Oooh, I liked this one! Full of intrigue and possibilities, right to the very end!

Karen is joining her husband at their new home in the country; they are leaving London for good and he has completely renovated the house ready for her arrival. Nick is certain this is going to get their marriage back on track, Karen not quite so much. Things are certainly different - but does different automatically mean better?

Well, here's a story to get lost in! There are a myriad of small happenings to engross and confuse and my sympathies changed often - well, at least to start with. I spent much of this novel in awe of the wonderful characterisation and can only imagine the many hours spent perfecting this novel to make it the stunning read that it is. It has certainly brought the author to my attention and added her name to my 'must not miss' list! A marvellous psychological thriller, with an ending I thoroughly approve of, and one to grip your attention and undoubtedly worth all five sparkling stars.

Not so much of a psychological thriller but more of a slower paced, psychological family drama, with vivid and suspenseful writing dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event in a couples marriage.

As with the author’s previous book, The People At No. 9, which I enjoyed very much, she writes again of wonderfully thought out characters that have that slightly untrustworthy and suspicious nature about them. Are they really what they appear to be? Are they telling the truth or do we have an unreliable narrator? Coupled with the seemingly remote aspect of their new village life, all in all, made for a claustrophobic and suspenseful read.

Karen, her husband Nick and their older teenage son Ethan, have moved out of London to an idyllic sounding country cottage. Something immediately feels slightly off though, as Karen’s husband appears to have done all the renovations and plans by himself, with Karen seemingly seeing the place for the first time as she arrives to move in.

There is a definite undercurrent as the author slowly introduces you to the main characters in the story. Karen seems to struggle with paranoia and nerves, Nick has a obvious flirtatious natures which he doesn’t seem to even try to hide and there appears to be a strained relationship with the son. Clearly something has happened to them all as a family but has it all been left behind back in London?

A novel that isn’t one with a big plot but a wonderfully intense observation on a couple trying to paint over the cracks in their marriage, with other side stories as Karen meets her new neighbours and tries to integrate herself in village life. Invites to charity auctions, making new friends and a suspicious man squatting in a nearby barn, all add to the slightly sinister edge of the novel, but all relating back to Karen and her feelings towards her husband. A surprising ending but one that suits the book marvellously.

An absorbing read!

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Didn’t enjoy this book at all, couldn’t get what the book was supposed to be about.

Nick and Karen move to a house in the country to make a new start. Nick recently had an affair. Karen had a mental breakdown and ended up in hospital. Neither of them want to talk about what happened and Karen just seems to do things to please Nick.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Move’ by Felicity Everett in exchange for an honest review. It’s been out for a while and is due to be published in paperback on 26 November, 2020.

‘New house. Fresh start. Same husband.’ - cover tag line.

Karen and husband Nick leave London behind for a new life in the country. Karen has recently recovered from a breakdown and during the months of her hospitalisation Nick has refurbished the cottage, including a studio so that Karen can focus on creating her pottery. Yet from the outset Karen is finding it difficult to adjust and doesn’t fully trust Nick.

While this is marketed as a ‘dark psychological thriller’, I found it to be more of a domestic drama with some suspenseful aspects. I kept waiting for something thrilling to happen, then it ended and I was thinking ‘oh, is that it then?’. It wasn’t awful by any means but its characters and plot just failed to engage my attention.

Clearly glancing at other responses, it’s a novel that plenty of readers have enjoyed but overall it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the main character, Karen. The story is told from her point of view and is very well written. I am hoping there is a follow up book as I wasn’t quite ready to stop reading about her when the story abruptly ended. I enjoyed all the detail in the book, from the beginning I found it very hard to put down. I definitely recommend this book, thank you #netgalley

A very flowery descriptive wordy book with a great cover, good premise but sadly little else
Already irritated by the frequent new words in the first chapters, ( no one minds a few new words but when you get the feeling the author is using them just to use them and almost ‘show off’ it stops being interesting and turns into a pain ) I was further alienated as the story progressed as to what the plot was? where the book was going?and why?
There was a vague story about a couple moving to the Country from London to save their marriage after he had an affair and she ended up in hospital but really too vague to talk about and the characters were not in some cases just unlikeable,but in the case of Ethan the teenage son totally repugnant and the vile way he spoke to his Mum was just shocking as was her simpering to him after he had done so, there was a few randomly thrown in sex scenes totally out of sorts with the rest of the book and much dull talk about pottery, way too much talk about pottery, I guess it’s one of those things you love or dont but it’s risky to fill a book with it!
Some of the new village characters were interesting and the competition and sparring between them fun to read and you got a good idea of the village life and hierarchy
Sadly though the book ended as limply as it started, disappointing

3/10
1.5 Stars

I am not quite sure how to review this book. It is not a thriller of any kind and we have no clearly defined end but it makes you think. By which I mean, we never quite know if Karen is imagining things or if Nick, her husband, isn’t quite what he seems.

