What do you think?
Rate this book
Fear Thy Neighbor
A thrilling new book from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of No Way Out, that fans of Nora Roberts and Rachel Caine won’t want to miss! One woman’s picture-perfect island sanctuary reveals itself to be filled with dangers in this exciting page-turner…
At twenty-nine, Alison Marshall is ready to find a place to call home. With no family and no ties, she’s drifted from one small Florida town to another since high school, working odd jobs, saving hard, and building a nest egg. Once she finds the right place to settle down, she’ll know. And when she reaches beautiful Palmetto Island, she thinks she may have found it.
The small, close-knit island community seems to have everything Alison needs. On a hunch, she contacts the island’s only realtor, and learns that an old beach house is on the market. Miraculously, it’s in her budget, and Alison takes it as another sign that she’s in the right place.
At first, home is everything she hoped it would be. But as days turn into weeks, she uncovers a dark side to this supposedly peaceful haven. The locals have a secret, and once Alison discovers what it is, she faces a stark choice. She can stay and join them—or escape. But leaving brings its own risks, and Alison is starting to wonder if coming to Palmetto Island is the last mistake she’ll ever make . . .
At twenty-nine, Alison Marshall is ready to find a place to call home. With no family and no ties, she’s drifted from one small Florida town to another since high school, working odd jobs, saving hard, and building a nest egg. Once she finds the right place to settle down, she’ll know. And when she reaches beautiful Palmetto Island, she thinks she may have found it.
The small, close-knit island community seems to have everything Alison needs. On a hunch, she contacts the island’s only realtor, and learns that an old beach house is on the market. Miraculously, it’s in her budget, and Alison takes it as another sign that she’s in the right place.
At first, home is everything she hoped it would be. But as days turn into weeks, she uncovers a dark side to this supposedly peaceful haven. The locals have a secret, and once Alison discovers what it is, she faces a stark choice. She can stay and join them—or escape. But leaving brings its own risks, and Alison is starting to wonder if coming to Palmetto Island is the last mistake she’ll ever make . . .
262 pages, Hardcover
First published March 29, 2022
3857 people are currently reading
25582 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
421 books6,651 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 933 reviews
April 8, 2022
I barely got through this and I’m just relieved it’s done. The writing style doesn’t work for me, the characters are far too simplistic, the crime and motive make absolutely no sense. I’m baffled by the high reviews.
Fear Thy Neighbor introduces Alison who is a drifter with a hard past as a foster kid. She stumbles across a beautiful beach community in a Florida and finds a house that is priced well below market value and within her budget. As soon as she agrees to purchase it, she stumbles across human bones in her backyard. This neighborhood may be a lot more sinister than she expects.
I didn’t feel anything during this book. Not shock at the crime, empathy for Alison, anger at any of the side characters. The writing didn’t elicit any emotion at all. However the reveals in the last couple chapters had me rolling my eyes because it made absolutely no sense at all. I’m glad this one is done.
Fear Thy Neighbor introduces Alison who is a drifter with a hard past as a foster kid. She stumbles across a beautiful beach community in a Florida and finds a house that is priced well below market value and within her budget. As soon as she agrees to purchase it, she stumbles across human bones in her backyard. This neighborhood may be a lot more sinister than she expects.
I didn’t feel anything during this book. Not shock at the crime, empathy for Alison, anger at any of the side characters. The writing didn’t elicit any emotion at all. However the reveals in the last couple chapters had me rolling my eyes because it made absolutely no sense at all. I’m glad this one is done.
June 6, 2022
This book was, in short, a hot mess. It was a slow, almost nonexistent burn, during which the dialogue and character development were both positively abhorrent.
The story is that of Alison (Ali)—a product of the foster care system, abused and neglected by those who were responsible for her safety and well being. At 17, Ali graduates high school and, after a harrowing experience at home, goes on the run. The story is of Ali visiting a new-to-her village in Florida and purchasing her first home. In spite of being drugged and dragged, finding human bones in her yard, and having horrendous experiences with the nefarious characters who inhabit the space, Ali moves ahead with buying a beach house there. She knows something is not quite right (ya think?), and as the story unfolds, the community’s secrets are revealed.
