Today I’m pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for The Woman Next Door. My review is written with thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for inviting me on the tour and for my copy of the book via Netgalley

Blurb:

Have you ever had a secret that you couldn’t tell a soul, even the people you love? I have.’

Lucy has a kind and adoring husband, a job she loves as a teacher, and a house on Mulberry Avenue with floaty curtains and thesoftest bed linen. After her troubled childhood, she knows life will never be perfect, but it’s pretty close.

She’s also got Amber, right next door. They never run out of things to talk about. Even if Amber’s life – with her high-profile job and handsome, wealthy boyfriend – is more glamorous than Lucy’s.

But then Amber starts to hint that her life isn’t all it seems, and when she comes to Lucy, terrified, saying that she’s getting threatening messages, Lucy promises to protect her.

The closer Lucy gets to anyone, the harder it is to keep her past to herself. But Amber’s boyfriend has left her just when she needs him most, and she doesn’t have anyone else.

Lucy knows all too well that people aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes they have secrets. And they’d do anything to keep them.Lucy’s still sure: she can trust her friend… can’t she?

Gripping and unputdownable, The Woman Next Door tells a story about the dark side of friendship, and has a final twist that will shock every reader. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Friend Request, and Clare Mackintosh.

Review:

I’ve never read anything by Sue Watson before  but I am told that she has only moved over to the “dark side” relatively recently after previously writing chick lit. If I hadn’t known this, I would think that she had spent her whole career writing psychological thrillers, as in The Woman Next Door, she built tension and put me on edge like an expert. The novel is (mostly) told from the perspectives of Lucy and Amber, two women with similar upbringings, who believe they have found kindred spirits in each other  It’s full of twists, turns, lies and secrets, and it’s up to us as readers to decide who we believe – something that’s easier said than done as Watson constantly played with my mind.

The identity of Amber’s stalker is never far from the reader’s mind and I had to keep reading to discover who it was. I must admit that I did guess who it was, but I was intrigued by the sections from the stalker’s viewpoint  and felt the “reveal” in the last few pages was incredibly clever.

I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!

The Woman Next Door is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: