The Neighbors Are Watching: A Novel

by Aggie Blum Thompson

From the "master of suburban scandal" (Samantha M. Bailey) comes a scandalous suburban thriller about privilege, unlikely friendships, and the lengths we go to protect our family.

Just outside Washington D.C. sits Eastbrook, Bethesda — a leafy suburb with top schools, manicured lawns, and friendly neighbors. It’s not the kind of place where nannies are shot during robberies gone wrong. But like any picture-perfect neighborhood, it’s been easy to cover up the shadows and move on.

A year after the unsolved neighborhood murder, Caren, nearing fifty and staring down an empty nest, has one too many drinks at a graduation party and blacks out on her way home. At least, that’s what everyone says happened. Caren suspects she was drugged by someone. But who?

When Caren teams up with a new neighbor who is desperate to figure out who murdered his best friend last year, they start to uncover what Eastbrook has tried to forget. But in a place where appearances are everything, their search for the truth means not only shattering carefully built façades — but putting themselves squarely in the crosshairs of a killer.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense

400 pages, Paperback

Expected publication June 30, 2026

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

In Bethesda, Maryland, an affluent suburb of DC, sits the (fictional) neighborhood Eastbook.
Eastbrook is a place with top schools, parents who work as professionals, and spoiled teenagers, whose only responsibility is to get into an Ivy League school.
Crime here is rare, although one evening a nanny is murdered and the entire neighborhood is in shock.
“Things like that just don’t happen here”, all of the neighbors said to each other.

One night our protagonist, Caren, leaves a party at a neighbor’s house, falls, and blacks out.
Everyone tells her that at nearly 50, she just can’t handle her alcohol the way she could when she was younger.
They all insist that she was drunk when she left.
But was that really the case?
Gaslighting is definitely one of the major themes in this book.

Although I found parts of this book to be fairly predictable, I still really enjoyed the story.
It’s pretty much a given that I’m going to enjoy any neighborhood mystery or thriller that takes place in the suburbs.

I also kind of laughed because Caren would always remind people “it’s Caren with a C”.
The biggest way to tick her off would be to make a “Karen joke” towards her.

Constructive Criticism:
-This book was 400 pages long. I think that it could have been written in 350 pages and would have been just as enjoyable.
-Because this was written in Multiple POV, I would have liked it if the character’s name appeared on the first page of each chapter, like a lot of books in this format are.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this eARC to review!

Pub Date: June 30, 2026

[Laura Lovesreading]

I loved 'You Deserve to Know'!
I cant wait for this one to be released!
🤍🤍🤍

[Jen W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved You Deserve To Know so I was very excited to get an ARC of The Neighbors Are Watching.

This book is set in the suburbs of Bethesda, outside of Washington, D.C. It centers around the Eastbrook neighborhood, where everyone is family focused. After a graduation party, Caren has a fall and is unable to remember what happened to her. As she tries to piece that night together, she realizes that her neighborhood friends and her husband all doubt her story or what she believes has happened to her. They believe she over-indulged and fell.

This isn't the first bad thing that has happened in Eastbrook. One year ago, a nanny was shot and killed in a robbery. As Caren tries to figure out what happened to her, she can't help but think the two incidents could have something to do with each other.
There are twists and turns along the way and this is a neighborhood full of secrets. This was a fast paced and fun thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like a picture perfect suburban neighborhood from the outside, but everyone is harboring secrets! This is not the kind of place where your nanny is murdered during a robbery. Yet we find ourselves immersed in this story where parents will go to any lengths to protect their children.

This was a very quick read with a lot of action! I enjoyed this one so don’t miss out!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rounded up to four stars. I really enjoyed this book.
I THINK this is the first time I read a book by Aggie Blum Thompson. I'm definitely interested in reading more.

The story follows a woman who gets knocked out and then is gaslit by her entire neighborhood: best friends and husband included. I loved the plot line, and it was what initially drew me in. I could tell immediately that Miguel was going to be a character I despised.

I enjoyed Finn and Caren's characters [and Paula]. Finn believing Caren mattered. Sometimes that kind of support is all someone needs, and it grounded the story emotionally. I also liked that the sleuthing stayed believable. Conversations felt natural, and even moments of snooping were handled with logic instead of convenience. Even at one point, the author wrote Finn having common sense in the fact that there was no way to bring up casually that he was snooping. He didn't. I really loved this. Logic!

