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23
BEING NEIGHBOURLY IS A RISKY BUSINESS . . .
Discover the hilarious and heartfelt journey of Raquel Fitzpatrick as she navigates the challenges of staying true to herself amidst a whirlwind of chaos and intrigue. This laugh-out-loud British comedy explores family, sisterhood, and the pitfalls of making questionable decisions. Will Raquel be able to save herself and her family from the consequences of her choices? We all slip up at some point in life, don't we? The real issue, the one that matters most, is whether we can get away with it. Raquel Fitzpatrick, the slipper upper in this case, is a foodie, a writer, a mother of three, and wife to one. She's an over thinker, a more than she should wine drinker, and during just one summer, she inadvertently created a catastrophic situation that would take a miracle to rectify. When new neighbours moved in across the road, Raquel unnaturally decided to be friendly—a decision that could bring her world crashing down. Just one silly mistake triggered a chain of events that could land her behind bars, leaving her with no choice but to turn to her eccentric and annoying family for help. But there was one huge problem. Her husband Dave is a law-abiding police officer. Dive into this engaging tale of love, adventure, and the importance of staying true to oneself even when the odds are stacked against you. Don't miss out on this exciting read; grab your copy today and join Raquel on her unforgettable journey!
Discover the hilarious and heartfelt journey of Raquel Fitzpatrick as she navigates the challenges of staying true to herself amidst a whirlwind of chaos and intrigue. This laugh-out-loud British comedy explores family, sisterhood, and the pitfalls of making questionable decisions. Will Raquel be able to save herself and her family from the consequences of her choices? We all slip up at some point in life, don't we? The real issue, the one that matters most, is whether we can get away with it. Raquel Fitzpatrick, the slipper upper in this case, is a foodie, a writer, a mother of three, and wife to one. She's an over thinker, a more than she should wine drinker, and during just one summer, she inadvertently created a catastrophic situation that would take a miracle to rectify. When new neighbours moved in across the road, Raquel unnaturally decided to be friendly—a decision that could bring her world crashing down. Just one silly mistake triggered a chain of events that could land her behind bars, leaving her with no choice but to turn to her eccentric and annoying family for help. But there was one huge problem. Her husband Dave is a law-abiding police officer. Dive into this engaging tale of love, adventure, and the importance of staying true to oneself even when the odds are stacked against you. Don't miss out on this exciting read; grab your copy today and join Raquel on her unforgettable journey!
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2023
144 people are currently reading
641 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
September 7, 2023
Perfect fun summer read.
If you’re a fan of the TV shows Miranda and Motherland then I think you will love this book.
It may not win any high brow prizes for literature but it’s laugh out loud funny at times.
Sit back, pour yourself a glass of your favourite tipple and get ready for a ride of non stop catastrophes that is the life of Raquel when new neighbours move in across the road at number 23.
If you’re a fan of the TV shows Miranda and Motherland then I think you will love this book.
It may not win any high brow prizes for literature but it’s laugh out loud funny at times.
Sit back, pour yourself a glass of your favourite tipple and get ready for a ride of non stop catastrophes that is the life of Raquel when new neighbours move in across the road at number 23.
August 12, 2024
4.5 stars… haven’t read a book in ages and really enjoyed this one for making me laugh. The story was not what I expected, and had me gripped.
August 9, 2023
It's a romance - it's a thriller - it's a comedy - it's a crime scene
We meet Raquel, wife to Dave, mother to 3 kids, sister to Mel, daughter to the most annoying parents. Raquel is a foodie, a writer, and definitely an overthinker, especially if there is wine involved.
One afternoon, Raquel decides to involve her new neighbours Gina & Matt into one of her food writing projects. Spending a little bit too much time with Matt teaching him how to cook healthy food from scratch. Just one silly mistake triggered a chain of events that could land her behind bars, leaving her with no choice but to turn to her eccentric and annoying family for help.
But there was one huge problem. Her husband, Dave, is a law-abiding police officer.
Let's just say that from there, the whole situation snowballed out of control, and you just can't stop yourself from reading until the end.
This is no doubt the most funniest book I have read in a while (thanks to the northern humour). There are a lot of laugh out loud moments, and the author NJ Miller brings a lot of wit and details into the story. I loved Raquel, even though at times I wanted to tell her to stop. Her mother's one liner are hilarious. I just felt like I was right in the middle of the situation with the family.
23 is an outstanding debut novel by @njmillerbooks. Brilliant British humour from start to end, and you should definitely be reading this book. It's the perfect summer read!
I really hope the author leaves the anonymity behind because I really need to know who's behind the name. I am so looking forward to reading more books by you!
Thank you @teresapaulconsulting for kindly gifting me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
We meet Raquel, wife to Dave, mother to 3 kids, sister to Mel, daughter to the most annoying parents. Raquel is a foodie, a writer, and definitely an overthinker, especially if there is wine involved.
One afternoon, Raquel decides to involve her new neighbours Gina & Matt into one of her food writing projects. Spending a little bit too much time with Matt teaching him how to cook healthy food from scratch. Just one silly mistake triggered a chain of events that could land her behind bars, leaving her with no choice but to turn to her eccentric and annoying family for help.
But there was one huge problem. Her husband, Dave, is a law-abiding police officer.
Let's just say that from there, the whole situation snowballed out of control, and you just can't stop yourself from reading until the end.
This is no doubt the most funniest book I have read in a while (thanks to the northern humour). There are a lot of laugh out loud moments, and the author NJ Miller brings a lot of wit and details into the story. I loved Raquel, even though at times I wanted to tell her to stop. Her mother's one liner are hilarious. I just felt like I was right in the middle of the situation with the family.
23 is an outstanding debut novel by @njmillerbooks. Brilliant British humour from start to end, and you should definitely be reading this book. It's the perfect summer read!
I really hope the author leaves the anonymity behind because I really need to know who's behind the name. I am so looking forward to reading more books by you!
Thank you @teresapaulconsulting for kindly gifting me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
August 4, 2023
23 is a must-read this summer! Was absolutely hooked from beginning to end and loved how much classic British humour was littered throughout. Sad I have finished, but can’t wait to read her future work.
July 16, 2024
The best bit? The author ‘has decided to stay anonymous because she’s just not that into people’. I enjoyed this read, it had me laughing laughing out loud multiple times which is actually no small feat when it comes to reading. Can’t wait to hopefully see some more from anon
January 27, 2024
Gave it a try but not for me!
Read
August 19, 2024When books try really hard to be funny, it's the biggest turn-off. DNF'd.
Read
February 23, 2026Fast, furious and above all funny – I had such a giggle with this Third Thursday Book Club choice and loved every minute of my fast read. N J Miller is a self-published author, but a publisher really needs to pick her up.
Raquel is a harassed, menopausal food writer with three teenage kids, a high-flying lawyer for a sister and a slob of a husband who happens to head the drug squad. She’s also a walking catastrophe with an unerring instinct for making the wrong decisions. She's surrounded by a cast of alternately useless, sinister and just plain bonkers characters who somehow remain perfectly authentic, from her sarcastic but unpredictable mother and a dreadful third cousin, Tom, to her tacky instagram-ready neighbours Matt and Gina at number 23. The humour is right on the nose and bang-on contemporary, though I’m not sure anyone not familiar with British humour would get all the cultural references to ‘A.J.’ (Antony Johnson) or even Alex Ferguson (perhaps that explains the absence of a publisher). I could fill a page with Raquel’s one-liners (‘Stu had a ponytail and was pushing fifty, so there was no way he could be taken seriously’; ‘I didn’t even know Nancy had a daughter; I thought she lived in the airing cupboard and the towels were her children’; ‘Michaela insisted on looking like a vegan even though she wasn’t one’) but realise they probably don’t come across as funny in a review, so just take my word for it – they are.
I could quibble with the grammar (if the author gets a publisher, they can stop her joining sentences with a comma) – but that’s a minor niggle: comedy, character and plot are all coherent and maintained throughout, despite the dark turn the story takes as the criminal activities of Raquel’s neighbours become apparent. But where it really wins is the romcom element of Raquel’s marriage to Dave and the turnaround in Raquel’s opinion of her husband. To keep all these balls in the air – including some realistic teenage love affairs as well – is quite some feat, and Miller pulls it off with great aplomb.
Raquel is a harassed, menopausal food writer with three teenage kids, a high-flying lawyer for a sister and a slob of a husband who happens to head the drug squad. She’s also a walking catastrophe with an unerring instinct for making the wrong decisions. She's surrounded by a cast of alternately useless, sinister and just plain bonkers characters who somehow remain perfectly authentic, from her sarcastic but unpredictable mother and a dreadful third cousin, Tom, to her tacky instagram-ready neighbours Matt and Gina at number 23. The humour is right on the nose and bang-on contemporary, though I’m not sure anyone not familiar with British humour would get all the cultural references to ‘A.J.’ (Antony Johnson) or even Alex Ferguson (perhaps that explains the absence of a publisher). I could fill a page with Raquel’s one-liners (‘Stu had a ponytail and was pushing fifty, so there was no way he could be taken seriously’; ‘I didn’t even know Nancy had a daughter; I thought she lived in the airing cupboard and the towels were her children’; ‘Michaela insisted on looking like a vegan even though she wasn’t one’) but realise they probably don’t come across as funny in a review, so just take my word for it – they are.
I could quibble with the grammar (if the author gets a publisher, they can stop her joining sentences with a comma) – but that’s a minor niggle: comedy, character and plot are all coherent and maintained throughout, despite the dark turn the story takes as the criminal activities of Raquel’s neighbours become apparent. But where it really wins is the romcom element of Raquel’s marriage to Dave and the turnaround in Raquel’s opinion of her husband. To keep all these balls in the air – including some realistic teenage love affairs as well – is quite some feat, and Miller pulls it off with great aplomb.
March 10, 2025
This was ok. I was so annoyed with Raquel's decision making, it feels like everything she did just made her situation worse. But also, how Dave's indiscretion was only called out for a sentence was very frustrating. I don't think I like any of the characters but I still wanted to see what happened. A very tacky, British comedy mystery.
December 4, 2023
Brilliant
What a fabulous read. A totally unbelievably funny story about a bunch of disfunctional people but kept me smiling and laughing all the way through. Loved it.
What a fabulous read. A totally unbelievably funny story about a bunch of disfunctional people but kept me smiling and laughing all the way through. Loved it.
July 11, 2024
3.5 stars
August 26, 2024
Absolutely hilarious in the most completely mental way. Strangers must’ve thought that I was mental for laughing out loud at this book on my commute. Look forward to reading more from this author!
September 5, 2024
This is the funniest book I’ve read in a long time - had me laughing out loud! Definitely had some strange looks on my commute.
Loved it.
Loved it.
January 30, 2025
Yea was alright
August 6, 2023
Funny story, lots to take in, some hilarious characters. Really enjoyed this pure escapism.
June 20, 2025
really funny and well written
Great storyline, mad (but loveable characters) and really funny. 23 often made me laugh out loud and I’ll definitely read the next one!!! Brilliant!
Great storyline, mad (but loveable characters) and really funny. 23 often made me laugh out loud and I’ll definitely read the next one!!! Brilliant!
April 11, 2024
I laughed out loud numerous times! Very enjoyable book
January 2, 2025
Gave up at 47% it just wasn’t for me, chuckled a few times but then it just got silly.
December 23, 2025
Funny, easy to read, solid plot, well worth a read!
I really enjoyed the contemporary setting. It felt very grounded in the real world, with lots of familiar references that made the story easy to connect to and believable.
Raquel was a great main character. Even when her decision making was frustrating, it still made sense for who she was and what she was dealing with. She felt real. The rest of the cast was also well written and well rounded. There are quite a lot of characters for a relatively short book, but each one had a clear role and their personalities came through clearly.
The writing style was one of the strongest parts for me. It was humorous, relatable, and easy to follow, with a very down to earth tone. What surprised me was how dark and depressing the actual subject matter often was. The author did a really good job balancing the light, funny writing with much heavier themes without it feeling jarring.
I am not entirely sure how to classify the genre. It is not really a mystery, but there are themes of crime and mild suspense throughout. The humour and casual style make it feel different from what you might expect given the darker content.
Overall, this was an engaging and enjoyable read that felt fresh and honest. I would definitely recommend it if you like character driven stories with humour and depth and will absolutely be reading the second in the series!
I really enjoyed the contemporary setting. It felt very grounded in the real world, with lots of familiar references that made the story easy to connect to and believable.
Raquel was a great main character. Even when her decision making was frustrating, it still made sense for who she was and what she was dealing with. She felt real. The rest of the cast was also well written and well rounded. There are quite a lot of characters for a relatively short book, but each one had a clear role and their personalities came through clearly.
The writing style was one of the strongest parts for me. It was humorous, relatable, and easy to follow, with a very down to earth tone. What surprised me was how dark and depressing the actual subject matter often was. The author did a really good job balancing the light, funny writing with much heavier themes without it feeling jarring.
I am not entirely sure how to classify the genre. It is not really a mystery, but there are themes of crime and mild suspense throughout. The humour and casual style make it feel different from what you might expect given the darker content.
Overall, this was an engaging and enjoyable read that felt fresh and honest. I would definitely recommend it if you like character driven stories with humour and depth and will absolutely be reading the second in the series!
November 5, 2023
Hilarious
Absolutely loved this book, Actually had tears running down my face it was so funny.
Hope to read more by this author (whoever they are).
