Kirstie is either crazy or very unlucky! The book starts with her hearing voices coming from the second hand baby monitor that makes her think that someone is trying to kidnap her 6-months old baby. Even though it turns out that her baby is safely sleeping Kirstie calls the police because she fears that another baby nearby is being kidnapped. As things continue to get stranger and stranger her neighbors and the police begin to think there’s something wrong with Kirstie. She has a creepy neighbor that she begins to think has people living in his cellar against their will. Eventually her husband suggests a visit to the doctor who does nothing but suggest exercise and meditation. One would have thought that she would at least have been diagnosed with post partum depression. Things keep moving right along and eventually her husband moves out with the baby and home to mom and dad. In the end Kirstie gets vindicated after some big relevations. I must admit that I thought she was crazy in the beginning and just kept getting crazier and crazier as time moved on. She is easy to identify with and the scary part is that all this could happen to anyone. I loved the ending and especially the epilogue! I thank #NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my unbiased review. Also thanks to the author: great book!

**4.5 Goodreads Stars**

In the middle of a sizzling hot summer, new mother Kristie is restless, her ears tuned to the baby monitor anchored solidly beside her bed. She is jolted awake with fear when the sound of a man's cough ricochets through the monitor. Heart pounding with fear, she hears one of the worst things a parent could imagine echo from the monitor:

"Quick, let's just take the baby now and go."

Despite being paralyzed with fear, Kristie races into her baby Daisy's nursery, expecting to find her daughter's cot empty. But there Daisy is, peacefully slumbering in her crib. Kristie scans the room, looking for any sign of disarray, but there is nothing to be found. Rattled to her core, Kristie cannot help but wonder if she, in her exhaustion as a parent of an infant, perhaps heard the noises in her head. Thinking she may have heard another infant snatched away in the night due to old baby monitors that can sometimes pick up neighboring signals, Kristie and her husband, Dom, call the police. They search the neighborhood in vain, leaving Kristie on edge.

Is she going crazy, or is something more sinister going on in Kristie's seemingly quiet neighborhood?

The story doesn't end with the mysterious voice on the baby monitor. Paint is thrown on the doorstep of Kristie's house. A man with a brusque voice warns Kristie to stop investigating the baby monitor. Kristie's husband's car is keyed.

To make matters worse, Kristie has a suspicious cast of characters for neighbors and family members. Has Martin, her nerdy, eccentric, and generally off-kilter neighbor with a secret basement in his house, kidnapped a child? Is Mel, Kristie's friend and neighbor who owes her money, conspiring with Kristie's ex-friend who nearly broke up Dom and Kristie's relationship? Is Dom, Kristie's husband who disappears for days on end for work trips and half day marathons, somehow involved?

Shalini Boland's The Child Next Door is a page-turning domestic thriller that I devoured like chocolate. I easily related to Kristie's paranoia and fear of nearly everyone and everything that came near me as a fellow mother. The desire to protect your offspring is deep-rooted, one that often made me question my sanity after night upon night of sleep deprivation and worry over my baby's health. It can create paranoia in even the most sane of parents.

Thank you to the author, Shalini Boland, the publisher, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of The Child Next Door. I can't wait to see what Boland writes next!

Wow! This author has done it again! From the first thrilling page to the very last, this fast paced story absolutely absorbed me. I was completely in its thrall and could not let go of the characters, wondering what would happen, turning the page as quickly as I could, gulping the book down in huge, breathless gasps as the brilliantly plotted story raced to the finish. This is an exceptional story, brilliantly written and is definitely one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Amazing. Highly recommended to everyone.

