I am sorry this book was just not for me. I like the idea of house swapping to get a change of scenery but I just couldn't get into the characters

Thank you for the advance copy

Did not enjoy this one at all. Could not connect to the characters and was very slow. Not gripping at all.

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As I usually do, I look at others reviews to see what others thought. I think it’s a middle of the road when I looked at others reviews, but I really liked it.

It had the completeness of a good mystery type thriller based around a domestic noir with a few sexy scenes thrown in.

As it says in the title House Swap. Yes this is based around swapping your home for a vacation in each other’s houses, but this is so much more.

A husband with a good profession but a problem.
A wife undervalued and under temptation.

Yes it has an affair in it but it’s very much a part of the drawing the reader in.

I was very invested in this book.

I read some, and I listened on audio to some.
The audio is ok but the woman’s voice sometimes didn’t give it enough umf enough expression. It didn’t deter me though because I was so into this equation that was happening.

I definitely didn’t guess some of this.

Characters very well rounded, real, and relatable.

I’ve now got her other book. Loving her writing style.

Not a bad book but not great either. I found it difficult to sympathise with the characters and at times I found it difficult to figure where it was going.
Overall a good read

It's a nice catchy title for a book and I was hoping that the title would match the storyline. It takes a while to get interesting, a bit slow.

*thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.

I can't say that I enjoyed this. I found it a chore to get through as I was bored for most of it. Yet I continued to read through in the hopes that it picked up. Unfortunately it did not and I have to add that I was glad to make it to the end. I found I couldn't connect with the characters and other than it being too slow as a thriller for me, that is the reason I did not enjoy it. But I can see there are very mixed reviews for this so far, so I would say that if you want to give it a go then you should because you never know, you may enjoy it. Just don't be expecting fast paced suspense or anything. This is a slow thriller.

I do have 1 positive comment to add and that is that I really like the cover. Thumbs up for that.

Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and the author, Rebbca Fleet, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The House Swap in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book offered a good, quick read. The storyline was well thought out and the characters grow on you .

First published on Between My Lines

Doesn’t a house swap sound like a perfect premise for a thriller? Well that’s what I thought and my mind immediately started speculating what might happen in The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet. I love when a title draws me in like that.

Thanks to Random House UK for giving me for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.

FIRST LINE OF THE HOUSE SWAP BY REBECCA FLEET

“The key slides and turns in the lock, smooth and slippery as a silverfish.”

MY THOUGHTS ON THE HOUSE SWAP BY REBECCA FLEET

I feel like it took me way too long to get invested in this book. The premise of a sinister house swap where all is not as it seems is cool, and I loved that aspect. Home is where I truly relax, so the idea of letting strangers in already scares me. But if the characters have deep secrets, well you are asking for trouble! The setting screams tension, and I puzzled and puzzled over just what was going on.

However the main character annoyed me, as I just didn’t like her moral standards. Yes I had my judgey face on, but I don’t the choices she made, and they made me not like her. I will say that I feel this meant that the author nailed her character, as I believed she was real, and she frustrated me.

In the end, I did like the way the tension mounted and the climax was very satisfying.

So overall I liked it, and was glad I read it.

WHO SHOULD READ THE HOUSE SWAP BY REBECCA FLEET?

Recommended if you like domestic style grit-lits, especially if you enjoy blurred lines between liking a character and approving of their choices. Fans of Shalini Boland, Jo Spain and Louise Candish might also enjoy.

This book was a bit predictable for me. The ending was very disappointing having said that I still think it was ok.

An enjoyable domestic thriller, well written and characters who you get to know slowly as you peel back each layer.

Enjoyable read. However a bit slow . Could have been a bit faster in places. Very easy read.good psychological thriller

When Caroline and her husband house swap it seems like the perfect solution after a bumpy time for both of them. But as they settle into the townhouse in Chiswick, Caroline starts to notice some unnerving simillarities between the tastes of the owner of the house and events in her own life. It seems she's swapped with someone who knows a secret from her past she'd tried hard to cover up. But the person who could rip her life apart, is in her house now....

This novel kept me gripped to the end and I really enjoyed the tense, unsettling atmosphere throughout. The pacing was spot on and I really enjoyed it.

