The Woman Next Door

Sue Watson writes about two of my favourite things, cakes and psychological thrillers and does both brilliantly.

The Woman Next Door grabs hold of you and tears along at a terrifying pace. The story is told from two points of view, Lucy who is happily married to Matt and Amber, a glamorous celebrity who moves in next door.

Lucy takes the vulnerable Amber under her wing when she becomes terrorised by a stalker, she gives her everything and Amber is happy to take it all.

Sometimes I wanted to scream at Lucy to run away and tell Amber to get stuffed but then I had to accept that both women were getting something out of the relationship.

This book is creepy, gripping and a compelling read, I couldn’t put it down but when I eventually did it was with a satisfying sigh that one can only get from a bloody good book.

It’s a great achievement to be able to write so well in two completely different genre’s and I’m looking forward to Sue’s next book whether about cakes or killers.

I'm hard on psychological suspense novels these days, especially domestic suspense. I feel like it's always the same storyline slightly altered, so I wasn't expecting much from this one. I have to say it surprised me. It truly was fast-paced and a fun, easy read. I wasn't ever 100% sure about the outcome until the very end. I would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre that want a quick read. Some readers may find it too similar to other books with unreliable narrators and slightly repetitive. Overall 3.5. Thank you to Bookouture for the ARC!

Mmmm, I was kind of on the fence about this book for a fair while maybe until the halfway mark when it picked up. The main problem for me is that Lucy one of the main characters is just so annoying! Lucy is an ‘every day Joe’ and has a normal life with her husband and a job as a teacher. When Amber moves into their street everything changes as Lucy becomes good friends with the semi-famous weather girl Amber. It becomes apparent quite early on that Lucy is the one doing all the running in the friendship, and when Amber starts to receive threatening messages the tables turn a bit and Amber starts to lean heavily on Lucy for support.

There is an air of sinister goings on from very early on and that sense of trepidation certainly builds giving the book that air of ‘danger around the next corner’. However at the same time as the book unfolds it becomes one of those, which person do I believe here. There are multiple possibilities and as the book progressed I really didn’t know which way it would go. The last part of the book was absolutely brilliant and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Fundamentally there is zero wrong with this book because I think the readers are meant to dislike the characters but for me I always struggle if I dislike characters as I find I am just not that invested in finding out what happens to them. Thankfully the story pulled me in enough and and it was certainly worth it. Not my favourite of the two in this genre Sue has written but I will still be looking forward to the next release!

Sue Watson is one of my favourite authors and she has made the transission from rom com to psychological thriller absolutely seamlessly! This is SUCH a great read! I LOVED it!

Lucy is a kind, gentle soul who goes out of her way to help everyone, especially those she loves. She is surprised and excited when a local weather girl, Amber Young, moves into the neighborhood. Lucy thrusts herself into the life of Amber, even though Amber does not welcome Lucy’s friendship. Soon mysterious texts and packages threatening Amber arise. This strengthens their friendship to a point where they become practically inseparable. Chaos soon ensues.

Lucy is very likeable, even if a bit naive. She truly treasures her friendship with Amber and supports her at every turn. She has been married for 10 years and is still in love with her husband, Matt. Unfortunately, the one thing that they most want in the world has been elusive – children. Lucy puts that loss aside as she gives all she has to Matt and Amber.

Amber is rude and obnoxious then kind. She doesn’t seem to truly be a trusted friend with Lucy but she does at times pretend to be. Her character is strong throughout. Even when crying or scared, you can still feel her strengths. She is beautiful and uses her looks and fame to get what she wants and manipulates situations.

Matt is a wishy-washy man. He is also a teacher, like Lucy. He spends most of his time immersed in his drama productions for the school or local community theatre. He clearly takes advantage of Lucy’s good nature but does capitulate when she asks if Amber can move in. His character is well developed enough that I disliked him the entire book, even when he was being kind or helpful.

Without the chance of a spoiler, it is difficult to further discuss the plot or storyline. Suffice to say a reader will find this book enjoyable.

I recommend this book. It is a smooth read and has twists after twists at every turn.


I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or ratings of this book.

Lucy is happily married. She loves her teaching job & has just made her lovely house exactly the way she wants. She enjoys her Book Club & nights out with her friends. All in all it is a good life. When a new neighbour moves in Lucy is keen to welcome her. When she realises she is a minor celebrity- a TV weather broadcaster she is very excited. At first Amber is somewhat standoffish, but soon she reciprocates the friendly overtures & before long Lucy is completely under her spell.

I seem to be against the general flow of reviews as I'm afraid I had to give up about a quarter of the way in. My irritation with Lucy grew to the stage where I couldn't bear to read what else she would do to sabotage her life for her selfish neighbour. I also found it hard to forgive Lucy for the way she gossiped about Amber. All in all this one was not for me!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me try to read this book- you can't win them all!

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book was just okay for me. I think it really had potential. It really did not get interesting until about 50 percent through. Lucy and Amber are best friends. Lucy lets Amber move into her home with her husband Matt because Amber has a stalker and is afraid to be alone. Without giving away too much, Lucy was quite annoying and way too trusting with her best friend and husband. The story is told by both friends and the whole truth does not come out until the very last page which does make the book complete.

