What a great book. I couldn't put it down. You really don't know who your neighbours are! When I thought I had it all worked out what was going on, surprises just kept coming. The end was shocking.

Good story that kept me engrossed from the start. However, I didn’t think it was quite as good as her last few books and was a little far fetched in places. Still a good read though.

5 Brilliant Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Wow what an ending! This book pulled me in from the very first paragraph.... however I have to say this book ended fantastically with a big huge bang! I generally do not start my reviews with the end of the book... however I just finish this and I am still shook... it was a twist out of nowhere.... well done Shalini Boland fabulous from first paragraph to last! that is for sure....

The book starts out with Kirstie hearing strange voices on her baby monitor....“Just take the baby!“ instant panic sets in as she runs to make sure her baby girl Daisy is OK.... Kirstie was a very relatable and likable character... I could just sense her frustration, anxiety, and stress throughout this entire book along with the love for her daughter.... there is no time in your life where you feel less sure of yourself then when you are a first time mother..... and to top it off with strange things happening, suspicious neighbors, and a husband who does not believe you.... it was no wonder Kirstie was on edge... I was on edge right along with her.....

Plenty of fantastic secondary characters to be more than suspicious of...the husband Dominic who was up to some suspicious things and was not supportive... he really bothered me quite a bit.... guilty or innocent he was not a very good husband.... The friend Mel, I’m really not sure how good a friend she was? She was one of those friends that seem to be there when it benefited her.... The creepy nosy neighbor Martin, he was an odd duck.... I don’t care if he was just trying to be neighborly, organizing the neighborhood watch, and what not, he was a bit off.... although I do have to say the project he was working on was quite cool.... I was suspicious of everybody including the teenage boy kicking the football/soccer ball around the neighborhood....

I really feel sorry for my next book... although I’ve been listening to a romance on audio and that’s what I will listen to tonight, so I think we might be OK... I really can’t say much more I don’t want to give anything away.... just know this is a very well-done psychological thriller and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Strongly recommend to all fans of psychological thrillers, with plenty of suspicious characters, twists and turns, and a fabulous MC....

*** thank you so much too Bookouture and Net Galley for a copy of this book ***

This one tells the story of Kirstie & Dom.  When Kirstie hears her daughter screaming she runs upstairs only to find Daisy fast asleep in her cot, feeling confused she watches her for a while, then she hears a voice through the baby monitor saying 'I think we should take the baby and go' but where is the voice coming from?    She tells her husband and reports it to the police, when they discover there are no other babies in the neighbouring houses this freaks Kirstie out and she becomes convinced that someone is trying to steal her baby and so begins the downward spiral of her destruction.  She begins to wonder who she can trust, including her husband, and looks at her neighbours in a whole new light, nobody believes her and she doesn't know what to do to prove that something is very wrong, but she won't give up till she does.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was looking forward to it after seeing recommendations for her other books, two of which I bought last year and are waiting on my ever growing tbr list.  I enjoyed the book, I must admit Kirstie was quite annoying at times, but the twists, when they came, more than made up for that.

I'd like to thank Bookouture for the auto approval and look forward to reading her other books.  I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

This book is a brilliant psychological thriller !! It started out slow but picked up after a bit . A clever and gripping plot that keeps you guessing till the end ! An absolute must read ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #TheChildNextDoor

The Child Next Door is a slow starter that has an ending I didn't see coming inane shape or form.
Kirstie is mum to Daisy and is on maternity leave and her husband is working long hours to escape redundancy. Whilst she is downstairs she hears a male voice in her baby monitor say "lets get the baby and go". Kirstie runs upstairs to find Daisy asleep and no signs of an intruder. This is the start of Kirstie's anxiety and OCD. Kirstie has to check the house is locked several times a night, has trouble sleeping and has moved out of her bedroom leaving husband on his own so she can sleep in Daisys room. As time passes Kirstie gets more paranoid and weird things start to happen or do they....
I enjoyed this psychological thriller, I did find it a little slow going at the beginning but about a third of the way in it seemed to pick up pace with more starting to happen. I have to say though I have never read a book that had an ending like that, I had absolutely no idea it was going to pan out like that and although I had no idea it was going to end like that, the ending was completely believable which made it twice as good. I don't think I will forget this book in a hurry.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I have read by this author and it didn't disappoint. It kept me up too late. Very gripping. Would recommend

This got off to a very slow start, I didn't find it interesting or engaging enough and I was powering through to get to the twist and the big reveal.

Whilst the twist was interesting and ramped up the pace I felt it was perhaps too little too late.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Shalini Boland for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kirstie Rawlings is jolted awake by a child crying. Racing uspsairs to check on her new born, she is plunged into every parents worst nightmare. She hears an unknown voice on the baby monitor saying "Let's take the child and go." But her baby is asleep, safe in her cot!

Kirstie has a six month old daughter called Daisy. She is on maternity leave and her husband works long hours. She thinks someone is trying to take her daughter from her, and her husband thinks she has gone mad. There is a creepy neighbour, and Kirstie thinks it's him that is trying to take Daisy away from her. There are a few red herrings in this story before we find the answers to who the voices Kirstie heard through the baby monitor. Then there is one more creepy twist right at the end of the book. Shalini Boland has just took a step further up my favourite author list.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Shalini Boland for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read and is full of twists and turns.
Kirstie is terrified when she hears a man’s voice through her baby monitor saying he is going to take the baby but when she checks her daughter, she is absolutely fine.
She is left feeling very confused and is certain that someone is planning on abducting her baby.
Other things start to happen and Kirstie becomes more and more afraid, but also determined to find out what is happening.
The neighbours all think they know each other but as the story develops we learn that a few of them have secrets they’d rather stayed hidden.
I can’t say too much more as I don’t want to spoil it for you.
This is a gripping read and will have you on the edge of seat towards the end.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Shalini Boland is the mistress of tension. Kirstie, on maternity leave, hears voices on her baby monitor which lead her to believe someone’s trying to kidnap her baby. The author ramps up the suspicion that Kirstie is suffering from post-natal depression, being tense, somewhat OCD and believing the worst of a number of her neighbours. The reader isn’t sure what’s going on but it’s easy to believe that the new mother is making heavy weather of things. We have a tendency to dismiss her fears in much the same way her husband does. But there’s more going on in the house next door than even she suspected. A very satisfying story.

Very very good book with a gripping plot. It will definitely hold your attention from the very first page until the last. Shalini Boland is very sly and good at keeping the truth just beyond your reach and every time you make an observation on the plot she throws you another curve ball that keeps you feverishly reading. Definitely don't pass this book up but make sure that you have plenty of time to devote to it because it's unputdownable. Happy reading!

I have been a little disappointed recently with what has been on offer in this genre. Yes, probably my own fault as I do read a lot so I guess it's only to be expected that I rarely meet anything that really reads like a breath of fresh air for me. But this book ticked all my boxes and gave me something that was different enough to make me sit up and pay attention throughout.
Kirsty is a teacher on maternity leave having not long given birth to Daisy. One day she is snoozing downstairs and she hears a strange voice on her baby monitor coming from the room where Daisy is lying sleeping. Worse still are the words she hears "Let's take the child - and go." Spurned into action she races to her baby but the room is empty apart from Daisy still safe and asleep. She is confused but feels she must tell someone. But she is not believed, not by her husband, not the police and it's written off as probably just a dream, sleep deprived new mother and all that. She herself is adamant that she heard it though and starts to really think that someone is after her child. She becomes a bit paranoid and over security conscious as she tries to hold it together. Suspecting everyone, including her husband, neighbours and friends, is she just suffering from post natal depression or is there something more sinister going on?
Boy, this book grabbed me from page one and didn't let me go until the end. Ok so I di have to admit to it being a wee bit dragging in the middle and it very nearly lost its way a bit but, on the whole it ticked along quite nicely for me.
There were all the usual bits and bob you expect from a book of this genre. Misdirection, secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour, a whole hodge podge of supporting cast with the finger of suspicion doing the rounds nicely there too.
I didn't quite manage to fully connect to Kirsty though, although I don't think that mattered in the big picture of things. I don't think we had enough in common to become friends but that didn't mean that I couldn't feel for her throughout her ordeal. The way that things spiralled for had me quite scared for her well being at one point. It's easy to see that even the little things get all out of proportion when added to the mix that she was already in. The author was also very clever insofar as I had no idea where the book was going for the majority. Was Kirsty losing her mind, was she being played or was her child really in danger? My head kept cycling round these things (and more) quite a few times as I was reading.
And the end, when it came, was really rather shocking indeed. And new, and fresh, and very welcome. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A really gripping thriller. A wonderful setting in a remote cul-de-sac. New parents Dom and Kirsty adore their baby daughter. One day someone strange happens and Kirsty is on a downhill journey spiralling into paranoia. Being written off makes her more determined to find out who is being the strange events. I did get frustrated at Kirsty thinking there were things she could have done differently but this all leads to the excellent conclusion. Lots of interesting characters behind the doors of the six houses - all with a hint of some wrongdoing. The ending tied up all the loose ends nicely!

Having read another book from Shalini Boland I just knew that picking up The Child Next Door I would be in for a treat. Thankfully I was not wrong at all and as soon as I started this psychological thriller I was completely hooked into the story and did not want to put it down.

