First of all, I really enjoyed the narrator of this audiobook. Very captivating and told the story well.

I got very very into this book and found the flashbacks and the future very distinguishable which is always a good thing. I liked the character building and also the side characters and how we got to know litttle bits of their personalities.

The last couple of chapters did confuse me a little bit, what with it kind of being like a parallel universe but once I’d gotten my head around this, I found it to be a really great twist to the story.

Highly enjoyed this audiobook and can’t wait to read more of Nina Manning’s books in future.

I'm only just starting to get into Audio Books and found this quite hard to follow as it flicked between "Now" & "Then
Regi has obviously suffered something traumatic in her past and it seems like the "Then" chapters are going to reveal all
From her traumatic past Regi has developed OCD and its is taking over her life but wanting to move on from the trauma at 35 years oldshe finds herself embarking on a Textile Course and sharing a house with 3 house mates all very much younger than her.
They introduce her to Instagram and she starts following a page by Mrs C who's a highly sponsored cleaner come designer, Again following on with her OCD she becomes quite obsessed with Mrs C and following the tips and ideas while putting them into place in the house share.

As the book progress's the " Now" & "Then" become more constant and I started to loose my way a little and I did find that frustrating so I am not quite sure how I feel about this book.

The ending had a total twist so much so the upshot of the trauma was not what I expected at all

This was an utterly absorbing, beautifully written and well narrated novel. The plot was cleverly rendered and offers tantalising glimpses into the depth of the back story which is so much more than it at first appears to be. Overall it is an absolute triumph of a story.

This book was not what I was expecting. The narrator was perfect. The first half of the book I spent trying to figure out who was who but the second half had me gripped. There were plenty of twists and turns which kept me constantly trying to guess what was going to happen. I really enjoyed the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nina Manning and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I am not quite sure how I feel about this book and I am finding it hard to write this review. I found the narrator to be perfect for the book, she got the pacing and intensity perfectly. She knew the right moments to add tension with changing the pace of her voice and pitch. She got me riled up, shocked and completely hooked. I will definitely be listening to her narrate again and the fact she has books on my list I can’t wait.

Back to the book, I did find it fascinating. This story of Regi, her crippling OCD and we are in a house with her and 3 other girls when we meet her. She is trying to recover from a shocking incident one that we have no idea about at the start. We just know that she is struggling, she is trying to re-enter a world with people but she has a compulsion. Her OCD is taking over her life and to see someone struggle so much was hard to read. Each of us has a small part of OCD, I have certain things which I have OCD over, and in a way, I could relate to the way Reg felt if she didn’t complete the routine. She felt something bad would happen, the little voice in her head that is quite destructive.

We also have a “Then” section of the book which broke my heart. This story of a woman completely in love but she is abused, not just physically but mentally too. She is being worn down, broken, and she is just a shell of a woman. This was not easy to read.

The entire book was unsettling, it was dark and tense and a page-turner. However, the jigsaw pieces weren’t slotting in to place, and for me, I had to get someone to explain to me their theory on the book and it then made complete sense to me. I did struggle, I found the book clever but in the last 10%, the execution just lacked a little bit of clarity for me. But that is after the event, during the listening for me I was hooked and I wanted to keep listening and listening and listening. I was listening when I was running at 6:30 am instead of my normal morning playlist. I wanted to know why Regi had her compulsions, I wanted to know who this woman was and why was Instagram so pivotal to Regi.

I adored The Daughter-in-Law but unfortunately, The House Mate just didn’t reach the same level as that did. I will read another book by Ms Manning though because I still find her writing so enticing.

In The Housemate, we follow the story of Regi ... a woman hiding from an abusive relationship and a terrible tragedy.  She has become obsessive compulsive and is trying to work through it as she tries to forget the past and move on. Then she sees him ... the husband that she is desperately trying to outrun ....

This book was actually quite good ... until we got to the twist that is the essence of the psychological thriller.  It came out of left field with no hint or tie in to the rest of the story ... nor did it make any sense.  

A solid 3 stars until we got to the twist so I had to average it out to a review of 2 stars.

This book was not what I was expecting
Completely threw me
And did not expect that ending at all
Well written, and the tangled twists and turns were well hidden

Thank you netgalley, Nina Manning and Boldwood books UK audio

Enjoyed this one and as usual the narrator was fantastic!
I enjoy Nina Mannings books and this is the second I’ve been able to read so thank you

From the start this story deceives. What you are led to believe is not necessarily the case. Regina is a middle aged woman looking to start over from a past that doesn't want to let go. Is someone pursuing her? Or is she imagining it? And if so, who? Why? Trying to distract herself she takes comfort in following an account on Instagram. But is all what it seems on line? Her new obsession will bring her face to face with her past.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Boldwood Books UK Audio in exchange for an honest review.
I was pleasantly surprised by this thriller! The House Mate is the tale of Regi, a woman suffering from OCD who moves into a student houseshare after mysteriously uprooting her life. She quickly becomes obsessed with an Instagram cleaner, as well as a troll of said cleaner who won't stop posting nasty comments.

