‘Wow!! I could not put this book down!! From the very beginning I was hooked… Tons of twists and thrills. I was completely blown away.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Have you ever had a secret that you couldn’t tell a soul, even the people you love? I have.’Lucy has a kind and adoring husband, a job she loves as a teacher, and a house on Mulberry Avenue with floaty curtains and the softest bed linen. … floaty curtains and the softest bed linen. After her troubled childhood, she knows life will never be perfect, but it’s pretty close.
She’s also got Amber, right next door. They never run out of things to talk about. Even if Amber’s life – with her high-profile job and handsome, wealthy boyfriend – is more glamorous than Lucy’s.
But then Amber starts to hint that her life isn’t all it seems, and when she comes to Lucy, terrified, saying that she’s getting threatening messages, Lucy promises to protect her.
The closer Lucy gets to anyone, the harder it is to keep her past to herself. But Amber’s boyfriend has left her just when she needs him most, and she doesn’t have anyone else.
Lucy knows all too well that people aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes they have secrets. And they’d do anything to keep them. Lucy’s still sure: she can trust her friend… can’t she?
Gripping and unputdownable, The Woman Next Door tells a story about the dark side of friendship, and has a final twist that will shock every reader. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Friend Request, and Clare Mackintosh.
Readers can’t put down The Woman Next Door:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Can I give this 10 stars? That’s what it deserves! Sue Watson is an amazing storyteller… she perfectly wove together a web of lies, paranoia, deceit, and friendship that created one big twisty and twisted story… I could not put this book down… This is why I read! For books like this!… LOVED LOVED LOVED this one!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Left me speechless!! I loved every page and after waking up early on a Saturday to finish it I can truly say the ending was unbelievable. (Worth my sacrificed weekend lie in)… Mind blowing.’ Goodreads Reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘OMG! My head is still spinning with the amazing non stop intense action packed thrills!… Suspenseful, mind blowing, beyond words… A must read for 2019!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A dark and twisty book… Perfect for those who love The Girl on the Train.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Sue Watson never disappoints, this is a gripping psychological thriller with a shocking ending that I never saw coming… A truly gripping and unforgettable twisty journey.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The ending was totally shocking, I thought I figured it out. But nope no idea!! Every time I put it down, I wanted to pick it right back up.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Well what a darkly woven story this turned out to be!… The author has got messing with the reader’s head down to a fine art and I was blown away by the end… Loved it!’ By the Letter Book Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I had the breath taken out of my body. No way did I ever see this coming. You must read this book. I am still trying to pick my chin up off the floor.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Captivating, intriguing, riveting… Many thrills, chills, and twists and turns! A must read… Grips you and sends chills down your spine!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Will leave you breathless… It is completely engrossing, intriguing and compelling… I was drawn in and could not escape until the very last page!’ Confessions of a Bookaholic
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Sue Watson has done it again! 5 shiny stars for this fantastic, twisty thriller… It is sooooo good!… ONE HELL OF AN ENDING!!!!’ It’s All About the Thrillmore
“…what lies behind the pretty curtains and the well-groomed lawns of Mulberry Avenue?”
A nice neighborhood with nice people. Some more content than others. A twisty, totally readable psychological thriller told in three perspectives: Lucy the contented teacher, Amber the weather girl who’s new to Mulberry Avenue and the stalker. There are thrills and chills and a whole lot of guessing with this one. Very well written and compulsively readable!
Well done again Sue Watson!
This book has it all…a stalker, infertility, characters you’ll love to loathe, a mysterious and nameless POV popping up every few chapters, a few twists and a delicious conclusion.
I was SO hooked from page one. Lucy and Matt are happily married and when Amber, a minor celebrity in town, moves in a few doors down, Lucy is enraptured and befriends her immediately. But someone is stalking Amber, sending sinister texts and leaving crazy gifts. Lucy is determined to be a good friend and invites her to move in until the situation is resolved.
What could go wrong?
Lucy is dumb, Amber is self-centered and both are awesome!
Drug me down no good deed goes unpunished
It was a waste of my time. I got it from my library. I hadn’t been there for a very long time. I’m so glad I didn’t buy the book.
I really tried to like something about it. I actually read it all. It was very dull and repetitive. I”m sorry. I usually don’t write bad reviews. But it may help someone else to not waste their money on it.
I like a book to grab me right from the start. This book started out slow but I’m glad I kept reading it. It was an interesting story an a unpredictable ending
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Was excited to get to the end to find out what happened. Also, wanted to keep going.
This story was well laid out and took you on a path of twists and turns.
Kept me reading, a real page Turner. I identified with the poor wife.
.