I did not enjoy Tori as a character. She just sounded completely unhinged. Many bad choices. And continually proved this point throughout the entire book. But to be honest, there were so many characters to hate. It was nice to spread the anger across so many. I have a love / hate relationship with mental manipulation and gaslighting...in the fact that I LOVE to hate it. And this book immediately had me hating Miguel. Everything out of his mouth made me want to reach in and punch the bejeebus out of him. I have never been so angry of a marriage not falling apart at the end. Which shows really great writing by the author. Because I was lit up!

The twists broke my heart. I was devastated for Caren and Rachel.

It's a plot to me that seems unrealistic because I'm not filthy rich. But I could very much so imagine the 1%'s living a life of lies like this. Especially to protect their children. But I had a lot of issues with Tori's relationship with Van and Eloise's relationship with her brother. I sensed the same thing Yumi said at the end about it. It just seemed off. But again, just made my anger and hatred for the characters.

I was really hoping for a bigger win for Caren. She was just let down by so many people that the ending didn't feel like she got the justice she deserved.

[Cady Vasaturo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books for the advanced copy — all opinions are my own.

In a picture-perfect suburb hiding dark secrets, one woman’s blackout night sparks dangerous questions no one wants answered. As buried truths about a past murder resurface, alliances form, facades crack, & getting close to the truth may make her the next target.

You Deserve to Know is one of my favorite thrillers, so I was super excited to read this one, but ultimately it was just not for me. I did enjoy the dual timeline & the setting, but I felt like it was very long & honestly kind of confusing — I was also completely underwhelmed by the twists & how the story ended. The mentions of AI, covid, etc. were the icing on the cake 🤦🏻‍♀️ all completely unnecessary to the plot & personally bother me a lot when I’m reading

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Aggie’s previous book, You Deserve To Know and was so excited to get an ARC for her new book. This one delivered with the suburban drama but it took me a while to get through. This was very slow and seemed longer than necessary.

At a neighborhood graduation party Caren ends up passed out after a fall with a concussion and no recollection of what happened. A neighbor who suffered his own loss a year ago finds her coming out of the house his friend was murdered in. Together will they find out what happened to Autumn and who was behind Caren’s accident?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Melissa Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 star read for me. It was enjoyable but don’t really hold my attention. I wanted to know what was happening but all-in-all it felt a little too mundane for my type of thriller/mystery story. The characters had actions that I felt like weren’t as true as they should be and it’s hard to imagine so many bad people covering up bad deeds for others (even for money). Overall it was a quick read but I don’t think I would recommend to everyone- fun popcorn type thriller but not the best I have ever read

[Anita I · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was so glad to be chosen as an arc reader of this book. Very easy to read and fun story. I truly enjoyed this book. It’s so captivating and intriguing I just wanted to know what’s next. Go grab your copy

[Jordan Ouimet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC***

I was excited to start this book as I have been wanting to read something from this author for a bit but unfortunately this wasn’t what I hoped it would be. This just kind of fell flat for me you could figure out where this was going pretty early granted there was a plot twist at the end but it felt like a gimmicky grab twist with nothing to back it up. Also I felt like the addition of AI chatbot and the trans representation was very random and felt like the author had to fill a quota and was like 🤷🏻‍♀️ here.

2.75/5
I didn’t feel like this dragged and I was able to finish it quickly but it just felt blah

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to @netgalley for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Let me first of all just say that I LOVE this Aggie Blum Thompson’s writing — YOU DESERVE TO KNOW was a six-star read for me last year, and I immediately set out to read all of her other books. She does suburban thrillers SO well! So I was really looking forward to this year’s book, THE NEIGHBORS ARE WATCHING, and was SO excited when I was approved for the ARC on Netgalley! However, I do think that this is her weakest book so far. 😩

This was definitely a SLOW burn, and honestly, I think it was TOO slow. I really don’t feel like this “thriller” had any thrill to it whatsoever, to be honest. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I liked the two main characters, Caron and Finn, and enjoyed the “found family” aspect to their relationship. Almost every other character was absolutely awful…..the gaslighting was off the charts, and these are Caron’s FRIENDS I’m talking about! (May this kind of friendship never find me!) 🙅🏼‍♀️ I really wanted her to call them out on it, but she just sort of accepted it and forgave them, which annoyed me. But I also feel like when we discover the reason why she was drugged and knocked out at the beginning of the book, it was one of the most anticlimactic moments I’ve ever read…..I just thought it was sort of….silly? And a HUGE overreaction to the situation. And then when it came to the solving of the actual murder, I just felt that it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

