I don't even know where to start with my review on this one.

It started out so well, leaving a really eerie sense. And I was quite invested in what was happening. And then somewhere I got confused by which point of view the narration was coming from and all sorts. And it took a turn that might as well have been a completely different book.

I don't know if some of this was lost in narration and would have been better had I read this rather than listening.

The narrator was great - but I don't know if a multiple narrator's rather than just one would have helped this one a bit and made it easier to follow as I don't really know what happened for the last 20% or so

I listened to The Daughter in Law by Nina Manning right before this one and really enjoyed that one, but this one was nowhere near as good and left me feeling confused and annoyed!

The narrator was great again but the parts about Instagram and all the hashtags were annoying to listen to and I found the use of 'baby boy' really irritating too and kept wondering why she wouldn't just name her baby.

The overall story was quite interesting and I did want to keep listening but I felt like some parts were suddenly abandoned, like the housemates and Will, which were only very briefly included right at the end.

I didn't find that the ending was really a 'twist' - it just made me confused and like the whole book had sort of been lying to me! It frustrated me as it felt like it didn't really all come together at the end and I did actually pause the book and go and read some reviews about the ending as I was suddenly confused as hell! I agree with some other reviews that say it was like you were suddenly listening to a different book.

I enjoyed listening to it overall and I will read more from the author but I was disappointed with this one.

Hauntingly addictive and compelling til the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

The house mate by Nina Manning.
I did enjoy listening to this audiobook.
I read and enjoyed her darkest fear. I loved Regi character. I did love the ending and how everything fitted together. 5*.

This story follows Regi, a woman who suffers from OCD, thus is consumed by repetitive, compulsive behaviours and deviating from her routine causes her tremendous anxiety. She has recently moved into a house she shares with three other women.

The novel was well put together and and being something of a psychological thriller fan, I was extremely impressed. I was drawn right into this compulsive story of misperceptions. With a good, even pace I was glued to The House Mate whilst I tried to work out exactly where the tale was taking me. As it toyed with my preconceptions, I was blown away by the surprising ending.

The House Mate was an engrossing listen. It had elements of an audiobook that I enjoy... interesting characters, a slow reveal to answers you wanted as you move through the story, situations and people you can connect or empathise with, or have never experienced and are curious about, and an appealing voice from the narrator.
A pleasure to listen to and review, with my thanks to Netgalley.

Regi is ready for a clean slate. She’s escaped her previous life and needs to carve out her new identity. With her obsessive tendencies and desperation to scrub away her past she becomes hooked on cleaning; idolising Instagrammer ‘Mrs Clean’ whose life appears to be as immaculate as her worktops. But the more she obsesses over her new found icon – the more inconsistencies she starts to see. Is Mrs Clean as pristine as she makes out to be or is she hiding a secret as dirty as Regi’s?

Nina Manning started the story by laying out a lot of the cards on the table straight off the bat, making you feel automatically like you knew Regi, what she was about and where this story was going to go. Quite a lot of the first half of the book was very repetitive; going through a cycle of Regi being nervous, trying to appear normal, obsessing over Mrs Clean – rinse and repeat. The mundane monotony of the introduction meant it was a bit of a flat start; an interesting enough concept, but the plot was almost as repetitive as Regi’s door locking habit. I liked how simple this narrative was however – it’s perfect for a beach read; because there’s nothing too heavy or complex for you to indulge in.

The middle of the narrative was where things really started to get interesting. It broke away from being predictable and started ramping up the tension. I started second guessing some of the characters and couldn’t quite predict what was going to happen next. There were a LOT of ‘red herring’ type characters – which initially added some more levels to the writing, but overall became more of a hindrance to the overall story, leaving open holes and unnecessary twists that didn’t add anything to the final plot. The ending was downright ridiculous and left the reader with more questions than answers. The wrap ups were rushed and the ‘big reveal’ wasn’t a shock because it had already been alluded to throughout the second half of the novel. The ACTUAL reveal was brushed past, leaving the reader confused and frustrated. It didn’t really match anything else in the story and should have been made clearer throughout as it would have allowed the reader to separate the chapters and understand the backstories a bit more – it was not a conclusion that anyone would have wanted or expected!

Helen Keeley was a good narrator - bringing life to some parts of the narrative that were a bit lost when reading it as a normal book. She communicated the character of Regi well and her pace was well suited to this type of narrative. I'd happily listen to an audiobook narrated by Helen again in the future.

