t.

2. This was my first audible book. The narrator did a good job. However when the book began Doug sounded like a character from cartoons, Goofy, or some equally doofus character. However as the book progressed, Doug’s voice changed into something more believable. (Or Doug revealed himself as a doofus in fact - not sure which) Good work. And every time the main character spoke about her baby, it was so syrupy sweet that I wanted to slap her. Ah well, my first introduction to Mom lit.

Summary: more like a 3 3/4 stars. Summer read or listen

Addictive Story

I listened to it in one day!! I enjoyed the characters & the twists! Definitely a must read

Okay...

I really enjoyed this book, quite a lot actually. It kept me interested and excited for the next thing...

WOW

Neighborly is a complex multi-faceted book with lots of emotions and twist and turns. U put the book down several times because I was afaid of what might happen next. The only thing I didn't like was that there were so many characters and I list track of who was who. I would definitely read another book by Ellie Monago. The narrators also did a good job bringing the story to life.

The Narrator

I really liked the book, but it took me awhile to get used to the way Ms. McFadden narrated it. I realized that she narrated it the way the character probably would have ... since she was a bit uptight. Once I got used to that idea, she did a great job. :)