This was a real page turner and unputdownable. I loved how the story developed after Kat and Mark moved to a little island to escape from the frantic life they led in London. It was really cleverly written. It was a wonderful psychological thriller.

I love books from Diane Jeffery and was eager to read her latest one The couple at causeway cottage.

The setting of the story Rathlin island is familiar to me and I loved how accurately it was portrayed.

Mark and Kat have bought a cottage on the island so that they could be near Marks sick mother. It’s quite a culture shock for Karen as it is so different to her previous life in london.

We soon learn that Kat has been to Ratlin before and she may be hiding a secret. Mark seems to have his own well kept secrets as well .

I enjoyed this book and I particularly loved the setting but I did think it lacked something for me as I found it difficult to connect to the main characters.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I am very impressed. It's the kind of book that I really hated to have to put down, I found myself thinking of it when I wasn't reading and in certain parts my heart was pounding, and I couldn't wait to swipe the page fast enough to find out what was going to happen.

Mark and Kat have recently bought a cottage on the island of Rathlin, off the coast of Northern Ireland. The cottage is named Causeway Cottage and is everything you'd imagine it would be on a tiny island with a population of about 150 people. They have just moved from London so that Mark could be near his ailing mother. It also seems to be a good place to raise children, which they are currently trying for.

But there are underlying problems that have yet to come to the surface. Kat has a long kept, deep, dark secret and Mark is still in contact with his ex-wife, although to what extent isn't known yet. On the island there is a neighbor that threatens to expose Kats secret. As the story progresses, we find that Kat is not the only one with a deep, dark secret. What will happen when these secrets come to light?

I imagine that living on an island like Rathlin can be idyllic but also isolating depending on who you are and what your life is like. The descriptions of the island are incredible, and I had to look up the place to see it for myself. The story is well written, and the twists and turns will have you turning pages faster than you can read. I love the intricacies that are woven between Kat, Mark and the friends they make on the island. How the author brought it all together really had me entertained and even though I was left wanting more from the ending, its still a solid 5 for me. I really enjoyed this book and I definitely look forward to more from this author. Now, off to find more of her books to read! I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.

How lovely. This is my first book from this author and won't be the last.
The cover sold the book to me and I wished the scenery descriptive parts of the book would not disappoint as I get immense enjoyment out of a well described scenery and "travelling" to Northern Ireland in a book seemed like the nest way to spend a few hours before sleep.
The book did not disappoint and I was THERE!!!!
The mystery plot was well written, Kat and Mark's story was riveting but for me the star of the show was the Irish backdrop.

This was a really tense and well written book that meshed a small town, claustrophobic feel with well written characters and a believable and immersive plot. A great read!

Kat and Mark move to an island off the Northern Irish coast for a new beginning. Far away from their frantic life in London, it’s the perfect place to bring up the family they’re longing to start.

But as soon as they arrive, cracks begin to appear in their marriage. Mark is still texting his ex-wife. Kat is lying about a new friendship. And one of them is keeping an explosive secret about the past.

The couple in Causeway Cottage are hiding something – and the truth can be deadly…
With that dramatic ending, I wasn’t disappointed! I’m already looking forward to the author’s next book. Utterly compelling reading, The book is inspiring and I wouldn’t hesitate to highly recommend it.

I did enjoy this story and was pretty gripped by it, but have to confess I found the last few chapters a bit unbelievable and the ending pretty unsatisfactory. This was almost really good..

After reading the blurb for this book I could not wait to start reading. A quick and entertaining read with a few twists, did it get my heart racing no. Predictable and the ending was unbelievable. I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

There were a couple of things about this book that I enjoyed, and many things that I didn’t. The description of the setting in Ireland was great and the book was well written. The first part had me intrigued – so many secrets and I wanted to know what they were! Sadly, I soon lost my enthusiasm. This was partly due to the characters who I began to dislike for all sorts of reasons. The number of times Kat changed her mind about telling Darragh (and Mark) the truth about what happened to his sister grated on my nerves. Every time I read ‘I think he should know what happened …’, ‘I’ll have to tell him …’, ‘I should have told him on the night of the storm …’, ‘I know what to say…’, then ‘Wouldn’t it be better if he never found out?’ I thought ‘For goodness sake, not again.’ Throughout the whole story there were so many hidden secrets that were definitely going to be admitted – and then weren’t. There were also too many absolutely unbelievable coincidences, and by the time I reached the ridiculous ending I couldn’t care less who’d lied to who about what, or why. Sorry, I couldn’t really recommend this one, but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

Kat and Mark make a huge upheaval and move to a beautiful location in Northern Ireland. The author does a spectacular job of making you feel like you too are experiencing the isolation of the remote spot.

