I could not get into this book, ultimately it was not form me and I could not finish it. It may be one for other readers

This book didn’t fee like it was good anywhere to me. I ended up skimming the end as i was a bit bored of it.

Not for ne unfortunately

Sadly this book wasn’t for me. It just left me confused. It was dull and slow. Really didn’t enjoy this one at all

This was a great night time - before bed read. Definitely had me guessing and feeling a bit creeped out at times! I would recommend for sure!

The house mate by Nina Manning.
A really good read. Great story. I liked Regi. I loved the ending. Wasn't sure about it with the then and now but when I got to the end it just clicked. 5*.

This was a gripping, thrilling and entertaining book that keeps the reader wondering what is coming next. Just as soon as you think you have it figured out, you get hit by a twist. It was well written and gripping until the end. Recommended.

Regi is ready for a clean slate. She’s escaped her previous life and needs to carve out her new identity. With her obsessive tendencies and desperation to scrub away her past she becomes hooked on cleaning; idolising Instagrammer ‘Mrs Clean’ whose life appears to be as immaculate as her worktops. But the more she obsesses over her new found icon – the more inconsistencies she starts to see. Is Mrs Clean as pristine as she makes out to be or is she hiding a secret as dirty as Regi’s?

Nina Manning started the story by laying out a lot of the cards on the table straight off the bat, making you feel automatically like you knew Regi, what she was about and where this story was going to go. Quite a lot of the first half of the book was very repetitive; going through a cycle of Regi being nervous, trying to appear normal, obsessing over Mrs Clean – rinse and repeat. The mundane monotony of the introduction meant it was a bit of a flat start; an interesting enough concept, but the plot was almost as repetitive as Regi’s door locking habit. I liked how simple this narrative was however – it’s perfect for a beach read; because there’s nothing too heavy or complex for you to indulge in.

The middle of the narrative was where things really started to get interesting. It broke away from being predictable and started ramping up the tension. I started second guessing some of the characters and couldn’t quite predict what was going to happen next. There were a LOT of ‘red herring’ type characters – which initially added some more levels to the writing, but overall became more of a hindrance to the overall story, leaving open holes and unnecessary twists that didn’t add anything to the final plot. The ending was downright ridiculous and left the reader with more questions than answers. The wrap ups were rushed and the ‘big reveal’ wasn’t a shock because it had already been alluded to throughout the second half of the novel. The ACTUAL reveal was brushed past, leaving the reader confused and frustrated. It didn’t really match anything else in the story and should have been made clearer throughout as it would have allowed the reader to separate the chapters and understand the backstories a bit more – it was not a conclusion that anyone would have wanted or expected!

Prior to the ending, I did enjoy this book, because it was a light, easy read – without too much thought or attention needed. I feel like I’m being more harsh on it than I would have been if the conclusion didn’t go down the route it had, because overall it just left me with an infuriated outlook on the rest of the narrative. I haven’t read any books by Nina Manning before – but with a little bit of polishing and a slight clean up of the ending, this could have been a real winner!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my advanced reader copy! 💕

I enjoyed this one but I didn’t form any kind of attachment towards any of the characters. There were a few twists and turns some of which I predicted. All in all a good book.

As I read the blurb , it seemed interesting to me , but as I started to read it , I became very bored with it. It lacked suspense and sometimes I felt like it was trying to hard. I didnt connect to the characters and some of the chapters were repetittive.

Such a fun story that I absolutely loved. The idea of it was super interesting and the author is very talented at keeping up the momentum.

I started and stopped started and stopped with this book.
I couldn't engage with it enough to get hooked and didn't see it through.
Sorry on this occasion "The House Mate" just wasn't for me.

Thanks for the advanced copy.

I ahd great hopes if living this book as it dealt with realistic issues of OCD set in suspenseful tones.

Regi had OCD. She lived with 3 other young girls as their house mate. A cloud of dark past surrounded her which kept me curious in the entire book. There were 3 cores in the book. A now with Regi, a then, and an Instagram influencer by the name Mrs Clean.

The main character was quite detached, living with her own problems. I liked how the author infused her life with scenes which gave an air of danger. The past was filled with pain and it was wrenching. The influencer had her own set of trolls and Regi was obsessed with her posts and stories.

The story perhaps tried too hard to keep the suspense going. I got disinterested in the mid half as the scenes felt repetitive. Not liking any of the characters added to the disenchantment.

This story would be a difficult one to format for any author, getting it transformed from ideas to words was commendable. But the pieces of jigsaw puzzle didn’t fit well when the final reveal came to be. There was an uneven feel to the book at the end.

I listened/read the book and the narrator was good. Overall, an okay story.

This book started so slowly for me, but then picked up about halfway through. Interesting twist with the OCD approach, definitely learned alot!

My least favorite by this author to date. It was very slow and a bit confusing.

I will always be happy to pick up and try anything this author writes. I like her style and the characters she creates. The capturing of how encompassing and alienating OCD is was done so well. The alternating from past present was handled with great finesse.

The pacing though was slow though and I wasn’t rushing to grab this if I had a second to sit. Once the action did start it was a bit odd. All of the characters we have read about seem to no longer matter. And that ending? Didn’t see that coming, who would have?? Maybe some people will love that about this book but I felt a bit shortchanged by it.

Definitely try this as different strokes, different folks and all but check out her others too!! Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Boldwood Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

The House Mate by Nina Manning is a great psychological read that ticked all of the boxes for me. An uneasy feeling made its presence early and did not release me until the unexpected denouement.

This story follows Regi, a woman who suffers from OCD, thus is consumed by repetitive, compulsive behaviours and deviating from her routine causes her tremendous anxiety. She has recently moved into a house she shares with three other women. The story is told in parts pertaining to different timescales - then and now - with additional posts from an Instagram influencer called Mrs. Clean.

The novel was well put together and and being something of a psychological thriller fan, I was extremely impressed. I was drawn right into this compulsive story of misperceptions. With a good, even pace I was glued to The House Mate whilst I tried to work out exactly where the tale was taking me. As it toyed with my preconceptions, I was blown away by the surprising ending.

This was an incredibly compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend. I look forward to reading more from this fabulous author, Nina Manning.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my own request from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Another one ticked off the pile with this book. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. I enjoyed reading it, it wasn’t in any way a challenge as it was written very well that it flowed easy enough. I’m just not sure on the storyline. I’ve been in a bit of a book slump so that definitely didn’t help me but towards the end I just felt confused and unsure what was happening. Have said that I would read other books by this author as I like the way it was written.

This book is one of those that I had a very hard time finishing. Not because it slowed down mid way through, but because it was so slow in the beginning, I continually laid it down to read something else. Overall, after I got through the beginning I enjoyed it a bit, but it didn’t blow me away or anything. I think the slowness of the beginning, may have made it to where I can give much of a neutral review, since I think I was reading but not really absorbing what I read. I think this is one I would have a hard time recommending to not fellow thrill seekers.

A bit of a slow start with this book but once I got into it I thought it was really good.

Interesting to learn more about the horrible hold OCD has over people.

Very well written, with a relly interesting ending.

I will now seek out more of Nina Manning's books.

An enjoyable read. Quite basic when it comes to thrillers, none of the twists were too unpredictable. It felt like there were some random plot points that weren't needed at times, and until nearer the end it felt like the book didn't know where it was going.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as I thought I would. It felt like it was trying to be too clever with a twist that actually just made the book a bit tangled and confusing.