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The Boy Next Door
Randy's friends think she'll be scared when her father goes away and leaves her home alone. The house is large and ramshackle, and built on a deserted street, but Randy says she'll be dine. And she is...until Julian moves in next door...
Now, being alone is the least of her worries. Randy has many new friends these days; fear is her constant companion, while dread lurks outside, demanding to be let in. And, thanks to Julian, it seems that horror is to be a permanent house guest...
Now, being alone is the least of her worries. Randy has many new friends these days; fear is her constant companion, while dread lurks outside, demanding to be let in. And, thanks to Julian, it seems that horror is to be a permanent house guest...
163 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1995
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356 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 4, 2018
One of the strangest Point Horror books in my collection. Charlotte (Randy short for Randolph) is a cheerleader with a best friend called Alice, and a boyfriend named Ted. A boy shows up and says his family are moving into the vacant house next door and he starts to talk Randy into playing rather cruel and potentially dangerous pranks on her friends.
It's unbelievable that Randy would just drop all of her life including Alice and Ted for a boy she doesn't know. Especially one that is so obviously creepy and has just shown up out of nowhere. Also WHAT WAS WITH THE AUTHOR WRITING IN CAPS SO MUCH?! Very annoying. This one has not stood the test of time for me.
It's unbelievable that Randy would just drop all of her life including Alice and Ted for a boy she doesn't know. Especially one that is so obviously creepy and has just shown up out of nowhere. Also WHAT WAS WITH THE AUTHOR WRITING IN CAPS SO MUCH?! Very annoying. This one has not stood the test of time for me.
February 22, 2020
Re-read this for Teenage Scream podcast (lovingly dissecting the best and worst of 90s teen horror):
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
September 11, 2023
Thought I’d enjoy this a lot more than I did.
February 9, 2022
Since I have a lot of Point Horror books to read, I decided that for my first foray into Sinclair Smith I would start with The Boy Next Door since it was published in February of 1995 and had this kind of stalker vibe based on the cover and the description on the back.
Now I've said the faster it takes me to finish a book it means that I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down...this wasn't really one of those times. I believe I finished it more out of just seeing how it would end because there was this kind of is it or isn't it going on with the plot without being too spoiler filled for any one who has not read this book.
I mean I'm not saying don't read it but it just has this tone to it like these newer Lifetime Movie Network films and that's really kind of bad because Lifetime movies use to be movies yanked from NBC or CBS around the time The Boy Next Door was actually published...and they were better than this.
I'd round it up to just blatant curiosity in checking out this book. As a reader, I sure hope the other Sinclair Smith novels stack up better to The Boy Next Door.
Now I've said the faster it takes me to finish a book it means that I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down...this wasn't really one of those times. I believe I finished it more out of just seeing how it would end because there was this kind of is it or isn't it going on with the plot without being too spoiler filled for any one who has not read this book.
I mean I'm not saying don't read it but it just has this tone to it like these newer Lifetime Movie Network films and that's really kind of bad because Lifetime movies use to be movies yanked from NBC or CBS around the time The Boy Next Door was actually published...and they were better than this.
I'd round it up to just blatant curiosity in checking out this book. As a reader, I sure hope the other Sinclair Smith novels stack up better to The Boy Next Door.
July 11, 2024
Achter kant leek saai meer boek was heel leuk
October 26, 2022
Was quite bored getting into this but once I passed the halfway point it actually got really interesting!
June 1, 2023
Randy es una porrista que tiene un novio llamado Ted, una mejor amiga llamada Alice y vive al final de su calle junto a una casa abandonada. Un día conoce a Julian, quién dice haberse mudado a esa casa y que convence a Randy para comenzar a hacerle bromas pesadas y potencialmente peligrosas a sus amigos.
El libro es super corto, tiene capitulos de no más de 3 páginas y su desarrollo es bastante rápido. Siento que es un libro que hubiera leído en mis clases de inglés en la secundaria. El libro es presuntamente de terror, Julian es un personaje muy creepy, que se mete directamente dentro de la cabeza de Randy y la manipula para cometer determinados actos que no van a tono con su personalidad. Sin embago, ella se deja llevar.
A mi personalmente me hubiera gustado un poco más de desarrollo, ya que Julian no me cayó bien desde el principio, y hubiera estado bueno que sea un poco más encantador, por así decirlo, para justificar el hecho de que Randy dejará todo de lado por él. El final es bastante predecible aunque la autora sabe desviarte un poco de ese camino que parece tan obvio.