Quick read with twists you don’t see coming this is definitely a must read for anyone that likes a good thriller. I would highly recommend this book I loved it.

I really enjoyed the tale.. I did think Lucy was quite gullible and naive but then she had to be for the story to work. I found Amber to be very self obsessed and selfish. I thought I knew what the outcome was going to be but No!!! I was quite wrong. I am a fan of Sue Watson's thrillers and have also read the last one she wrote. She is becoming one of my go to authors. Well worth a read.

Thank you NetGalley, She Watson and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Ok so I loved this! It was suspenseful, creepy, fast paced, and everything. I DID NOT SEE THE END COMING!!! I was like whatttt?! :0
Like I completely thought it was one person and then bam. This is so good!!! The only thing I wanted more of was about Matt LIKE I NEED ANSWERS!!! Lol

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a reader I can relate to it, in that we have all got too close to someone who is not a positive influence on our lives. Thankfully most of us don't suffer to the extent that the victim in this book does. While the catastrophic destruction of this woman's world is all encompassing and some may think a little far fetched, I totally bought into it as the author ensured there was a constant flow to the plot and each step action was explained extremely well. Definitely worth a read and a lesson to us all to be careful who we trust and bring into our lives.

This book was a fast read that was written from the perspective of three different characters. The suspense built nicely and there were several twists which worked really well. Definitely one to put on your ‘to be read’ pile!!

The story centres around Lucy and Amber and is somewhere between a thriller, a psychological thriller and a domestic drama. There are plenty of twists and turns, one or two surprises and a twist in the tale to keep you interested.

I enjoyed this book although I did find Lucy annoying at times as she seemed to hang on to Amber's every word from the moment she met her, and was soon abandoning her friends and husband to be with Amber. It flows well and has a great twist though.

The Woman Next Door by Sue Watson is a thriller that felt a bit like a psychological thriller mixed with a domestic drama. The majority of this one is told from the point of view of Lucy, the main character. However occasionally between chapters we get one of those creepy unknown voice POVs and also later in the story there are chapters from the neighbor/friend, Amber.

Along with the point of view changes there are a few time jumps in the story. The opening chapter introduces Lucy and her first impressions of Amber. Lucy is one of those women with the nice house and hubby but she becomes a little starstruck of her new neighbor who is a TV reporter.

The we jump twelve months ahead in the neighborhood during which time Lucy has become good friends with Amber, or has she? Amber certainly seems to enjoy Lucy when she needs her but was this friendship worth abandoning Lucy’s other friends? Before we know it though Amber finds herself with a stalker bringing the two even closer together.

Sue Watson has certainly written one of those books that is incredibly hard to put down and walk away from with The Woman Next Door. Every action and reaction is questionable with each turn of the page leaving me on the edge of my seat trying to figure this one out. Definitely a twisty mess by the time you are done and one I would definitely recommend.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

It took me a few tries to get into this book, but once I did, I really wanted to know where it was going to go. I liked that when it switched perspectives, we got a look at what the other character was thinking in key moments without having to fully rehash them from their perspective so that was very refreshing! I had a lot of ideas around the "twist" but I didn't really see it coming until the last two chapters so overall, it kept me guessing which I really like! Overall, not my most favorite thriller ever, but definitely glad I read it and I would recommend it!

Such a slow start to this book that I kept reading it and falling asleep, but once It picked up and I finally got into it it really improved.

I really couldn’t connect to Lucy or Amber. II found Lucy boring & a push over with no fight in her., I wanted her to stand up for herself and stop letting Amber walk all over her. I found Amber to self-centered and egotistical.

I enjoyed the stalker concept, and didn’t see the big reveal coming, I either love or hate stalker books depending how they or written but I did quite enjoy this one, Self-centred Amber who craves attention seems like she could make up the stalker so I did question their existence for a lot of the book,

Filled with lots of twists, and a air of mystery.
It reminded me of a Soap Opera, with infidelity, stalkers, jealousy, secrets, obsession and lies, but for me it all fell flat.

It took me along time to get through this book, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed it.


Thank you to Netgalley & Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book is simply unputdownable! There’s so many twists and turns, and the tension is palpable.

I didn’t trust Amber right from the start, but as the book progresses, I began to mistrust everyone! I genuinely did not see the ending coming.

Lucy is a likeable character, but I did wonder initially if she was a little gullible and naive. Amber has a lot of issues, but we get more insight into her past as the book continues.

A fabulous twisty plot, with superb characters and a tense and dramatic pace, this is a must read for anyone who likes a good psychological thriller. Highly recommended.

Psychological thriller with many twists .Interesting and complex characters but story didn't hold my interest.

What a brilliant book.
Lucy has a husband ,a job as a teacher and a lovely home
Amber moves in next door the glamorous weather girl
Lucy and Amber grow close and become best friends
Amber starts receiving threatening texts and presents from a stalker Lucy is there for her through all this.
Lucy want amber to move in with them till they find out who is doing this . Amber then finds out she’s pregnant and decides to move in .
This book had it all Stalkers,friendship, betrayal and lots of twists.