{"id":172159,"date":"2025-04-05T16:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T16:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/books\/the-people-next-door-by-kate-braithwaite-bookchattercookiebiscuit\/"},"modified":"2025-04-05T16:00:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T16:00:06","slug":"the-people-next-door-by-kate-braithwaite-bookchattercookiebiscuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=172159","title":{"rendered":"The People Next Door by Kate Braithwaite \u2013 Bookchatter@Cookiebiscuit"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Twenty years ago, Jen\u2019s sister disappeared. Now, she\u2019s looking for answers.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jen Silver has moved to a new neighbourhood in affluent, suburban Pennsylvania with her partner, Dan, and her daughter. It\u2019s a picture-perfect neighbourhood where the residents hang out on each other\u2019s patios drinking margaritas on warm summer nights. They eagerly welcome Jen and her family.<\/em><\/p>\n

But Jen isn\u2019t who they think she is.<\/em> Dan doesn\u2019t know the truth either.<\/em><\/p>\n

#ThePeopleNextDoor<\/em>\u00a0X(Twitter)<\/em><\/strong> #KateBraithwaite<\/em>\u00a0@JoffeBooks<\/em><\/a>\u00a0@ZooloosBT<\/a><\/em>\u00a0#ZooloosBookTours<\/em>\u00a0#booktwitter<\/em>
Instagram<\/em><\/strong> @katebraithwaiteauthor<\/em><\/a> @joffebook<\/em>s<\/a>\u00a0@zooloosbooktours<\/a><\/em>\u00a0#bookstagram<\/em> #blogtour<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Jen has spent her life trying to find out what happened to her sister. She\u2019s chosen this community for a reason \u2014 because Dan has his own connection to the neighbourhood and a past he thought was long-buried.<\/em><\/p>\n

As Jen pieces together the events of twenty years ago, someone is determined to keep the facts from coming to light.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

But secrets always come out and sometimes, the worst truths lie close to home. . .<\/em><\/p>\n

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My Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

The People Next Door <\/em>was brilliant. It\u2019s told from multiple viewpoints over two timelines. This can at times be a bit confusing initially, and I had to look back to remember who was \u2018speaking\u2019. Now and twenty years ago (when Jen\u2019s sister Lynette went missing), we hear from Jen, current partner Dan, Lynette\u2019s friend Natalie, and Aunt Jocelyn who everyone thinks is Jen\u2019s mum. Jen\u2019s ex is journalist Booker, who is Nina\u2019s dad. He\u2019s probably the only one without a troubled background.<\/p>\n

I must at this point mention Jocelyn. What a woman, and I don\u2019t mean that in a good way. She\u2019s creepy, controlling, coercive, self-centred, intimidating \u2013 need I say more, She\u2019s one of my favourite \u2018villains\u2019 ever in a book. Some readers may not even think of her as a villain, they may find her actions justified (I sincerely hope not). Personally I would be scared to be in the same room with her staring at me, and I definitely wouldn\u2019t accept a drink she\u2019d made. The one thing that Jocelyn banks on is that no-one will recognise her from before. Big mistake. Someone is bound to. Some people just don\u2019t change that much.<\/p>\n

At first I didn\u2019t really understand what was going on or what the relationship was between Jen and Jocelyn, or why Natalie is so key to Jen\u2019s sister\u2019s disappearance. Slowly but surely secrets start to emerge. We learn about Jen\u2019s dad leaving, her mum Sal (Jocelyn\u2019s sister), her grandparents, and all the other goings on, and the people in Ithaca, where they lived twenty years ago.<\/p>\n

My only criticism of the book would be around Dan. I just can\u2019t see him as a neurosurgeon. He seems too dumb. And then there\u2019s his relationship with Jen. I totally understand how she\u2019s been bullied by Jocelyn\u2019s obsession with finding out what really happened to her sister\u2019s daughter, but to be pushed into a relationship with Dan seems a step too far. Or maybe not as you get further into the story. Nothing is out of bounds.<\/p>\n

Many thanks to\u00a0@ZooloosBT\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kate Braithwaite is the author of four historical novels based on true but overlooked events. Charlatan<\/em> tells the story of Madame de Montespan and the Affair of the Poisons in 17th Century Paris. The Plo<\/em>t features Titus Oates\u2019 Popish Plot, a scandal that earns him a place as one of Britain\u2019s top ten villains. The Puzzle of Nellie Bly<\/em> explores the exploits of a ground-breaking female journalist going undercover in a 19th Century New York lunatic asylum. The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph<\/em> reveals a shocking rupture between two very different sisters in late 18th century Virginia.<\/p>\n

Originally from Scotland, Kate studied English at Leeds University and has subsequently lived in Canada and the US. She is the author of Sis-Stories<\/em>, a Substack publication all about sisters in history and fiction, and an editor for the Historical Novel Society. Kate and her family live in Chester County, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

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Kate\u2019s Social Media<\/strong>
Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KateBraithwaiteAuthor\/<\/a>
Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katebraithwaiteauthor\/<\/a>
Website: https:\/\/kate-braithwaite.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Book Links<\/strong>
Goodreads: https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/228125367-the-people-next-door<\/a>
Purchase Link: https:\/\/mybook.to\/peoplenextdoor-zbt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n