Karen doesn’t address anything and you do get the sense that she is quite downtrodden and made to feel she is nothing special. This made me angry, no one should make you feel like this. It was heartbreaking to read. She has had a breakdown following revelations about Nick, ones she witnesses first hand. This move is to rebuild this but does anything really get rebuilt and forgotten?!

It was interesting to see how the move from London to a quaint village goes. From the hustle and bustle to the quietness. Karen fears something sinister is going on in the evenings but can we quite believe her. Things start to happen, but nothing I felt as addressed, definitely make your own mind up time. I have my own ideas to what is happening but won’t spoil it here.

This book can’t really be pigeonholed into a genre. It’s more a book that focuses on this couple and where they are in their life right now and what they may or may not do to to make some sort of peace. Will Karen recover? Will she forgive? Can Nick behave?

It’s hard to review this book because well, not a lot happens. But that is not to say that this a bad book because it really is not, it is fascinating. To be honest, I have enjoyed this way more than other similar books. It reminded me of Bitter, Looker, Finders Keepers to name a few, all assessing basically the mental wellbeing of someone, really we just get to people watch and who doesn’t love that! It is a look into lives, how events have affected them and what they do to resolve this. Even though I felt not a lot was going, I was never bored, I quite enjoyed the easy pace of the book. The slowness, the unravelling of the past and realisation that maybe everything isn’t what it seems. Things come to a head near the end and I was cheering. I was cheering for the strength of the characters and the realisation that they are a somebody and they matter. Its an insight into toxic relationships and the hostility that can be felt behind closed doors.

But for Cath, she is a joy and beacon of light and this neighbour plays a part in Karen’s life and her acceptance to see herself as something. As we all know mental health issues are not something you can box up all nice and hope it goes away, and some characters in this book just comprehend this and do more damage from their lack of sensitivity. The rawness we have on some scenes where Karen tries to justify some of the actions, had me thinking oh I use to do that. Where you felt it was your fault that x,y,z act the way they do because of something you did or didn’t do or say. It’s amazing how much you can let someone affect you if you let them.

As I said before, the pace of the book is nice and slow, we take each day of recovery as it comes. I found that the writing was quite nice with the gorgeous landscaped views, the mundane day to day, the pottery kiln. I was engrossed in The Move, mainly just to make sure Karen was ok. I think I am confident in saying when I closed my kindle she will be ok.

I feel like I could talk about this book for ages, I do find it fascinating reading books that focus on a person at a particular time in their lives. Watching their life completely day by day, all the mundane, hearing their thoughts, insecurities and fears. This book captures that, it is not a book of thrills and spills but an almost real-life piece instead. A journey, that pretty much we all have done, not necessarily the same circumstances, but nevertheless a journey all the same. It was nice to step away from my journey for that short while and experience that.

I didn't 'hate' this book, but I struggled to connect with it. It took a long time for anything to happen, and by the time it did I had lost interest. Sorry to be so negative, but I feel it best to be honest. This one was not for me.

The book opens with Nick and Karen moving into their new home in the country. They lived in London previously and it becomes clear that Nick bought the house and renovated it while Karen was getting help with mental health issues. The reasons for that becoming clear as you read on.

It is obvious that Nick is gaslighting her. He seems perfect to everyone else, buying her a new house, moving his life in the city which he loves to a home in the quiet countryside, even setting up her own space (complete with kiln) for her to making her pots and other pieces. Their relationship is obviously troublesome and Nick's relationships with his sons (Ethan, with Karen and Gabe from a previous marriage) are very different too. I would have liked to have seen more from these characters.

I felt like the book plateaued out a bit. It was basically a book about their life in this new house with no real chase or climax. A few parts got me a bit excited but nothing really came of it. Not one for me.

The blurb made me think this was a thriller. It's really not, but I spent the entire book waiting for something to happen only to be disappointed.

Instead this is a slice of life story surrounding the decay of a marriage. One wonders what the couple were actually doing together in the first place, given what an unpleasant person the husband is, especially in the way he treats his son. But there's something about this which kept me wanting to know more (maybe it was just the hope of a thriller plot!) and I did find myself enjoying it, even if it didn't quite meet my expectations.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

When talented ceramic artist Karen leaves hospital after a breakdown she discovers her husband has sold their London home and moved them to a beautiful new home, with studio attached in a small village. Rather than relishing the new start Karen finds it difficult to fit in and starts to feel someone is watching her...

I don’t really know what to say about this book. I kept expecting it to take a really dramatic turn but suddenly found myself at the end of the book without anything much really happening. The book held a lot of promise but for me it didn’t quite live up to it.

Karen and Nick move to a little village from the big city of London.
Karen has had a breakdown over a affair her husband had.
The house has been done up by her husband Nick .
While Nick loves it there Karen is struggling she just feels something isn't right.
Thanks NetGalley

Is it possible to paint over the cracks in a relationship ? Will moving house help solve the problems ?

