Wow! Shalini Boland has done it again. I flew through this book and loved every minute of it. It's an excellent, fast paced, domestic thriller that leaves you guessing at every twist and turn.

Nina and Zac move into a "fixer upper' of a ground floor flat, and are welcomed on moving in day by Chris and Vanessa, the couple from the flat upstairs. Chris immediately ignores Nina and converses with Chris, with Vanessa not making a peep. Is this a sign of thing to come? There are a few other dubious characters thrown in as well, all adding to the mystery of the story.

The book is written mainly from the point of view of Nina, with chapters every now and again entitled "THEN" , we are not made aware of the narrator of these chapters, which lends itself to the twists of the book. Who is speaking, what is their secret, how is it all going to unravel?

Another absolutely fantastic book, from an inspirational author. I am a big fan and am already looking forward to Shalini's next release.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of the ebook in return for an independent and honest review.

This was a good, creepy thriller. I liked the optimism of the main character and her energy for her job and how her downfall was predicted. I did find some of the characters a bit one dimensional but this was an entertaining read to curl up with on the weekend.

This book started off very intriguing and I really liked the main characters and their relationship. I was waiting and waiting for more to happen and while it did keep me interested, it wasn't a very shocking / surprising ending.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review

The chapters of this domestic drama/ thriller are predominantly voiced from the perspective of thirty one year old Nina who runs her own business called Mistletoe Lane. When we first meet Nina, she and her boyfriend Zac are in the process of moving into their new flat which is situated in a big house that had been converted into two apartments. Nina was so excited about the move, this was the fulfilment of her dreams, a home near the coast and a new chapter in their lives. Zac had been harbouring doubts about the move, he had wanted to move somewhere closer to the town centre but Nina had sweet talked him into getting her own way. But almost from the moment that they had moved into their new home, things started to go wrong, they were both hit by a crippling stomach bug, there was a mysterious power cut and people started posting nasty comments online about her business and the quality of the products she was selling. As time passed a atmosphere developed between Nina and Zac that was so thick, you could cut it with a knife and they were either constantly arguing or not talking.

Nina's dream had turned into a living nightmare but why? Was everything that was happening just down to bad luck and coincidence? Was she blowing things out of proportion or was Nina the pawn in a unknown enemy's twisted game of bullying, intimidation and manipulation?

As with all Shalini Boland's thrillers, The Couple Upstairs has a fast of realistic individuals, people who could be living in any street, in any town or city, maybe on the same street as any one of the many readers who love her books. There was the grumpy old lady, the two faced neighbour who turns nasty for no apparent reason, Nina's bitchy mother and sister in law and the neighbours upstairs Vanessa and Chris. I loved Nina's dad, her brother's and her friends Ben, Kit, Cali and Amy but I can't say that I liked Zac very much even after I learned the reason behind his behaviour. As for Nina herself, like many readers, I like to feel some type of connection with the main character of a story but I can't say that I felt any with Nina as the story unfolded. I wouldn't say that she was unlikable, she was just a character whose life was falling apart around her but the question was why?

Scattered throughout the book was chapters that were set in the past, written in italics and voiced from the perspective of a mystery character who was the black sheep of their family and was struggling to make friends at school until a bit called Alex walked into their life. But who was this person and how did their story for into events that were unfolding in the present day?

As readers have come to expect from this talented author's books, The Couple Upstairs is a extremely well written domestic drama/thriller that has some unexpected twists and turns and a truly chilling conclusion. I will admit that it did take a while for the story to draw me in but once it captured my attention, I couldn't put it down and wanted to know who was messing with Nina's life and why? A enjoyable, entertaining read and another brilliant addition to Shalini Boland's catalogue of thrillers.

Whilst this was an easy and for the most part, enjoyable read, I wouldn't say it was particularly thrilling. Perhaps a little too slow paced?!

This was the first book I'd read by Shalini Boland and having read through some of the other reviews, I'd definitely be open to reading more in the hope of a more gripping tale!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 📖

Supremely confident psychological suspense with an unreliable protagonist, a supposedly idyllic community setting that is not quite what it seems and a manipulative and twisted antagonist. I love this author's books because there is always an unexpected twist. For regular readers, the fun is trying to guess who isn't what they seem.

