Well this was an unexpectedly twisty psychological thriller! My first experience of reading a Valerie Keogh book but definitely not my last as I thoroughly enjoyed the gripping and shocking storyline from start to finish. When Leigh makes a split second decision to offer her spare room to a girl who works in her favourite coffee shop, she has no idea that the young woman will suddenly disappear leaving Leigh with many unanswered questions. But she may end up wishing she doesn’t go looking for her…

I liked Leigh from the moment I met her. Kind and generous, she offers her spare room to someone she hardly knows because Gina is homeless plus Leigh also quite fancy’s some company in the house she lives alone in. The male characters weren’t as likeable and I was intrigued as to their intentions! Did any of them have anything to do with Gina’s disappearance? I really couldn’t work out what had happened and I really love it when an author keeps me guessing! In fact, the conclusion when it came was both jaw dropping and shocking and much darker than I had expected but it was the perfect ending to this astonishing tale!

There may be a few triggers here for the more sensitive reader but without giving away the ending I can’t really go into what the triggers are. Just be aware that the narrative delivers some graphic and disturbing scenes as the threads of this addictive storyline come together.

I really enjoyed The Lodger. I couldn’t put it down until I knew what had happened and why and it didn’t disappoint! Looking forward to reading more from Valerie Keogh in the future!

Leigh Simpson has a very stressful job as a broker. So before going to work she goes to her favourite Coffee shop. But the usually bubbly Barista Gina is downcast, explaining that she is soon to be homeless. So, on the spot, without hesitation Leigh decides to offer Gina to stay in her spare room. But boyfriend Matt who he normally only sees at weekend is none too pleased. As the two women are complete opposite to each other’. Gina is so happy she decides to move in that very day. Leigh wonders if she has done the right thing by letting her stay.
Leigh’s job has always been problematic as she is the only women there. So, when her manager makes a pass at her, she nearly decks him. But she misses. The consequences are that to keep her job she must attend an Anger management course, where she meets dashing Philip. Whilst she is at the course Boyfriend Matt decides to stay at the house which upset Gina. She does not know Matt and is uncomfortable while she is not there.
When Leigh comes back there is a note from Gina saying sorry and her belongings gone and Matt nowhere to be seen. Soon weird things start to happen, and she calls the Police only finds them to be a hoax which annoys the police. So where is Gina and why is she saying sorry?
Thank you Boldwood books and NetGalley for a copy of “The Lodger” by Valerie Keogh. This is the first book from the author I have read. I found this to be very entertaining thriller, with twists and turns and one of them endings you don’t see coming. 4 stars from me.

This is probably one of the best thrillers I have read so far this year. Central character Leigh's decision to help a homeless barista has far reaching repercussions both for her and other people.
The story is well written, fast paced and, I have to say, saw me forfeiting my beauty sleep and reading well into the night. It begs the question do we really know people, even those close to us. The plot twists and turns and is gripping and as I mentioned above, difficult to put down. If I could have given it more than 5 stars I would have.

I would like to thank Valerie Keogh, Boldwood and NetGalley for an ARC of The Lodger in exchange for an honest review

Leigh opens her home and lets a waitress at a coffee shop stay in her home. Then Gina goes missing. Leigh can’t help but get involved and starts finding out more than she imagined.
Who is Gina? This was my first book by this author and I’ll be reading more of her books

🧳 The book follows Leigh Simons who out of kindness offers her spare bedroom to Gina, a gorgeous homeless waitress. Gina is totally opposite to her, bubbly and full of life. When Leigh comes back from a work trip she is surprised to find out that her lodger is gone leaving behind a note saying “sorry.” She is missing from her workplace too. Leigh is afraid that something terrible has happened to her. Where could Gina has gone?

