**TRIGGER WARNING** Domestic Abuse - Coercive Behaviour

Following her mother's death, Jane moved back to her childhood home hoping for a fresh start. Yet when she hears the young couple, Ashleigh and Evan, next door in a screaming row, long forgotten memories of Jane's troubled childhood come to the surface. And then Ashleigh disappears, and Jane catches Evan digging a grave-shaped trench in his garden - could something more sinister have happened in the house next door?

There are so many secrets buried within the pages of this book. We also get some character development that makes you understand why the characters have become who they are. The story has a dual timeline, the past - 1974 and the present day. Not everything is as expected, and appearances can be deceptive. Two similar stories are running through the book. The pace is fast from the beginning in this gripping read. We are always finding out something new. The final reveals I didn't see coming.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #HarfperFiction and the author #AmandaBrookes for my ARC of #TheWifeNextDoor in exchange for an honest review.

Jane has moved back into the family home after the death of her mother. It isn't a happy place for Jane as it brings back memories of her drunk, abusive father, who left home after one particularly nasty incident.
However, it looks like the neighbours are having problems and that the husband is the abuser.
Jane becomes drawn into their life but with what consequences?

Amanda Brooke is one of my favourite authors so I was delighted to receive an arc of this book and couldn’t wait to start it. As always this author writes from the heart about real people and real
Situations and also keeps the reader on their toes.

This domestic thriller had lots of twists and turns and gasp out loud moments while at the same time exploring the sensitive issues of divorce, domestic violence and coercive control and bringing this often hidden behind closed doors relationship issues o it into the open and giving them a voice.

I read this in one sorting as couldn’t put it down and wanted to keep reading more. Already looking forward to this authors next book.

This book had many twists and turns but for me was slow at times,the main character of Jane came across as irritating at times,not my fav by this author

A domestic thriller with links over 2 distinct time-lines and with twists that take the novel to a surprisingly satisfactory level.

I enjoyed the underplayed descriptions of the main protagonists who were ‘ordinary’ people who, to all intents and purposes, were living ‘ordinary’ lives. But behind these lives live secrets which the author masterfully reveals in a nicely understated way.

I recommend this book and extend my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A good domestic drama which had me racing through to find the outcome.
Well written with great characters.
My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for my copy.
A good solid read.

Plenty of twists in this rather gripping story of domestic abuse.
Told in the present and also back in 1974, the story builds to quite a shock.
Very enjoyable.
Thank to NetGalley.

Excellent what a book thank you for the opportunity to review this book. It was a fantastic thriller which I could not put it down. Will definitely be reading more from this author and will be recommending this book.

This book had me thinking all sorts, a real twisty, turning roller coaster! I really enjoyed it and would recommend it!

3 1/2 out of 4.
Jane moves back to her childhood home after her mothers death. When she discovers the neighbours next door Ashleigh and Evan are always fighting it brings back memories of her own childhood with her abusive father. One day she sees Evan digging a grave shaped hole in the back garden and thinks the worst. The story goes back to her own childhood and is also told from her mothers view. There are several characters and the story goes from their view. I found Jane a bit irritating throughout the book.

A great twisty read which I thoroughly enjoyed with great characters. Very well written and it kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for this great ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

A great read, a twisty thriller that will keep you turning the pages. Unpredictable and surprising, the characters are well drawn and the plot unfurls beautifully. Not only very readable and entertaining it will keep you thinking long after you've finished it.

Wow!! This book has you re thinking everything that you thought you knew and really does go to show that appearances or perspectives can be so so deceiving!!! It has the usual twists and turns you'd expect from a thriller and the more you get into it then the more you come to appreciate how cleverly written it is and how any threads are all running through the story to make into into such a complex Web. I loved it

Tiwsty and unpredictble this book had me not knowing what to think and who to trust. I couldn't put it down and would definitely recommend reading this one

Jane is getting to know her neighbours as she stays in her childhood home to do it up after her Mum passed away. May has always lived across the way from Jane, with only a hedge separating their gardens. She was Jane's Mum's best friend. Sheena, May's daughter, was Jane's best friend growing up, and lives further away but comes to visit. Evan and Ashleigh live next door to May, and following a screaming row Jane and May are drawn into the couple's lives.

Jane's father was abusive to her Mum and so Jane's point of view is very much tainted by her own experiences.
The story is set out over two timelines, the present day and Jane's childhood in the 70s. I enjoyed the two story arcs, where the reader gets glimpses into the history and sees the full picture as you read along.

Whilst going through her Mum's possessions, Jane decides to stay in the house, rather than move back home with her husband. What has Jane got to hide?

I liked the character development, and felt like I could understand the characters and can see them in people in your life.

However, I do get annoyed with the trope whereby the main character decides to keep a secret to 'protect' others. I can understand why Jane decides to keep her family in the dark, but I get so frustrated.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a honest review.

A great story with so many twists. A clear demonstration of unconscious bias with where you automatically assume things are a certain way...

I received this arc through net galley and having read a lot of books by the author previously i couldn't wait to get stuck in.

I raced through this book eager to find out if Jane is right about a body in her neighbours garden. Appearances can be deceptive though and what she discovers isn't what she was expecting

4 stars

Realistic telling of how abusive relationships can look so very different from the outside,, strengthening the trap that victims can fall in to. The two strands of the story - set 50 years apart - show how little has changed. Gripping storyline where the reader so easily misinterprets what they are seeing..

To summarise this book in one word, it would be: manipulation. The protagonist Jane has such an (understandably) warped view of relationships which she projected onto other relationships. Even as a reader, I felt like I didn't know who to trust. I had so many conflicting feelings towards the characters, for instance at the beginning I had a strong dislike for Phil, Jane's husband, flip to the next page and he's the most compassionate husband to ever live! The characters were fully fleshed out.
This book had a good pace, particularly I thought the flashbacks to Cynthia, Les and younger Jane really supported the main plot. What I really liked was the friendship between Jane and Sheena, which echoed their own mother's friendship.
There were so many twists and turns in this book, it built a lot of suspense and I definitely didn't see the full picture until the end. In my personal opinion I think the ending was a little overdone and it overcomplicated the plot.
This is the first book I've read by Amanda Brooke and I really enjoyed her writing style. Her other published works have drawn my eye so I will be adding some of her other books to my TBR.
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review posted to Goodreads.

I raced through this book, desperate to know what the ending would be.
It’s a well crafted and clever book that I really enjoyed. There’s some hard hitting plots in this book that have been handled well.
It’s definitely her best book yet and one that I’d recommend.