Classic, domestic suspense with the expected underlying edge of menace. What seems obvious is twisted until it is unrecognisable and the threat real. The perfect book if you like your psychological suspense atmospheric and well-written.

I received a copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Nina and Zac have just moved into the cozy apartment of their dreams. It’s close to the sea and the perfect place to start their life together. Chris and Vanessa are their new neighbors. After meeting them, things instantly start to go wrong. Nina’s perfect life begins to unravel. Beneath the idyllic facade, lies deception, betrayal and danger. This fast paced thriller had me on the edge of my seat. Shalini Boland never disappoints. Extremely entertaining and suspenseful!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy.

Another page-turner from this author. I enjoyed the set up, the wondering who was creating trouble and why until it slowly became clear who the culprit was. I thought Nina was a great central character, although I didn't always like her, and the story did a good job of highlighting the conflicts between work and relationships. Some great twists at the end. All in all a great read.

What a read!!! I was kindly gifted an early e-copy in return of an honest review. I loved this! The cover immediately caught my attention & I couldn’t put it down! I would certainly recommend.

Good psychological easy to read novel with a twist ending. A young couple move into a new home by the sea and try to befriend their upstairs neighbours, who seem to be hiding something. The strange dynamics causes a rift between the couple as Nina and Zac have different views on what is going on with the neighbour's upstairs.

Young couple Nina and Zac buy their first flat together and meet their neighbours Chris and Vanessa when they first move in. Zac and Chris quickly become friends, but Nina has a strange feeling about Chris and doesnt trust him, feeling he is more harmful and manipulative than Zac does. Nina and Zac's relationship starts going downhill as does her online fashion business, where reviews are suddenly becoming more negative after months of positive growth. What can be causing Nina and Zac to argue so much, why is Zac starting to distrust Nina, why are her reviews turning sour?
'The Couple Upstairs' is an easy to read psychological thriller with an interesting storyline, some of the twists and turns were completely unexpected, others a bit more obvious - but still worth a read. A solid 3 stars.

I enjoyed this book. I recommend it for an easy fast paced read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of the Couple Upstairs. It was a fun easy read, but for me, incredibly predictable. Nina and Zac move into their flat and meet their upstairs neighbors Vanessa and Chris. The upstairs neighbors are constantly fighting and making noise. Nina tried to be nice to Chris but he’s rude to her from the start. Then she hires Vanessa to work for her online boutique and as soon as Vanessa starts, strange things start to happen. Tons of customer complaints, quality issues with the garments, and claims of poor customer service. If that doesn’t scream, Vanessa is up to something, I don’t know what does. The twist was just not shocking to me at all. I kept waiting for the ball to drop, and was left feeling meh about the ending. It was an easy read, but I’ll probably forget the plot in a few months.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of The Couple Upstairs to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed Shalini Boland’s The Couple Upstairs. It was quite a page turner! I thought for sure that I knew what was going on, and then there is a complete twist of events at the end. A quick, enjoyable read.

Nina and Zack are excited to start their new journey together in their new flat. While moving in, the couple upstairs comes to introduce themselves and Nina feels something is off about them. Her suspicions about them continue to grow but Zac seems to think she overreacting.

Another hit by Boland, whom has perfected the art of writing, fun, thrilling thrillers! Fast paced, well written, and absolutely unputdownable! Highly, highly recommend for those whom are fans of the author or those whom are new, I’m sure it’ll chill, thrill, & shock you!

4+
This is my third Shalini Boland story. I read "The Wife" a year ago and have been looking forward to Ms. Boland’s next book.

Nina Davenport and Zac Ainsworth are excited about moving to their new place at 15 Mistletoe Lane. They have been saving to buy a house; a first floor flat wasn’t what they were looking to buy but the house is in a great expensive neighborhood and somewhat near the shore. Nina loves it and although Zac likes it, he is worried about expenses. They decide that moving into a place they own is a sign of a new beginning and a chance to leave their past behind (Not sure what past they are leaving but sure we will know soon!)

