Name: Brooke McBride's review of The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope
Item: The Family Across the Street
Rating: 4
Author: Brooke McBride

Nicole Trope

Sometimes, the most perfect families are hiding the most terrible secrets. How well do you know the people next door…? Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses. The new family, The Wests, are a perfect fit. Katherine and John seem so in love and their gorgeous five-year-old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn. But soon people start to notice: why don’t they join backyard barbecues? Why do they brush away offers to babysit? Why, when you knock at the door, do they shut you out, rather than inviting you in? Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out. As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wail of sirens. And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realise: Hogarth Street will never be the same again. A completely gripping, twist-packed psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Sally Hepworth and Lisa Jewell. Readers love The Family Across the Street: ‘Wow!!! Wow!!! Wow!!! A total page-turner and will keep you guessing with every page. Halfway through I thought I had figured it out and then BAM! The ending floored me.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Omg! Omg!... My son came in and asked me who I was yelling at?! (I was yelling at my e-reader). I think my heart beat out of my chest… The suspense was killing me! LOL my heart is still beating crazy!…OK I have to go now I need a big glass of wine to calm down!’ Ana's Attic Guest Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Oh my GOSH!!!!!! I read this emotionally charged, compelling book in one sitting. Whoa, my emotions are ALL over the place!!! You thought you knew what was going on and then BAM nothing what you thought was happening! I’ve never been soooooo engrossed in a book from the first pages. Amazing, emotional and just Wow!!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Oh wow, absolutely triple wow. Absolutely amazing.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is how you do thrillers. OMG, this story was amazing… Edge-of-your-seat-nail-biting read.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I’m writing this review with tears streaming down my face!! What a BRILLIANT book… I was on edge every single second… At one point I realized my body was literally tensed up in anticipation.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Utterly blew my mind.’ Priyanka’s Book Gallery, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I was absolutely hooked!!…Totally engrossed!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Simply brilliant… Almost gave me an aneurysm in my attempt to finish it.’ @rk_reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely amazing!… So so good with so many twists and surprises. I could not put it down and read it in 24 hours!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The story totally sucked me in and I was hooked! I love it when a book that does that to me… To the point to where I don’t want to adult at all!!! This was that type of book!… Will blow your damn mind!’ @oh.happy.reading, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘After reading this book I realise I use the phrase “page-turner” too much, because THIS was a true PAGE TURNER. I read it in one sitting.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow, I loved this one so much…. A whole box of tissues were gone in just a few hours. It was so intense that I was sitting at the edge of my seat the whole time. I couldn’t put this one down for the life of me. No bathroom breaks at all.’ Blue Moon Blogger, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The first book I have ever read in a day… I just couldn’t put it down. It really is one of those books that you think just a few more pages, just a few more pages, just another chapter.’ The Reviewers, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A totally unputdownable psychological thriller with a shocking twist

The Family Across the Street

Brooke McBride

I read this book quickly but I thought the first paragraph was unnecessary and left a question that wasn’t answered at the end. I felt disturbed since there were kids involved and the “twist” wasn’t shocking for me, knowing all the characters and another story line tied together somehow. 

Abigail Stutz

Read this one for Thriller book club, and I decided to do the audio that is done by Taryn Ryan. I thought the narration was done well FYI!

This is a domestic thriller and mystery. It features multiple first person perspectives and I felt like the POVs were pretty well done. They all switch over with chapter changes, which is really the only way to successfully do it.

This one is pretty hard to review without spoiling, but I’ll try. The book features a nosey neighbor, a domestic hostage situation, and an ex-con delivery driver with a bad gut feeling. The author layers further on top of that to make the mystery and twists more hard hitting.

Someone in the book clubs group chat put out an early prediction that ended up being right, and I’m not sure if it’s due to me reading that first or not, but I found the twist to be pretty solidly on the nose. It isn’t handle poorly or anything, I just thought it was obvious.

Other than that I did feel like the book was still kind of lacking something. That and the fact that it was released in 2021, but the ex-con is more so just described as being profiled because of his tattoos, drove me nuts. I’m not sure if maybe it’s just because it’s Australian and not American, but yes it is much much harder for ex-cons to find solid work, but I found the use of his tattoos as being the reasoning for most of it to be incredibly weak. Tattoos are now most definitely the norm. The guy was described as wanting to be a mechanic, not some crazy CEO or something, and the author still made that seem incredibly out of reach…it pulled some credibility out for me personally and read a bit like personal opinion.

Still enjoyable, and a lot to like. Personally a 4/5* for me.

C. J. Daley 

Read this one for Thriller book club, and I decided to do the audio that is done by Taryn Ryan. I thought the narration was done well FYI!

This is a domestic thriller and mystery. It features multiple first person perspectives and I felt like the POVs were pretty well done. They all switch over with chapter changes, which is really the only way to successfully do it.

This one is pretty hard to review without spoiling, but I’ll try. The book features a nosey neighbor, a domestic hostage situation, and an ex-con delivery driver with a bad gut feeling. The author layers further on top of that to make the mystery and twists more hard hitting.

Someone in the book clubs group chat put out an early prediction that ended up being right, and I’m not sure if it’s due to me reading that first or not, but I found the twist to be pretty solidly on the nose. It isn’t handle poorly or anything, I just thought it was obvious.

Other than that I did feel like the book was still kind of lacking something. That and the fact that it was released in 2021, but the ex-con is more so just described as being profiled because of his tattoos, drove me nuts. I’m not sure if maybe it’s just because it’s Australian and not American, but yes it is much much harder for ex-cons to find solid work, but I found the use of his tattoos as being the reasoning for most of it to be incredibly weak. Tattoos are now most definitely the norm. The guy was described as wanting to be a mechanic, not some crazy CEO or something, and the author still made that seem incredibly out of reach…it pulled some credibility out for me personally and read a bit like personal opinion.

Still enjoyable, and a lot to like. Personally a 4/5* for me.

Jen Casey

Holy hell!! Lock the door, turn your phone off, get comfy, and prepare yourself for a wild ride in this gripping thriller, with a twist you did not see coming!!

Shirley Jones 

Home Sweet Home was an absolute page turner, I literally couldn't put my kindle down it was amazing.

Brooke McBride &
The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope

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Brooke McBride &The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope

Reviews

Join the club

Brooke McBride &
The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope