Thankyou netgalley for allowing me a copy of this arc

I'm afraid it wasn't for me. I didn't find the intro intriguing or interesting so this led to me not being able to continue

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Couple Across the Street by Anita Waller, published by Boldwood Books
I found myself jumping right into this story,it had me from page one. The characters are great, well described and the story is written from different characters perspectives, I would say it's more of a cozy mystery/thriller. I was stumped till the end as to who the guilty party was. And I loved the little added twist at the end.
Clare is the main character, has two daughters and has just lost her husband to cancer, she is doing well at getting on with her life. Her best friend across the street has decided she needs to move out and away from her husband Rob, he has beat her and left bruises on her face. Clare is supporting her 100%. And then a few days later, Vic finds her husband dead in their home. It's clear she hasn't done it, but the investigation starts
I totally recommend this novel, it's great, reads well. I zipped through it in a couple of days. I'm looking forward to reading more books from this author!

Who knows what goes on behind closed doors...?

This is only the second book I've read by this author and I'm still unsure whether it's my cup of tea. I enjoyed the story but it's a kind of mixed bag. The title seems to have nothing really to do with the real story...which I'm still trying to unpick. It begins with a woman becoming a widow and learning to live without her husband to her best friend across the road leaving her own husband to the murder of said husband to the discovery of a secret child!

Clare has just buried husband John after his short battle with cancer. Her description of her husband is somewhat mixed as she attests to having loved him but then says he was a little controlling, preferring her to stay at home to care for him and his daughters. Did he not want her to have an identity or life outside of the home? I don't know. I couldn't get much of a read on him as he was not actually around to assess.

Across the street, Vic and her husband Rob have been having problems and so one day after Rob heads off to work, Vic turns up with the news that she's leaving him...culminating in a bright purple black bruise across her face. Vic has a flat all set across town that not even Clare knows where so she can't be forced to reveal her whereabouts to Rob should he come demanding answers. Which he inevitably does, knowing the two women are best friends.

Clare's daughters are preparing for new lives of their own. Sara and Greg are about to embark on a new chapter in their lives while Grace and Megan have just bought an apartment together...something they felt they couldn't do while Grace's father was still alive as he never really accepted their relationship.

Meanwhile across town a young man, Jed Grantham, has just buried his mother and is now looking for answers that only she could have provided but never did. And his search brings him into the lives of Clare and her extended family, bringing with it a shocking revelation.

Set against the backdrop of the Queen's death and her funeral, I was taken back to that time last year and remembered the emotions I felt too at having lost the only monarch I had ever known. This is the first book I have read with the Queen's death and funeral as a backdrop though it probably won't be the last. It doesn't play a huge part but it is there and serves to remind us.

I really tried to like the story but I really couldn't see the point of all the story threads in one book. It kind of made it a bit of a haphazard mess and I'm still not sure what to think of it. It felt rather disjointed and the characters were hard to connect with. And then another curve ball from ten years previous was thrown in...once that was, it was pretty easy to figure out what happened then.

I would like to thank #AnitaWaller, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheCoupleAcrossTheStreet in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I received this book as an ARC (thank you to netgalley).

I could not tell what the plot was when I was reading. Due to this, the book
was difficult to follow with the different story lines inside of it. None seemed to add or take away from the possible main plot. (????)

Will I read another from this author? Most definitely. I feel this one just fell short for me. It does not mean it won't be outstanding to you so if the book sounds like a book you would like to read definitely pick it up and read it for yourself.

This is a good read.
I didn’t enjoy it as much as others by this author as this one felt a little disjointed.
The main story is around Clare who is a recent widow. Her best friend and neighbour from over the road, Vic, tells her she’s leaving her husband and Clare is happy to support her.
When Vic goes to collect some items she’s finds her husband dead in the house.
The investigation is underway to find his killer but it moves quite slowly.
Jed is trying to find his father after his Mum passed away and his enquiries lead him to Clare.
I’m used to gripping mystery thrillers from this author but I’m afraid this one fell a bit flat for me.
A good read overall though.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a decent book, but it felt like two in one. There were to separate plots that never came together. What did the extra son have to do with the murder? Also, Claire was too accepting of the son to be realistic… she wasn’t mad at her ex husband at all?? The murder plot was pretty good. Too many details about irrelevant things like Claire cleaning John’s room.