Whilst reading, I kept waiting for some big event to occur—something that would anchor this novel. Instead, what I got was a series of unrelated crises and events that portrayed Ali as, at once, a bad ass and a woman who just could not make good decisions. The result was a muddled protagonist about whom I could not possibly have cared any less.
While the lack of a central plot was disconcerting, it was the uncomfortable and stilted dialogue that sealed the two star deal. When Ali is chased while inadvertently trespassing on a private beach, she, weapon in reach, tells her pursuer she will “blow (his) frigging head off”. When the man backs off and tells her he never meant to scare her, Ali responds with “Then what the hell are your intentions?” His INTENTIONS? Really? She’s just been chased down and she asks his intentions? It was just so out of character. Was she the brusque and base woman who threatened to blow his head off or the more refined lady asking a man of his “intentions”? When she goes into a “dollar store”, she asks to purchase a “cellular phone”. So formal for a street rat who has had to live by the seat of her pants! The inconsistencies were prevalent through out and extended beyond the dialogue. At one stage, she was convinced she had food poisoning, then pages later professed that she never believed her illness was food poisoning. She talked about having to, in the past, eat from garbage cans, but then we find she has well over $100,000 she has managed to “save” over a period of only 12 years, all the while moving from place to place. She even has her own investment broker, was weapon trained by an ex-military captain and knows enough to check the behind-the-scenes plumbing when she looks to purchase a home. Must have been a busy 12 years.
Overall, an incredible disappointment from an accomplished author. Two stars—and that’s being generous.
The story is that of Alison (Ali)—a product of the foster care system, abused and neglected by those who were responsible for her safety and well being. At 17, Ali graduates high school and, after a harrowing experience at home, goes on the run. The story is of Ali visiting a new-to-her village in Florida and purchasing her first home. In spite of being drugged and dragged, finding human bones in her yard, and having horrendous experiences with the nefarious characters who inhabit the space, Ali moves ahead with buying a beach house there. She knows something is not quite right (ya think?), and as the story unfolds, the community’s secrets are revealed.
Whilst reading, I kept waiting for some big event to occur—something that would anchor this novel. Instead, what I got was a series of unrelated crises and events that portrayed Ali as, at once, a bad ass and a woman who just could not make good decisions. The result was a muddled protagonist about whom I could not possibly have cared any less.
While the lack of a central plot was disconcerting, it was the uncomfortable and stilted dialogue that sealed the two star deal. When Ali is chased while inadvertently trespassing on a private beach, she, weapon in reach, tells her pursuer she will “blow (his) frigging head off”. When the man backs off and tells her he never meant to scare her, Ali responds with “Then what the hell are your intentions?” His INTENTIONS? Really? She’s just been chased down and she asks his intentions? It was just so out of character. Was she the brusque and base woman who threatened to blow his head off or the more refined lady asking a man of his “intentions”? When she goes into a “dollar store”, she asks to purchase a “cellular phone”. So formal for a street rat who has had to live by the seat of her pants! The inconsistencies were prevalent through out and extended beyond the dialogue. At one stage, she was convinced she had food poisoning, then pages later professed that she never believed her illness was food poisoning. She talked about having to, in the past, eat from garbage cans, but then we find she has well over $100,000 she has managed to “save” over a period of only 12 years, all the while moving from place to place. She even has her own investment broker, was weapon trained by an ex-military captain and knows enough to check the behind-the-scenes plumbing when she looks to purchase a home. Must have been a busy 12 years.
Overall, an incredible disappointment from an accomplished author. Two stars—and that’s being generous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2023
I started this yesterday and did something I haven't done in ages...I stayed up until morning to finish it. I then found that I was actually disappointed that it had ended...that there wasn't any more story. Just when Alison starts to make friends and is happy with her decision and her new home.... strange things begin to happen. This is where I knew I COULD NOT stop reading! She finds a bone. ...you can use your imagination to guess what kind...as she's clearing up overgrowth on her property. She then learns this is not the first time that bones came from here. Then she hears the rumors of missing children and cult activity, or is it just rumors? Slowly she knows that her first thoughts on the discoveries were right. Still, she wants to spend time in her nice cottage on the beach. She has now set herself on a course that may change her life forever. The characters are both likable and questionable. The plot is breathtaking and events are sometimes horrific, but be assured the book will hold onto you until the end and afterwards.
