This novel has solidified my decision to never enter any of those million pound house raffles.

Mysterious, morbid, melancholy and very timely for this modern world.

The Lucky Winners had a fabulous hook with Dev and Merrie winning one of the amazing houses that are offered as prizes in well known competitions nowadays. A amazing house in the Lake District becomes their forever home after Dev buys a ticket as a present for his wife. Unfortunately the publicity brings back secrets from the past when someone with a grudge spots their good fortune!
Whilst I loved the idea behind the narrative, the plot failed to engage me and fell a little flat. I probably won’t read any more by this author now as I had a similar reaction to her previous book.

A really interesting read especially for someone who enters house winning competitions! A really twisty dark thriller, with the final twist so unexpected !

The concept is fantastic. Merri is bought a ticket for the Dream House prize draw by Dev for their wedding anniversary and as the title suggests, they win!

As they move into their dream house, a large glass building on a hillside overlooking Lake Windermere in Englands Lake District, they are obliged to fullfil the usual publicity photos. Merri realises that the past she has been keeping secret from Dev, including her real name, could be compromised if the wrong people see these photos.

The story followes Merri as she tries to accept the house as her own, trying to socialise with her new neighbours and make new friends. With the walls made of glass, and the building on a hillside, it would be so easy for someone to be lurking outside at night watching them all lit up. That feeling of being watched never goes away. Could someone be out there?

Merri's history is slowly unveiled throughout the book before the 'big reveal' during the final chapters. Whilst her paranoia is portrayed very well, I didn't feel her secret was a great surprise and didn't culminate in a satisfying climax to the story.

The characters are very strong and well crafted. Tilda, Jack and Paige all realistic, friendly yet suspicious all at the same time.

This story genuinely unnerved me, having the fantasy of winning your dream house, such as the Omaze prize draws. Though I don't have the secret past that Merri has, the concept felt quite real to me, and that is testament to Slaters emotional and descriptive writing.

Well worth the read. Give it a go.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House Publishers for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

The Lucky Winners is due to be released in the UK on 14th August 2025

A couple win a beautiful glass lakeside house in a competition.
Like the house, their lives become transparent to past adversaries, does their relationship survive secrets and lies and new friends?
A story full of mystery and intrigue, dark and stormy.

#TheLuckyWinners #NetGalley
When Merri and Dev buy a ticket on the last day of a national draw to win the house of their dreams, they never, in a million years, expect to win. Less than a week later, they’re receiving the keys to their new Lake District mansion. For Dev, it’s a dream come true – no more stressful rent negotiations, or waiting for the landlord to finally fix the damp. Of course he’s delighted to be interviewed about their good luck. But Merri feels a little uneasy. Dev doesn’t realise there’s a reason she’s never wanted to put down roots, always trying to run away from the memories of what happened the day her little sister died. At first it’s easy to think she’s imagining the shadowy figures in the lakefront garden. It’s silly to think that someone is watching her through the gorgeous floor-to-ceiling glass windows. And then a body is found in the lake. And Merri’s new perfect life is about to come crashing down
What a fantastic read it is. Grab your copy today.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.

A good holiday thriller. Easy to read with an interesting plot and a few twists and turns along the way. However, I have read other books by this author and this isn’t one of the best. Thanks for my ARC.

I really enjoyed the story and its multiple layers. There are twists and turns along the way, and a bit of past mystery and modern day jealousy.
However, didn't warm to the characters. They felt two-dimensional and cliché.
Still, having said that: If you are after a psychological thriller with layers and some surprises along the way, you should definitely give this book a go.

I did really enjoy this book, although to me personally the ending was just a little bit anticlimactic. I did see a couple of the twists coming from early on, so I wasn't very shocked when they were revealed. I also found that at the end of a lot of the chapters we kept getting a forewarning of what was still to come, which then meant I wasn't feeling as surprised as I probably should have and it also made the writing feel a little choppy. The characters were interesting and it was interesting to watch their interactions with each other and the side characters because they were all so different and had so many different layers to them, that played a part into what made them who they are. I was also took by surprise with a couple of the characters as I thought they were going to turn out a lot different than they actually did. I really enjoyed the premise of the story but I feel like a few of these points are what let it down from having the impact that I hoped it would of.

Exact rating is 3.5

Dev and Merri win their dream home - packing up their lives and moving to a different part of the country. Everything seems perfect but Merri is hiding something.

This was ok, if i’m honest it was a pretty forgettable thriller that took a while to get into and with thrillers I find a key aspect of the reading experience is to be immediately gripped but that just didn’t happen for me with this one.

3.75⭐️ – The Lucky Winners by K.L. Slater

This was a twisty, turny whodunnit that kept me gripped from start to finish. The short, fast-paced chapters made it nearly impossible to put down, and I found myself racing through the pages, eager to uncover the identity of “The Watcher.”

K.L. Slater delivers suspense in spades, with just the right amount of misdirection to keep you guessing. If you’re a fan of thrillers, mysteries, or psychological suspense, this is one I’d definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I enjoyed this one it was such a tense read I was literally sitting on the edge of my bed
I actually loved how short the chapters are it was such a. Enjoyable easy read.
The twists were definitely twisting ! The thriller was there and I was so impressed with it

To be honest I found this a little boring in places with a central character that I just couldn’t warm to. It gets gripping about three quarters of the way through, if you can stand the constant ‘o woe is me’ until then. I have enjoyed books from this writer before, so was looking forward to this, but it just didn’t grip me at the start.

Merri and Dev win a dream house perched above Lake Windemere after Dev buys Merri a lottery ticket. Suddenly all their problems seem to be over - no more bills, no more dead end jobs they dislike, no more renting shabby properties and they can get the car repaired since it broke down the previous week.
But as soon as they move into the house strange things begin happening. It seems the locals do not appreciate their luck, nor the fact that the stunning glass and metal house was built so prominently in the Lake District national park. Merri has always been rather secretive and retiring and being thrown into the spotlight as prize winners goes very much against her normal way of living and somewhat throws her off kilter.
Part of Merri's social awkwardness is caused by trauma in her childhood, losing her mother at a. young age, and then being put into care and then losing her sister in an accident. But despite feeling sorry for her I didn't really care much for Merri as a character and poor Dev, her husband, is extremely wooden and doesn't really come alive at all.
I appreciated the plot twists but I really objected to being told constantly that there was worse to come. Infact the forewarning got so bad at one point I nearly abandoned the book. It was extremely irritating and ruined the read of the book for its own sake, allowing the tension to rise through the writing alone.
All in all I though the book could have been somewhat stronger, and whilst the premise was good, the book lacked depth.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Another absolutely outstanding book from K.L Slater! This book has me hooked from beginning to end. I was in complete shock with the twists, I didn’t see them coming at all! I swear I was guessing right until the end.

I received this in exchange for an honest review.
It's a pretty standard story as thrillers go, nothing new or different - but a good story nonetheless.
It had me coming back to find out what happens next until the end. I was in fact wrong about my suspicions of whodunnit.
Well worth my time - an enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Merri and Dev have their own little place but they are behind on all the bills and barely scraping by. Dev buys Merri a lottery ticket for her birthday, and amazingly they win a dream home and a lot of money. The house is vandalised before they get there, and when they do, things don't feel right - is someone stalking them? Merri had a troubled childhood and buried within it are secrets she's never told Dev. There is a great sense of menace as the past comes back to confront Merri - its a gripping story and a good read.

The Lucky Winners by K.L. Slater is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully weaves suspense and intrigue into the lives of its characters. The novel seems to centre on a seemingly normal family who unexpectedly wins a substantial lottery prize, only to find that their newfound fortune brings more peril than prosperity. Slater's narrative style is both engaging and unsettling, as she delves into themes of greed, betrayal, and the dark side of human nature. Her well-drawn characters are complex and relatable and it made me question whom they can trust as the plot unfolds with numerous twists and turns. The tension builds steadily and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the shocking conclusion. Although it took me some time to get into this book, but once I got through a few chapters I really started to enjoy it.

When Dev buys Merri a ticket for a dream house prize drawer, their luck may have changed forever. Within a week they are moving into a mansion in the Lake District.

However, two things taint their dream. The first is the temporary scrutiny and spotlight; Merri has a dark past and a tragedy to hide. The second is the feeling of being watched and the hidden motives of their new neighbours.

Are Dev and Merri really lucky or have they stumbled on a new nightmare?

An interesting cat and mouse plot, although perhaps a few too many villains.

This is a tense thriller. As the story unfolds, the tension builds. We join Merri and her husband Dev in the win of a lifetime, but whilst the house might be Dev's dream, its Merri's nightmare and the facade of her life begins to crumble. What is the dark truth that Merri (Janey) is hiding from and who is the 'Watcher' This is without doubt a superb read.
Huge thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an early read in exchange for an honest review.