Nosy Neighbors to Cozy Neighbors

 

TITLE: Nosy Neighbors

AUTHOR: Freya Sampson

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: April 2, 2024

PAGES: 384   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, and especially not in crumbling Shelley House. According to her neighbors, she’s prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat is plagued by guilt from her past. 

Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling is Shelley House’s longest resident, and if you believe the other tenants, she’s as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Except there’s a good reason Dorothy spends her days spying on her neighbors—a closely guarded secret that no one else knows and the reason Dorothy barely leaves her beloved home. 

When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home. But when someone starts to play dirty and viciously targets one of the residents, Dorothy and Kat suspect foul play in their community. After the police close the investigation, it's up to this improbable pair to bring a criminal to justice.

MY THOUGHTS: I had moderate interest in this book when I saw it n the new release shelf at my local library.  I went ahead and grabbed it, not knowing when I might get to it.  I started it on a whim while reading two other books and it quickly became the book I thought about the most and wanted to read way more than the others.

Nosy Neighbors centers around a run-down apartment building with a plethora of diverse characters and one awesome dog, a Jack Russell named Reggie who manages to steal every scene he is in.  One day the neighbors all get eviction notices.  Joseph, the elderly man in flat #1 decides to protest and try to save the building.  He has recently taken in a tenant for the extra bedroom in his flat, a pink-haired girl named Kat.  Once day Kat arrives home and finds Joseph close to death on the living room floor.  Left with the care of Reggie, even though she is busy hiding her own secrets, she ends up befriending the mean elderly lady in flat #2, Dorothy Darling, and together, they try to determine what happened to Joseph.  Dorothy hates Joseph but even more, she hates when something happens in the building which she isn't aware of.

This book sort of sells itself as a mystery and while there are a few mystery elements, such as finding out who attacked Joseph, it's more a tale of day-to-day struggles, secrets from the past that never let go, and starting anew.  The people in Shelley House have little to do with each other in the beginning but I loved seeing them come together for a great good.  And as I mentioned, you have Reggie.  Dorothy hates Reggie (if you read this book, you will soon learn Dorothy hates a lot of people and things), but she also helps out with him when Joseph is attacked, and he slowly licks his way into her heart.

The past few years, I've really enjoyed books featuring found families and that is how I would best describe Nosy Neighbors.  I also love elderly characters, and, in many ways, Dorothy Darlin reminded me of Vera Wong and she was one of my favorite characters from last year.  If any of this sounds like something you are even remotely interested in, then run to your nearest library or bookstore and grab a copy.  Hopefully you'll find it as hard to put down as I did.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS