The Mistress Next Door is a quick read.
I had some issues with the character’s personalities. I felt that Harriett didn’t care enough about her child being lost/abducted at the beginning of the story. When she was lost, obviously there was a lot of emotion there. When she was returned she basically didn’t care anymore and I was just confused how that’s at all accurate to how a parent would react.

Oliver lacked in character development at all. I felt that he needed a stronger character profile. He was having an affair and I still didn’t hate him because I felt like he was an after thought.

The threatening notes that Harriett was receiving was what was pulling me along during the entire novel. While i felt that the story had a strong outline, the details weren’t strong enough for me.

The last ending scene was also super lack luster for me, it had a lot of build up when they figured out what Ryan was doing and then it just kind of ended and i was left feeling meh.

Although i did have these issues, I didn’t dislike it. I just feel it needed some fine tuning still.

This is my first audiobook for review. It was nice to have while I had to be hands free and still keep up on my reading.
I was intrigued by this book right from the get go with the playground scene. As a mother, this hooked me and kept me listening to find out what darkness lurked in the lead characters past as she alluded to during the first few chapters of the book. I hated the husband the more I heard and you know a book is good, when you have hatred for a character. 😁
The twists were good, definitely not as dark as I am used to reading. The ending came together nicely and wasn’t strung out too long.
The lead character was a little meek and mild for me but was able to hold her own in the long run. I will definitely keep reading this author. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC on this one!

I wasn't super impressed with this book. It was fairly predictable and not super exciting. It was good "background noise" while working, but not an all in listen.

Harriet was at a park when one of her children went missing. Her husband was nowhere to be found when she tried to reach him on the phone. Fortunately, her child was found a few hours later, but they do not know who took her, and both Harriett and her husband have their own secrets.

The premise was interesting enough to grab the audiobook, but I felt the writing was choppy and did not mesh together. The ending and the big reveal were so abrupt. I felt like there was a big build, and the big reveal sprung on me too quickly. Eilidh Beaton did a great job as the narrator though.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Bookouture Audio for giving me a copy of the audiobook.

3.5 stars

This book was okay. It was dramatic and suspenseful but simultaneously a bit predictable at times. The ending was fine but wasn’t anything groundbreaking…I finished it a few days ago and am already a bit foggy on the details, so it didn’t stick with me as much as others have. It was fine, interesting enough till the final reveals, and I’m sure some major thriller fans will enjoy it.

This story was okay but lacking. It felt long and drawn out without no real resolution. The ending was very predictable.

3.5 stars rounded up! This story certainly had me guessing for awhile! Just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn't. LOL The choices that the MC made at times, made smh but it all came together in the end. I'd read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow. What a delightful, domestic thriller! Domestic thrillers are my favorite genre. We have Harriet and Oliver living in upscale community, where neighbors seem to know each other's business, just about. Harriet has two twin identical daughters around 3, and a newborn, just a few months old. She has a side business where she makes children's clothes and probably sells them on Etsy. Her husband Oliver is a doting father who travels a lot for work. Harriet knows he has a wondering eye although Oliver will completely deny it, even though he has had an affair in the past which Harriet forgave him for.

There is a part where one of the twins goes missing just for a short while but is found later in the day, unharmed. After that happens, Harriet begins receiving anonymous notes, and even at one point a bouquet of flowers, all of a threatening nature. She keeps this from her husband and doesn't tell anybody else except a close neighbor, Martin.

Harriet seems to be hiding a dark past, from her babysitting days when she was a teenager. She has done very well at hiding this from her friends and Oliver. But not everybody has forgotten. Therein lies one of the mysteries.

I really liked how this book wrapped up. I was drawn in from the very beginning and felt like I was one of Harriet's neighbors. I was invested in all of the characters and thought the narrator did a really good job. I am going to look forward to other writings from this author.

Thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The mistress next door- audiobook
2,5⭐️

Harriet seems like a typical mom but she has a secret. A huge secret. We don’t find out until the end of the book. I really wanted to find out what she was tormenting herself with. Her husband was a real real jackass. The amount of gas lighting he did was unreal. I mean just admit things just be honest. He made the audience and his wife feel like we imagined everything. The thriller part of the book wasn’t enough for me. The threatening notes were not enough. The book intrigued me enough to keep reading but I would not read it again. Thank you @netgalley for giving me an arc of this book. Do check it out when it releases next week! #booklover #reader #bookstagram #netgalley #book #booklover #booknerd #booknerd #bookaddict #reader #readerlife #readersofinstagram #thriller

An easy, enjoyable read but nothing mind-blowing and quite similar to many other books on the market in this domain - hidden secrets from the past coming back to haunt a character in the present.. The audio version of the book was well narrated and whilst the book hooked you in right at the start I didn't feel there was much depth to any of the characters and the pace faltered somewhat in the middle. Those factors aside it is a very easy read with an element of plot interest maintained right until the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

I had super high expectations for this book, and while well-written, it was only a moderate read for me.

If the suspenseful parts of the plot had been put together in a novella, I’d give that five stars. Unfortunately, none of the adult characters are particularly likable (except Martin, who I adored). They spend all their time acting like 5th graders. Men and women alike. Except Oliver, I’d put him in 7th grade horn-dog, zero thoughts about anything else-land. Not better by any means. Gossipy, insulated, small-minded 5th graders. And I say 5th grade because I have a 5th grader right now and whoooowheee it’s a trip!

I felt like 80% of the book was Harriett wondering if Oliver was cheating, thinking about whether he was cheating, thinking about who he could be cheating with, reminiscing about the last time he cheated, and on and on. This overwhelmed the plot—so that the (very dramatic and terrifying!) exciting parts of the story were seemingly minor comparatively. It was disappointing that these weren’t reversed—the search at the beginning was one example of this.