🧳 This was my first book by the author and it’s cover caught my attention on NetGalley. Talking about the book it was kind of slow burn thriller which I am not a big fan of. But the mystery behind Gina’s disappearance kept me hooked to the book and I could not wait to find out what actually happened to her. This was my second book in a row where the main character was a bit annoying and I didn’t feel any sympathy for her. I know she was being paranoid but who throws bulk of frozen meals in trash on basis of suspicion only? ⬅️ Coming from someone who hates cooking. 😆 And the ending was predictable and far from reality.

🧳 Overall it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Wow another great book from this author, she just goes from strength to strength. Full of suspense on every page and just when you think you have the story sussed it goes in a different direction. Definitely recommend this book to my followers, I’d give it 6 stars if I could

This story took a while to get going and to snag my interest. But once it did it twisted and turned and shocked and stunned. So good. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped for such an epic build up.

Leigh Simons makes an impulsive offer of lodging in her spare room to her charismatic barista and thus begins a complicated mess of events that our narrator recounts in this tale. The book is entirely narrated by Leigh and often goes into minute detail, I often found myself thinking 'this must be important or this detail would not be included' I also did not know how much I could trust the narration... just how unreliable is Leigh? That said, I enjoyed this book. The narration, while detailed was entertaining and well written. I was hoping for more twists at the end but at the same time I was satisfied with the ending and resolution of this entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, & publisher for providing a reading proof in exchange for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this great ARC. The book was well written and really kept me guessing. Leigh offers a room to the barista from her favourite coffee shop. After a short period she goes on a course and leaves the lodger alone with the boyfriend who is visiting. Thereafter there are many things that seems to be odd and the thriller starts to build as Leigh discovers many things that will change the course of her life. A strong gripping plot and I look forward to more from this author.

A slow burn psychological thriller.It was a great story and kept me guessing but it took a lot to get there.I enjoyed it but took me a little longer to read this one.Thanks to Valerie Koegh, the author & Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.3 & a half stars.

That was good! So good I whizzed through it in half a day. I did put it down a couple of times but the ‘just one more chapter’ fairy kept sitting on my shoulder and nagging in my ear. A very well written psychological thriller that starts slowly and soon builds to a rapid pace. I found it quite eerie, particularly the noises, and unexplained happenings in the house were scary. The plot itself was so good, there were quite a few coincidences but they happen so why not here.

Briefly, Leigh Simons is living in London and has a high powered job and a long distance boyfriend. One day in her local coffee shop she impulsively offers her barista Gina a room in her house. She is soon regretting her decision but when Gina mysteriously leaves without telling her she is concerned. Alongside all this she is having problems at work and her relationship with her boyfriend isn’t all hearts and flowers! What more could go wrong…

I’m usually pretty good at figuring out plots but this one really had me baffled. I kept changing my mind about who what and why and honestly I just didn’t have a clue. The whole thing was completely different to my expectations, in a good way, and as for that ending well what would you have done? A great read, I thoroughly enjoyed every page ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Leigh Simons goes to the same coffee shop every morning on her way to work. One morning she hears that one of the waitresses is homeless and Leigh sympathetically offers Gina a room in her home. Not many weeks into the arrangement, Leigh is forced to attend a weeklong anger management course. To attend, Leigh leaves her home in the very capable hands of her new lodger. However, Leigh’s partner Matt is also visiting, and Gina is very wary to be left in the house with him.

On Leigh’s return Matt has gone home and Gina is nowhere to be found. Gina has cleared her belongings, only leaving behind a suspicious note and some food in the fridge freezer. Leigh feels vulnerable, checking that her doors and windows are closed at night and takes steps to increase the security at her home.

Leigh knows something has happened; her boyfriend has now done a vanishing act too. While setting out to find out what has happened to Matt and Gina, Leigh makes many horrific discoveries that change the direction of her life for ever.

A psychological thriller that has you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

The Lodger is a mostly gripping thriller that centers around Leigh, her decision to provide lodging to Gina, and the subsequent consequences. Leigh, a bit lonely and feeling like her life is stuck in a rut, makes a rash decision and invites Gina, a local barista, to rent out her extra room. That one invitation sets in motion a train of events that ultimately results in a murder. While I couldn't put the book down (the pacing was great), I found the ending to be unbelievable and unsatisfying. Overall, it's a three star read.

