Hardback published by Harper Collins 19th January 2023
ISBN 9780008433680
WELCOME TO YOUR DREAM HOME
Salma Khatun is extremely hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development to which she, her husband and their son have just moved.
MEET YOUR NEW NEIGHBOURS
Not long after they move in, Salma spots Tom, her neighbour, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in their front garden. She chooses not to confront Tom because she wants to fit in. So, Salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window instead. But the next morning she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint.
PREPARE FOR THE NIGHTMARE TO BEGIN
This time she does confront Tom, and the battle lines between the two families are drawn. As things escalate and the stakes become higher, it’s clear that a reckoning is coming. And someone is going to get hurt.
MY REVIEW
Today I’m shouting out loudly about Those People Next Door, Yes indeed Black Lives Matter.
I absolutely loved this book and strongly agree with the storyline, Black Lives Matter.
Author Kia Abdullah has weaved together a fantastic story about Black Lives Matter.
When you move somewhere new all you want to do is to get on with your neighbours, don’t you ?
This isn’t the case for the new neighbours in Blenheim.
Salma a Geography secondary school teacher, & her husband Bilal is a restaurateur and their son Zain has moved in to the posh area of Belenheim.
LETS MEET THE NEIGHBOURS
Tom Hutton works in advertising, his wifeWilla, sometimes paints, but mainly is a stay at home wife, mother to son Jamie.
THE INVITE TO KNOW THE NEIGHBOURS
As Salma, Bil and Zaine are new to the area they have been invited to theneighbours May Bank Holiday Barbecue, where they meet Tom, Willa and Jamie.
Zaine and Jamie become friends, Jamie is partially deaf, as he was born three months early.
Despite the neighbours not getting on, Salma Khatun’s son Zaine and Tom Hutton’s son Jamie still remain friends.
Tom Hutton got on my nerveshe confronts Salma about parking issues, and other issues, making the new neighbours feel uncomfortable.
Willa is hiding a big secret about money from her husband Tom, and there’s about to be an announcement by Willa, that may leave Tom in shock.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Zaine puts a Black Lives Matter banner in the garden but pathetic Tom deliberately throws a tennis ball at it.
Salma puts the banner in her window. But some one has put paint on her window, all because they don’t like the Black Lives Matterbanner in her window and naturally Salma’s feelings are hurt, and she knows who exactly did this, Tom her neighbour.
When Salma takes to social media to express her hurt how an adult can do something like this, then things start to spiral out of control.
I very much recommend reading Those People Next Door, as this is a touching, heartbreaking, tearful thriller, court room drama!
About author Kia Abdullah
Kia Abdullah is an author and travel writer from London. Her novels include Take It Back, a Guardian and Telegraph thriller of the year; Truth Be Told, which was shortlisted for a Diverse Book Award; and Next Of Kin, the Times Book of the Month Sep 2021.
Kia has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph and the BBC, and has received a JB Priestley Award for Writers of Promise (Royal Literary Fund, 2020). She is also the founder of Asian Booklist, a nonprofit that advocates for diversity in publishing.
Bookread2day 
Wow, this looks intriguing. Wonderful review
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Thank you so much Wendy xx
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