What do readers think of The Good Neighbor by Amy Sue Nathan? Write your own review.

The Good Neighbor has an interesting premise and there are unexpected plot twists, but the characters are unlikeable and many scenes are cliché filled and feel contrived. This could have been a good "beach book" if the main character, Izzy, wasn't so self absorbed (bordering on narcissistic) and unsympathetic. I couldn't relate to her and I didn't care if things worked out for her or not. This may be because I didn't get a sense of why she reacted to the circumstances of her life the way she did. Did she have a traumatic childhood that made her feel that moving back home was such a horrible thing? What caused her to expect the worse in those closest to her? Additionally, there were plot points I didn't understand. Why weren't her friends more interested in meeting Mac? What was her motivation for or what did she gain (or hope to gain) from making up a boyfriend online? The Good Neighbor may have resonated more with better character development, but as it stands it reads like a Lifetime movie – shallow and slightly implausible.

Some people may see a book described as chick lit in a negative way but for me its about women telling their stories. Its our way of connecting and sharing what we learn in life. It gives women courage and strength to do the things that need to be done. In The Good Neighbor its the bond between a recently divorced woman and her elderly neighbor. They learn from each other what they need to move on. Most of what happens in this novel is predictable but that doesn't make it any less of a touching story.