I am somewhat disappointed in this book. It reads well and I was intrigued by the characters. I knew there were many secrets to uncover and I wondered if there was a historic connection between the two main female characters.

However as the story got to its climax it seemed to unravel…so much build up that I was expecting a gripping ending with secrets revealed and consequences shown. Yet what I got felt like a rushed ending with no resolution at all!

Added to this there were several characters who were either built up ready for a bigger part but then were dropped (Amber) or so small in detail I began to wonder if they were an alternate personality of another character (Gerald).

The big secret of Natalie does not come out in an explosion of detail but in a twist and then one sentence of explanation….a whole childhood of trauma given no time of day in exploration! An absent father reappeared on the scene only to be killed out of scene and again no real explanation of his role.

Rani/Serena never gives us an explanation of why she uses two identities and leaves us emigrating to Australia for no apparent reason!

This book started with so much promise but just was not for me…really disappointing as I just felt it fell flat at the end.

A pristine property, a shiny front door but what lies behind the smart, expensive Highgate facade??

Agent Paul eagerly shows (not) Serena Rhodes the for sale high end property but he’ll be disappointed as it’s Rani posing as Serena who has house envy but lacks the necessary hefty bank balance. She lives in a flat opposite the coveted property with her partner Joel and two daughters, she’s a desperately job seeking fish out of water. Paul shows Natalie and Charles the house and if the Maserati Charles drives is anything to go by they do have the funds to purchase it. Newly married, the couple buy and duly move in but cracks soon begin to appear in both Natalie’s and Rani’s world and an unlikely friendship blooms.

The novel starts really strongly and the first half is a good compelling read. The couples dynamics are fascinating and it’s very interesting seeing how their two different worlds interplay. Rani’s portrayal is especially strong with her inadequacy, resentment and many struggles being eloquently conveyed. It’s hard to get a handle on Natalie and the friendship between the two does seem unlikely but neither are living the dream. This slow burner psychological/domestic drama becomes a multilayered tale with several elements including torment, toxicity and control. It becomes clear that danger lurks on the sidelines but you aren’t sure what form this will ultimately take. It has twists and turns and in places it’s intense reading.

However, unfortunately I think the intensity wanes, at times you get too much domesticity and it halts the pace which therefore becomes uneven. I find the ending to be overly dramatic and not entirely convincing and also somewhat rushed with a lot of events coming at once.

Overall though, this is a very promising debut, it’s obvious the author has a lot of talent and I’ll happily read whatever she comes up with next.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

3.75 stars
Going into this I have to admit, I wasn't expecting it to be anything special. I thought I was going to be reading a run of the mill domestic thriller, but was hoping for it to be a fun read.
And I am very happy to say that I really enjoyed this!
I was grabbed straight away and the plot held my attention throughout.
I liked the characters and could empathise with the situations they were both in.
This had good pacing and the writing flowed well, I flew through this in one day as it reads so quickly.
There are tensions bubbling beneath the surface throughout and it really kept me wanting to keep reading.
One slight thing that disappointed me was the twist/reveal. I though it was obvious and had figured it out pretty early on in the book, so the big reveal wasn't shocking or surprising.
I really did enjoy this one and will look out for more from this author

With many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review
To say I couldn’t put this book down was an under statement! Told from the POV of Rani and Natalie - both wishing they had each others lives - the author does a brilliant job of bringing these two characters to life. While the plot has probably been done many times before it hasn’t been done quite like this. This is an incredible book from a debut author. Utterly compelling and gripping and keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the very end.

Many things can be hidden behind a perfect facade.

When a wealthy and successful couple moves in next door, Rani becomes even more aware of her flaws, and she becomes increasingly preoccupied with her neighbor, particularly Natalie, who has everything. A successful career, a beautiful appearance, and a devoted husband. Rani misses her freedom with her husband and two children.

Natalie, on the other hand, is haunted by demons from her past and constrained by her toxic mother and controlling husband.

But danger lurks behind every mask.

The novel is about a woman's perspective on career, motherhood, marriage, balancing career and family, violence and control, toxic relationships, mental disorders, survival, and many other topics. The protagonists are likeable and relatable.

