In this apartment building there are the families - in the basement apartment Chris and his wife Vicky, in the ground floor Emma, Zeb and the hamster and in the top floor the 'perfect' family Steph, Paul and Freya.

When Freya goes missing everyone is a suspect. Secrets are revealed and we are left wondering what happened and who may be involved. Is it something from the past or someone who has been involved with Freya.

The book is keeping the reader on their toes by having multiple POVs and two timelines- one now and one 25 years ago where we learn more about Kate and her life.

This was a really well written debut novel by Helen and as I said one that had me hooked. I like when I don't quite know what's going to happen in a book (don't like whodunnits/ mysteries where it's obvious) so this book was perfect for me as I suspected EVERYONE!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The downstairs neighbour follows 2 main timelines.
Today, 17 year old Freya goes missing. Obviously her parents are worried sick, and immediately begin the search to find out what has happened and where she has gone.
Here we meet Emma, the downstairs neighbour who lives alone, and doesnt really have much to do with her apartment neighbours. We also meet the other downstairs neighbour Nick, who happens to be Freyas driving instructor, and his nurse wife Vicky.

As the story unfolds, connections are made and secrets come to light for everyone. It appears that all the residents have a motive that could be linked to Freyas disappearance.

Alongside this we learn about Kate, a teenager who is worried about her moms new relationship, but this was 25 years ago, so how does she fit into the story?

Despite alot of storylines, motives and perspectives, this is a fast paced story that keeps you invested in everyone. Ultimately we want to know what happened to Freya, but first there are so many other things we need to understand.

The writing style and atmosphere of this book is perfect for making you want to read on immediately, I found it so hard to put it down.

I really recommend this book to mystery/ thriller readers.

This book has me torn on how I feel about it.

I loved the short chapters and trying to piece the story together with every differing character's chapter... I was puzzled and kept trying to guess what was happening next, usually with little success. That is great as I love to be kept guessing!

I didn't find myself particularly drawn to the characters and so struggled to find myself very invested in their emotions and feelings, hence my confusion about my feelings on this book.

All in all, it was a decent read, but I was deterred by the characters.

‘The Downstairs Neighbour’ is the oldest approval sitting on my NetGalley shelf, and I am kicking myself for not reading this sooner. I didn’t realise whilst reading that this is, in fact, the debut book by Helen Cooper; I couldn’t tell. This mysterious and enigmatic thriller is both captivating and gripping.

The dual timeline of the present-day and 25 years earlier made for an exciting concept. Truthfully, the storyline’s complexity means the reader must concentrate and focus on what is happening, as there is a lot. With plenty of twists and turns, the reader needs their wits about them. This is very character-driven, and I was unsure who could be trusted at various stages throughout this read, achieving a tense and thrilling atmosphere.

The conclusion was a little unrealistic for me, but it hasn’t put me off reading more by this author in the future, and I am excited to see what comes next— I highly recommend it to fans of this genre and anyone who likes a classic “who-done-it” storyline.

It took me a while to get into this book at first but once I did I was shook by the direction it took and the twists! I thought I had it all worked out early on but boy was I wrong! Going into The Downstairs Neighbour I thought it was just going to focus solely on the disappearance of one of the characters but there is alot going in this book so it’s one you have to focus on. I had my suspicions about alot of the characters throughout and it certainly had me guessing.

The story is told from multiple POVs and goes between the past and the present, I don’t want to say too much about this book as I know I’ll end up giving something away.

This is such a brilliant debut with a well executed plot and it’s full of suspense. I’m really looking forward to reading more for the author.

Wow!

I don't normally get on very well with multi pov books however this one flowed so well I really enjoyed it. I won't say too much as I don't want to ruin anything for anyone who wants to read the book in the future.

There was a lot of twists and turns and surprises in this book which I really enjoyed as it meant I couldn't work out how it was going to end!! The details were amazing, I went like I was in the story at times.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys suspense thrillers. This is another genre I will now be looking into more and definitely this author.

The Downstairs Neighbour is not from my main genre choice but I do like a good psychological thriller and when I read the premise it really did intrigue me. A house broken up into 3 flats and shared by three different families. When the teenage girl goes missing from the top floor we are taken on a story of unexpected, interwoven lives. I really enjoyed this book, and it had some unexpected twist and turns and kept me guessing throughout

So this was definitely a great twisty read that had me guessing all the way through! There were lots or revelations throughout and a second timeline narrative really added that extra layer of mystery to the characters in the present day!

It is hard to describe this one I think, as although there’s definitely lots of mystery and suspense, it’s more of a domestic thriller as it is centred around characters that live in the same split house.

A very exciting and compelling thriller. I loved multiple perspectives and building a picture of the story from the different characters viewpoints. There is also two different timelines which took some getting used to but once I got it I was in and gripped. This book really kept me guessing right up to the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to fans of who-dunits.

Being a debut novel I wasn't sure what to expect, but I needn't have worried this a great well thought out thriller.

Told over duel timeliness and with this use of multiple narrators you gradually build up a picture of whats really happened.

I did find the pacing, especially the first half of the book, to be a little slow, however it did keep my attention. The slower pacing also paved the way for decent characters progression.

On reading the synopsis I expected this book to heavily followed the disappearance of young Freya, but this book is so much more. When everyone's lies start to unravel my intrigue as a reader peaked.

