*As I finished this blog and went to look for a link, I found that the book has two different names for the US and UK markets. In the US it is called "The Woman Next Door" and in the UK it's "All Her Secrets". I read the UK verison and from what I can tell, just the titles are different. The book was released in the US on May 23rd, 2019.

If you read my book reviews regularly, you know that I am no stranger to a psychological thriller. I usually listen to them on Audible but I'm taking a break from audiobooks and taking advantage of NetGalley, the site where you can get books early if you're a reviewwer.

The latest book I read is "The Woman Next Door" by Sue Watson and at the beginning of this book I had no idea how it would progress.



Lucy Metcalfe is the main character and is taken with her neighbor, local weathergirl, Amber Young. Amber soon discovers she has a stalker and Lucy becomes a little obsessed with protecting her friend. Everyone in Lucy's life from her friends to her husband Matt tries to tell her that Amber is no good and cannot be trusted.

As the novel progresses, you start to see signs that maybe everyone is right about Amber and maybe there is something off about her. Lucy refuses to see it and Amber keeps taking advantage of her friend's kindess. However, at some point you start to realize that maybe something is off with Lucy... and now no one seems to be in their right mind.

The book progresses on and on, with a few twists and turns. You think you know what is happening but then Watson pulls the rug out from underneath you, continually. Nothing is at seems in "The Woman Next Door" and just when you think the book is over, the real bomb is dropped.

I don't remember reading a book with this many twists (and I love a good twist) -- it was really supsensful without being scary. It wasn't a creepy story... just trying to figure out who was stalking the weathergirl.

If you love psychological thrillers that aren't too intense but have a great storyline, this is for you! I think it might be one of my favorite books of the year.

xoxo
B

I can't believe I never wrote a review on this book -- it was a really good one and it completely got lost in the shuffle!

"The Woman Next Door" is such a typical suspense novel name and is written by Cass Green who also wrote 'In a Cottage in a Wood'. I can't remember if I read this book first or "In a Cottage..." because after reading whichever one was first, I immediately went to Green's author page and put a bunch on my to-read list.

Either way, it was a great book and I really love Cass Green's writing style.



This is the publisher's summary:

xoxo
B

As I mentioned in last week's Book Review Wednesday, I'm really into books. I've finished like 4 books in the past few days, whether that was audiobooks or real books, but I'm making great headway.

I've learned that I read faster when I have an actual book so I've been upping the hardcover (or paperback) book game.

However, this was the last audiobook I read and it really threw me for a loop.

I'm not really sure where I heard about "Pretty Girls Dancing" from but I'm glad I did. It's the classic kidnapping story where a missing girl sends everyone into a frenzy.

You have her parents, her sister, and the local cop all giving their POV throughout the book which creates some depth and gives you more insight into how people are dealing with this tragedy.



However, this book is slightly different because it deals with a serial kidnapper and two missing girls.

Whitney goes missing after meeting a boy she talked to online, and the town wonders if this is the same kidnapper that took Kelsey, 7 years ago.

We see Kelsey's parents and sister's POV and how the kidnapping of Whitney is affecting them. We also get an inside look at how they've dealt with their missing daughter/sister over the past 7 years.

Kelsey has massive social anxiety, her mother is a borderline drug addict, and her father is a workaholic.

Then we have Mark Foster, the detective on Whitney's case who is doing his best to find the missing girl alive. When he starts to notice a few similar things between Whitney and Kesley's cases, he does some deep digging to figure out the case and hopefully bring both girls home alive.

I really enjoyed this book and I found myself speeding up the reading rate to find out what happened even faster. I basically couldn't stop listening and even when I was so close to finding out the truth, I had to listen to the end of the book at home (I am very strict in that I only listen to audiobooks on my commute but this couldn't wait).

I thought all the characters were well developed without having too much detail because really, the story wasn't about them. You also read quite a bit in Whitney's point of view, and you so badly were rooting for her against the kidnapper.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop in terms of goriness but I was glad that this book didn't have any sexual abuse. Sometimes, that really sends me over the edge so a good classic, kidnapping is fine with me.

You will have your ideas through the book who the kidnapper is, and the author will even throw you off a few times but when you do find out, it's well worth it and is a juicy little twist.

This wasn't too dark and twisted but had some nice mystery elements to it so I recommend, even if this genre doesn't thrill you (pun intended).

What are you currently reading?
xoxo
B

After I read "Woman in Cabin 10" a few months back (which I'm just realizing I don't think I did a review on) I knew I was going to have to read more by Ruth Ware. I knew that the first book was going to be 'In A Dark, Dark Wood'.



This book takes place in England (all the best thrillers do) and revolves around the hermit writer Leonora who gets invited to her old friend's Bachelorette party in the English countryside.

Below is the publisher's summary

"What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Sometimes the only thing to fear…is yourself.

When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods."

I wasn't sure what this book was about and wasn't sure how it would turn out but it was really good. The book starts slowly at first, and I have to admit, I didn't really like any of the characters, but it kept me on the edge of my seat.

At first, you're not sure why Leonora and the rest of the group fell out of touch or why she's invited to this party but by the end, everything makes sense even it comes with a fatal outcome.

By the time the climax of the story hits, you don't even realize what's happening. So many secrets come out throughout the course of this weekend you don't know who is telling the truth or what is the truth. It's truly wild.

I wouldn't say this is was my favorite book ever but it was a decent read and worth it if you don't know what book to read next!

xoxo
B