Absolutely loved this book, Actually had tears running down my face it was so funny.
Hope to read more by this author (whoever they are).
October 24, 2023
A really fun book. A well paced and funny plot with some really memorable characters.
November 26, 2023
Hilarious and daft. Loved it! Menopausal woman gets herself into a pickle.
June 24, 2024
author who doesn’t know what SMELT means
Funny in a very simple way. The subject matter is interesting. Obviously don’t know that police officers can’t go to PC World to replace their work computers - even if it’s destroyed by their wives (!). The author (or her friend Murdock) should have informed her to check the meaning of smelt which she had used incorrectly at least 4 times in the book and misspelt sow when it should be sew. So, don’t give this book to any English language students!
Funny in a very simple way. The subject matter is interesting. Obviously don’t know that police officers can’t go to PC World to replace their work computers - even if it’s destroyed by their wives (!). The author (or her friend Murdock) should have informed her to check the meaning of smelt which she had used incorrectly at least 4 times in the book and misspelt sow when it should be sew. So, don’t give this book to any English language students!
November 29, 2023
Just about readable
There is quite a lot of dialogue in this book but all of it is written in the most ridiculously stilted way. Not a contraction in sight. There is also a problem with the vocabulary and grammar. Why don’t editors seem to exist any more? The story is actually OK!
There is quite a lot of dialogue in this book but all of it is written in the most ridiculously stilted way. Not a contraction in sight. There is also a problem with the vocabulary and grammar. Why don’t editors seem to exist any more? The story is actually OK!
August 15, 2024
Took me a while to get into as didn’t leave a gap between my last book and this one (completely different genres).
Felt like the ending didn’t do the book justice as I’d have liked to have seen the baddy dealt with rather than escape. Some witty bits of humour at times.
Felt like the ending didn’t do the book justice as I’d have liked to have seen the baddy dealt with rather than escape. Some witty bits of humour at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2023
Absolutely brilliant😘
April 13, 2024
This is not a great book. It’s not well written and needs some serious editing. Bits of it are however quite funny
August 6, 2024
DNF. too slow and casual.
November 16, 2024
Bought on a whim from a charity shop, poor writing but I did also really want to get to the end and find out how it wrapped up.
November 11, 2023
📚📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖📚
📖 Book - 23
✍️ Author - NJ Miller
📕 Publisher - NJ Miller Publishing
🗓 Publication Date - May 2023
…………………………………………………………
I had seen this book around a lot, before this lovely author sent me a copy. I just love the cover , so simple but eye catching!! I think I went through every emotion reading this book ! Racquel was a brilliant character but it’s her mum I had a soft spot for. Omg that lady made me laugh so much!! I think my favourite LOL was when Raquel was in the car with her husband, she grabs the police radio screaming “mayday mayday maday!!” Honestly had me poorless. I’m so glad I got to read this book!! #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramfeatures #bookstagramer #bookstagrampl #bookstagramespa #bookstagrammers #bookstagramindia #bookstagramtopasja #bookstagramit #bookstagramindonesia #bookstagramph #bookstagramarg #bookstagramchallenge #bookstagramming #bookstagramappreciation #bookstagramcommunity #bookstagrampak #bookstagramflatlay #bookstagramspain #bookstagrammexico #bookstagramersunite #bookstagramm #bookstagramfeauture #23 #bookstagrammersunite #bookstagramvn #bookstagramlife #NJMiller
📖 Book - 23
✍️ Author - NJ Miller
📕 Publisher - NJ Miller Publishing
🗓 Publication Date - May 2023
…………………………………………………………
I had seen this book around a lot, before this lovely author sent me a copy. I just love the cover , so simple but eye catching!! I think I went through every emotion reading this book ! Racquel was a brilliant character but it’s her mum I had a soft spot for. Omg that lady made me laugh so much!! I think my favourite LOL was when Raquel was in the car with her husband, she grabs the police radio screaming “mayday mayday maday!!” Honestly had me poorless. I’m so glad I got to read this book!! #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramfeatures #bookstagramer #bookstagrampl #bookstagramespa #bookstagrammers #bookstagramindia #bookstagramtopasja #bookstagramit #bookstagramindonesia #bookstagramph #bookstagramarg #bookstagramchallenge #bookstagramming #bookstagramappreciation #bookstagramcommunity #bookstagrampak #bookstagramflatlay #bookstagramspain #bookstagrammexico #bookstagramersunite #bookstagramm #bookstagramfeauture #23 #bookstagrammersunite #bookstagramvn #bookstagramlife #NJMiller
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews