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betweenthepageskp's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Violence
erickadishion's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
stone_cloud's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping
neverlandpages4's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
• Going into this, I didn’t have much hope because I had read Not a Happy Family a couple of years ago and I remember being extremely underwhelmed by the plot twists but this one did not disappoint!
• This felt like your typical 2016 thriller where there’s an unreliable narrator (because of the heavy drinking), infidelity, and dumb decisions so at times it did feel predictable and boring but the elaborate plot twists at the end kind of saved it.
• Also, there’s a detective investigating the crime but there’s not much investigation happening. It’s literally just him speculating and theorizing and he just happens to be right every time. And there’s a character at the end that helped commit the crime but wasn’t charged or held accountable? I initially rated this 4 but looking back at it now, I’ll probably change it to 3.
• Overall, it’s a basic psychological thriller, I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a short and twisty read.
• This felt like your typical 2016 thriller where there’s an unreliable narrator (because of the heavy drinking), infidelity, and dumb decisions so at times it did feel predictable and boring but the elaborate plot twists at the end kind of saved it.
• Also, there’s a detective investigating the crime but there’s not much investigation happening. It’s literally just him speculating and theorizing and he just happens to be right every time. And there’s a character at the end that helped commit the crime but wasn’t charged or held accountable? I initially rated this 4 but looking back at it now, I’ll probably change it to 3.
• Overall, it’s a basic psychological thriller, I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a short and twisty read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Child death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Classism
mrsmishler's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder and Infidelity
Minor: Violence
aksick's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness and Violence
Minor: Child death
add_a_little_spook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Infidelity, and Murder
caties_books's review
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit
ruthiethetoothie's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Infidelity, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Child death
kelly_e's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Title: The Couple Next Door
Author: Shari Lapena
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 2.0
Pub Date: July 14, 2016
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Lackluster • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Anne and Marco have been invited to dinner at their next door neighbour's Cynthia and Graham, but Cynthia has blatantly told them not to bring their baby, Cora. When their baby-sitter cancels at the last minute, Anne and March decide to leave Cora at home, bring the monitor with them, and check on her every half hour. When they return home, the door is ajar, the crib is empty, and Cora is nowhere to be found.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'll start out by saying that the first half was decent, I was interested in how it was setting the stage for what was to come. But it went south from very fast. I felt as though some things were thrown in simply for shock value, or because they are thriller must-haves. And some of these twists and turns didn't seem believable at all. The writing was mediocre, the characters were cliché with very little growth, and there's zero setting development.
All that aside, what I absolutely hated was the author's portrayal of mental illness as something to be hidden and not talked about. It didn't stop there, but Shari Lapena also uses stereotypical representation of people with DID or postpartum depression as having violent tendencies. This is part of the reason mental illness is so misunderstood, and I cannot stand when author's use mental illness as a plot point.
A highly forgettable thriller with a terrible ending, this one was definitely not for me.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting a quick domestic thriller
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everyone is faking it, all of them pretending to be something they’re not. The whole world is built on lies and deceit."
Author: Shari Lapena
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 2.0
Pub Date: July 14, 2016
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Lackluster • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Anne and Marco have been invited to dinner at their next door neighbour's Cynthia and Graham, but Cynthia has blatantly told them not to bring their baby, Cora. When their baby-sitter cancels at the last minute, Anne and March decide to leave Cora at home, bring the monitor with them, and check on her every half hour. When they return home, the door is ajar, the crib is empty, and Cora is nowhere to be found.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'll start out by saying that the first half was decent, I was interested in how it was setting the stage for what was to come. But it went south from very fast. I felt as though some things were thrown in simply for shock value, or because they are thriller must-haves. And some of these twists and turns didn't seem believable at all. The writing was mediocre, the characters were cliché with very little growth, and there's zero setting development.
All that aside, what I absolutely hated was the author's portrayal of mental illness as something to be hidden and not talked about. It didn't stop there, but Shari Lapena also uses stereotypical representation of people with DID or postpartum depression as having violent tendencies. This is part of the reason mental illness is so misunderstood, and I cannot stand when author's use mental illness as a plot point.
A highly forgettable thriller with a terrible ending, this one was definitely not for me.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting a quick domestic thriller
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everyone is faking it, all of them pretending to be something they’re not. The whole world is built on lies and deceit."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Blood, and Death
Minor: Infidelity