The story begins introducing readers to Kirstie Rawlings who is home alone with her six month old baby nodding off in front of the television when she hears a cry from her baby monitor. Now her daughter Daisy is known to let out small cries while sleeping so Kirstie is not immediately alarmed but the next thing she hears is a man’s voice saying let’s just take the baby and go.

Frantic by now Kirstie rushes up to her daughter’s bedroom thinking that someone must be about to steal her child right out of their home. Entering Daisy’s room however Kirstie finds her sleeping peacefully and no one in sight. But Kirstie just knows that she heard the voice so did the monitor pick up someone else’s house and another baby is in danger?

The opening pages were enough to gain my interest and the ease of the author’s writing kept the flow nicely in the book keeping me engaged the whole time. I started this one rather late and of course I came down with what I call the “one more chapter-itis” not wanting to put the book down until I was done.

My first thoughts on this one I was pretty sure I would be writing up my review when finished and claiming it that I knew from the start how it would turn out, nope not a chance as I was totally off base. The author throws in plenty of twists and turns and red herrings making one think all kinds of outcomes but when finished I actually rather impressed at the logic of it all and realistic outcome. But I would warn not to blink at the end as there is one final chill tossed the readers way that even I didn’t expect by then. So yes, when done this was definitely one I loved every minute of and would recommend checking out to the psychological thriller fans out there.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I read The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland last year and gave it a five star review. When I was luck enough to receive an advanced copy of her new book The Child Next Door I knew I was in for a treat.

From page one you are taken on a thrilling, intense, rollercoaster of a read. Drawn in immediately you will keep turning the pages until the end.

The main character Kristie Rawlings, is plunged in to a nightmare from the start. Woken up she hears a voice through the baby monitor saying ‘let’s just take the child and go!’. She finds herself thrown into every new mother’s worst nightmare. She thinks someone is trying to steal her baby girl and no one seems to believe her. Cue more more incidents happening in her street and her neighbours keeping secrets, and you’re in for a cracking read.

I read this over a couple of days and found it so hard to put down. It’s thrilling, gripping and one of the best books I’ve read this year. I can’t wait for Shalini’s next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

What an exciting read, psychological thrillers are by far my favourite, and this one doesn’t disappoint.
When Kirsty puts her young baby down to sleep, that last thing she expects to hear is voices coming from the baby monitor. She awakes in the night to hear a man’s voice stating “Let’s take the baby and go” in a panic she rushes to her baby’s side, only to find her sleeping peacefully in her crib. Contacting the police, they discover that hers is the only baby in the street and her husband and the police fail to believe her, instead believing that Kirsty may be in need of psychological help.
A fast paced, edge of your seat, page turner.
This is my second read by Shalini Boland and yet again I am blown away.

I am left speechless after reading The Child Next Door, the story-line draws you instantly.

The Child Next Door is about a young couple and their freighting tale. The quiet little cul-de-sac they found to buy a house in seemed like a wonderful place to live and start a family, and that is just what Dominic and Kirstie did, but things didn’t turn out the way they thought it would.

Kirstie has recently had a baby, and is enjoying her maternity leave with her the new baby. Their beautiful baby girl is everything they have waited for, but one evening when she hears a voice through the baby monitor talking about taking the baby, of course she runs to check on the baby. She is safe and sound sleeping, so what did she hear? And who was it? Kirstie is filled with fear and anxiety from that point on.

Like most new parents, Kirstie and Dom are overjoyed and exhausted, but Kirstie’s fears are taking it to a whole new level. She isn’t sleeping, she’s becoming more and more paranoid, calling the police, having them come and check on things repeatedly. I can understand a little bit of her fears, flowers have been trampled, she has seen shadows in the yard and then there is the somewhat creep older man that lives next door. He just pops up out of nowhere, but he appeared harmless. But it seemed like most of the people that lived on this street were a little strange and standoffish too.

As the story starts to unfold, it is clear there is something strange going on in this quiet little neighborhood, but what exactly was the question. There were plenty of eerie moments, and some of the actions of the neighbors cast doubt on them, or maybe Kirstie was really just be overly paranoid. I felt bad for her, her own husband didn’t believe the things she was telling him, and the neighbors were starting to think she was just crazy. The twists that Borland places in this were perfectly placed, and wehn I though I had it figured out, the biggest twist of was revealed and it was a good one to.

This was definitely an suspenseful and thrilling read, and with so many questions to be answered it kept me wanting to know more. The ending with the big twist was the best part too, and I did not see that coming. I think fans of this genre will enjoy this one for sure.

An absolutely gripping, thrilling, fabulously written book! I couldn't put it down! From page one I was hooked. I automatically began feeling connected to Kirstie and as she begins feeling anxious and scared I also felt her pain. Boland is a fantastically talented author to get the reader to become part of a character's world! I love s book that keeps you in suspense until the very last paragraph in the epilogue! Amazing!!!