The Neighbors By Ania Ahlborn (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I’m genuinely confused. I read Seed a couple of years ago (or whenever it came out) and I remember that I enjoyed it. I even gave it 4 stars (it was probably more of a 3 or 3.5, I was more generous then). I didn’t think it was amazing or go-down-in-history literature, but original and well written (I thought). Enter “The Neighbors”. A few days ago I came across her other books and they all had pretty high reviews. So I deliberated on which one to read first and chose this. And now, confusion. It isn’t that the writing isn’t very good (though it really isn’t) and it isn’t that the plot is weak (though it is), in fact, it really just isn’t anything. I stuck it out because it’s short and I kept hoping to get to the good part but it turned out there just wasn’t one. Nothing really happened in this book. In fact, more happened in the history of the characters, sprinkled here and there, than during the actual (book) present. I really just don’t understand how the author went from a pretty good, decently written, enjoyable and original book to this poorly written, absolutely boring and completely unoriginal one. Now I’ve been known to binge-read true haunting books, which we all know are silly, unoriginal, poorly written, and potentially boring. So I do have a tolerance and even a soft spot for this, especially in the “horror” genre (which really this book can’t qualify for on the grounds of nothing happening!)So my solution to this quandary? I’m going to give it one more go. Last chance, Ania! I’m going to read The Bird Eater, also highly rated. As to this book, I cannot recommend it, because it’s just a nothing read. As to the author? I’ll reserve judgment momentarily. At the intersection of Blue Velvet and Basic Instinct lies The Neighbors.theneighborsAnd that about covers it. What a fun (fluffy) summer read, for those of us who like a little blood and guts with our romance and thrills. There is absolutely nothing believable about this book, but I couldn’t stop turning the pages.Drew Morrison thinks he’s been saved by his old friend, Mickey. Just as Drew had had enough of his alcoholic mother, of his miserable existence taking care of her, Mickey steps in and offers him a place to stay. Drew leaves his mother to fend for herself, quits his job, plans to start with a clean slate. Unfortunately, Mickey’s place is more hovel than home; dark, dreary and dirty. But next door! Next door is nirvana:“Easing his truck along the curb, he stared at the house just outside his window. It was gorgeous, a gingerbread house pulled straight from a fairy tale. This one had a white picket fence as well, rosebushes bursting with bright red blooms. Matching hydrangeas, heavy with blossoms, dangled from pots that hung beneath the eaves of the porch. A wind chime shivered in the breeze, small rounds of capiz shell sparkling in the sun. A hammock stretched across the right side of the patio.”The gingerbread house belongs to Red and Harlow Ward, Drew’s new, too-perfect neighbors. Whether it’s a plate of cookies or a job offer, they are right there to offer Drew everything he needs. With Mickey sulking in his room and acting strangely, Drew can’t resist the offer of a home-cooked meal, especially when it’s served up by the luscious Harlow Ward. But are these neighbors too good to be true? Why is Mickey acting so strangely – and what is behind the locked door at the end of the hallway? What secrets are hiding behind the pleasant facade of 668 Magnolia Lane?Okay, there is nothing remotely plausible about this story, but the over-the-top quality is what makes it so much fun. The story just gets crazier and crazier and crazier! There’s no deep meaning here, just a fun story, a few sympathetic characters, and a vampy villain you have to read to believe. It’s exactly my idea of a summertime beach read.My copy of The Neighbors by Ania Ahlborn is from my private Kindle library.
What do You think about The Neighbors By Ania Ahlborn (2012)?
This book was strange. Says it is a psychological thriller but I found it comical in the creepy way.
—kp_hippi
DNF... maybe will go back later? Was expecting more to the big reveal about how "evil" she was.
—celeste
It was good but not as thrilling and suspenseful as I thought it would be.
—hairsup
creepy & disturbing but on the edge of my seat.. loved it
—Karav
