Unfortunately, this was a DNF from me, as I just couldn’t engage with it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Tha k you to Netgalley and the publisher or the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately this book wasn't what I thought it would be and it was one I failed to finish.

Steph and Eric hear piano music being played from next door, at 10 pm every night; and it is beautiful.
But the two don't know their neighbour who plays this music, and they do not know each other.
But a chance encounter and a single mission can lead them to become better neighbours, better friends and maybe more.

The chapters of this novel are split between the two main characters, which gave a nice narrative of the characters and how they were affected by the music.

But I found the writing to be repetitive and become really slow in places. However, I do understand this is to set up the scene and the atmosphere, due to the specific themes which were explored; anxiety, depression, death and grief.

This novel also explores everyday situations, such as within the character of Steph who seems to be 'keeping up appearances' and simply doing things for show on social media and I thought this was explained brilliantly; showing how our lives aren't always as they seem.

Overall, I thought this novel had a great narrative and real depth within the characters, but the structure, which was repetitive and made it slow and boring really let it down for me.

20% in and had to give up I just couldn't get into this story. I loved the sound of it it sounded really interesting but sadly it was not one for me

In a Nutshell: Unlike what the cover and the blurb suggest, this book is quite intense. It clicked only to some extent with me, partly because I had very different expectations from it.

Story:
Steph has moved to a new city after her breakup and is desperate to show everyone through her Instagram that her life is on perfect track. The reality however is that she is lonely and broke.

Eric is battling a relationship hangover ever since his breakup with “Perfect Clarissa” almost a year ago. As all his friends are married, having kids, and in their own homes, Eric feels left out as the bachelor still living in a houseshare.

What Steph and Eric don’t know is that they are only… … “Two Doors Away”. Their homes are on either side of house number 26, from where dulcet piano melodies can be heard playing every night at 10pm. All of a sudden, the music has stopped and number 26 is dark and silent. What happened? Can Eric and Steph bring the music back in number 26, and thereby in their lives too?

The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Eric and Steph.



Broadly speaking the story has three elements: Steph’s story, Eric’s story, and their joint story, which includes their search for the mystery behind number 26’s sudden silence.

Steph’s story was the most irritating to me. A part of it could be because of Steph’s obsession with Instagram, an app I simply can’t understand the appeal of. But even otherwise, Steph comes across as very impulsive and shortsighted, and even shallow, none of which made her very likeable to me. Steph’s arc has very few redeeming parts, mostly in the second half.

Eric’s story arc is somewhat better. While his character also lives in the past and he doesn’t seem to figure out how to move on, his emotions come across as far more realistic.

The best part of the story is where the two characters intersect. Their connection, their repartee, their friendship, all make for an enjoyable reading experience. If only the rest of the book matched up.

I was not very fond of the writing style, which is very meandering and takes its own sweet time to proceed with the plot. The initial 30% or so just drags. Things start moving faster only once the lead pair meets, but still not as fast as I would have liked. In addition, there are way too many characters in Steph’s and Eric’s lives and remembering them all is a tedious task.

I must give credit to the author for this: For a change, the male lead works in a routine low-end banking job rather than being a high-flying businessman or top-level corporate honcho like almost every other chick lit. Yay for a regular guy!

Because of the cover and blurb, I assumed that this would be a light, happy read. But it turned out to be much darker and intense. Both Steph and Eric carry a lot of regrets and guilt about the past, and this weighs down heavily on the story. Unfortunately for me (and for the book), I was not in the mood for a sombre story. (The topic itself would have been okay but the rambling writing drove the final nail in the coffin of my expectations.)

My heart wants to give it a 2 star rating but my head is pointing out that it was also picked up in the wrong mood and with the wrong expectations. So I’ll let go of my usual stingy self and give it 3 stars. Okay, 2.75. The Rating Scrooge in me doesn’t want to compromise too much.


My thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “Two Doors Away”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Since moving to a new city, once-adventurous Steph is doing her best to prove to her friends and family back home that her life is as fulfilling and envy-inducing as ever. The truth? She is broke and has found that making new friends isn't as easy as she expected.

