After reading and enjoying The Chalet by this author I was excited to read the latest book The Chateau. I wasn’t disappointed.

Struggling couple Nick and Aura have moved to France and at the start we see them at very early stages of renovation on what they hope will become a beautiful chateau that will be their home and welcome paying guests. The book offers a dual time line so we see a before look at their life in the UK and slowly we discover what has made the couple decide on this major change after hearing from both Aura, Nick and others in the cast of characters.

In France the couple seem to be welcomed into the expat community, but who is friend and who is foe? Strange things start to happen which frighten Aura and the children but who can she trust? Back in time in the UK we see why the move was made and the potential scandal facing Nick.

The book builds suspense well and the characters are interesting, complex and unpeeled like onions. Some are more loveable than others are there are some very dark and disturbing parts with twists and turns especially at the climax.

Well worth a read for fans of thrillers and thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A suspense thriller but where we could guess why things were happening and had an idea who might be behind them. I hadn't quite worked out who was who, and when we found out the killer I was left wondering about my initial assumption until the final twist. Nick and Aura are not likeable characters - Nick is firmly in the "my wife doesn't understand me" camp, and Aura is a self-indulgent, spoilt child who doesn't show any motherly instincts, apart from over protectiveness. The main back story was the scandal that drove them to move to France and renovate a dilapidated chateau, but the effects of Aura's decision not to vaccinate her children was on point and very topical. A troubled marriage, an emphasis on the "me, me, me" culture and some dramatic outcomes. #netgalley #thechateau

I somehow didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would - there are many things that I liked such as the French chateau setting, the expat community, the TV show filming the family as they attempt to renovate their chateau and not snap at each other in front of the cameras… but my main issue is that there was a huge amount of build up and then all the drama was squashed into the last couple of chapters. I thought the characters were written well and I felt quite invested in Nick and Aura and their family. The story is split into two timelines of present day France and the year before in London - I much preferred the France timeline and felt that didn’t get enough airtime and a lot more could have been done with it throughout the story rather than crammed in at the beginning and end.

The author’s writing style is definitely good and this story did have potential but it didn’t quite work for me. The final plot twists felt rushed and unbelievable and I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I will be reading The Chalet at some point and will hope that I get on with that one better!

The Chateau is a compulsive and luxurious thriller set in the French countryside. Meet Aura and Nick, a married couple from London who uproot and decide to emigrate to live in and drastically renovate a rustic chateau in the southern French region of Mozène. They moved there two months ago with their two young boys - Bay and Sorrel - and although it needs lots of work it has the potential to be their dream home. Purchased using money recently inherited by Aura, they also plan to run it as a chambres d’hôtes business in order to finance their lives after they escaped from an unspecified scandal that happened back in England.

Former teacher Nick and his free-spirited wife agree to take part in a documentary, French Fancy, in which a television crew films them at home 24/7; a reality show depicting the process of home renovation after a family relocation to France. The crew consists of twenty-somethings Seb - the producer and director - and Chloe - the researcher - both of whom will reside with them for the entire filming process. Helen also lives in their spacious abode as Aura has embraced a scheme that allows her to provide Helen with room and board in exchange for assistance looking after her demanding children while they transform the property.

The ex-pat community is large in the area too and they are welcoming to the family with Aura having made a few friends. But when an ex-pat neighbour, Thea, invites them to a sumptuous Halloween party at the fairytale-esque pristine Chateau Amaryllis, a gruesome murder of one of the guests takes place which they become alerted to when a waitress who had served them their extravagant hog roast dinner screams that she has found a body. Aura and Nick now don't know who to trust and the crime brings tensions back to the surface regarding their reason for escaping England. Is this their past threatening to come back to haunt them as it often does?

Who is the victim, and why were they killed? This is a compulsive and enthralling thriller with plenty of eerie, unexplained incidents, devious twists and a story all about the desire for vengeance. It has a really brilliant setting – you have both beauty and danger which is a great mix and the lavish surroundings are not only beautifully described but provide some much-needed escapism. It is told from multiple perspectives and switches between the lead up to the murder and the eight months before the move to France where the reason for the move slowly unravels. If you enjoy shocking revelations and pacy drama set against a high-end backdrop, this is well worth a read. Highly recommended.

