This is one of those books that I just couldn't put down but at the same time I didn't want it to end.
It is the first book I have read by the author but definitely won't be the last.
It is a story about a one night stand that has devastating consequences. It us told by both the husband and wife with so many twists, turns and suspects. Although I guessed the identity of the killer I was constantly thinking I was wrong until the very end.
The only thing I found odd was the title.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publishers & netgalley for this read.

What can say about Tony Parsons? Well, he has totally nailed it yet again! He is now one of my top authors for psychological thrillers having only discovered him last year. I have since read all his books and this one certainly didn't disappoint.

Tara is a happily married woman with a devoted husband (Christian) and lovely son (Marlon). Her family life is perfect until she goes and does the unthinkable and has a one night stand while away on a business trip to Tokyo. It turns out that James Caine is no ordinary one night stand and so the plot unfolds.

There were so many times I thought I knew how this would end, but at each turn I changed my mind. I suspected several different characters as the story contained so many who "could have" been guilty.

The way Tony writes is fluid and easy to read. The characters are all believable and especially in this stand alone thriller he dealt really well with the bond of family and the struggles which they faced not just alone, but together,

I now can't wait for his next publication. Tony, please get writing!

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publishers for an arc. So pleased for the opportunity to have read this.

The book alternates between the story being told by Tara and her husband Christian. It begins with them together in their house and Tara is about to tell Christian something when the police turn up and she says, "they're here for me".

We are then taken back to the beginning of their story. Tara and Christian in their youth were magazine journalists, as print copies became less sought after they lost their jobs. Tara has set up an online dating company, Christian is a stay at home dad. Tara goes to Tokyo for a conference and, in a night of regret, she has a one night stand. On her return to England, she tries to pretend it didn't happen. But the man she was with isn't willing to let her go. He begins to call her and threaten to ruin her life if she isn't willing to be with him...and eventually her thoughts turn to murder...

The first half of the book is excellent, I read 48% in one day! Fast paced, exciting, I thought I had an idea where it was gonna go...and then I was wrong? Or was I?

The second half becomes more confusing, there's a lot of characters with big things happening and a lot going on...the original plot is almost pushed to the side and I felt like I was reading 5 different books at once. Some characters feel like they've acted out of character, some seem almost pointless and the threads of all the different stories don't really ever tie up together.

The ending was ok I guess, it all got a bit manic in the middle and then it's just a bit meh. But then I'm not entirely sure how else it could end?

Did I like it? Yes
Did I love it? No
Would I read any more by this author? Yes

Also posted to Goodreads, unable to link account.

#netgalley #yourneighbourswife #tonyparsons

What would happen if you had a one nifht stand? Would you have an argument with your partner? Would it damage your relationship? What if it wrecked your whole life?!

That's what happens to Tara when she meets the handsome James Caine in Tokyo. What should have been a forgettable clinch takes a dangerous turn when she's back on home soil.

At first the story is rich on detail and emotion from the two main characters, Tara and husband Christian. But then a major event happens and the action really picks up pace.

This is great escapism reading, perfect for current circumstances and switching off from real life.

Oh my, a moment of madness and a lifetime of regret. Tara seemed to have it all, a very successful dating app business, a 5-year-old son and a husband who stayed at home to look after him. On a business trip to Tokyo, she had a one night stand. It wasn’t something she did, and it wasn’t anything like she thought it would be. The man sees it all very different though and is willing to ruin her life if she doesn’t continue with it.


This man is a real nut job that made my skin crawl from the first time he appeared on the page. The saying, ‘the grass is always greener’ comes to mind but it wasn’t going to be any garden of Eden. The reality was that he was more persistent than clover and as irritating as hogweed. Tara’s favourite person in the world seemed to be herself, and the effect it would have on her life if she couldn’t stop this man. But how far would she be willing to go, or even get someone else, to stop him.

I was engrossed in the first half of this book, but then it took off and became much deeper in the second half. The main characters are far from likeable with twists that I hadn’t even thought of. Shocking disclosures and a mystery to unravel that made my brain go into overdrive. Brilliant round off with all the ends tied off. A great read.


I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother and wife, and a business woman who runs her own company. But, one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk.

And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won’t leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees.

There seems to be only one way out. And it involves murder.

It was good read but I am actually confused about how I feel about it as a whole.

