Member Reviews

Lucy, a teacher, needs a friend. Her husband is usually consumed with his job and her other friends are consumed with their kids. Lucy has no children and since her husband is away a lot she has a lot of alone time. When Amber, a beautiful tv weather girl, pops up in their neighborhood Lucy does not stop until she gets her to become her bff. Slow burning story that has very fluid writing that you can easily lose track of time reading. There was also one twist that was clever. Solid storytelling that just was missing a bit of oomph in the ending. I would still recommend to anyone who enjoys the Brit thrillers that are plentiful these days. The character development was exceptional and you do believe you know these people even if you don't much like a few of them.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

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Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. My second time reading a Sue Watson book and this one did not disappoint either. It had everything a good suspense thriller needs....a captivating plot, a neighbour with a stalker, a couple with infertility issues and plot twists you will not anticipate. I couldn't put this book down, Sue has mastered the art of suspense writing. #tea_sipping_bookworm #netgalley #bookstagram #goodreads #kindle #litsy #amazon

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Sue Watson's latest novel, The Woman Next Door, is a twisty treat for summer! Mostly told from the perspective of the two main female characters, Lucy and Amber, readers are introduced to what seems like your typical upper middle class neighborhood in Manchester. Lucy befriends the glamorous Amber, a local weather presenter, much to the chagrin of her friends and husband. Lucy puts up with Amber's somewhat selfish and careless treatment and rushes to be at her side when needed. Amber appears to have a stalker and starts disclosing some secrets that seem to put everyone in danger. But, like many popular psychological novels, all is not what it seems. Amber soon reveals that she is pregnant-Lucy's most fervent desire. And things slowly unfold from there.

Mysterious journal entries are peppered throughout the chapters, each one proving more dark. Who is writing them? Why hasn't anyone actually seen Amber's stalker? The second half of the book really picks up and answers these questions in more in a startling conclusion. Definitely add this to your list now!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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The Woman Next Door is my first but definitely not my last read by this author.

Lucy is content with her life. Good job and happily married to Matt. It all,changes when Lucy a local celebrity moves in nearby. Lucy and Amber becomes friends. When Amber tells Lucy she has a stalker she ends up moving in with Lucy and Matt.

Although this was a slow starter for me I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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Lucy is a teacher and almost has the perfect life – perfect husband, perfect house and perfect job. The only thing that isn’t quite right in her life is that she doesn’t have any children, and is unlikely to. Amber is a C-list celebrity and moves into the same road as Lucy lives. They become close friends, (probably a bit too close) but when Amber thinks someone is stalking her, she moves into Lucy’s house.

This was a great thriller which twists and turns its way through the book right from the beginning. I love a story which puts me on edge right from the start, but without really knowing why. Nothing untoward happens at the beginning apart from two women becoming friends, but you can just feel there is something waiting to leap out of the pages at you! Out of all them, I preferred Lucy’s character initially. She seemed like the kind of person I would want to know with her showroom house and straight lines! As the story moved on I began to realise I didn’t really like her, or any of the characters to be totally honest! This wasn’t in a bad way though, as I don’t think you are supposed to like them!

As the book moves on, the suspense starts to build even more. We begin to watch their lives unfold page by page. It felt quite voyeuristic and I felt like I shouldn’t be watching, but couldn’t tear my eyes away! Even though I guessed how it would be ending, it didn’t detract from the enjoyment of it at all! I loved the style of writing, and I think this author goes to prove that she’s just as good at writing thrillers as she is at romantic comedies! Would definitely recommend!

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Would you be fascinated if a celeb moved in a few doors down, not a Hollywood celeb but a local celeb none the less?, Lucy is......very excited and she decides she wants Amber to be her friend, its the worst decision she is ever going to make....
This was for me a very quick to read book as the story flew by and I got wrapped into it
Lucy is naive, Amber anything but..together they forge a ‘friendship’ but very much on Amber’s terms, Lucy resents this so does her husband, even more so when because of a stalker Amber ‘moves herself in’...then the true Amber manifests herself....and she isent quite all she seems, in fact she is NOTHING like she seems, in parts of the book such was her manipulation of Lucy and her home I wanted to ‘climb into the book’ and warn Lucy, Amber stirred real emotion in me!!
Fabulous characters, great descriptive writing and a progressive storyline that you find yourself thinking this is going to end badly, and it might!, I am saying no more on that but the last third of the book is pitch perfect psychological thriller with, naturally, a big fanfare ‘twist’ of an ending
Loved it 10/10 5 Stars

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#All Her Secrets The Women Next Door # Netgally
A much slower read than I am used to, yet I felt it moved at the right place for this particular book. Theirs certainly a lot of twists in the book Thornton genuinely do not see coming like the stalker. No more give away than this. Other strange things that you genuinely couldn't have suspected of though about something just could not be possible. Yet 2 best friends to end up as they do and feel the way they do it's weird. One of things I really wanted to know what actually happened at the end of the book it honesty looked like you would never really know. With what actually happened between the 2 best friends they still as a strong connection. Then on the last Paige police document submitted in evidence so shocked by it, it felt 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. It's a true shocker it really is. I have gone over the book in my head and nothing could lead you to this ending must must read

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Second book I’ve read by this author and both were good. I really liked the writing and hated the characters (though this I felt was quite intentional).