So yeah, unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me. 😢 I debated between two or three stars before I ultimately decided on three, just because the epilogue contains one final twist…..so I felt like it deserved to be bumped up to three stars. But I will absolutely continue to read this author’s books, because I’ve liked every other one that she has come out with! 💚

[Brea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aggie Blum Thompson absolutely understood the assignment when it comes to making suburban paranoia feel feral. Centered on Sophie O’Neill, a woman whose memory fractures after a graduation party night gone wrong, the story leans hard into disorientation, fear, and that gut-level dread of not trusting your own mind. Sophie isn’t reckless—she’s shaken, unsettled, and trying to piece together what happened while everyone around her seems a little too interested in her silence. Enter Dalia, a fellow neighbor who becomes both ally and question mark as they start poking at an unsolved neighborhood murder that everyone else would rather whisper about than confront.
The brilliance is in how Thompson writes these characters: flawed, anxious, reactive, and painfully human. Sophie’s spiraling uncertainty is rendered with razor-sharp precision, while Dalia’s confidence carries just enough edge to keep you uneasy. The surrounding cast of neighbors—watchful, polite, and quietly predatory—turns the DC suburb into a pressure cooker where every interaction feels loaded and every smile feels rehearsed. Trust erodes quickly, motives blur, and the line between concern and obsession disappears entirely.
The writing is tight, controlled, and quietly vicious. Thompson lets tension rot and fester instead of rushing it, making every reveal feel earned and every twist hit with intent. The paranoia escalates until it’s impossible to tell who’s protecting who, and by the end, safety feels like the biggest lie of all. Smart, unsettling, and sharply executed. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own

[EmilyAfterDark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this one!

Another suburban scandal by Aggie - this one was full of untrustworthy, morally grey characters that kept me flipping the pages as fast as possible. The story begins with our main character Caren, who is at a gag-worthy, over the top boujee, high school grad party for Eloïse. She finally makes her Irish goodbye only to wake up the next morning to Finn, helping pick her up after a stumble on the neighbor’s lawn. How did she get there? Why does her head hurt? What happened last night? While Caren works to uncover what happened to her, she begins to unearth some scary truths about her neighbors, all of whom she once considered to be her good friends. As she digs further she crosses paths with our sleuth pal, Finn, who is also boots-on-the-ground-truth-seeking from these same neighbors but for a completely separate mystery: who murdered his BFF Autumn?? As the story unfolds we watch as everything Caren once knew begins to crumble and Finn works to give Autumn the justice she deserves.

While this was an entertaining read I found myself disappointed in a few things which led to my 3.5 star review:

First of all, I’m just going to say it, f**k Miguel. Gaslighting turd. Hated him from the minute he was rude to Finn who was out there doin’ his wife a solid by helping her out of the mud.

Second, I fully acknowledge Tori is a victim but can we not forget she was also a psychopathic predator???

Third note that ties the first two together - there were so many sub-plots playing in to this one, some of the connection points seemed to be reaching. It also felt like some of the characters were undeveloped so maybe Caren & Finn’s strong-quick bond wasn’t unusual but it felt like we didn’t get to know Caren that well so it just didn’t seem to be a friendship that clicked. Then we’ve got Tori out there blazing some sort of trail of insanity “my morals took a holiday” (her words, not mine lol) and Miguel’s only purpose in the entire book is to continue dismissing his wife every other page. And then to wrap it all up the grand finale honestly gave me the ick. Justice was never achieved for anyone. No loose ends tied up.

You Deserve To Know was spectacular and the ending had my jaw on the floor so I had high expectations for this one and I’m bummed to say they weren’t met… BUT I would still recommend this book to anyone who loves suburban neighborhood themed dRaMa ‘cause it did serve up some good tea.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
— Emily After Dark 🖤

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up quite enjoying this upcoming release, but I’m not lying when I say it took more than a bit of time to get me interested. Like nearly a week! If you know me you know I used to read a book almost every day. Those times appear to be long gone, but it still doesn’t usually take me more than 3 or 4. I wasn’t even through a third of this one after a week and I blame the dump of unnecessary crap at the beginning that stopped me from becoming invested as the problem.