I found The Chateau a little slow at the start but it doesn’t take too long to get going. There are lots of twists that I did not see coming particularly towards the end and what great twists they are! I thought it was really good how the past and present tie in together and also how the events from the past have led them to the chateau in France.
The characters were quite likeable despite some of the things they did however I did find Aura a bit annoying. Even though I think I preferred The Chalet the ending to The Chateau is fab!
I constantly wanted to pick it up and keep reading!

I previously enjoyed Catherine Cooper’s book The Chalet and so I was excited to read the ARC for The Chateau.

The covers to the books are very similar and both felt very much within the same style. The Chateau is a twisty psychological thriller with well-drawn characters and Cooper’s writing leads you gently to make certain assumptions before twisting everything on its head. The characters are well developed, however I didn’t particularly like any of them! Aura and Mike seemed very self-obsessed and we didn’t particularly warm to any of the other side-characters either meaning you didn’t really have anyone to root for throughout the plot.

The piece jumps from present day in France for the first third, the past in London in the middle and then back to present day. The narration also jumps between three key characters which I thought worked well and helped to keep the pace up. However, there is a lot of build-up here, to the point that I got to around the 80% mark and I was still waiting for the main storyline to kick in as all we had were various parts to the story without an idea of how they all fit together. The middle London story line, which is more relationship and domestic focussed, also felt very different to the crime and horror elements which had been presented in the first third so in comparison it dragged a little as I wanted to skip through it to find out how it impacted what was happening in the present day.#

The ending was split into two parts which made it feel a little unrealistic – you have to hold your suspension of disbelief a little for it to work. Although one strand of the ending was well set up and made sense, the other one came completely out of left field. This was great to make a hard-hitting twist but it also felt a little ‘shoe-horned’ in and the end few chapters felt like a monologue of someone explaining why and what they did rather than making it a seamless piece of the story.

Overall, The Chateau isn’t quite as tightly plotted as Catherine Cooper’s previous book The Chalet but it’s still an engaging read and I’ll certainly keep an eye out for her next one! Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – Harper Fiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure how to review this book. I was a little frustrated because it changed locations and had too many cliff hangers! It seemed as though several stories were interacting and in too much detail
But, clarification comes to those who read to the end where all the lose ends are finally tied up after a satisfying climax.
An unusual plot expansion which had me guessing until the end.

After an incident at school forces Nick to leave his teaching job, he and Aura decide to buy a rundown chateau in the South of France to start again with their two young sons. But then strange things start to happen that unsettles them all, and a body is found. Is somebody trying to stop their idyllic new life?

The Chateau is a good but complicated story, both in terms of the plot and the characters. Aura (short for Alison?) is so over the top obsessed with her children and herself that she is impossible to like or empathise with. At the same time, Nick, while not totally responsible for the situation, is definitely not completely innocent either. Of all the characters, about the only one to feel anything for would be Helen, the nanny, who obviously has a secret agenda, otherwise she wouldn’t put up with Aura’s behaviour for more than a day!

Full of twists and turns, with a finale that I certainly didn’t see coming, and with many coincidences that would be unlikely in real life, Catherine Cooper has written an entertaining novel, good for escaping with!

This book was fast paced and jam packed with plenty going on! It was very cleverly plotted, split in to three parts with multi narratives.

We get to see the sides of both Nick and Aura .. neither really likeable but with more and more being revealed about their pasts it just made it more intriguing!

Nick and Aura meet some very eccentric characters as they start their new life in France. Alongside that they are being filmed for a TV show, following them in their new life as they do up the Chateau. They have also hired in Helen from 'happy help' who helps in the chateau with the children in exchange for free board.

But with so many new faces and strange things starting to happen Nick and Aura dont know who to trust! And we as the reader are kept guessing too...

What did they leave behind in London?
Who is behind the murder at the lavish party? And who is behind the strange goings in the Chateau?

When the back story is revealed the plot really starts to come together.. although there are some surprise turns and plot twists that we didn't see coming..this made for a real page turner! ..🍷

I will definitely be reading more from Catherine Cooper!

Wow,what a breathtaking read!
I loved it.
One of the main characters of Aura I throughly disliked,liked Nick though til partway through the story when my feelings changed,the characters so well written.
I could not read fast enough so engrossing was the story,so many twists and turns and offshooting tales but never overtaking from the main story and the ending expolsive!

