A gripping, on the edge of your seat sort of book helped by the fantastic narration of Georgia Maquire. Russell Bentley, Beth Chalmers,John Hopkins and Elliott Fitzpatrick. brought the characters to life and made it all the more engrossing. These people are sometimes overlooked in book reviews but I think they did a fantastic job and want to highlight them as doing these voices aren't always really straight forward.
It all centres on Isla McKenzie who is brutally mugged one night after a works do. Her boyfriend Zack moves into her flat to help her recover from the traumatic event but... something else happens and she suddenly realises that things aren't adding up and her life could be in danger. She starts to investigate and this is where it gets more and more tense for the listener as the clues lead to scary situations!.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC book for an honest review.
#harpercollins, #samcarrington, #bethchalmers, #russellbentley71,

Isla is attacked when walking home from a night out with friends and colleagues to celebrate her job promotion. In the suspected mugging, she suffers a serious concussion, has a broken wrist and her phone and handbag are stolen. Following on from the attack, Isla is now experiencing amnesia and PTSD and has been left afraid to leave the house. Her boyfriend of a few months, Zack, has moved in with her ‘temporarily’ to help her while she is recovering and her days are now filled by watching true crime documentaries and listening to a local true-crime podcast called Christie’s Crime Addicts while Zack is at work. As Isla slips further into depression and splinters of memory appear to be coming back to her, she suspects that her attack wasn’t a random mugging after all and begins to look closer to home. Don’t the police tell you that most victims of violent crime are known to their attacker? As she becomes suspicious of everyone around her and what their possible motive could have been, Isla decides to play armchair detective on her own case and seeks the help she needs from the only source she can trust while she questions the loyalties of those who she thought were closest to her. I really enjoyed this book, it was mainly told from Isla’s POV and was well written. This is the first book I have read from Sam Carrington and I’ll definitely be checking her other book’s out now. I listened to the audiobook which I would highly recommend as it makes the podcast element that much better (plus there is bonus material at the end for audiobook listeners) I would say that this book is more of a cosy mystery than a typical thriller and for those who like that, there are a lot of nostalgic references for you to enjoy throughout the book. There are a lot of twists towards the end and the story gets a lot darker. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy for an honest review. The Couple On Maple Drive is released on the 9th December 2021.

A crime podcast and a mugging. After being brutally mugged whilst walking home after an evening out Isla doesn't leave the house. Her boyfriend, Zach, is doing a great job of looking after her. Whilst alone she spends her time listening to a podcast about local unsolved crimes...

I listened to this audiobook in a day. It was a really good read. It was full of twists and turns and suspense.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good drama.

The Couple on Maple Drive keeps you on your toes from start to finish. As a would-be amateur sleuth, I like to pride myself on being able to predict what’s coming next but this book keeps you guessing all the way. My predictions changed with every chapter and my responses a mixture of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, as each delicious detail was revealed. A tale of two halves, the main character Isla, is forced to turn from being a
mild-mannered, easy-going female, into a ferocious combatant fighting for her life. In a game of catch, she is toyed with by the people she trusts most and left for dead by her lover.
Sam Carrington writes with sharp detail and constructs characters with charisma but also with a touch of menace, thus creating confusion, as to who is capable of being trusted. I listened to this as an audiobook, courtesy of NetGalley, narrated mainly by Georgia Maguire, whose crisp tones make the characters come alive and compel you to keep listening.

Another great read from Sam Carrington!
The author knows how to keep the readers interest with plenty of twists and turns and the great twist at the end.
Isla is a victim of a brutal mugging on the way home from celebrating her promotion at work. Whilst recovering her boyfriend Zach moves in to her home to help care for her.
Isla has plenty of time to think about the mugging and begins to suspect everyone , is she right to do so? She is a true crime lover and listens to a local crime podcast , and enlists the help from the makers of the podcast to try and get to the bottom of her mugging.

The podcast on the audiobook adds a distinctive feature to the story. The narration is excellent and brings the writing to life and definitely held my interest .
This book was full of tension and suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

I really loved this audiobook, I thought the format of the novel really suited an audiobook style.

As a true crime lover myself I found Isla to be really relatable as a character who gets dragged into her own true crime nightmare and struggles to figure out who is behind her mugging that left her for dead? And can she trust anyone around her?

I thought it was really thrilling, had plenty of twists and turns which kept me captivated and engaged and overall I really enjoyed it!

The Couple on Maple Drive - Sam Carrington
Narrated by Georgia Maguire; John Hopkins; Elliot Fitzpatrick; Beth Chalmers; Russell Bentley

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Have you heard about the couple on Maple Drive?

Isla barely leaves the house after her brutal mugging.

Her boyfriend Zach moved in with her after the attack. To look after her.

But something else has happened now. Right on their doorstep.

This was an addictive and twisty novel - that gives you the false pretence that you know what is happening. The book starts out slowly, but very quickly the pace picks up. Overall, this is a very entertaining read that had me hooked trying to work out who had attacked Isla.

Rating: 4/5

**Listened to the audio book**

I enjoyed my reading/listening experience of this book - even if I didn't overly love the plot.
I found it a little boring, by that I mean it didn't do anything different, it felt like other thriller/mystery books I have read before.
I liked the podcast sections, although this isn't very original anymore. I feel a lot of books are doing this 'true crime podcast' style now. Although, I liked how they did this with the audio book, and the different style of voice/different narrators. It helped to break up the story, and keep me engaged when listening.

I knew where the plot was going from the beginning, so nothing was much of a shock or a twist. I also felt the book wrapped everything up very conveniently at the end. Was a bit 'all they all lived happily every after' - didn't feel right for this style of book.

