Girl Next Door

Liz Noble's look at life in a New York City Co-op hits the mark! Well told, well written with a sharp eye and attention to detail! With her descriptive vision, I could actually see all of the characters, page-by-page, day-by-day, month-by-month. I'll not give the story away, you need to read for yourself! There's a word: formulaic. That could apply in this novel, but, who's life doesn't adhere to a formula of some kind, whether's it's by our design (or not). Again, I implore you to read for yourself, to see if you find at least a little of yourself amongst the characters that occupy this novel! My rating for Liz Noble's "The Girl Next Door" is five stars!

I had a good time reading this book. I even bought it for one of my sister-in-laws as a holiday gift! This is the story of Eve, a young English expatriate who moved to New York because her husband was promoted to a great position in the financial world. She gets to know the city and a city within the city - the people in her apartment building. The story is told by switching to different residents' points of view. The prose is colorful and easy-to-read. There are several fun stories within this apartment building. Eve forms an interesting friendship with a fellow Brit, the 82-year-old Violet. There's also a quiet young librarian, a triathloner in the entertainment industry, a handsome trust fund guy who abandons his bravado as he falls in love, a gay couple, the Cuban building staff, and a wealthy young couple who have a marital crisis. Eve makes it through a life-changing crisis of her own. Each character is well-developed and draws the reader into his or her world. This is not heavy literary fiction, but it's a fun, frothy read!

If you have ever moved to a new town much less a new country and felt lonely, this book tells you that you are not alone. Not only are newcomers lonely, but many people that look as if their lives are perfect, are having difficulty keeping their lives on track and need someone to talk to and be friends with them. This is a charming tale of a couple coming from England for the husband's job and his wife's attempts to assimilate herself into a new lifestyle and country. Working on a garden project for her apartment building helps her reach out to others and lets others reach out to her. This is a well told story, that touches on many of the problems we have interacting with each other and to those closest to us. This was a lovely charming book to read with elements of romance, sadness, friendship, loss of life and family.

This is a book that puts you into the lives of many people living in an apartment house in New York. Some are families, some singles. An English couple, Ed and Eve Gallagher, have moved to New York for two years as Ed got a promotion. Eve is somewhat reluctant as she loves her house and garden and it was completely unexpected. She befriends Violet, an elderly woman,who came to America as a British war bride. You meet Kim and Jacob and Avery, the most spoiled child in town! Their marriage is falling apart. Rachel and David have three children and a wonderful marriage - until Rachel finds out he's been having an affair! Emily is a beautiful girl who finds it hard to trust. Jackson is a slothful man who is rich but sees Emily and is very interested. He decides he needs to change his life to woo her. Madison discovers that Jackson is rich and tries to entice him. She'd really enjoy being married to someone rich! Charlotte, a librarian, befriends Emily. Todd and Greg are a gay couple and very much in love. Other people live there, but are less involved in the story. The reader, at least I did, becomes friends with the residents and share their griefs and happiness. It's not a noisy book, but one that you'll remember. It makes you consider how you would react and feel if you were in the same circumstances. I recommend it very much.

Oohhh this book was addicting. I have held it in my hands the last 24 hours, hoping everyone would just melt away so I could find out more about the inhabitants of this wonderful building. I thought there was a LONG list of people and I wondered if I would be able to keep up, but within a couple of pages I was hooked -- From Eve and Ed moving to New York from the UK, to Jason and Kim's difficult marriage, Charlotte, Emily and Jackson and the entertaining Madison, I loved it all. You will feel like you are one of the renters in this building, sharing their lives, heartaches and trials. It is like regular life, not what it seems from the outside -- I loved how the characters talked about books. That is always a favorite of mine when I read! I hope Ms. Noble comes out with a sequel, because I want to know what is going on with all my favorite people; how Ed and Eve are doing, if Emily and Jackson make it... Way to go Ms Noble this book is sure to be a hit!!