The Boys Next Door: A novel about the Beatles
Biographical & AutofictionAdded on January 15, 2026
Description
Alan Levy is a college student who, in the fall of 1960, spends a semester abroad in Hamburg, Germany. There, he has the misfortune to rent a room next door to an up-and-coming rock and roll band from the North of England. They call themselves the Beatles. They are loud, rambunctious, and high-spirited. They are wildly unconventional (at least compared to Alan’s Ivy League polish) and play horrible, jarring music at all hours of the night. They are friends, however, with a young woman with whom Alan has fallen hopelessly in love—a beautiful German photographer named Astrid. The Boys Next Door is a bittersweet love story and a tall tale; a fast-paced, comic what-if, and a true fantasy fulfillment for Beatle fans everywhere. It’s a loving evocation of a time when rock and roll was new and dangerous, and when the lads from Liverpool were taking their first baby steps toward conquering the world.
Reader Reviews
4.5 stars out of 5! I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, but I was pleasantly surprised. To find out more, please read my review on my blog here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2020/08/1...
A fun romp with college student Alan as the next door neighbor to the Beatles in Hamburg, Germany before they reached worldwide fame. This fictionalized account of the Beatles time playing at the Kaiserkeller club does get many facts about that time correct. As a lifelong Beatles fan I found this to be a interesting read and a unique perspective on their time in Germany.
I absolutely SAVORED this novel! So tremendously absorbing, inventive, and excellently well written.Hamburg in 1960. The Beatles live next door. The protagonist in this coming-of-age story is smart and shy and arrogant and absolutely heartbreaking. Anyone who is or has been on the brink of adulthood will know exactly how he feels as he glories in and agonizes over what his future can hold.Having just finished reading "The Boys Next Door," I've got that bittersweet sense I get when I read a reall