The story here is about Caren (with a C and don’t you forget it because she’s not a “Karen”) who goes to a neighborhood party and is found the next morning wandering home with an apparent head wound. Caren has no recollection of what happened and is confirmed at the hospital to have suffered some form of trauma induced amnesia from what might have been a simple fall or what could have maybe even been an attack. Now all that is fine and dandy until this doctor starts rambling on about how she should file a police report despite having no clue of what happened and offering up suggestions for a support group for this memory loss that could easily resolve itself in a short time. I hope they trim some of this fat before final pub day because it was so unnecessary. Oh, and this trip to the ER also provided a chance to talk about how Caren has a history of more than dabbling in the drink to which I say . . . .



I am soooooooooooooooooo tired of the drunken unreliable female lead. It’s just lazy writing. There were other issues as well (SPOILER AHEAD SO DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW) like the obvious not-so-innocent husband – but come on, anyone who follow true crime stories already know he should be a suspect.

Yesterday after the gold medal hockey match (USA! USA! USA!), I finally decided to just buckle down and slog through this. And like I said above, I ended up having a pretty good time. I love rich people behaving badly and neighborhood drama to begin with and really dug the whodunit and the motive (and the epilogue was delightful!). Hopefully things get tightened up before release date with one final edit, but I don’t know the process of ARCs or if that is even possible. I guess we’ll see as more readers start adding their rating.

3.5 Stars

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

[Kas_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading an Aggie Thompson book! I found that the author does a really good job of pulling you in because I was completely immersed in the story and curious about where it was headed. That said, it felt super slow at times, and I wish the pacing had been a bit quicker, which is why it’s a 3.5/5 for me.

The book is set in the suburbs of Bethesda, just outside of Washington, D.C. a suburb that, from the outside, seems picture-perfect, with friendly neighbours, picturesque houses and lawns, and schools that are considered the best. Caren, the main character, blacks out after a graduation party, but she doesn’t believe it, even though that’s what everyone says happened. She suspects she was drugged, but by who? And why? Still believing she was drugged, Caren teams up with her new neighbour, Finn, who has been trying to figure out who murdered his best friend last year, a murder that many people seem to want to forget, possibly on purpose. The neighbourhood is a place that cares deeply about appearances, so their investigation into what really happened only threatens the carefully built image many want to keep intact, especially the killer. Does the unsolved murder have anything to do with Caren being drugged? Who knows?

The description honestly got me hooked, especially since suburbs are always a little suspicious. The neighbours are expert gaslighters, it’s crazy that it’s technically Caren’s own friends who are gaslighting her. I really liked the relationship between Caren and Finn (the new neighbour). It was interesting and well-developed, but I do think the pacing should have been quicker and that Caren should have had more opportunities to stand up to the gaslighters she literally sees almost every day in the suburbs.
The author did give a twist at the end so the rating went to 3.5/5 instead of 3/5! I will probably look at her other books as the plot was pretty good for this book!

It also took me a while to adjust to reading Karen as Caren, because Caren with a “C” is such a wild way to spell that name. It was a bit funny that the character always had to always introduce herself "It's Caren. Caren with a "C."

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me early access to The Neighbors Are Watching! Publication Date is June 30th, 2026!

[Marissa F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right away, I got off on the wrong foot with Tori's character, but not for the obvious reason. I just HATE it when authors write their female characters to be idiots. Tori's first scene is at a neighborhood block party and she's just mentioned her son. In response, a woman refers to her as a "boy mom" and she asks "what's a boy mom". Pardon? Ma'am, you are a psychotherapist, a highly educated woman with multiple degrees. You can't figure out what a boy mom is? Not even within the context of talking about YOUR SON, A BOY??

That aside, I did quite enjoy this book. Tori reveals herself to be both stupid and manipulative, a combination that seems to have spiraling consequences for the other characters. The author was able to take familiar elements of suspense stories and tweak them just enough to provide some ACTUAL suspense. The various characters and their plotlines came together in ways I didn't expect, but it made sense for that world (and provided a glimpse behind the scenes of similar scandalous college-admission headlines).

I appreciate the real-world representation in the story... wealth is its own weapon, regardless of the skin color of those who wield it. And Finn being trans didn't NEED to add anything to the plot. Trans people exist and live their lives, just like everyone else. It's enough that he was a key part of the storyline without it having to be a dramatic component.

My digital ARC was in desperate need of an editor. I found several typos, misspellings, and sentences that made no sense because key words were missing (ie- "There’s a new mom in the neighborhood with an only like you") Multiple times in Chapter 10, the narration switched back-and-forth between referring to Caren in first person and in third person, sometimes within the same paragraph. It didn't take away from the overall story but it was distracting in the moment.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.

