The Secret Next Door

By: Rebecca Taylor

Narrated by: Libby McKnight

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

It's the perfect neighborhood, filled with not-so-perfect people.

Alyson Tinsdale is giving her son the childhood she never had: a stable family, loving home, and a great school in a safe neighborhood. When they move into the home of her dreams in one of Denver's most sought-after developments, Alyson works hard to fit in and impress the other mothers.

Bonnie Sloan is the neighborhood matriarch. With her oldest son headed to Yale, and her youngest starting kindergarten, Bonnie is now pursuing her own long-held political aspirations. But it's her middle child, Elijah, and their private family struggles, that cast a shadow over her plans.

When the open space behind some of the most expensive homes gets slated for development into an amusement facility, the neighborhood becomes deeply divided. The personal pressures and community conflicts ratchet with every passing day, but it's when a 13-year-old is found dead beside the neighborhood lake that simmering tensions boil over into panic.

Gossip flows, lies are exposed, and accusations are made as cracks run through the community's once solid foundations. The neighborhood's faith in exterior appearances is eclipsed by the secrets every house keeps.

Rebecca Taylor, author of Her Perfect Life, returns with this fast-paced, engrossing novel that reminds us that nothing is ever as perfect as it seems.

©2021 Rebecca Taylor (P)2021 Recorded Books, Inc.

Not what I Expected

Kept me engaged. Even though as an introverted homebody I kept rolling my eyes hearing someone constantly acting so desperate for friends. Not really many twists but enough family and neighborhood drama to keep you tuned in.

Like a Good Neighborhood? Look again!

There is so much going on in this story. Traumatic childhoods, child-abuse, murder, profanity, hidden dreams, mother-in-law conflicts, flirtatious neighbors, alcoholism, politics, social media issues, bullies, etc. Almost every societal event or issue is included in this story. While the main plot offers good reading, there are multiple problems and side stories that also require listener's attention. NONE of the characters are likeable. The adults are dishonest ignorant deployable individuals raising bratty, outspoken children. There seemed to be some incomplete character development or missing information about characters. Some readers/listeners express the use of the profanity as a dislike.

Surprisingly, I liked the story because it was fast-paced and the narrator was excellent! The story provides some insights into the real lives of people who live at a higher financial level than I. It reveals that their lives are not fairy-tale perfect and that they have concerns, needs, and problems like everyone else.

Looking for more from this narrator and author.

Very well written and the narrator was excellent.

I did not like the language,to many GDs. the book would have been just as good without it.

loved!

A great story about suburban motherhood and always more than you have. Loved all the characters, very easy to follow and always knew who was talking!

Narrator or mispronounced many words

Either the author doesn’t know past tenses, or it was something added by the narrator. Good story; not much of a mystery.

good listen

The story was good but the author put a lot of swearing in this story. It detracts a bit.

Boring

This book was so long and boring , I don’t recommend i could not wait for it to be finish wasted my money buying it

Exhausting

Most of the story a bunch of repeats, complaining instead of facing the problems head on and using wine to solve her problems. Yeah she has anxiety how many times do we have to know that and it’s not anxiety it’s cowardice.
It took so long to get to the heart of the story just empty gossips
And what so hard telling the mother in law a piece of her mind. The mother-in-law is right she needs a spine.

Good story

The narrator was great. I truly enjoyed the suspense, the snobs and all the secrets they held

I really enjoyed this book

The storyline was not too predictable and had a nice pace. Not too many characters so it was easy to follow and keep track of their relationships.