This book is full of twists and unexpected turns. It's a brilliant who done it, with everyone having a motive I found myself chopping and changing my theories every few pages. Did not see that end coming!!

This is a really solid debut novel by Helen Cooper. I look forward to reading more by her.

This is a book about interconnections between people living in the same building.. When the teenager girl Freya disappears,we are taken through the journey around the building and learn about the occupants and the way they are connected to Freya...

We also learn about her parents past - a normal looking family, with nothing extraordinary at first glance, which hides loads of secrets which may be connected to the disappearance of their daughter.

As part of the narration we met another family, from the past, with a very dark secret, a secret which is very closely connected to the current disappearance.

I really liked the way it has been written, very engaging, easy to read and made me want to carry on.
I feel that you have to be very connected to the book and keep close track of people, timelines and situations to be able to have a chance of finding out the connection and what's happened to Freya.

I really like the twist and ending as I feel it was unexpected and tied all characters and timelines together

The book would benefit from stronger character building - as I was not invested in Freya's character the whole story was not as gripping as it could have been.
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I loved the idea of this one - how all the tenants of a converted townhouse are connected with the disappearance of the teenaged daughter of one of the families. You get multiple viewpoints - and there’s also the (not so) random story from the past.

The first half of this is a very slow burner, but there were snippets throughout that peaked my interest, particularly Kate’s story from 25 yrs ago - just what is the connection to Freya’s disappearance? How does this all fit into all of what’s going on? The questions keep on coming. Never have the occupants of one building held so many secrets.

I’m pleased to say that this picks up after half way, especially as all the strands start to come together. Overall good debut.

This story reads like a who done it but told through multiple tenants who stories all ended up enter twining together. Lots of interesting things happening in this apartment complex. Over all a good mystery and makes you ask how well do you know your neighbor

Thank you to Insta Book Tours for having me on this tour!

The Downstairs Neighbour is a heart stopping, lump in your throat kind of thriller. It begins with the mysterious disappearance of Freya, who lives in one of three apartments with her parents Steph and Paul. Neighbours are questioned, and lies slowly begin to unravel.

Without spoiling too much, Freya’s disappearance is only a minor plot line within the book. There is SO much drama, that unfolds with each turn of the page. Despite this, it doesn’t feel confusing or content heavy.

I found the first half of the book quite slow paced, and then about halfway through shit well and truly kicks off. I raced through it desperate to find out what happens next.

This book was such a rollercoaster. The back and forth between the two separate cases fitted perfectly together. I wasn’t sure who had done what till the very end as I kept changing my mind

This is a pretty good read that was let down by the ending. There's a lot of jumping between characters, but I like how that was done here.

There are two key stories - the past with Kate and the present with Freya's disappearance. I actually preferred the past story as I felt there was more emotion, and it truly was a shocking twist. I did enjoy figuring out how everything intertwined - some I guessed, but others were revelations.

With the present-day story, I felt that I didn't really care Freya was missing. I actually didn't warm to any of those characters either - except for Emma. I also was very annoyed by the ending; it was quite unbelievable and didn't tie in with the rest of the tone - plus, I'm still angry that someone didn't get the punishment they deserved. There are quite a few unanswered questions.

Overall, a good mystery, and I liked the way it weaved together. But the ending was just too neat and not in keeping with the rest of the story.

*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from InstaBookTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is a good 3.5 stars from me.

It was initially a slowburner and took a little while to pick up momentum but when it all started peicing together the speed picked up.
It has a now and 25 years later timeline interwoven and 5 perspectives 4 from now and 1 from before and surprisingly it wasnt confusing even with all the little secrets everyone carries. It was done really well and how all of the characters are interwoven and sewn together is really good. When you thought you had it figured out it takes you somewhere else.

If you enjoy a slow burn, family drama with secrets and mystery then I'd recommend this one to you.

Thank you to @instabooktours for my copy of this book.

What a book! Filled with twists, secrets galore and bought together brilliantly at the end.

We meet Steph & Paul and their daughter Freya who live at the top of the house, both have their secrets from the past threatening to derail their family. Both parents believe they are to blame when Freya disappears, as the book progresses we find out so much - there were so many times I was sat open-mouthed at the latest revelation.

Next down is Emma, she too has a past that intertwines so well with the rest of the story. You can’t help but feel sorry for her as her past is revealed, so much has happened to someone so young.

At the bottom is Chris and Vicky, again they have secrets that flow into the rest of the house. He is the last person to see Freya, and this drives a wedge between him and the others. I think he was the weakest character in this book, talking himself into more trouble than necessary.

Every part of this book links so well to the rest, amazing work by the author to bring this all together and tie everything up at the end. There were a couple of unanswered questions for me, but they don’t detract from the rest of the story. I recommend anyone who likes twisty suspense novels to read this one, it won’t disappoint.

This was a fast paced thriller with a lot of characters and a lot of different stories and layers wound together with the story flicking between past and present. Each family has its own secret which are teased out over the book whilst we are unravelling the main mystery - where is Freya and who is responsible ? The characters were believable (as a mother of a 17 year old daughter learning to drive it was easy to judge !).

It was a quick read but one that had enough twists to keep me guessing to the end. One to recommend if you like a thriller !