I won an advanced reading copy of this book in a Goodreads give-away.I am a huge fan of this author's first book Seed and I was excited to begin this, her second. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. As a young man of 23, Andrew(Drew),is already no stranger to disappointment. Between a father that deserted him and a mother who became agoraphobic as a result, Drew doesn't have much of a chance. Resentful of the fact that he is trapped in his hometown and trapped by his mother's illness,

Andrew Morrison was an average kid from an average home with a bright future ahead of him. Until he wasn't. The death of his father and his mother's spiralling mental health meant he had to sacrifice everything to keep a roof over their heads. One day, he had enough of this existence and left.Andrew decided to put his own needs first for a change. But this hasty decision to leave meant he had no prospects or sure direction of where to go. An old friend provided him with a room to sleep in and th...

Generally disappointing tale from Ahlborn, the follow up to the brilliant Seed, about a guy, Andy, running from issues with his family and into the arms of an old friend with bizarre connections to a pair of creepy husband and wife neighbors. The story is too over-the-top and silly to ever really work, although Ahlborn is game and tries her best and the story does hold your interest, for the most part, to the end. The characters lack real substance except perhaps for Harlow, the wife, who has an...

Ugh what a disappointment. I expected to love this because Brother was so great. I just found most of the story so boring... Also the constant name switching drove me crazy. Was he Drew? Andrew? Andy? Pick one jeez. Overall I thought this was a below average and dull novel that felt like 600 pages, even though it's less than 300. Not recommended.

Andrew has always lived in the shadow of his alcoholic mother and his father. While his mother tried to get the help that she needs to cure her addiction, Drew has had enough of her shenanigans. It is bad enough that the father that he loved the most leaves without a trace, he is left finding odd jobs to suit him. When he meets in with his friend, Mickey, things are starting to look up, but that is far from a good thing knowing their scored past. Living in a mole rotten place is anything better

1.5*I wanted to give it two stars as it was a bit less unbearable to get through than others I've rated one, but honestly I can't find any good reasons for giving it more.It's surprisingly boring, there's little to no development in either plot or characters and the endless repetition of the characters past experiences (without it being useful to deeper understanding) with an equally endless self-pity/self-justification displayed but all the involved charaters, is excruciating to read over and o...

Deliciously disturbing, Ania Ahlborn is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Audio - 3.5 starsStory - 2 starsI didn’t think it was possible for a mindfuck read to be boring, but this story proved me wrong. It didn’t help that the shifting from present to past and the various characters’ povs had me so confused at times. The idea of the story was interesting, dark, and twisted. An attractive, married, middle-aged woman seduces young men into her bed. Once she’s used them sexually, she kills them off. When she starts falling for her latest victim, it creates problems betwe...

"The Neighbors" by Ania Ahlborn is a cliched tale about a perverted June Cleaver wannabe trying to lure an innocent young man into her bed, to please her there and to take over as clean up boy for her little serial murder hobby.I like the main character and his loser roommate as written, but the story was just too much like a SNL sketch stretched beyond all believability. The only adjectives that come to mind are trite and jaded. Harlow walks around in dresses and high heels all day, baking cook...

This is Ania Ahlborn’s second published book and the third that I’ve read by her. They just keep getting better and better. I’m giving this a solid 4 stars.The Neighbors, is about a guy named Andrew. He has a pretty sad upbringing and when he was little he made friends with a kid named Mickey. Mickey considered ‘Drew’, to be more of a little brother than just a friend. So I’m guessing there is a 2-5 year age gap. We dont know how old Andrew is in present day, but I’m guessing in his mid-20’s. Lo...

Ania Ahlborn, The Neighbors (Thomas and Mercer, 2012)Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Amazon Vine.Like a number of other people who have reviewed this novel, I got sucked in by the book description. The marketing folks did a fine, fine job of selling this. Unfortunately, their writing is the best to be found anywhere surrounding this insipid, unscary thriller whose greatest asset is its brevity.Plot: Drew Morrison is the perfect son: so much so, in fact, that he su...

Showing no signs of sophomore slump, Ania Ahlborn's second book completely lives up to the promise of her awesomely auspicious debut Seed. Forgoing supernatural themes, the author instead tells a blood curdling tale of the monsters who wear human skin and live right next door, confirming my long time suspicion that neighbors are in fact very dangerous and best left to their own devices. Good fences and all that. Terrific characters, well developed and sympathetic even at their lowest, great paci...

This was WILD!!! Bloody, tense, creepy, and again just bonkers 😂 It seems like a lot of the negative reviews say this one is slow, but I flew through it in no time. Another winner from Ania!!

3.5stars. Not bad. But I am missing something. There is an element missing that I can't really put my finger on. And yet, I'm still going to try her other books.

The house on Magnolia Lane could have been taken out of a picture book, perfectly manicured lawn and bushes, gorgeous flowers, and even the requisite white picket fence. The occupants seem to match the perfection of their home. What is really peering out from behind those fluttering curtains? Cue music, the theme song from The Twilight Zone should do nicely. The Neighbors has its moments and it certainly kept me reading, but it was my least favorite offering from this author. Ahlborn's writing c...

I don't know why I put this off for so long. Ania is 4 for 4 so far at writing kick ass horror novels. I'm looking forward to Within These Walls.

This book is the epitome of average. If I remember it at all a few months from now, it will only be because I spent so much time at the beginning trying out a variety of possible plots that would make this story interesting. (view spoiler)[ Aliens? OK. Vampires? Tired, but ok. Human-flesh-eating-monster-beasts? Hmmmm. Super-unrealistic serial killer? Uh, NO. (hide spoiler)]. However, none of those possible plots developed, only a very silly story that is completely implausible. People, even sev...

Andrew has been a good son all his life. Looking after his alcoholic, agoraphobic mother ever since his father left, Andrew has given up his only love and any chance of a career to stay at home and look after his mother. One day, he snaps and moves in with a childhood friend, Mickey, who lives across town. He's immediately drawn to the picture perfect house next door and the friendly, helpful neighbors, Harlow and Red. But nothing is quite as it seems in suburbia.Nowhere near as good as Brother....

3 stars audio1 abso-fucking-lutely waste of my time star story!There is no way to describe this book except,,WTF??!!!

The blurb for The Neighbors describes it as "an insidiously entertaining tale of psychological suspense and mounting terror by the boldest new master of the form, at the intersection of Basic Instinct and Blue Velvet". It's the story of Andrew Morrison, who leaves home after a row with his alcoholic mother, moves into a rundown property with a deeply unpleasant housemate, and finds himself fascinated by Red and Harlow Ward, the strangely glamorous couple next door who seem keen to take him under...