I’m no stranger to Catherine cooper books but it isn’t until I pick up the next one that I remember just how much I really love reading them. This was perfectly suspenseful and beautifully written

I've read many Catherine Cooper's novels, and I think this must now be my favourite.

It has a strong storyline, glitzy celebrity, and enough twists that right until the end I still wasn't sure how it would end.

Most of the characters are pretty unlikeable but also very credible. I liked the different timelines and the story being told from different perspectives, which really moved the pace along.

A great novel to take on holiday.

This book is told in two timelines, 2008 when Enola, member of girl band Breathe goes missing at the height of their fame and 2024 when Breathe are set to preform a revival concert at an exclusive Las Vegas hotel along with rival boy band this way up.

The 2008 timeline show the beginnings of Breathe, her relationship with Max from this way up and the lead up to Ebola’s disappearance, told from Enola’s POV.
The 2024 timeline follows the preparations for the concert through the other band members POV’s and reveals what happens the night Enola disappeared.

Great book, loved the premise and the execution.

This book has all the right ingredients. It is a twisty thriller based in on a boy band and girlband. It is glitzy and should be fast paced.

Ultimately I just couldn't connect with this book at all. All the ingredients are there but the recipe is wrong for me. I can honestly see why others rate it but it just felt flat. The characters weren't ones I could invest in, they seemed very 2D and caricatures of some well known figures. I think they needed more depth or something...

The plot felt ok but not fleshed out enough in places.

The cover makes it seem like the book is set in a penthouse in a tropical location but the bulk of the book is set either in the past in hotel rooms or in Vegas. The penthouse in question is in London. The cover does not fit the book IMO.

It was OK - wanted more from it though.

I enjoyed this book and found it compelling, but I felt the characters lacked a bit of depth which would have made me love it more. Interesting concept and all the people are pretty terrible and only out for themselves

Another fabulous book by Catherine Copper. I have enjoyed every single one. A fabulous tale of dual timelines between a once famous pop band and the mysterious disappearance of one its members. Fantastic. Highly recommended for pop fans too xx

I am obsessed with this book. From the very start it drew me in, shocks, twists and turns with moments of suspense. Catherine Cooper books have always been a favourite of mine and the penthouse did not dissapoint.

The book changes from the past to the present. We follow two pop groups, a girl and a boy group that rise to fame becoming famous when one day Enola goes missing and isn't seen to this day. The popular pop groups soon falls and many years later they come back together for a reunion but all is not as it seem. Accidents start happening and this cannot be a coincidence can it?

I really wanted to know what happened to Enola. Some characters you will like whilst some you aren't the biggest fan on. There is secrets hidden for many years that will soon come out and i was definitely looking forward to what all the suspense and secrets were going to be.

I enjoyed the penthouse, a right amount of mystery, gossip and thrill with twists and turns that pull you in. I would definitely recommend to other book readers who enjoy a good mystery read, this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperCollins for the copy of this arc in exchange of my full honest review.

Oh this was a twisted read! I really enjoy this author's books, she is the queen of the revenge thriller. The cutthroat world of showbizz is featured here and most the of the characters were horrible as expected.
Plenty of twists I really enjoyed this book, definitely a pageturner.

In this latest mystery from Cooper, the disappearance of celebrity Enola sets the stage for a slow-burning, secret-laden narrative. When Enola vanishes without a trace — no body, no note, no closure — the world assumes she has chosen to leave her high-profile life behind. Years later, a reunion of her former bandmates and boyfriend in Las Vegas brings unresolved tensions to the surface, and it becomes clear that each of them is guarding something — and that one of them may know the truth about what happened that night.

Having enjoyed Cooper’s previous work, I approached this book with high expectations. While the story is compelling and the mystery well-paced, I found it somewhat harder to connect with, perhaps due to its focus on celebrity culture, which felt a bit distant at times. However, one of Cooper’s strengths — her use of shifting timelines and perspectives — remains a highlight. This technique adds depth and intrigue, allowing the reader to piece together the truth like a carefully constructed puzzle.

Overall, while this may not have been my favorite of Cooper’s novels, it still ticks my boxes as an interesting and intriguing read.

A bubble gum feel-good story, very addicting. I for my part could have done without the point of view of Kimberley, and just I loathed Charlie, but it was a fun read overall. While a few decisions/actions during the middle part seemed very convenient, and I would have liked an even nastier payback for the main b**ch character, the ending was really on point. A fast fun read.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins, for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book and was completely captivated by the end of the first chapter, This is a book packed with secrets and lies and I was continuously wondering what characters I could trust. It’s told in two time lines , 17 years ago and present time. Often with dual time lines it can be a bit confusing but I found this one easy to follow and both time lines were quite tense at times. Yet again Catherine Cooper has written a book that I couldn’t put down until the final sentence and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to readers who enjoy books filled with mystery and suspense.

have been a huge fan of Catherine Cooper’s books ever since her first book, The Chalet - she certainly knows how to write a page turning thriller, and her latest, The Penthouse, is no exception.

In 2008, Enola, lead singer of hugely successful girl band Breathe, originally formed thanks to a reality tv show, mysteriously disappears. Fifteen years later, the two remaining band members of Breathe reunite and team up with male pop duo This Way Up to perform in Las Vegas - but they are soon beset with a host of unfortunate events. Unlucky …… or something more sinister at play?

Moving between the two timelines, and told from multiple points of view, we begin to learn more about Enola and events leading up to her disappearance, as well as who is involved in the current day drama as the bands prepare to perform.

As someone of a certain age, this felt very reminiscent of the Pop Idol/X Factor era, and the pressures of instant fame - it certainly made you think about the way in which young people were thrust into the spotlight and managed by those in the industry. And it does make for some pretty unlikeable characters!

With short chapters that keep you turning the pages, and a plot that keeps you guessing as the surprising truth is unfolded, it’s another thoroughly entertaining read - and perfect for packing in your suitcase this summer.

I always enjoy Catherine Cooper's books, so was excited to see and read this one.

Maybe it's the theme, but I really didn't enjoy it. The book was well written but I'm not fan of this type of story and the characters all seemed very hollow, up themselves and unlikable, storyline fine, but not to my taste but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Flits between two different timelines and so many characters points of view, sometimes tricky to remember who's turn it is and a bit repetitive at times.

I was however keen to finish and see if it went the way I thought. Its a fairly quick read but missed the mark at bit for me. However looking forward to Catherine Cooper's next book and hope its more of the Chalet or the Chateau.

2.5 rounded up to a 3

Catherine Cooper books can be relied upon to be twisty, unexpected - and lots of fun. This one is absolutely all those things,

This book focuses on the intertwined stories of an early noughties girl band and a boy band. Both were discovered on a talent show and their fates seem ever-linked - from the early days of auditions to tours, romances, less-savoury happenings and then, 20 years later, a farewell concert. The story is told from the perspectives of the different band members and other key characters, with the time line shifting between the noughties heyday and the reunion/farewell concert.

For anyone who grew up watching X Factor, Popstars or The Voice, there will be a lot that's familiar here: the drama of the auditions, the bands created from the most talented ones from other groups, the greedy managers and the relentless money-making from these young stars. It's an interesting look at the industry, especially when we see the same people years later and the damage that fame has done as they've mostly drifted back into obscurity.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Catherine Cooper book without a great mystery, bucketloads of secrets surfacing and the questions over people's versions of the truth. In this case, the mystery surrounds the disappearance of the girl band's lead singer, Enola - and the way that the events of the final days before she vanished. It's not clear what happened to her - but, as the reunion gathers pace, it seems that everyone has things they're hiding, from Enola's jealous ex (Max) to her bandmates who had their sights on taking the lead in the group.

This is a fun, easy read and will keep you guessing until the end - I'd recommend it.

I thought I would enjoy this one as I am a sucker for boy bands (and some girl bands). However, this one missed the mark for me. For me, it wasn't as interesting as the blurb suggested. I know the point of this kind of book is to have unlikeable characters but I always find at least one I like and it wasn't the case. It felt like a fanfiction of The X Factor for me.

I have read all of Catherine Cooper novels and have enjoyed them all.
This is again a well written suspenseful mystery, a world wide famous singer disappears, leaving her band in tatters. 15 years later the reform for a set of concerts but things don’t go as expected….
A long game of revenge and hidden secrets, told from multiple POV’s slowly unravelling the story for 2008 and present day.

The book is told in 2 timelines – back in the early 2000s when there’s been an X Factor / Pop Idol type competition with a girl band (Breathe) and boy band (This Way Up) and they become entwined. Then Enola suddenly goes missing and no one knows what has happened to her. Then there’s a current timeline when the 2 remaining members of the bands are doing a money spinning come back show in Vegas which appears to be cursed. There were characters throughout the book that you could imagine being real (a Simon Cowell style manager for example).

As well as being told by the band members – you also have the points of view of other supporting characters such as Enola’s Mum (who lived out her fame hungry ways through her daughter) and an obsessive Enola fan.

There are lots of twists and turns – as you’d expect from a Catherine Cooper book – and it’s not immediately obvious why the book is called The Penthouse in the first place!

I have to say I devoured the book in one day whilst ‘holding the bags’ at Alton Towers, and the short chapters were perfect for picking up and putting down whilst walking between rides.

It came out yesterday, so if you like the sound of it you can have it right away! Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC.

Having enjoyed previous books by this author I was looking forward to this.

An easy read following two bands on a reunion tour, following split timelines with a mystery narrator, it was a well-rounded story that gave me 'Popstars - The Rivals' vibes!

Book Review: The Penthouse by Catherine Cooper
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

The Penthouse has all the ingredients of a glossy, binge-worthy thriller—glamour, secrets, a mysterious disappearance, and a glittering Las Vegas backdrop—but for me, it didn’t quite live up to its potential.

The premise is compelling: a famous pop star vanishes from her luxury penthouse without a trace, and fifteen years later, her former bandmates reunite under a cloud of suspicion and eerie accidents. There’s an Agatha Christie-meets-Vegas vibe that had definite promise, and Catherine Cooper certainly knows how to build a mood of intrigue and unease.

That said, I found the characters hard to connect with. Most felt more like types than people, and I struggled to feel invested in their fates. The plot twists were there, but some felt forced or overly dramatic rather than genuinely shocking. I wanted to be gripped, but often found myself skimming through scenes that should have had me on the edge of my seat.

Still, Cooper’s writing is slick and atmospheric, and fans of her previous books may enjoy the mix of glitz and suspense. It wasn’t a total miss for me—just not a favorite.

Verdict: The Penthouse is a fast-paced, twisty thriller with a glamorous edge, but ultimately felt more style than substance. Worth a read if you’re in the mood for something light and dramatic, but it left me wanting more depth and connection.

Enola, pushed by her mother, Kimberley, finds herself on a talent show.. Chosen to be part of a group, she gains fame, fortune, a famous boyfriend and a stunning penthouse but loses her best friend, her twin and her freedom. When she vanishes without a trace no-one knows if she is dead or in hiding and the band folds without her.
When the remaining members get together for a reunion 15 years later, they are met with a series of accidents which point to someone out for revenge. As the story unfolds, the mystery unravels. and all is not as it seems.

I loved the cultural references in this book - if you loved The X Factor, you will love this as it explores the darker side of TV talent shows.