“The Stranger Beside Me” by Caroline England is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of friendship, trust, and the secrets that can lurk beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary lives.

The story centers around Katy Henry, a single mother struggling with fatigue and anxiety, who finds herself isolated from the world. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she meets Sibeal Matthews, a woman who is everything Katy isn’t—confident, strong-willed, and charismatic. As Katy is drawn into a whirlwind friendship with Sibeal, she begins to feel a sense of belonging and purpose that has been missing from her life. However, Sibeal is not without her own demons, as a dark past and a deep dependence on her brother, Gabriel, shadow her every move.

As the narrative unfolds, Katy’s life becomes entangled with Sibeal’s in ways she could never have anticipated. Tragedy haunts Sibeal, and her life begins to unravel, pulling Katy into the chaos. The novel takes the reader on a journey through Katy’s fight to protect herself and her son from the unknown threats that emerge, not just from Sibeal but also from Katy’s own past that she has tried so hard to leave behind.

The author masterfully crafts a tale that is both haunting and captivating. The characters are well-developed, each with their own vulnerabilities and secrets that make them relatable and intriguing. The pacing of the story is excellent, with a slow burn that builds tension and suspense in a way that is both subtle and effective.

Wwo caroline has done it again, another amazing book that I couldn't out down, a dark, twisty thriller that had me hooked.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via the author as part of the book tour.

The Stranger Beside me is a dark, twisty psychological thriller that keeps you intrigued from start to finish. We follow Katy - a single mum to Milo who's her world. Katy doesn't have many friends nor the time to form any friendships due to her busy life with her son. When Katy meets Sibeal and forms a friendship with her, she's so happy and feels less alone. Sibeal is quite the opposite to Katy, but opposites attract, don't they? When Sibeals life starts to spiral and Katy gets pulled in with her, Katy faces a battle to protect her son. She doesn't know who she can turn to or who to trust as life as she knows it begins to drop out from beneath her feet.
This book is filled with secrets and lies, and as Carline spoon feeds you snippets of information along the way, you're left eager for the final reveal!

So many psychological thrillers fall short but this one hits the mark spot on. The whole book is character led with believable flaws, backstories and personalities. The ground shifts with each chapter and it is never clear who you should trust but the feeling of unease subtly grows.
Lonely and fatigue plagued, single mum Katy makes a new friend in Sibeal who is chaotic and charming. Swept up into her world she begins to realise that Sibeal is very dependant on her brother Gabriel and is haunted by tragedy. The pace intensifies and Sibeal begins to come apart at the seams and Katy must protect herself and her son. But who does she need to protect them from? The past comes into play for an imaginative twist.

What a fabulous slow burn, twisty, dark domestic thriller! I was delighted to meet such a diverse and unpredictable group of characters, each with their own vulnerabilities and secrets, but each clearly jumping off the pages into my mind.

Caroline England has written a beautifully evocative, descriptive story, drawing settings so vivid that you can sense the surroundings, from the smells to the sounds.

The plot starts slowly, giving the reader time to establish some of the back stories about the three main characters, bringing in a few extra interesting people and the start of some clues about what could lay ahead. It is very much a character driven story.

Skilfully written, to make you think you know where it’s going, you might know some but you don’t know it all! The pace quickens and the family relationships, secrets from the past, betrayal, cover-ups, loneliness all come tumbling out and cleverly twist together into a totally fabulous read.

Another great book by Caroline England. Full of twists and turns that keeps you hooked.
Katy Henry is lost and lonely then she meets Sibeal Matthews and all this changes. But soon SIbeal is not all she seems and Katy must protect herself and her son Milo.

Clearly a character led tale that ambled along quite well but with no great drama. I did think it was much longer than it need be.

