I was so intrigued when this one started, so into it. But then it just lost its thrill entirely, why, I don't even know. It just was boring to me and was a little jumbled and didn't make sense to me. It might just be a me problem.

Naomi thinks she’s finally found her forever home—until the sale of her apartment falls through and everything starts unraveling.

Then comes Summer, a sweet, soft-spoken single mom who swoops in to buy Naomi’s place… but things quickly get weird. Summer starts showing up everywhere—same school, same friends, even copying Naomi’s clothes—and when Naomi finds a dollhouse that’s an exact replica of her own home? EEK...mega creepy "Single White Female" vibes!

This is one of those slow-burning thrillers that sneaks up on you and makes you question every single character.

Thank you to NetGalley, Natasha Boydell, and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this eerie and addictive ARC!

The Doll's House was a creepy story with plenty of twists and turns. The description alone gave me goose bumps and the story did not disappoint. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Thank you to netgalley for this psychological read

When another woman tries to copy your every move, routine and dress what are you to do ?

Interesting overall.
Quick read. But very similar to single white female.

Would read again and recommend

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

What a ride. Naomi sells her flat to a single mother and couldn’t be happier. Until this woman starts popping up in all aspects of her life. Things begin going missing around her home and her once popular child is being ostracized in school. Is Naomi going crazy like everyone says?

I was completely drawn into the atmospheric world of 'The Doll's House' by Natasha Boydell. The way she builds suspense is masterful, and the secrets hidden within the walls of the old house felt incredibly real. I love a good gothic thriller, and this one delivered on all fronts. The characters are complex and intriguing, and the sense of unease that permeates the story kept me turning the pages late into the night. If you're looking for a chilling and beautifully written mystery that will stay with you long after you finish, I highly recommend 'The Doll's House.

This one made me look over my shoulder. Creepy atmosphere, engaging story, and enough twists and turns to make it impossible to put down. Think Single White Female turned up a few hundred notches. Loved it!

Thanks for the opportunity to read! I’m recommending this one to all my thriller lovers!

Thriller indeed!!
I felt pure anxiety from start to finish lol. Poor Naomi, being made out to be crazy by everyone else but as the reader knowing she’s completely in her right mind to feel suspicious. Summer had that perfect level of creep factor along with charisma and at times even I found myself questioning, whether Naomi really was the victim. So well done! I will say her husband of all people really pissed me off because he was entertaining where he absolutely had no business even giving access to. But he did stay fairly supportive so I’ll give him that. The ending hit me like a whirlwind, and the epilogue especially was the perfect amount of unhinged.

"The Doll's House" gave me my first book hangover in 2025. The depth of description for the characters, the type of neighborhood, and the backstory helped set the mood and setting. Dynamics between families of children in the same schools, getting into those various cliques, and even the children themselves were something out of daily life. I questioned every character in this book at some point and had empathy, though questionable actions are an understatement.

Unfortunately I did not get into this one, and decided not to finish. I think it will appeal to fans of dark, suspenseful, scary thrillers- but it was just not my cup of tea.

Creepy elements in this book stay with the reader long after the story is done. It is rich, terrifying, but ultimately brilliant. What a wonderful and engaging read.

Clever writing and gripping storyline . Things are not what they seem , good characters felt they were very realistic .

A great read
Plenty of twists and turns
A real page turner
Will have you hooked
Thanks NetGalley

Thrilling and gripping. Flew through it. The tiniest bit disappointed with the ending. Do have some questions which could be answered with a sequel... maybe? Would have loved a more clever reveal at the end but otherwise it was still a good read.

I loved the creepiness in this book along with the obsession. It was petty, and I couldnt wait to see how it all panned out.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I just knew I had to read it. I love psychological thrillers but don’t read them as often as I should. It can feel like they all seem to roll into one and it’s hard to remember which was which.
That’s not a problem here though as The Doll’s House is going to be a stand out in its genre.
It’s a particularly dark theme full of mystery and suspense.
It focuses around a family whose lives start to fall apart. As a result of which, secrets come to light & buried and almost forgotten truths find their way to the surface.

Natasha Boydell is a truly gifted author. With her skill for such descriptive prowess, she’s created an immersive world that makes you feel everything. Literal goosebumps whilst reading this creepy, atmospheric tale.
This isn’t specific to just the world building, she gives the same attention to detail to the characters as everything else.
They are unique, interesting, complex & flawed and each one brings something to the story.
I absolutely loved this one, and it’s a book that I’ll be thinking about for months to come.
An easy 5 star for me.

Thank you to netgally for allowing me earl access to this book!
The Doll house was such a good!
It had me at the edge of my seat!

Trigger warning: mean girls, bullying, gaslighting

OK, so gaslighting is often a major factor in psychological thrillers but this goes hand in hand with the bullying, which is subtle and oh so heartbreaking. I'm the first to say I'm not a fan of kids and I have none of my own either but after reading this book and reliving my own childhood hell, it reminded me why I don't like kids or have any of my own. The mental and psychological scars from childhood bullying can be so detrimental and lifelong in some cases, so painful it is. And the gaslighting is just an adult's version of bullying because it amounts to the same thing. But when adults start to use children in their games, well...that is just cruel. As intriguing and engaging as this book was, it also made for some uncomfortable reading.