[Nicole Halka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

I really struggled with this one and found myself almost putting it down several times. I usually love domestic thrillers built around a neighborhood scandal, so I went in with high hopes, but this story didn’t quite deliver what I was looking for.

The premise is great - Caren has a few drinks at a graduation party, blacks out, and wakes up the next morning outside in front of a house that isn’t hers with no recollection of how she got there. She’s discovered by Finn, a newer neighbor who moved into the area to investigate the unsolved murder of his best friend. As the two start comparing notes, they begin to believe Caren’s blackout incident might somehow connect to the tragedy Finn has been trying to understand, and from there, the story branches in multiple directions.

For me, this is where things became difficult. Somehow the book manages to feel both very slow and at the same time packed with so many different threads that it was hard to keep track of everything. With all the intersecting plotlines, I kept waiting for something to truly grab me, but the momentum never quite built. When the twist finally arrived, it didn’t land the way I hoped. After following so many moving pieces for so long, the reveal felt surprisingly muted. I even caught myself saying, “that's it?” simply because I expected more payoff after everything that came before it.

Overall, the concept had a lot of potential, and readers who enjoy slow‑burn neighborhood dramas may connect with it more than I did. But personally, I found the pacing, the number of storylines, and the understated twist made it a tough read for me.

[DeeG Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Neighbors Are Watching is a suburban thriller set in the seemingly perfect neighborhood of Eastbrook, just outside Washington, DC. A year after a nanny is killed during what was supposed to be a robbery gone wrong, the case is still unsolved. When Caren, a long-time resident facing an empty nest, blacks out after a graduation party and begins to suspect she may have been drugged, she starts to wonder what really happened that night, and what her neighbors might be hiding. When she teams up with her new neighbor Finn, whose best friend was the murder victim, they begin digging into the past and quickly realize this neighborhood is full of secrets.
This book started out a bit slow for me, but once I got to know the characters and the dynamics of the neighborhood, the story picked up. The book is told from three points of view, Caren, Finn, and Tori, with Tori’s chapters taking place in the past, about a year earlier, slowly revealing what led up to the murder.
Caren and Finn were the most likeable characters. Most of the other neighbors were very self-entitled and obsessed with keeping up appearances, which made them frustrating at times, but that was clearly the point. This book really leans into the idea that behind perfect houses and perfect lawns, everyone is hiding something.
There’s a lot of gossip, secrets, and gaslighting throughout the story, and as more truths come out, the tension builds toward the final twist.
Overall, this was an okay read for me. If you enjoy suburban thrillers full of neighborhood drama, messy secrets, and multiple points of view, this is one you might enjoy.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the book.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Caren Costa’s affluent Bethesda neighborhood, image is everything. The morning after her neighbor’s party, she wakes up with a concussion and no recollection of what happened after she left the party. Everyone assumes she got blackout drunk, but Caren is determined to clear her name and figure out why someone would want to hurt her.

Finn is a basement apartment tenant in the same neighborhood. A year ago, his best friend Autumn was shot and killed in the house where she was a live-in nanny. Autum’s employer is a divorcee renter and a bit of a pariah. It’s no coincidence that her landlords are the same people who hosted the party where Caren was allegedly drugged. When people are desperate enough to protect their reputations and their kids’ futures, ruthlessness is the name of the game.

This was a super fun, well-paced read. It wasn’t exactly a domestic thriller; it was more of a suburban drama with an unsolved murder subplot. The characters and their voices felt authentic, the dialogue was well-written, and the overall plot didn’t feel contrived. I liked how Caren and Finn connected and supported each other. I actually enjoyed the petty backstabbing, it was done in a way that didn’t seem tacky. When you have money to solve your problems, it’s easy to make Caren think she’s losing her mind. Good stuff!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book that held my interest throughout and made it hard to guess who the "bad guys" were. It centers on Caren, who allegedly blacks out after too many drinks at a party but feels there is something fishy going on; and Finn, who is trying to solve the murder of his best friend from the previous summer. The chapters alternate between the POVs of these 2 characters. as well as a couple other characters who get a chapter here and there.

