A review by bookishandlegal
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Perfectly average thriller—engaging and fun to read, but nothing extraordinary. The kidnapper is revealed about halfway through the book but there are still many twists and discoveries that happen as the book progresses. A super fast read, only took a few hours to read. I called some of the twists from a mile away, but some of them took a little bit to put together. 

I did not love the way depression/postpartum depression were discussed. It very much made it seem like mental health was a taboo thing and that having a psychiatric or being on anti depressants (the absolute lowest dose was described as “a powerful antidepressant”) made you an automatic danger to yourself and your child. This was a theme throughout the book and it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. 
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