Initially I was engrossed in the plot because it was intriguing. Tara is happily married but that doesn’t stop her from having a one-night stand with a complete stranger who then becomes her worst nightmare. James Caine is one of the creepiest stalkers I have read about. He has no problem in wrecking Tara’s life to achieve what he wants, i.e., Tara.

I went on reading because I was eager to find out how Tara would deal with James to protect her family and career and also to what extent James would go to destroy it all. It was definitely tension filled.

But once I finished reading the book, I found myself ending up finding too many loopholes in the plot. I started to question the actions of most of characters especially James’s wife, she was one weird lady. Also, I didn’t quite understand the ending.

So, the plot, in spite of having some good twists it did lack a bit of reality.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC!

EXCERPT: They call it shopping for pain.

My husband leaves the room with our son in his arms and I snatch up the phone he has left on the coffee table and I start scrolling through all the secret corners of his life.

His text messages. His WhatsApp. His email. I quickly ransack them all. The possibility of pain - real life-wrecking, heartbreaking, how-could-you, tears-of-rage pain - is everywhere. There are so many places now for him to leave the evidence of betrayal. Or the thought of betrayal. Or the flirtatious foreplay of betrayal. Or the sordid sweet nothings of real betrayal. All the damning, undeniable proof of his secret life.

ABOUT 'YOUR NEIGHBOUR'S WIFE': Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother and wife, and a business woman who runs her own company, she's the sort of person you'd want to live next door to, who might even become your best friend.

But what sort of person is she really?

Because in one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk. And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won't leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees.

There seems to be only one way out.
And it involves murder ...

MY THOUGHTS: I read Your Neighbour's Wife in less than twenty four hours. This is the fifth of Tony Parsons books that I have read, and the fifth five star rating. This is very different to his Max Wolfe series, but every bit as compelling, as good, if not better. This is a gripping story of love, family, friendship, marriage and infidelity.

The story is told from the points of view of Tara and her husband Christian.

Tara has a one night stand when she is away on a business trip, one that just won't lie down and die. Tara regrets her actions and wants to forget that it ever happened. James has no intention of letting Tara forget. He wants more of Tara, all of Tara, and will go to any length to get what he wants.

Your Neighbour's Wife is absolutely terrifying in its plausibility. If anyone is considering infidelity, I strongly urge them to read Parsons book first.

Gripping. Compelling. Plausible. And full of twists that I could never have predicted. Just read this.

The only thing that I don't get is the title. But who cares? It could be called 'Hot Buttered Toast' and it would still be a five star read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'We spend our youth looking for love and sex and then we spend our married lives trying to avoid it.'

THE AUTHOR: Tony Parsons (born 6 November 1953) is a British journalist broadcaster and author. He began his career as a music journalist on the NME, writing about punk music. Later, he wrote for The Daily Telegraph, before going on to write his current column for the Daily Mirror. Parsons was for a time a regular guest on the BBC Two arts review programme The Late Show, and still appears infrequently on the successor Newsnight Review; he also briefly hosted a series on Channel 4 called Big Mouth.

His novels typically deal with relationship problems, emotional dramas and the traumas of men and women in our time. He describes his writing as 'Men Lit', as opposed to the rising popularity of 'Chick Lit'.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for providing a digital ARC of Your Neighbour's Wife by Tony Parsons for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Your Neighbour’s Wife is the latest standalone psychological thriller from bestseller Tony Parsons and details the trials and tribulations of a once-happy family after infidelity. Tara Carver and her husband Christian are seemingly happily married thirty-something's who met as young, passionate music journalists who bagged their job due to being good at stringing sentences together and looking cool in a leather jacket, but by twenty-five Tara found that the work all but dried up with the inevitable decline in print media and she found a way to reinvent the wheel. This shift away from traditional printing also happened to coincide with the rise of internet dating sites and using her instincts Tara ploughed everything into making her site, Angel Eyes, a successful online dating company and app while Christian was the one who chose to become a stay at home dad to their five-year-old son Marlon and their energetic yellow Labrador Buddy. She soon comes to the realisation that it's all merely a facade and during a business trip to Tokyo, Japan, to attend a conference she let's a moment of weakness overcome her. Her British Airways ticket had been paid for by the organisers as had the two night stay in a junior suite at the Park Hyatt Hotel and after her presentation is over she ends up sleeping with James Caine, and of all the men she could have chosen to be indiscreet with she couldn't have picked anyone worse.