The action doesn’t really pick up until the second half of this book. There are some twists but the hints leading up to them weren’t always subtle. That’s not to say that I wasn’t surprised here and there as well.

There a little diary excerpts scattered in and they are quite dark. We know our characters have had abusive or neglected childhoods but do these relate?

The conclusion was good and one I didn’t see coming, at least not all of it. This was fun. I look forward to the next by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

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Lucy and her husband are a happy couple leading a content life, although Lucy was never able to get pregnant to give them a baby. Amber, a news anchor, moves in next door and the two women become fast friends. Amber comes to Lucy frantic for help with an alleged stalker - is someone out to get her? And why? Phone calls, letters, threatening messages terrify Amber. And to top it all off, Amber's boyfriend seemingly has abandoned her when she needs him the most, when Amber needs protection for herself AND her unborn child. To protect her, Lucy convinces her husband to allow Amber to move in with them. Lucy knows all too well that everyone has secrets - but as times passes, she doubts that Amber is all that she claims to be.
I enjoyed this book! It was a good psychological thriller and it kept me interested.
Thanks to Sue Wilson, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy and Matt are married and living a sort of boring typical life when Amber, a local tv personality, moves in down the road. Lucy finds Amber exciting and they become fast friends, despite an awkward first meeting. When Amber starts getting messages from a stalker, Lucy insists that Amber move in with her and Matt for her own safety. Things inevitably go downhill. After reading this one and I Invited Her In by Adele Parks, I have concluded having friends move in with you is just a bad idea.

This should have been a quick read but for some reason it took me awhile to get through. It was a pretty good book but I think maybe I have done too many domestic thrillers lately. At various points in the book, I felt like I knew what was coming before it came, so it seemed a bit predictable. But overall, it was still a pretty good read.

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I find this more interesting than the author's first thriller, which I abandoned after just one chapter. I plan to pick it up again but not anytime soon. Fortunately, this one started good that made me plough through until the end despite the unlikeable characters. I can't even find sympathy for Lucy, not when she's not doing anything to defend herself. I may not like how things turned out for her but I sure appreciate the twist towards the end. Although, it didn't come out as a surprise to me at all. Nevertheless, it's a good ending.

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The first third of this book was easy going and set the scene. I can't say I liked Lucy, she annoyed me because she was being manipulated and appeared to be lacking a backbone. She wasn't short of friends but seemed happy to cast them aside for some Z list wannabe. For someone who said she would “wouldn't tell” seemed to take great delight in telling secrets to anyone who would listen. If you want to keep something a secret, tell no one. She herself got upset when others passed on her secrets. You can't have it both ways.
The middle of the book was laborious and tedious and if it wasn't for the fact that this was a NetGalley ARC I would have probably given up, but I was glad I didn't as the action really ramped up in the last third.
Th book itself was mainly told from Lucy's point of view but also from Amber's. There was also an unidentified narrative that appears a few times. I thought that worked quite well.

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This is one of the best books I have read this year and already made two of my friends pre-order it on Amazon. It makes you forget about the world... Until the end your brain works 100 mph but still the ending is unexpected. Fully recommend.

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Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sue Watson has delivered a fabulous read!! I was hooked form page one, stayed up way too late reading, could not put the book down and was blown away by the ending.

Lucy and her husband Matt are both teachers and live on Mulberry Avenue. Lucy had a difficult childhood and the one thing that she has always longed for - a child - has not been given to her by life.

Then Amber Young moves into the neighbourhood and everything turns upside down. Amber is a TV personality with a glamorous life - or is it? She lives in an expensive house, has a job as a TV weather girl and has a wealthy boyfriend. Still Lucy and Amber somehow become best friends despite their differences. Lucy includes her in all the neighbourhood activities. One friend and neighbour warns Lucy to be careful because Amber is not who she seems to be. Lucy thinks that Kirsty is just jealous of her new best friend.

One day Amber lets on that she's terrified because she's receiving threatening texts, frightening "gifts", her tires are slashed at work. She comes to rely more and more on Lucy who has taken it upon herself to protect Amber. She convinces Matt that Amber should move in with them, especially now that she is pregnant and has a stalker.

Is her best friend being totally honest with her? Will she use all of Lucy's secrets against her one day? Things spiral out of control and Lucy may not be able to recover from the fallout. Lucy learns to be careful who she trusts and what she tells people.

This book deserves more than the allowed 5 stars. I can't wait to read more from Ms. Watson!!

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Lucy is your average 40-something wife and schoolteacher. Her and her husband, Matt, have been unable to have children and have accepted that they will never be parents. Lucy has a hard time relating to her friends around the neighborhood, as they all are mothers and talk about nothing but the woes of parenthood.