It has been a long time since I have been tempted to give a thriller a full five stars. Usually the aftermath of reading a psychological thriller leaves a feeling of mild dissatisfaction because of the trauma involved. It was not the case in this one. I reviewed a previous book by the author (The Secret Mother) but this was a cut above it. Having been submerged in mostly historical fiction for the past couple of books, it was a change to watch Kristie Rawlings figure out if she was losing her mind or not and to see how she manages to handle herself.
The story is about secrets, how you can never really know what goes on behind closed doors. There may not be complete closure in this book for most people, despite which I was satisfied with it (which is saying something!).Kristie has had a child after several failed attempts and on a sleepy afternoon, she hears someone planning taking 'the baby' and leaving, on the baby monitor. Suddenly the seemingly irrational fear plants herself in her head despite her child being safe in her crib. Where and who the people on the monitor were starts to become an obsession for her. There is a large amount of patronizing by her near and dear that follows, but we can not be sure if it is real of if there is a more sinister reason for the events that follow. Kristie starts to doubt the realities of her life and she has more than one suspect with more than one alleged motive. 

There is a lot of self-doubt thrown in, which adds to the mood of the situation. I was glad that it was a relatively smaller book, I do not think I would have been able to handle any more second guessing and the constant checking over the shoulder involved in the unravelling of both Kristie and the situation .Overall it does live up to the thriller tag because of all the things Kristie ends up doing and the situations that befall her. There are uncomfortable scenarios in the book but nothing too drastic for anyone used to this genre.

Well Shalini has done it yet again, she has provided us with another outstanding brilliant and gripping read.

Absolutely brilliant story, which draws you in right from the get go, hardly surprising when the story pretty much starts with 'Let’s take the child – and go.’ Which is heard over a baby monitor.

The story plot was so well written that it had me sitting on the edge of my seat in eager anticipation as to what would happen next and I was forever guessing throughout as to how it would all end. I never did guess correctly thanks to all of the twists and turns that were cleverly woven into the story.

And as for that ending, well that left me somewhat speechless I can tell you.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy of The Girl Next Door my review is totally honest and unbiased.
I absolutely love Shalini Boland's books and this was another cracking read. I don't know how she does it but the way she writes keeps me totally hooked and I have to read her books in 1 sitting! As soon as I read the synopsis for this book I knew it was going to be amazing and it really was! Once you start it just be prepared to drop everything until you reach the very end !!!

Oh boy ,I’m always feeling like a harsh critic these days and that does not mean that I do not support or underestimate the labour of love it must take to write a novel ,the fear of how to begin ,how to finish ,wat to do when stuck
However I do take umbrance on writers getting four or five stars as it’s unfair I think ,on them and also our standards as readers
Don’t get me wrong I’m not expecting a great epic either we all love a page turner but I reserve my high starts for novels that truly are complex detailed layered etc ,Donna tart springs to my mind
This is a good ol Page turner ,the repetive cycles of paranoia were repeteive ,she went checked the door a lot but hey that is the nature of paranoia ,a vicious ruminative pattern
I liked how we were not sure was in her head or not .The amount of fear she felt from a baby monitor that may have had an understandable misunderstanding took over and as new mum u can see how this would .you feel her fear
However it’s just not a five star read or four star liane. Moriarty is ,Dorothy koomson too maybe but this doesn’t stretch us as a reader or draw us in and when we label somet so high others will no doubt be baffled ,like I was ,and we maybe rate too low
Mine is two stars it’s ok and keeps u reading
A tad predictable with a quick last epilogue which u see coming as know will have a formulaic twist
Was like author didn’t really know which way to go ,family drama. Dodgy basement or dodgy family
It’s ok I thought this was a debut writer but she has written a good few and though adequate and not bad it’s just another formulaic thriller ,u won’t regret reading u won’t rememebr reading it
Thanks a lot netgalley and publishers and appreciate the preview I truly do ,I’m just trying to be fair and true

Everything I could want in a psychological thriller….and more.

It drew me in and I was keen to get to the bottom of it all.
Are the goings-on a coincidence, maybe a set-up? Read it and find out, you won’t regret it.
Kirstie is turning into a paranoid wreck. She’s suspicious of everything and everyone. I can’t blame her as I would be the same with my overactive imagination.
I thoroughly recommend this book, a read filled with tension!!
The last few pages made me actually gasp out loud!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

I loved The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland so was really looking forward to reading this , It didn't disappoint . It was a great book .Kirstie is woken up by her baby crying , she goes to her and hears a really alarming conversation on the baby monitor . From here her paranoia just keeps getting worse , she suspects everyone and starts trying to investigate her neighbours .This puts a strain on her relationship with her friends and especially her husband . I found myself mentally shouting at her as she got increasingly obsessed with who was trying to steal her baby . Brilliant twists and turns and certainly kept me guessing . 5 stars . thank you

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publisher for this review copy, given in exchange for an honest review.  Also thank you to Kim, from Bookouture, for organising the Blog Tour.

Kirstie Rawlings is woken by a child crying and voices coming over her daughter’s baby monitor.  She hears a voice saying “Let’s take the child and go”.  Rushing into her baby daughter’s room, Kirstie finds her fast asleep in her cot.  Where has the voice come from?  It’s definitely come from the baby monitor and she wonders whether it’s picked up a nearby monitor from one her neighbours – but there are no other babies living in her quiet road.  Kirstie finds it hard to convince people of what she heard – the police don’t believe her and neither does her husband.  Her life slowly begins to fall apart when she lets the fear of what she heard take over.  She is certain that someone she knows is hiding something and is determined to find out who and what.

My second book by this author.  I thought it would struggle to beat the previous book, The Secret Mother, as I loved that one, but OMG!!!  This one was even better!  The story grabbed me from the first chapter, and instantly set my teeth on edge!  Kirstie waking up to hear a voice on her baby’s monitor made me shiver with fear and anticipation.  I just knew from that bit that this book was going to be a corker!  I love books that brings the suspense in one big bang and then keeps that suspense going through to the end.  There was so many red herrings that it was difficult to keep up with them – as soon as I though I’d worked it out, it changed again!

It’s hard to know what to think about Kirstie.  Part of me really felt for her – new mum, obviously tired, stressed and over-emotional.  The other part of me was really frustrated that no-one seemed to believe her, especially her husband, Dom.  Was she just letting things get on top of her or was there really something to be worried about?  To be honest, you can't blame Kirstie for reacting like she did with some of the things that happened - I would probably react in exactly the same way!  She seriously needs to rethink her friendships with some people though - people that she thought she could trust, might not be as trustworthy as they seemed!

The story was fantastic!!  It was fast flowing, held interest and had some great twists in it.  Don’t forget to read to the very last word though because that ending…..WOW, completely unexpected!!  Highly highly recommended!!

If you are looking for a heart racing anxiety inducing psychological thriller then look no further. This is fast paced, with enough red herrings and twists to keep you guessing to the end.
I enjoyed this book and give it 4 ****

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Child Next Door’ written by Shalini Boland in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Kirstie Rawlings and her six-month-old daughter Daisy are at their home in a quiet horseshoe-shaped cul-de-sac of six houses when she hears a man’s voice through her baby alarm saying to take the baby and go. She immediately thinks someone is going to kidnap Daisy and phones the police. The police don’t doubt Kirstie heard something but as there are no other babies living nearby there’s little they can do, and her husband Dom is so involved in training for a triathlon he doesn’t take much interest. Is Daisy right to suspect her next-door-neighbour, Martin, and why is Dom so friendly with the neighbours?
‘The Child Next Door’ is an absolutely brilliant book that I loved and was unable to put down. It kept me gripped from page one with interesting and believable characters, a tense plot that picks up on every mother’s fears, and enough twists and turns to keep me enthralled. It touches on child abuse with sensitivity and understanding and finishes with a conclusion so shocking that I was left open-mouthed. This novel is one of those spine-tingling psychological thrillers that you won’t want to miss!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
This is the first book I’ve read by author Shalini Boland and I enjoyed it....I found it at times slow moving, I wasn’t blown away by any big twists or turns but it was a good book.