Karen and Nick have just moved to the countryside after spending many years in London. Nick has renovated a cottage in a small idyllic village and Karen is seeing it for the first time. Gradually we discover that all is not quite as idyllic with Karen and Nick’s marriage but will a move to the countryside be what they to solve their problems ?

The couple throw a house warming party to try and meet the locals but Karen is suspicious of a few neighbours whereas Nick seems to settle straight in. Their so. Ethan soon arrives after spending time travelling but this just seems to lead to more strains on their relationship.

This is a great book about a couples relationship with some great characters !! However I am not sure about the ending, it was all a little rushed for me but it is a beautifully written book.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I really wanted to like this book. I read The People At Number 9 when it came out and I remember getting quite into the book - I think because it kept making me things u was waiting for something exciting to happen. Unfortunately it didn’t. So I think I was hoping that it would happen in this book - it didn’t. We follow Karen as she tries to fix her family. We get to follow her paranoia, her obsessions & her fears - but without really achieving anything. I’m sure if you like family dramas then this book would be a great choice. It’s very descriptive - I was just waiting for a Big Bang that didn’t come.

Karen and Nick have decided to make a fresh start and move to the country. As the story unfolds we find out that Nick had had an affair, the discovery of which sent Karen into a breakdown that saw her hospitalised.

Can they rebuild their relationship?

The dynamic between this couple is toxic, and Nick is a deeply unlikeable character. Controlling, smug and cruel, I was rooting for Karen to find her strength again, and realise she deserves so much better.

As she makes friends and begins to work creatively again in her studio, she starts to see the truth about her marriage. Nick likes to humiliate her, and for so long, she has believed she deserves to be treated that way. But gradually she finds that she is no longer in thrall to his every word or touch. When she becomes seriously ill, and Nick becomes strangely attentive, it is this, ironically, that causes her to realise that she must escape the prison of her marriage.

I thought this was a well-written and thought out story, but I did feel that the ending was a little abrupt and there were some questions left unanswered. For me, I just needed a little more depth and explanation for the events that occurred and what finally drove her to walk away from her abusive partner.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC for The Move by Felicity Everett in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one and I was little disappointed. There were a few elements that I liked within the book that made me feel slightly on edge, much like psychological thrillers but I don't think that this one flowed very well.

Plot:
The story follows a young woman named Karen, who moves from the city to the countryside with her husband Nick. Everything seems fine at first but it seems that the reason for the move is not what Karen first thought. They move to the country which seems like the perfect, idillic place to live but the neighbours all seem a little secretive and shady, avoiding the truth of Karen's past. Is she trapped in a home with her own husband?

Writing:
There were some parts within the book that made it feel eerie and you got the feeling that what you were reading was not what you originally thought - which kept me reading. However, I felt like the story didn't flow in parts and it felt a little confusing. There was a lot of back and forth which I lost track of a little bit and the ending didn't really explain why certain events happened and didn't really have an ending that wrapped everything together.

Summary:
I hate giving books a low rating but I only give them when I feel like the story didn't come to a sensible conclusion and that there wasn't really an explanation at the end. I was a little lost reading this one but I did enjoy some parts that gave me a little shiver down my spine.

☆☆/5

There was so much promise within this book that hinted at the great story it could have been. Karen and her husband, Nick move away from the bright lights of London to a sleepy hamlet in the countryside after Nick has an affair. Forever suspicious of her husband, Karen grows increasingly nervous and jumpy, whilst Nick carries on regardless, loved by everyone and loving country life. The neighbours all seem to have their own stories, and if these had been explored in more depth, I felt there could have been some real secrets to be told. But there is no substance to their characters and the only one I felt I got to know and actually like was Cath. There was nothing psychological about this book for me, I'm afraid and the ending was poor. The book just stopped! Thanks to the publisher and the author for the advanced copy. My review is on Goodreads and Amazon UK.

I really wanted to enjoy The Move but for me the book just never got going. It was billed as being tense and tightly plotted, dark and foreboding but I didn’t experience any of that. I found it dull, I couldn’t gel with any characters and felt nothing really happened throughout the whole book. Sorry but this wasn’t one for me. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

I am struggling with how to rate and review this one as on one had it was beautifully written and had great descriptions that really gave me a feel for the surrounding but the didn't seem to be a thought out plot and the big twist you expect from something labelled a physiological thriller just never came!

The Move was a book I enjoyed although wasn’t quite the psychological thriller I thought it was going to be.
Karen is driving when we first meet her to her new home, she’s always lived in London but has moved to a quaint country village. Her husband Nick has been there a few weeks getting everything ready even building her a place at the end of the garden to do her pottery. Karen has been in a very dark place since discovering Nicks affair and this is their second chance at happiness.
The book puzzled me in places as I didn’t get to find out why Nick hated his son so much but then it totally turned around at the end with no reasoning that I could see. I found Nick an awful character and would not have given him a second chance if he’d been eyeing the neighbour up like he had and Karen I felt sorry for at the beginning but when I found out how her and Nick got together I didn’t any more. I liked the characters that surrounded these two, especially Cath.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.