3.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological fiction, family drama
Setting ~ England
Publication date ~ July 15, 2024
Est Page Count ~ 330 (p+ 53 chapters)
Audio length ~ 8 hours 18 minutes
Narrator ~ Kristin Atherton
POV ~ single 1st & multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ multiple timelines, murder, secrets

Sister and brother, Anna & Tim are living in their old house with Anna's 10 year old daughter, Cassie.

Sister and brother, Lily & George Taylor were best friends with Anna and Tim growing up, until one tragic event caused a rift between George and Tim. Lily's POV is the only 1st person one.

Now the beloved Dr. Taylor is found murdered. Who stabbed him and why?

I'm not a fan when a child thinks they know what's best and doesn't listen to their parent, even if they're not given a good reason for why things are the way they are. There's also a lack on police presence when it was warranted, which I found odd.

Hiding because we learn this later on and it's definitely a (view spoiler) and it makes no sense and I'm a bit sickened by it. But I suppose that's a twist for ya. I was originally rounding up, but the more I thought about it, I've gotta go with down because I just can't get behind this type of behavior. (view spoiler), so again makes no sense.

But I was pretty engaged for most of it. I wouldn't say it was a thriller, or suspenseful, really, but there was a little action that got my heart racing for a hot minute. Gotta love an elderly neighbor that sees and hears everything. I'll probably be like Mrs. McKay one day. The 10 year old secret was not a surprise, but the last zinger was a nice one and I'm not sure if I like the open-endedness of it.

I have read this author before and rated it exactly the same. It seems like she might have a theme she likes for her wow factor.

Narration notes:
She did do a good job differentiating her voices, but I really wish there was a male narrator. Also, I felt like Lily's tone sounded quite mean.

The House Across the Street by Jill Childs was a interesting psychological thriller filled with family secrets and neighborhood drama. This was the first of the author's books I've read and I'll definitely be checking out some of her other works in the future.

The plot of the story was pretty solid with some wild twists throughout. The author used just enough foreshadowing to make you think you knew who did what but almost all of my guesses ended up being wrong in the end. I love when a thriller can really stump me like that. The writing style was smooth and flowed well. It was simple but pointed. The characters were so unique. Getting to know each one throughout the story really sucked me into the neighborhood drama and made me care about what was happening. The audiobook narration was perfect. The narrator really brought these characters to life and showcased their personalities.

If you're a fan of family secrets, neighborhood drama, or psychological thrillers I'd definitely recommend giving The House Across the Street a try!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

At a neighborhood party, Anna spots a light in a window across the street - the house her lifelong best friend Lily grew up in, and where Lily's father still resides. As Anna goes to investigate, she makes a shocking discovery, and soon her life, and the lives of those around her - including Lily, and Anna's 11-year old daughter Cassie - will be changed forever.

After a fast-paced start, this book changed into more of a domestic thriller than a novel of suspense, and became a rather slow burn. There is a lot of focus on Anna and Lily's friendship, on the bad blood between their respective brothers, and on past secrets, the reveal of which dragged on for me and was slightly disappointing, considering they are not particularly shocking or unexpected. Some make no sense or seem to involve logical error (ahem, seatbelt injuries, ahem). Others are really off-putting and might seem to come out of left field mostly for shock value (you cannot just blame this on an unreliable narrator), but if that's one of your triggers, you still won't be surprised, just disgusted.

There is a big twist at the very end, which I liked. But while that was nicely done, it was also very much to be expected and totally ***'s own fault - you could see it coming a mile away.

This was a quick read, and while I found nothing particularly wrong with this book, it also did not hold my interest very well and ended up being too predictable for my liking.

I listened to the audio book, and liked the production and the narrator.

TW for grooming, CAS / childhood sexual abuse, rape.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The House Across the Street" is slated to be released on July 15, 2024.

This book is a quick read. There are a couple of twists and turns with a cliffhanger at the end. For fans of quick reads, and fast thrillers this book is definitely for you. This was my first Jill Childs book, the basic story line was intriguing, but I found it a bit slow at times but I would like to read another book by the author to decide. Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for this audio arc.

Wow, wow, wow! Absolutely thrilling read! A plot that leaves you on your toes wondering how it’s going to end.well developed, descriptive write that leaves you feeling you are involved. Highly recommended

The House Across the Street is a new release Popcorn Thriller from Jill Childs. This is my first work from this author and it did keep me at attention and entertained.

This is a neighborhood drama following a few different perspectives. The main focus is on Anna and Lily, life-long best friends. They grew up across the street from one another, and have grown up more as sisters than friends. Anna is a single mother to a 11-year old daughter, Cassie, who she gave birth to when she was just 17. They were barely done school by the time Cassie was born, but Lily never deserted Anna, like many other teen girls might of.

As adults, even with all that has gone on in the past, they are still present in each other lives. One night, at the start of our story, Anna spies across the street, through the windows of Lily's father's home, someone who shouldn't be there. It's ominous and she fears something is wrong. After investigating, Anna's fears are proved true. Someone has murdered Lily's father in his bed. After the authorities are notified and it appears that Anna is the only witness, she begins to receive threatening notes.

Fearing the killer may be after her, or worse, after her daughter, Anna stops aiding with the investigation, even though she had promised Lily she would help. There's back and forth between Anna and Lily as we try to piece together what the hell is going on in this neighborhood. We also get a bit from Cassie, as she tries to understand all that is happening around her, and why she may suddenly be a pawn in someone else's game.

Overall, this was a good story. It did nothing wrong, it's fast-paced and well-told, but I can't say I found it overly-compelling, or memorable. It's simple, easy to follow, and could be great for someone looking for a quick read to distract them on a road trip or while doing some housework. It's definitely a story I'll forget pretty quickly though.

I did feel like the male characters were very forgettable. It took me over half the book to even realize that Anna's ex-boyfriend and Lily's brother weren't the same person. That's not necessarily a good sign. I also was a little turned off by a couple of twists at the end, but that is purely personal opinion. Others may find them to be jaw-dropping and interesting. Regardless, I'm happy to have given this one a listen. The audiobook was well narrated and I wouldn't be opposed to picking up more from this author in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I love a good Popcorn Thriller every once in a while. They're great palate cleansers amongst some of my darker reads.

This was a lot of fun! I was hooked immediately and didn't want to stop listening. While I had a pretty good guess of a couple of the plot twists that didn't affect my enjoyment at all - I just wanted to keep reading to see it unfold! I also wasn't expecting the final ending - there were a lot of twists right at the very end. It made my job suck slightly less today.

I actually think the back of the book description (at least, as it appears on Goodreads and NetGalley), does the book a disservice. The gimmicky first person gushing makes it feel sloppy and more amateur than the novel deserves. So if you're put off by that, but looking for a solid domestic thriller, I'd still encourage you to give this a try.

Overall, the audiobook was solid, but I did have a bit of trouble telling Lily's and the main character's chapters apart based on voice.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of The House Across the Street by Jill Childs in exchange for an honest review. This book was a shocker, I loved it. Who killed the retired doctor next door and why? Childs kept me guessing until the end and I was surprised at the ending.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

thank you to bookoutoure, the author, and netgalley for a chance to review this ARC

➸ the beginning was really captivating but I feel like it dragged after the initial first chapters, it picked up at the end but there was definitely a lull in the middle

➸ this book had a lot of twists, I didn’t know what would happen next and the twists surprised me

➸ the audiobook narration really added to the tension, the narration was clear and captured the essence of the story so well

Initially a slow burn The House Across the Street ended up having me in a vice like grip.

Best friends are a special thing, a thing to treasure, especially when those best friends become like family, so in a way it’s understandable that some things need to be kept secret to protect those bonds. The truth has a habit of coming out though, and it can prove to be catastrophic.

Gripping, with twists that I seen coming and others I absolutely didn’t! Fantastic!

The audio narration by Kristin Atherton was perfect!

Thanks to NetGalley and bookouture for the opportunity to listen to this audio arc in return for an honest review.

If you enjoy whodunnit’s, small towns and big secrets, this is for you

Everyone knows everyone in this small town in Yorkshire, UK. When the local doctor is murdered, neighbor Anna is terrified her secrets will be revealed….

