A review by onemorepagecrew
Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah

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 
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