A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler ~ My Thoughts #AGoodNeighborhood

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler
Print and e-book, 279 pages
Published March 10th 2020 by St. Martin's Press

In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son. Xavier is headed to college in the fall, and after years of single parenting, Valerie is facing the prospect of an empty nest. All is well until the Whitmans move in next door―an apparently traditional family with new money, ambition, and a secretly troubled teenaged daughter.

Thanks to his thriving local business, Brad Whitman is something of a celebrity around town, and he's made a small fortune on his customer service and charm, while his wife, Julia, escaped her trailer park upbringing for the security of marriage and homemaking. Their new house is more than she ever imagined for herself, and who wouldn't want to live in Oak Knoll? With little in common except a property line, these two very different families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie's yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.

Told from multiple points of view, A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today―What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?―as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending star-crossed love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.

My thoughts about A Good Neighborhood ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"A upscale new house in a simple old neighborhood. A girl on a chaise beside a swimming pool, who wants to left alone."

Therese Anne Fowler is a new-to-me author, although I do have other books of her's on my TBR list. A Good Neighborhood is a very well written book that I found myself engrossed in. It was bit difficult to read at times, just for the fact that it does cover some of the injustices that are happening for real in our world now. The ending was not what I was expecting but I guess we can't always have that HEA ending in life that we want, right?

The story is full of interesting characters, some very likable, and some not so much. There were times I just wanted to shake some of them to wake them up to what was happening in their lives and to their loved ones. I feel that's a good thing when an author can stir up such strong emotions in me. I enjoyed this story and the author's writing. I will definitely be reading more books by her.

I received an ARC of A Good Neighborhood from the publisher via Goodreads and this is my honest opinion of the book.

About the author

Therese Anne Fowler (pronounced ta-reece) is a New York Times and USA Today best selling author whose novels present intriguing people in difficult situations, many of those situations deriving from the pressures and expectations of their cultures as well as from their families.

Her books are available in every format and in multiple languages, and are sold around the world. Z has been adapted for television by Amazon Studios. A Well-Behaved Woman is in development with Sony Pictures Television.

Therese earned a BA in sociology and cultural anthropology and an MFA in creative writing, both from North Carolina State University. She has been a visiting professor and occasionally teaches fiction writing at conferences and workshops. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and PEN America, she is married to award-winning professor and author John Kessel. They reside in North Carolina. ~ Author's website

Connect with Therese

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

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