El libro es super corto, tiene capitulos de no más de 3 páginas y su desarrollo es bastante rápido. Siento que es un libro que hubiera leído en mis clases de inglés en la secundaria. El libro es presuntamente de terror, Julian es un personaje muy creepy, que se mete directamente dentro de la cabeza de Randy y la manipula para cometer determinados actos que no van a tono con su personalidad. Sin embago, ella se deja llevar.
A mi personalmente me hubiera gustado un poco más de desarrollo, ya que Julian no me cayó bien desde el principio, y hubiera estado bueno que sea un poco más encantador, por así decirlo, para justificar el hecho de que Randy dejará todo de lado por él. El final es bastante predecible aunque la autora sabe desviarte un poco de ese camino que parece tan obvio.
May 4, 2018
Personal Response
I liked many things about The Boy Next Door including the detail and idea. The book however, this was not one of my favorite books for many reasons. I thought the book was a let down in the end, and it was not very interesting or fun to read. The book was also kind of confusing and was not what I was expecting.
Plot Summary
The book begins with a good girl named Randy, but then Randy falls in love with a complete stranger named Julian. Julian moves into the abandoned house next door, and as Randy gets closer to Julian, she discovers he is a prankster. Julian turns Randy into a rebel and gets her to starting pulling harmful pranks on people. Soon Randy's best friend, Alice, starts to figure what is going on and she thinks Julian is just part of Randy's imagination. After a few serious pranks, Randy notices Julian is very strange and dangerous, so she tries to avoid him. Randy manages to avoid him for a few days until Julian captures Alice, and Randy goes into Julian's house to save her best friend. Once Randy enters the house she easily spots Alice, but can not get her out. Julian shows up and corners Randy however, as he is about to get her the ceiling falls and traps Julian. Randy and Alice's friend comes to their rescue and calls the cops. The police take Julian back to prison. Alice and Randy are back to being best friends again and trusting each other.
Recommendation
I recommend this book to younger kids because it might not be that interesting to older kids. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed reading or want to read short, thriller, and scary stories. I would also recommend this book to people who like a little suspense in their books. This book might be a little hard to understand and might make young kids worried or scared.
I liked many things about The Boy Next Door including the detail and idea. The book however, this was not one of my favorite books for many reasons. I thought the book was a let down in the end, and it was not very interesting or fun to read. The book was also kind of confusing and was not what I was expecting.
Plot Summary
The book begins with a good girl named Randy, but then Randy falls in love with a complete stranger named Julian. Julian moves into the abandoned house next door, and as Randy gets closer to Julian, she discovers he is a prankster. Julian turns Randy into a rebel and gets her to starting pulling harmful pranks on people. Soon Randy's best friend, Alice, starts to figure what is going on and she thinks Julian is just part of Randy's imagination. After a few serious pranks, Randy notices Julian is very strange and dangerous, so she tries to avoid him. Randy manages to avoid him for a few days until Julian captures Alice, and Randy goes into Julian's house to save her best friend. Once Randy enters the house she easily spots Alice, but can not get her out. Julian shows up and corners Randy however, as he is about to get her the ceiling falls and traps Julian. Randy and Alice's friend comes to their rescue and calls the cops. The police take Julian back to prison. Alice and Randy are back to being best friends again and trusting each other.
Recommendation
I recommend this book to younger kids because it might not be that interesting to older kids. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed reading or want to read short, thriller, and scary stories. I would also recommend this book to people who like a little suspense in their books. This book might be a little hard to understand and might make young kids worried or scared.
November 27, 2019
Most of the time while I was reading this, I was laughing at how terrible it was.
First, I'll mention the actual writing quality. This was the first time I've encountered SO. MANY. ALL-CAPS. in one story. It could be dialogue, or internal dialogue, or just part of the narrative - you never knew when you were gonna get punched in the face with more caps!
I found it confusing how sometimes the internal dialogue was just in normal text, while other times it was either all caps, or italics (the italics only seemed to start quite late in the book).
Anyway ... the plot itself? Well, at first I was exasperated by how much of a total IDIOT Randy was. But then at a certain point when it seemed that maybe , it started to make more sense that she would be such an idiot. However, this feeling was dashed in the end when Which meant that Randy's behaviour, and Randy herself, WERE both just stupid.
I guess I got a good few laughs out of this read, which might have been the intention of the author for all I know. :P
In closing, I wanted to quote this single sentence from page 142:
I mean, that is a pretty LONG sentence, wouldn't you AGREE?
Okay, I'll stop with the all-caps now. ;)
The Boy Next Door (page-by-page notes):
First, I'll mention the actual writing quality. This was the first time I've encountered SO. MANY. ALL-CAPS. in one story. It could be dialogue, or internal dialogue, or just part of the narrative - you never knew when you were gonna get punched in the face with more caps!