The rest of the book was a little overshadowed because there weren’t many thrills, and the book was clearly meant to be a thriller. There were a few twists but nothing really noteworthy, this book had a sinister feeling to it and with a little bit more time it might be great.

I will be picking up another book by this author as there is so much potential.

I was sent this as an ARC free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review. Kat and her husband Mark decide to buy a small cottage on a small island in Northern Ireland. It´s a good deal, Kat can pursue her love for photography, it´s not too far for Mark´s work and most important, they will be closer to the Nursing home where Mark's ailing mother resides. The people living on the island seem friendly enough...although one man in particular seems to take an intense dislike to Mark and seems a bit overly friendly with Kat. But both Kat and Mark have some pretty dark secrets they are trying to hide from each other...and someone, somewhere close by seems to know about them. I did enjoy this thriller, although it starts out a bit slow....The pace does pick up and the ending genuinely shocked me. The author does a great job describing the beautiful island and slowly reveals the twisted secrets of each character. Can recommend this chilling mystery.

I feel like this is one that I could’ve easily read in a couple days if I had had the time. It was pretty fast-paced and the chapters always left me wanting to know what was going to happen next! I would’ve liked the ending to be a little more tied up but I still find it interesting when a book ends on a mystery/unknown (hopefully you don’t think of this as a spoiler). I really enjoyed the setting of this book and I think it was an ideal location setting for a thriller. I don’t think this book had anything revolutionary by any means, but it was definitely enjoyable to read!

A very special thanks to NetGalley, HQ, and Diane Jeffrey for this ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Couple at Causeway Cottage will be published August 18, 2022!

This is a great book. An absolute page Turner from start to finish. I literally couldn't put it down, luckily I read it whilst on holiday so I had plenty of free time!

The Couple at Causeway Cottage is a thriller set on a small island where everyone knows everyone. Kat and Mark move to the island to be closer to Mark's ailing mother. Once on the island, secrets start to pile up and Kat and Mark's relationship begins to crumble. The author does a great job describing the setting - I truly felt like I was in Northern Ireland. However, the book is oddly paced. The first half of the book is super slow; I had a hard time wanting to pick up the book and continue reading. The last quarter of the book is rushed and the ending is too unbelievable. I also did not like any of the characters. There wasn't a single character that I could relate to or root for. Due to the pacing, the unrealistic ending, and the unlikable characters, I can only give the book two stars.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I did read it all in one sitting because I couldn't put it down, so I give it props for grapping my attention and not letting go. I figured out one of the twists early on and was hoping the book would go in a different direction than it did. There were a few things in the direction that it did go in that I wasn't a fan or thought could have been executed better. I've always wanted to go to Ireland so I did really enjoy the setting. Overall, I think it was worth the read.

Thank you HQ Digital and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Lovely evocative read. I live on an island, surrounded by smaller islands, which added to the charm. Strong writing, good plot, twisty ending. Read in a couple of sittings.

This book was it for me! I loved the writing and found it rather addicting. I thought the author really hit you with that first chapter. It drew me in and never let go. Really good and will be pickup up more from this author again.

As soon as I started this book I thought it would be like a hundred others I have read (couple both hiding a secret, starting a new life but can't escape the past) but this was far worse. The coincidences were beyond any credibility, the characters uniformly unlikeable (and unbelievable) and the ending frankly bizarre. Not a book I will be recommending.

I was drawn into this book very quickly; a great opening chapter!

Mark and Kat moved to a remote Irish island to be close to Mark's ailing mother. Kat was very reluctant to leave her friends and the London City lifestyle; going back to Ireland, where secrets from her younger life lay buried was devastating! Mark also had dark secrets which forced their way forward as time torturously tripped towards travesty.

Dashing Darragh was on the Island and made their lives complicated. Kat and Mark's lives would never be the same

I’ve enjoyed many of Diane Jeffrey’s previous novels. This one centers on Mark and Kat moving to a remote Irish island and hijinks ensue. Unfortunately I didn’t care for either character so I was not particularly invested in the outcome which I felt was unbelievable and not in keeping with the plot. I will not post on Goodreads/Amazon as my expectations were higher than the novel delivered.