They are welcomed by Chris and Vanessa the couple upstairs with wine and homemade chocolate cake. They seem nice, Chris is outgoing and Vanessa is 5 months pregnant and very quiet. That evening after eating the cake both Nina and Zac get sick and believe it is just the stomach flu.
Soon Nina and Zac have concerns about the couple upstairs and the sounds they are hearing in the middle of the night. Chris continues to be outgoing but Vanessa seems to be always near tears. She claims it is morning sickness she has in the evenings.
Nina is worried this move might have been a mistake. (Hmm it gets worst)
Story is told from the POV of Nina; however, ‘Then’ has POV chapters. I was rather sure I knew who was ‘then” but certainly didn’t know the details!

As always I enjoyed reading the author’s ‘Acknowledgements’’ ~ Author, Shalini Boland does NOT disappoint!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture, for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 13, 2021

Zac and Nina purchase their dream flat on Mistletoe Lane only to find out that something is not quite right with their upstairs neighbors. The bulk of the story is told from the present perspective of Nina, while the past perspective of an unknown narrator is told in very brief chapters.

I chose <b>The Couple Upstairs</b> because I liked the premise of the book, but as I've seen a lot lately, the synopsis gives too much away and leaves little to the imagination. I'll start with the characters, I actually didn't care for any of them, including Zac and Nina who didn't seem to have a great relationship from the start. Nina was very self absorbed and Zac didn't seem very supportive. Despite not liking the characters, the writing is good and the pace of the story ramps up steadily mostly keeping the reader engaged, but towards the end it lost momentum and I started skimming a bit.

The ending was a little far-fetched in my opinion and the epilogue should have been left out altogether. Overall, 3 stars. This was my first Shalini Boland book, but I look forward to checking out some of her previous work.

Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Couple Upstairs is a great thriller and another great read by Shalini Boland. This had me up at 6am on a Saturday morning to see where this was going to end!
Zac and Nina are excited when we meet them, they have just moved into 15 Mistletoe Lane which is an apartment with their only neighbours being upstairs in this large converted house. Nina has her own fashion business and Zac has his own plumbing firm, they are an independent and fun couple who can’t wait to make friends with their neighbours upstairs. Sometimes though things don’t always go the way you wish as Nina soon finds out as the couple upstairs are very odd to her but Zac gets on great with Chris. Vanessa is pregnant and very quiet, Zac and Nina hear them arguing….well Chris shouting and Nina thinks he’s abusing Vanessa and vows to try and help. Soon odd things happen and the dream home they both wished for is soon becoming a nightmare.
The ending is not one I could have predicted and loved all the twists along the way. I liked the chapters littered throughout this book of a different character talking about their life at school years ago and it’s only until you get to the end you find out who it is.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Anytime you pick up #shaliniboland you you know you are going to be in for a wild ride. #thecoupleupstairs did NOT disappoint. When a couple moves into their dream”home” they think they’ve finally have found their happiness. But. Upstairs is another couple. Odd things start happening. Is it all a coincidence or something more sinister? Sit down. Pull up your blankie and get ready to get lost in this edge of your seat book. That ending 🤯 it amazes me how talented writers are to think of all the things to just blow my mind. Thank you #netgalley #bookouture #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #netgalleyreview #bookrecommendations #readingtime📖 #booknerd

This is another beauty of a book from Shalini and I’m not sure where to start with the different parts I enjoyed about it, so I guess I’ll start at the beginning.

The opening of the book paints a picture of an almost perfect domestic situation. A young couple, Zac and Nina, are fully in love and at the cusp of their careers, are moving into their first proper home. However, their domestic bliss is quickly undercut and undermined by the strange behaviour of the couple upstairs.

This behaviour is not ‘strange’ as in completely unbelievable, unbearably shocking or intolerable, and this is probably what I love most about Shalini’s books. The danger is subtle for quite some time. The couple upstairs are overly friendly to their new neighbours, but seem hostile towards each other. There are hints towards domestic or emotional abuse, trust issues within each of the relationships, and business secrets. It all feels very believable, even though of course it breeds suspicion and guilt.

The twists are absolutely cracking, explosive and you definitely won’t see them coming. They appear quite late in the book, but you don’t feel like you are ‘kept waiting’ as such as you are completely pulled into the domesticity and psychology of these characters. This is yet another book by this author which I have struggled to put down and have devoured quickly.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