This was an ok read. It wasn’t the gripping thriller I was expecting it to be. I thought the storyline was a bit off. But it won’t keep me from reading more of this authors work.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Gripping from start to finish! I look forward to reading more by this author in the future!

Omg I am left speechless after reading The Child Next Door, I read this book within a day as the storyline draws you instantly, the brilliant book cover had me so intruged I couldn't wait to start reading it, this is a book that I would definitely recommend.

I've heard only good things about shalini Boland's books so was thrilled to receive an advanced copy. This is the first book of hers that I've read.

However, unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and found Kirstie, quite unlikable from jumping from one far fetched theory 5o another. So unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.

I am going to try another of Shalini's books to see if it was just this book I didn't get on with.

WoW.....The publisher has granted your wish!.........was my first response when I was granted this book.......Now, what a Brilliant book The Child Next Door by Shalini Boland. If you want a book that's fast pace, Gritty, Captivating Hard to put down, Shocking and Emotional, psychological thriller........ this is the book for you.

Once I started to read this book I could not put it down.

School teacher Kirstie is living the perfect life, she's married to a wonderful husband Dominic and they have a young baby called Daisy. Kirstie hears a conversation on their baby monitor, that a baby is going to be taken. Its a Male voice and Its not the Television. Kirstie panics and checks Daisy's cot where she is fast asleep. Panic sets in and she phone's the Police. The Police arrive and calls around all the homes in the Cul-de-sac where Kirstie and Dominic lives. But no neighbours have a baby, they're the only ones. Kirstie feels things aren't quite right around her. Strange things start to happen around Kirstie and Panic sets in again. Kirstie thought she lived on a close knit friendly Cul-de-sac but does she? Is she going mad? Could it be someone close to her? or a very old friend?

It has a great description in this book - the main character Kirstie looks at her "Suitcases under her eyes" I have them at the mo!!
So, Don't start this book before you go to bed, you will not be able to put this book down once you start it - You will have suitcases under your eyes. lol

Plus, OMG ending to the book.......I did not want it to end!

I just can't rate this book enough....Great read and I didn't want to put the book down to go to sleep.

This book is worth more than 5 stars and has to be one of the best Psychological Thriller's I have read so far.

So thank you for my Wish that was granted.

I would like to thank Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Huge 5/5 for this one. It was fab!!! It grabbed my attention from page 1 and I never lost interest at all. It was very well written. twists and turns in the book enough to keep you wondering what would come next. Kirstie is happily married to Dom and have a baby. How would you feel if you heard a man talking about taking a baby on your baby monitor? Its the beginning of a slippery slope for Kirstie. Meet the different characters on her street. All very different with a part to play, some more than others. Highly recommend this one.

Kirstie is awoken one night by the sound of a voice over her newborn baby's monitor, saying: "Let's take the child - and go". From that point in time, a whole series of events unfolds which leads Kirstie to believe that baby Daisy is at risk. To Kirstie, everyone is under suspicious and she will not rest until she gets to the bottom of what is going on. What follows is a book laced with suspense and unanswered questions, resulting in a twist I really did not see coming. As is often the case with psychological thrillers such as these, we are lead to believe that the main protagonist is 'crazy' due to all of the scenarios she's conjured up out of her own fear, and we - the readers - have to decide whether we can believe or rely on what Kirstie is saying.

I enjoyed this book hugely, as I loved Boland's writing style, the pace was fast-moving, and there were plenty of characters whose stories seemed to intermingle to create endless questions, encouraging suspicions about all of the neighbours.

From the top ten bestselling author of The Secret Mother, this completely gripping psychological thriller will make you wonder what really goes on behind closed doors. And will keep you guessing from the first page until the final shocking twist. Quite often the plot twist(s) in a psychological thriller / mystery novel will be largely predictable when it finally comes, but I certainly didn't see this one coming, and for that it's a definite 5-star read for me.