I liked the alternating POVs as well a the alternating timeline- it was interesting to learn what was related and what was not as the storylines converged. Both Caren and Finn were likable characters, though many of the folks who surrounded them were not. I also enjoyed that it took place in Bethesda, MD, which is near where I grew up. Both mysteries were sound, and the author did a good job of providing believable red herrings that kept me guessing throughout. I felt sad when the truth was revealed, as there were so many things that could have been done to avoid this tragedy, but that is not a complaint, as I want to walk away with all the feels after finishing a book. The ending did a great job of tying up all the loose ends and I wasn't left with any other lingering questions.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to those who enjoy the domestic suspense genre. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[A Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shut the front door!! I absolutely loved The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson. It is a perfect suburban domestic suspense story ripe with secrets, lies and scandal!

A recent murder in the upper-class neighborhood of Eastbrook, a DC suburb, should have everyone talking, but it is surprisingly just the opposite. That is until Caren, one of the neighbors, has an accident and can't remember what happened. She is determined to figure the truth out. But she is alone in this endeavor as all her friends and even her husband chalk it up to her over imbibing at a party. While investigating, she meets a friend of the murder victim who is doing his own nosing around looking for answers to the unsolved murder of his friend. They team up, believing the two events are somehow tied together.

This story was so devious and twisty. I honestly had to force myself to put it down because I wanted it to last. The writing was descriptive and concise. The layers were slowly unwrapped adding to the build-up of tension and suspense. The ending was brilliant. Thompson is a new author to me, but I quickly added all her other books to my TBR list. I can't wait to dive into another of her suburban stories.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the advanced copy

[Emelia (emeliaisreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Thriller
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: June 30, 2026

📍 Bethesda, Maryland
👄 Gossip and Gaslighting
🤢 Inappropriate Relationships
🙌 Dual Pov + Alternating Timelines
💔 Devastating Betrayals

What lengths would a parent go to in order to protect their children and improve their lives?

It was like we were being gaslit along with Caren the entire time! I kept trying to figure out who was lying and why, but I couldn’t have guessed. Some of the characters are so naive and it made me so angry I wanted to scream at them. Then there was Tori, our unreliable narrator who certainly added a layer of "eww" to the story. I’m honestly unsure how she could be a therapist with her various unhealthy attachments lol

I loved getting to read in Flynn's POV. All he wanted was justice for his friend who was murdered and he wouldn't stop fighting for it despite everyone else not caring. Flynn helping Caren when nobody else would was so heartwarming; he was definitely my favorite character.

If you're looking for a twisty, high-tension thriller, you'll love The Neighbors Are Watching.

Thank you so much Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

[Steven Lowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ A deliciously twisty suburban thriller

There’s something about a picture-perfect neighborhood that always feels a little too perfect—and The Neighbors Are Watching captures that uneasy feeling brilliantly.

Set in an affluent suburb just outside Washington, DC, this story dives into the quiet tension that exists beneath carefully maintained appearances. Aggie Blum Thompson masterfully builds an atmosphere where every interaction feels layered and every neighbor seems to be hiding something. The sense of unease grows steadily as the story unfolds, making it impossible not to keep turning the pages.

What I loved most about this book was the way the suspense slowly tightens. The pacing is spot-on, with just enough revelations to keep you guessing while maintaining that constant feeling that something isn’t quite right. It’s the kind of thriller that makes you question everyone—and glance a little differently at the houses down the street.

Fans of domestic suspense and suburban-set thrillers will absolutely enjoy this one. It’s sharp, addictive, and full of the kind of tension that keeps you reading long past bedtime.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the suburbs outside of Washington DC, Caren leaves a high school graduation party of a neighbor’s child and classmate of Caren’s daughter. After having one too many at the party, she passes out on the way home, awakening in the morning outside the home where a nanny was murdered last year with no memories after she left the party. When her neighbors and own husband doubt her version of events, Caren realizes there’s something strange surrounding her blackout, but finding answers may put her life in danger. The Neighbors Are Watching hits all the right notes as we watch Caren struggle with her suspicions about her neighbors, and the secrets about her close-knit community start to leak, adding more pieces to the puzzle that she’s trying to solve. The suspense is carried throughout the book, keeping the reader fully invested as the plot unwinds. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of and an equal number of curve balls to juggle, but this is an entertaining thriller that flows nicely and keeps you guessing. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨️Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Rating: 4.5/5

This one had me hooked from the start, what a wild story of upperclass neighborhood drama, a real life murder and overall an arch of you have to trust your own intuition.