Lucy is a kind, gentle soul who goes out of her way to help everyone, especially those she loves. She is surprised and excited when a local weather girl, Amber Young, moves into the neighborhood. Lucy thrusts herself into the life of Amber, even though Amber does not welcome Lucy’s friendship. Soon mysterious texts and packages threatening Amber arise. This strengthens their friendship to a point where they become practically inseparable. Chaos soon ensues.
Lucy is very likeable, even if a bit naive. She truly treasures her friendship with Amber and supports her at every turn. She has been married for 10 years and is still in love with her husband, Matt. Unfortunately, the one thing that they most want in the world has been elusive – children. Lucy puts that loss aside as she gives all she has to Matt and Amber.
Amber is rude and obnoxious then kind. She doesn’t seem to truly be a trusted friend with Lucy but she does at times pretend to be. Her character is strong throughout. Even when crying or scared, you can still feel her strengths. She is beautiful and uses her looks and fame to get what she wants and manipulates situations.
Matt is a wishy-washy man. He is also a teacher, like Lucy. He spends most of his time immersed in his drama productions for the school or local community theatre. He clearly takes advantage of Lucy’s good nature but does capitulate when she asks if Amber can move in. His character is well developed enough that I disliked him the entire book, even when he was being kind or helpful.
Without the chance of a spoiler, it is difficult to further discuss the plot or storyline. Suffice to say a reader will find this book enjoyable.
I recommend this book. It is a smooth read and has twists after twists at every turn.
I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or ratings of this book.
The Woman Next Door instantly had a different feel to the usual psychological thrillers I read. I enjoyed the openings of this domestic drama. New glamorous neighbour meets needy, established-in-the-neighbourhood, Lucy the maths teacher. Slowly and surely, the joviality of the tone shifted, leading me, the reader, into the lobster pot – boiling me before I realised I was baked to the bottom of a dry pan, with the fire alarm screeching!
I read this book in two sittings. Why? Because, like a nosy neighbour drawn to curtain twitching, I needed to keep abreast of what was going on in the street. I felt as though I was a member of the Mulberry Avenue book club, awaiting the next instalment of street goss! I’m not really a gossiper – haha, but fictional gossip – yes please.
With a limited cast of characters, I’d say it should’ve been easy to guess who might have been the spanner in the works. The stalker? The voice from the past? One of the book club gossips? The self-obsessed stalkee? My perception of who the culprit was bounced around all over the place.
As with any good domestic noir/psych thriller, the sinister element ramped up. I loved how the tone changed. This book is a real insight into human nature – neediness and manipulation feature in abundance. It is a fantastically fast and fab read!
/ 5
Wow, The Woman Next Door by Sue Watson takes obsession to a whole other level guys! You don’t want to miss this one.
What it’s about: Besides that fact that Lucy can’t have children, she has a very nice little life. She lives in the beautiful community of Mulberry Avenue, is a teacher, has a loving husband, and her best friend is the beautiful Amber who is a weather girl. Lucy had a troubled childhood, so she is quite happy with the way things are now, especially now that she has Amber as her best friend. But when strange things start happening to Amber, she starts to let on that her life might not be as perfect as it seems. As Lucy discovers more of Amber’s secrets she starts to wonder if she actually has a stalker, or if she is making it all up…
The Woman Next Door is a quite chilling stalker/obsession story. Things definitely aren’t all as they seem, and as Watson unravels all of the mysteries and brings secrets to light, things just start getting crazier and crazier. The mystery of who the stalker is and who is obsessed with Amber, felt pretty original to me which was something I really liked. I seem to either like or hate stalker/obsession books and this is one I really enjoyed.
Lucy did get on my nerves a bit because at times I was yelling at her to stand up to Amber (Amber is quite hot and cold), and I did think the book was a bit repetitive with certain descriptions about characters. I also saw part of the twist coming, but definitely not all of it. All of these together put me at a 4 instead of a higher rating, but I have a feeling most people are going to truly love this one.
The chapters are fairly short and it made the book feel like I was breezing through it. I was very interested in the story and the pacing was great so I didn’t want to put it down. The book switches between Lucy and a mystery person in the first half, then between Lucy, Amber, and the mystery person in the second half. I quite liked this approach, and it helped break up the book and keep it interesting.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Come to My Window by Melissa Etheridge
Final Thought: I know this book is a genre that Watson doesn’t usually write in, but I couldn’t tell. She is definitely a very accomplished writer, and I loved her writing style. I agree with the cover when I say this book IS unputdownable. I cannot wait to read more from this author!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
When celebrity weather forecaster Amber moves into the biggest and fanciest house in the neighborhood, dowdy school teacher Lucy latches onto her trying to be her best friend. When Amber gets some “stalker” type texts, she ends up moving in with Lucy and her husband Matt. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book or not because both Lucy and Amber were both very annoying characters, but things quickly changed. As secrets unfolded, and twists and turns occurred, this was a really good read and I enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very interesting page turner in exchange for an honest review.