So when a beautiful, glamorous, single and childless newscaster named Amber moves in next door, Lucy takes special interest. Amber and Lucy become quick friends—they’re like sisters in no time. But Lucy’s friendship with Amber borderlines on obsessive and others take notice of their rather close relationship.

Amber is used to life in the spotlight as a tv-personality, but when she starts receiving threatening texts and “gifts,” Lucy is worried that Amber has a dangerous stalker. So Lucy does everything she can to protect her dear friend, even inviting Amber into her home.

But things start to appear askew—with Amber, with the stalker—and Lucy is unsure who she can trust. And now she’s asking herself: who is this woman that she’s invited into the deepest depths of her life?

All Her Secrets by Sue Watson is a domestic thriller full of unlikeable, unreliable characters. This is my first Sue Watson read, but she’s been on my radar ever since her 2018 release—Our Little Lies. This story follows a familiar script—unsuspecting woman becomes your friend and ruins your life—but I was still intrigued, hoping that Sue Watson would have a fresh take on this scenario. Unfortunately, I guessed most of the big reveals/twists. Even still, something kept me turning the pages, wanting to finish the story. It wasn’t new or inventive by any means, but still an enjoyable read. If you—like me—read this genre often, this won't knock your socks off. But to those who are new to the genre or are trash for domestic suspense—also like me!—you’ll enjoy this quick twisty tale. 3.25/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sue Watson for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I really wanted to enjoy this book as a psychological thriller but it fell flat. I didn't feel any emotions for any of the characters throughout the entire book apart from frustration. The main character, Lucy, was portrayed as a complete walk over who had no fight or courage to stand up for herself until the last chapter. It sent the impression that women are cold, calculating, backstabbing (especially when it comes to men) and are complete push overs. Really disappointed with this book.

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Very easy read and one I read very quickly. It didn't set the world alight for me but it was just about entertaining enough for me to recommend to anyone who likes domestic thrillers that won't scare you or make you jump at the slightest noise! Not an 'on the edge of your seat' type of read and I think it is an exaggeration to say it is unputdownable. It also does NOT have a shocking twist at the end. More of a damp squib after a mediocre firework display. I also wouldn't attach the word psychological to it. The story is too gentle and mundane.
Lucy, one of the main characters is for the most part extremely irritating purely because it is so obvious what Amber is up to and as the reader you are screaming at her to stop being so naïve and wake up! Yes, there are secrets and yes there is some uncertainty over one voice, do the flashbacks to the past refer to Lucy, Amber or Matt? It could be any of them.
An everyday tale of damaged childhoods which damage adults who then go on to lie, hide personal secrets, pretend to be something they're not and in the relationship pot these all get mixed up to cause mistreatment or bad behaviour.
I won't lose any sleep over the fates of any of these characters but I also won't avoid reading another book by Sue Watson. I will happily try again!

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This book took off right from the start. It continued on as a fairly quick read albeit a bit predictable making it feel a tad too long. But I must say that I am glad I stuck with it for the ending left me satisfied. I'm giving it three stars but just barely. Thank you to NetGalley and Sue Watson for this sneak peek!

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I was gifted a digital ARC of All Her Secrets by Sue Watson, courtesy of NetGalley and Bookouture. This book will be published by Bookouture, released on 05/23/19.

Lucy has a loving husband (Matt), dream job as a teacher, and house just the way she wants it when Amber, her previous news idol moves in and becomes her new neighbor. Lucy can't believe it, but she and Amber quickly become best friends. Then Amber starts acting strangely, claiming she may be pregnant and telling Lucy she's been receiving threatening messages. Lucy wants to help Amber and keep her safe, but quickly realizes things may not always be what they seem. Everyone has secrets, and everyone will do anything possible to keep them.

The characters in this book are a mess. Lucy is desperately seeking approval from her idol and Amber is a total space cadet. I did wish there had been a little more connection in the book with Amber/Lucy and Matt. He felt like an afterthought when I wanted to know more about his life story. The manipulation between Amber and Lucy was insane. I was glued to the book because I had to know the next twist. The day I finished this, I was up until 1:30 because I couldn't wait until the next morning to read the ending.

I'll be honest-I love a good book cover and often pick books based on how attracted I am to the covers. It's not scientific, but it hasn't let me down yet. This cover immediately drew me. I HAD to know what was going on in that house. Combine that with my love of thrillers and this book was a no-brainer for me. The twists in the book were enjoyable enough. This book gives off a "Single White Female" vibe and I dig it. Overall, this was an entertaining book and is perfect for readers who like the "mystery next door" type of stories.

If you're a fan of Big Little Lies or Desperate Housewives type stories, be sure to pick this up when it releases on 05/23/19! 💜

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

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A quick chilling read, which is captivating, intriguing, riveting, while also bringing many thrills, chills, and twists & turns! A must read for my fellow lovers or psychological thrillers that have some dark themes, but not as dark as some may be. Definitely written in a manner that grips you and sends chills down your spine and makes sure that you hold your breathe and gasp loudly when you suddenly remember you need to breathe!
I will be highly recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

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