A tightnit community of neighbors that have known each other for decades, seen each other kids grow up and now off to college. This is an area where everyone knows everyone, almost too much but up until recently it was the mildest of drama. A murder changed everything for the neighborhood, and for the most part it was swept away as a robbery gone wrong until it doesnt. With multiple narrators, you really get to see the story from three different angles and different timeframes. You see the good, the bad and the ugly of these perfect neighbors and you also get to see how powerful trusting your gut can be.

I devoured this in 24 hours, it had me absolutely hooked and I desperately needed to know how it ended. There are so many different layers to this story, it was really fun to read. I am newer to the thriller category but this one was an easy read that tied everything up in the end and really blew me away.

[Megan Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a verdant suburb outside of Washington, our FMC Caren experiences a potential drunken tumble after a neighborhood party. On top of that experience, she is also losing both of her children to college and adulthood, struggling as most moms do to find their purchase in a world that doesn't typically peer too kindly upon empty nesters. When she starts to ask questions about how she ended up concussed, many people- some even close to her- start to throw the hysterical woman stereotype at her, and thus a plot is made! I enjoyed picking up the pieces and learning about everyone's backstories here. The pomp and circumstance in this posh suburban neighborhood was so sneaky and drenched in devilish delight- I was up all night many nights navigating the twists and turns. Honestly, it's fun and shocking and even if domestic or suburban thrillers can be redundant, this one's audacity somewhat stands out to the rest for me. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Neighbors Are Watching
By: Aggie Blum Thompson
Pub Date: June 30, 2026
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Eastbrook, Bethesda outside Washington D.C. is an upscale neighborhood filled with neighbors who have nannies and a life that seems ideal. Things like burglaries and other goings on are covered up quickly. A unsolved murder has neighbors turning on each other and secrets to be revealed.

A year later at a graduation party one neighbor, Caren leaves the party where everyone thinks she is drunk. But Caren believes she has been drugged and realizes she has no memory. Her husband thinks she drank too much, and her neighbors feel the same.

Eastbrook seems to be full of many secrets besides the death of a Nanny, and Caren’s predicament. Could they be related? I don’t want to give away too much concerning Caren, but so many twists will have you turning the page to find out what is really happening in this suburb.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for the advanced copy. I am a fan of all of Thompson’s books.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! From the very beginning, I was rooting for the main character, Caren (with a “C”). She’s a great example of trusting your gut, even when things seem normal on the surface.

Right away, you can sense that something isn’t quite right in the neighborhood. As the story unfolds, more clues start to appear, and I found myself constantly trying to piece everything together. I kept coming up with theories, but I honestly couldn’t predict what was going to happen—and that’s something I really loved about this book.

The suspense keeps building throughout the story, and even up until the last page there are major revelations. I also enjoyed the character development, as everyone mentioned in the story added something interesting to the overall mystery.

I definitely recommend this suspenseful read, and I’m really glad I discovered this author because I’m excited to read more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis put me in the right sort of thriller mood. Suspense. Tension. Neighborhood drama. Mistrust. Dread. And The Neighbors Are Watching delivered on all of it.

Caren reluctantly shows up at a party she was invited to down the street in her leafy neighborhood. Her husband and two young adult children are away. She has a couple of drinks and a shot and walks home. Hours later, she wakes up where she does not expect to be and has no recollection how she got there.. A new neighbour (who also has secrets, just like everyone else) sees her try to get up and slip. Rumors spread like wildfire. Whispers say she was drunk but she disagrees. Her husband and friends doubt her. She sees a doctor and the police get involved

Though the elements were there, the connection was missing. I was not engaged enough to care about the characters. For me they felt a wee bit flat. The twists and writing, however, reeled me in. Ultimately, I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I had hoped.

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Neighbors Are Watching” was a good suspense thriller. The secrets and lies and collusion among the neighbors were more convoluted and intricate than expected. And when it seems like all the questions have been answered, the epilogue adds another unexpected twist.

The creepiest aspect of the book was actually Cyrus, the AI chatbot that Tori Price relied upon. And Tori was a disturbed individual.

Finn, Paula and Caren were my favorite characters. I appreciated the decision to have Finn be transgender and to have him successfully pass and be accepted as who he was.

While not surprising given how the characters and neighborhood are portrayed, I was somewhat disappointed that one of the subplots involved rich families “buying” their children admission to elite colleges. That is a subplot that I think has been overused, and the author doesn’t do anything special to differentiate it from stories with the same subplot.