Prior to the ending, I did enjoy this book, because it was a light, easy read – without too much thought or attention needed. I feel like I’m being more harsh on it than I would have been if the conclusion didn’t go down the route it had, because overall it just left me with an infuriated outlook on the rest of the narrative. I haven’t read any books by Nina Manning before – but with a little bit of polishing and a slight clean up of the ending, this could have been a real winner!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my advanced listener copy! 💕

Intriguing. Enjoyed the way it explores obsessive behaviour, how patterns are created and changed, and how what we see, especially on social media, is not always real.

A great book, excellently narrated.

I am not really sure how I feel about this book - some parts I really enjoyed and kept me captivated but found some of the story was far fetched in places which spoilt it a little for me. The ending had a completely surprising twist which I didn't see coming. .
I liked the author's style of writing and the narrator did a great job making the book easy to listen to, adding to the tension with her voice when this was needed and she really made the characters come to life.

This audiobook, a psychological thriller with relatable characters is a bit slow but the story will keep you gripped. Narration dragged a little for me and I took longer than normal to finish. Worth staying with though.
My thanks to Netgalley the publisher and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great book, easy to listen to and great narration. I’d recommend this as a perfect book to listen to whilst relaxing in the sunshine.

I loved this audiobook. I have read other books by this author and loved them also. I found the characters were very relatable and I liked the way the story unfolded.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Nina Manning fir the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Description
The perfect life? ...Or the perfect lie?
When Regi moves into her new house share, she's ready for a clean slate. A new home. A new routine. A new identity...

Desperate to escape the shadow of her past that follows her everywhere she goes, Regi finds the ideal distraction in the perfect lives of others on social media.

But as innocent scrolling turns into an unhealthy obsession, Regi will soon learn that seeking perfection comes at a price...

Review

Audio copy.

I listened to this over a month so perhaps it was my fault that the story didnt seem to flow and that liking Regi was a slow burn. This I would say is a quick easy thriller, psychological crime read and one that you could race thru. It will stand and fight its corner in that genre as there are alot of things that keep you reading - wanting to find out about Regis past, there is a strong pull towards child protection, and the social media element is of the times, tho could be interpreted as far farfetched as it brings the book to its conclusion.

I would read and enjoy it for what it is a good page turner, a holiday read that will keep you gripped.

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#TheHouseMate#NetGalley


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I really enjoyed this book. I thought the narrator did an excellent job of bringing the book to life. One of the main themes of the book is that you cannot always believe everything you see on Instagram and that often we only see what the creator wants you to see, which is often not reality. We learn that this is also the case with the narrator, which we discover ro be unreliable. This leads to twists and turns during the book. Many of which I didn't see coming.

I did enjoy this book eventually and thought that the ending was very revealling. However, it took a long time to get into the grit of the story and I was somewhat frustrated for the first 5 or 6 chapters as it felt like a narrated version of a persons struggle with ocd. Once the story opened up it was really quite interesting but perhaps the scene setting of the opening chapters could have been more condensed to get to the story itself more efficiently. A good read overall but felt I had to persevere with it to get through to the good parts.

I was unable to download this book to the netgalley shelf app so unable to review. The app works now however didnt at the start.

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I could not have predicted the ending. So many twists and turns to keep you completely hooked. The book was well written and very raw. It deals with lots of sensitive issues in a way which is real and gives you such empathy for the characters.

A really absorbing book about getting obsessed with social media. using social media to try and hide the unhappiness in your life. Quite a twisted story that takes a while to come together. I really enjoyed listening to it. Thank you for my copy.

Brilliant book with a brilliant twist. Reggie is returning to university aged 35, she is living in a house with three other girls, but her obsession make her stand out never mind the fact she is 15 years older than the other girls in the house. Moving from present day to the past this book goes perfectly. A really great listen.

An interesting story which explores the life of Regi, who suffers from OCD. She is totally overwhelmed by her compulsive and repetitive behaviours. She discovers an instagram account by the name of Mrs Clean, who appears to have the 'perfect life'; Perfect, pure and ideal. As we know with social media, things are not always as they appear, and the life MRs Clean lives comes at a very big cost.
I really enjoyed the Instagram aspect of the story, as well how OCD was explored throughout the novel.
I felt the narrator was a good fit for this book - she was particularly good!
I felt the second half of the book there were actually too many twists which made the story slightly confusing and over-complicated. Despite this, I was thoroughly entertained and I would read more books by this author in the future.
Many thanks for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!