I found it confusing how sometimes the internal dialogue was just in normal text, while other times it was either all caps, or italics (the italics only seemed to start quite late in the book).
Anyway ... the plot itself? Well, at first I was exasperated by how much of a total IDIOT Randy was. But then at a certain point when it seemed that maybe , it started to make more sense that she would be such an idiot. However, this feeling was dashed in the end when Which meant that Randy's behaviour, and Randy herself, WERE both just stupid.
I guess I got a good few laughs out of this read, which might have been the intention of the author for all I know. :P
In closing, I wanted to quote this single sentence from page 142:
I mean, that is a pretty LONG sentence, wouldn't you AGREE?
Okay, I'll stop with the all-caps now. ;)
The Boy Next Door (page-by-page notes):
June 19, 2025
Another story that relies on persistent parental absence to work. This one annoyed me front that first encounter when he, a complete stranger, creeps up on this girl and grabs her by the arms from behind as a way of an introduction. Intended as a jump scare, this would have been passable had she known the guy, but where was the pepper spray in the face or the knee in the happy sack? No, instead she dumps her current boyfriend for this psycho.
What follows is a series of bizarre situations that she lets herself get talked into, each ending in a horrific disaster - except they then don't. What?
The big reveal was one of my guesses, and the lamest one at that.
There was enough mystery to keep me engaged, however, but the payoff really wasn't there.
What follows is a series of bizarre situations that she lets herself get talked into, each ending in a horrific disaster - except they then don't. What?
The big reveal was one of my guesses, and the lamest one at that.
There was enough mystery to keep me engaged, however, but the payoff really wasn't there.
June 23, 2025
2.5 stars
Goodreads not allowing half stars is a travesty.
I wanted a nice quick read and figured one of my point horrors would give me exactly that and I wasn't wrong.
Selected this one in part due to the fact it was released in 1995 making this year it's 30th anniversary.
The plot is good and has you going for a while but overall the writing isn't the strongest I've read in the Point Horror collection hence the 2.5 rating.
Goodreads not allowing half stars is a travesty.
I wanted a nice quick read and figured one of my point horrors would give me exactly that and I wasn't wrong.
Selected this one in part due to the fact it was released in 1995 making this year it's 30th anniversary.
The plot is good and has you going for a while but overall the writing isn't the strongest I've read in the Point Horror collection hence the 2.5 rating.
July 24, 2017
Read this book many years ago when I was at school getting into horror books. It's a fun little read for any YA horror book reader like all Point Horrors. It kept me entertained the whole time reading it.
June 9, 2023
I never was able to find this book. I finally did from a friend who lend it to me. I actually enjoyed it. I WAS tricked big. I actually thought it might've been Randy but, it wasn't at all. It was a good plot I didn't imagine. Great story!
February 19, 2020
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
March 24, 2020
This was so lame. Also all the capitalised sections were really annoying.
August 24, 2025
A bit of an odd story, some parts were slow and then it was suddenly all go with the ending.
It wasn't what I was expecting but kept my attention.
It wasn't what I was expecting but kept my attention.
October 15, 2020
Saved by the twist. I think it could’ve been more effective if Julian had been more likeable in the beginning. The caps are a bit much at times.
Read
December 17, 2023Randy was a highly unlikeable main character, but I still enjoyed this book. Julian was weird from the beginning and I can't believe Randy was so slow to pick up on it. Girl, use your damn brain. Alice was the only one on team Common Sense. I was actually scared when the truth about Julian was revealed because WTF. Shoutout to Randy's dad for leaving his daughter home all alone so some random freak could creep on her – father of the year (NOT!)
Also, I stan Durk Tupper 😌
Also, I stan Durk Tupper 😌
July 6, 2014
I really liked this novel. The entire time I couldn't figure out whether or not the main character, a girl named Randy, was a reliable narrator. I like it when I have to try and figure that out.
In fact, the entire way though, I loved the mental warfare that Sinclair Smith played with the reader.
If I could change anything however, I would change the ending. I did like the twist-- I didn't see it coming AT ALL. But the ending felt very rushed and all of a sudden the dialogue didn't seem to fit. It almost felt like someone else wrote the end. For example, at a very serious end of the book, the main character yells, "TOO MUCH CHEESE IS BAD FOR YOUR CHOLESTEROL..." Now I understand the author may have been trying to put this in for comic effect but, it just didn't work among the other dialogue at the end. So, I would change that if I could.
Other than the weird dialogue and rushed end, I did enjoy this novel. I think fans of R.L. Stine would enjoy this YA thriller.
I give it 4 out of 5 blocks of cholesterol raising cheese.
In fact, the entire way though, I loved the mental warfare that Sinclair Smith played with the reader.
If I could change anything however, I would change the ending. I did like the twist-- I didn't see it coming AT ALL. But the ending felt very rushed and all of a sudden the dialogue didn't seem to fit. It almost felt like someone else wrote the end. For example, at a very serious end of the book, the main character yells, "TOO MUCH CHEESE IS BAD FOR YOUR CHOLESTEROL..." Now I understand the author may have been trying to put this in for comic effect but, it just didn't work among the other dialogue at the end. So, I would change that if I could.
Other than the weird dialogue and rushed end, I did enjoy this novel. I think fans of R.L. Stine would enjoy this YA thriller.
I give it 4 out of 5 blocks of cholesterol raising cheese.
January 27, 2018
INTRIGUING
It is not impossible that recent psychological thriller films are based upon these types of novels. For me, reading this piece was like watching the movie, The Boy, where the actual porcelain doll who she thinks is haunted was actually being moved by a man living in the house she's sitting. It kinda has the same logic as this novel, only by reading it, might move bits and pieces of your thoughts in different directions; exactly how Randy's been experiencing halfway through the story, which I find genius.
I admire how well it was written in such fast-paced manner under 200 pages, without ruining the twist, and that classic ending that I only see in movies.
The Boy Next Door is one read that can be a reference regarding classic thriller films, how the plot thickens, how the story flows, it was all like watching a slasher film made in the 80's.
It is not impossible that recent psychological thriller films are based upon these types of novels. For me, reading this piece was like watching the movie, The Boy, where the actual porcelain doll who she thinks is haunted was actually being moved by a man living in the house she's sitting. It kinda has the same logic as this novel, only by reading it, might move bits and pieces of your thoughts in different directions; exactly how Randy's been experiencing halfway through the story, which I find genius.
I admire how well it was written in such fast-paced manner under 200 pages, without ruining the twist, and that classic ending that I only see in movies.
The Boy Next Door is one read that can be a reference regarding classic thriller films, how the plot thickens, how the story flows, it was all like watching a slasher film made in the 80's.
January 17, 2016
2 out of 5 Point Horror Book Stars!
(I rate these books compared to other Point Horror Books Only)
I read this as part of the #pointhorrorbookclub that I run monthly!
You can read the post here http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/2015/09...
This is more of a discussion than a review with highlighted areas of the book and has a comedy feel to the discussion to. Please be aware that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers.
Want to know more about #pointhorrorbookclub - check this out http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/tales-p...
I wasn't so sure of this Point Horror but - classic retro point horror!
For more reviews and book chat please visit www.talesofyesterday.co.uk
Please be aware that the discussion will contain spoilers!
(I rate these books compared to other Point Horror Books Only)
I read this as part of the #pointhorrorbookclub that I run monthly!
You can read the post here http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/2015/09...
This is more of a discussion than a review with highlighted areas of the book and has a comedy feel to the discussion to. Please be aware that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers.
Want to know more about #pointhorrorbookclub - check this out http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/tales-p...
I wasn't so sure of this Point Horror but - classic retro point horror!
For more reviews and book chat please visit www.talesofyesterday.co.uk
Please be aware that the discussion will contain spoilers!
June 22, 2021
This is my first book from point horror so can't comment much about other books from the series.
Definitely worth reading in your teens if you are looking for some quick read! The book doesn't justify the horror genre but definitely creeps you especially when Julian pops out of nowhere.
Also, the ending was a little bland as things don't add up about Julian.
Definitely worth reading in your teens if you are looking for some quick read! The book doesn't justify the horror genre but definitely creeps you especially when Julian pops out of nowhere.
Also, the ending was a little bland as things don't add up about Julian.
February 26, 2015
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. That is all. Oh wait, wasn't the crawlspace in the attic, not under the house? It wasn't really a crawlspace, but it most assuredly was NOT under the house, unless you can get on your roof from under your house these days. I mean really, who wrote that synopsis?
August 27, 2020
Easy chilling read
June 9, 2009
A particularly chilling point horror book, this is a good read as it is quite subtle and not that scary when reading but it will play on your mind once it's finished
August 6, 2010
I read the Dutch version..in 2007 i think, like it!!...I finished rereading it today.
It's one of the first thrillers I've read so that awesome.
It's one of the first thrillers I've read so that awesome.
October 13, 2021
One-Line Review: Don’t trust boys named Julian.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews