Review: The Perfect Neighborhood

The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good book, but not a great book. 2.5 stars.

I was a tad disappointed with this book. Not because it was easy to figure out who-dun-it (it wasn't all that easy), but because this book was half YA and bad YA for that matter. A lot of what was very close to pedophilia sex and a ton of teen angst. I could see a lot of the angst since the teen was the babysitter who was watching the first child that went missing, but that is not what we really get with Cassidy. She seems more worried about her relationship than anything else. Yes, she feels guilt, but...

Allison and Christopher also have a ton of angst, which has nothing to do with the missing child/children. Or does it?

I was into this novel but not so deeply engaged that my mind didn't keep drifting as I was reading this book. I think the only reason I didn't give up was that I really had no clue who the abductor was and wanted to assuage my curiosity.

*ARC Supplied by the publisher Crooked Lane Books. there author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Liz Alterman’s engrossing novel is a thought-provoking read about the dark side of suburbia and the secrets of close-knit communities, perfect for fans of Joshilyn Jackson.

When actress and model Allison Langley leaves her former rockstar husband, Christopher, in the middle of the night, it’s all her Oak Hill neighbors can talk about. The gossip comes to an abrupt halt when five-year-old Billy Barnes goes missing on his walk home from kindergarten.

Billy’s mother, Rachel, blames herself for being at work and letting her only child walk alone. Cassidy, Billy’s teenage babysitter, was also late to arrive on the afternoon he disappeared and blames herself for his disappearance.

As the clock ticks down, police are unable to find any trace of Billy, forcing Rachel to ponder the enemies she’s made in their well-off suburb. Could it be one of her neighbors who stole her son? Would they abduct Billy to hurt her? How easy would it be to take a child while the parents or nannies are distracted?

When another child goes missing, the town is put under a microscope as the police try to get to the bottom of the disappearances. Will they be able to find the two children, or will it be too late? What secrets lie at the heart of this tragedy, and how far will one go to keep those dangerous secrets buried."