reviewing: Nosey Neighbors by Freya Sampson

Book in review: Nosey Neighbors by Freya Sampson

“Nothing brings neighbors together like someone else’s secrets. At Shelley House, The walls have ears, and they’re attached to a ragtag duo of busybodies ready to pry, snoop, and generally annoy their neighbors into solving a crime.”—A puzzler.

Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling has lived in Shelley House longer than any of the other residents, and if you take their word for it, she’s as cantankerous and meddlesome as they come. But Dorothy has her reasons for spying and none of them require justifying herself to Kat Bennett.

Twenty-five-year-old Kat has never known a place where she felt truly at home, and the crumbling Shelley House is no different. Her neighbors find her prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat’s plagued by a guilty secret from the past.

When their apartments face demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy agree on just one thing: they must save their historic building. But when someone plays dirty and one of the residents is viciously taken down, Dorothy and Kat seek justice. The police close the investigation too soon, leaving it up to the unlikely amateur sleuths – with a playful Jack Russell terrier at their side—to restore peace in their community.

What did I like about this book?
I found this read most enjoyable because I like Dorothy’s way of viewing her neighbors and keeping them safe at Shelley House. I also liked how she tried to get rid of Kat, the youngest room renter but her plan failed since she did end up renting a room from Joseph…and they became friends in the end.

There’s a list of “Discussion Questions” at the end of the book and I selected two of which I have tried to answer/explain upon…
2. I have selected to answer question # 2 What do you think about Dorothy’s isolation at the start of the book, her habit of jotting down infractions, and how that balance changed throughout the book?
Dorothy’s habit of jotting down infractions is most troublesome because she seems like a defacto spying on her neighbors and this is very unpleasing to her neighbors and does not reflect well on her character. As Dorothy gets more involved with trying to detect who hurt Joseph and trying to save Shelley House, she does come out of her shell and her annoying habits give way over time.

3. I have selected to answer question # 3. In your opinion, which one of the residents of Shelley House showed the most character growth throughout Nosy Neighbors?
I have to say that Dorothy is the character with the most growth throughout "Nosy Neighbors". Dorothy Darling, a virtual recluse who had shut other people out of her life for thirty years, had been throwing a party for her neighbors, people who until a few months ago she had hated and had been hated in return and her change is noted by Kat; and Kat wants to change as well and does so by the book’s ending.
Joseph Chambers has changed as well because he and Dorothy are living together and are a very happy couple and wish nothing but the best for Kat and Will.

What’s to be remembered most from this reading is that “a home is not made by brick and mortar but by the people in it.”—and this will do just fine for Dorothy who could not wait to get back inside Shelley House.—“Let’s go home.”