Reviews with content warning for Racism - Perfectly Nice Neighbors

I picked this up as it was part of the ‘ thriller book of the month’ deal at Waterstones.

I have been disappointed in the past by these book of the months but this one has given me hope in them again.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot of this book was simple yet gripping which I loved. There wasn’t too many characters to keep track of which again, I loved.

Content Warnings

onemorepagecrew's review

Go to review page

4.0

I recently had the chance to read the latest from an auto-read author, Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah, and I binged it in under 24 hours. It was one of those situations when I started reading in the evening then oops it is 1am. If you’re looking for something bingeable, this will do the trick. That said, I don’t think I liked a single adult character in the book.

In this story we meet two neighboring families, as one is newly moving into the community. Their encounters move from racial microaggressions to violent racism over the course of the book and I thought the pacing was well done – the tension in the book built for the reader as the characters’ encounters did. The book eventually pivots to a legal courtroom thriller, and you get multiple POVs from both families.

For me, I love the author’s books and the way she goes straight at race and class. I love the binge of her books and she usually has a twist that knocks me back. This book stays true to that formula so if you enjoyed her prior books this one will probably work for you (and if you haven’t… go find Next of Kin ASAP). The twist was a surprise but more because it felt unrealistic to me and out of character, it was not my favorite. It’s a little lighter on the courtroom details than prior books which worked for me. All in, a bingeable legal thriller that I’d recommend.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the gifted advanced copy, I appreciate you!

Content warnings: Racism, Violence

Content Warnings

starklinqs's review

Go to review page

fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I went back and forth a lot on this rating, to be honest. I loved so much of this book, and was flying through it, so the ending felt like such a bummer.

I don’t need happy endings nor do I expect them - especially with thrillers, you certainly don’t read thrillers expecting a “and they lived happily ever after.” The ending was just SO wildly depressing to me though that I wondered why I had stuck through. If it was just that it would have been okay - probably not the 4 or 5 I wanted to give it but different people like different things, and for the most part I really enjoyed the book, the ending just wasn’t for me - but the plot twist really threw me off.

I think as with every thriller, everyone has their own idea of who is culpable (and sidenote, imo this book did a great job in showing complexities and writing the characters as feeling real, not black and white villains or heroes). You’re going to be wrong sometimes and that’s okay, but the book didn’t really give out any actual plot twists until the final act of the book, and it was just completely random and convoluted. It felt like a plot twist meant to shock readers, not where you could reread the book and see the hints.

This didn’t really feel like a thriller, which isn’t really good or bad for me. At times I felt like characters had either underreactions or overreactions that kind of baffled me, but maybe that’s just my own expectations in that scenario.

I think if you can move past the plot twist and you like bleak endings this will be a fine book. I don’t want to completely disparage it, because I really did enjoy it for the most part and appreciated the commentary, but the ending just really was not for me.

Content Warnings

redsrecs's review against another edition

Go to review page

I could not get into this book at all and reading it made me feel ill. The themes are so relevant, but the characters are completely unlikable and every single happening in this book makes me anxious.

Content Warnings

soobooksalot's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

You can't pick your neighbours.
Thank you to HQ Stories and HarperCollins Canada for my gifted copy of Those People Next Door for review!
I had previously read author Kia Abdullah's debut novel, Take It Back, so was excited to be invited to read her newest.
A slow burn that laid the foundation towards this being a courtroom drama. The Khatun family moved to a house in a "better" neighborhood, despite the downturn of their restaurant business.
From nearly the first interaction, they are at odds with neighbours Tom and Willa - often racially charged - despite the two family sons forming a friendship.
Continuing acts of aggression lead to the severe injury of one of the family members, and a subsequent trial for who is responsible.
The writing style started off feeling a bit stiff to me, but as the plot progressed, so did the tension. I wasn't particularly engaged by many of the characters.
But by part 2 I was solidly invested and whipping through the pages.
Recommended!
Released on March 14.

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Kia Abdullah has done it again. Those People Next Door is another suspenseful drama (it’s marketed as a thriller and while it does have some thrillerish vibes in places I wouldn’t classify it as a thriller per se) infused with contemporary social issues, and one with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, and questioning what you would do in comparable situations.

When Salma Khatun, her husband, and son move into a safe suburban development they are looking for a fresh start. But displaying a Black Lives Matter banner puts them offside with their neighbours and things soon go from bad to worse.

At the beginning of the story I felt pretty confident who was right and who was wrong. By the end I was no longer sure. In fact all the characters, with the exception of the neighbour’s son Jamie, behaved atrociously at times and I did tire of their seeming desire to destroy each other and to come out on top in their quest for revenge. Thankfully a twist came at just the right time and pulled me back into the story.

The exposé of casual racism and classism among those who would deny they were racist or classist was spot-on. And if you need reminding that revenge is never a great idea then this is your book. I enjoyed being prompted to think about various ways of dealing with perceived conflict. I loved the courtroom scenes, which I think Abdullah writes really well. I also loved the way she looked at the issues involved in this neighbourhood dispute from all sides and didn’t take the easy, straightforward, or expected options. It was deliberately, thoughtfully nuanced. I also think she got the balance with the twists just right - some I predicted and some took me by surprise, meaning they were neither wholly predictable nor totally outlandish.

This was one of my most anticipated new releases of 2023 and I’m glad it lived up to my expectations.

Content Warnings

More...