November 22, 2022
this book was actually a FEVER DREAM.
I am so confused. why did nothing happen until the last 20 pages…? I kept waiting for some insane plot twist but I was EXTREMELY let down. the plot twist was only unpredictable because it didn’t make sense.
the main character was not likable at all. the side characters were okay, but lacked any real depth. the book was easy to read, but honestly it wasn’t very interesting & was VERY repetitive.
• the cult came out of left field - honestly I don’t even know what else to say about that
• ‘kit’, her love interest, was so sus???? why was he literally in love with her after meeting her once???
• the bad guy literally being a random ass side character from the middle of the book that had barely a coupe pages about him????????
• the entire val/renee/john story line?!?! a guy gets you pregnant & leaves so you tell the entire town he’s a predator????
• ALSO why did allison constantly feel like she needed to shoot everyone with her gun??? but then she finally needs it and she it’s no where to be found??????
i’m so unsatisfied with the way this book ended. it literally felt like a waste of time when I finished.
I am so confused. why did nothing happen until the last 20 pages…? I kept waiting for some insane plot twist but I was EXTREMELY let down. the plot twist was only unpredictable because it didn’t make sense.
the main character was not likable at all. the side characters were okay, but lacked any real depth. the book was easy to read, but honestly it wasn’t very interesting & was VERY repetitive.
• the cult came out of left field - honestly I don’t even know what else to say about that
• ‘kit’, her love interest, was so sus???? why was he literally in love with her after meeting her once???
• the bad guy literally being a random ass side character from the middle of the book that had barely a coupe pages about him????????
• the entire val/renee/john story line?!?! a guy gets you pregnant & leaves so you tell the entire town he’s a predator????
• ALSO why did allison constantly feel like she needed to shoot everyone with her gun??? but then she finally needs it and she it’s no where to be found??????
i’m so unsatisfied with the way this book ended. it literally felt like a waste of time when I finished.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2022
I'm torn because while this was very simple and a Scooby Doo level mystery, I did enjoy it and stayed consistently interested. I still had some questions and wanted to know a bit more of what happened in her young adulthood to get her to the point she could pay cash for a beach house and I had questions left about this cult.
This was my first Fern Michaels and while I'm glad I listened to this (I got the audio and I liked the narrator) I'm not sure if I'll be hunting down her others.
This was my first Fern Michaels and while I'm glad I listened to this (I got the audio and I liked the narrator) I'm not sure if I'll be hunting down her others.
May 6, 2022
woof. too many plot lines crammed into one not-very-well-written book (and none wrapped up well), with stiff dialogue and unbelievable characters.
February 9, 2023
Wholly unsatisfying. The many plot holes ruined much of this for me - a 29 year old graduate of the foster system (well, technically not even a graduate since she ran away after harming the male in her foster home who assaulted her). She has somehow managed to live a drifter life, entry level jobs BUT somehow, magically, met someone she entrusted with her “savings” and voila, had more than 100k to buy a dream house on the beach. Sign me up for that fantasy please.
It was also unfathomable that this woman who draws a gun the first time she encounters a man on the beach, yet she becomes besties so fast, sharing accommodations and entrusting new people with her safety.
And, the plot was thin. Scooby Doo and the Mystery Van thin. You could practically see the mask being pulled off as the end just pops up.
It was also unfathomable that this woman who draws a gun the first time she encounters a man on the beach, yet she becomes besties so fast, sharing accommodations and entrusting new people with her safety.
And, the plot was thin. Scooby Doo and the Mystery Van thin. You could practically see the mask being pulled off as the end just pops up.
March 16, 2022
Fern Michaels has been a favorite author of mine for years. I was so thrilled to get a ARC of Fear Thy Neighbor. I’m really sorry to say I just could not get into this book. I did read it to the end so there is that. But, it just didn’t engage me much at all. The ending just left me hanging.
