3.5 ⭐️round up**
I am thankful to have gotten the ARC for free from Netgalley and Bookouture so I can leave my voluntary and honest review.

I’m being generous with my rating for this one because I know that it’s a me thing and not the book.
It’s very well written and flows very nicely.
I’m specifically reviewing the audio book where the narrator in their natural voice is lovely. Little slow for my liking but that’s why you can speed things up. The part I didn’t like were her voices for other characters. They were consistent which was good but for me, overly dramatic. This distracted me many times when listening which pulled me out of the story. I had to repeat so many sections in the book it was ridiculous. Hence why I said it was a “me thing”. That problem was while I don’t like overly dramatic recitations of audiobooks it’s even worse when not every voice is the same as far as presentation or energy level. The regular narrator voice from the reader as I said was fine. It read the material in a non descriptive manner so you could enjoy the story and not have the narrator affect the world you build in your head as a reader. So when the other voiced characters come on so strong it ruins the flow.

Other than that the book was a good read. Figured out a bunch of things but many won’t and will be blown away towards the end when several twists come out. The ending 15% of the book was great and well worth it to read.

This is one where ai think I’ll get the print copy to give it another go as I think I’ll find it much more enjoyable.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This is a riveting psychological thriller that grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. Set in a seemingly perfect neighborhood, the story explores the dark secrets hidden behind closed doors and the lengths to which one will go to protect their loved ones.

Jill Childs masterfully crafts a narrative filled with suspense, emotional depth, and unexpected twists. The novel delves into themes of friendship, betrayal, and the complexities of human relationships, all while maintaining a fast-paced, tension-filled storyline.

Childs’ ability to blend a compelling plot with intricate character development makes this book a must-read for thriller enthusiasts!

The narrator, Kristin Atherton, did a phenomenal job! Their voice was exceptionally well-suited to the characters, providing a clear distinction between each one and enhancing their individuality. The narration significantly enriched the reading experience. The pacing was well-balanced, maintaining a steady flow that kept the tension high and the listener engaged throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance audiobook copy of "The House Across the Street" by Jill Childs in exchange for my honest review.

The House Across The Street by Jill Childs

Two families, two friends closer than sisters and a heartbreaking secret that will tear you apart slowly.

Anna and Lily are best friends, family kind of friends and they have been together in the toughest times of each others lives.

They live in a idilic neighborhood and Lily’s father has been like a father to Anna as well. Moreover, once Anna got pregnant with Cassie, leaving the father of the child behind, the Taylors became even more important to her.

Time goes by and all of a sudden in the same perfect neighborhood a murder takes place. Lily’s father appears stabbed to death and the whole family and friends can not believe what has just happened. So cold. So tough. So unbelievably true.

Anna swears her friend she’s going to help the police find whoever has done it, up until a brick goes through her daughter’s window hurting her and scaring her to death.

Will that prevent Anna from finding the truth? Will her own secrets come to light? Up to what extent is Anna willing to risk her own personal well-being?

This novel was full of extremely intense plot twists and I felt I was falling into a rabbit’s hole each time. I found it heartbreaking and at the same time it taught me that some friendships are even deeper that blood. This is one of them.

Go careful, I promise, nothing is what it seems.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you @netgalley #jillchilds I deeply enjoyed this thrilling story!

I recently had the pleasure of receiving an advanced copy of "The House Across the Street" by Jill Childs, thanks to NetGalley. This action-packed novel plunges you into the mystery of a neighbor next door, delivering a plot that rapidly unfolds and makes the book almost impossible to put down. Each time I thought I had solved the mystery, a new suspect emerged, keeping me on my toes throughout.

Jill Childs' writing style is captivating, with a knack for keeping readers thoroughly engaged. The secondary characters are not only interesting but are developed in such a way that we get a good sense of their past and present, adding depth to the narrative. Just when you think you've figured it all out, prepare to be surprised again! A big thank you to NetGalley for this thrilling read.

Upon completing this book, I was feeling a few things: flabbergasted, surprised, and thrilled. It was a thrilling and unpredictable journey, reminiscent of an epic, twisty roller coaster ride.

This domestic popcorn thriller was a quick read that kept me engaged with its straightforward writing style. It is perfect for readers seeking a gripping plot with unexpected twists, presented in an easily digestible format.

One aspect that stood out most to me was the abundance of plot twists and red herrings woven throughout the story. The element of surprise kept me on edge, much like navigating through a challenging video game. The author, Jill Childs, did an exceptional job of maintaining suspense and keeping readers guessing.

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Kristin Atherton, whose performance really brought the story to life with authenticity and emotion. Her delivery enhanced the overall experience, and I look forward to exploring other books she has narrated in the future!

While I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, I found it challenging to differentiate between the male characters, as they lacked distinct personalities. To clarify, I do not mean the narration of the male characters, but their individualism in the narrative.

Moreover, there were some slight pacing issues in the middle point of the book, though the momentum quickly picked back up leading to an exciting and shocking ending.

Speaking of the ending, it left me intrigued but also craving more closure. While cliffhangers can heighten suspense, I was left with a lot of unanswered questions that left me wanting more resolution.

Overall, this book was highly engaging, suspenseful, and entertaining. The twists, writing style, and narration were highlights for me. However, the indistinct male characters, pacing issues, and cliffhanger ending were minor drawbacks for me. Despite these issues, I believe this book is a fantastic choice for fans of domestic thrillers seeking a whodunit mystery shrouded in family secrets and incredible plot twists and turns.

I received a free advanced listeners copy of this book from Bookouture Audio and NetGalley. I am voluntarily leaving my review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gripping from start to finish, full of suspense, tension and a wild ending.

Anna's life is pretty idyllic until the day she sees a strange light in her neighbours house and finds the towns esteemed doctor and close family friend murdered in his bed. Anna wants justice but when threatening notes start turning up at her door and her young daughter is adamant someone is watching her window she knows that life is about to get a lot harder and dark secrets of the past are close to being revealed.

I listened to this book in one sitting and thought the narrator did a brilliant job, her voice differentiated the characters, showed emotions really well and made the already tense book even more suspenseful.
I really enjoyed this thriller, the plot was fantastic and when I thought I knew where it was going there seemed to be another spanner thrown in the works that completely flipped the narrative. There were a few plot points that I thought became obvious as more of the puzzle was unlocked but the massive twist ending took me by surprise and left me questioning what would happen next and desperately wanting more of the book.

This was the first book I have come across from this author and can't wait to delve into more of her work. Highly recommend for thriller lovers.

I listened to an audiobook arc from netgalley (my review is unbiased though). The narrator did a good job. Overall I enjoyed this book. It had several twists that I did NOT see coming. The book did drag a tiny bit though.

I‘m stuck between 3 and 4 stars for this read. I really enjoyed the narrator, I think she did a wonderful job. I think the story was entertaining enough and did leave me guessing, I wasn’t sure who was to blame until the end and a few of the twists did catch me off guard but overall I felt it was slow paced which for me, I don’t want in a thriller. I want to be moving moving moving forward really fast and while I did want to keep reading to find out what happened, I think there was a lotttt of filler in the first 1/2 to 3/4 which was a bit boring.

I don’t think the characters were well developed, but that’s not too much of a downside for me in thrillers - I kind of accept we’re gonna be more focused on plot.

With that being said though, the last 2 hours of the book were great. I think a lot was revealed and a few twists were thrown in that I appreciated and made getting through the rest of the book worth it, even if I scratched my head at first at the reveal of the killer… it did end up coming full circle and working for me.

I think this is a good, easy to follow thriller but didn’t have that extra pizzazz I want to give more than a 3 star (though I do wish we could do half stars because I would go up to a 3.5 at least for this one).

Two families lived across eachother for years. The kids were all friends. Tragedy struck not once, but twice. The two girls, now women best of friends find themselves hiding things. It is a suspense book and the pace is on point. Narration was just right. Huge thanks to @bookouture for my advanced copy :)

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC. The narrator was good for this story. There is a family who lives right across the street from the Taylor’s and Anna, our FMC finds out that Dr. Taylor had got murdered in his bed. Both families were close and Anna is like a sister to Dr. Taylor’s daughter Lily. Soon weird things start to happen and there’s threats amongst Anna’s family and she will do whatever she can to protect her daughter Cassie. More things unfold as the story keeps going and secrets begin to unravel. It’s pretty slow and I had trouble keeping my attention but around like 60% mark it kinda picks up but still nothing much really happens. I wanted more from this but I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. This really fell flat for me, I wanted more things to happen. This was alright but every character really were lackluster. I just pushed through, nothing happens at all to me.

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.