The Perfect Neighborhood

The Secrets of Suburbia #3

by Jo Crow

When a secret from Holly Weldon’s past threatens to consume everything she values, she must find the strength to fight for those she loves.

Holly has just relocated to an idyllic suburb with her loving husband Mike and baby daughter Clare. The quiet, peaceful street is the farthest thing imaginable from the aftermath of violence Holly encountered in her work as a forensic pathologist in the city.

But as the family settles into their new home, a strange sense of foreboding moves in with them. At first, Holly dismisses this as new parent jitters. However, soon the unusual—and dangerous—occurrences on Holly’s tree-lined block become impossible to ignore.

As her days and nights grow more isolated and filled with paranoia, Holly struggles to convince others that the threat isn’t just in her imagination. In the end, when Holly’s sanity is questioned and the violence around her escalates, she’s forced to take a stand to save her newborn daughter, and herself.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

454 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2019

About the author

Jo Crow crafts chilling psychological thrillers that delve into the shadows of everyday life, where dark secrets and twisted motives lurk just beneath the surface. Her stories capture the eerie tension of family life, where the familiar can suddenly become dangerous.

When she’s not writing, Jo is a mom of two, often drawing inspiration from the unpredictability of parenthood. She enjoys curling up with a good thriller, taking her golden retriever on misty evening walks, and imagining the hidden fears that keep us awake at night.

Connect with Jo on Facebook, visit her website, or sign up for her mailing list for exclusive sneak peeks and updates.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike and Holly move to a new house on The Larch in Geneva, after living in city apartments. This dream house in the suburbs seems ideal especially as they are expecting a baby.

The first sign of trouble is when neighbours Brandi and Keith go around to welcome them to the neighbour,bearing a welcome basket and announce to them that their neighbour Shane is a convicted sex offender!!

When strange things start to happen in the house, Mike doesn’t believe Holly, as he is always at work, and who could be stalking Holly and why?

This book had me gripped from the start, desperately trying to work out who the culprit was. There are lots of twists and new discoveries that all comes together beautifully at the end.

Made me think, we will be moving soon, will it be The Perfect Neighbourhood?

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When someone is messing with your life, you fight with everything you have. Holy has a perfect life, moved into a perfect neighborhood, but in the end, not everything is so perfect.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was quite well done. Holly and Mike are expecting their first child and think a move to the suburbs is in order. Its safer there, isn't it? They both fall in love with an older house with lots of character and move in a few weeks before the baby is due. Holly started her career as a paediatrician but quit after a few years. She is now a forensic pathologist, working in the morgue of a major city hospital. At first the neighbours seem really warm and friendly. But, inevitably in these books, things change.

Baby Claire duly arrives and Holly, tired as she is, likes to walk Claire to a local park. Holly has a sense of being watched but dismisses it. Then a number of people who were initially friendly start avoiding her and Holly wonders what she has done to offend them. At the same time she feels as if someone has been in their home. Mike thinks this is all in Holly's imagination. Of course he does, otherwise we wouldn't have a story. Anyway, the stalking, for want of a better word, escalates but Mike and the police are still skeptical. Finally Holly realises she, and possibly her baby, are in serious danger and things get very interesting indeed. The story took a while to get going but soon there was a sense of creeping menace (I really do love that expression) and it just got stronger and stronger - so well done on that score. Otherwise the plot was a bit predictable and the characters a bit stereotypical, in broad terms. The husbands never believe their wives are being stalked or are in danger, the police always blow these claims off as female hysteria and everyone, absolutely everyone, has secrets. I shouldn't be too picky, without these elements it must be hard to write a psychological thriller and it was a very readable story.

[Katrece Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jo Crow can do no wrong, in my opinion. This is her third book and she just keeps getting better with each one. I was a little nervous going into this one because I’ve noticed children don’t fair well in her books. This time she left the children alone for the most part and just tormented the hell out of the main character Holly.

