I really enjoyed this book. I feel like some of the plot was hard to meet together, but overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

Another great read from Anita Waller.

This book took a while to get to the murder, but even the scene setting and introduction to the characters in the lead up was intense and full of the same dark humour as this author's other novels.

It was great to keep flicking through the pages to find the twist that I knew would be at the end, and it was certainly worth the wait!

The Couple Across the Street is a psychological thriller that unfolds on a supposedly quiet street, where secrets and danger lurk behind closed doors. Clare, recently widowed, experiences an unexpected emotion: relief. She wants to move forward with her life, despite the guilt she feels. When her friend Vic faces marital troubles, Clare supports her decision to leave her husband, Rob. But their plans take a dark turn when they discover Rob’s lifeless body in Vic’s house. As Clare investigates, she uncovers secrets from her late husband’s past. The murder isn’t straightforward, and Clare’s own guilt adds to the complexity.

The author skillfully weaves two main plots. One revolves around the murder across the street, while the other involves a husband’s infidelity and hidden paternity. Although separate, these stories intersect through the main characters, creating intrigue and suspense.

This is a amazing twisty read kept me guessing until the end I just couldn't put it down it kept me up way past my bed time

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley another great read from Anita
I really enjoyed this book, it had murder, mystery, and some domestic abuse (unfortunately), but it was a book you just dug yourself into and couldn't put down.
I highly recommend this. .

I have read a few books by this author & I do enjoy her writing styles. This one was no exception & was a great read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Really great book from an author I always enjoy.
Some of the characters weren’t always enjoyable or relatable however the book itself was great.

This book is like nothing else. It has intrigue, mystery, murder, lies and domestic abuse. It is one that you can not stop reading so be sure to clear your schedule.

Thank you to my partners, Rachel’s Random Resources, The Bold BookClub, and NetGalley. I appreciate the gifted eARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.

1. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? - There are two main plot lines. Although they do somewhat connect, I just didn’t see the relevance of the two plots in one story. It is nice that some closure is felt when we get to the end. Although it was a little too late for full closure, they all came together to create harmony.

2. 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - When push comes to shove, true friends will find their way through to the other end. Also, when a person will go to the ends of the Earth for another, you know that it is true love and it does overcome all. In the end, there is no doubt that the ultimate reveal is a worthy reason for what transpired in the story.

Wow, that was a ride. A few things going on, but not confusingly. It definitely kept me reading, and the ending tied everything up nice and neat.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this advanced reader copy.

overall i was sadly unimpressed by this thriller. it had two disjointed plots and a lot of mundane details. i was a bit surprised by the ending and i appreciated how short the book was. i like when books are set in london and this was no different, especially since it talked about the royal family and the queen’s funeral from the POV of england residents. with that being said, it wasn’t my favorite!

I was attracted to the synopsis straight away with this book. Unfortunately this book left me wanting more. I connected to the characters but at times the book seemed to be confusing.

Anita Waller is a go to author for me. I always know I’m in for a tense and addictive read.

This is brilliantly written and will capture your attention from the very beginning. The characters are brilliant and I loved the friendship between Claire and Vic. It was so well portrayed that you can’t help but love it.

This is a slightly slower book than the author’s previous and I have devoured page after page. This is one that I loved.

This is twisty and gripping with plenty going on to make this unpredictable. I think this is my favourite book by this author yet.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Claire is coming to terms with widowhood and supporting her best friend Vic as she escapes an abusive husband. She is totally unprepared for the discovery that her late husband has a secret child...
The Couple Across The Street starts as an emotional rollercoaster and then progresses into a murder mystery as well. I have reviewed other books by Anita Waller including One Hot Summer and The Family at No 12.
Claire and Vic have always supported each other. Claire is left reeling from the news that her husband has a secret child at the same time that their own child died. She feels utterly betrayed and doesn't know what to do next. Meanwhile she is supporting her best friend who lives across the road. Vic has left Rob and he isn't happy about it. Vic and Claire wait until he is out and head over there to remove Vic's belongings but find Rob's murdered body instead.
I liked the big change in direction as the murder plot is introduced. The twists are delivered at quite a fast pace and I was eager to keep reading to find out how the two strands would resolve. Most of the book is written in the present day but we also see scenes from the recent past involving Jed as he searches for the truth about his parents. There were descriptions of events from last year concerning the Queen's funeral and I felt that this grounded the story by adding to the realism.
The Couple Across The Street is relevant due to the modern detail and intriguing due to the host of lies which need to be unpicked as the plot progresses.

Suspense is a palpable presence in this thriller, as the carefully woven plot draws you into its world of lies and revelation.

Wow, this was a twisty book, full of dodgy characters and strange happenings. It took me awhile to get into this one but, once I got going I loved it. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I am very sad that I didn't like this book more. I liked the main character, Clare but truly she was the only one. The writing style of the book was not for me. It just seemed rushed and there wasn't alot of depth to the other characters.
I just feel like it left me needing more.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The plot is way off tracks. Poor title.
- Only last 30% of the story justified the title.
- I have zero idea why I read about Clare for almost 30-40% of the book while the title suggests that the story is about a couple (and this couple doesn't include Clare). Why I even want to know what Clare did or how she managed after her husband's death?
- The whole Jed thing and Clare's story is more like the main plot and the actual couple's story felt like a side track. These are two different stories where Clare is the only connection.
- Poor choice of title. If the title is based off Clare, whole thing would've made sense because the whole story revolves around her.
- 'Muddled', 'Muddled state', 'muddling' - Not once in my reading journey I got so annoyed reading a word. That many times this word is mentioned in the book. Excessive usage of a word.
- I didn't feel there is a justification given as to why John and Jed's mom decided to keep it low-key. I understand it was because that's an affair but it's just the assumption made by other characters. But no one will ever know of the truth I guess.
- For me, only the investigation part is good.

Unfortunately, I didn't think this book was very good. It was badly written, with staccato sentence after staccato sentence and full of tedious detail that really didn't need to be there. To be honest, I was very surprised that many of the sentences had got through the editing process and ended up as they were. It read like a rough draft rather than a finished book.
The one redeeming feature for me was the main character of Clare, who I found interesting. She's trying to build an independent life after losing her husband, and the contradictory feelings this throws up are interesting to read. But I did feel that the other characters were quite shallowly drawn, so much so that it's very hard to feel any empathy or interest in them at all.
The writing and the lack of depth to the characters means that descriptions of their feelings and what should be life-changing events also aren't nearly as powerful as they should be. Mundane is mixed with very serious, but not in a good way.
I was disappointed and remain confused as to how this book came to be published in the shape it's in.