Caine is an arrogant, obnoxious, wealthy and powerful older man who is a narcissistic manipulator and who wouldn't bat an eyelid if he felt like informing Christian of her misdeeds and wrecking a family. She's constantly on edge worried about what he might reveal and when, and that's all before the problem she has with a newly-started blog whose readership is growing exponentially and their sole topic of conversation happens to be about all of the toxic men that women have met via her site and app, which is hitting her squarely in the pocket. It all culminates in a body being found and the trail leading right to Tara's door. Who is it and who exactly has it in for her and her family this much they would go to these lengths? This is a riveting and compulsive domestic thriller that is not done justice by the synopsis; it sounds a lot like many other family-based dramas, but don't let that fool you as it is far superior. Parsons's intricate details make this a spine-chilling read with enough intensity, action, twists and emotion to keep you reading until the sun comes up and his ability to pull the wool over your eyes as you're reading was astonishing and a real pleasure. It's very much a character-driven tale that moves at a rapid pace with the tension gradually rising as the pages turn. I can genuinely say that when it started to all unravel I didn't see what was coming until it actually blindsided me. An epic must read for crime fans. Highly recommended.

Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother of Marlon and wife to stay at home Christian, and a business woman who runs her own company, she's the sort of person you'd want to live next door to, who might even become your best friend. But in one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk. And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when James Cain, the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won't leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees. There seems to be only one way out. To get rid of James permanently .
A first rate psychological thriller with plenty of twists & turns, a couple stretched the imagination but then it’s fiction. This is a riveting read & so very different from the author’s other books. I thoroughly enjoyed it & read it in two sittings

Tara is happily married until she goes on a work trip to Tokyo and meets James Caine. She is taken in by him and has a one night stand. Fast forward to her return home and he seems to think there is more to it than she does.
He won't leave her alone, threatening to unmask her at every opportunity.
Eventually Tara goes to his hotel with her friend to confront him, only to find him dead on the floor. Who murdered him?

It was an interesting plot but not one that really held my attention. I found the situation unbelievable although I don't doubt that there are people out there like that. Why would Tara risk everything for one night? Why would James' wife stand by him knowing how often he does this? Why were the police not more aware of him if other women came forward?

I found the book easy to read but with quite a bit of unnecessary dialogue.

This is definitely a 50/50 review, as in I sort of enjoyed the first half but less so the second half!

The first half was well paced and had twists and turns that kept me intrigued and interested but the second half seemed to lose all momentum.

I couldnt connect or understand the motives of the family. As a mother why in the hell would she put her family at risk? I also felt that there were too many 'filler' characters, just placed there for random plot reasons. The characters if anything just irritated me.

I've always enjoyed Tony Parsons previous books but this just didnt hit the notes I was expecting sadly.

Thanks to netgalley and Random House UK/Cornerstone for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was twisty and suspenseful and a brilliant psychological thriller. However, I really don't like the title or cover of the book and it put me off. However, the blurb sounded great and the book was fantastic.

This will be the first book I've reviewed in 2021, and what a book to start the year with! Full of heart in your mouth moments, this was a well written thriller with just enough drama to keep you guessing, but not so far-fetched as to be unbelievable.

Tara has a good life. Happily married with a young son, she is also a successful entrepreneur. But a trip to Tokyo for a conference is to change her life forever. A chance meeting with a man called James Caine leads to a night of passion. She instantly regrets it, but all hopes of burying that night are dashed when he begins to stalk her. Turning up at her office, giving her a second phone, sending her photos of her in his bed. He makes sure she knows, in no uncertain terms, that their one night together is not enough for him, and that he has the power to blow her life up.

When her business is also threatened by an anonymous blogger, Tara's life is unravelling and she is desperate. Confiding in her best friend Ginger, they go to James' hotel to confront him, to tell him to back the hell off. But they find him - dead. And there is no doubt that he has been murdered.

Having no choice but to confide in her husband Christian, Tara is shocked when the police arrest him on suspicion of murder.

There is no way of writing any more of the plot without giving away spoilers, so I will just say that all is not as it seems.

A hugely entertaining read that was cleverly plotted, I thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing this deliciously escapist thriller.

