Cover Image: The Woman Upstairs

The Woman Upstairs

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Member Reviews

A rushed relationship, a naive and vulnerable lead (1st time mum pregnant with twins) and a new house to boot? When everything is new, or just happening, you can feel yourself whipping through the pages just to see what's going to go wrong first.

Entertaining, easy read.

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Katie is a doormat. Seriously, it's like use me, abuse me, and may I have another?

I kept reading thinking that at some point in her life, she'd get a spine. (Spoiler alert...she did not!)

If that's not enough, the book is messy-in-a-bad-way. Like, no way on earth did any of this make sense.

I did finish the book. I don't know why I did that.

Skip.

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The Woman Upstairs by Ruth Heald was another excellent book especially as it was a quick easy to read thriller that will have you hooked very quickly, great for a holiday read.

WoW, This book was Brilliant and had me hooked from the first few pages till the end especially as its fully of great twists and turns throughout.

I highly recommend all of Ruth's books. They will have you hooked, especially as she has become one of my favourite authors now.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I will read absolutely anything Ruth Heald writes. This was brilliant and on point for her. Another page turner with great twists. Highly recommend.

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A friend in need, is a friend indeed. Imagine going through life without having the type of friend that will have your back, always and forever. But is that friend really your friend? This was a gripping read, that just answers that question! Recommended.

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The Woman Upstairs is well written and develops at a good pace. Characters are creepy and there are plenty of twists and an extremely original ending.
Ruth Heald has an amazing writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books.

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Thank you for the copy of this but, but it wasn't for me. I thought the cover was great but the book didn't live up to expectations. I struggled with the writing style, found the story too far fetched and gave up. Not everything suits everyone !

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There is so much craziness going on in this book, it was hard to stop reading. Katie has just started a relationship with Ian when she discovers that she's pregnant with twins. At first it seems like all will work out wonderfully for her, but Ian is not all that he says he is and when Katie meets a doula by the name of Paula, Katie thinks she has all the help she needs, but Paula isn't all that she claims to be either. A good, wild ride.

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I really struggled with The Woman Upstairs, I found it very far fetched and although I tried to persevere with the book I gave up on it in the end. Sorry not for me.

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First off I just loved the cover of this novel! It was very interesting and made me extremely intrigued to read it and oh my am I glad I did! Y’all are going to love this... such a great thriller!

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While I enjoyed the story overall, the main character, Katie, was so naive and dimwitted I couldn't quite latch on to the book in general. I also could see the twist coming from a mile away!
Thanks to Ruth Heald, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

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Suspenseful and atmospheric, this was a great novel. A quick read, it kept me engaged and the twist was fantastic.

Highly recommended.

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I really enjoyed this thriller, and the twist (there's always a twist isn't there?). That said, I did find Katie to be a bit annoying and naive through the story. The flashbacks added a chilling element to the book. A good solid 4 stars.

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A suspenseful, mysterious, psychological thriller that contains unexpected twists and turns. Katie a thirty-six year old barista, finds herself pregnant with twin girls. She hasn't been dating Ian very long, but he seems excited about becoming a father. Katie meets Paula, a doula, who offers to help her through the birth process and the adjustment of mothering twins. Gradually, Paula takes control of Katie and the twins. Anytime Katie mentions that she is ready to take control of the twins and Paula needs to go back to her life, Paula becomes almost violent. Interspersed throughout the story are tidbits about sisters trying to deal with physical abuse from their father. It definitely kept me interested, even though at times I questioned how gullible Katie was and how she allowed a virtual stranger to take total control of her and her children's lives. Anytime she had any questions or doubts about Paula, Paula's exaggerated reactions quickly quieted her concerns. The explosive conclusion was surprising and unexpected, but the perfect end to the story. Thank-you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Ruth Heald for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

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I tried very hard to find two positive adjectives that can best describe what I feel about this book - sadly I came up with nothing. This is the story of a woman who is a train-wreck-waiting-to-happen.

When Katie finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she doesn't know what to do or who to turn to. Luckily for her, her partner Ian is happy about the pregnancy. Their joy is doubled when they discover they're having twins! Soon Ian asks Katie to move into a house with him. Katie is beyond excited to start a new life with the love of her life and soon-to-arrive bundles of joy. But Katie soon discovers discrepancies in Ian's life. He is not who he says he has her stay in a derelict house for a night. Pregnant and alone Katie is scared for herself and her babies. To keep her safe and ease into motherhood, Katie hires a doula Paula she met at a coffee shop. Katie immediately takes to her and invites her to her home. Paula is an expert. She not only helps Katie during her delivery, but she also feeds the twins, takes care of them and sings them to sleep. Soon Katie comes to trust Paula and relies heavily on her to help her out with the babies. Katie has soon distanced herself from everyone, so when Paula isn't who she says she is, who will she turn to?

I did not like any of the characters in this one - especially Katie. I find it hard coming to terms with how naive and stupid she can be. While I empathize with her and the situation she finds herself in, I expected her to conduct herself with more sense. Katie has always been a free spirit and lived life on her terms. given that she has practically lived her whole adult life as an independent woman I expected her to be more street-wise and think more on her feet and not be the gullible fool she's shown to be. It just makes it so hard to believe that anyone could be so impressionable - hormones or not! At every turn, I found myself practically yelling at the stupid woman to open her eyes and see what exactly she's doing. Especially since she's a mother to twins and has an added responsibly for the safety and happiness of two more humans. Katie is shown to be growing increasingly depending on her doula despite knowing next to nothing about her. What does that tell you about her? She gives up her bed and sleeps on a damp mattress and lets her doula sleep with her kids in her bed. How more kooky can she get? The story too is slow and practically relies on Katie putting her head in the sand. I'm really and truly disappointed in the character of Katie and the way she screws up her own life. I like my characters to be more realistic and show if not lots then just a little bit of intelligence. The only parts I liked were the flashback chapters. They added more intrigue to the book than Katie and her sob-story did. Hence the two stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Ruth Heald for an arc!

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Really enjoyed this book, only took me 3 days as I just couldn't put it down.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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This was a fantastic read and I read it in one sitting. Every time you thought you had the story figured out the author threw in another game changer. Can’t wait to read the authors next book!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I loved this book. Was such a great storyline. I loved the characters, the plot. I couldn't stop reading it. I cant say enough about it.

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I like the way this author writes. Because of that I bumped up my rating a star.

To say this story is strange is putting it mildly. It is clever though and there are many twists and surprises. Katie, our narrator, is so naive and makes so many ridiculous choices. This story would have been significantly more believable had she been much younger.

There is a series of snippets about 2 children being abused and those were quite chilling. Then many of the characters spin their relationship with abuse also, so who is the voice behind these memories?

There are some very strange things that take place (Katie’s mom refusing to put up her pregnant daughter for the night??). These things worked to make me doubt everyone but in the end there were too many convenient coincidences to have it be at all believable. Nonetheless it was quite entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

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A quick and easy to read story with lots of twists. I think the new title is more fitting to the book.

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