11. The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble

I read about The Girl Next Door on Bookish NYC's blog when she mentioned it is centered around the residents of a building in New York City. Of course my interested was raised as soon as I read that as I am always on the lookout for a good book where New York is a main character. I am so glad that I checked it out and spent a good portion of my weekend when I was working reading it. A wonderful book, and one I give an A-.

From Amazon:
What makes a house a home?
For Eve Gallagher, home is miles away in England since she and her husband relocated to an apartment building on New York's Upper East Side. And life isn't coming up roses.
What makes a neighbor a friend?
Violet has lived in the building for decades, but she's always kept herself apart, until Eve's loneliness touches her heart.
What makes a wife a lover?
Jason Kramer in apartment 6A is no longer sure he loves his wife, but he's head over heels for Rachel Schulman in 6B.
What makes the girl next door the woman of your dreams?
Meeting Emily Mikanowski from 3A turns Trip Grayling's world upside down. It's love at first sight, but he needs help from Charlotte, the shy romance novel addict in 2A, if he's going to get his girl.
What they all have in common is an address, but it is also a home where their lives and secrets intertwine. Come in and enjoy this bittersweet story of friendship and love.

As I mentioned above, New York City almost plays a character in the book, but even more so, the building that everyone lives in plays a greater role. I really enjoy books like this that allow me to get inside several different characters' heads and see how each one perceives perhaps the same exact occasion. All of the characters were likeable and there were quite a few twists and turns throughout the story. It is nice to get away from the grit and suspense of my usual books, so I was really excited to read this one. While Eve is the main character, we get to know several of the other characters in the story and what makes them tick. We see Eve mature throughout the move to a new city and country that isn't something she's always dreamed of and make an unlikely lifelong friend. My favorite character was Charlotte, though, and I was thrilled to see that Ms. Noble is currently writing a sequel where her and Emily play a bigger role in the story. Please hurry up and finish Ms. Noble!

Up next is my usual suspense and another library book and recommendation from a book blog, though of course I don't remember which one. This one is called Good People by Marcus Sakey and I hope it turns out to be a great one too! Hopefully midweek things will slow down a bit for me and I will be able to sneak in a few pages here and there until then. Well, I gotta go... the kids are about to come into class. Happy Reading everyone!