The Perfect Neighborhood was hard to put down. So many times I caught myself repeating “What the f$#&?” out loud. This perfectly happy couple moves to a new neighborhood and have a baby and then it just all falls to crap. Weird things are happening and the husband doesn’t believe anything and he’s too busy with work to really be present. Then she starts getting random dick pics. I was getting annoyed with life because it kept pulling me away from reading when I just needed to know what was going on.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5) Jo Crow, undoubtedly, has another hit on her hands. I will shout it from the rooftops with every book she releases until people start picking up on this amazing author and give her the credit she so rightly deserves.

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Neighborhood by Jo Crow is a wonderful intense story that I loved reading. This is book number three in this intense series and I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading intense stories.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brianna Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seemed as though this was a long book, but it was a fast read. Holly is a licensed medical doctor in her mid-thirties. She works for the local coroner, performing autopsies, but during the book she's on maternity leave. Her husband, Mike, is an attorney who is obsessed with becoming a partner in the firm. They left the city, Chicago, and moved out to the suburbs so their child would grow up in a safer environment. The neighborhood seems perfect in the beginning, the stereotypical upper-class suburb. Life doesn't go the way Holly expected it to, though. After their daughter is born, Mike starts spending more and more time away from home, working late. Holly also starts to think she is being stalked. She sees a car on more than one occasion pulling up in front of her house or across the street, staring at her house and then driving away. Someone goes into her house and moves things around, but doesn't take anything, and the police and her husband don't believe her. The other mothers in the neighborhood start snubbing her, and snide remarks are made about her "lifestyle". The neighbor next door buys a chainsaw and starts cutting down the trees in his yard, waking up her baby. All of that on top of the sleep deprivation from having a new baby! Finally, Holly is vindicated. Someone really was after her, and the motive is revealed. That isn't the end of the book, though. The person who was revealed to have been stalking her isn't responsible for all of the strangeness. There's someone else behind it all. Holly has a breakdown and ends up in a psychiatric hospital. She gets out and finds out that her self-centered husband wants a divorce and full custody. That gives Holly the motivation to stand up for herself and finally get to the bottom of what's really been going on, and who's really been responsible for the harassment and gaslighting she's been going through.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second novel I've read that was written by Jo Crow. I enjoyed this story even more than "A Mother's Lie" that I read and reviewed first. This story has Holly trying to live her life in the "perfect neighborhood" with her husband and new baby. I enjoyed trying to figure out who was stalking her and why. This story was well written and only had a few editing misses. If you want a story that pulls you in at the beginning and keeps you wanting to read until the end, this is a great one to pick. There were nice twists and turns in the story with connections that aren't evident until the end. It makes you rethink those moments when you meet someone that seems familiar to you but you can't quite remember from where. One of the better stories I've read yet on my Kindle. I would love to read any new novels written by Jo Crow.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elizabeth Grieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed feelings .... good in parts but a bit confusing and odd in others. I was drawn in to the mystery of whether someone really was stalking Holly, but found the relationship between her and the husband a bit weird. The babytalk was odd too, does anyone say 'baby baby baby' to their child? A bit jarring at times, and there were some errors which should have been picked up in editing. I think there was a good plot in there but it meandered somewhat and could have been more tightly put together.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

[A Good · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in under 24 hours. I simply could not put it down, and when I did I couldn’t stop thinking about it!

The reader is immediately drawn in with fully developed characters and fast paced plot twists... nothing too far fetched or unbelievable (which I appreciated ). I loved how just when you thought you had everything figured out, the author sends another curveball flying in the reader’s direction. Definitely not the typical psychological thriller in which everything is tied up neatly in a bow at the end.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, whether you would typically be drawn to this book or not. It is well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I love the way this author describes the story. I love the main character and her sweet baby and I love her love of her baby. I love her thoughts on the baby she aborted. I love her job and how she could not continue her original career because she had such love. I especially love how strong she was when she needed to be. Guns are said to be the great equalizer - though she needed more practice obviously. But more than anything, I love this story. I highly recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[JenAlise Englade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping! An emotional roller coaster!

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was truly gripping! Just when you thought you’d reached the climax and that the story is resolved you find that you the plot thickens as you still have over 100 pages left to read. The plot twist was spell binding and superb! Keep guessing but you will never expect this plot twist. As a woman and a mother, this book will have you asking yourself, “just how far would I go?”. Truly a great read! A+++++++

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read with a fascinating plotline. "The Perfect Neighborhood" was my first book by Jo Crow and I am interested to read the first two books in the 'Secrets of Suburbia' series - 'A Mother's Lie' and 'Found Child'.

This story was developed well and it was nicely paced, with many twists and turns throughout. I was very excited to see how it all ended.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Relay Publishing via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Nan Christine Borton-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally Compelling

Holly & her husband, a Dr. & JD respectively move to the suburbs to provide a better life for their daughter. While on maternity leave Hooky starts feeling paranoid and anxious, aware of how quickly postpartum depression occurs -so Holly is actively monitoring her behavior. But bad stuff just keeps happening with negative consequences for both her and her husband.
SPOILER ALERT- The gaslighting was extreme, scary & so real.


You’ll love it if you you like domestic noir or psych suspense.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot going on in this book, I didn't realize I skipped the second book but it didn't seem to matter.

[Kym]

Loved the opening, the set up of the story was very descriptive. Book seemed to flow pretty well, some chapters didn't gel as well as others. I prefer actual books, so may have been more critical of flaws. Story was well written, though I'm not sure I was thrilled with the ending, but it wasn't a bad ending, just.......
Overall, i would recommend &;read more books by her. she did make reading a book on my phone quite enjoyable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dina Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Highly Recommend This Book If You Love Twists That Keep You Turning Pages As Quick As You Can !! Just when You Think You Got It, Nope!! Characters Are Believable And Connectable .. To Me A Good Book To Tell A Friend About Is One That Keeps You Hooked Right Up To The Last Page And Then Has You Wanting More.. That Is Definitely This Book And I Will Be Telling My Friends!! I Received An Advanced Free Cooy Of This Book From Booksprout and Am Voluntarily Leaving This Review..

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Terri Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes revenge to a whole new level. How do you convince everyone that your being stalked when no one sees anything but you? Why does it seem all your neighbors, who one day seemed nice, turn against you suddenly and without reason? You know you didn’t do anything and no matter how hard you try everything seems to be falling apart and this “perfect neighborhood “ is far from perfect.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly and her husband Mike have just moved out to the suburbs for the arrival of their baby Clare, after being happy in the city, working hard, playing just as hard and grabbing a small piece of city space as their own. They both realised that being further out of town was a better place to raise a child and led by Holly’s initial wishes, they now have what they think of as a perfect place in suburbia. They have a near neighbour come round to give them a welcoming gift on their first night and Holly begins to make some acquaintances.

Holly is on maternity leave from her high pressured job and finds herself struggling a little with the lack of sleep and normal motherhood tasks after Clare arrives. As she is breastfeeding, Mike can’t help her with the night feeds and needs to wake up early to get to work, to support them and their move. Once Holly feels comfortable enough to go out and take Holly for a walk in her pram, she begins to explore her neighbourhood and local park. Here she meets another couple of mums and is given some information on some mother and baby groups and meeting places.

It seems people are much friendlier out in the suburbs and Holly starts to get into a routine of walks out with Holly and beginning to feel better in herself. But now, she has a feeling that someone is following her. She keeps getting weird text messages from strangers and feels she may have been hacked. Suddenly, the other neighbours she was beginning to be friendly with, are avoiding her. Is this all in her mind or is something strange happening? Mike just tells her she is imagining things and maybe she has the baby blues.

Matters get more and more intense for Holly and Mike is no help as he starts staying out later and later. He is unwilling to listen to her worries and more often absent when she needs him or wants to speak about matters with him. To Holly, her perfect neighbourhood, may not be as perfect as she first supposed. But can she get anyone to actually believe her? This is when the story really hypes up the tension, as matters start to spiral out of control.