The focus on the story are the secrets and although they’re not blow-my-mind shocking, by the time they’re revealed, I definitely felt empathy for all the characters

The audiobook was nicely narrated, the accents well done. Overall, an enjoyable domestic suspense with a kickass final chapter

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The House Across the Street by Jill Childs, an audiobook narrated by Kristin Atherton is a suspenseful psychological thriller with some mad moments and good twists.
With all due respect to Kristin Atherton, she did an absolutely fabulous narration! I went back to double-check that there were no multiple narrators. The intonation, voices, speeding and slowing down, louder where needed and whispering where necessary, all just perfect.
This is the situation where the narrator made the book better!

Most of the book is set in the present time with some blasts from the past and told from Anna's and Lilly's points of view.

Anna and Lily have been neighbours and best friends since childhood, they are like sisters. When Lily's dad, the beloved doctor in the community gets murdered things become complicated.
There are many shadows through the years, many secrets hidden, and many cover-ups but where is the line?

I like how the book is twisted and some twists definitely I didn't see coming in a million years but the ending... I am not sure what I think about the ending... And Anna was getting on my nerves! She just never listens, always interrupts, asks questions and never lets you answer... this type irritated me in real life so I was struggling to like Anna.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this copy! I highly recommend this book!

Nooooo! This was like a 3.5-4 ish star story until the very end! I want to scream about that last scene (and at the author)!

This was tense throughout. Several mysteries twisted together. I had an idea of one of the main twists. Some of the other twists were surprising! This is told in dual POV between the two main characters that are lifelong best friends, Anna and Lily. And their relationship, along with other familial relationships are what drove this storyline. I really liked this until the end :D

The narrator did a great job with the storytelling.

I am always a sucker for a book with a house on the cover! I am always so drawn to them!!!

I loved this audio book. It was definitely a wild ride and I couldn't have guessed what was really going on? When the truth comes out about the past it could possibly trigger some. The narrator did a great job with the different characters and kept me listening. I listened in one day!

Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden or Mary Kubica!

I look forward to reading more books by this author!

Thank you Bookoutoure Audio!!

4 stars
This one is perfect for those of us who like a good neighborhood drama/suspense. While the storyline involves a murder, the book is really focused on the relationships between two families that live next to each other.

I’ll be honest, the subtraction of one star is due to my confusion with the plot twist. I just don’t understand why BEEP allowed BEEP to be around BEEP ever. I also don’t understand why BEEP ever visited BEEP after the BEEP BEEP happened.

Gotta love my spoilers that aren’t spoiling. If you read it, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m saying.

The narrator was engaging and wonderful for this audiobook.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Bookouture Audio for this ARC in exchange for a written review.

After much consideration I'm landing at 3.25/5 stars for this one. This book started out strong, slowed down quite a bit during the middle, then picked back up and finished strong. There are a few twists, and although I kind of guessed some of them, I did not see one of them coming. The narration was well done with distinct voices making it super easy to follow and identify characters. Overall, this was a good thriller. Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The House Across the Street is full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my street. Do not listen to this audiobook while trying to focus on any other task, because you will be distracted by the story. I loved listening to this story unfold and hearing the characters interact. The narrator did a great job capturing each character's unique voice and authentically representing their relationships. Even feeling like we get to know the characters very well, I did not see most of the twists coming. If you're looking for a thrill, I highly recommend checking out The House Across the Street.

Okay wtf was that ending? It was foreshadowed a little tiny bit throughout the book but then after we think the story is resolved "BAM."
Absolute madness.
I loved the narration.

This book started off so good! It did slow down a lot in the middle and picked up again in the end. I found myself drifting during the middle and not paying attention, it couldn’t keep my attention.

However, it was definitely twisty! I was not expecting the killer of the doctor!

The narrator was great! She was very clear and was filled with emotion.

All in all, a decent listen via audiobook!

Jill Childs' "The House Across the Street" is a fast-paced psychological thriller that centers on Ellie, a woman obsessed with the odd events in the house across from hers. Childs excels in creating complex, believable characters. The plot is filled with suspense and unexpected twists and I really enjoyed my time listening. Thank you net galley for the opportunity to listen!