So this is my first book by Natasha Boydell, though I do have a couple of others by her on my shelf "to read", and I was immediately drawn to the story. I felt for Naomi because no one would listen to her or believe her. And while we didn't see anything untoward as the reader (just the nuances Naomi picked up on - but was she reliable?), there was this undercurrent of uneasiness throughout. Summer made my skin crawl and I didn't trust her one bit. But Naomi didn't help matters either by playing right into her hands.

We meet Naomi when the sale of her flat falls through and in walks Summer, a previous bidder, and Naomi, desperate to sell, accepts her offer. It's a wrench leaving behind the flat but the house her and Oliver have bought mean a separate room each for the girls - Bella (12) and Freya (7) - and an office for Naomi who works from home as an accountant. The girls now have a yard in which to play and they have more space for themselves. It's a dream come true. But then things start breaking down in their new home. The boiler packs up. There is damp mould in one of the rooms. And Naomi wonders if they have bitten off more than they can chew by sinking all their savings into their dream home on an affluent street they had only dreamed of in the past. But that is just the beginning.

Everything is fine until Naomi notices that Summer has started wearing the same clothes as her and had her hair cut in the same style. Then Summer enrols her seven year old daughter Luna into the same school that Naomi's daughter Freya who is the same age, on Naomi's recommendation. And soon school drop off and pick up becomes something of a nightmare. Especially when Summer inveigles her way into Naomi's tight friendship group and shutting Naomi out. Soon Naomi's friends are Summer's friends and their children are besties with Luna when they had once been Freya's. Even the parent's WhatsApp group has gone silent until Naomi learns that Summer set a new private one for her and her friends, shutting out Naomi once again. She's also inviting them all around for drinks and get-togethers without Naomi. Not only is Naomi shut out but so is young Freya. To the point where nasty lies are said about Freya and she no longer wants to go to school.

Naomi cannot confide in her friends because they are now Summer's friends and won't have a word said against her, believing it's all in Naomi's mind. I mean, what does she have against Summer and Luna? Both of them have been nothing but lovely to everyone so why does Naomi dislike them so much? But it doesn't matter what she says or who she says it to, no one believes her. Even her voice of reason, her stalwart, husband Oliver is beginning to doubt her. But when Naomi starts hearing sounds outside her door, notices things have gone missing and one of a kind earrings that Oliver had bought her one Christmas are now being worn by Summer, Naomi begins to feel even more threatened. Scared even. This woman has been in her home without her knowledge and stolen little items that the police would laugh at her reporting. And then Naomi sees the smile. Not a pleasant smile. But a small smug smile that tells her she knows that she knows and there is not a damn thing she can do about it.

Naomi has never felt so alone. Until she finds an ally in an unlikely source. And together they aim to show Summer up for the fraud that she is and bring her down to size once and for all.

This is one hell of a creepy read. It just makes your skin crawl. Summer is someone you just love to hate. She comes across all nice and innocent but you just know there is something evil lurking beneath the surface...you just don't know what it is yet. I devoured this book is just over a day because it is a quick read but I also wanted to escape Summer's presence. She makes you want to take a shower just to wash off any trace of her. And that's just reading about her!

I felt sorry for her daughter Luna. She is only seven and the pawn in her mother's game. Children can be horribly cruel, as I remember all too well, but when adults use those children to play their mind games with others that is just not on. It is child abuse and that kind of treatment only serves to damage the child further. And Summer wonders why Luna is how she is?

The story unfolds through Naomi's narrative as we witness firsthand her downward spiral at Summer's subtle hands. And her friends, who have known Naomi for years and Summer for five minutes, were so quick to turn on Naomi and defend Summer. It's hard to be so forgiving when they saw the error of their ways in the end. I would be livid with them. They knew Naomi. They knew she wouldn't make up stuff like they claimed she was. They should have stood by her. But instead they sided with Summer who they didn't know at all but who appeared sweet and innocent on the surface. People are so fickle and if your friends are going to be as fickle as that, then they aren't true friends.

A creepy read throughout, it is fairly predictable but with a few surprises along the way. Especially at the end which will both shock and chill you. And then that final paragraph in the epilogue. Chilling. The complexities within the plot make it all the more intriguing. My first Natasha Boydell but not my last. A chilling and thrilling read.

I would like to thank #NatashaBoydell, #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheDollsHouse in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

The Doll's House by Natasha Boydell is a psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Naomi’s life seems to be on track when she finally secures a new home for her family, after a failed sale of her apartment. But the situation takes a dark turn when Summer, a kind-hearted single mother, buys Naomi’s old apartment and begins inserting herself into Naomi’s life in increasingly unsettling ways. From enrolling her child in Naomi’s daughter’s class to dressing like her and even befriending all of Naomi's friends, Summer’s behavior soon crosses a line.

Naomi’s unease grows when she discovers Summer has created a doll’s house that mirrors her own new home, a chilling symbol of how far Summer is willing to go. As Naomi begins to question her reality, she’s faced with the terrifying possibility that Summer’s obsession is more dangerous than she could have imagined.

Boydell expertly builds tension with each turn of the page, delivering a twisted narrative of envy, obsession, and manipulation. The Doll’s House is a fast-paced and gripping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Sue Watson, who will enjoy its dark and suspenseful exploration of what happens when someone becomes obsessed with stealing another's life.