Today, you will find my First Chapter Review of The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts. Was this supposed to be a First Chapter Review? No, but my work schedule has been a word that starts with B, ends with H, and rhymes with witch. This funny contemporary novel is one that I've been eagerly anticipating for weeks. Look for my full review coming soon.
BLURB: "In this spunky nod to Rear Window, Roberts infuses a charming domestic comedy with a soupçon of suspicion. . . . a heartwarming diversion." –Publishers Weekly
Love in the Time of Serial Killers meets The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window in this delightful romp about a recently broke divorcee who moves in with her house-bound mother only to spend their days spying on her grumpy, mysterious, and sexy new neighbor.
Zona never thought her life was headed this way, but here she is, newly divorced and moving back in with her mom, Louise. After her gambling addicted ex-husband lost all of their savings, including their daughter's college fund, she doesn't really have a choice. She's cutting every coupon she can, and she's going to help put her daughter through nursing school, even if it kills her.
This wasn't Louise's plan, either, laid up at home with a broken leg after one unfortunate tumble on the senior singles cruise she'd been looking forward to for months. But if she's going to spend all her time at home, at least she's got her daughter there with her. And there's some hot new eye candy next door to distract them both from their troubles. He appears to be single and just around Zona's age. Could his arrival be the universe making amends for everything it's put her through?
Maybe the universe isn't feeling as generous as Louise hoped. There’s something lurking under that man's surface charm, something…dangerous? And who's the woman they can hear him in all-out shouting matches with on the other side of the fence? When the woman seems to disappear without a trace, imaginations run wild. Or at least, Zona hopes it's just her mother's imagination...
COVER: This is not the typical cover I expect on a book by Sheila Roberts, but it is a perfect fit for the plot and reminds us of the movie that inspired the novel.
FIRST CHAPTER: A disgruntled Zona is eating lunch with her friend and real estate agent, Gracie. Forced to sell her home and now penniless, Zona isn't thrilled about moving in with her mother. But her ex-husband's gambling addiction left her without another option.
Louise knows her daughter needs time to get back on her feet, and she can't help but wonder if the new neighbor might be a new chance at love for Zona. Meanwhile, Louise is excited about a singles cruise she has been planning for months.
KEEP READING: It's Sheila Roberts. Of course, I will keep reading. After an intriguing prologue whose theory I totally agree with, the reader moves swiftly to Zona and Gracie at lunch with a smattering of Zona's backstory worked in, followed by the introduction of Louise and her ideas of how the new neighbor might be good for her daughter. In many ways, I feel like I am in familiar territory. The cover and the back cover blurb, however, give me a sign that we are charting new paths. Looking forward to finishing this one.
- Publisher : MIRA
- Publication date : October 14, 2025
- Edition : Original
- Language : English
- Print length : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0778305724
- ISBN-13 : 978-0778305729
I received a copy of this book from the author. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
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