Secure Your Copy The Good Neighbor Envisioned By Cathryn Grant Compiled As PDF

beginning to end, I just couldn't take this book seriously,
It just jumped right into Brittany's disappearance without any set up or character development,
I can't help but feel this would have been a good maybe even great book if the characters had been fleshed out better, But, alas, they weren't. Not even close.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, This was more distracting than helpful to the plot and surprisingly didn't help with the characterization, Everyone in the book feels more like a caricature than real person based on their questionable behaviors and odd thought processes,

Much like the characters, the plot is also unrealistic, overblown and ridiculous, The 'twist' and the ending were set up like a bad comedy sketch,

I'm sorry to say, I won't be reading anything else from this writer, This is the first novel by Cathryn Grant Ive read, and all I can say is WOW, A fourteenyearold girl goes missing from her bedroom one night from a cul de sac, The family had just moved there two months ago, and because the girl is home schooled and the mother is the teacher and the dad works from home, no one in the community knows this family.
However, their neighbor, Taylor, whos married but has no kids of her own, decides shell start a Facebook page to try and help track Brittany down, That page ultimately brings out a whole lot of crazies, but also a lot of dark secrets,

There was a time in the novel where I pretty much didnt like the decisions of anyone I thought I was supposed to be rooting for, but by the surprising end, I had empathy for just about everybody.
This wasnt a fun read in that it's cast by some very damaged people, but it is fun in that I couldnt wait to find out how it ended, Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and discover a newtome author,

For more reviews, please visit sitelink theresaalan. net/blog This review was originally posted on sitelink Books of My Heart
 

copy was received from Publisher, This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review,
 
OK, The Good Neighbor was totally not what I expected, I thought it would be a story about looking for the missing girl with her family's terror and some police procedural detail and the suspense of not knowing what had happened to her.
  I also kind of expected that the neighbor would be a key support for the family based on the title,   I will not spoil this story by sharing any of the twisty, mindbending facts,

We do get the point of view of each of the parents a little bit, and two of the neighbors, a woman, Taylor, and a teenage boy, Luke and the girl herself, Brittany.
Until I went back and checked I would have said it was almost all from the point of view of the neighbor, Taylor, Perhaps that is because some of the others, particularly Moira doesn't seem very reliable,    We get a better sense of how the loss and search affects Taylor than the parents, I guess the title would hint at this, and actually it has a double meaning in the end,

I was blown away with the world created, with everything seeming unusual, The police don't act the way I would expect, especially with the parents,   There was a lot which didn't seem to make sense, until it did,  I enjoyed this odd and creepy story,

Narration:
I really enjoyed the female narrator and she handled both the adult women and the teen, Brittany with different voices which seemed appropriate,   I thought the male narrator was fine, although maybe too old sounding for Luke,   I definitely enjoyed both in the audio performance,   Each chapter was a different character point of view, with Durante narrating if the character was female and Marvel narrating if it was a male character view,   I listened at my normal,x speed.

Listen to a clip: sitelink HERE thank you to Netgalley, Cathryn Grant and Inkubator Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review


Sometimes you read things into other people that youre feeling yourself.
Its rarely possible to know what someone is thinking just by looking at them, but we always think it is,


stars,

This was utterly fascinating to read! It was beyond my expectations, From near the beginning I could easily tell that something wasn't right with this neighbourhood, But I guess maybe most people will come to that conclusion based on the synopsis of this story,

Brittany is ayear old girl who has a Mother named Moria and a Father, Alan, They move to California to begin a new life there,   The neighbours don't really see or hear much from the household until that is, one night Moria comes racing out of the house knocking on doors, frantic because Brittany is nowhere to be found.
Pretty soon it becomes obvious that Brittany has been kidnapped, Or has she

Spread out in the story are little secrets that reveal that things aren't exactly as they seem, Are the neighbours hiding something One neighbour, Luke, in his earlys spends quite a lot of time watching the neighbourhood occupations, While Taylor, who also lives on the street, at first seems to be just a kind and caring person, but she seems overly eager to be so 'helpful, ' She made even me feel smothered at times, There is definitely an uneasy feeling I get from these people,

Then there is another character, Crystal, who pops up in the story after discovering the Facebook page that is there to try and get help from people to find Brittany.
She sends a message to Taylor, What she reveals, is a twist I didn't see coming,

This story was different to most missing person stories that I have read, It was captivating the whole way through and because it was a bit different to my usual storylines, it made it feel like I couldn't predict what had happened, Moria was a character that got creepier and creepier, Something just wasn't right with her, I had thought the same with Taylor as well so I was really interested to see how the story would pan out, I wasn't disappointed. The story wrapped up nicely at the end and I felt satisfied with it, The ending can make or break a story and this one gets a tick for doing it well, I would definitely recommend this, The premise of this book is great, but every single person, except Taylors husband and Brittany, is a neurotic mess,
The voice of each person sounds exactly the same although POV is “supposedly” changing,

It was tortuous to read, I wanted most of the characters to die so they would STFU, Bookof

I was completely hooked by this story line, Every character is so messed up, I wasnt sure there was anyone I could really root for, I didnt know who I could trust, I loved the multiple POVs, It kept the story moving amp interesting, Wont liea little disappointed with the “where was Brittany” conclusion, I feel like that was a missed opportunity, but maybe the author kept it that way because there was already so much going on with all the characters, Overall, a great story that would be a good book for discussion, Im so glad this was recommended to me!

Format: audiobook hooplaAvon library
loved the female narrator, but didnt care for the male narrator
I did have to relisten to a few chapters because I felt like Id surely missed something A young girl goes missing in the middle of the night.
Has she been taken from her bed This is a good neighbourhood so who and whyTaylor is a neighbour who wants to help and takes on the facebook page for missing Brittany.
She wont settle until she feels that everything possible is being done to find this young girl, Brittanys family only moved in a short time ago and so noone knows them well, When their furniture was being moved in Taylor saw a bed more suited to an eight year old than a preteen and thought at the time something didnt quite add up.
With Brittany now missing more and more is adding to that theory,
This is one of those reads that slowly but surely envelopes you, Before you know it you are turning seemingly faster and faster to find out what is going on, Chapters are “by” different characters to give their side of the story, When secrets from the past resurrect themselves the truth always outs, A clever and well thought out premise and well rounded characters, I took to Taylor and her determination not only to find Brittany but for the truth, There is a subplot, I wont spoil anything other than to say that we get occasional chapters from Brittany herself about her life and what has been going on which adds to the tension of the plot.
A tense, gripping emotional read
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This book is terrible and I dont understand the high ratings, The characters are stupid and unlikable, The writing is repetitive and dull, I have no idea what the “shocking plot twist” was because it was all pretty obvious,

I finished reading it because I hate starting a book and not finishing it but pass on this one if youre fortunate enough not to have started it.
The best part about it was when I finished it, Wow

And you thought you had problems

Insanity is only one tragedy away,

This is Cathryn Grants first book I have read and holy shit it packs a punch,   This book is the tipping

point for me to immediately add a few more of hers to my TBR I seriously dont need to be adding more but screw itI can rest when Im dead.
  I love the way she has weaved a chilling tale that in all honesty is completely believable,   How real it was scared me acutely,   Im in awe how she used the enormity of a mothers love and twisted and twisted and twisted until it became something else entirely,   How far will a mothers love go  Can you love someone too much

Its no secret that I love a psychological thriller, and this delivered, straight, to. the. door.   The synopsis had me at the first sentence and I was already buckled in and ready for a tale of thrills, suspense and a secret that was better of buried, or was it  Can a good intention be done for the wrong reasons  Do we deserve to make decisions for vulnerable people no matter the consequence  This is what Cathryn Grant examines under the microscope.
 

The prologue is a shit your pants opener,   It quite literally goes for the jugular,   “There was so much blood, ”  This instantly had my attention and the author held it there for the entirety of the story,   The story picks up in a privileged Californian community and you get a real feel of how secluded and out of the way they are,   You also start to get little hints about how something is off Whats the issue with Moira  Why is there something so off about the daughter, Brittany  From the offset the visual doesnt match what they are being told.
  Warning bells are ringing, and they are deafening,   The authors writing style had me captivated and I was on the edge of my seat awaiting the next twist to be revealed,   The main characters are strong but with flaws but equally the supporting characters are just as relatable,   They dont suffer or stand in the shadow of the MCs they enrich the story and give it aD quality,   Taylor is one of these characters she is what I would hope humanity is all about,   She has that never give up approach to life, she has hope and love and wants to see the best in people even it has a detrimental effect in her own life.
 

Moira was an odd character to me right from the bat,   She behaved oddly, she had odd reactions to her neighbors and how she was with her daughter,   Christ on a bike!  I get the whole you want to protect your daughter from all the bad in the world, keep them from harm and keep them innocent for as long as possible but you really cant wrap them in cotton wool!  Children need to grow up, they need to be given the freedom to make their own mistakes, otherwise there is going to come a day when your child is going to turn against you for not allowing them to experience these things.
  She proclaims to the police that they were a happy family and that they never arguethe police are baffled,   Im baffled.   What teenager doesnt argue with their parents over this or that,   They time and time again insist that Brittany isnt like normal teenagers, she doesnt argue over the rules, she doesnt want what other teenagers battle over,   Why is that exactly Why is she so different  Moira and Alan are hiding something,   They protest just a bit too much,  

The novel is a swift descend into madness,   Everything happens very quickly, and I read this book in two sittings damn the need for sleep,   Who is guilty of Brittanys disappearance  Its like whispers, over time they change, and the original is no longer the same,   You can tell where its leading, but the journey shocks you all the same,   There is a sinister figure in the corner and its never quite forgotten,   The ending is off the charts, can a perceived good thing cover up a world of hurt or are you so broken that you cant see past your reasoning and wont let anyone stand in your way.
  Noone. Nothing.  

The Good Neighbor packs a swift punch,   Youll stagger, youll trip and before you know it, youre on your knees reeling from the truth,   Its addictive and terrifying as hell,   A story so tragic you dont know which way is good and bad,   A toxic tale of motherly love,

Thanks to Emma Damppebbles for my spot on the blog tour and for the copy of the book,   All thoughts are my own,  .