After loving The Chalet last year, I couldn’t wait to read Catherine Cooper’s follow up. And The Chateau is another fast-paced and mysterious holiday-set thriller full of exciting twists.

Cooper’s stories always gave a strong sense of entertainment to them, and The Chateau is certainly another wild journey told through a multi-layered narrative to keep you constantly on your toes.

However, I really struggled to engage with this one for two reasons. First, the story is split into present and past instead of going back and forth between the two timelines. Although this allows you to get to know Aura and Nick individually to sway your loyalty, I found the disconnect too much and started to forget about what was going on at the chateau while we were back in England.

Second, I constantly kept changing my mind about which character I hated the most. At first, it’s easy to put the blame on Nick because he seems so disinterested in his family. But then when you see things from the other side, you begin to see the flaws in Aura, instead. But what I didn’t like about this was that it felt like I was being convinced to dislike Aura because of her “hippy” parenting style. Although she was obviously struggling and there was plenty that I didn’t agree with, I’m quite open-minded and believe that parents can bring up their children however they see fit, so I felt like she was being attacked which is what prevented me from engaging fully.

This was just a personal niggle for me, though, and there is still so much that I enjoyed about this book. There are some great twists, and I love how Cooper adds a sense of fun in trying to figure out who’s behind these strange ongoings. I wasn’t far off with some of my predictions, but there’s sure to be plenty that will leave you gasping in shock.

Aura and Nick have bought a chateau in France, it needs a lot of work but then so it seems does their marriage. They have to stay together because of the children. And they don’t ever mention what happened in England.

The community they move to has many expats and they are welcomed into this community. But one of the parties seems rather more than Aura and Nick bargained for.

Then the next party a dead body is found.

Nothing is as it seems and can anyone be trusted?

But then can Aura and Nick be trusted? What really happened in England and will that have any bearing on what seems to be going on in this French Chateau.

With plenty of twists and turns and the events in England you start to from your own opinion about this married couple until the inevitable happens?

Can you find the truth?

For me this was a fast paced, page turner which whizzed backwards and forwards from events in France and whatever happened to add the background of England. I despised the characters but that doesn’t mean I disliked the book. The skill in creating and writing people who you cannot bring yourself to like but still need to know more about is not easy. It can go two ways, readers sometimes don’t like it. For me I loved it.

A good second book and I would love to see what this author comes up with next as she definitely has the skill of hooking you in to a plot and some great characters.

This is an interesting novel, starting gently, even a bit obviously, with a typical ‘haunted house’ format before merging into a ‘teen romance’ and ultimately a ‘whodunit’.
Aura and Nick, an English couple in their late twenties, buy and move into a ramshackle chateau in the South of France with their two very young children, with the aim of turning it into a ‘chambre d’ hote after renovation. They are not on the best of terms, sniping and castigating. There is clearly some event in their past which has led to this, which is held back from the reader for the first third of the book. They have agreed to be part of a TV documentary, so are followed around by a two person crew. This is a necessary plot device but strikes me as being an improbable thing for this troubled couple to do.
They meet an eclectic bunch of expats, including Thea, the rich owner of a sumptuous nearby chateau, Frank, an older man who is the neighbourhood ‘fixer’ - sorting out problems which the vagaries of the French regulatory and commercial systems present to the anglophone arrivistes - and Helen, a mature English woman who comes to live with them in a sort of au pair role.
The chateau begins to experience strange phenomena in the middle of the night, loud music, lights switching on for no reason and, more eerily, the older child reports hearing disembodied voices when he’s in bed.
Thea is noted for her parties some of which are extremely ‘adult’ and some of which are very ‘family’. Her latest, a Halloween fancy dress extravaganza, is ended abruptly by a death. But whose?
The back history is revealed in some (perhaps too much) detail and the plot starts to come together. This, and the whole story, is well handled, logical and rational, although a bit over contrived. It is told in episodes narrated in the first person by different characters. The ending is a shade predictable but ultimately surprising.
I would like to thank the author, the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an advance proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I've seen so many people raving about The Chalet (I've still not read it but it's on my TBR) so I jumped at the chance to read this. It has a lot going on, several sinister underlying themes, glamour and retribution. It was a firm 3 star read until the twists at the end which were worthy of an extra star. A quick, gripping read.

Halloween. A night where traditionally all ghosts zombies and monsters emerge from the woodwork ready to play, party and celebrate in a ghoulish and freaky manner. At chateau Amaryllis in the Mozene region of southern France Thea, a woman well known for her lavish (sometimes somewhat exuberant and hedonistic ) parties is hosting her own Halloween extravaganza, a party the guests are unlikely to forget in a hurry. For hidden in the shadows is a far more sinister figure than any of these pretend vampires and witches, someone hell bent on providing the guests with the biggest fright of the night. The discovery of a dead body brings the party to a bloodcurdling full stop and so begins Catherine Cooper’s latest thriller. One single thrust of a blade splices Nick and Aura’s dreams of starting over in two, leaving the expat community in this usually quiet rural French idyll reeling with shock. I gave a glowing review for this author’s debut so like many others I was expecting great things from this highly anticipated second novel. So much so, I deliberately set aside a whole Sunday dedicated to devouring this in one sitting. Was The Chateau worth the wait? Read on for my thoughts…

Opening with the discovery of a dead body is all the enticement I needed to set my mind into overdrive, wondering who has fallen foul of a grim reaper. It was imperative I answer those questions as quickly as possible but I was in for a tantalisingly long wait before the identity of the victim emerges! Having set the trap in which to capture her readers attention Catherine Cooper then rewinds to Nick and Aura’s arrival at their own dilapidated chateau, chateau Ricane where after extensive renovations they hope to start running a B&B. With their two boys Bay and Sorrel in tow, this new chapter in their lives is being filmed for a TV show by crew of two, Seb and Chloe. HappyHelper Helen is also on hand to look after the children whilst the work is being carried out and fellow expat Frank is taking on the role of the good neighbour intent on helping ease the transition from London city life. Tension between husband and wife hangs in the air, small subtle hints dropped as to the reasons precipitating the move which creates plenty of intrigue.

There’s isn’t the same sense of place imbued in the writing as I was expecting and found in The Chalet. I think this is largely due to the fact much of the action switches back to London and events leading up Nick and Aura’s decision to hop across the Channel before there’s even time for the dust to settle over their new surroundings. As someone who’s previously enjoyed many a time in the south of France ( although not living in a chateau!) I wanted more of the cool Mediterranean vibe but that is never really on the cards. Instead a strange, unsettling and uncomfortable atmosphere lingers over the chateau and these characters but the author doesn’t allow these feelings to fully fester before she whisks you further back in time to English shores, and the motivations behind certain characters behaviour become crystal clear. There’s elements of a potential ghost/supernatural story evident in the strange goings on at Chateau Ricane, disturbing the peace and tranquillity and in keeping with the Halloween theme but whether that aspect is further developed is for me to know and for you to find out!

As far as characterisation goes this novel is full of strange, aloof, unhinged, wealthy and entitled, colourful individuals none of whom are particularly likeable. Some are more welcoming towards Nick and Aura than others but first impressions are that as a couple with a young family they might have their work cut out fitting in. Suffice to say the kind of leisure activities some of these characters like to indulge in are not everyone’s cup of tea! The continual presence of Frank who Aura initially befriended via Facebook seems to annoy Nick who’s rather more wary of this friendly, helpful,keen to please stranger than his wife is, even though Frank isn’t the man she has imagined him to be. There’s a needy, desperate air about him which does make you question his eagerness in involving himself so readily in this family’s life. Is his behaviour entirely altruistic? Helen is much older than the usual young backpacking student Aura expected to turn up on the doorstep but since she is preoccupied with knocking the chateau into shape hardly gives much thought to this observation. Helen’s brilliant with the boys and as far as Aura is concerned that’s all that matters. Hovering in the background are filmmakers Seb and Chloe, ready to capture the best highlights of Nick and Aura’s French adventure but like the majority of these characters, apart from the married couple, they really remain on the fringes.

My main criticism with this thriller is with regard to the plotting which isn’t watertight. Once the narrative switches to London I could immediately predict the route the author plans to take, the red herrings not quite convincing enough to distract me from many of the clues that slot easily into place. I’m not saying I managed to accurately guess every single twist but I quickly formed enough correct assumptions to lessen, although not ruin, my overall enjoyment of the book. I was still surprised and shocked by some outcomes, so I have very mixed feelings about this book that I had so been looking forward to reading. I didn’t love it as much as The Chalet but I didn’t hate it either! Ultimately the storyline centres around bad decisions that are further compounded by even worse ones so that you can’t help but feel some of these characters are responsible for digging their own graves! All it requires is for someone to give the final push! Just desserts springs to mind when nearing the conclusion and despite the strange convoluted twists that arise there’s a certain degree of delight to be taken from the ways in which the author wraps up this tale of a fresh start turned bad. The final few twists go some way to improving my overall impression.

