A review by tyreadsbooks_
The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.0

»The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger«
★★★ 3/5 stars

» quick synopsis
When Rosie & Chad inherit a beautiful apartment in a historic building in NYC, they think they have hit the jackpot. But they soon discover the dark secrets of the Windermere & its tenants lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.

» read if you like :
  • books about authors/publishers/editors
  • NYC setting
  • old, haunted apartment building 
  • creepy doorman
  • gothic thrillers
  • nosey neighbors

» my thoughts 
After loving Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Lisa Unger’s newest book. The super intriguing premise of an author writing a book about a creepy historic apartment building?! Sign me up. But ultimately this one was a bit of a let down. 

I absolutely loved the details of being an author working with her editor while writing her book. I wished there was more focus on the ghostly history of the building, paranormal spookiness, & the 1963 storyline with Willa & less on the present day domestic/familial drama. 

For a 400 page book, it felt sort of shallow & underdeveloped. There were so many interesting topics, but they were all just lightly touched on, leaving me wanting more. I think because of this, I was never completely invested in the characters. Also, the gaslighting was obvious & frustrating.

The ending made up for what the bulk of the book lacked, I found the last 5 chapters or so to be the best part of the whole thing.

Thank you to @htpbooks, @htp_hive + @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC ◡̈ 
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