The Couple Across the Street…. I honestly am struggling to put into words how this book made me feel but I’m going to try!

One of the main story lines had so much potential! I think the author really could have made it a standalone novel and had more fun with the characters and gone way more in depth with the story line. I was enjoying trying to think of all the twists and turns it could take while I read - but it didn’t at all. Like, I honestly don’t even know what the purpose was at the end.

The other major story line had potential as well to be a standalone, but again, it was overshadowed by the other story.

The book ended up feeling disjointed because the two stories were not meaningful to each other in any way. It felt like 2 different books at times.

I also didn’t like that author changed character POV’s by the paragraph. It can be tedious having to make sure you don’t miss a switch.

The author is obviously a great writer and has a great way of putting a story together, I just wish she would’ve gone more in depth so I could’ve connected more with any of the characters.

Lastly, the ending of this book is so frustrating to me. The conclusion to the story lines were so ridiculous and out of nowhere I don’t even understand why they would be included. Jed’s final comment… what? Just totally out of the blue! Also, “the woman” at the end….. why? It didn’t even make sense to me! Why!!!

I have so many questions! I hope the author writes two separate books to follow up with these massive cliffhangers because they have potential but this novel never gave any one story the chance to really shine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC!

I liked this one well enough would not say it was a must read. Secrets and lies among neighbors as well as the past coming to haunt.

Positives:
Multiple subplots that made the book more intriguing
Told from multiple perspectives including the detectives which I always enjoy
Her writing is easy to read

Negatives:
There were multiple plotlines that I never really understood why the author would tie them together (cheating, murder, SA of a minor)
It took a lot of time with very dsecriptive writing about things like cleaning, rearranging furniture, painting, running errands, for the "mystery" to be revealed

A quick, easy read, which was enjoyable, but fairly predictable.

Claire’s best friend and neighbour, Vic, escapes a controlling marriage and soon after, her husband, Rob, is found murdered in their hallway.

There is a concurrent story about a young man called Jed, who is looking for his father,
however I didn’t feel the two stories were relevant and along with other sideline stories of someone else having an affair, it was a bit messy with more character development needed.

The premise was good and I really liked how the author built in the Queen’s death and funeral to the timeline, acknowledging the impact that had on policing numbers and how that impacted the investigation. A clever touch.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book had a decent plot, but a tad too many unnecessary details. I almost DNF at the beginning because I didn’t think I could tolerate one more sighting of the word “muddled” it was extreme. I think Jed needs to learn more about Google. He could’ve found an obituary pretty quick. It was an ok book for me.

I just reviewed The Couple Across The Street by Anita Waller. #TheCoupleAcrossTheStreet #NetGalley

There are two very different storylines running throughout the book, and I enjoyed watching them both play out. The 'whodunit' did feel like it was the secondary part of the story, so it read more like a dysfunctional family saga than a murder/mystery. That said, I absolutely loved it and read it in one sitting

The Couple Across The Street by Anita Waller is a totally gripping contemporary psychological thriller that I just could not put down.
Behind the curtains of suburbia one can find secrets and lies. Sometimes people spend a lifetime hiding a guilty secret, but even after death, secrets have a way of rising to the surface, leaving a trial of destruction. Suburbia is not always as cosy as one imagines.
Anita Waller has created a marvellous plotline that grabbed my attention from the start – a near tragedy in the past opens the book as I wondered – how does this fit in?
We see how loss draws a family closer. But even as there is grief, for some, freedom is just beginning.
The leading characters are mainly women. We see how alone they may be powerless but together they are stronger. Strength of character is needed to negotiate the highways of life.
The detective duo are a formidable pairing as they diligently search for the truth. They quietly ask their questions, poking around until the truth comes cascading down.
The Couple Across The Street was a marvellous crime thriller that would make a fabulous movie. Be ware the curtains of suburbia -you do not know what lurks behind! This was a cracking read.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Anita Waller has once again written a well plotted, twisted, psychological thriller which I could not put down. Luckily it is an extremely fast paced read as all my chores were stacking up!

Clare Stains is coming to terms with losing her husband to cancer. At the same time her best friend Vic has just found the courage to leave her abusive husband. How will these two women cope when deeply hidden secrets from the past start to emerge?

I loved that this story is set around the time of the Queen’s funeral. It added an extra dimension to the storyline, by linking them in grief and underlying family matters.

Mrs Waller has created compelling characters that come alive through their individual personalities. Although the book can be extremely emotional at times, there is always a chink of light in the beautiful and timely comedy moments.

The two investigating detectives, Franks and Waters were the consummate double act and worthy of an Oscar!
Don’t forget to add “The House Across The Street” to your shopping basket. Anita Waller should be an essential part of our daily diet!

This was a light read with characters without much depth. The main character Clare, is "muddled" A LOT at the start, when recently widowed but her behaviour doesn't reflect that at all. The parallel storyline of Jed/ kirsty and Eloise is disjointed and doesn't fit with the murder storyline. Add to that the odd little prologue and it felt even stranger. Also clare and her husband were only early 50s but acted as if they were elderly!

It didn’t take me long to realize that this wasn’t the book for me. I was thrown off from the start when the prologue jumped all around without context. Then the next chapter was all about being muddled. I had no clue what was going on and there was nothing for me to care about and keep me reading. Then there was this entirely different stream of thoughts that just appears to be a tangent. I never connected with the characters and the writing style was just not for me. I DNF’d this book and I will not be reviewing outside of netgalley. Best of luck.

Thank you so much to the publisher for this e-arc. I look forward to reading others in the future that are more my style.

Wow! I did not see that twist coming at the end, I just assumed her soon-to-be ex-husband was a run-of-the-mill abusive douchebag. But wait, there's more! I loved the different aspects of the story and the coming together with the unknown son. I am now adding Anita Waller to my list of authors that I will always read!

#TheCoupleAcrossTheStreet
#NetGalley

I've never been disappointed with this authors books and The Couple Across The Street was no exception. As usual the author creates some brilliant and believable characters which always adds to the story.. Clare Staines has recently lost her husband, her friend across the street, Vic is leaving her husband because he is abusive.. Vic's husband is found murdered The investigation into eho could have done this begins. Meanwhile Clare discovers her late husband had a son, who she knew nothing about. This is an intriguing suspenseful read There was always something happening in the two plot lines. It was interesting to read of the late Queen Elizabeth and her funeral being included in the story. Shocking revelations in the murder investigation complete this great read .

This was definitely a quick read, very quick! I found it a bit odd to be fair lol. I love a dual narrative and a complex plot with multiple plot lines being woven together buuuuuut I found this book struggled to pull it off. The plotlines just coexisted. For no apparently reason. And granted unrelated things can happen at once but I just didn't get why we'd decided to wrote a book about these 2 things without having them converge or crossover. There were twists but you see them coming a mile off. It just wasn't for me. I'd have preferred 2 seperate short stories

I really wanted to like this book better, but it fell flat for me. It almost felt as if two separate books had both been determined to be too short to publish on their own, so they were simply woven together. In addition, there was quite a bit of repetition in thoughts of characters - if I read anymore about how muddled Clare's thoughts were, I was worried I'd injure my eyeballs rolling them so hard. And despite Jed's search "skills," he NEVER came across an obituary? Not to mention the "letter" from the first dna test he took - I guess it sounded better than him getting results online if Eloise had to now.

While this certainly wasn't the worst I've read, it just didn't live up to the potential it had based on the description.

I really wanted to love this one but it was just OK for me. A solid 2.5-3/5 stars. I had a hard time with the dual plots and how they didn’t really fit together. You had the murder of a family friend and then the death of a husband and his mysterious life but there was nothing to blend them together and make a cohesive plot. The characters were not interesting enough to really care about. The “twist” was uneventful and slightly predictable and the writing itself was too formal for the story being told. That being said it was an easy fast read and did have some good parts that kept you wanting to continue reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.