Firstly, I really liked the unique set up of this book. I've never read a thriller set in a student houseshare and Regi herself was a really interesting character to read about. There were so many unique elements which really made this stand out as a thriller and kept me paying attention. I normally zone out or miss details when listening to a thriller audiobook, but that didn't happen here. Manning is a skilled thriller writer and I definitely want to check out her other work now. I also found the OCD rep pretty decent on the whole, although it is a relatively minor part of the book.

Sadly this book was a little let down by the fact it had so much going on. Whilst reading it, I liked this element a lot but when you reach the conclusion and find out what's going on, there are large plot points which don't seem to matter much at all. The houseshare elements trailed off towards the end and the book became more generic without them. A lot of the earlier tension is lost as characters or plot points just disappear, and it's a shame to learn how much didn't really matter in the end. It's still a good read and I'm glad those elements were there, I just wish they'd been better woven into the story.

Overall, The House Mate definitely stands out as a thriller and has some really engaging, interesting stuff going on. It falls a bit flat near the end but it is still worth the read and it certainly won't be a book I forget in a hurry. It also works really well as an audiobook and I would recommend listening to it if you're so inclined. I look forward to reading Manning's other work.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I listened to this book on audio and even though it wasn’t gripping, it kept my attention. The narration was quite decent, although irritating in places, with some unnatural and exaggerated voices. The story line was intriguing at the beginning but the characters were so stereotypical that I didn’t much care what was going to happen to them and the contrived twist at the end didn’t come as too much of a surprise. This is my first book by this author and to be honest, I won’t be rushing to read another one by her.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Wow! This is a fantastic psychological thriller about a woman called Regina who is living as a house mate in a house with some other girls after she has run away from her old life due to some trauma she has experienced. The book really left me guessing until the very end and I was really surprised by the ending, which at first, left me confused until I realised what had happened. Once I realised what was going on, I laughed out loud after I was able to close my mouth from the shock, as it was so clever and it had me fooled. I really loved this book a lot as it had so many twists and turns, was very thrilling and suspenseful and I enjoyed the OCD aspect too, as I love psychology.

The narrator of the audio book is amazing and she was able to have me sitting on the edge of my seat feeling scared, wondering what was going to happen next. I enjoyed using the netgalley app to listen to this book.

I will look into reading the author's other books in the future, as she is very talented! I highly recommend this book and it is now one of my favourite books of this year!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my audio copy of The House Mate.aves The book is well narrated and kept me engrossed as the plot developed. As Regina's flashbacks were introduced it became obvious that there was something quite sinister behind her OCD behaviours. I was really enjoying getting to know her housemates, I hoped to see a relationship with Will develope romantically and I even looked forward to the glimpses into Instagram and the Mrs Clean posts.

However, once the conclusion started I was really confused, I listened to the last three chapters twice in case I had missed something vital but I hadn't and I am still none the wiser.

Such a shame as Nina Manning obviously has very good skills as a writer and maybe it was just me.

The House Mate is a book made for audio - with a fantastic narrator cleverly building the suspense.

If you like Gone Girl or similar suspense novels you will enjoy this.

Reggie is 35 and restarting life going to university, flat sharing with three 20 somethings. Reggie is hiding a from a tortured past which slowly unfolds throughout the story and suffers from PTSD and OCD.

The plot is full of twists and turns which makes the book hard to turn off.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Following in the footsteps of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, we have another unreliable narrator to contend with. Who is Reggie, and what is she running from? It soon becomes clear that she is a mother, but if she is a mother, where are her children - and who is the spectre hovering at the edge of her life in a black baseball cap.

I always think the skill of psychological thrillers like this one is to have a good twist, but without leaving the reader feeling tricked. I’m not sure that this novel quite achieves that. The characters blend in together perhaps a little too neatly, and you’re left a bit confused about who is who until the end when all is revealed.

I did warm to the character of Reggie, a woman in her 30s starting again at university in a houseshare with much younger women. She struggles to adjust to her new life. However, as with many novels of this genre, you are left a bit frustrated as the unreliable narrator conceals the most essential parts of the story. Why is she here? What has happened?

It’s definitely a readable novel. The inclusion of ‘Cleanstagrammers’ and Reggie’s unsatisfying (and perhaps pointless to the narrative?) venture into internet dating are a nice contemporary touch. Perhaps it’s all tied up a bit too neatly at the end, but perhaps I need to suspend my disbelief a little more fully and enjoy the tying of loose ends as satisfying.

If you enjoy this type of novel, it’s definitely worth a shot, and the audiobook narrator was perfectly adequate.

It becomes pretty obvious early on that Regi has suffered some kind of traumatic event in her life. As the book flicks between 'now' and 'then' we learn more about what makes Regi tick and drives her compulsions. I particularly enjoyed Regi's fixation with Mrs Clean, an Instagram influencer, as i feel that is very reflective of real life and sociologically on the money. I thought the ending was a little weak, but as I enjoyed the rest of the book, I'm not going to let it spoil the experience as a whole.

Regi is a 35 year old who lives in a house share with three other girls in their early twenties. She has OCD and has several rituals she must perform when feeling anxious. One of her housemates introduces her to Instagram and she soon becomes obsessed with the account of Mrs Clean (think Mrs Hinch!)

The story is fairly slow paced as we get to know more about Regi's life, with chapters from then and now, hinting at a dark past. I liked the character of Regi and felt a little sorry for her. The other characters in the book were interesting, though not all were likeable. As the story progressed I tried to work out what had happened to make Regi the way she was.

But then there was the ending. It left me totally confused. I listened again to the last coupke of chapters and still didn't get it. In fact I had to look at other reviews on Goodreads to finally work out what had happened and quite frankly I feel cheated!

So, three stars because I did enjoy the story, but hated that ending!

The narrator, Helen Keely, did a great job though.

This was a very strange book. It took me a long time to get into it. The highlights were the beautiful well executed portrayals of OCD and PTSD. They were very well written and convincing.

On the downside , I found the plot really confusing. I am still not sure what happened in Reggie's past. I thought the narration was good initially, however I don't know if the narration added to my confusion.

I think the key word here is "confusion". The superficial plot points, like the Instagram posts and the housemates, where all very obvious. I didn't feel that there were any great plot twists, unless the abused woman was not Reggie, but the lady trapped in the flat- but there was nothing to highlight that as a conclusion, except that we learn Reggie had a different life other than the one we thought she had.
Sorry - not for me- I just didn't get it at all.

The perfect life? ...Or the perfect lie?

When Regi moves into her new house share, she's ready for a clean slate. A new home. A new routine. A new identity...

Desperate to escape the shadow of her past that follows her everywhere she goes, Regi finds the ideal distraction in the perfect lives of others on social media.

But as innocent scrolling turns into an unhealthy obsession, Regi will soon learn that seeking perfection comes at a price...
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me a complimentary copy of ‘The House Mate’ by Nina Manning in exchange for my honest review.
This was the first time I came across Nina Manning and her work; the description of the book caught my attention immediately. However, when I started the book (I used the audiobook form) I just really couldn’t get into it. At times I felt bored and to be honest it was a struggle to get to the end. I’m not sure as to whether I didn’t enjoy it because of the plot or because at times I found it hard to follow.
The main character Regi suffers with OCD and her house mate shares an Instagram account with her called ‘Mr Clean’ and Regi begins to become obsessed with the account. Over the past few years people have developed an obsession with social media, so it was interesting to see this portrayed in a book.
I really did not like the ending of the book. I felt very confused and let down, I was expecting a really big ending but it felt very ani-climatic.
As this was the audio version of the book, I feel like I need to comment of the reader, Helen Keeley. I found her very annoying and I did not like how she used different voices. I really think this was a huge part as to why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I might try to read it again but through a physical copy.
Overall, if you like psychological thrillers then this book may interest you. I would recommend if you do read it then to read a physical copy of e-book instead of the audiobook version.

‘The House Mate’ was an engaging listen that had me from the get go.

Regi, a late 30s, mature student with a mysterious past moves into a house share with 3 young students. She quickly gets into the world of instagram, and whlle reluctant to share on social media herself, she quickly becomes obsessed with the inspirational ‘Mrs Clean’ and also somewhat with a ‘troll’ who criticises Mrs Clean’s every post.

So many questions popped into my head whilst listening! What in her past is Regi so keen to hide from? Who is following and calling Regi?...and why is she trying to hide from him? Just what is going on with her house mate’s creepy boyfriend?!

In a million years I would not have anticipated this plot and things really don’t become clear until the end. This is most definitely a novel that keeps you guessing.

Smoke and mirrors are used so effectively by author, Nina Manning, and I am utterly in awe at her consistently ability to create characters with deep insight into the dark and twisty workings of the mind!

The narrator also did a fantastic job on this, and absolutely did not give any spoilers which in hindsight must have been a job in itself. Her voice was so lovely to listen to. Admittedly I didn’t enjoy the nasality of one of the housemates, but as she only had a small part it really wasn’t a problem!

My greatest thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an advance review.