I wanted to enjoy this book. I thought I would enjoy this book. I did not enjoy this book. The audio excerpt (teaser) made it sound like it would be a great domestic thriller. Instead, The Mistress Next Door by Lesley Sanderson is full of unlikeable characters with a brittle storyline that is slow and at times boring. I didn’t care who did what or who was involved. I just wanted it to end. I don’t think I would have finished the book if it weren’t an ARC. I listened to the audiobook. I found to production quality to be well done and Eilidh Beaton’s performance to be solid. Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

3 Stars

So I felt The Mistress Next Door was just average. It wasn’t bad. I just wouldn’t call this a “must-read”. This book is easy enough to listen to and the narrator has an amazing accent which I loved.

Short Premise- The husband is having an affair. They have three young kids together. Husband of course travels for work. Mom is super over-protective of the kids and has a questionable past. The new neighborhood of Prospect Close isn’t quite far enough to escape previous secrets or affairs. You go on a journey goes to uncover who the mistress is and what the wife is hiding.

What I liked…
-the last quarter of the book
-the narration, her accent was amazing
-how she said zeb-ra

What didn’t work for me
-super slow for the first several hours, not much happened
-not enough character development
-the ending was a little rushed for me

Thank you, NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture Audio for the audiobook ARC. This is my honest review.

This was the first thriller that I’ve read in a while and was also my first from Lesley Sanderson. I was initially drawn to it because of the cover, but then the synopsis really had me hooked.

The first few chapter were great! The set up was good and there is a pretty big event off the top that sucks you right into the mystery. But from there I felt like things unraveled a bit. I liked the dual POV and dual timeline, but felt like there was a lot of build up to a climax that just didn’t hit the way I wanted it to. I spent the middle chapters of the book thinking “ok, enough with the notes and mysterious past.” But, I also kept thinking every new name mentioned was involved in the mystery so I was definitely sucked into the plot.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of domestic thrillers and is looking for a quick, easy read for the beach or dock.

Trigger warnings: infidelity, gaslighting

The Mistress Next Door appears, on the surface, to be like several other thrillers I've read or seen lately; however, it definitely takes its own unique twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing. Harriet is an overprotective mother of three, and for good reason. Her children's is being threatened, while she's also dealing with a possibly unfaithful husband and a haunting past. She doesn't know who to trust and it seems like everyone is s suspect. I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller, although it felt slightly rushed at the end. Harriet had some trauma to unpack and I think the story would have been elevated by spending a little more time with her. Overall it was a good time with just about the right amount of surprises and gut-punches.

I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated by Eilidh Beaton. My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story was suspenseful and creepy.
I was on the edge of my seat while reading this.
I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. I liked the ending.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest revIew.

The Mistress Next door is well-written and well-narrated, but it wasn't my favorite book. It certainly kept my attention until the end, but the ending was a bit disappointing.

Harriet is a young mother of three: a pair of twins and a baby. She lives in a desirable and safe neighborhood with her husband, Oliver, a banker who commutes to London daily for work and often works abroad. Or so he says.
One day, Harriet's daughter Tilly disappears from the playground in plain daylight, causing a commotion in the safe neighborhood. On that day, Harriet also receives a threatening note and can't get through to her husband. So we know from the first chapter that Harriet has secrets that keep coming back to haunt her; that someone is out to get her, and that her husband is unreliable and untrustworthy.

The neighbors in Prospect Close all seem to have secrets, too. What's up with Elliott, the head teacher of the local school? Who is that woman that keeps showing up in the neighborhood and upsetting Elliott? Who is having an affair with Oliver? Why is Becky acting so strangely?
All of these questions, and the threatening notes, kept me coming back for more.
But sadly, the big secret, while a very sad story, doesn't warrant the criminal (and sloppy) attack on Harriet's family. That plot seems way too far-fetched.

All in all, The Mistress Next Door is an entertaining read that will keep you wondering what will happen next but may not be your most satisfying read.

Thanks to Bookotoure Audio and Netgalley for the advanced digital audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

2.5⭐️ rounded up. I wasn’t bored by this book, but it was predictable. I didn’t like any of the characters that much, and the whole story depended on a bunch of people living in complete denial and repeatedly making terrible decisions. Also, Oliver was the absolute worst ever.

This book kept me engaged and interested enough to finish, and I loved the premise and wanted to love it. But didn't quite get there.

I didn't enjoy the characters. Harriet was unbelievable as a mother to me. When her child was lost, she had some emotion but once she returned it was as if it had never happened really. She didn't even ask her husband to return home. That was odd!

Oliver was having an affair and I normally hate a character like that. But he was such a blah character, I didn't even care that much. His character needed more.

Harriet receives threatening notes throughout (not a spoiler - it's all through the story) and THAT is what kept me engaged. I felt this storyline was strong but it lacked in details and that's why I couldn't love it.

Despite a lot of build up to the end, the ending was just ehhh to me.

I would read another book by this author because I felt this was a solid plotline, I just needed more

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Lesley for an ARC of The Mistress Next Door.

This is definitely a slow-burn thriller that starts and ends with a bang. I was very engaged in the beginning and end, but the middle was a bit hard to get through.

We are following Harriet as she has sneaking suspicions about her husband. However, that's not her only mystery. Someone is also leaving her threatening notes about the past. Not to mention, Harriet has 3 children at home and just lost her nanny, while trying to start up her small children's clothing business.

There are some jumps in time in the book that personally did not seem necessary. I also saw very few twists coming, the majority of those were due to hidden clues (of course) but some seem plucked out of thin air?

I enjoyed the overall story, the characters, learning all about the neighborhood, and I thought the overall world was fascinating.

Deep dark secrets, lies, affairs and so much more within a small tight knit community. It was absolutely a page-turner and the twist in the end was mind blowing. Highly recommend!

Very good book. The story telling was compelling and the flashbacks perfectly added to the suspense of the spot.

The end was bitter sweet but left the reader satisfied with a happy enough ending.

2.5 rounded up. A plot with promise, lots of dislikable characters, underwhelming ending.

Started off with a very interesting take from an anonymous narrator, but descending into a slow pace of the same thing being said over and over. Unlikable characters also made this one a hard sell for me. Harriet is so wishy-washy that I found her repetitive paranoia annoying. There is so much gaslighting from the husband, who would put up with that? The dialogue felt stifled, sometimes chaotic.

There are some alternating POV and the narrator helps to keep these different enough for you that you can kind of follow it. I think I'd have to be flipping pages backward in a print copy as I did get a bit lost with it in general.

Sadly, the ending was anti-climactic. It just felt like a lot more could have happened here, but didn't. There wasn't anything memorable about this book to make it stand out for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this ARC. I appreciated the opportunity to hear this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was gripping and sucked me right in from the beginning. I kept a second guessing who was behind all of this throughout the book and in the end was way off. This is was great thriller.

Harriet is an upper middle class wife and mother. She lives in the perfect neighborhood and has a strong sense of community in her idyllic life. One day while watching her children playing in the park, she helps a child who is hurt and when she turns around one of her twins is missing. After her daughter is returned safely, she finds a note, that scares her in her purse. So begins a very scary journey with more threatening notes and questioning who is after her. Harriet begins questioning if she really knows her neighbors and even her marriage. This book starts with an unknown threat that leads the reader to not trust anyone in Harriet's life. It could possibly be that I am an untrusting reader, so I doubt everyone. I enjoyed this book. I guessed everyone and don't worry...I was right, but I won't say how right...The twists and turns made the story a fun follow. The integration of the past into the current story worked well. The build up and the eventual finale kept me riveted and engaged. It was well worth the ride with this book.

This is so sad.
A young woman makes a mistake and spends the rest of her life feeling untold guilt. Meanwhile, other people also want to ruin her life.
There were parts I didn't enjoy but you need them to understand the rest of the story. I can't relate to a woman trying to deal with her husband's affairs. I would just not like the guy anymore and I'd find a new life, but that's not how novel ladies work.
It gets really good at the end so definately keep listening while Harriet works through some stuff.
The narrator was amazing. What a great performance!
Oliver is literally the worst.

I really enjoyed the story the pace built up at the correct rate and it was not at all predictable I did not see the twists coming at all. The story kept me gripped throughout the book.

I like the character of Harriett, I think the author pitched her exactly right although the ending is a little bit too ‘happily ever after for my liking

The reader of the audiobook read well creating tension when necessary

I would 100% recommend this book

Everything seems perfect in the lovely community of Prospect Close. But one day Harriet's life becomes a nightmare: her child is briefly kidnapped, she starts receiving threats and anonymous messages, she suspects her husband is having an affair... Afraid for the life of her children and haunted by her past, Harriet is struggling to stay calm and protect herself from the mysterious mistress next door.

Ah, there's nothing like a nice thriller with liars and cheaters to celebrate Valentine's Day!
The story is told mostly from the point of view of the anxious main character Harriet, with rare short glimpses of the pov of the mysterious mistress. It starts pretty strong, but when the pace slows down and we're introduced to several characters and dynamics within the little community, I started losing attention at times. Harriet is very well written, as well and the overall tense atmosphere, but I found all the other characters (especially the women) very bland and almost impossible to distinguish apart.
I appreciated the ending on a positive note, but the revelation of Harriet's past and the identity of the mistress was very predictable and therefore was a bit of a letdown for me.

Still I enjoyed this book, it kept me entertained for a few hours and I'll probably read more by this author.
The audiobook narration of Eilidh Beaton was also pretty good, the voice used for the children was quite funny and endearing!
3 stars.

* I'd like to thank Lesley Sanderson, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest review. * The Mistress Next Door is out on February 15th, 2023.

The book started out dropping enough mystery to keep me curious and moving forward throughout, however as it moved on, it felt as if parts moved very slowly without enough character development or engaging story. The twist was meh and while I'm all for a happy ending, I was hoping for more excitement throughout.

I was given the audiobook on ARC at Netgalley and in return gave my honest feedback.

𝕀 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕕

Harriet thought she had the perfect husband until she realizes that he is cheating on her. Now she wants to figure out with who. Not only does she have her hands full with trying to figure things out with her marriage, she has had to deal with a lot in such a short amount of time and is receiving ominous letters.
The story was a bit slow at the beginning but the hints of Harriet's past and the mystery of the affair and threats she was receiving were enough to keep me hanging on. I felt like some things were connected. It was definitely a page turner towards the end and I couldn't wait to see the big reveal.
The narrator, Lesley Sanderson gave a great performance and she truly kept me listening and engaged throughout the book. Her voice is clear and concise. Lesley's narration really brought the story and characters to life.
At times, I was wondering if Harriet was a bit naïve when it came to her husband. She gave him a lot of leeway in things when he would up and disappear for hours.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC.

Publishes: 2/14/23

The Mistress Next Door was an excellent thriller! I devoured this audiobook in one day. It was too good to walk away from. I loved the setting and the circumstances placed on the main character. I especially liked how she grew throughout the story while battling forces that were after her.

I loved the audiobook narrator. The story was well read, and the narrator did a fantastic job delivering the story and bringing the characters to life. I listened at 1.75x speed.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookcouture for this advanced audio copy.