You are left wondering what is happening and whether everything that Holly thinks is happening, is really real, or if she is having some sort of post-natal breakdown. Rumours are flying around the neighbourhood and the dirty looks are getting worse. At least she has one old work colleague that may help or at least believe in her. When everything seems to be going wrong in your life, you certainly need someone in your corner. A great series of twists and physiological tension being ramped up, as you get nearer to the end. Not as simple as a single pronged reason for the events that occur, but you have to read it to find out any more. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Lozz’s Random Reads McKenzie - Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tense, Domestic, Thriller

Nothing is more creepy than setting your psychological thriller in the most ordinary of settings…

Suburbia.

Mike and Holly decide to move to the upper middle class suburb outside of Chicago, called Geneva, into a spacious beautiful new home to await the birth of their first child, a girl, Clare.

Anything appears to be rosy until…

Holly, once a paediatrician, now a pathologist, is left at home to raise Clare while Mike travels daily back into Chicago as he strives for a partnership at the attorneys office at which he works.

While Holly struggles with extreme stress, she begins to notice things are a little strange in her house, and the street on which she lives.

Number one being, according to her neighbour, a sex offender a couple of doors down.

Soon she is noticing things being moved or missing in her house, strange vehicles parked out the front, and eventually, attempted forced entry.

While she is trying to cope with lack of sleep, nursing, and a fussy baby, things escalate to the point were she receives disturbing DM’s and emails, and then she begins to question Mikes fidelity.

Things intensify to the point where her mental health starts to be questioned.

Is Holly going mad?
Or
Is someone else doing this to her?

And, why?

Yes I DID sit up til one in the morning finishing this one.

Is was a decent story with a fairly decent twist.

If I could have one criticism, it would be that the author really dragged thing out a bit with, ( sometimes) unnecessary backstory when you just wanted her to hurry up with what was happening in the present.
But.
Overall, not bad

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Booksprout for the ARC for The Perfect Neighborhood by Jo Crow in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting a taut psychological thriller, but I felt that the story was a bit disjointed. While the things that happened to the main character, Holly, were all wrapped up and explained at the end, I felt that that some of the pieces came out of nowhere, for example, the man in the hoodie and his interest in Holly and Holly's husband's attitude towards her. The relationship between husband and wife deteriorated very quickly, which seemed extremely odd considering they just had a new baby that they both loved.
I thought the descriptions of the child's clothing and the "baby, baby, baby" language was a bit over the top. There were also hints of Holly's life before Mike, but they weren't fully explored or explained.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#ThePerfectNeighborhood #JoCrow

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy a good crime novel and I really enjoy a good psychological thriller, this is the best of both. I haven’t read the previous 2 books in the series, but I was able to delve right in to this one and read all about every mother’s worse nightmare a threat to your child! I remember very well my young son being out of my sight and not where I expected him to be for 10 minutes and my world was collapsing around me. He then rode up on his bike and life was ok again. But I cannot imagine if I thought everything and everyone was changing how I would react. That makes this book so much more intense, it’s a situation that there but for the grace of God we do not encounter! This novel had me on the edge of my seat, sometimes gripping the arms of my seat with my Kindle balanced on my lap! This book is intense and it’s brilliant, a must read if this is anywhere near your genre!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Vonnysue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I’ve just moved into a new house, new neighborhood, and I should be doing everything domestically related, but instead I could not put this book down. It is fast paced, chilling, and a true psychological thriller. The characters are great-in fact some of the police sub-characters would make excellent leads in stand alone books on their own. And the description she gives of stalking (are they? aren’t they?) is perfect. I believe every woman alive has felt that feeling. Combine cyber-stalking, disbelief by friends and family, and shunning (adult bullying) and you have the perfect crime. But, do you?

There is only one character line that doesn’t get properly explained and that’s Vanessa. I’m somewhat bummed about that, because I thought I had it figured out and what I had her figured for ended up being ‘handled’ by someone else...

I don’t think I have read this author before, but I guarantee that she will be at the top of my reading list. I highly recommend!

[Henriette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I read by Jo Crow and I actually enjoyed it so much I immediately bought two more from Amazon. I think that says it all!

I would give the story 4,5 stars but I have rounded it up.