The Chateau is not as brilliant as The Chalet but it’s still a good domestic thriller. There needs to be a lot more misdirection, tension, (less bizarre) twists and suspense to warrant a 5⭐️review from me. To be honest I think the majority of armchair detectives could easily solve the main part of this puzzle; my brain desired a more taxing workout! Whilst on occasion it’s nice to experience that smug feeling you get from guessing correctly ahead of the big reveal, by and large it’s far more satisfying to reach the ending having been well and truly outsmarted by the author. My generous 4⭐️ reflects the ease with which I whizzed through the pages and the fact Catherine Cooper’s style of writing is fluent and incredibly digestible. I might have been left feeling slightly disappointed in general but that definitely hasn’t put me off wanting to read book number three!!

My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Aura and Nick and their two young sons move to France after buying a chateau in need of renovation.
The setting seems perfect , but all is not as it initially seems. Aura and Nick’s relationships isn’t perfect and there are issues. The characters are multi faceted and not always likeable.
The writing is of a high calibre and the story moves at a swift pace, there are different narratives and they flow easily and kept my interest throughout . The book is full of twists and turns and plenty of intrigue and overall a solid interesting read , I thoroughly enjoyed the final twist. Looking forward to the next Catherine Cooper book.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

A really good read. Jumping between timelines and different narrators was a bit annoying at first, but once the story got going I got used to it. The book is cleverly written so the reader thinks they know what's going to happen but is totally wrong. I guessed the murderer but for the wrong crime. Can't say too much. Even though the story is implausible, it's an entertaining whodunit and what did they do.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK for the electronic copy.

This book certainly has an intriguing and twisty storyline and, although I did finish it, there were moments when I really thought I couldn't stand to read about the main characters anymore. None of them were likeable and all very shallow.

Nick and Aura, together with their two boys Bay and Sorrel have left London to start a new life in rural France where they intend to renovate Chateau Ricane, start a B&B and for Aura to build up a clientele of ex-pats for counselling sessions. Aura is the driving force and via Facebook got the help of Frank to organise electricity and internet prior to their arrival; she also was in contact with "HappyHelp" where, mostly, students would work for householders in exchange for board - they find Helen to help them with the boys. Additionally they have Seb and Chloe filming around them for a programme documenting ex-pats in France. Nick appears to do very little - he really didn't want to move but it was the only way to keep his family together. Aura doesn't seem too bothered whether he's with her or not; she's forever doting on the boys and being very over-protective.
Then strange things start happening...........

The narrative then enlightens the reader as to the reasons they needed a fresh start in the first place - this bit is, well, worthy of a lot of skim-reading.

But - not everyone in France is who they seem to be - at least one has murder in mind - but why? The twists come in Part 3 and yes, they've been cleverly thought-out, but I didn't really care for the writing style, the banality of the dialogue nor the lack of characterisation.
But of course, this is just my opinion.

2.5*

This is a great read.
I loved The Chalet and was keen to read this one.
Nick and Aura have bought a Chateau in France that needs a lot of renovation. They have two small children and Aura finds it hard to cope at times.
The book is in three parts but there’s also chapters from their life in London before the move.
Something happens in London which makes them decide to move and start again but it’s not as idyllic as Aura thinks.
There’s a lot more to this story but I can’t tell you about it as it would spoil it for you.
I really enjoyed this book but have to say I didn’t like any of the characters.
I found it ended quite abruptly but overall it’s a great read.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved this book! Such a fantastic storyline.

I loved the dual timelines and the different storylines that were present within the book.

The characters were shocking and intriguing!! Aura frustrated the hell out of me! Love reading about characters like that 😂.

I didn’t see any of the twists coming, which there where plenty of!

I highly recommends his book to all thriller fans.
Thank you to @harpercollinsuk and @netgalley for this advanced readers copy, in exchange for an honest review.