Author: Sheila Roberts
Published: October 14, 2025, by MIRA
Format: Kindle, Paperback, 368 Pages
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Blurb: Zona never thought her life was headed this way, but here she is, newly divorced and moving back in with her mom, Louise. After her gambling addicted ex-husband lost all of their savings, including their daughter's college fund, she doesn't really have a choice. She's cutting every coupon she can and she's going to help put her daughter through nursing school, even if it kills her.
This wasn't Louise's plan, either, laid up at home with a broken leg after one unfortunate tumble on the senior singles cruise she'd been looking forward to for months. But if she's going to spend all her time at home, at least she's got her daughter there with her. And there's some hot new eye candy next door to distract them both from their troubles. He appears to be single and just around Zona's age. Could his arrival be the universe making amends for everything it's put her through?
Maybe the universe isn't feeling as generous as Louise hoped. There’s something lurking under that mans surface charm, something…dangerous? And who's the woman they can hear him in all-out shouting matches with on the other side of the fence? When the woman seems to disappear without a trace, imaginations run wild. Or at least, Zona hopes it's just her mother's imagination.
My Opinion: This book was so not what I was expecting and not in a fun plot twist kind of way. Marketed as “Humorous Fiction” and “Women’s Fiction,” The Man Next Door is a second (or maybe third) chance romance masquerading as quirky domestic drama.
We meet Zona, freshly divorced and financially gutted thanks to her ex-husband’s gambling habit. She’s now living with her mother, wrangling a dog, and trying to make ends meet by flipping garage sale finds on eBay and driving for a car app. Sheila Roberts seems determined to cram subplots into this story, as if she’s playing narrative bingo.
Meanwhile, Louise (Zona’s mom) had grand plans for a cruise full of eligible men, but fate had other ideas. She’s now stuck at home, dependent on family, a caregiver, and the man across the street she’s never shown interest in. Naturally, she starts spying on the new neighbor like she’s auditioning for a true crime podcast. I was expecting Rear Window vibes, but what I got was the Hallmark Channel.
The man next door is Zona’s age, and Louise goes full amateur sleuth, jumping to conclusions with the enthusiasm of someone who’s watched too many Dateline episodes. I kept waiting for the suspense to kick in. Instead, the plot meandered into a double-dose of second-chance romance; one for Zona, one for Louise. Because apparently, everyone gets a love story whether we asked for it or not.
The pacing? Glacial. The repetition? Relentless. The payoff? Meh. Honestly, this book could’ve shed 75 pages and still felt padded. If you’re looking for humor, mystery, or even a compelling romance, keep walking. The man next door isn’t worth the peek.
This wasn't Louise's plan, either, laid up at home with a broken leg after one unfortunate tumble on the senior singles cruise she'd been looking forward to for months. But if she's going to spend all her time at home, at least she's got her daughter there with her. And there's some hot new eye candy next door to distract them both from their troubles. He appears to be single and just around Zona's age. Could his arrival be the universe making amends for everything it's put her through?
Maybe the universe isn't feeling as generous as Louise hoped. There’s something lurking under that mans surface charm, something…dangerous? And who's the woman they can hear him in all-out shouting matches with on the other side of the fence? When the woman seems to disappear without a trace, imaginations run wild. Or at least, Zona hopes it's just her mother's imagination.
My Opinion: This book was so not what I was expecting and not in a fun plot twist kind of way. Marketed as “Humorous Fiction” and “Women’s Fiction,” The Man Next Door is a second (or maybe third) chance romance masquerading as quirky domestic drama.
We meet Zona, freshly divorced and financially gutted thanks to her ex-husband’s gambling habit. She’s now living with her mother, wrangling a dog, and trying to make ends meet by flipping garage sale finds on eBay and driving for a car app. Sheila Roberts seems determined to cram subplots into this story, as if she’s playing narrative bingo.
Meanwhile, Louise (Zona’s mom) had grand plans for a cruise full of eligible men, but fate had other ideas. She’s now stuck at home, dependent on family, a caregiver, and the man across the street she’s never shown interest in. Naturally, she starts spying on the new neighbor like she’s auditioning for a true crime podcast. I was expecting Rear Window vibes, but what I got was the Hallmark Channel.
The man next door is Zona’s age, and Louise goes full amateur sleuth, jumping to conclusions with the enthusiasm of someone who’s watched too many Dateline episodes. I kept waiting for the suspense to kick in. Instead, the plot meandered into a double-dose of second-chance romance; one for Zona, one for Louise. Because apparently, everyone gets a love story whether we asked for it or not.
The pacing? Glacial. The repetition? Relentless. The payoff? Meh. Honestly, this book could’ve shed 75 pages and still felt padded. If you’re looking for humor, mystery, or even a compelling romance, keep walking. The man next door isn’t worth the peek.
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