The main character, Allison, grated on my nerves. Yes, I felt sorry for her but that was about it. The decisions she makes are just out there. Much going on within the story just seemed too far fetched.
I’m sure others may love this book. It just wasn’t for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
The main character, Allison, grated on my nerves. Yes, I felt sorry for her but that was about it. The decisions she makes are just out there. Much going on within the story just seemed too far fetched.
I’m sure others may love this book. It just wasn’t for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
July 10, 2022
This book was a train wreck! The story was all over the place, but you had to keep reading to see were it went! It was a story of a girl who grew up in the foster system of Ohio. She was tossed around and mistreated. You actually thought she had murdered someone in the beginning of the book, only to find he tracked her down on her bus trip escaping the town she was from. (Very far fetched). She makes enough money waitressing and is able to buy a house with cash on a beach in Florida (28 years old) only to find out the town has a sordid past that she somehow gets involved in! For someone whose had to deal with a lot in her short life, she really has no common sense. But me neither, since I actually read the entire book!
May 26, 2022
Atrocious. Each page was worse than the last. A jumbled mess of half-assed storylines, terrible dialogue, and a dumb, unlikable, contradictory protagonist. I struggled to finish it. Seriously this was the worst thing I’ve ever read.
February 18, 2022
I hate to admit this, but I read Fern Michael's Captive and Texas books when they were released in the late 70's and early 80's. Yes! I'm am "that" old and yes, I have been a fan of her writing for "that" long. 😎
I am truly honored to review her new book called "Fear They Neighbor". It will be published March 29, 2022. Fern Michaels has a very special place in my heart for all the hours of reading entertainment she has given me.❤
Now lets look at "Fear They Neighbor":
Alison Marshall age-29, is alone and free to pick a new place to live. Her dream has always been to live on the beach. She buys a little yellow beach house on Palmetto Island. Palmetto appears to be the perfect little beachside community for Alison to establish roots. Alison is so happy, but begins to have strange occurrences happenIng to her. Is someone trying to frighten her? Are the local residents hiding a dark secret? Is Allison in grave danger?
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. Seriously, who does not like a beach mystery? However, was it my favorite Fern Michaels book? Sadly no. I rated it 3.5. Here are the reasons why. We begin with Alison, who in the first few chapters trusts no one (pulls a gun on someone) and then tells other people she just met the code to her new house? W-h-a-t?? Plus, the ending felt a little rushed and implausible.
I will always be a huge Fern Michaels fan and can't wait to read more from her. I will continue to highly recommend her books.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books, for allowing me to read a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate you.
I am truly honored to review her new book called "Fear They Neighbor". It will be published March 29, 2022. Fern Michaels has a very special place in my heart for all the hours of reading entertainment she has given me.❤
Now lets look at "Fear They Neighbor":
Alison Marshall age-29, is alone and free to pick a new place to live. Her dream has always been to live on the beach. She buys a little yellow beach house on Palmetto Island. Palmetto appears to be the perfect little beachside community for Alison to establish roots. Alison is so happy, but begins to have strange occurrences happenIng to her. Is someone trying to frighten her? Are the local residents hiding a dark secret? Is Allison in grave danger?
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. Seriously, who does not like a beach mystery? However, was it my favorite Fern Michaels book? Sadly no. I rated it 3.5. Here are the reasons why. We begin with Alison, who in the first few chapters trusts no one (pulls a gun on someone) and then tells other people she just met the code to her new house? W-h-a-t?? Plus, the ending felt a little rushed and implausible.
I will always be a huge Fern Michaels fan and can't wait to read more from her. I will continue to highly recommend her books.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books, for allowing me to read a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2022
What a struggle bus this book was. I don’t think I even know what it was about really. Short book filled with a ridiculous amount of unbelievable events. It’s like the author was throwing every thought or idea. into the book, that she had in her head like they would pass away if she Didnt write them down. Some one please explain to me what I just read.
February 25, 2022
This is the first novel by Fern Michaels that I have read and I was particularly impressed with the depth of the characters and story plot in Fear They Neighbor. Michaels draws you into the life experiences of Alison as an abused foster child who is determined to create a "forever" home. After several riveting and unsettling experiences, Alison questions her decisions about the choices she's made. Can she trust anyone? Are this town and this home for her? What secrets are hidden in this town? Michael's abilities as an expert storyteller had me captivated from the beginning to the suspenseful end of this novel. Thank you Kensington Press for the ARC and for introducing me to another author.
January 4, 2022
This one gets an okay from me.
While I liked our story overall, there were times when I simply didn’t believe it. Even after finishing the book, I question the motivations of some of the characters. Some of what happens is completely illogical and I didn’t really love the characters.
I was intrigued by our murder mystery, but was disappointed in the why and who of it all.
I’ll read the author again, but this one was just a little too slapdash for my tastes.
*ARC via Publisher
April 14, 2022
None of this made sense. I found myself so annoyed by the main character for her stupid choices and over reactions to situations. Plus when handling a gun your finger should never be “on the trigger” which she always did, even when someone just asked her a question or looked at her sideways. The characters were all pretty unlikeable. Then with a few chapters left it seemed the writer got tired or writing and just finished it abruptly and very blah. I’m not sure how it has a 4 star average…
September 9, 2025
Words can't express how much this BORED me. Seriously. I did not think bored to death could be literal until today.
DNF at 51% in, which was 4hrs 24mins so I really really tried.
But I'm nosey enough to still want to know the 'thing' so now I have to go looking for spoilers.
Great. Boring AND gave me homework.
DNF at 51% in, which was 4hrs 24mins so I really really tried.
But I'm nosey enough to still want to know the 'thing' so now I have to go looking for spoilers.
Great. Boring AND gave me homework.
February 2, 2022
Well…I really wanted to like this book, but it was just too unbelievable and didn’t have enough characters that I liked. The ending felt rushed and didn’t really seem plausible. Just not for me.
July 14, 2022
A heap of gossip not much suspense
July 29, 2023
"She kept wondering why she moved to the island"....I kept wondering why I was still reading 🥴
June 30, 2023
I'm a working author, and I get my share of bad reviews. I even read some of them. Often, it's just a matter of taste. Other times, there are legitimate complaints. I don't abide by the rule, "If you don't have anything to say, don't say anything at all." I DNF plenty of books and never review them. But this one... I just have to.
I made it about a third of the way through "Fear Thy Neighbors" before I gave up. Most of that third was spent incredulous that such a book gets published, but then rationalizing why it does: "Fear Thy Neighbors" is pure fantasy. In it, a thirty-year-old woman who survived the most horrible ordeals in foster care as a child is now out in the world, trying to find some peace. She's standoffish, armed, skeptical of every man she meets, she takes in stray kittens, and she's searching for... something. Maybe a house? So far, so good.
But, the writing. And the details. It's as if the author has set the book in 1982. But it's not; it's 2022. Still, a cell phone costs $60 in this world. A hotel, with exquisite rooms described as "almost an apartment" -- $50 a night. And a beachfront house in ritzy southwest Florida? 100k. Not only that, but in this world, realtors don't check if you're pre-approved, or even gainfully employed, before showing you a house on the Gulf Coast. Seventeen year old girls on the beach don't have their nose in a phone, watching the latest TikTok; they're friendly and outgoing and say things like, "Mom would croak if she found out."
And I think that's the key. Fern Michaels grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries, and that's kind of what we have here -- a rambling sort of mystery where not much has happened yet a hundred pages in and everybody sounds like it's the 1950s. Or like they're in sixth grade, trying to be cool. Some notables:
"Sorry, Pedro, but it's time for me to move on. I've worked the last two seasons here. I told you when you hired me I was a drifter," Alison explained.
Alison scrambled as far away from her as she could when Sheila yanked her out from under the bed, slapping her several times. "You little tramp, you're just like all the rest! A trashy seductress!"
"Well, I must say I wasn't expecting you to buy the place but now that you have, I'll get the paperwork in order."
(This is the realtor who shows Alison the beach house without first checking for pre-approval, employment -- nothing. She ends up selling it to her for the cost of a trailer home in upstate, NY.)