I also feel like Harriett unnecessarily lived with guilt from what was essentially a tragic accident from years prior. All-consuming, unrealistic, life-limiting, guilt. Therapy helps, and it’s unfortunate that she’s not self-aware enough to make that happen. That said, I also know that I have a huge bias against weak female MC’s who consider themselves victims when they have the resources to change their circumstances. So please don’t discount reading this because of my opinions! I have a bias!

What I enjoyed: Harriett is starting to pursue her dream, and her actions at the end of the book were a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of it. I feel like it finished on a high note for me.

I enjoyed this a lot more then I thought I would. I think listening to the audiobook made me enjoy it more. A mystery thriller filled with twists and turns. I was shocked by the ending and was mystified the whole time. The story starts out a bit slow but by about a quarter of the way through the twists start to happen. Harriet and her husband live in a small community with their three children. Harriet believes her husband is having an affair and she can’t figure out who the mistress is. All the while she is receiving threatening notes. By the end her own secrets are revealed.

My rating: 4/5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: February 15th

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to review this arc!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review of this domestic thriller by Lesley Sanderson, wonderfully narrated by Eilidh Beaton - 4 stars!

Harriet and Oliver are settled in wealthy Prospect Close, with their new baby and twin girls. Then Harriet discovers clues that Oliver is possibly straying from their marriage again. But Oliver isn't the only one keeping secrets, and Harriet has started receiving threatening notes. Then one of the twins goes missing when they are at a local park.

I enjoyed listening to this book and was intrigued to see how it would all end up. There aren't a lot of real likable characters here and at some point I was questioning many of their motives. The reader gets glimpses of the past in alternating chapters and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Yes, a great story!

Author Lesley Sanderson brings us a “Wow” story of friendships and deception, secrets and lies in this whodunnit mysterious thriller. The reader is immediately captivated from the introduction of “anonymous” and you find yourself not as just the reader, but now as detectives eagerly trying to solve the crime of adulatory, punishment, and solicitation.

Harriet and her husband Oliver live in Prospect Close, an upscale condominium community that has everything a family needs including a playground and private school for their three children, and a coffeehouse for themselves. A place where the women mingle together as friends, but sometimes end up sharing more than an occasional cup of sugar.

Harriet is taken on a disturbing journey after their daughter Tilly comes up missing while they are playing at the playground. Harriet and her close friends spend exhausting hours searching for little Tilly without much luck, eventually getting the police involved. They also have no luck trying to reach Oliver who is out of town on a business trip in Paris. Eventually Tilly is found safe and returned to her family and only lets them know, “ A nice man took me for a walk.”

After all the chaos and confusion settles down, Harriet receives a disturbing message asking “Were you afraid?” This note has Harriet not only afraid but so nervous that she begins to question her validity as a mother and contemplates moving her family to the country for safety, but Harriet decides to keep this information to herself for now so not to upset her husband who she believes us keeping a secret and spends a lot of time working and traveling for business. Harriet is left no choice but to start looking for clues to unearth the person behind sending the disturbing notes. Everyone now becomes a suspect and Harriet leaves no person free.
Can she figure it out before someone gets hurt while also keeping her friendship with the neighbors in the community? But there is a problem with all of this, Harriet has a secret of her own that she is keeping from Oliver and hopes it will never come to light or she could lose everything including her family.
How can she keep up the facade of her friendships while keeping in mind one of them is guilty along with keeping her own dark secret between herself and her past.

This was such a good book, I definitely recommend it!

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for giving me access.

This was a page turner! Well in my case, a listen than I couldn’t pause. Sanderson wrote a gripping story that kept me guessing until the end. Never would I have thought that the twist would be the twist. Maybe a variation but not the mind blowing one that is was.

The Mistress Next Door is great for all my thriller/suspense loving enthusiasts. I really enjoyed it and all the secrets that hid within. This really makes you think about your neighbors and how long someone is willing to play the game of revenge.

My thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to review this arc .

Harriet is having difficulties. She thinks her husband Oliver is having an affair, but not sure with whom. Her daughter goes missing, and she is receiving threatening notes. Why?? An alternate storyline from 2006 will reveal why.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to more from this author. Lots of twists and enjoyed the narrator.

The mistress next door WOW I’m so sad it's over. I could have listened to another sixty chapters . . . A fantastic audio book!
Cancel all plans while reading - I inhaled this amazing book over one weekend and resented everything that kept me away from it! The writing was top notch and the characters were very real. Well done !⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a slow burn with a good build up to the final reveal. Told in different points of view the author gives us lots of mystery and suspense to keep you page turning. I wasn’t keen on the narration of the children in this book but I always think it’s a difficult thing to do to make it sound realistic. The characters were written to feel real while the dialogue and scene setting are well written. The husband was lacking character which was a bit disappointing so I didn’t feel anything for him one way or another. The secret notes kept me reading as I was interested to find out who was sending them. I Enjoyed the different pov that brought the story together further on in the story and there was no confusion at any point about which character was talking. Not an edge of your seat thriller but a mysterious slow burn that keeps you guessing right up until the end. Overall I enjoyed this and would read more from this author

A harrowing tale of oppression and betrayal well written and sympathetically told. A good book for a cold wintry evening and worth the time invested. Main character has a lot of qualities that make one realise the inner strength people carry with them

This was a very enjoyable book with a twist nobody would ever be able to see coming and that was the awesome part! I love a good twist! This was my first book by this author and I am looking forward to reading more in the future! I highly recommend this book to all my friends and family! Give it a go! You won’t be disappointed!