Eric has lost his way in life since his breakup with perfect Clarissa. Now that all his friends are buying homes, getting married and starting families, Eric is still living in a house share, feeling left behind.

Eric and Steph are lonely. They're strangers, but with one connection - they live on the same street, on either side of number 26. Neither Eric nor Steph have met their neighbour at number 26, but both used to take comfort in hearing their neighbour playing piano at the same time every night - it made them feel less alone.

Now the music has stopped and number 26 lies silent. Brought together by their mutual concern, Eric and Steph begin to grow closer and it looks like they might discover that the solution to their problems has been just two doors away the whole time.

This was one of those books that sucked me in from the beginning and didn’t let go until I finished! I thought it was well written, with absolutely flawlessly done characters, and absolutely unputdownable.

Not as light hearted as I thought but deeper and with more food for thought.
Steph and Eric, who live two doors away from each other, have both enjoyed the nightly 10pm piano music next door until they realise it has stopped. Both are lonely and struggling with their lives. What follows is literally a journey of discovery for them and their mysterious neighbour at number 26

3.5 stars
This wasn't exactly the light, easy read that I expected it to be after reading the blurb.
It deals with some heavier issues and was lot sadder than a typical romance or romcom-style story.
There are uplifting moments but I'm not sure if maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy such a read but it just didn't have that same draw for me.
The writing was nice and I did find myself making my way through it. But it just didn't fully click for me.
I would still be up for reading more from this author in the future though.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Such a good and easy read love every page of the book. Was a cute story of Eric & Steph living two doors away. Enjoyed every minute of the read.

Omg I'm emotional. I didn't know how I'd feel about this book at first, it was so sad. I didn't expect it to be sad. It follows two characters, Steph and Eric. They live either side of another house, where someone plays piano at 10pm every night, until one day it stops.

Steph is grieving for her mum who passed away recently, though she hasn't really let herself heal at all and has bottled it up. She also split from her boyfriend Miles because he wanted to settle down and she still wanted some adventure. She puts up a fake happy front on social media.Eric also split from his girlfriend because she wanted babies in the next year and he was too slow to commit to that. Both Eric and Steph are really lonely and my heart ached for them. They get to know each other when wondering why their neighbour stopped playing piano.

So the pacing of the book isn't perfect and I'd have liked more development in the romance aspect but I really liked the ending. It just shows the importance of kindness and found family. My heart just warmed up and I cried bit. This book was a lot sadder than I expected but it had hope in it too. Not an easy read but I liked the messages.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

London. London. London. The city where no one talks to their neighbours. Eric and Steph are no exception. Eric and Steph however live on either side of a house where every night at ten the couple next door play their piano without fail but when the music stops both Eric and Steph begin to worry. And when their paths start to cross they find themselves opening up to strangers after being lonely for a long time.
This book was surprisingly heavy, both Steph and Eric are isolated in their own different ways and both of them are depressed and stay depressed for quite a lot of the time, which I suppose is accurate but it’s not much fun to read. Steph lies to everybody even her own sister even herself. Her relationship with social media is destructive and frighteningly understandable. Eric feels like he’s being left behind and is stuck in a rut. It’s heavy going but ultimately uplifting as they try to find out what happened to the residents of number 26.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Such lovely writing, it was a non put downable read that I gobbled up on Christmas Eve. Would highly recommend, I loved Steph and her various neighbours / friends. Will definitely be looking out for what this author produces in the future.

I love this book. It is such a great light-hearted, cute read. I couldn't put it down, and read it in one sitting! The characters are developed well and are relatable and the storyline is relatable and well-thought-out.

Steph and Eric live 2 doors apart, but have never met. not until their neighbour goes missing and they get to know each other. Both are dealing with issues, so will they be able to get past these, and what happened to the mysterious neighbour?

I read the first few chapters but just couldn’t get into it as I couldn’t relate to either character. Our leading lady is a walking disaster who’s trying to maintain a certain image on socials whilst our man just seems like a normal kind of bloke. I didn’t find myself bothered what would happen to either of them and couldn’t bring myself to keep reading

This was such a cute, quick and easy read that I read in one sitting. The writing is good, the characters are developed well and are relatable and the storyline is relatable and well thought out. A really enjoyable light hearted read.