Maybe if this place turned out to be her forever home, she'd learn about the tides, the moon, and its many phases. She remembered learning about the cosmos when she was in the fifth grade, though she didn't think her teacher referred to them as the cosmos, just the solar system. She learned the phases of the moon, and knew the sun lit up the half-moon except during a solar eclipse.
(I think it's safe to say there were no cosmologists consulted in the writing of this book.)
Fern Michaels is a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
P.s.
Look, I get it. At least, I think I do. People want escapism. They want diversion. And they care about story, not details like the cosmos or how much houses cost. Which would be fine, except I can't "escape" to anywhere with such corny writing or erroneous details. And the story -- yes, she's a sympathetic character, an abuse survivor who only shops at Walmart and we love that -- but nothing has happened. Well, she lost the gun she carries at one point because she thinks she was either date-rape drugged by an old lady or had a bad case of food poisoning -- so that's something.
Am I jealous an author can write this stuff and have it appear on a bookshelf in Walgreens were I picked it up? You bet I am.
2/5 stars
I made it about a third of the way through "Fear Thy Neighbors" before I gave up. Most of that third was spent incredulous that such a book gets published, but then rationalizing why it does: "Fear Thy Neighbors" is pure fantasy. In it, a thirty-year-old woman who survived the most horrible ordeals in foster care as a child is now out in the world, trying to find some peace. She's standoffish, armed, skeptical of every man she meets, she takes in stray kittens, and she's searching for... something. Maybe a house? So far, so good.
But, the writing. And the details. It's as if the author has set the book in 1982. But it's not; it's 2022. Still, a cell phone costs $60 in this world. A hotel, with exquisite rooms described as "almost an apartment" -- $50 a night. And a beachfront house in ritzy southwest Florida? 100k. Not only that, but in this world, realtors don't check if you're pre-approved, or even gainfully employed, before showing you a house on the Gulf Coast. Seventeen year old girls on the beach don't have their nose in a phone, watching the latest TikTok; they're friendly and outgoing and say things like, "Mom would croak if she found out."
And I think that's the key. Fern Michaels grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries, and that's kind of what we have here -- a rambling sort of mystery where not much has happened yet a hundred pages in and everybody sounds like it's the 1950s. Or like they're in sixth grade, trying to be cool. Some notables:
"Sorry, Pedro, but it's time for me to move on. I've worked the last two seasons here. I told you when you hired me I was a drifter," Alison explained.
Alison scrambled as far away from her as she could when Sheila yanked her out from under the bed, slapping her several times. "You little tramp, you're just like all the rest! A trashy seductress!"
"Well, I must say I wasn't expecting you to buy the place but now that you have, I'll get the paperwork in order."
(This is the realtor who shows Alison the beach house without first checking for pre-approval, employment -- nothing. She ends up selling it to her for the cost of a trailer home in upstate, NY.)
Maybe if this place turned out to be her forever home, she'd learn about the tides, the moon, and its many phases. She remembered learning about the cosmos when she was in the fifth grade, though she didn't think her teacher referred to them as the cosmos, just the solar system. She learned the phases of the moon, and knew the sun lit up the half-moon except during a solar eclipse.
(I think it's safe to say there were no cosmologists consulted in the writing of this book.)
Fern Michaels is a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
P.s.
Look, I get it. At least, I think I do. People want escapism. They want diversion. And they care about story, not details like the cosmos or how much houses cost. Which would be fine, except I can't "escape" to anywhere with such corny writing or erroneous details. And the story -- yes, she's a sympathetic character, an abuse survivor who only shops at Walmart and we love that -- but nothing has happened. Well, she lost the gun she carries at one point because she thinks she was either date-rape drugged by an old lady or had a bad case of food poisoning -- so that's something.
Am I jealous an author can write this stuff and have it appear on a bookshelf in Walgreens were I picked it up? You bet I am.