A good domestic thriller with lots of action and suspense.

This is an outstanding debut, a psychological thriller with so many levels of intrigue. We have Rani's obsession with Natalie and Natalie's relationship with her new husband and her mysterious past lurking in the background. I found it gripping, entertaining and enjoyable and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and plot of this book. Rani was so relatable and I empathised with her feelings of inadequacy and the longing for a ‘better’ life through Natalie. Their burgeoning friendship and the mystery surrounding Natalie was very well written and absolutely thrilling.

I recommend this book and shall certainly be looking for other works by this author.

Thank you to Mira V. Shah, Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book as an ARC.

As a note , there were some syntax errors that would be resolved by further editing.

What a great read! It's a fast paced rollercoaster of a novel.with two female protagonists Rani and Natalie who immediately draw you in. At times I literally felt like i lived on their street and was looking into both their windows. The level of characterisation and mystery was perfectly pitched. You are fully immersed in both their stories and racing to get to the end to find out what the truth really is. A really accomplished debut.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Rani is tired. She's tired of her tiny flat that doesn't feel like home, she's tired of her strained relationship, tired of only ever being called 'Mum' instead of her name. And honestly, she's tired of everything.

But then, she meets Natalie and something about her just calls out to Rani. As Natalie moves into the luxurious house across from her with her perfect husband, high-flying career and flawless life, they become friends. She wants to be around Natalie, to know her - but she can't deny, there's something more than that. She wans to be her.

So she watches, and she listens. And that perfect life that Rani has been coveting may not be so perfect after all. As their lives intertwine, they both see the hidden sides to their new friend that they'd never had expected - and danger they'd never have imagined.

"I never once considered the sacrifices she's made to be here, to intertwine herself in my fate. And I have a strong sense of impending danger. But not to my life. To hers."

A compelling, convoluted story about an unlikely friendship that turns into something dark and dangerous. About obsession, ambition, desire - and the true power of real connections that can shed light on even the darkest moments.

Natalie and Rami were both exceptionally human - but aside from their astounding writing and relatability, their characters raised both timely and important themes about race, class, identity and relationships that are woven carefully into the story and raised naturally. Both women were much more than met the eye - Natalie was almost a caricature of a rich, privileged white woman at the start, but as you know privileged might remove obstacles but it doesn't stop someone adding more to your path. And Rami was a woman lost in her own life, trying her best in a world that doesn't want her to succeed and drowning in the current. They're both haunted by something, running from monsters - but maybe not just the ones in their nightmares.

I found empathy with them both, their relationship grew and evolved so naturally and clearly, their bond deepening with such authentic care and love as they really learned to see each other. We jump between both their perspectives, hearing directly as they try to figure out what's happening around them and learning things the same time they do. They spoke personally and candidly to the reader, letting us follow them on trains of thought and journeys down memory lane. It was intriguing to find myself giving compassion to these women as they judge themselves, compare themselves, edit themselves - wanting to comfort them and reassure them and then realising that I and others do the exact same thing with such conviction, so maybe we deserve some comfort in these moments too.

This was a slow-burner to me, quick to start and set the scene but then stopping to spend time in the domestic daily lives of our characters while the embers smoked in the background. Moments of intensity and action flared up before disappearing again, leaving us waiting for the next explosion. The detail in the setting was amazing - making a simple residential street feel alive. It felt like home, it felt a prison, it felt like a nightmare, almost like it was an active part of the story.

All the little details aren't revealed with a bang, but allow themselves to slowly be seen, layers quietly peeling back as the hidden links and connections appear and you have to question if you've really figured it out or if you're still in the dark. Now, I figured out a couple of things early on, but the journey to find out if I was right was delightfully anxious and just as nerve-wracking.

The quiet intensity of a domestic drama mixed with the cinematic highs of a psychological thriller and plenty of mystery set against the background of an unsuspecting suburbia - Her is a story about the monsters that leave our nightmares and sneak into real life. Shah is a powerful voice that is definitely going to be heard, and I can't wait to see what they do next.

"We're not the same people any more. We won't ever be again. But maybe that's okay."

this was one of the first books that i have reviewed in a while where i kind of relate to the main character.our main character rani does not have the perfect life but when new neighbour natalie moved in she is mesmerised,natalie has everything a woman could wish for:designer clothes,a loving husband,a great job and along the course of the novel we have to figure what to trust.

Twitter has been absolutely awash with this book so I jumped at the chance to read an early copy of it. I had heard nothing but praise so I was excited. And boy did it live up to the praise.

For a debut to have this much attention pre-publication…well, she has to be doing something right.

There’s a number of characters but it’s Rani and Natalie that steal the show. I felt a kinship with Rani at first, yes she’s an Indian mum to two little girls, and I am not, but she was nearly 30 (as am I) unemployed (as am I) and grieving a parent to cancer (as am I). It shows that these themes can transcend ethnicity, education, social position.

I found it interesting that you’ve got Rani, who is down on her luck and wants to better herself, who is jealous of the rich couple over the world, and then Natalie, who seemingly has it all but yearns for the simple life. I loved this contrast in characters, they worked so well against each other.

Rani is an interesting character. At first she’s a bit put out, bored of being a stay-at-home mum, wanting more out of her life. And then Natalie has it all, the husband, the job, the car, the looks, the clothes, and yet she also wants more out of her life. There’s definitely more similarities between the two women than you first think. Their husbands, Joel and Charles, are great foils too. One good, one evil, perfectly balanced,

It’s like an eerie game of pass the parcel, you keep removing layers, discovering too late that not everything is as it seems. You’re desperate, in equal measures, to keep going and find out what is at the centre, but also to replace the paper, cover it all up and start again.

It is all encompassing. If you do pick this book up, I advise doing it on a day you have nothing else on, as once you’ve started you won’t want to stop.

It’s a proper exciting, dark psychological thriller. It’s full of twists and turns and surprises. It has a slow buildup - and by that I don’t mean boring - but it’s slow, controlled, biding it’s time. It sucks you in, and then by the time it all kicks off, you’re too invested to stop.

I admit I would have liked the ending to have been stretched out a bit more. I felt, for about 95% of the book you’re on this fabulous, fast paced, heart pounding race, and then suddenly everything comes clean and it’s finished. It’s not a bad ending at all, but I want more. Her writing is so good that I feel THAT scene (you’ll know what I mean when you read it) could have had more. But that’s just because I’m greedy and want to read more.

It touches on some important factors but without shoving them down your throat. It celebrates the imports of friendship, even during dark times. It looks at race and identity, as well as mental illness and controlling behaviour, which I think is handled very well. It doesn’t show us the stereotype of domestic abuse - not in the physical sense anyway - but we get this feeling of being worn down, of gaslighting.

It is a great first book and I can’t wait to see what she offers next.

This is a case of how the other half lives… and how those watching in are desperate to live that (often) luxurious lifestyle. Rani lives in a tiny rented flat, with her partner and twin daughters and she’s happy. Sort of. Enough to get by on, which is handy because money isn’t something growing on trees for the family. All is reasonably OK until Natalie moves in across the road, to that house. With her high powered, responsible job, her well tailored clothing and, naturally, her perfect husband, Natalie is a symbol of everything Rani doesn’t have and, perhaps understandably, she is drawn to her new neighbour like a magnet. It’s not long before the neighbours become friends, despite a few mishaps, and as they become closer, both begin to open up. Perhaps Natalie’s so called perfect life has come at a high price? This novel beautifully highlights the ups and downs of friendship but it’s also gripping in terms of writing style and pace.

Rani is a tired mother of two, feeling frustrated and disillusioned with her life. Money is tight and her relationship with partner Joel feels stale. So when new neighbours Natalie and Charles move into the multimillion pound property across from her flat, her attention and longing is drawn by their wealth, good looks and perfect life. Natalie appears to have the life that Rami has always dreamed of. Except appearances are not always as they seem.

I really enjoyed this debut book by author Mira V Shah. It is fast-paced and full of intrigue, gripping me as soon as I started reading. As well as fitting the mould for an excellent psychological thriller, with unexpected twists and turns throughout this, this book also tackles issues of identity, race and mental health, layering these themes intrinsically and cleverly in the fabric of the narrative.

The character of Rani is one that I think readers will empathise and connect with - as a young mother, she faces difficulties of the sacrifice made as a mother of young children as well as insecurities that have plagued her from young adulthood around her background and worthiness. She is a kind-hearted woman frustrated by her life but making comparisons to others is fueling her unhappiness.

Upon meeting the character of Natalie, you immediately feel as a reader that she is not typical of the stereotype that is being presented and in fact there are clues immediately that she is in many ways being isolated and imprisoned by her circumstances. Despite her privileges, she has a deficit in so many things that money can't by, including love and understanding, and her husband Charles is truly unlikeable as a character despite the mask he wears for the world, as was the author's intention.

A fantastic first book for this author and I will look forward to her future work.

Thank you to Mira V. Shah, Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book as an ARC.

An entertaining "the grass isn't always greener" novel about two women with different lives who become neighbors and then friends, but not all is as it seems

Have you ever walked past a fancy house with its lights left on and curtains wide open? It’s hard to resist gazing in and guessing about the lives of the people who live there. Impossible, in fact.
But Shah’s main character, Rani, takes things a step further. Then she takes another dangerous step and another until her life and that of her new neighbour, Natalie, become far more closely entwined than is comfortable. And you’re left wondering if gazing into those windows was such a good idea after all…
It soon emerges that Natalie’s life is far from perfect, but finding out the reason why she and her husband moved into that particular house is even more compelling.
I loved how Mira V Shah’s characters have realistic flaws. They make mistakes and they fall out with old friends. They suffer heartache, loneliness and the breakdown of relationships. Rani recalls the casual racism she's experienced and the frustrations of life with two young children. But Natalie is more opaque and the way her true backstory unfolds is what drives the plot, alongside the two women gradually becoming closer.
You’re kept guessing about who to trust and who to suspect right up to the denouement. I’m not revealing that, but suffice to say it’s a brilliant plot well executed and sensitively written. Mira V Shah is a fresh, compelling voice with plenty to say.

Toxicity..
A study in toxicity in this compelling suspense. Rani has never really belonged, forever an outsider, she feels detached and imagines her life another way. When Natalie moves into the neighborhood she is everything that Rani wants to be, has everything that Rani wants. When a friendship is struck where, exactly, will it go? A credible and well crafted cast, a mounting sense of tension and a solid narrative combine for a thought provoking, immersive read.

I adored Mira V Shah's debut, HER! It's a brilliantly executed study in toxic relationships: Mira expertly weaves a gloriously twisty plot around her wonderfully drawn characters. Highly recommended for all thriller fans.

Have you seen her, tell me have you seen her.
That song played in a loop whenever I picked this book up.

This book is stunning. Completely engaging, highly gripping and really creepy. Read it and enjoy.

Mira V. Shah’s Her scared me in the best possible way. As much as I enjoy reading psychological thrillers, I’ve never had that sensation where I felt as though this could be me. Until I read He, which follows Rani, a young woman with two children and a parter, who becomes obsessed with the mystery of her new neighbour. Anyone who’s ever felt stuck in a rut compounded by seeing all their friends move on and seemingly having the time of their lives, will sympathise with Rani. Rani, similarly to her wealthy neighbour Natalie, is trapped and I loved the ambiguity the author creates as to whether Rani’s obsession with Natalie is to deflect from her own life or if there’s something more nefarious going on with her new neighbour. You’ll have to read to find out, but the reveal was a delight to uncover. Moreover, I loved seeing Rani’s progression, especially in terms of realising that the grass isn’t always greener. I felt the way in which Shah addressed Rani’s feelings of being an outsider due to her race was really subtle and nuanced and I loved how it didn’t become the story, it was just another layer to Rani’s psyche. Overall, Her is an incredible debut and I can’t wait to read more books by this author.