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ilia_'s review
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
If you are child-free and have doubts, read this book! Gosh I despised the mother character and all the time spent telling us about the issues in their marriage.. it was so tedious and could have been shorter. A couple of nice twists there but most readers will guess at least one of them. As for the ending.. hmm I don't know if I'd buy it. It had some nice chapters and scenes but overall it was ok.
jillmlong's review
2.0
This book was ok. There are a few interesting scenes but overall I felt something was missing. Aura and Nick never seemed to connect as a real couple. They were both unlikable. I needed more info or clues about what was going on but they were held back.
nicjohnston's review
4.0
I read The Chateau, having read and loved Catherine Cooper’s previous book, The Chalet. The Chateau is a thrilling, plot driven, romp which is packed with twists and turns and has a satisfyingly bold ending.
Nick and Aurora have bought a run down chateau, relocating with their two young sons, intending to open a B&B. It is clear that the relocation to France is not only to follow a dream. Something untoward occurred in London which forced their hand to flee across the Channel. They soon get drawn into the community of local expats and a rash of lavish social events. However, things are a little spooky in the chateau and it is clear that someone is up to no good.
The story rattles along at pace. I enjoyed the London tale and little more than the French one, perhaps because it was more grounded. Nonetheless, this is one that keeps the pages turning - I read it in 2 sittings.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for an ARC.
Nick and Aurora have bought a run down chateau, relocating with their two young sons, intending to open a B&B. It is clear that the relocation to France is not only to follow a dream. Something untoward occurred in London which forced their hand to flee across the Channel. They soon get drawn into the community of local expats and a rash of lavish social events. However, things are a little spooky in the chateau and it is clear that someone is up to no good.
The story rattles along at pace. I enjoyed the London tale and little more than the French one, perhaps because it was more grounded. Nonetheless, this is one that keeps the pages turning - I read it in 2 sittings.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for an ARC.
jo_bookworm's review
4.0
Aura and Nick have bought a chateau in France, it needs a lot of work but then so it seems does their marriage. They have to stay together because of the children. And they don’t ever mention what happened in England.
The community they move to has many expats and they are welcomed into this community. But one of the parties seems rather more than Aura and Nick bargained for.
Then the next party a dead body is found.
Nothing is as it seems and can anyone be trusted?
But then can Aura and Nick be trusted? What really happened in England and will that have any bearing on what seems to be going on in this French Chateau.
With plenty of twists and turns and the events in England you start to from your own opinion about this married couple until the inevitable happens?
Can you find the truth?
For me this was a fast paced, page turner which whizzed backwards and forwards from events in France and whatever happened to add the background of England. I despised the characters but that doesn’t mean I disliked the book. The skill in creating and writing people who you cannot bring yourself to like but still need to know more about is not easy. It can go two ways, readers sometimes don’t like it. For me I loved it.
A good second book and I would love to see what this author comes up with next as she definitely has the skill of hooking you in to a plot and some great characters.
The community they move to has many expats and they are welcomed into this community. But one of the parties seems rather more than Aura and Nick bargained for.
Then the next party a dead body is found.
Nothing is as it seems and can anyone be trusted?
But then can Aura and Nick be trusted? What really happened in England and will that have any bearing on what seems to be going on in this French Chateau.
With plenty of twists and turns and the events in England you start to from your own opinion about this married couple until the inevitable happens?
Can you find the truth?
For me this was a fast paced, page turner which whizzed backwards and forwards from events in France and whatever happened to add the background of England. I despised the characters but that doesn’t mean I disliked the book. The skill in creating and writing people who you cannot bring yourself to like but still need to know more about is not easy. It can go two ways, readers sometimes don’t like it. For me I loved it.
A good second book and I would love to see what this author comes up with next as she definitely has the skill of hooking you in to a plot and some great characters.
hellsie's review
3.0
This book was actually a really compelling read, and I would probably have raced through it if I hadn't been reading it in staves via Pigeonhole. It's definitely the kind of book where you really want to know what happens next, which makes it very difficult to put down. However all of the main characters are pretty unlikeable, with Aura also being distinctly annoying and frustrating. Parts of the plot are formulaic with a few plot holes left unanswered at the end. Having said that it would be a great easy beach read!
kazza27's review
4.0
Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to the tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of the book via Net Galley.
A Halloween party at a beautiful Chateau for two hundred guests, Aura and Nick are just two of them, the host Thea watches on.
It all seems perfect until a body is found…..
You know from the outset that Nick and Aura have come to France to escape a secret but they sell their small house and buy this ramshackle of a home that needs a lot of money and time spent on it. Aura invites a film crew to follow their journey. Nick is not so keen.
The cast of characters then begin to unfold Helen the Au pair, Frank the kindly expat who offers to help show Aura and Nick the ropes. Nick seems suspicious of everyone so why did they come to France? You will definitely want to keep on reading to find out. Frank introduced them to Thea who is a bit standoffish to Aura but very welcoming to Nick.
Not a likeable bunch of people and I love that in a twisty turny thriller because you never really know who to trust. Chateau Amaryllis is very ostentatious as is Thea ! But Aura and Nick are in for an even bigger surprise when they are invited to dinner at the Chateau. Their marriage is obviously rocky and strange occurrences start to happen at their new home makes the tension ramp up.
I loved The Chalet and this one had me gripped ! It is very clever and shocking too ! I read in one sitting it is one of those books that you will want to just keep on reading but I guarantee you will be surprised with the finale.
I really enjoyed it!
A Halloween party at a beautiful Chateau for two hundred guests, Aura and Nick are just two of them, the host Thea watches on.
It all seems perfect until a body is found…..