Overall I liked this but it just didn't do anything new.

This is a difficult one to review as I have mixed feelings. As an audiobook I liked the narrators and really loved the Christie’s Crime Addicts sections as they broke it up a bit and I enjoyed hearing the multiple voices in conversation. As a story though I felt it was a bit flat. I didn’t like any of the characters and there aren’t any twists so as a thriller it didn’t really deliver. I’ve read others recently that stopped me in my tracks but this just didn’t really go anywhere and if anything was almost boring. I kept expecting there to be more to the story but there wasn’t, it was just what we already knew at face value.
I’d be interested in listening to this narrator again but sadly the story wasn’t the best for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Audio and Sam Carrington for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The narrators; Georgia Maguire; John Hopkins; Elliot Fitzpatrick; Beth Chalmers; Russell Bentley added so much more depth and tension to the story. It made it easier to differentiate between the characters. I think the audio version made me audibly ’gasp’ more.

This story follows a couple who live at Maple Drive called Isla and Zach. Isla was the victim of a brutal assault which left her with amnesia and terrified to leave the home. She starts trying to piece together what happened to her with the help of a True-Crime podcast team.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved how there is a true crime podcast running along in the background, it’s unique and works so well. This book is creepy, dark, gritty and tense. It has some good twists. The storyline packs a punch. A really good psychological thriller!

Isla was brutally attacked after a night out. She was at the beginning of a new relationship with Zach and had just been given the promotion at work she longed for..
To help he while she recovers Zach moves in with Isla, who still has no recollection of the attack. Zach appears to be a saint as Isla recovers. She is afraid to open the door or leave the house. Doesn't other about herself and just sits in her pj's watching true crime programs on Netflix.
Gradually, piece of her memory start coming back. She starts to feel she was attacked by someone she knew. Could Zach be among the subject?
Knowing she must find out the culprit before she can move on she enlists the help of Christies Crime Addicts. A group of people who investigate crime and have a pod cast.
By finding the truth is Isla putting herself in more danger.

I absolutely loved the audio version. The narrator had a voice that captivated you and took you on Isla's journey. Interspersed were segments of Pods cast from the crime addicts. This is certainly a book you will want to read or even better listen too.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this book

Wow just love this audiobook! I’ve also got the kindle addition but the audio just brings something a little bit special.

Phew! This is a real edge of your seat gripping story. My heart was pounding and I was screaming at Isla when she was in danger. Sam Carrington certainly knows how to ramp up the tension!

The story centres on Isla and her boyfriend Zac - The couple on Maple Drive. Isla was recently mugged and lost her confidence and chooses not to leave the house and instead watch Murder She Wrote re-runs and real crime shows on Netflix. Her boyfriend Zack moves in to take care of her.

I had high hopes for the book and thought it was going to be a pacy thriller based on the description and the book’s cover.
It just felt a little slow-moving and protracted. It didn’t feel that there were so many so many twists and turns, perhaps because I’d guessed the culprit early on. I did enjoy the series of podcasts, Christie’s Crime Addicts, which featured throughout the book and moved the story along.

Huge thanks to Harper Collins Audio UK, Avon and Netgalley for my advanced listening copy.

Firstly this book is well narrated with an undramatic style.
Is Zac over protective or is he something far more sinister? At first your thoughts on the matter swings between the two. However Zac is an extremely unreliable witness, a fact that comes out later on.
Isla, on the other hand is incredibly naive despite being like a cross between a member of Scooby’s gang and Miss Marple.
I enjoyed listening to this book despite finding it a little annoying in its simplicity

2.5 stars
This was a disappointing book. Predictable, slow and repetitive plot, cliche characters and stilted dialogue. I struggled to finish it. Not the one I would recommend.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrator 5 stars
She has an amazing voice.
Didn't really care for the podcast narrators

Story 2.5 stars

This story was so so. If your not a big reader you might really like this, but if you read alot it's very similar to 100 other books I've read/listen to this year.

Now how to review this book? This is a first for me, just popped my audiobook cherry. I’m going to review the story & not the narration. The voices just droned in my brain and made me want to throw my phone out of the window while driving headfirst into the central reservation at full speed. However the story of Isla & Zach kept me intrigued. If I had read this instead of listened I would have enjoyed it so much more however I’m not here to review the voices. Sam writes a good story and I’d definitely buy this book.

Just an ok story which just about held my attention enough to keep listening. I’ve heard and read a number of books recently where podcasts or other social media sites are used and I whilst it isn’t always a plus I did think it was well done in this one.

Wow! This is a fantastic book and I loved it so much! The story is about Isla, who has been attacked and is now recovering at home, with her boyfriend Zach looking after her. Who was her attacker and why was she attacked? The whole story is so exciting and full of drama and suspense. I found myself listening whenever I had a spare moment, just so I could find out who the perpetrator was. It was so addictive and it really reeled me in. Could it have been someone that Isla knows who attacked her? Isla really grew on me, and I loved her feisty side that came out as the story went on. She had a lot to deal with, but she got stronger and stronger, even though she didn't know who to trust.

I loved the Christie's Crime Addicts radio show, which was so much fun, and I love how Isla got close to one of the Christie Crime Addicts, who helped her. The narrators of the book were fantastic and I especially loved the Christie's Crime Addicts part of the narration. It felt as though I was watching a movie and was part of the show.

I highly recommend this book, especially the audiobook, which really brings the story and cast alive! I am off to look for more of this author's books now. Actually, I hope that there will be another Christie's Crime Addicts book coming in the future, as I would love to join up with the crew again and go on another adventure with them!

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