Scan barcode
kricha06's review
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.0
canadianbookworm's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-downstairs-neighbour.html
sabsyoder's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lovesikghost's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall pretty good, suspenseful book. I do not regret reading.
marilynw's review
4.0
The Downstairs Neighbor by Helen Cooper
Despite being a very busy story, with frequent time and point of view changes, this was a book that had me looking for the next clue on every page. But, finally I just sat back and took in the story because so much is thrown at us that I realized it'd be very hard to figure anything out. There are too many moving parts, too many people, too many timelines (when memories of past events are thrown in). I didn't want my "sleuthing" to interfere with my understanding of the characters, their motivations, and their fears.
Seventeen year old Freya lives in a nice apartment with her perfect (from the outside looking in) parents, Steph and Paul. Living below them is Emma, a small business owner who has had to close up shop and who lives alone...oops, not alone because she lives with her hamster who sleeps during the day and runs on his hamster treadmill at night, keeping Emma awake. Below Emma is driving instructor, Chris, and his nurse wife, Vicky. All these people have secrets, long held secrets that they never plan to reveal. But then Freya goes missing and everyone's life is thrown into chaos and put under a microscope.
There is also the timeline of Kate, twenty five years ago. Kate is living with her mom and extremely worried about her mom's dodgy boyfriend. It's not until far into the book that we learn how all the secrets and Kate's timeline fit together. This story is like years of a soap opera thrown into the span of a week. It's very interesting, twisty, convoluted and maddening. I had great fun reading this story although I wish it could have been a bit more straightforward and not so messy with so many people and their secrets...but then that's what this story is about...secrets, lack of honesty, and how not revealing something can be the same as lying.
Publication: February 16th 2021
Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Despite being a very busy story, with frequent time and point of view changes, this was a book that had me looking for the next clue on every page. But, finally I just sat back and took in the story because so much is thrown at us that I realized it'd be very hard to figure anything out. There are too many moving parts, too many people, too many timelines (when memories of past events are thrown in). I didn't want my "sleuthing" to interfere with my understanding of the characters, their motivations, and their fears.
Seventeen year old Freya lives in a nice apartment with her perfect (from the outside looking in) parents, Steph and Paul. Living below them is Emma, a small business owner who has had to close up shop and who lives alone...oops, not alone because she lives with her hamster who sleeps during the day and runs on his hamster treadmill at night, keeping Emma awake. Below Emma is driving instructor, Chris, and his nurse wife, Vicky. All these people have secrets, long held secrets that they never plan to reveal. But then Freya goes missing and everyone's life is thrown into chaos and put under a microscope.
There is also the timeline of Kate, twenty five years ago. Kate is living with her mom and extremely worried about her mom's dodgy boyfriend. It's not until far into the book that we learn how all the secrets and Kate's timeline fit together. This story is like years of a soap opera thrown into the span of a week. It's very interesting, twisty, convoluted and maddening. I had great fun reading this story although I wish it could have been a bit more straightforward and not so messy with so many people and their secrets...but then that's what this story is about...secrets, lack of honesty, and how not revealing something can be the same as lying.
Publication: February 16th 2021
Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
nickymaund's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the idea of this one - how all the tenants of a converted townhouse are connected with the disappearance of the teenaged daughter of one of the families. You get multiple viewpoints - and there’s also the (not so) random story from the past.
The first half of this is a very slow burner, but there were snippets throughout that peaked my interest, particularly Kate’s story from 25 yrs ago - just what is the connection to Freya’s disappearance? How does this all fit into all of what’s going on? The questions keep on coming. Never have the occupants of one building held so many secrets.
I’m pleased to say that this picks up after half way, especially as all the strands start to come together. Overall good debut.
The first half of this is a very slow burner, but there were snippets throughout that peaked my interest, particularly Kate’s story from 25 yrs ago - just what is the connection to Freya’s disappearance? How does this all fit into all of what’s going on? The questions keep on coming. Never have the occupants of one building held so many secrets.
I’m pleased to say that this picks up after half way, especially as all the strands start to come together. Overall good debut.
hywar's review
4.0
A really quick read that got me back into the swing of things after a stall. There's a lot going on in the story, but not too much where it gets confusing or hard to follow at all, and piecing together the clues was fun but not challenging.
Told from the perspective of five different characters, The Downstairs Neighbor takes place after a young girl named Freya mysteriously disappears. The different characters are all interesting and engaging. Chris Watson, her driving instructor and downstairs neighbor. Emma, her other neighbor whose business has just failed. Freya's parents, Paul and Steph, both with secrets of their own to hide. And finally, Kate - a girl from 25 years ago, who is desperately trying to protect her mother from her new boyfriend after she starts to notice bruises appearing on her. I loved reading about all the characters, and none of them fell particularly flat or seemed weak. I wasn't thrilled with the ending, and there were some holes in the story, but it's a fun read all the same.
Told from the perspective of five different characters, The Downstairs Neighbor takes place after a young girl named Freya mysteriously disappears. The different characters are all interesting and engaging. Chris Watson, her driving instructor and downstairs neighbor. Emma, her other neighbor whose business has just failed. Freya's parents, Paul and Steph, both with secrets of their own to hide. And finally, Kate - a girl from 25 years ago, who is desperately trying to protect her mother from her new boyfriend after she starts to notice bruises appearing on her. I loved reading about all the characters, and none of them fell particularly flat or seemed weak. I wasn't thrilled with the ending, and there were some holes in the story, but it's a fun read all the same.
alittlemixofvix's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty good read that was let down by the ending. There's a lot of jumping between characters, but I like how that was done here.
There are two key stories - the past with Kate and the present with Freya's disappearance. I actually preferred the past story as I felt there was more emotion, and it truly was a shocking twist. I did enjoy figuring out how everything intertwined - some I guessed, but others were revelations.
With the present-day story, I felt that I didn't really care Freya was missing. I actually didn't warm to any of those characters either - except for Emma. I also was very annoyed by the ending; it was quite unbelievable and didn't tie in with the rest of the tone - plus, I'm still angry that someone didn't get the punishment they deserved. There are quite a few unanswered questions.
Overall, a good mystery, and I liked the way it weaved together. But the ending was just too neat and not in keeping with the rest of the story.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from InstaBookTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
There are two key stories - the past with Kate and the present with Freya's disappearance. I actually preferred the past story as I felt there was more emotion, and it truly was a shocking twist. I did enjoy figuring out how everything intertwined - some I guessed, but others were revelations.
With the present-day story, I felt that I didn't really care Freya was missing. I actually didn't warm to any of those characters either - except for Emma. I also was very annoyed by the ending; it was quite unbelievable and didn't tie in with the rest of the tone - plus, I'm still angry that someone didn't get the punishment they deserved. There are quite a few unanswered questions.
Overall, a good mystery, and I liked the way it weaved together. But the ending was just too neat and not in keeping with the rest of the story.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from InstaBookTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.