Holly moves to the suburbs of Chicago with her husband Mike just before she has her first baby. The story then continues once baby Clare is born and some weird stuff starts happening to Holly. The once welcoming suburbs no no longer seem ideal. Holly is exhausted as most new moms are, has little or no help from Mike who is working crazy hours in the city trying to make partner and then suddenly all the women in her new neighborhood don’t seem to want to have anything to do with her so she gets real lonely. It’s just her and Clare, day in, day out and then trying to figure out what is happening, who is out to get her and why.

[Vina · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Perfect Neighbourhood” by Jo Crow is the story of a young couple, Holly and Mike. In their search for a perfect neighbourhood to bring up their baby girl, they settle on a charming locality.
Gossip mixes fact and fiction, and the place doesn’t seem quite that perfect. As strange things begin to happen in their home, Holly is convinced that she is being stalked, and singled out for disgrace. The story moves on, the atmosphere just eerie enough to keep you glued to the book.. There are so many incidents happening at the same time that the reader is intrigued. But towards the end, the writer literally loses the plot, I felt. Too many strands to be handled and the impulse to tie together all of them- resulting in a bit of a let-down. The book wins mainly due to the atmosphere and mystery.
3 Stars.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly, Mike and their new daughter Claire move into a nice suburb, away from the city. This has been Holly's dream to raise her family away from the big city and this place is just perfect. Nice and quiet. After awhile Holly can't help but get the feeling that she is being watched. At first it was while she was walking Claire around outside, but now it seems that her every move is being watched. That can't be so! Mike doesn't believe her. Soon there are things happening that are dangerous and can not be ignored. Can Holly get her family out in time? You will have to read the book to see how everything is played out. This was a really good read for me. I am voluntarily reviewing a free copy of this book.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly was an MD who had finished all but the last weeks of her pediatric residency when the horrible death of a premature baby sent her in a different direction.

now an ME with CPD, she is having some difficulties adjusting to life at home with new baby. Then distant husband who thinks her intruder is a figment of her mind.

as other things happen with her email, social media, and in the neighborhood, she realizes a man from her past is a threat.

he might not be the only threat.

a hard hitting suspense that will keep you guessing until the end.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout.

I read it on Kindle Unlimited, and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly is a new mom, in a new house, in a totally new neighborhood, having recently moved from downtown Chicago to the suburbs. At first everything is wonderful. Her neighbors seem friendly, her husband is helping out with the new baby and her new home is fabulous. But little by little, odd things start happening, and eventually she realizes that it isn't all in her head.

This was an interesting and gripping read which took some unexpected turns. I enjoyed this well written suspense novel and absolutely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Jo Crow, and the publisher Relay Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of this very enjoyable book.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a quick easy read. I never did have any inkling of the ending. I didn't find it to be a hugely exhilarating thriller. It was not boring or overly wordy, those are two things that I check for when I am reading the reviews. I would read another book by Jo Crow. It's not a 5 star rating, but it kept my attention and kept me reading and reading. Thank you for letting me read as an ARC. It is my first one and I appreciate the opportunity.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Teresa A. Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Got up in the middle of the night to finish it! Just when I thought she had tied up all the loose ends and written a good psychological thriller, I realized I was only halfway through the book. Suddenly it took a turn and crazy stuff was happening again. Then the loose ends are wrapped up pretty as you please and suddenly we are out in left field, never having realized we were in a ballfield. No Crow knows how to write! At no time did I want to put this or any of her books down, if you enjoy psychological thrillers, give her a read.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly is a new mother in a new neighborhood. The neighborhood is supposed to be safe. Soon Holly begins to notice weird things happening and no one, including her husband Mike, believes her. It's left up to her to keep her family safe.

This book was an edge of your seat read. Around every corner, new incidents happen, and you think you know what's going on, but the truth eludes the reader. This story is written very well. It was an action-packed psychological read from beginning to end. Holly was a likable character, and I felt sorry for her being alone in the mess that is her neighborhood. The truth comes out in the end, and I was in shock. A Great read all around!

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