Review of A Good Neighborhood

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for my free review copy. This is a character driven drama novel that I really enjoyed. Valerie is a single mother to her teenage son Xavier. Xavier is set to graduate in a few months and already has been accepted to a prestigious music university. They are curious to see who their new next door neighbours are going to be. They already know they are rich by the size of the house and the pool they have built. Valerie is very passionate and knowledgeable about nature and plants and is concerned about the amount of trees that were taken out to fit the house. She also has a very old tree in her yard with a delicate root system. The new family move in and the husband, Brad, is a very showy businessman, his quiet wife Julia, and their two daughters. Xavier and Juniper, the eldest daughter, begin a secret relationship as Juniper isn’t allowed to date yet and further complicating the issue is that Xavier is biracial. As Valerie realizes her tree is dying, because of the construction, she decides to sue Brad. This sets in motion issues of wealth, class and race and you begin to realize that what you were worried about happening is how the story is going to end. The book is told from multiple perspectives which I really liked. I don’t want to say much more except that if you like domestic drama this is for you. There is a lot going on in this book that is very relevant in the current time. I look forward to reading more from this author.