My Review:

Pleasant Court is a family neighborhood where everyone is cordial and happy.  But author Sally Hepworth takes us behind closed doors and skillfully reveals secrets, lies and untruths.  A baby was left in a park, a mother lied about her pregnancy, a husband had a secret child, a wife had an affair.  There is also friendship, love, compassion and support to round it out – the complexities of life are exposed in The Family Next Door.

This family drama exposes lots of hidden mysteries. After postpartum depression, Essie and Ben relied on Barbara, Essie’s mom to help out with their two daughters.  Ange’s husband Lucas was unfaithful so she told him a lie to keep him interested in the marriage.  Fran stepped out on her husband Nigel and then questioned whether or not he was the father of their youngest child.  And then Isabelle moved in next door.  With a sketchy background and no husband or children, she stood out as an unlikely neighbor.   She weaseled her way into the neighborhood friendships and ultimately we learn why she is there, but it is not what I expected!

This story offers a glimpse of reality, showing complications in marriages, past histories, parents and children, with a shocking secret.

Always a fan of Sally Hepworth, I enjoyed this peek behind the curtain; a quick, easy and fun read.

As Seen on Goodreads:

The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn’t fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange’s compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won’t let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park – and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread – and they’ll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.

About the Author:

Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016) and The Mother’s Promise (2017), and The Family Next Door (Feb 2018). Sally’s books have been labelled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing”.

Sally’s novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 15 languages.  She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.