Leigh Simons can’t say for sure what made her do it. A moment of madness, perhaps, but when the young, loud and gorgeous waitress at her favorite coffee shop reveals she is homeless, Leigh offers her the empty room in her house.

This is the start of a decision Leigh may find herself regretting but for the reader what a ride, I loved it As with all Valerie Keogh books you are never let down by her strong plots, great characters and twists and turns that keep you reading, I read this in an afternoon as it was so good. It is actually one of my favourite books that I have read this year, so of course highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Valerie has this unique way of writing characters that you just fall in love with and the characters in The Lodger is no exception.

Leigh Simpson has an extraordinary stressful job as a broker in London, very much a male dominated workplace.

Her go to place before work is to visit her favourite coffee shop on the way and the always upbeat server Gina.

But one morning Gina seems upset and downcast and after a chat is seems that Gina has to leave the room she is renting immediately and for one foolish moment Leigh asks if she would like to rent her spare room.
Of course Gina is delighted.

But things take an unexpected turn for the worse at work for Leigh when one of her male colleagues takes things a little bit to far in being over familiar and she lashes out.

HR decided that she needs to go onto an anger management course effectively the following week.

Only problem was that her long distance boyfriend Matt, a school teacher was due to visit that same week.

Both Gina and Matt were not happy with Leigh going away but Leigh didn't have a choice and decided not to tell them as to of why she had to go away so urgently.

On the anger management course Leigh meets Philip a very handsome and charming man but he was obviously on the course for a reason!

Once home Leigh has found that Gina has left with just a note to say she's sorry, but for what?

The story takes on so many turns and twists you have no idea where it's going to end

Leigh is feeling lonely in a long distance relationship, and in a wild moment she invites Gina from the coffee shop to be her lodger. She seems a flamboyant character who would be great company. From that moment on, Leigh's life explodes with unexpected incidents. What is going on?
Fantastic writing and imagination, a true roller coaster of a read. It has the reader wondering what on earth will happen next!
Highly recommend this excellent read for all mystery and thriller fans, superb!

The Lodger by Valerie Keogh is another binge-worthy offering from this not to be missed author.

Leigh is living alone in a house that she has inherited when she meets Gina, a down on her luck waitress at the local coffee shop. Making a rash decision, she invites the homeless woman to take up residence in a room of her house. Leigh is slightly uneasy about the decision, but accepts the young woman as her new housemate. But upon returning from a weekend away and finding Gina missing, Leigh must acknowlege how little she really knows not only Gina, but also herself and those to whom she is closest.

This one kept me turning the pages. I was equally invested in both the mystery of Gina's disappearance and Leigh's inner turmoil, which made for a truly gripping read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Leigh offers a waitress a room in her house when she hears the girl is homeless, but things quickly go wrong and one day Leigh comes gome to find Gina missing. As she investigates what might have happened to the lodger, she discovers far more than she could ever have imagined... A brilliant thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Loved it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Wasn’t to keen on the start of this book and thought it wouldn’t be for me but it pulls you in. It twists and turns and every time I thought I’d worked it out it changed again.
Leigh’s relationship is going well, isn’t it? However she feels she needs some lightness in her life and on impulse invites Gina who is about to be made homeless to lodge with her. Has she made the biggest mistake of her live by being to trusting?
Thank you Netgalley & Valerie Keogh for an advanced copy of this book.

I think that I must be in the minority as other readers are raving about this book. Leigh the main character was so annoying. Grow a backbone woman!!! Unable to make a decision or stand up for herself. One More decides to give her local barista a helping hand as she down on her luck. This barista makes her day better with her beaming smile each morning as she gets her morning coffee. A good reason for having a stranger move into your home??? The lodger disappears and Leigh makes it her job to find Gina her missing lodger. Then it becomes so bizzare and too busy and as for the ending so disappointed. I usually love this authors books but unfortunately not this one.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.