This was the first book that i have read from Tony Parsons and unfortunately it will be probably be the last, it was ok dont get me wrong but i was missing one thing - the ability to keep me invested. After the first chapter i was interested to see what had happened but when we got to that event it was like cool, how did you do it and are you going to get caught. it all played out a little too simply.

Tara Carver is a driven woman with her own business, an online dating company; however, she makes a huge mistake when she sleeps with a man she meets at a conference in Tokyo. The guy subsequently won't leave her alone and Tara becomes paranoid, to the point where she even contemplates having him killed. Then the guy turns up dead in his hotel room.

I found this book straightforward and quick to read but the title seems misplaced as we never meet Tara's neighbour. Perhaps the title is generic. Some of the plotting seems occasionally too convenient, a way of tying up a loose end.

Tara doesn't seem to learn from her mistakes. As her business, her marriage, and her friendships begin to crumble around her, it is hard to feel sympathy. The guy who stalks Tara is a creep, but his wife - when we meet her - is even worse. Yet Tara seems little better at times.

The only person who seems to be blameless in it all is Tara's son, but then the storyline jumps forward ten years and he is a teenager. I wasn't sure why this was necessary or why the storyline ended up back in Japan.

Perhaps I'm being too critical. The story is well written, but it just didn't gel for me.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Random House UK, Cornerstone, in return for an honest appraisal.

This is my first novel by Tony Parsons - but it most definitely won't be the last! What a read!

Tara Carver pretty much has a perfect life; with a loving husband supporting her all the way she runs her own company and they have a wonderful home life with their children. Then, in a moment of madness, Tara puts it all at risk by sleeping with a stranger whilst she's on a business trip. She strives to put it all behind her but the man won't let it go and insists they are in a relationship. Suddenly everything she has - everything they have worked for as a couple - hangs in the balance . . .

This is an author with his finger on the pulse of what makes a gripping story! I couldn't decide whether to support Tara or be dismayed by the situation she found herself in, but anyone can make a mistake. However, few find themselves under the intense pressure put upon Tara and the author conveys this expertly. A tale which will get under your skin; the tension is palpable and how it plays out is riveting! Skilfully created and well-written, this one had me hooked right to the end. I definitely recommend it and give it 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tara Carver has a happy family life, she is married to a great man, and she has a young son, a thriving business, and even a cute dog. Tara puts all this at risk when she has a one night stand with a man at a work conference - a night that Tara wants to forget. The man in question, however, is determined that it will be more than one night and starts stalking Tara - sending compromising photos, turning up at her home and workplace. Tara becomes desperate to stop him from destroying her family, but how far will she go to stop him?

First the good things; it was well written and had a decent pace with twists and turns and the first half was good. Unfortunately I didn't feel that the second half lived up to the first. I can't for the life of me figure out why Tara put her family at risk for James Caine. He had sleaze written all over him. Also some of the characters were obviously only there for plot points - the main example being Skyla, I had an idea why her character was included and was annoyed to find out I was right. I originally felt sorry for Tara's husband, Christian, but then he gradually began to annoy me more and more, and the plot became more and more preposterous. When I finished the book, it left me with a profound sense of irritation as most of the characters were just awful people. It was not what I expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK/Cornerstone, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Is there such a thing as a perfect life. Tara and Christian have a great life with their son Marlon. Tara works at her own dating business while Christian is a stay at home Dad. One silly mistake by Tara threatens to tear apart their so called perfect life forever. One stupid thing is about to unravel their lives and the lives of those closest to them. Will they ever recover from that one night. A great read with lots of twists and turns showing you how easily things can fall apart.

This as my first Tony Parsons book and it proved a bit of a disappointment overall. I did like the alternate POV chapter format... nothing new I know but it can work well. However I hate it when a character is introduced as one thing with clear evidence that is exactly who they are only to have them develop into someone completely different when the plot requires them to.
There were a few red herrings but I don’t mind that and I was guessing who did what and regularly getting it wrong which I also can appreciate but as the main premise of the book is based on Tara having a one night stand ( not a spoiler as it’s very early on) but it was never proven even remotely likely to have happened the story never made itself worth believing.

I enjoyed this book, good plot, and it kept my interest. Solid 4 star read I think.. I would read more books by this author, and I thought this was fine.I wasn't keen on the main character but it didn't put me off the book.