2/5 stars
May 28, 2022
My second book by this author and my last. Kudos to the cover writer, whose blurb intrigued me enough to pick this one up on the shelf. The book would do better set in Texas, where the cliché inept redneck police officer, and Alison's misguided belief that she can take care of herself because she keeps a gun in her purse might be more believable. She seems to have a superhuman resistance to pain: able to wrap an open fracture (bone through the skin) of her arm with an ace bandage, take some aspirin (how'd she get the safety cap off?) and ride a bus. Later, she climbs through a window with a dislocated shoulder. Eventually, she nails the bad guys when they walk past her front porch at night. She draws her gun on them, tells a kidnapped, probably drugged child to run and scream for help through dark brush, then the FBI saves her by shooting the bad guy without announcing themselves (even though he was unarmed and only verbally threatening her), and politely tells her to lower her gun. Not happening.
August 14, 2022
Riddled with typos and an uninteresting plot, I barely made it through this 250 page book. It was just a hot mess of a book.
October 5, 2024
A young woman that was raised in foster care makes a new life for herself in Florida.
June 15, 2022
This book was so disappointing. I expect more from Fern Michaels. The character development was terrible and the main character at times was very unlikeable. The writing was so simplistic. At one point I noticed I only had about 7-10 pages left and there were so many angles to the story left hanging that I couldn't understand how I could almost be at the end of the book. Well the whole story wrapped up in those last pages. It was unbelievable. I am aggravated I wasted my time.
June 15, 2022
Fear Thy Neighbor is a thrilling read by bestselling author, Fern Michaels.
Alison Marshall has always lived a nomadic lifestyle, beginning as a child in the foster care system. When she discovers a cute little cottage for sale just a stone’s throw from the beach, she believes her lifelong dream has finally come true. She decides to stay and make this quaint beach town her permanent home. When strange things begin to occur, she starts to think she’s made a deadly mistake. Will she survive to live her dream?
Fern Michaels pens another novel sure to be a bestseller. The characters are fully-developed with complete backstories. The beach scenery is breathtaking and plays an important role as the perfect setting. The premise and plot are well-defined and fully-realized. I give Fear Thy Neighbor 4 out of 5 stars, deducting for a slightly drawn out ending. I recommend it to all readers of women’s fiction, especially if you like a little suspense.
My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
Alison Marshall has always lived a nomadic lifestyle, beginning as a child in the foster care system. When she discovers a cute little cottage for sale just a stone’s throw from the beach, she believes her lifelong dream has finally come true. She decides to stay and make this quaint beach town her permanent home. When strange things begin to occur, she starts to think she’s made a deadly mistake. Will she survive to live her dream?
Fern Michaels pens another novel sure to be a bestseller. The characters are fully-developed with complete backstories. The beach scenery is breathtaking and plays an important role as the perfect setting. The premise and plot are well-defined and fully-realized. I give Fear Thy Neighbor 4 out of 5 stars, deducting for a slightly drawn out ending. I recommend it to all readers of women’s fiction, especially if you like a little suspense.
My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
October 8, 2025
Good romantic suspense. Filled with interesting characters.
May 22, 2023
Fear thy Neighbor
Fern Michaels
REALLY? The math just didn't work for me...
3 stars
Fern Michaels
REALLY? The math just didn't work for me...
3 stars
July 19, 2022
I have been reading Fern Michaels' books since the beginning of time and she doesn't ever disappoint.
Read
December 24, 2025Drifting and looking for the perfect place to settle in. When Alison finds herself in Palmetto Island she finds a beach house on the market and within her budget!
At first the house is everything she has dreamed of but as weeks go by she discovers her dreams may be a nightmare. Alison discovers a local secret and now she has a choice to make.
I was hoping for an edgy beach read but I honestly don’t know what I read… like it didn’t register. I think this will be a need to reread for me because the bones to a good story is there, unfortunately I just didn’t feel a connection with everything that was going on.
At first the house is everything she has dreamed of but as weeks go by she discovers her dreams may be a nightmare. Alison discovers a local secret and now she has a choice to make.
I was hoping for an edgy beach read but I honestly don’t know what I read… like it didn’t register. I think this will be a need to reread for me because the bones to a good story is there, unfortunately I just didn’t feel a connection with everything that was going on.
May 1, 2022
Wow!!!! I totally was not expecting the ending at all. I was so focused on Allison and her journey, that I easily missed clues. Great read in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 933 reviews