You know from the outset that Nick and Aura have come to France to escape a secret but they sell their small house and buy this ramshackle of a home that needs a lot of money and time spent on it. Aura invites a film crew to follow their journey. Nick is not so keen.
The cast of characters then begin to unfold Helen the Au pair, Frank the kindly expat who offers to help show Aura and Nick the ropes. Nick seems suspicious of everyone so why did they come to France? You will definitely want to keep on reading to find out. Frank introduced them to Thea who is a bit standoffish to Aura but very welcoming to Nick.
Not a likeable bunch of people and I love that in a twisty turny thriller because you never really know who to trust. Chateau Amaryllis is very ostentatious as is Thea ! But Aura and Nick are in for an even bigger surprise when they are invited to dinner at the Chateau. Their marriage is obviously rocky and strange occurrences start to happen at their new home makes the tension ramp up.
I loved The Chalet and this one had me gripped ! It is very clever and shocking too ! I read in one sitting it is one of those books that you will want to just keep on reading but I guarantee you will be surprised with the finale.
I really enjoyed it!
daffz's review
3.0
I enjoyed the experience of reading this book. It's fast-paced and throws a lot of twists at the reader, something that keeps me turning the pages. But some of the twists worked better than others, in my opinion. At the end, it felt like there was just a bit too much going on with this book, which made it harder to suspend my disbelief.
I think the idea of
All in all, a fun thriller. If you can just enjoy the ride and not think about it too much, I think it's a pretty good book. Pretty much all the main characters are terrible people, but that makes it pretty entertaining.
I think the idea of
Spoiler
having two different people with entirely separate motives behind the strange things + the deaths of the main characters is very interesting, I just wish it had felt a bit more realistic to me. Now there were a few things that felt like too big a coincidence.All in all, a fun thriller. If you can just enjoy the ride and not think about it too much, I think it's a pretty good book. Pretty much all the main characters are terrible people, but that makes it pretty entertaining.
kirstyreviewsbooks's review
4.0
The Chateau - Catherine Cooper
They thought it was perfect. They were wrong…
A glamorous chateau
Aura and Nick don’t talk about what happened in England. They’ve bought a chateau in France to make a fresh start, and their kids need them to stay together – whatever it costs.
A couple on the brink
The expat community is welcoming, but when a neighbour is murdered at a lavish party, Aura and Nick don’t know who to trust.
I have recently read The Chalet and saw that this book was available in my local library and thought I would give this one a go as well. I enjoyed this book and I liked how the story was all tied up at the end. In places it was a bit predictable but it still managed to hold my attention from start to finish.
This book takes place in multiple timelines with multiple viewpoints but it is not difficult to follow. For me this book lived up to the expectation I had for it after reading The Chalet. Catherine has once again managed to write a book with a multi-layered story and plenty of misdirection.
Rating 4/5
They thought it was perfect. They were wrong…
A glamorous chateau
Aura and Nick don’t talk about what happened in England. They’ve bought a chateau in France to make a fresh start, and their kids need them to stay together – whatever it costs.
A couple on the brink
The expat community is welcoming, but when a neighbour is murdered at a lavish party, Aura and Nick don’t know who to trust.
I have recently read The Chalet and saw that this book was available in my local library and thought I would give this one a go as well. I enjoyed this book and I liked how the story was all tied up at the end. In places it was a bit predictable but it still managed to hold my attention from start to finish.
This book takes place in multiple timelines with multiple viewpoints but it is not difficult to follow. For me this book lived up to the expectation I had for it after reading The Chalet. Catherine has once again managed to write a book with a multi-layered story and plenty of misdirection.
Rating 4/5
hannahmaybookreviews's review
5.0
Title: The Chateau
Author: Catherine Cooper
Pub: Harper Collins
Pages: 388
Rating: 5/5
A huge thank you to the author, Harper Collins and Random Things Tours for letting me be part of the blog tour!
Synopsis:
Aura and Nick move to a glamourous chateau in France for a fresh start, they want to forget what happened in England and they need to remain together for the sake of their children. Their new community are very welcoming, but Aura and Nick are left wandering who they can trust after a neighbour is murdered at a lavish Halloween party. Meanwhile their secrets are also bound to come out, because someone knows exactly why they really came to the chateau and someone wants revenge, to give them what they deserve.
Review:
I really enjoyed reading The Chalet, so much so it was a five-star read from me, so I was eager to dive into this book and it is safe to say I had high hopes which weren’t disappointed. The eye-catching front cover and the description instantly had me hooked.
I found that the prologue really did set the scene in this read and opened the book in quite an explosive way. I enjoyed that I was instantly very wary and suspicious of characters too. The chapters were short and snappy and kept the story moving, for me the pace was perfect. The story is also split into parts, they all had me gripped and it’s safe to say part 3 especially was very explosive.
The perspective changes throughout but this is clear and easy to follow and really allows you to get into the characters heads. I found there was some very surprising parts in this story, I was caught off guard numerous times. Catherine does a brilliant job at making me change my mind about certain characters and I found I was questioning my judgement throughout; I love it when a read can do this!
I was utterly and completely hooked from start to finish, everything was unpredictable and quite shocking at times. I love how Catherine was actually quite ruthless with her characters too. I literally devoured this in two sittings and once I had finished reading the last page, my words were ‘wow’. This author really is a fantastic story teller and I would love more from her! She does write the perfect thrilling escapes.
charf47's review against another edition
4.0
The Chateau is a well written psychological thriller that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. It is filled with interesting characters, each with their own strengths and flaws which are revealed as the story progresses, causing the reader's empathy with the various characters to ebb and flow. As the body count rises, the reader is led through twists and turns, until finally, all is revealed, illustrating that one can never escape one's past. Thanks to the author, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC.