The Short of It:

It doesn’t matter how nice a house is, or how wonderful the neighborhood is, if you have horrible neighbors living right next to you, none of it matters.

The Rest of It:

The Khatun family move to Blenheim hoping for a better life for their teen son Zain. But after placing a BLM sign in their yard, the Huttons take matters into their own hands by removing it. When Salma and Bil relocate it to their window, they are beyond surprised when Hutton paints over their window to cover it up. To think that someone could step onto their property, vandalize it and then go about their day as if nothing has happened is too much.

To further complicate things, Zain has befriended the Hutton’s son so trying to navigate all that tension while maintaining a friendship proves to be nearly impossible.

This was an interesting read for me. It’s filled with tension and NONE of the characters are likable. At all. And yet, I had a really hard time putting it down and read it in one sitting during all my Thanksgiving prep. These types of books definitely have a place on my shelf. Quick, engaging stories that get you thinking.

If you are looking for a quick read to get you reading again, this might be the book for you. ( )

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah is a 2023 HQ publication.

Salma and her family make the move to Blenheim with hopes of a fresh start amid some setbacks. But trouble begins right from the start when Salma catches their neighbor, Tom, knocking over an anti-racist banner in her yard. She takes the banner and puts it in her window instead, only to discover the next morning that her window has been smeared with paint. This prompts her to confront Tom, which immediately becomes tense and ugly and only escalates further from there, ultimately ending in tragedy.

This is another super taut novel of suspense by Kia Abdullah, that starts off with a feeling of foreboding that builds to an almost unbearable point as the story progresses. and just keeps getting worse and worse as the story progresses.

I love this author- but this was the first book that gave me a few niggles. The adults in this book made me uncomfortable- the way they spoke to each other- yelling ugly obscenities – etc., and some of the language was outside my comfort zone. Some situations were also highly improbable, but that didn’t seem to lessen the suspense elements- at least not for me.

Overall, this is a thought-provoking tragedy, rooted in racism, that tears away the ‘respectable’ veneer many people hide behind, exposing the dark ugliness beneath the surface…

While I had some mixed feelings about some of the content, the story itself was very effective, suspenseful, and a riveting page turner.

4 stars ( )

The Khatun family moves to Bleinheim in search of a better neighborhood for their teenage son, Zain. When Salma observes her neighbor, Tom, removing an anti-racist banner placed outside by Zain, she places it in her window. The next morning, the window has been painted over. From there, the tensions between neighbors escalates with dangerous, life-altering implications.

This is a well written exploration of prejudice, intolerance, the dangers of social media, the need for revenge. There are so many themes relevant for our times.

Composed of three parts, I found the first part to be very unsettling due to the oft time crazed behaviors of the adults. I enjoyed Part 2 the most and I think that Part 3 will be a catalyst for much contemplation among readers of this book. I think this would be a good choice for a book club and quite revealing in the discussions that would ensue.

Thanks to #netgalley #peguingroup #putnam #GPPutnamsons for the ARC. ( )

I am always so excited when I see that Kia Abdullah has a new book out because she writes such interesting characters, great legal courtroom scenes, and heartbreaking twists that I never see coming.

Salma and her husband Bil move into a new house in a new neighborhood with their teenage son Zain, who has recently had to leave school because of an unfortunate misunderstanding. They are hoping for a fresh start. Their next door neighbors, Willa and Tom also have a son around Zain’s age, and the boys become friends. However Salma and Tom instantly take a disliking to one another, instigated by Tom’s racism and attempts to needle the Khatun family by removing the anti-racism flag they have hanging in their yard on a HOA violation. Tom and Salma begin retaliating against one another, with each incident increasing in magnitude, viciousness and violence until truly horrible things are happening to both families, with devastating consequences. There is a court case, as there is in all of KA’s books, and as always a juicy twist (several!) that I did not predict. Another well written psychological drama/legal thriller from Kia Abdullah that asks lots of good questions.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Penguin, Putnam and Sons, and NetGalley for review purposes. ( )