Caroline England is one of my favourite authors so I couldn’t resist the chance to read The Stranger Beside Me as soon as I possibly could. It has certainly kept me glued to my kindle!
I’m thrilled to be a part of her fabulous blog tour.
I was intrigued by this book from the very start, and I couldn’t wait to find out how the story would pan out.
It’s full of fascinating characters. Complex characters with complicated relationships, complicated pasts, and uncertain futures. I’m keeping it vague as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but there are plenty of shocks and surprises throughout. I was gripped.
It’s quite a dark psychological thriller and so beautifully written I found it immensely difficult to put down. It kept me up WAY past my bedtime!
I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The Stranger Beside Me
by Caroline England
Pub Date: 03 Aug 2023

Caroline England’s latest psychological thriller is a tangled web of secrets. A dark psychological suspense thriller about friendships and families, secrets and lies, lots of twists and turns with a jaw dropping ending that I did not see coming! I found the characters very believable and most well liked. All in all I really liked this book and plan on reading more from this author.

Synopsis:

Katy Henry is lost and lonely. A single mother, plagued by fatigue and anxiety, she rarely has time for friends. But when she encounters Sibeal Matthews, all this changes. Sibeal is everything that Katy is not: assured, headstrong and charming.

Katy soon finds herself pulled out of her isolation into a fierce friendship. But Sibeal is not all that she seems. Tragedy haunts her, and for all her feistiness, she is startlingly dependent on her brother, Gabriel. And when her life begins to spectacularly unravel, Katy is swept up in the storm.

As Katy fights to protect herself and her son, it's not just Sibeal who threatens to endanger them - Katy's own past begins to rupture. Who can Katy trust? Can she even trust herself?

Thank you #NetGalley, #TheStrangerBesideMe and #LittleBrownBookGroupUK for providing me with an E-ARC of this fantastic story.

I've been a fan of Caroline England's domestic suspense since reading Truth Games, and then The Sinner was in my books of the year. Caroline (as CE Rose) also writes gothic-tinged suspense, I've read and I recommend both Shadows Of Rutherford House and The Attic At Wilton Place.

I've got most of Caroline's other books waiting TBR, and a new ARC is always something to look forwards to.

The Stranger Beside Me follows Katy and Sibeal. Katy is a lonely single mother, plagued by fatigue and anxiety, Sibeal is self-assured, headstrong and charming.

Katy finds herself pulled out of her isolation into the orbit of Sibeal's close friendship. There's tragedy haunting Sibeal, and when her life begins to unravel Katy gets swept along.

Caroline England's style builds the story and characters up gradually, with real depth and multilayered backstories, real feeling lives with loss, grief, regrets and occasional fondly remembered moments of joy. There are layers to their secrets, secrets that the characters might not always know the truth about.

You know it will all come crashing down, and characters you care about might get hurt. Caroline England's twists and reveals are precise, with real emotional impact.

I haven't read this style of psychological suspense from other authors, but I know that Caroline England has it down to a finely tuned art and she writes it very well indeed.

A gradual build up, deeply developed character and devastating twists.

Definitely one for Caroline England fans or any reader looking to dive into something with real layered depth of character.

Thanks to Caroline England and Piatkus

Well this was something a little different, and I mean that in a good way... We start with Katy who lives with her father Alexander and son Milo, her mother having died in an accident, leaving Katy wounded. At the funeral of Alexander's friend James she meets Sibeal and Gabriel the children of the deceased and strikes up a strange relationship with them as she agrees to help them clear out the old family home - no mean feat as it turns out to be!
And so begins a strange tale of love and loss, of friendship and, well, a lot of dysfunction. Of affairs and stalking and parallels between the two main female characters...
It's a very character driven book and the characters contained herein are superbly crafted and all play their parts very well indeed. There were times during this book that I could see something about to happen, which would probably make me feel uncomfortable, but which I was completely unable to look away from.
It's a bit of a slow burner, there is a lot to set up. Some foundations to lay, but all good things come to those who wait and it is well worth the wait I can tell you! You do have to have your wits about you when reading as it does flit about a bit but if you dedicate a fair chunk of time rather than a few pages here and there, you'll be just fine.
All in all, a good addition to an already well impressive back catalogue... roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Opposite personalities are often drawn to each other, and Katy is no exception to this when it comes to Sibeal. Somewhat withdrawn and struggling to cope with her status as a single parent, Katy is raising her son Milo alone, after losing her husband.

In comparison to Katy, Sibeal seems immensely confident and able to handle whatever life has to offer. Finding her strangely compelling, Katy throws herself into the friendship with Sibeal, without thinking too hard about it.

It is only after she begins to notice small things - including how oddly dependent Sibeal seems to be on her brother, Gabriel - that Katy starts having any second thoughts about her new friend. By then, it's already too late.

As Sibeal spirals downward, Katy is drawn inexorably into her vortex, with inevitable consequences for herself and her young child. Because unlike Katy, as Gabriel is well aware, Sibeal has always had her own agenda. And if Katy had any idea what that was, she would have run as hard as possible in the opposite direction...

What makes this book stand apart from many of the more run-of-the-mill offerings is not only the writer's skilful manipulation of the reader's emotions in the course of reading this complex story, but also how England manages to brings her characters vibrantly to life.

This was a gripping story, and one where the writer effortlessly demonstrated her mastery over writing the domestic suspense novel. Recommended to those who enjoy suspenseful stories in general, and domestic thrillers in particular.

Katy is struggling through life when she meets Sibeal. They quickly become friends but it soon becomes clear that there is more to Sibeal than she lets on. Katy finds that she doesn't know who to trust and could even be in danger.

A suspenseful psychological thriller that left me reeling.

I loved this book. There was so much tension from the very start, I could just tell that there was a lot more to the characters than you might first think. I really enjoyed following their stories as they gradually unfolded.

There are some brilliantly shocking twists that I never saw coming. After I had finished reading I needed to just sit and process what I had read and give my heart rate time to come back down!

The Stranger Beside Me is an excellent read that you will find gripping from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Piatkus for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Stranger Beside Me is the latest from the Duchess of dark domestic noir, and you can't get much darker than this.
It is a slow burner with a cast of well drawn characters and a twist that will make your jaw drop.
Highly recommend!

Very character based and a bit slow to start but I was really intrigued about how things would play out. The characters are brought to life so vividly that you can't help but get invested in what happens. The plot isn't terribly complex but I really enjoyed having these characters come to life and seeing everything unfold

Thank You to NetGalley for letting me read this. Although not my usual Genre the story line intrigued me. I'm really glad I decided to read this, my first book by Caroline England but it wont be my last. I loved the characters. The story line was different, original and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I’ve read all of Caroline England books and this one was no different she is the queen of thrillers. This book was so captivating one word WOW! This book was fast paced and kept me guessing throughout a perfect book for psychological thrillers fans alike, from the very first page I drawn and couldn’t put the book down it was so good I read it in a day! The characters were likeable also. I particularly liked Katy.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and all the plot twists that it presented! Another cracking book by Caroline England!

I wanted to read this book because of the author and the title also intrigued me. The book was very slowed paced with quite a few character being introduced and there was a few times where I would get confused on who was who and how they were involved. This made it hard to get into but I continued because I wanted to find out how the story would end. There was a twist at the end which I wasn’t expecting but there wasn’t enough clues throughout the story, it could of been explored more as the hints at some points didn’t make me think that this character would be involved. The ending had me a little disappointed but this book still wouldn’t put me off reading Caroline’s future books.

I was interested in the enigmatic title of this book.

I didn't like nor dislike this book. I thought the characters were brought to life quite well, and initially I was interested in them, but I didn't really relate to or connect with any of them. I also felt like there wasn't much happening in the actual story, as though I was reading someone's diary instead of a story, and I felt that the book was maybe a little bit longer than it needed to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

This book took me by surprise, I really couldn’t work out what was going on, it’s something Caroline is really good at with her writing. The suspense and mystery.

The characters had good depth and a nice variety. I actually loved sibeal, I liked her craziness but you knew her heart was in the right place.

The twist … the twist!! I am not saying anything so you’ll have to read it and find out.

Good read once again.