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A review by kelly_e
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Title: The Couple Next Door
Author: Shari Lapena
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 2.0
Pub Date: July 14, 2016
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Lackluster • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Anne and Marco have been invited to dinner at their next door neighbour's Cynthia and Graham, but Cynthia has blatantly told them not to bring their baby, Cora. When their baby-sitter cancels at the last minute, Anne and March decide to leave Cora at home, bring the monitor with them, and check on her every half hour. When they return home, the door is ajar, the crib is empty, and Cora is nowhere to be found.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'll start out by saying that the first half was decent, I was interested in how it was setting the stage for what was to come. But it went south from very fast. I felt as though some things were thrown in simply for shock value, or because they are thriller must-haves. And some of these twists and turns didn't seem believable at all. The writing was mediocre, the characters were cliché with very little growth, and there's zero setting development.
All that aside, what I absolutely hated was the author's portrayal of mental illness as something to be hidden and not talked about. It didn't stop there, but Shari Lapena also uses stereotypical representation of people with DID or postpartum depression as having violent tendencies. This is part of the reason mental illness is so misunderstood, and I cannot stand when author's use mental illness as a plot point.
A highly forgettable thriller with a terrible ending, this one was definitely not for me.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting a quick domestic thriller
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everyone is faking it, all of them pretending to be something they’re not. The whole world is built on lies and deceit."
Author: Shari Lapena
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 2.0
Pub Date: July 14, 2016
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Lackluster • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Anne and Marco have been invited to dinner at their next door neighbour's Cynthia and Graham, but Cynthia has blatantly told them not to bring their baby, Cora. When their baby-sitter cancels at the last minute, Anne and March decide to leave Cora at home, bring the monitor with them, and check on her every half hour. When they return home, the door is ajar, the crib is empty, and Cora is nowhere to be found.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'll start out by saying that the first half was decent, I was interested in how it was setting the stage for what was to come. But it went south from very fast. I felt as though some things were thrown in simply for shock value, or because they are thriller must-haves. And some of these twists and turns didn't seem believable at all. The writing was mediocre, the characters were cliché with very little growth, and there's zero setting development.
All that aside, what I absolutely hated was the author's portrayal of mental illness as something to be hidden and not talked about. It didn't stop there, but Shari Lapena also uses stereotypical representation of people with DID or postpartum depression as having violent tendencies. This is part of the reason mental illness is so misunderstood, and I cannot stand when author's use mental illness as a plot point.
A highly forgettable thriller with a terrible ending, this one was definitely not for me.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting a quick domestic thriller
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everyone is faking it, all of them pretending to be something they’re not. The whole world is built on lies and deceit."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Blood, and Death
Minor: Infidelity