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A review by honeybeejoyous
The Downstairs Neighbor by Helen Cooper
3.0
There was quite a lot going on in this one…
The Downstairs Neighbor follows the residents of an apartment building. In the basement resides driving instructor Chris and his wife Vicky. On the ground floor is Emma, a quirky shopkeeper, and Zeb, who has moved out much to Emma’s devastation. And on the top floor is loving family Paul, Steph, and their daughter Freya who has gone missing. Interspersed with these characters’ perspectives, we also hear the story of Kate from 25 years earlier. Kate lives with her mother and grows increasingly suspicious and worried about her mother’s boyfriend Nick. Each character has layers of secrets and lies that all are revealed by the end of the book, many of which intertwine.
Normally, I’m the dissenting voice when people complain that multiple POVs and timelines are too confusing or muddle the story. But in this case, I just felt like there were too many characters. The story definitely kept me guessing and each reveal was a surprise, but I didn’t feel like I really connected enough to any of the characters to feel like I cared when those reveals happened. I especially never felt enough connection about Freya to be invested in her fate. Overall, it was a decent read but I’ve read more interesting books about the intertwined lives of people in an apartment building and I’ve read better books about lies and deception.
I will say, I would have LOVED a legal thriller about Kate’s story, maybe something in the style of Miracle Creek.
The Downstairs Neighbor follows the residents of an apartment building. In the basement resides driving instructor Chris and his wife Vicky. On the ground floor is Emma, a quirky shopkeeper, and Zeb, who has moved out much to Emma’s devastation. And on the top floor is loving family Paul, Steph, and their daughter Freya who has gone missing. Interspersed with these characters’ perspectives, we also hear the story of Kate from 25 years earlier. Kate lives with her mother and grows increasingly suspicious and worried about her mother’s boyfriend Nick. Each character has layers of secrets and lies that all are revealed by the end of the book, many of which intertwine.
Normally, I’m the dissenting voice when people complain that multiple POVs and timelines are too confusing or muddle the story. But in this case, I just felt like there were too many characters. The story definitely kept me guessing and each reveal was a surprise, but I didn’t feel like I really connected enough to any of the characters to feel like I cared when those reveals happened. I especially never felt enough connection about Freya to be invested in her fate. Overall, it was a decent read but I’ve read more interesting books about the intertwined lives of people in an apartment building and I’ve read better books about lies and deception.
I will say, I would have LOVED a legal thriller about Kate’s story, maybe something in the style of Miracle Creek.