The Perfect Neighbors

May 1, 2016
On the suburban avenue of one of America's 20 safest communities, four women hide secrets beneath work and family. Pekkanen (Things You Won't Say, 2015, etc.) deftly intertwines four stories into a tapestry depicting the frayed seams underlying small-town American domesticity. Newport Cove is bound together by Wine and Whine nights for the women, block parties for the children, and an electronic listserv riddled with passive-aggressive messages about dog poop, the propriety of political comments, and snarky advice. Worn down by her teenage daughter's sulky tantrums, Gigi could always rely on her husband for support, but now his political ambitions threaten not only to expose her less-than-perfect past, but also to endanger her happy home. Barely surviving her recent divorce from Randall, Susan comforts herself with work and caring for her son, Cole. So why does she find herself obsessing over her ex-husband and his girlfriend, Daphne? Maybe it's because Daphne was her friend first. Back at work after years of being a stay-at-home mom, Kellie delights in the attentions of her handsome, married co-worker even though she loves her own husband dearly. It's just an innocent crush, right? Tessa, her husband, and children have recently and rather suddenly moved to Newport Cove. They seem friendly, if a little standoffish. That is, until Harry has a nearly hysterical fit at the Halloween parade, thinking another father is trying to abduct his son. A mistress of women's fiction, Pekkanen transforms cliched suburban troubles--from adolescent drama to infidelity--into a compelling, suspenseful tale. Indeed, as Gigi, Susan, and Kellie struggle to upend their lives, it's Tessa who harbors the darkest secret. And Pekkanen parcels out the clues slowly, ratcheting up the suspense, slowly exposing every parent's worst fears. Of course, in the end, friendship binds them together with saccharine ties. A Peyton Place with warm hearts.

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May 1, 2016
Living in an idyllic neighborhood doesn't mean equally perfect lives for the residents of Newport Cove in the latest novel from fan-favorite Pekkanen (Things You Won't Say, 2015). Kellie has returned to work after 10 years raising her children, and the attention she receives from a handsome coworker has her looking at the future with her childhood-sweetheart husband, Jason, with new qualms. Her best friend Susan's marriage fell apart when her career took off, and now her ex has announced that he's getting remarried and having a baby with the neighbor he fell in love with during their marriage's dissolution. Their friend Gigi's husband is running for Congress, and she's worried about how bad choices from her past could disrupt his campaign and jeopardize her relationship with her daughters. Then there's the new neighbor, Tessa, who is hiding the biggest secret of them all. Pekkanen uncovers the hopes, heartbreaks, and indiscretions that lurk behind a community's carefully maintained facade in this engrossing novel reminiscent of Liane Moriarty's suburban-set mysteries. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Women's-fiction star Pekkanen's latest novel will be energetically promoted as the perfect summer read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)