I have DNF’d this unfortunately. I just really struggled to engage with it and relate to the characters and understand where the story was going. It was good to begin with but it just became difficult to maintain my interest

This was such a great read, slow burning but creepy and suspenseful at the same time. Really enjoyed this one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is an amazing suspense story that weaves through past and present. A story of secrets, friendships, and the fallout of violence in the home.
Jane is clearing out her mother's house when she sees the neighbours next door arguing. She becomes worried when she sees the husband digging a trench in his garden, believing he is burying his wife.
I love the idea that we see may not be the whole truth or the truth being stranger than anything we could imagine!
A truly thrilling read from an excellent author!

The Wife Next Door is a slow burning read initially but does turn into a faster paced read leaving me itching to find out what the heck had happened.
Jane has moved back to her family home in Liverpool due to her mothers death, the house brings back a lot of memories and not all of them good. She can see from the back windows her neighbours house and garden and thinks that the wife there is being abused but the she doesn’t see Ashleigh for a couple of days but does see her husband digging a body shaped grave in the back garden. This triggers a police enquiry and other thoughts start to occur in Jane’s mind that are a lot nearer to home.
I enjoyed this book, the duel timelines worked well bouncing from now and back to 1974. It does show that the wrong end of the stick can be grasped if the right evidence is fed to you. I haven’t read anything by this author before but will be looking out in the future.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping, thought-provoking read. Well-written with plenty of intrigues. Recommended.

Jane's mother has died and she is emptying the house ready for sale. But the memories are difficult to deal with, as she had a very abusive father and she and her mother were delighted when he left and they were able to live their lives without fear. However, the memories resurface as Jane learns her neighbours Ashleigh and Evan also have a volatile marriage, and then she sees Evan digging a trench in their garden.

The result is an interesting rollercoaster as the reader is led along one path, then another, as the two tales of abuse and distress unwind. It becomes hard to identify victim and perpetrator, and nearly costs Jane her marriage as she tries to deal with the legacy time has left her.

The author handles the difficult subjects of domestic abuse and alcoholism with great sensitivity, and if occasionally the reader feels 'cheated' because events weren't at all as originally portrayed, perhaps that is just reflecting life - we never really know what goes on in a marriage.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife. Next Door is a psychological suspense thriller that I will admit to finding a bit of a slow burn to start off with. As I was reading the first few chapters I was starting to worry slightly that this was going to be to slow a read for me. However I needn’t have worried as after a while things started to speed up and the pace of the story increased a lot. The slow start actually suited this story and the reader will just want to keep on turning the pages to find out what is actually going on. By the second half of the book I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough and didn’t want to put this book down. A book with 2 time lines, early 1970’s and current day. This is a book that had well developed characters and an excellent story line.

This book is like an onion in that it has many layers which are gradually exposed as you read the story. The story could be quite triggering for some readers but strangely I enjoyed the tension and good writing. You don’t have to like the characters but I really fell for May, the elderly next door neighbour. A well plotted and well researched book.

Trigger warning: domestic abuse

A fantastically written book that gripped me in it's clutches and didn't let go. The tension was high and kept me on the edge of my seat. The story from past too present kept me engaged and wanting more. A domestic family drama that I feel people can relate to. It is fast paced with twists and turns and a unexpected ending. That happens a lot more than you think. Dark and disturbing this is a physcological thriller that you don't want to miss.

This was quite a good book , just enough tension to keep you interested. No surprises with the storyline it was pretty obvious where the story was leading . Good the way the two stories from the present and the past were told side by side . I would recommend this book to my audience but only 4 stars from me

Two stories are told throughout the book; the 1970's where main protagonist Jane is a child and living a life of fear with her abusive father and mother, and in the now, where Jane is now living in her childhood home after the loss of her mother. Next door neighbours Evan and Ashleigh seem to have a pretty volatile relationship at times, but all is not as it seems on the surface.

There should be more books like this, it's not always the man who is the abuser, it happens to them too, usually with them being to scared to speak up incase they don't appear 'manly'!

I found the characters to be credible, some more convincing than others.

The Wife Next Door is cleverly plotted, full of twists, suspense and intrigue.

Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

There is nothing wrong with this book it just didn't hit all the spots I required for a good read. It took me a while to work through it.
At first I thought Jane was grieving the death of her mother and was staying around to put the house in a better condition for sale.
Her constant work on the garden was a way to remember her mother even if it was a bit over the top.
The interaction with her neighbours annoyed me. If I had a neighbour like her I would not have been have been so tolerant.
Then I figured out her rationale, and decided she should have put the house on the market as soon as her mother died and damn the consequences.

The Wife Next Door is a dark and twisty story that had me gripped. It is fast paced and kept me guessing all the way to the unexpected ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Jane has the sad task of emptying her mothers house after she’d passed away but along with this come nightmare neighbours, childhood friends and hidden family secrets. As Jane faces her past she fears history is repeating itself next door and decides she will do all she can to stop it.

This book was just a little drawn out for me, I enjoyed seeing the story line from all the different characters points of view and a big TW for domestic violence is needed. Easy read with a satisfying ending.

Thanks to @netgalleyuk for the opportunity to read this book and good luck to the author on its release.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheWifeNextDoor
#AmandaBrooke

Jane watched from her window as Evan, her neighbour, dug a body sized hole in his garden. The next day his wife, Ashleigh, was reported as missing. Jane hadn’t been deliberately spying on the neighbours, she’d been in her late mother’s house and was taking a break from clearing it. She had a plan to improve the garden to make it more saleable, so was taking pictures of it from the attic window. Although Ashleigh reappeared after a few days, and appeared happily in love with her husband, Jane was convinced that she was an abused wife and he was a coercive bully.. Jane’s suspicions were driven by her own childhood, where her drunken father, Les, had beaten and controlled her mother, Cynthia, while she had cowered in a secret hideout in the attic. Then one morning, he was gone, and Cynthia told her he had gone back to sea. An occasional ‘exotic’ gift had reinforced this idea, but Jane spent years worrying that he might reappear. Jane had left clearing the attic to last, because of the memories it held, but when she started in on it with her husband Phil she suddenly panicked and told him to stop, that she needed to stay in the house and not return to their family home. Despite his entreaties, and those of their daughter, Megan, she was determined that she must leave him. Is her judgement being affected by mood swings due to the menopause? Or are traumatic memories of her abusive father leading to an obsession with trying to save Ashleigh from her mother’s fate? Or is nothing as obvious as it seems?
This is a very complicated story, which seems to be very straightforward on the surface; so very skilfully written. It starts slowly and builds slowly. Nothing is rushed. It is, in some ways, a domestic melodrama in which each little detail is placed, just so. It is told largely from Jane’s point of view, but we have access to information about the two relationships – Evan and Ashleigh in the present, Les and Cynthia in the late sixties and early seventies – which Jane does not; even though she is present in both cases. At heart, therefore, about how the interpretation of events is dependent on the preconceptions of the observer. The resolutions are not difficult to deduce, but the plot is deftly handled. I thought the epilogue felt a bit too long, but it does tie up the story lines.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I liked this book but didn’t love it. It was billed as gripping and unputdownable and whilst it did hold my attention, I can’t say that it totally had me hooked. The plot does move at pace but I did find some aspects predictable and guessed the outcome quite early in and did fond it enjoyable. I would rate this book 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and the author for the chance to review.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Jane moves into her childhood home after the death of her mother. The neighbours appear to have a rocky relationship and Jane gets too involved believing there is domestic abuse. The book is written in two time zones – childhood and adulthood. Fully of twists and turns that kept me guessing and reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

It took me a little while to get into this book but it was worth persevering with. The characters developed nicely and then story kept me gripped with the many twists and turns.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Amanda Brooke for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I am an avid reader of the author and I was very ecstatic to get my hands on this one and I it didn’t disappoint!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an action packed thriller! It dealt with issues such as Domestic Abuse and Coercive Behaviour. I feel like the author writes about real situations and real people thus still keeping the reader on their toes.

It was a fast paced and kept me guessing throughout this book is perfect for psychological thrillers fans and the end I did not see coming! I would encourage everyone to read this book in 2023 you will not regret it!