A great tense read! Full of gripping moments and twists and turns.
The story was exciting to read and the characters were fleshed out well.

Incredibly creepy,fast paced and well written.
This book sucked me in and ran alongside of me , I read it in one sitting . Don’t miss this one .

When you are presented a book about a house swap, you know that there will be something wrong with either one or both houses. Or the inhabitants. In this book, there are actually three houses that play a role plus five people, which makes for an interesting mix in the the location, time and pace of the story.
In the first half of the book, I found myself sometimes wondering where the different stories would lead to, especially because mixing past and present was somewhat confusing. Later, when I got to know the characters better, I understood why the author has written the book this way.
A good debut and a nice read.

Thank you Netgalley for the digital copy.

My thanks to Random House U.K. /Transworld Publishers for an ebook edition of ‘The House Swap’. It was originally published in May 2018, but the paperback is out this week.

Psychological/domestic suspense novels centred on houses seems to be a trend at the present as I have read several this year with themes of strangers entering homes with ulterior motives. As a theme it focuses on primordial territorial instincts and challenges the idea of the home as a safe space. Personally, I find even the concept of a house swap makes me anxious.

I always am reluctant to say too much about the plot in such novels ever conscious of spoilers. Here a couple, Caroline and Francis, decide to take up an offer of short term house swap. However, from the start things something about the house makes Caroline uneasy and starts to trigger her memories.

Caroline is the main narrator with the occasional input from husband, Francis, and asides from the person who has swapped houses with them. It’s clear from the opening pages that there is something very dodgy about them. The narrative teases about the identity and motives of the swapper as well as flashbacks into Caroline’s life a few years back.

The novel is certainly well written and quite a slow burn, though the pace does pick up later on. It focuses quite a bit on the marital issues faced by Caroline and Francis and overall there’s quite a bit of relationship drama, which isn’t something I normally seek out in my reading. However, it did hold my attention despite that.

While I found little sympathy for Caroline as a person, I did feel Rebecca Fleet portrayed her well. The erotic scenes in the novel were well executed, not gratuitous, and conveyed very well the heady excitement of an affair.

A promising debut and I will be keeping a lookout for future books.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Absolutely loved this book and amazed that this is Rebecca Fleet’s debut novel. She is definitely an author to look out for.

Caroline and Francis are a couple trying to rebuild their marriage after one of them has had an affair. Can their marriage survive such a betrayal of trust and will it ever be the same?

Caroline organises a house swap from their flat in Leeds to a house in Chiswick, thinking a change of scenery will do them good. The house has few possessions and slowly Caroline gets the feeling that who ever owns the property is someone she knows and was hoping never to meet again.

Portrayed over several timelines, this is told in such a way that you gradually find out who owns the house and why they set up the house swap. The tension builds gradually, making this a book very difficult to put down, loved the twists and new characters along the way.

A must read book that has a surprising ending that I did not see coming.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

A captivating read with very interesting underlying themes about relationships and addiction. I enjoyed the pace of this story and the slow drip feeding of clues. I wouldn't say there was a massive twist at the end but it was a good balance between figuring out what was going to happen along with a bit of the unexpected.

Thanks for letting me review this.

I enjoyed reading this book, though I wasn't completely sucked in. I didn't connect with any of the characters, which always makes a read only 'okay' for me.

I have read a lot of psychological thrillers this year some have been excellent and some have not and sadly this falls into the latter group for a number of reasons.

Characters: None of them are particularly likable. I found Caroline pretty self-centred and Francis, despite being a key person is the book is not really explored. Why does he have an addiction problem? We never know that answer to this. How can they afford to live with barely a worry about him not working and spending money on his drug of choice? How on earth is their son such a happy and bubbly little chap when he has parents who are basically falling apart? His Father is an addict and his Mother is having an affair and yet he is this happy balanced little boy. It just didn't work for me.

As for the twist, well so many issues with that too. How would the Mother have found out where Carl was living and then moved in right opposite and he never saw her once? Even working away a lot you would have bumped into a neighbour at least once or twice especially as she was constantly in your house befriending your girlfriend.

At the end of the book there are some questions for the readers and one is does Caroline learn her lesson and the short answer is, yes, that she can literally get away with murder by picking the right men to cover for her. Just urgh,.