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A review by gracelozier
The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
4.0
Okay, this is a Sally Hepworth domestic thriller, which means it's 70% domestic and 30% thriller. And as with most Sally Hepworth books, the thriller part was perfect! It’s paced well and woven into the main part of the story almost unnoticeably. The big reveals and twists kept me on my toes, and led to a very satisfying ending.
However, the domestic part dragged a little too much for me. The book spends almost equal amounts of time with each of the three moms and their two kids, and I felt overwhelmed with the amount of child-rearing I read about. There’s also a lot of the “I’m not crazy, am I?!” back and forth between the three women and their counterparts.
Overall, this is a fun, twisty, thriller that’s pretty low stakes for having an unsolved kidnapping included in it. I will note that no children are harmed at all in this book, and that postpartum depression is discussed frequently and directly.
However, the domestic part dragged a little too much for me. The book spends almost equal amounts of time with each of the three moms and their two kids, and I felt overwhelmed with the amount of child-rearing I read about. There’s also a lot of the “I’m not crazy, am I?!” back and forth between the three women and their counterparts.
Overall, this is a fun, twisty, thriller that’s pretty low stakes for having an unsolved kidnapping included in it. I will note that no children are harmed at all in this book, and that postpartum depression is discussed frequently and directly.